Seven of Everything

I talked with a friend a while ago about religion. He said that he had been Christian for a while and studied to become a minister for about seven years. He is no longer a Christian, however, and the reason he gave me was because he didn't know anyone who had the gifts of the spirit; specifically, he wanted the gift of healing by the laying on of hands. But he realized, as he put it, that they do not exist or that no one has them. We didn't go into the details but I was sad for him because he hasn't seen it before. I am sad because I have seen the gifts of the spirit all my life and have known people with all of the gifts mentioned in scripture personally. I have known people who have seen visions. Visions of angels and visions of future events that came true. I have known people who have received miraculous healings, some under my hands. When I say that, I'm not talking about in my professional career as a doctor but as an elder in Christ's church. Through the ...

"The day of your resurrection will be a day of judgment that will determine the kind of life you shall have hereafter." ( Choices, by Elder Russell M. Nelson ) I have gathered what I think are all the scriptures that show a direct link between the resurrection and judgement. These are not scriptures that show that the resurrection will happen only or that the judgement will happen only. There are plenty of scriptures that show that they will both happen, but these are scriptures that show that they are inseparably connected. The resurrection and judgement are one, there cannot be one without the other. First comes the reuniting of the spirit with the body and second is the reuniting of the soul to God. The second reunion may not be permanent but both reunions will happen to all men, both righteous and wicked. No one will be resurrected without being judged immediately following and no one will be judged at their final judgement without first being resurrected immediately...

There are several sets of two in the scriptures some are more obvious than others. Here is a list and then I will explain each one: Pairs Man: male and female Baptism: water and fire Sacrament: bread and water Body: spirit and physical Death: first and second First Death: physical and spiritual Resurrection: spirit with body and soul with God Opposites Light and darkness Day and night Good and evil Heaven and hell There are many more opposites but those were the ones I could think of in relation to the scriptures. Several of the pairs are inseparably connected or only separated by time. Man with the woman in the Lord are two different people but are inseparably connected . Baptism of water and of fire are two different ordinances and experiences but are inseparably connected and incomplete individually. The bread and the water of the sacrament are separated by time but are part of one ordinance and are incomplete individually. The physical body and the spiritual...

There are a few scriptures that have intrigued me over the years and it has made me wonder which state is better and which one is worse. To start, they are both bad. One of them states that they would be better off if they had never been born. The other states that they would be better off to be drowned with a millstone around their neck - in other words, they would be better off dead. In both cases they did something really bad. We'll explore one then the other. Never Born Matt 26:24 "Woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born." Mark 14:21 "Woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born." 3 Ne 28:34-35 "Wo be unto him that will not hearken unto the words of Jesus, and also to them whom he hath chosen and sent among them; for whoso receiveth not the words of Jesus and the words of those whom he hath sent receiveth not him; and...

“‘Jesus had not finished his work when his body was slain, neither did he finish it after his resurrection from the dead; although he had accomplished the purpose for which he then came to the earth, he had not fulfilled all his work. And when will he? Not until he has redeemed and saved every son and daughter of our father Adam that have been or ever will be born upon this earth to the end of time, except the sons of perdition. That is his mission. We will not finish our work until we have saved ourselves, and then not until we shall have saved all depending upon us; for we are to become saviors upon Mount Zion, as well as Christ. We are called to this mission.’” Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, p. 442; emphasis added. “There is never a time,” the Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “when the spirit is too old to approach God. All are within the reach of pardoning mercy, who have not committed the unpardonable sin.” Teachings of the Proph...