Seven of Everything

In October 1990, Elder Nelson, an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, made a statement clarifying a portion of D&C 76 in the same way I have in previous posts. In his talk Choices he said, "The Lord revealed more to the Prophet Joseph Smith, who wrote of the telestial glory, where those will ultimately abide “who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus” while in this life. ( D&C 76:82 ) The Prophet taught of the terrestrial glory as the abode for the “honorable … of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men,” who rejected the gospel while on the earth. ( D&C 76:75 )" He stated that D&C 76:82 was referring to the state of people "while in this life." He knows that those who will ultimately enter the kingdom of God, even the telestial kingdom of God, must receive the gospel of Christ, and the testimony of Jesus before the judgement day. This we know because of what the scriptures teach about those who are ultimat...

Definition "The heavens is a place where God dwells." ( Alma 18:30 ) Heaven is the place where God is King and therefore, is called His kingdom. The kingdom of God has two locations, in heaven and on earth. In heaven it is called the kingdom of heaven and on earth it is called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The kingdom of God on earth currently has limitations while the kingdom of God in heaven does not but is all encompassing. Jesus calls it the kingdom of My Father or My Father's house which is a name also given to the temple. In support of this definition, Wilford Woodruff said, "By the united efforts, alone, of the Saints of God, in this last dispensation, the building up of Zion will be effected, and the kingdom of God on earth, be prepared for a union with the kingdom of God in heaven; and thus shall the chain which has bound together in one the hosts of heaven, extend and grasp in its circumference all who have been obedient to the mandat...

This is how I search the scriptures: I look at multiple verses on the same topic and look at them in context and form my opinions from there. This is a dark topic because it involves the only people who will never receive glory from God. There are five verses in scripture which indicate certain people who will never be forgiven by God. Matt 12:31-32 - it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come D&C 42:18 - shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come D&C 84:41 - shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come D&C 132:27 - shall not be forgiven in the world nor out of the world D&C 76:32-38 - there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come In the New Testament we first hear about a sin that will never be forgiven. It says, "the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men... but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall no...

While the title of this blog post seems simple, it is a continuation of my previous blog post . If you are reading this and have not read that first, or are not a Latter-day Saint, it may mean little to you. By the end of the timeline presented in the previous post, it was well established through revelation that baptism is required for salvation, which is eternal life, life with God, and life in the kingdom of God. This is not limited to life with God the Father, as was assumed by some which will be shown below, but is life in the kingdom of God, which includes three kingdoms of glory. Included are the telestial kingdom, which is life with God the Holy Ghost, the terrestrial kingdom, which is life with God the Son and Holy Ghost, and the celestial kingdom, which is life with God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. There is but one way in which men can receive salvation, exaltation, and glory, and that is through the order of baptism and the ordinances connected therewith. No mortal ...

Joseph Smith Receives Baptism After translating the account of Christ's visit to the Americas, the importance of baptism for the remission of sins became apparent to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. As it states, "And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive [fire and ... the Holy Ghost]. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God." ( 3 Nephi 11:33-34,37-38 ) They knew from these verses, as well as others in the account, the importance of baptism and having proper authority to baptize. To inherit the kingdom of God, which is salvation and eternal life, requires baptism. In May 1829, they sought...

President Uchtdorf said something in General Conference on Saturday Morning in his talk 'It Works Wonderfully!'( Oct 2015 ) that stuck out to me because I have been writing about it for some time. It is not a topic generally understood by most members, and when they ask, they normally get the wrong answer. Here is what he said: The Savior’s sacrifice opened the door of salvation for all to return to God. His “grace is sufficient for all [who] humble themselves before [God].” His grace is the enabling power that allows access into God’s kingdoms of salvation . Because of His grace, we will all be resurrected and saved in a kingdom of glory . Even the lowest kingdom of glory, the telestial kingdom, “surpasses all understanding,” and numberless people will inherit this salvation . But the Savior’s grace can do much more for us. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we aspire to something unimaginably greater. It is exaltation in the celestial kingdom. It...

Delivered unto Satan In 1 Corinthians 5:5, Paul says he judges "to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh." In this verse 'such an one' is referring to a brother who committed the sin of fornication - that is, having sexual relations of any kind with someone who is not your legal spouse according to God's laws. In 1 Cor 5:11-12, Paul includes others to have delivered the same judgment, "any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner . " Saved Spirit Next there is an unexpected twist that is unbecoming of any Christian doctrine outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Verse 5 continues, "that the spirit may be saved." On the surface, the thought seems ridiculous that any man should be delivered unto Satan for destruction in the flesh in order to be saved. From the next chapter it can be assumed that this is not possible:...

Grace without faith or works is a false doctrine that was not taught by Jesus or His apostles. We are saved by grace through faith , which includes works . If we were saved by grace without faith or works many of Christ's parables would have been very different. Below is an example of one parable which I have modified to teach the false principle of grace without works. Please compare to the unmodified version to see where the importance of works come into play with regards to salvation, represented in this parable as "enter[ing] into the joy of [the] lord". The gospel of grace without works : Matthew 25:14-30 (modified from the original) 14 ¶For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to ... their lord's desire ...; and straightway took his journey. 16 Then he that had recei...

In the New Testament there are 10 verses which use the word remission. This is a summary of those verses(cited in their order): Salvation comes by a remission of sins(3). Remission requires blood to be shed(9). Through Christ's righteousness, His blood was shed for the remission of sins(1,8). Baptism, through the shedding of Christ's blood, is for the remission of sins(1,2,4,6,9). Baptism is of repentance meaning repentance includes baptism and is also for a remission of sins(2,4,6). Remission of sins is received by whosoever believes in Jesus Christ(7). Once a remission of sins is received nothing else (no offering) needs to be done (or given) for those sins(10). Baptism of repentance for the remission of sins should be preached in Christ's name among all nations(2,4,5,6). Which means (my take away): Preaching baptism of repentance for the remission of sins in Christ's name inspires belief in Christ. Believing in Christ is not complete without repentance. Repentance i...

In October 2014 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Holland said, "the Lord’s way of assisting our own is easier [than the world's way]: all who are physically able are to observe the law of the fast." You will notice the distinct wording, he did not say 'all who are physically able are to fast.' To observe the law of the fast includes much more than just fasting. Some people are not physically able to fast but only a completely paralyzed or mentally ill person cannot observe the law of the fast. The Lord said through Isaiah: "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens,... to let the oppressed go free,... [to] break every yoke?... to deal thy bread to the hungry,... [to] bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him;... [to] hide not thyself from thine own flesh?... [to] take away from the midst of th...

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy . Obadiah talks about a future day when he says "saviours shall come up on mount Zion . " In the scriptures when it talks about saviors in the plural it is referring to God's people as saviors both spiritually and temporally. We are to become saviors both spiritually and temporally. Christ saves His people, both individuals, families, and His church, and seeks to save all mankind, both the living and the dead, by teaching them to become His people through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel ,  which brings them into His church. As we obey the laws and ordinances we become saviors, first to ourselves, then to our families and last to the church; we likewise seek to save all mankind in the same way that the Lord does, through His grace and power. Christ delegates many parts of His mission as the Savior to His church and gives power to carry on this mission through the authority He gave to His Apostles...

At Mount Sinai the Lord spoke to the hearing of the whole congregation of Israel: "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Most of the ten commandments are written in a negative phrase 'thou shalt not;' what is the positive equivalent? 'Thou shalt have me as thy God.' He goes on: "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to [any graven image], nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." The positive equivalent to this is, 'thou shalt bow down thyself to me, and serve me; love me, and keep my commandments.' Who bows down? Besides the worshiper to his God, there is the subject to his king, the servant to his master and the beggar to anyone w...

The common saying is that there are no dumb or stupid questions. I disagree with that. I think there are several dumb questions. For example: 1 A question where the answer is already known and it is not being used as a teaching tool or as a self-reflection exercise. 2 A question where the person asking don't really want to know the answer. 3 A question that is intended to incite confusion or contention or to be annoying. This could include asking a question where the person asked does not know the answer and it is known by the person asking that they cannot get the answer. 4 A question that is manipulative or forceful, attempting to coerce a person into giving an answer that they do not believe or would regret. 5 A question intended to show intellectual superiority or power over another person. 6 A leading question could go one way or the other. It would be a dumb question if it is based on faulty logic, or if the implied answer is wrong. As an example, in a previous blog p...

In the scriptures sometimes there appear to be verses that contradict each other. Death is one of those topics. I will show two sets of verses that appear to contradict and then show a correct understanding of them. All Die It is stated in several scriptures that every person who has, does, and will ever live on this earth will die. 1 Cor. 15:22 - For as in Adam all die. Job 34:15 - All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust. 2 Ne. 9:6 - Death hath passed upon all men. Alma 12:24,27 - And we see that death comes upon mankind ... it was appointed unto men that they must die. Apparent Contradiction In these verses it appears that a few people will not die. 1 Corinthians 15:51-3 - We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this...

Today at church one person was making a comment about angels. Part of what he said was that angels are a different race. This is not true. The idea that they are a different race is not a principle taught in Christ's church but is a philosophy that is taught by at least one other church that I can think of. I even know what verse they misinterpret to claim that angels are a different race. Here is what I know about angels. There are two types of angels, each with sub-types: There are angels who are spirits with no body and angels who are spirits with bodies. Those who do not have a body are of two types: those who have not yet been to earth to receive a body but will, and those who have been to earth and have died. Those who do have a body are of two types: those who are mortal and those who are immortal, meaning they have been resurrected. Those who are mortal include those who are transfigured or translated. All of these angels are children of God, just as you and I are...