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Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Types And Shadows: Children Of Esau Or Of Israel?

Esau and Jacob were twin brothers (see Genesis 25:25-26.)  They grew up together.  The scriptures inform us that Esau was a cunning hunter and because of this trait had favor with his father.  The scriptures also inform us that Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents (see Genesis 25:27)
Esau was born first and therefore merited the Birthright.  However, seeing little to no value in the Birthright, the scriptures tell us that Esau despised the Birthright and traded it for a pottage of lentils, but it might better be understood that he despised it in that he treated it lightly (see Genesis 25: 34.)
Thereafter, Jacob received not only the Birthright, but also the Blessing of the Firstborn (see Genesis 27:45-46).  This not only came to him by ordinance from his father however, but also by covenant from God (see Genesis 27:26-30; and also Genesis 28:10-15.)



In the commission that the Lord gave unto Joseph Smith, the covenant blessings reserved for the children of Abraham were once again offered to mankind by covenant from God (see D&C 124:58.)  However, the Lord warned those who would become the seed of Abraham through the Prophet Joseph, that they should not treat lightly (or in other words despise) the covenant He had given (see D&C 84:54-58.)

The idea then needs to be expounded: how are we the seed of Joseph Smith the Prophet or even the seed of Abraham? (see D&C 124:58)  You can argue that by process of multiplying out generations, essentially everyone on the face of the earth is more likely than not, somehow descended from Abraham at this point.  However, you can not make that same assertion about Joseph Smith.

Joseph Smith taught about this concept when he said, "Acceptance of the gospel brings into an individual’s life the Holy Ghost: and “as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seeds of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually the seed of Abraham.” 

The idea then is that by accepting the teachings of Christ (The Gospel) which come from one of the messengers that Christ personally selects, makes you of the seed of that person.  The messenger -who proclaims to teach in the name of Christ- that you select to believe, (providing that he has actually been commissioned by Jesus, to do so) affords you the opportunity to come into the family of Abraham, and thereby the Family of God (see Romans 10:13-17).
However, invariably it is the case that when God has chosen to send a messenger in His name, the adversary to us all works in corrupting the message of that messenger by influencing both those who oppose and those who believe the teachings that come through that chosen servant of the Lord.  This is what is called 'apostasy.'
Thereby it becomes necessary as truth is lost with each new case of apostasy, a new messenger is sent to clarify and teach again the system of repentance which must be enacted by that generation, in order to come into the family of God.
That does not mean that God will always send a chosen messenger whenever one is not present, but rather that when apostasy has occurred and even one has presented himself to repent the Lord will work through him to try once again to reestablish the necessary truths that will be the foundational principles of the family of God.

The opposite is true.  If anyone, even -as in the case of Esau- one who is the firstborn, of the chosen, ordained and anointed family of God, treats lightly the truths that they receive: they apostatize from the truth, they rebel against God and His family and will not receive the blessings that could/should/would have been theirs had they proven faithful to the truth that the Lord had declared.
To us in the latter days, the Lord has not only pointed out the importance of the Book of Mormon as 'The Covenant' but that all of the teachings spoken by Joseph Smith, as he received them from the Lord, should be received as if from the Lord's own mouth, and that only by doing so, the gates of hell would not prevail against us (see D&C 21: 4-6.)
The Lord originally informed us of our condemnation that came by way of treating lightly the Book of Mormon.  (see again D&C 84:54-58)
Ask yourself, how do I treat the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith?  Do I treat them as a treasure that will defend me from the gates of hell?  Do I treat them lightly?  Do I trust someone else to search through the REALLY important parts and filter them to me?  Remember it is not so much that it was Joseph Smith who gave them, but rather the voice that gave them to Joseph.  It was Jesus Christ who spoke them to Joseph, so that when you receive them as a treasure, He then will also be speaking to you.  If or possibly when, we receive them as a light thing, to be borne as a burden, or despise them because they refuse to allow us to be accepted/popular in the eyes of the world; then we, like Esau, despise our birthright.
Both Jacob and Esau received a blessing by the power of the priesthood, through an ordinance.  However, it was only Jacob that received a confirmation of the Birthright Blessing by the will of Heaven.  Therefore it stands to reason that anyone can be the seed of Esau; but who then will be the seed of Israel but those who not only receive the blessing by ordinance but also by Heaven.
We, like the Jews in the days of Christ, can proclaim the blessings passed down to us in ordinances performed by the power of a key-holder but proclaiming such does not make it so (see Luke 3:7-9.)

Like Abraham, mathematically speaking pretty much anyone can prove to be of the seed of Esau at this point.  However, in order to be the seed of Israel (through whom the family of God will come) it takes more than genealogy or proclamations of men; but rather, like Israel, it will take the pronouncement of Heaven.  And that will come when we finally remove our condemnation.



A book by one who has been authorized by God to once again teach in the name of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 7:20
You can begin reading the contents of this book for free at:
http://denversnuffer.com/2010/06/cite-your-minds-forward/






Friday, May 20, 2016

A Thought Provoked By The French Revolution

People die; their ideas live on.
Few today are familiar with the names of Robespierre, Rousseau or Barruel; but nearly everyone is familiar with at least some small semblance of the ideas that they taught.

How better to impede the restoration of truth -which God had intended for a people to receive, grow and be blessed by-, than to keep the recipients of the seeds of that restoration unthinking or distracted?  By doing so, our adversary is permitted to continue to sow ignorance and we leave no truth behind to outlive us.
Effectively any truth that was passed onto us in the ideas we posses, die with us, because we refuse to learn, think and share.

Monday, May 9, 2016

Experiences Rich In Meaning

Recently, here in Utah, we have been having a good round of wet weather.  With this has come strong wind as high pressure systems get pushed around by the cooler low pressure systems.
I love nature.  I love it in all of its variety.  I love sunny days and I love the chaos inherently brought on in dark clouds and the accompanying ominous imagery.
As I sat at work the other day, I watched as a strong rain storm marched North from the South-West, over the Great Salt Lake.  From where I sat, I could watch in peace out at the dust and salt that had been kicked up by the power of the storm.  However within a few moments a circulating pattern emerged over the lake just due west of my location and the storm started heading directly my way.
Within 5 minutes a light breeze was felt.  Followed within a few seconds by stronger and stronger gusts, until the point came when the front of the storm was just mere minutes away.  The wind was so strong and frantic that the plum trees around my work, were all shaken violently at the presence and power of the storm.  They seemed absolutely terrified.
As I sat and watched all of the trees around me shaken in what seemed to me to be pure terror I began to notice something else.  The seeds from a nearby Elm tree had begun to float through the air.  First as a trickle but as the wind picked up, the seeds made it began to look more like a snow storm had come instead of a Spring rainstorm.
Elm seeds
 Flying through the air with incredible velocity, I watched as they just covered everything in front of them.  Within seconds of their passing, the rain began to fall.  This was no ordinary rain for Utah, though.  This was torrential!  It was conjoined by hail.  Big hail!  A couple of the blocks that I found were approaching marble size.  This all lasted for at least 5 minutes.  Yet in those few minutes, the road in front of my work began to look more like a river.
At the passing of the quick but strong storm, I noticed that the recently white colored elm, now had nearly no white on it.  It was all green.  Granted many of the leaves had been cut, sliced and sheared off, but many others were still remaining.  The ground below the tree was partly white from the seeds, but the still strong wind that remained after the rain and the hail had passed was making light work for the neighboring landowner to have to clean.
I wondered at what this tree had felt about the menacing storm. As I was pondering I sat and watched the still blowing wind carry the seeds around my work, spread over the ground, up in the air, across the road out into the field across the street and beyond my view.  To myself, I queried, "out of these many hundreds or even thousands of seeds, how many would ever be planted?  How many would ever get the chance to grow beyond a seed, into a sapling and perhaps even into a tree?"
Due to the age of the tree (very mature), and the low number of existing Elm trees around this locale, I surmised that less than 1% of these seeds would ever be trees, or even grow into saplings.  Yet in spite of these great odds, I couldn't help but think that this mother tree was pleased to have such a strong storm to come along and facilitate her in getting her seeds out to areas where they might have a better chance to grow to their fullest potential.
Where all of the trees had seemed to have shaken in terror of the storm, during the violent blowing this tree didn't seem much bothered at all.  In fact as I had watched, instead of being forced dramatically lower, this trees height seemed hardly moved.  Moreover, the branches of this tree were almost being blown in an upward motion.  It almost seemed -if nothing else, than in my mind's eye- as if this tree was welcoming the presence of the power of the storm.
I could see her raising her branches up to the heavens in what seemed to me to be an attitude of thanks and praise.  For in this wind, the seeds that she had produced and nurtured, now had the best chance of being carried wide and far to fertile places; where, when they landed, they would meet soft, moist dirt, and possibly even pushed down into the dirt, by the falling hail.
No.  Unlike the other trees that surround my work, which had not taken sufficient strength to their roots (See Jacob 5:48) as this big Elm had over many years of toil; this tree was not terrified by the storm, but rather found it to be a day of praise.
Depending on which tree I evaluated, I would say that this day was either a Great or a Dreadful Day.  (See Joseph Smith-History 1:38-39)