ANCIENT PROPHET SEES AMERICA IN LAST DAYS

An Ancient prophet named Jacob, who lived in the Americas between 559 - 544 B.C., talked about this land in prophetic vision.

The Prophet Jacob saw in the last days there would be a righteous branch of the House of Israel on this land, where he was then standing.

JACOB PROPHESIES ABOUT AMERICA, THE LAND HE IS STANDING ON AT THAT MOMENT.

2 Nephi 9: 53

53 And behold how great the covenants of the Lord, and how great his condescensions unto the children of men; and because of his greatness, and his grace and mercy, he has promised unto us that our seed shall not utterly be destroyed, according to the flesh, but that he would preserve them; and in future generations they shall become a righteous branch unto the house of Israel.

Ancient prophets have seen Jesus Christ long before He was born on the earth.  They knew that He was Jehovah of the Old Testament who was to come to the earth to perform the Atonement for all mankind.

2 Nephi 10: 1-5

1 And now I, Jacob, speak unto you again, my beloved brethren, concerning this righteous branch of which I have spoken.  (This was Lehi's descendants who came from Jerusalem 600 B.C.).  (Jacob was a prophet son of Lehi)

 

2 For behold, the promises which we have obtained are promises unto us according to the flesh; wherefore, as it has been shown unto me that many of our children shall perish in the flesh because of unbelief, nevertheless, God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be restored, that they may come to that which will give them the true knowledge of their Redeemer.

 

3 Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ—for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be his name—should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him—for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God.

 

4 For should the mighty miracles be wrought among other nations they would repent, and know that he be their God.

 

5 But because of priestcrafts and iniquities, they at Jerusalem will stiffen their necks against him, that he be crucified.

The Lord knew that they would eventually crucify Him when He came to the earth. 

But they had to make the choice on their own, and He allowed it because the Atonement had to be made for all of us. 

Jacob continues his prophesy.

Jacob continues to talk about when his Prophet father Lehi left Jerusalem with him and Nephi and his other family members he mentions that the righteous would be scattered among all nations. 

And, as we know now, Jerusalem was attacked in 586 B.C.

2 Nephi 10: 7-8

7 But behold, thus saith the Lord God:  When the day cometh that they shall believe in me, that I am Christ, then have I covenanted with their fathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), that they shall be restored in the flesh, upon the earth, unto the lands of their inheritance. 

8 And it shall come to pass that they shall be gathered in from their long dispersion, from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts of the earth; and the nations of the Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me, saith God, in carrying them forth to the lands of their inheritance.

2 NEPHI 10: 10-16

10 But behold, this land, (The Lord talking to Jacob about America), said God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land.  (America has been blessed on this land) 

11 And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles. 

12 And I will fortify this land against all other nations.

 

13 And he that fighteth against Zion shall perish, saith God.

 

14 For he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish, for I, the Lord, the king of heaven, will be their king, and I will be a light unto them forever, that hear my words.

 

15 Wherefore, for this cause, that my covenants may be fulfilled which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the secret works of darkness, and of murders, and of abominations.

 

16 Wherefore, he that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female, shall perish; for they are they who are the whore of all the earth; for they who are not for me are against me, saith our God.

 

Those who are not of Israel are Gentiles according to the definition.

REMEMBER, all of this is being said by a prophet in the Americas between  559 - 544 B.C.

2 Nephi 10: 18-19 

18 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, thus saith our God: I will afflict thy seed (meaning the American Indians), by the hand of the Gentiles; nevertheless, I will soften the hearts of the Gentiles, that they shall be like unto a father to them; wherefore, the Gentiles shall be blessed and numbered among the house of Israel. 

19 Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed, and them who shall be numbered among thy seed, forever, for the land of their inheritance; for it is a choice land, saith God unto me, above all other lands, wherefore I will have all men that dwell thereon that they shall worship me, saith God.

2 Nephi 10: 21-23

21 But great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea; wherefore as it says isles, there must needs be more than this, and they are inhabited also by our brethren. 

22 For behold, the Lord God has led away from time to time from the house of Israel, according to his will and pleasure. And now behold, the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off, wherefore he remembereth us also.  

23 Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

Man don't have to believe the Lord and may think his hand is mightier than the Lords but they cannot ignore His Words.  All His words will be fulfilled.

Many things can be learned by reading the chapters before and after this chapter. 
 
For more information, go to www.lds.org.

Comment are welcome.

IMMORTALITY AND ETERNAL LIFE

Part of the Plan of Salvation for God’s Children.

We all lived in the Spirit World.  At a certain point in our existence as spirits, we were sent to earth to gain a physical body for our spirits.

To progress in the eternities, a physical body is necessary and desired, counter to what some religions say. 

It was so important that Jesus Christ came back and resurrected His body before going to God the Father.

Immortality, what is it?

Adam and Eve and All forms of life were created in immortality.  Death had not come to the world until after the fall. 

When Adam and Eve fell, they became the first mortal flesh on the earth and the consequent death that came from this status of existence passed on to All forms of life.

Original immortality was designed to only be temporary up until the Fall. 

This immortality stopped when mortality started.

The Final Immortality is to live forever in the resurrected state with body and spirit inseparably connected, never to die again. 

Body and Spirit in mortality constitute the Soul of man. 

When they are separated at death, the body is alone and the spirit is alone.  The soul, at that point, does not exist. 

In the resurrection when the body and spirit come together permanently, the immortal soul is constituted again and will remain forever as a soul.

The Lord stated Himself in:

Moses 1: 39

39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

God is going to make all of His children immortal unconditionally. 

This will make it possible for all of His children to stand before Him in their physical bodies at the Judgment Bar. 

Eternal life is not given to man, eternal life must be earned.

Those who believe His Gospel and Obey the Gospel Plan go on to Eternal Life, the Greatest of all the Gifts of God.

Doctrine and Covenants 14: 7

7 And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.

Immortality is not just for man.  Every living thing will come forth in the resurrection with immortality.  So, don't be cruel to your animals!  :)

The Earth itself will be quickened and come forth as an Immortal Celestial Globe. 

So, what is Eternal Life?

Eternal Life and Exaltation.

As it is used in the scriptures, Eternal life is the name given to the kind of life that God the Father lives. 

The word Eternal is one of the formal names of Deity and has been chosen by God Himself as the particular name which identifies the kind of life that He lives.

He being God, the life He lives is God’s life and His name being Eternal, so, the kind of life He lives is eternal life.

Eternal life does not only mean the duration of a future life, immortality took care of that, but only those who will obey the fullness of the Gospel Law will inherit Eternal Life.

Doctrine and Covenants 29: 43-44

43 And thus did I, the Lord God, appoint unto man the days of his probation—that by his natural death he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life, even as many as would believe;

(The days of our Probation is this Earth Life Testing Period we are in now.)

44 And they that believe not unto eternal damnation; for they cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall, because they repent not.

Eternal Life is the quality of life that God the Father enjoys.

Thus, those who follow and obey the Gospel become the sons of God and joint heirs with Christ and members of the Church of the Firstborn.

To obtain Eternal Life and Exaltation, it is required to be married for Time and for All Eternity, which is only performed in the Temples of God. 

Those who tried and cannot find a spouse while here on earth will have the chance later IF they are obeying the fullness of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

They will overcome all things and have the power and receive the fullness of the father.

Seek after Eternal Life. 

To read the details of the resurrection of the bodies and spirits, read all of this chapter:

2 NEPHI 9

For more information go to www.lds.org

Comments are welcome.

COVENANTS WITH GOD

What is a Covenant?

In a Gospel sense, a Covenant is a binding and solemn compact, agreement, contract, or mutual promise between God and a single person or a group of chosen persons.

How can a Covenant be made with God?

God has always required His children to make Covenants with Him.  God promises to bless us if we make and follow the Covenant, and we promise to obey Him.

God sets the terms of gospel covenants, which we can accept and obey and this brings blessings in this life and exaltation in the life to come, or we can reject them and reap the consequences.

To keep our covenants, we must give up activities or interests that prevent us from honoring those covenants. 

We should desire and strive to keep them and those Covenants should remind to repent daily each day of our lives.

By serving others and keeping the Commandments we retain a remission of our sins. 

Covenants are made by ordinances like baptism. 

These ordinances are administered by priesthood authority that has been restored again to the earth in 1829.

To make a Covenant with God, His mind and will must be known having to do with the particular contractual relationship involved.

Covenants come only by direct revelation between God and the person making the covenant.

As far as people now living, the only people that can make a Covenant with God, because of having the companionship or Gift of the Holy Ghost, are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

This sounds arrogant but that is the situation of the world at this time.

As we keep our part of the baptismal covenant, God promises the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, a remission of our sins, and being born again. 

The Prophet and the Apostles, who are considered prophets, seers and revelators, are the only spiritual leaders receiving revelation for the church and the World.  

The members, because of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, receive revelations for their personal lives.

Through sacred ordinances, such as baptism and confirmation, we learn about and experience God’s power (see D&C 84:20).

Jesus taught that we must be baptized by immersion for the remission, or forgiveness, of our sins by someone holding the priesthood authority that has been restored since 1829. 

Priesthood Authority.

If you call yourself a doctor and have not gone to, and graduated from, medical school, you are not a doctor.  You do not have authority from the medical school who Authenticates you to act in the profession as a doctor.

The priesthood is the same.  If you have gone to a religious school and come out with a diploma saying you are a minister, priest or pastor, you have their authority to practice it on the earth, in this life, but what is done is not recognized out of this life and in the eternities by God Himself.

That authority has to come from God Himself, through His appointed servants the same way that Moses ordained Aaron and the Lord ordained His Twelve Apostles, namely, by the Laying on of Hands by those already holding the Authority. 

Then what they do on earth and in the Eternities will be recognized by God here on earth and after this life.

Baptism is an essential ordinance of salvation. No person can enter the kingdom of God without being baptized.

Christ set the example for us by being baptized even though He was perfect and did not need it. 

Baptism by immersion is a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior.

Little children do not need to be baptized and are redeemed through the mercy of Jesus Christ (see Moroni 8:4–24).

They are not to be baptized until they reach the age of accountability, which is eight years of age, being revealed by modern revelation by a latter day prophet.  (See D&C 68:27).

OTHER OFFICIAL ORDINANCES.

The New and Everlasting Covenant is the fullness of the gospel and embraces within its terms and conditions every other covenant that Deity ever has made or ever will make with men. (See D&C 132: 5-7)

The New and Everlasting Covenant is the Covenant of Eternal Marriage, not marriage until death do us part. 

This marriage is recognized by God in the Eternities meaning your family will continue, intact, as a family and you will be able to have children forever.

The provisions of this covenant are that if men will believe, repent, be baptized, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost and endure in righteousness to the end, they shall have an inheritance in the Celestial World.

Taking the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper each Sunday will renew those baptismal covenants and salvation is assured.

Some of the Covenants God makes with us are:  

1.  Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy.  (Exodus 20: 8-11)

2.  Paying Tithes and Offerings.  (Malachi 3: 7-10)

3.  Keeping the Words of Wisdom.  (Doctrine and Covenants 89)

There are many others.

To remember to keep the Covenants is a standing obligation resting upon the Lord’s people.

Those who keep the Covenants have the Lord’s promise that all things will work together for their good.

In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith on August 6, 1833, the Lord said:

Doctrine and Covenants 98: 3

3 Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name’s glory, saith the Lord.

You are blessed if you keep the commandments and the covenants you have made, and because of this, you will obtain mercy.  (D&C 54: 6)

For further information, go to www.lds.org

Comments are welcome.

BOOK OF MORMON - WHY DID IT COME FORTH NOW.

What is the Book of Mormon?

Most of the Christian world wonders, why is the Book of Mormon here?  What good is it? 

We have a Bible and that is all we need.  After Jesus Christ was crucified and the Apostles were killed, there is not a need for more scriptures because we have all we need.

The Foreknowledge of God.

God knows the end from the beginning. 

He knows each of us and the types of decisions we will make, but He will not destroy our Free Agency.

We can remain good or we can become evil.  It is up to us.

He knows each of us so good that He knows pretty much what each of us will do under certain circumstances, but we need to be proven. 

He knows what experiences each of us needs and presents or allows those experiences to come to us so we can use our Free Agency to choose.

Knowing the end from the beginning He prepares for any problems.

 Directions to His Prophets.

About 600 years before the birth of His son, Jesus Christ, He inspired the Prophet Lehi, who was at that time, along with the Prophet Jeremiah, calling the people of Jerusalem to repentance because of their wicked ways.

The people of Jerusalem rebelled against them. 

Jeremiah went to Egypt with some of the Jews to preserve their lives. 

The Prophet Lehi was warned by the Lord in a dream to take his family and only the necessities they needed and leave into the wilderness and was told that they would be led to a promised land which would become the Americas.

They took a set of Brass Plates which contained a record of the Jews from Adam down to the Reign of Zedekiah, King of Judah, (597 – 586 B.C.).

The Lord inspired the Prophet Lehi’s son, who became the Prophet Nephi, to begin a record of the history and ministries of his people and to pass the record down from prophet to prophet.  (Keep in mind, it was 600 B.C. that Nephi started this record.)

This record covered 1000 years, from 600 B.C., down to the year 421 A.D., and the last Prophet Moroni, (who was the son of the Prophet Mormon, who compiled all the records by inspiration of the Lord, into one set of gold plates, and gave them to his son Moroni), finished the plates of gold.

The Lord told Moroni to bury them and that the record would be brought forth in the Last Days, in the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times to a prophet He would raise up to Restore His church and Gospel again on the earth before His Second Coming.

The Bible in the Last Days.

Because of the foreknowledge of the Lord about the condition of the Bible, which would go forth from the Jews to the world in the last days, He had prepared this record, called the Book of Mormon. 

It was to strengthen the Bible and not replace it but to be Another Witness of Jesus Christ and to restore many parts that would have been changed or were missing because of wicked men and because of the many translations by uninspired men, which made it possible for people to not understand it.

The Lord gave the Prophet Nephi a Vision and instructed him to write the vision in the record he was making and why the Book of Mormon was to come forth in this day.

Read the following chapters.

See the whole chapter:  1 Nephi 13.

Then, see the blessings and cursing’s that would fall upon the Gentiles in this chapter:  1 Nephi 14.

The Lord loves His children and wants them to come back to Him and bringing forth the Book of Mormon in the Last Days would help them if they would listen.
For more information, go to www.lds.org

ISRAEL - WHO IS LEHI and WHAT IS THE BOOK OF MORMON

Israel please listen.

Jeremiah:  He was a prophet who was born to a priestly family and prophesied in Jerusalem from 626–586 B.C.

He lived near the time of other great prophets: Lehi, Ezekiel, Hosea, and Daniel.

Lehi:  You may be familiar with these other prophets except for one, Lehi.

Lehi lived in Jerusalem and was a contemporary prophet with Jeremiah.

The people of Jerusalem at that time would not listen to Jeremiah and Lehi preach to them about changing their ways. 

Jeremiah preached from 626 B.C. to 586 B.C. until the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

The Lord had called Lehi and Jeremiah to preach to the Jews about repenting from their idolatry and immorality. 
See Jeremiah 3: 1-5 and Jeremiah 7: 8-10

In reading Jeremiah, he told us that the Lord told him that he was ordained to be a prophet in the Spirit World before he was born on earth. 
See Jeremiah 1: 4-5

About 600 B.C., the Prophet Lehi had threats on his life and being warned in a dream, he was told by the Lord to take his family and only the necessary things he needed and leave into the wilderness.  He was told he was going to be led into a promised land.

After three days of traveling in the desert, the Lord commanded Lehi to send his sons back to the house of Laban, who was a keeper of the records of the Jews, and obtain the brass plates and bring them with them. 

This was a record of the Jews from the beginning down to the Reign of Zedekiah, King of Judah. 

The Lord knew that generations would perish if they did not have or know their dealings with Him. 

They obtained the brass plates. 

They found that some of the prophecies of Jeremiah were on them and were very important.  Jeremiah is mentioned two other times in the Book of Mormon because of these records.
See 1 Nephi 7: 14 and Helaman 8: 20

Jeremiah stayed longer, actually until the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and he went with some of the Jews who escaped into Egypt, but according to tradition they stoned him to death. 

The reason they had stoned him may have been because they continued doing the wicked things that they had been doing in Jerusalem that he and Lehi had been warning them about and he was warning them again.

Eventually, the Lord led Lehi and his family to the sea and instructed Lehi's son Nephi, who also became a prophet of the Lord, to construct a ship. 

When this was done they collected all the things they needed and entered the ship. 

The ship was guided by the Lord to a promised land.

The Prophet Nephi, Lehi's son, began the record of their travels and experiences, spiritual and temporal on plates of gold.  

This metal was more plentiful, and he knew the record would last longer.

Nephi records that Lehi searched the brass plates they had obtained and found that he was a descendant of Joseph who was sold into Egypt and that Laban, who had kept the record was also a descendant of Joseph and his family was the keeper of the records.

Since the Prophet Nephi started this record in 600 B.C. when they left Jerusalem, the records were passed on from prophet to prophet for about 1000 years.

These records were made, not for the people of Nephi's day, but by the knowledge of the Lord, they would be preserved and come forth in the Last Days when He would Restore His church and Gospel to the earth.  

This record was made to come forth to the Jews and Gentiles in these Last Days. 

Here is the Title Page of the Book of Mormon.

This was written by the Prophet Mormon himself and was part of the plates.

The purpose of the Book of Mormon Record is to be Another Testament that Jesus is the Christ and to prove that the Bible is true.

At this time, 600 B.C., the Lord who was speaking to the prophets in the Old Testament and to Lehi and Nephi, was Jehovah. 

He would not become Jesus Christ until He was born in Bethlehem.

For further information see www.lds.org

Questions are welcomed.

BIRTH AND DEATH - A Part Of The Plan Of Salvation

Birth and Death are only a part of the Plan of Salvation. 

Do not be afraid of either.

Life in the Spirit World.

When we lived in the Spirit World we were presented the Plan of Salvation by our Father in Heaven. See Abraham 3: 22-28 

He told us that an earth would be organized for us to come down upon and receive bodies for our spirits. 

We would also be tested in all things, and gain experiences that we could not get while in the Spirit World.  He knew we would return with a greater understanding of our capabilities and would know ourselves better.

God our Father would also know which of His children, after being tested, could be trusted with greater responsibility and power in the Eternities.

We had our Free Agency there as spirits and will continue to have it and use it while on earth.  We needed to learn to experience right and wrong and learn how to choose the right. 

He gave us Repentance so we could correct our mistakes and learn from them. 

He chose His Son, Jehovah to come to earth and receive His body in the Meridian of time and be known as Jesus Christ, and perform the Atonement for all of us and all of His creations.

Birth on Earth from Spirit World.

This was a glorious time to look forward to.  A time in our existence where we finally get a body of flesh and bone like our Father in Heaven. 

He taught us the plan that after this life experience, because of the Atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ, we would get our bodies back and become Immortal beings as He is.

This Immortality would come to all of us, but would not allow us to come back into His presence. 

Immortality would enable us to live forever, but would not cleanse us of our sins. 

The only way to come back into His presence was to Repent of the sins we would commit on earth and keep His commandments that His Son would give to us. 

This is because no unclean things can come into the presence of God the Father.  You cannot wipe away your sins alone. 

His Son’s Atonement and Grace would complete that AFTER all we could do to correct it ourselves. 

The recipient must be involved for our own experience, then His Grace will take care of the rest.  See 2 Nephi 25: 23

Now came the time for us to gain our bodies. 

A couple of our brothers and sisters, coming to earth before us, would meet each other and be married.  They would use the power of procreation to make a body for us.

Because this would be a new experience for us, we were very afraid.  It was unknown to us how it would happen and how it would feel.

The body for us was beginning to form within our earthly mother.  It was designed to make all of the body parts that our spirit body has, namely a head, arms, hands, heart, lungs, liver and the Gender that we were in spirit world.

Our Father in Heaven would have arranged that, knowing who our parents would be.  We did not just become a man or woman at this point in time.

Yes, there was Gender in Heaven.  Our spirit, after a little while, would enter the body inside our mother.  Our spirit, which was fully grown before coming to the earth from the Spirit World, would enable the parts of the little physical body to come into place as they were in our spirit.

You are well alive before you are physically born here on earth.
The body and organs would continue to grow and develop to equally complement the body of the spirit. 

As our bodies grew in our mother, we, as live spirits would move around here and there and our mother would be excited to feel us alive.

But, not knowing all of this before entering the body was very scary to us but we learned it wasn’t really that bad.

Death on Earth to Spirit World.

Relax.  I know you are very scared.  With the knowledge of your former life in the Spirit World blocked off by a Veil or forgetfulness, all you know right now here on earth is your life here. 

To stay alive you need air, food, shelter and many other things.  You cannot imagine all of that stopping. 

What would happen to you if you could not breathe or eat?
I say again, Relax.  Yes, it is as scary to you to leave this body into the unknown.  But the second you leave the body, you are not dead.

You are still you.  A living spirit.  You are as you were before you entered this body.

Your body, we say on earth, is dead but it is just inanimate.

For an example, let’s say your hand is you as a spirit.  Your earthly body is a glove.  The glove by itself is inanimate.  It does not move without your hand in it.  It can be considered dead.

You put your hand in it, and it comes alive, like you were inside your mother and during earth life.  You remove your hand from the glove; it is inanimate again or seemingly dead.

Your glove does not affect your hand or you.  You are still alive and your hand can function more freely without the physical body or glove.

Once you leave your body, you see your friends and relatives again in the spirit world. 

You will see you have only been gone from the Spirit World for an hour or two. 

A day of the Lord’s time is a thousand years our time.  (See Abraham 3: 4)  where Abraham also gives you detailed information about the Universe and also (2 Peter 3: 8)

While our friends and family still on earth, they mourn for us when in reality, they should be happy for us. 

The pains and trials of this earth test are over and the fear we thought death would be, was nothing at all. 

We are at peace and alive and our existence is continuing on without skipping a beat.

Do not fear Death. 

You will laugh at yourself later.

For more information go to www.lds.org

JUSTICE AND MERCY

Justice cannot be robbed by Mercy.

There is a spiritual account, with a balance kept and a settlement due, that not one of us will escape. 

To understand this we must talk about intangibles like love, faith, justice and mercy.  You know they are real and we learn them quietly during our life here.

We learn them by feel, not actually touching them, but feeling them within our being.  These truths register in our minds and in our hearts as pure knowledge, or truth of things as they were, as they are, and as they are to come. 

Each of us will eventually settle that spiritual account and be judged for what we have done during this earth life in our bodies. 

We will be judged because we have our Free Agency to choose.

The Eternal Law of Justice will be used to settle this account.  Our lives will be weighed on the Scale of Justice which must be blindfolded.

Alma 42: 22

22 But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God.

Justice and Mercy can both be satisfied.

A story is told about a man who made a large debt to a creditor.  He had promised to pay the debt on the terms agreed with the creditor. 

Things went well for a while, but eventually fell apart.  The creditor came for payment in full of the debt. 

The borrower said things went bad and could not pay the debt.  The creditor demanded payment or the borrower would go to jail.

About this time, the borrower’s friend showed up and heard about the situation.  He loved the borrower. 

His friend talked to the creditor and said that he could pay the debt for the borrower and then the creditor would be dealt with justly. 

The creditor said he would agree. 

Then the friend turned to the borrower and asked that if he would consider him his new creditor, he would pay off the old creditor and the creditor would go away. 

Would the borrower agree?

With much relief the borrower agreed to pay his friend, the new creditor, the money on the terms that his new creditor would lay out.  So, his friend paid the old creditor and the old creditor went away. 

The old creditor was dealt justly by receiving the money he was owed.  This was justice to him.

To the borrower, he had received mercy by his friend, the new creditor.  Both justice and mercy were extended.

Each one of us is like this borrower, but not a financial debt is owed, but a spiritual debt.

Eventually, at judgment our account will be closed and payment demanded. 

Who is going to help us then?

Mercy cannot be extended to us unless there is someone else who will accept and pay our debt for us.  Otherwise, we will have to suffer the consequences of our actions.

Because we know the gospel truths, we know that we do have a friend who will be our Mediator.

1 Timothy 2: 5-6

5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Redeemer.

He can extend Mercy to all of us without offending the Eternal Law of Justice.

This action will not be automatic.  We all have to make a covenant with Him on His terms which are repentance and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins by someone in authority.

Do you have something on your conscience or are you guilty of anything small or large? 

Our transgressions are being added to our account, and if we do not settle them, we will someday be judged and found wanting.

2 Nephi 2: 6-8

6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.

7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth….

There is a Redeemer, a Mediator for us.  Accept Him and clear your account now.

The Atonement that He performed gave all of us Immortality. 

We will live to stand before Him at the Judgment Bar but it did not clear our sins.

To be redeemed from the Second Death, which is spiritual death which is separation from the presence of Heavenly Father, we have to be clean because no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God, the Father.

Let’s get it done.  Repent and Keep the Commandments.

For more information go to www.lds.org

JESUS CHRIST IS OUR ADVOCATE WITH THE FATHER

What is an Advocate?

A person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person. 

Jesus Christ is our advocate with God the Father.  He pleads the cause of the righteous in the Holy courts above.

The Grand Council in the Spirit World.

Abraham had mentioned this Grand Council in his writings.  He told us what had happened at the meeting to re-fresh our memories because we were all there.

The Father presented the Plan of Salvation and God knew that we would sin while on earth, so as part of the plan He asked for a volunteer to come down to earth and Atone for the sins of the world and become our Savior.

According to Abraham written in the Book of Abraham, here is what happened.

Abraham 3: 22-28

22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;

25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.

27 And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.

28 And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him.

Our first estate was the Spirit World. 

Our second estate is here on earth now.

Jehovah, who later became Jesus Christ on earth and the Son of the Morning who later became Satan, volunteered.

Jesus Christ was accepted and Satan was rejected.

Satan rebelled and also one third of the host of Heaven followed Him and they were cast down to the earth and are being used to tempt us during this life test. 

They only have the power to tempt us but cannot make us do anything.

We still have our Free Agency.  If we do wrong it is because we chose it.

Jesus Christ Performed the Atonement for us.

Jehovah or Jesus Christ came down and performed the Atonement for all of us and those who accept His Atonement and Gospel, repent of our sins and keep His commandments, the Atonement is effective in our lives.

The righteous are given to Him by the Father, and He pleads our case before God the Father.

The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith in a revelation on March 7, 1831 about what He does:

Doctrine and Covenants 45: 3-5

3 Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—

4 Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;

5 Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.

He knows that we are not perfect but are working towards that goal.

We know that we will not attain perfection in this world but He knows we are trying and He pleads for us.

We came here to gain a physical body for our spirits.  We are learning how to use and care for it. 

The detailed knowledge of the life we lived in the Spirit World would be blocked off by a veil over our minds so we could learn to live by Faith. 

We needed to learn and develop our Faith and trust in Him.

He pleads with the Father for us so we can eventually live with Him again.

For more information go to www.lds.org