By Brother Uluakiola
I have a big concern about many of the topics in most LDS 'last days' themed groups.
I believe their focus is fantastically misplaced.
(Even, at times, idolatrous – to one degree or another)
I believe their focus should be more fully on the Gospel of Jesus Christ – rather than on speculative commentaries and other personal accounts (2 Nephi 26:29)
But they are clearly NOT (based on the 'fruits' of conversation in those groups):
(3 Nephi 14:20)
20 Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.
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Pres. Ezra Taft Benson once said, in a General Conference talk, that the Book of Mormon should become the, 'keystone of our lives'.
I have tried to do that. And I am still trying to make that sacred book my personal 'keystone'. But I will readily admit that I have much to improve on in that prophetically counseled goal.
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In regards to preparing for these last days (D&C 38:13, 28-30), one commandment, given directly by the Savior, in the Book of Mormon, has made all the difference for me...
Once I started to understand the Isaiah scriptures, in the Book of Mormon, the rest of that sacred book opened up to me in ways that I never could have imagined were possible:
(3 Nephi 23:1-5)
1 And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.
2 For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles.
3 And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake.
4 Therefore give heed to my words; write the things which I have told you; and according to the time and the will of the Father they shall go forth unto the Gentiles.
5 And whosoever will hearken unto my words and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be saved. Search the prophets, for many there be that testify of these things.
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I suddenly realized why Nephi said the devil was the author of 'All is well in Zion'. Zenos parable of the 'vineyard', recorded by Jacob, was opened up to me in ways that were deeply sobering. Moroni's chastisement of the latter-day 'holy church of God', and his beckon plea to 'awake to a sense of [our] awful situation', suddenly took on deep difficult new meanings for me. (Especially when the 'Pace Memo' and [D&C 64:34-43], expounding on [3 Nephi 14:15-27], were factored in). The enticement of the 'High Priests' into the 'secret combination', in the Books of Helaman and 3rd Nephi, have had applications that I hardly want to consider:
“The ravening wolves are amongst us, from our own membership, and they, more than any others, are clothed in sheep's clothing because they wear the habiliments of the priesthood. …We should be careful of them.”
– J. Reuben Clark,
(Conference Report, April 1949, p. 163)
And the countless rebukes and warnings to the latter day 'Gentiles' has become more unsettling than I can often bear to consider:
(D&C 109:60)
60 Now these words, O Lord, we have spoken before thee, concerning the revelations and commandments which thou hast given unto us, who are identified with the Gentiles.
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Furthermore, while this Gospel Dispensation will never end (in time or in apostasy), as the Keys of the Priesthood will never again be removed from the earth, the 'fulfillment' of the 'fulness of the times of the Gentiles' will be calamitous, epic and trying – to say the very least:
(D&C 45:19-35)
19 But, verily I say unto you, that desolation shall come upon this generation as a thief in the night, and this people shall be destroyed and scattered among all nations.
20 And this temple which ye now see shall be thrown down that there shall not be left one stone upon another.
21 And it shall come to pass, that this generation of Jews shall not pass away until every desolation which I have told you concerning them shall come to pass.
22 Ye say that ye know that the end of the world cometh; ye say also that ye know that the heavens and the earth shall pass away;
23 And in this ye say truly, for so it is; but these things which I have told you shall not pass away until all shall be fulfilled.
24 And this I have told you concerning Jerusalem; and when that day shall come, shall a remnant be scattered among all nations;
25 But they shall be gathered again; but they shall remain until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
26 And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth.
27 And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound.
28 And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel;
29 But they receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men.
30 And in that generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
31 And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land.
32 But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die.
33 And there shall be earthquakes also in divers places, and many desolations; yet men will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword, one against another, and they will kill one another.
34 And now, when I the Lord had spoken these words unto my disciples, they were troubled.
35 And I said unto them: Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled.
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Those prophesied tests and trials will come upon the earth, and more specifically upon the Saints, for a reason...
God will sift and sort out His Zion people:
(D&C 136:31-33)
31 My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.
32 Let him that is ignorant learn wisdom by humbling himself and calling upon the Lord his God, that his eyes may be opened that he may see, and his ears opened that he may hear;
33 For my Spirit is sent forth into the world to enlighten the humble and contrite, and to the condemnation of the ungodly.
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As a background to help you understand what is motivating this note...
More than two decades ago, near the close of Ezra Taft Benson's ministry, I had a deeply sacred experience that I will not discuss here.
(Though I will say it was NOT a Near Death Experience or a mere 'spiritual experience')
In this last short period, a number of things have caused me to more fully reflect on that sacred experience.
As I faithfully read the scriptures, and search the words of the latter-day prophets and apostles, there are things that deeply resonate within me. Things that are sobering. Things that are prompting this pleading to more fully turn to the Holy Scriptures – as our foundation and guiding light through the dark days ahead.
Lately, since September of last year, with a heightened sense of awareness these past few weeks and days, I have been emotionally remembering more and more of why I pled with the Savior not to send me back to this ever darkening dreary world. (To please let me stay in the place that I was taken up into)
I know I am not alone in that heightened feeling. For an increase of the Spirit of God has been poured out onto all flesh – according to the prophetic words of Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley ('Living in the Fulness of Times'; Gen. Conf., Oct. 2001):
(Joel 2:28-32)
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
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In short, there are fantastically difficult days ahead.
The 'Book of Mormon and the former commandments', which we are asked to read like the 'morning newspaper', give us detailed explanations for President Gordon B. Hinckley's prophesied 'portent of stormy weather' ('To the Men and to the Boys'; Gen. Conf., Oct. 1998.) and Elder Robert D. Hales portending 'persecutions' of the Saints ('General Conference: Strengthening Faith & Testimony'; Gen. Conf., Oct. 2013)
But so few of the Latter Day Saints are giving them any heed that Isaiah's prophecy, that only a 'tenth' of the Saints will 'return' (2 Nephi 16:13) to the Savior (His Gospel and Church), seems ever more plausible if not probable:
(2 Nephi 16:8-13)
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: Here am I; send me.
9 And he said: Go and tell this people--Hear ye indeed, but they understood not; and see ye indeed, but they perceived not.
10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes--lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed.
11 Then said I: Lord, how long? And he said: Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate;
12 And the Lord have removed men far away, for there shall be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
13 But yet there shall be a tenth, and they shall return, and shall be eaten, as a teil tree, and as an oak whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves; so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.
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On a personal note...
The third time I heard the devil, in the Temple Endowment, say that the endowed Saints were absorbing the 'philosophies of men – mingled with scripture' 'very well', I actually laughed out loud. At that time, the idea of that seemed so utterly absurd.
...I'm not laughing about that anymore...
The confirmed Gospel of Jesus Christ MUST become our 'rock' solid 'foundation' (3 Nephi 14) – on which we MUST build our lives and our testimony.
In that vein, there are things that appear 'good' (Moroni 7) that are really a distracting 'sandy foundation' (3 Nephi 14). Which will cause many who have made those things their foundation to crumble amidst this pending 'portent of stormy weather'.
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In even more pressing and stark terms, as the Lord and at least two of His latter-day prophets (Joseph Smith & Ezra Taft Benson) have taught, the Saints will NEVER become a Zion people until we are out from under the Lord's 'condemnation':
(D&C 84:54-59)
54 And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received--
55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.
56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.
57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written--
58 That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion.
59 For shall the children of the kingdom pollute my holy land? Verily, I say unto you, Nay.
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The Savior promised the Saints further records (or scriptures) – which are necessary for the Saints to be endowed with 'power' (1 Nephi 14; D&C 103) to become a redeemed Zion people.
And, to be quite frank, if this covenant people were right with the Lord, we would already have those records (1 Nephi 5; 3 Nephi 26; Ether 4; D&C 93; D&C 107):
(3 Nephi 26:8-10)
8 And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken.
9 And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them.
10 And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation.
(Ether 4:13-19)
13 Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.
14 Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief.
15 Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you--yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel.
16 And then shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people. Remember, when ye see these things, ye shall know that the time is at hand that they shall be made manifest in very deed.
17 Therefore, when ye shall receive this record ye may know that the work of the Father has commenced upon all the face of the land.
18 Therefore, repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and believe in my gospel, and be baptized in my name; for he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned; and signs shall follow them that believe in my name.
19 And blessed is he that is found faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. And behold it is I that hath spoken it. Amen.
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And, again, the Lord, and at least two of His latter-day prophets, Joseph Smith & Ezra Taft Benson, have repetitively warned and pled with the Saints to faithfully remove His 'condemnation' – by making the Book of Mormon the 'keystone of our lives':
“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”
– Joseph Smith
(Book of Mormon – Introduction)
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The more seemingly good distractions that carry away our attention from that divine prophetic call (rather than engaging in what is better or best), the closer we draw to the stark fulfillment of those prophecies from the 'Book of Mormon and the former commandments' (D&C 84:57) – which 'few' (D&C 63:31) will prophetically endure.
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