Can we accept what
they tell
us? Let me review a few scriptures with you. I will tell you what they
seem to
be saying. I welcome any correction or improved understanding of the
scriptures.
1. Nov. 1, 1831 -
D&C
1:30
And
also those to
whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the
foundation of
this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of
darkness, the
only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with
which I, the
Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not
individually--
At this time the
Lord says
that he is "well pleased" with the church.
2. Sept. 22-23,
1832 -
D&C 84:54-57
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—
Now less than a
year later
the church is under condemnation. Should I believe these
verses?
How long did this condemnation last? The president of the church, Ezra
Taft
Benson answered that question in April 1986.
Unless
we read the Book of Mormon and give
heed to its teachings, the Lord has stated in section 84 of the
Doctrine and
Covenants that the whole Church is under condemnation:
“And this
condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.” (D&C
84:56.) The
Lord continues: “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.” (D&C 84:57.)
Now
we not only need to say more about the
Book of Mormon, but we need to do more with it. Why? The Lord answers:
“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.”
(D&C 84:58.) We have felt that scourge and judgment!
In October 1986 he repeated
his
concern:
In 1832, as some early missionaries returned
from their fields of labor, the Lord reproved them for treating the
Book of
Mormon lightly. As a result of that attitude, he said, their minds had
been
darkened. Not only had treating this sacred book lightly
brought a loss
of light to themselves, it had also brought the whole Church under
condemnation, even all the children of Zion
But of
course
we heeded the call from president Benson and removed the curse. Did
we?? Dalin
H.
Oaks continues that theme and mentions in 1993 & 2010 that the condemnation has continued.
I've carefully considered all of the reasons
President Benson has given for studying the Book of Mormon. One reason
stands
out above all the rest. I believe that it was the neglect--the
treating
lightly--of this subject that brought the early Church under
condemnation. I believe it is the neglect of this subject that
has
continued the condemnation in our own day.
3. Jan. 19, 1841 - D&C
124:28
27
... and build a house to my name, for the Most High to dwell therein.
28 For there is not a place found
on earth that he may come to and restore again that which was lost
unto you, or
which he hath taken away, even the fulness of the priesthood.
Should I believe
the
scriptures when they say that the "fulness of the priesthood" was
taken away? There is no record of any restoration of the priesthood
that ever
occurred after 1841. The Nauvoo temple was also never finished, but it
was finished
enough so that they dedicated it shortly before they left Nauvoo.
Interestingly, while they were dedicating the Nauvoo Temple, they were
also
working hard to sell the building.
4. Jan 19, 1841 -
D&C
124:31-32
31
But I command you, all ye my saints, to
build a house unto me; and I grant unto you a sufficient time to build
a house
unto me; and during this time your baptisms shall be acceptable unto
me.
32
But behold, at the end of this
appointment your baptisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto
me;
and if you do not these things at the end of the appointment
ye shall
be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God.
Were the Nauvoo
saints
"rejected as a church"? D&C 124 lays out several things that
would happen if they didn't finish the temple on time. Looking at
verses 28,
and 40-48 we can measure if the Saints succeeded in not being
rejected.
28 - Did the Lord
"restore again that which was lost"? - No
40 – Did the Lord
reveal any
ordinances in the Nauvoo temple? – Not in Nauvoo or at a later temple
41 – Did God reveal
in
temple things “hid from before the foundation of the world?” - No
44 – Were the
saints moved
by their enemies? - Yes
45 – Were they
“moved out of
their place?” - Yes
46 – Did they get
the
blessing? - No
47 – Did the saint
do what
was asked and bind the Lord to bless them? - No
48 – Did they
receive
cursings, wrath, indignation and judgements? - Yes
Gentiles:
Before I go into
the verses
from the Book of Mormon, we need to determine the definition of the
term
"Gentiles."
From the Title page
of the
Book of Mormon we see that the book was written to three groups of
people.
Written
to the Lamanites, who are a remnant
of the house of Israel; and also to Jew
and Gentile
We are not Jew or
Lamanite,
which means that we must be Gentiles.
And also
from D&C 109:60
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.
The LDS people
according to
the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith are the Gentiles
5. 3 Nephi 16:10
10
And thus commandeth the Father
that I should say unto you: At that day when the
Gentiles shall sin
against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my
gospel,
and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above
all
nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be
filled with
all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner
of
hypocrisy, and murders [See Alma 36:14], and priestcrafts, and
whoredoms, and
of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things,
and shall
reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I
will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them.
Why would the
Father require
Christ to give this warning to the Nephites, a description of what
would happen
with the Gentiles? If this prophecy is given in such strong terms,
will they
happen? Are we seeing this happen in our day. Are there a people that
are
rejecting the fulness of the gospel? Is the Lord taking away the
fulness from
us as it says that He will?
6. Mormon 8:35,
36-41
35
Behold, I speak unto you as if
ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath
shown you
unto me, and I know your doing.
This is Moroni talking. He has
been
shown our day.
36
And I know that ye do walk in
the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do
not lift
themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the
wearing of very
fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions,
and all
manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one,
have
become polluted because of the pride of your hearts.
37
For behold, ye do love money, and your
substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches,
more than
ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.
38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves
for that
which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of
God? Why
are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not
think that
greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which
never
dies—because of the praise of the world?
39 Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet
suffer the
hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted
to pass by
you, and notice them not?
40 Yea, why do ye build up your secret abominations to get gain, and
cause that
widows should mourn before the Lord, and also orphans to mourn before
the Lord,
and also the blood of their fathers and their husbands to cry unto the
Lord
from the ground, for vengeance upon your heads?
41 Behold, the sword of vengeance hangeth over you; and the time soon
cometh
that he avengeth the blood of the saints upon you, for he will not
suffer their
cries any longer.
So, he tells us
that all the
churches have become polluted, even the HOLY CHURCH OF GOD. What
is the
Holy Church of God?
7. Lord approves
beer as
part of the Word of Wisdom – D&C 89:17
17
Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn
for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for
swine, and
for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals,
and for mild
drinks, as also other grain.
8. We will not
accept
“light” because of the precepts of men
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. (D&C 45:28-29)
14 They
wear stiff necks
and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and
abominations,
and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the
humble
followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many
instances they do
err because they are taught by the precepts of men. …
29 Wo be unto him that shall say:
We have
received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for
we have
enough!
30 For behold, thus saith the Lord
God: I
will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon
precept, here a
little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my
precepts,
and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto
him that
receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have
enough, from
them shall be taken away even that which they have.
31 Cursed is he that putteth his
trust in
man [Follow the Prophet], or maketh flesh his arm, or shall
hearken unto
the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power
of the
Holy Ghost.
32 Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith
the Lord
God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto
them from
day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto
them,
saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm
is
lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts. (2 Ne.
28:14,29-32)
The important
question is:
Should I believe the scriptures? Am I supposed to ignore what they are
telling
us? Are their warnings meaningful and important? Is it possible to
accept the
scriptures without also seeing the pride, pollutions, missing
priesthood and
condemnations that God has pronounced upon us?