IT’S TIME TO GET NOIZ!!! (NOISY)
By Alan on May 20 in Blog tagged good and evil, NOIZ, open your mouth, Satan, speak up, The Family, turn the world around, war, Zion | No Comments
IT’S TIME TO GET NOIZ !!! (NOISY)
Let’s
TURN THE WORLD AROUND
The Family is at WAR
with SATAN over
Eternal Life!
Boyd K. Packer, President of the Twelve Apostles said,
“Satan cannot directly take a life. But apparently his effort to stop the work will be reasonably well served if he can just bind the tongue of the faithful.
Brethren, if that is the case, I am looking tonight for men young and old who care enough about this battle between good and evil to sign on and speak up. We are at war, and I want to be a one-man recruiting station.”
“We Are All Enlisted”!
“We are waiting now for soldiers; who’ll volunteer.” Of course, the great thing about this call to arms is that we ask not for volunteers to fire a rifle or throw a hand grenade. No, we want battalions who will take as their weapons “every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.” So I am looking for missionaries who will not voluntarily bind their tongues but will, with the Spirit of the Lord and the power of their priesthood, open their mouths and speak miracles by which faith’s “mightiest works have been, and will be, performed.”
I ask for a stronger and more devoted voice, … a voice for good, a voice for the gospel, a voice for God.
The Lord said,
D&C 60:2 “But with some I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man. Wo unto such, for mine anger is kindled against them.”
If we “Turn the World Around” . . . NOIZ will also “turn around” and spell ZION! ”The happiest people that ever lived.”
“Zion“
“The pure in heart (D&C 97:21). Zion also means a place where the pure in heart live. The city built by Enoch and his people that was eventually taken to heaven because of righteousness was named Zion (D&C 38:4; Moses 7:18–21, 69). In the latter-days a city named Zion will be built near Jackson County, Missouri (United States of America), to which the tribes of Israel will gather (D&C 103:11–22; 133:18). The Saints are counseled to build up Zion wherever they are living in the world.
WE ARE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS!
- “It shall be said that miracles are done away” (v. 26).
- “The blood of saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secret combinations and the works of darkness” (v. 27).
- “The power of God shall be denied, and churches become defiled and be lifted up in the pride of their hearts” (v. 28).
- “There shall be heard of fires, and tempests, and vapors of smoke in foreign lands” (v. 29).
- “There shall also be heard of wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places” (v. 30).
- “There shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth; there shall be murders, and robbing, and lying, and deceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations” (v. 31).
SO GET NOIZ! (NOISY)
(For Good!)
For The Family
Take Time To Give THANKS To Those Who Give ALL
By Alan on Mar 28 in Blog tagged armed forces, fearless, freedom. worth of souls, Great, line of duty, lives, Lord, men, men and women, military, thanks, war | Comments Off
“We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law” (Articles of Faith 1:12).
Military service shows dedication to this principle.
” If one must go to war, they should go in a spirit of truth and righteousness, with a desire to do good. They should go with love in their hearts for all God’s children, including those on the opposing side. Then, if they are required to shed another’s blood, their action will not be counted as a sin.” Source
“Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” D&C 18:10
Cathy Adams
For The Family
Winning The War Against Evil
By Alan on Feb 17 in Blog tagged angels, armour of God, Christ, darkness, devil, dragon, evil, evil day, faith, flesh and blood, fought, God's kingdom, gospel preparation, high places, history, John the Revelator, last days, of God, peace, powers, Premortal life, principalities, righteousness, rulers, salvation, serpent, spirit, stand, the war, the whole, the whole armour, war, warriors, wickedness, Winning, world | Comments Off
You were entrusted to come to the earth in these last days to do again what you did before—to once again choose good over evil.
The flood of pornographic filth, the inordinate emphasis on sex and violence are not peculiar to North America. The situation is as bad in Europe and in many other areas. The whole dismal picture indicates a weakening rot seeping into the very fiber of society.
Legal restraints against deviant moral behavior are eroding under legislative enactments and court opinions. This is done in the name of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of choice in so-called personal matters. But the bitter fruit of these so-called freedoms has been enslavement to debauching habits and behavior that leads only to destruction. A prophet, speaking long ago, aptly described the process when he said, “And thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell” (2 Ne. 28:21).
Good Versus Evil
You and I have come into the world at a most significant time. We are entering the final stages of a great war. This war commenced before the foundations of the world and has been pursued with awful consequence throughout the world’s history. I speak of the war between the followers of Christ and all those who deny Him as their God. 1
John the Revelator wrote concerning this war:
“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
“And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” 2
It was Satan who instigated this premortal war. He did so by rebelling against our Father’s plan of salvation for His children and rejecting the Christ, who was designated to effectuate the plan. Tragically, a third of our Father’s children followed Satan. 3 Yet two-thirds did not. You were among these, and with them have come to earth to pursue the Father’s plan of happiness.
Unfortunately, Satan’s war did not end with his expulsion from heaven. As John observed, Satan and his followers were “cast out into the earth” 4 and have come here with “great wrath.” 5 The evidence of their wrath can be seen in the blood and horror that has afflicted man from the beginning of time.
So profound and extensive have been the wounds suffered among men that God Himself wept as He surveyed man’s condition. 6
We now find ourselves in the last days of this earth’s temporal history. In a coming day, our Father’s Son will return to the earth from which He was rejected and reclaim it as His own. 7 In that day, He will subdue Satan and his legions and usher in a thousand years of peace and righteousness. 8 In anticipation of that day, God has restored His kingdom to the earth one last time.
While God’s kingdom has been established on the earth in times past, the people to whom the kingdom was previously committed were unable to keep it. This time, however, is different. The prophetic promise is that this time God’s kingdom will not be lost but will overcome the world. 10
To ensure its ultimate success, the final restoration of God’s kingdom has been commenced with unprecedented spiritual power 11 and is being sustained by that same spiritual power and something more. Reserved to come forth in these last days and labor for our Father and His Son are some of the most valiant and noble of our Father’s sons and daughters. Their valiance and nobility were demonstrated in the pre-earth struggle with Satan. There, “being left to choose good or evil,” they “[chose] good” and exhibited “exceedingly great faith” and “good works.” 12 Such are the traits that are now needed to sustain the work of God in the earth and to save the souls of men from the intensifying wrath of the adversary.
You are the strength of the Lord’s house, His warriors!
You are those who chose good over evil and who exhibited “exceedingly great faith” and “good works.” And because of your personal history, you were entrusted to come to the earth in these last days to do again what you did before—to once again choose good over evil, exercise exceedingly great faith, and perform good works—and to do so in behalf of the kingdom of God on the earth and your fellowman!
Satan knows that “he hath but a short time.” 14 Therefore, Satan is marshalling every resource at his disposal to entice you into transgression. He knows that if he can draw you into transgression, he may prevent you from marrying and securing your future children in the faith. He knows that nothing can overthrow God’s kingdom “save it [be] the transgression of [his] people.”15 Make no mistake about it—the focus of his war is now on you—you who seek to “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” 16
The days that lie ahead are “perilous.” 17 In this regard, President Boyd K. Packer has observed:
“I know of nothing in the history of the world to compare with our present circumstances. Nothing happened in Sodom and Gomorrah which exceeds in wickedness and depravity that which surrounds us now.” 18
In referring to the perils of our day, I do not intend to inspire fear, but soberness. Being sober means being earnest and serious in assessing your circumstances and careful and circumspect in weighing the consequences of your actions. Soberness therefore yields good judgment, as well as measured conduct.
So, as we enter the final climactic stages of the war against Satan, be sober. Understand that you cannot partake of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. You cannot participate in pornography or other immoral activity. You cannot lie, cheat, or steal. You cannot use false, demeaning, or dirty language. You cannot deface your body with tattoos and other piercings. You cannot do these things and be victorious in the battle for your own soul, let alone be a valiant warrior in the great struggle for the souls of all the rest of our Father’s children. 23
Understand that there is only one way to win the war against Satan, and that is to win it in the same way it was won in the beginning.
When victory was finally achieved in the War in Heaven, a loud voice was heard to declare:
“Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ. …
“For they [referring to Michael and his angels] have overcome him [referring to the devil] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; for they loved not their own lives, but kept the testimony even unto death.” 24
Do not miss the significance of this declaration. Satan was overcome in the beginning by (1) faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice, (2) testimony of Him that was steadfastly kept to the very end, and (3) consecration of oneself to the Lord and His work. If this was the means for defeating him in the beginning, you can be sure that this is the one sure way to defeat him now. 25
These are your days! Do not squander them! Be sober! Take “the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall … quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” 31 Then “fight the good fight of faith.” 32 And when you have done all, “stand” 33 still and “see the salvation of the Lord.” 34 I assure you that His salvation will come, delivering you and yours from every evil.
- Breastplate of Righteousness
- Shield of Faith
- Sword of the Spirit
- Shoes of Peace and Gospel Preparation
- Helmet of Salvation
JAMES J. HAMULA
For The Family
Go To: http://pinterest.com/alandsuz/
Gun Control For DUMMIES
By Alan on Jan 18 in Blog tagged bear arms, constitution, dummies, gun contril, Jesus Christ, killing, peace, rights, second ammendment, sheding blood, war | Comments Off
Gun Control For DUMMIES
From the Publisher,
The Lord has said that in the last days there will be “wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them” (D&C 45:26). As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are a people of peace. We follow the Savior, who is the Prince of Peace. We look forward to His millennial reign, when wars will end and peace will be restored to the earth (see Isaiah 2:4). However, we recognize that in this world, government leaders sometimes send military troops to war to defend their nations and ideals.
Latter-day Saints in the military do not need to feel torn between their country and their God. In the Church, “we believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law” (Articles of Faith 1:12). Military service shows dedication to this principle.
If Latter-day Saints are called upon to go into battle, they can look to the example of Captain Moroni, the great military leader in the Book of Mormon. Although he was a mighty warrior, he “did not delight in bloodshed” (Alma 48:11). He was “firm in the faith of Christ,” and his only reason for fighting was to “defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion” (Alma 48:13). If Latter-day Saints must go to war, they should go in a spirit of truth and righteousness, with a desire to do good. They should go with love in their hearts for all God’s children, including those on the opposing side. Then, if they are required to shed another’s blood, their action will not be counted as a sin.
There is a war happening right now over good and evil! We must be prepared and protect our families and loved ones. We must also protect our rights and freedoms and maintain the right to bear arms as our forefathers warned us in the Second Ammendment of the Constitution.
Marlon Snow
For The Family
Comments For The Family
By Alan on Jan 17 in Daily Inspiration tagged disarmed, guns, slaughter, war, warning shot | Comments Off
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WE ARE AT WAR
By Alan on Oct 21 in Audio, Blog tagged evil, good, home, Jesus Christ, light, right, tdarkness, the devil, The Family, war, we are at war, wrong | Comments Off
WE ARE AT WAR
Through all the fast-paced changes occurring around us, we earnestly pray and work to ensure that the values of the gospel of Jesus Christ endure. Already some of them are in jeopardy of being lost. At the top of the list of these values and, therefore, prime targets of the adversary, are the sanctity of marriage and the central importance of families. They provide an anchor and the safe harbor of a home where each child of a loving Heavenly Father can be influenced for good and acquire eternal values.
Lessons taught in the home by goodly parents are becoming increasingly important in today’s world, where the influence of the adversary is so widespread. As we know, he is attempting to erode and destroy the very foundation of our society—the family. In clever and carefully camouflaged ways, he is attacking commitment to family life throughout the world and undermining the culture and covenants of faithful and religious families. Parents must resolve that teaching in the home is a most sacred and important responsibility. While other institutions such as church and school can assist parents to “train up a child in the way he [or she] should go” (Proverbs 22:6), this responsibility ultimately rests on the parents. According to the great plan of happiness, it is goodly parents who are entrusted with the care and development of Heavenly Father’s children.
The first instruction to Adam for his mortal responsibility is found in Genesis 2:24: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
“Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. ‘Children are an heritage of the Lord’ (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. …
“… By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.”
We believe it is by divine design that the role of motherhood emphasizes the nurturing and teaching of the next generation. But it is wonderful to see husbands and wives who have worked out real partnerships where they blend together their influence and communicate effectively both about their children and to their children.
The onslaught of wickedness against our children is more subtle and brazen than it has ever been. Building a strong family culture adds another layer of protection for our children, insulating them from worldly influences.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Alan & Suzanne Osmond
For The Family
The Hopi Say – Realize That We Are One Family.
By Alan on Jun 24 in Blog tagged Allah, America, atone, Buddah, Columbus, come and go, corrupted, creator, DNA, dying from within, Europe!, evolution, falunting, God, great problems, Heavenly Father, Hopi, how to live, Konkachila, life, millions, never end, no end to life, not make it, One, one family, plant, real, same, spirit world, spiritual way, spiritually connected, storms, there is no end, time, to life, war, water, we are one family | Comments Off
The Hopi Say – Realize That We Are One Family.
Time evolves and it comes to a place where it renews again.
There is first a clarification time and then there is a renewal time.
We are getting very close to this time now.
We were told that we would see America come and go. In a sense, America is dying from within because the flaunting instructions on how to live on earth.
Everything is coming to the time when prophecy and man’s inability to live on earth in a spiritual way will come to a crossroad of great problems.
Thus the Hopi believe… that we all believe is, if you are not spiritually connected to the earth and understand the spirituality of how it is on earth, sadly you will not make it.
When Columbus came, what began what we term as the first world war, that was the first true first world war when Columbus arrived, because along with him came everybody from Europe.
By the end of the second world war, we were in America only 800,000. From 60 milllion to 800 thousand so we were almost exterminated here in America.
Everything is spiritual. Everything has a spirit. Everything.
Everything is brought here by the Creator. The one Creator.
Some people call Him God. Some people call him Buddah.
Some people call Him Allah, Some people call him other names.
We call him Konkachila. Heavenly Father.
We’re here on early only a few winters then we go to the spirit world.
The spirit world is more real than most of us believe.
The spirit world is everything.
Over 95 percent of our body is water. In order to stay healthy you’ve got to drink good water. When the European first came here, Columbus, we could drink out of any river.
If the Europeans had lived the Indian way when they came, we’d still be drinking our water because the water is sacred. The air is sacred. Our DNA is made of the same DNA as the tree. The tree breathes what we exhale. When the tree exhales, we need what the tree exhales. So, we have a common destiny with the tree.
We are all from the earth. And when the earth, the water, the atmosphere is corrupted then the great atone reaction. Another reactor when the Hopi professor say a storms are scheduled to become greater.
To me it’s not a negative thing to know that there will be great changes. It’s not negative. It’s evolution. When you look at it as evolution, it’s time. Nothing stays the same.
(Referring to the monkey) We all say, that might be your ancestor . . . but it’s not our ancestor. He is a relative but not an ancestor.
We should learn how to plant something. That is the first thing. We should treat all things as spirit. Realize that we are one family. It’s never something that could end.
It’s like life. There is no end to life.
“And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.” 1 Ne. 13: 37
For The Family
We Called Them Pioneers. They Prepared The Way For Us To Follow.
By Alan on Apr 17 in Blog tagged ancestors, angels of God, Brigham Young, constitution, crickets, George Osmond Jr, God, hard work, history, Indians, Joseph Smith, labor, legacy, mobings, mountains, persecutions, pioneer, promised land, star valle, The Church of Jesus Christ, traditions, virtues, war, Wyoming, Zion | 2 Comments
Remembering our Pioneer Grandfather, George Osmond Jr.
Called to serve as first LDS Stake President in Star Valley. Wyoming by: Brigham Young
…………(1836 – 1913)
.
Our Priceless Pioneer Legacy
By Ezra Taft Benson
The historian Lord Macauly said, “The people who do not revere the deeds of their ancestors will never do anything to be remembered by their descendants.”
We hope the present generation will continue to be reminded by sermon, song, eulogy, and family traditions of the noble virtues of their pioneer ancestors and to recognize that it was by and through the hand of God that they were delivered from their oppressors and that the settlement in Ephraim’s mountains took place.
Though others have said more eloquently what my tongue or pen could express, I deeply desire to pay reverent tribute to these heroes of the past, to their faithful deeds, their noble lives, and their lasting lessons of courage, faith, self-reliance, stamina, industry, and integrity. All generations have need of these virtues.
We stand today as beneficiaries of their priceless legacy to us, a legacy based on the solid truth that character is the one thing we develop in this world that we take with us into the next.
And what is that legacy?
The pioneers came to the Salt Lake Valley with credentials that spanned the centuries, a bloodline coursing through their veins from illustrious parentage: Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebekah; Jacob and Rachel. Theirs was a bloodline preserved through four centuries of Egyptian captivity; an exile and exodus from the land of their captivity that lasted forty years—a time necessary for a new, less-enslaved generation to develop; and then a settlement in a promised land, which lasted over seven centuries of migrations that brought their sifted lineage into northern Europe and Great Britain.
When the tyranny of European governments disallowed freedom of religious worship, God prepared a new land of promise—the United States of America—where such freedom was eventually guaranteed by an inspired Constitution. Some of the progenitors of the pioneers came before the gospel’s restoration, such as the ancestors of Joseph Smith, but most came following the restoration. They came with a self-identity that led President Brigham Young to exclaim on one occasion, “You understand who we are; we are of the House of Israel, of the royal seed, of the royal blood.” (Journal of Discourses 2:269.)
They came with the faith that God had “set his hand a second time” to restore the house of Israel; that to accomplish His purposes and design, the Church of Jesus Christ had been restored again on the earth through the instrumentality of a latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith, Jr.; and that following the martyrdom, the keys of the priesthood had been continued through Joseph’s ordained successor, Brigham Young. They believed themselves to be God-directed and prophetled. That was the conviction which inspired their sacrifices.
They came with indomitable courage, following incredible suffering and adversity. Who can forget those almost insufferable conditions during their exodus? While they were encamped at Sugar Creek, Iowa, in February 1846, a raging blizzard left twelve inches of snow on the ground. Following that storm, the temperatures fell to twelve degrees below zero. On one of those cold nights nine babies were born. Eliza R. Snow provides this vivid account:
Mothers gave birth to offspring under almost every variety of circumstances imaginable, except those to which they had been accustomed; some in tents, others in wagons—in rainstorms and snowstorms. I heard of one birth which occurred under the rude shelter of a hut, the sides of which were formed of blankets fastened to poles stuck in the ground, with a bark roof through which the rain was dripping. Kind sisters stood holding dishes to catch the water as it fell, thus protecting the newcomer and its mother from a showerbath as the little innocent first entered on the stage of human life; and through faith in the great ruler of events, no harm resulted to either.
Let it be remembered that the mothers of these wilderness-born babies were not savages, accustomed to roam the forest and brave the storm and tempest—those who had never known the comforts and delicacies of civilization and refinement. They were not those who, in the wilds of nature, nursed their offspring amid reeds and rushes, or in the recesses of rocky caverns; most of them were born and educated in the Eastern States—and there embraced the Gospel as taught by Jesus and his Apostles; and, for the sake of their religion, had gathered with the Saints, and under trying circumstances had assisted, by their faith, patience and energies, in making Nauvoo what its name indicates “the beautiful.” There they had lovely homes, decorated with flowers and enriched with choice fruit trees, just beginning to yield plentifully. (Edward W. Tullidge, The Women of Mormondom, pp. 307-9.)
In March of that same year, four hundred wagons set out toward the Rocky Mountains, but now a spring thaw had turned the ruts into a quagmire of mud.
Under these testing conditions Orson Spencer’s wife, a young woman of thirty-five, succumbed to this inclement life, leaving six children under fifteen years of age. Shortly before her passing, she opened her eyes and, seeing her children huddling by her bed, burst into tears, sobbing: “Oh, you dear little children! How I hope you will fall into kind hands when I am gone.”
Not a murmur escaped her lips. . . . The storm was severe, and the wagon covers leaked. Friends held milk pans over her bed to keep her dry. Her daughter states that shortly before her mother departed this life, that she rallied and whispered to her husband: “A heavenly messenger appeared to me tonight and told me that I had done and suffered enough, and that he had now come to convey me to a mansion of gold.”
After kissing each child in turn, she whispered to her husband: “I love you more than ever!—But you must let me go!” It was enough. Orson Spencer sorrowfully dedicated her to her Father in heaven, and a moment later she was gone to her crown of glory. (Carter Grant, The Kingdom of God Restored, Deseret Book Co., 1955, pp. 344-45.)
But all was not sorrow. “We outlived the trying scenes,” wrote John Taylor. “We felt contented and happy—the songs of Zion resounded from wagon to wagon—from tent to tent.” (Millennial Star 8:7.) It was under these conditions that William Clayton penned the verses to “All Is Well,” a poem that became an anthem of faith for the Latter-day Saints.
We’ll find the place which God for us prepared,Far away in the West,Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid;There the Saints will be blessed.We’ll make the air with music ring,Shout praises to our God and King;Above the rest these words we’ll tell—All is well! all is well!—Hymns, no. 13
Little did Brother Clayton realize that his hymn would be sung by the 400-voice Tabernacle Choir before the president of the United States and other dignitaries at the commemoration of our nation’s two hundredth birthday.
The pioneers came west with a devotion, patriotism, and loyalty to the nation that had silently sanctioned their expulsion from their homes and the loss of their possessions. History records no modern parallel to their epic exodus from Nauvoo, so it is little wonder that the situation of these modern Israelites was likened to their ancient ancestors exiled from Egypt. In fact, President Joseph F. Smith said that the pioneer feat of modern Israel exceeded that of their progenitors:
“A wonderful event has occurred in these last days among this people, an event many times more wonderful than the marching of the children of Israel from Egypt to the holy land. It is only a short distance from the River Jordan to the land of Egypt—only a few hundred miles—and yet they wandered about for forty years seeking the goodly land. . . . What has happened in this dispensation? This people have crossed deserts that are beyond comparison with those traversed by the children of Israel. They were not fed by manna it is true, although they were fed with quails in great abundance on at least one occasion, and they performed a journey nearly four times as great as that performed by the children of Israel—which occupied them forty years—in the course of a few months. . . .
“We were led out of bondage by the power of God. The angels of God and the power and presence of the Almighty accompanied us, so much so that notwithstanding the country was covered with sagebrush and crickets, presenting the most forbidding appearance, President Young was enabled to point out where the Temple and city would be built. He said, ‘You may go north and south, east and west, and explore the country all over, but when you have done it, you will come back and say that this is the spot where we are to settle.’” (Journal of Discourses 24:155-56.)
It is ironic that in the course of their exodus, this same government that stood by while they were forcibly expelled from Illinois should now come to them with a request for five hundred able-bodied men to fight in the war with Mexico. So disproportionate, inequitable, and unjust in terms of their numbers and their situation was the request for manpower that President Brigham Young commented later:
“Look . . . at the proportion of the number required of us, compared with that of any other portion of the Republic. A requisition of only thirty thousand from a population of more than twenty millions was all that was wanted, amounting to only one person and a half to a thousand inhabitants. If all other circumstances had been equal, . . . our quota of an equitable requisition would not have exceeded four persons. Instead of this, five hundred must go, thirteen thousand percent above an equal ration.” (Journal of Discourses 2:174.)
But they did comply with the request—an extraordinary example of loyalty to their nation.
And what prompted such loyalty and patriotism? Not fear of reprisal, not servile obedience to their overlords, but a recognition that compliance with this request was the “interposition of that all-wise Being” who was bringing about their deliverance. “Thus,” said Brigham Young, “were we saved from our enemies by complying with their . . . unjust and unparalleled exactions; again proving our loyalty to the Government.” (Ibid.)
During the times of mobbings and persecutions, the revelations of God had prescribed the course of action they should take: importune for redress—at the feet of judges, at the feet of the governor, and at the feet of even the president of the United States. These steps were followed without relief, reparation, or redress. Under these conditions I’m sure they questioned as did Joseph in Liberty Jail: “O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed? . . . O Lord, how long shall [thy people] suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions?” (D&C 121:1–3.)
They, who had suffered so much from oppressors, were to see that God takes His own retribution in His own time and in His own way; for as Lincoln said, “Nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishment and . . . may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins. . . .” (A Proclamation by the President of the United States, March 30, 1863.)
While the Saints dwelt securely outside the boundaries of the United States, the nation was engaged in its most costly war in terms of lives lost, a civil war. No doubt these words of the Lord were recalled: “If the President heed [thee] not, then will the Lord arise and come forth out of his hiding place, and in his fury vex the nation.” (D&C 101:89.)
It is a matter of history how truly those words were fulfilled.
Their loyalty to the nation extended not only from patriotism. It came also from a conviction that God had reserved this land for His purpose. It was a choice land above all others. The Constitution of this country had been established “by the hands of wise men whom [God] raised up unto this very purpose,” and they were under divine commandment to maintain that inspired document “for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles.” (D&C 101:80, 77.) And so, when they settled in this western haven, they fashioned a civil government in accord with the Constitution, which, in the hands of good and honorable men, would afford them and others their rights and liberty.
They came, with faith and industry, and carved an Eden out of a desert. Their promised land has become a prosperous valley. Commodious brick homes and apartment dwellings have replaced the log cabins. Luxuriant greenery, gardens, trees, and flowers flourish where once sagebrush and parched soil thrived. A tabernacle and magnificent temple have replaced the Bowery and Endowment House. Elaborate meetinghouses of worship fill the valley. Schools, seminaries, institutes, colleges, trade schools, and a university provide for secular and spiritual education. Stores, banks, factories abound. Truly, we live in the lap of luxury amid an unbounded prosperity, and all this because of the philosophy of self-reliance, initiative, personal industry, and faith in God.
Our forefathers gloried in hard work, but at the same time they drew liberally upon their prodigious spiritual reserves. They did not place their trust “in the arm of flesh.” They were strong and courageous in the Lord, knowing that He was their defense, their refuge, their salvation. Strengthened by this faith, they relied on their cherished independence, their frugality, and honest toil. And history records that even the climate was tempered for their sakes, and their humble untiring efforts made “the desert to blossom as the rose.”
Their faith was renewed by two of Isaiah’s remarkable prophecies concerning the last days—the days in which they knew they were living. In the first of these Isaiah announces: “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.” (Isaiah 35:1.) And again: “For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.” (Isaiah 51:3.)
And while their natural eyes saw only their log cabins and immediate surroundings, they envisioned the day when the words of Micah would be fulfilled: “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Micah 4:1–2.)
We have witnessed the fulfillment of these remarkable prophecies. But today, a contrary philosophy has come into the land. It is one that espouses that government benefits should replace the fruits of individual initiative and labor.
Such a philosophy can result only in the shackling of man’s liberties—in the eventual destruction of our freedom. Had the early settlers throughout the land lived by such a philosophy, this glorious nation of ours would be a vast untamed wilderness known only to the Indians who had lived here for centuries before. I earnestly pray that this important lesson of history shall not go unheeded.
Yes, they came to the valleys of the mountains—first a trickle, the advance party on July 21 and 22, and then, on the 24th, the main caravan of 143 men, three women, and two children. The trickle of immigrants was followed by the hundreds, then the thousands, so that by 1869 more than 68,000 Mormon pioneers had crossed the plains. They came with their faith, loyalty, courage, industry, and integrity. Their legacy to us may be summarized in these fitting words by the late President J. Reuben Clark, Jr.:
“God has never worked out his purposes through the pampered victims of ease and luxury and riotous living. Always he has used to meet the great crises in his work, those in whom hardship, privation, and persecution had built characters and wills of iron. God shapes his servants in the forge of adversity; he does not fashion them in the hothouse of ease and luxury.” (Address delivered at dedication of “This Is the Place” monument, July 24, 1947; in Improvement Era 50:573.)
However outmoded some of these standards may be considered today, they are nonetheless enduring truths without which no character worthy of the name can be built. We have respectfully called them pioneers, because they prepared the way for us to follow. May we possess courage to direct our lives in accordance with the enduring values so represented by their lives.
(Source: Ezra Taft Benson, This Nation Shall Endure, published 1977)
Thanks to Brian Mecham
http://latterdayconservative.com
For The Family
SEE MORE OSMOND ANCESTORS HERE. ARE WE RELATED?
The World Is A Dangerous Place – SIGNS OF THE TIMES
By Alan on Oct 18 in Blog tagged Albert Einstein, burnings, crooked, drout, drugs, earthquakes, Elders of Israel, etc., fighting, flood, flood of wickedness, hijacking, House of the Lord, kingdom of heaven, LDS, lying, Mormon, murder, no food, of the covenant, payola, prisoned, protesting, racisim, riots, sacred covenants, signs of the times, Stand In the Holy Place, starving, stealing, temple, the ark, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Last Days, The world is a dangerous place, tornado, Tsunami, war | 1 Comment
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“When you, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, then you shall standin the holy place; whoso readeth let him understand.” Matt. 24: 15
“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.” D&C 45: 32
Where is The Holy Place?
“And in the daysof these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and thekingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” Dan. 2: 44
“And verily I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place—that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion.” 3 Ne. 21: 1
In the day of Noah, there was a FLOOD of WATER.
What saved them was THE ARK!
Today we are living in a FLOOD of WICKEDNESS!
What will save us? THE ARK . . . OF THE COVENANT!
Temple, House of the Lord
Literally the house of the Lord. The Lord has always commanded his people to buildtemples, holy buildings in which worthy Saints perform sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel for themselves and for the dead. The Lord visits his temples, and they are the most holy of all places of worship.
We MUST STAND With Israel; The Future Of The Holy Land.
By Alan on Jul 01 in Blog tagged Bible, Book of Mormon, disease, earthquakes, Elijah, famines, future, future of the holy land, gathering, hailstones, hreat storms, Jesus Christ second coming, Jewish nation, king of kings, last days, LDS, Mormon, New Jerusalem, prophecies, prophets, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Family, theFamily, war, we must stand with Israel, Zion | 2 Comments
“Of all the things in the world, the saddest is to see a people who have once known libery and freedom and then lost it.” Ezra Taft Benson
Jesus’s return is called the Second Coming.
At the Second Coming, Jesus will come down from heaven with great power. He will cleanse the earth of all wickedness, and Satan will no longer have power over the people. Jesus will rule for a thousand years over all the people who have been faithful to Him.
Jesus Has Told Us What Will Happen Before He Comes
Jesus has told us many things that will happen before He comes again. These things are called the signs of His Second Coming. He has told us to look for these signs and be ready for His coming. He said that when we see these things happening, we will know He is coming soon. But we will not know the exact time of His coming.
If we study the scriptures and are faithful to Jesus, we will know what the signs of Jesus’ coming will be. Many things will happen before Jesus comes to earth again. Some have already happened, some are happening now, and the rest will happen in the future.
Before Jesus’ Second Coming, the gospel will be preached to all nations. This will make many people happy and bring them blessings. Other things that will happen will test our faith. There will be great wickedness, earthquakes, and other kinds of destruction.
There Will Be Great Trouble on the Earth
Jesus said we will know His coming is near when we see much wickedness, war, and suffering on the earth. This will be a time of great trouble. There will be earthquakes, great storms, disease, and famines. Hailstones will destroy the crops of the earth.
Many people will stop loving our Father in Heaven and will turn to Satan. They will also stop loving and serving other people and will begin to harm them. There will be many wars on the earth. Nations will fight each other. These wars will continue until a great and final war takes place, which will be the most destructive war ever fought on the earth. Then Jesus will come.
History records what happened just before Jesus appeared to those in America after He was resurrected. This is a “type and shadow” of things to come:
The House of Israel Must Be Gathered Again
Our Father in Heaven said the descendants of the house of Israel* must hear and accept the gospel and prepare themselves to meet Jesus when He comes again. Those who accept the gospel must teach it to all people, build temples, and do the ordinances for the dead people.
Many people from the house of Israel, either by blood or by adoption, are being converted to the Church as they accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Land has been blessed for the gathering of many of the descendants of Abraham. The descendants of Abraham include the people known as Arabs and Jews, and others. The descendants of the Book of Mormon people in America, who also are descendants of Abraham, are accepting the gospel and are becoming a strong and righteous people.
The Gospel Will Be Preached to All the World
Jesus said we will know He is coming soon when His followers have preached the gospel to all the world. From the time when the Church was restored, missionaries have been sent to preach the gospel in different nations. Many missionaries are now preaching the gospel almost everywhere in the world. Every member of the Church is asked to tell his or her relatives and friends about the gospel, and many are going to other countries to preach the gospel, so that all people will have an opportunity to hear it.
Elijah Has Come
The prophet Malachi in the Bible said that before Jesus would come the second time, the prophet Elijah would visit the earth. He would bring back the authority to seal families together forever. He would cause people to want to learn about their ancestors and their descendants and help them be saved.
In April 1836, Elijah came and restored this authority to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Because Elijah came, families can now be sealed together in temples on the earth today.
A New City of Jerusalem Will Be Built
Jesus said we will know He is coming soon when His Church has built a city called the New Jerusalem. Jesus said He will rule in that city, and righteous people will live there. He has told us where this city will be built. It will be in the state of Missouri, in the United States.
The nations of the earth will gather together against the descendants of Judah, and Judah will be smitten.
Zechariah says, quoting the Lord: “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” (Zech. 14:2.)
President Woodruff has also discussed this subject: “… O house of Judah, … It is true that after you return and gather your nation home, and rebuild your City and Temple, that the Gentiles will gather together their armies to go against you to battle, to take you a prey and to take you as a spoil, which they will do, for the words of your prophets must be fulfilled. …” (Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff [Bookcraft, 1964], p. 509.)
If you wonder how this prophecy could be fulfilled, let me simply remind you that on July 4, 1967, the United Nations General Assembly voted 99 to 0 to condemn Israel because of its annexation of Jerusalem. Twenty countries abstained; 99 countries voted in favor of condemning Israel; not a single nation voted against the condemnation. And if a United Nations military force should be sent into the Middle East to take over Jerusalem again, literally all of the nations of the earth would gather together to battle against Judah.
Two prophets are to be raised up to the Jewish nation.
Joseph Smith has explained the following concerning the two prophets who are mentioned in Revelation 11:2–3, 6–12 [Rev. 11:2–3, 6–12]:
“Q. What is to be understood by the two witnesses, in the eleventh chapter of Revelation? [And the Lord answered:]
“A. They are two prophets that are to be raised up to the Jewish nation in the last days, at the time of the restoration, and to prophesy to the Jews after they are gathered and have built the city of Jerusalem in the land of their fathers.” (D&C 77:15.)
Orson Pratt has said the following concerning the role of these prophets: “We might bring up, also, the declaration of John in relation to the two witnesses who are to prophecy about that period. They are to prophecy three and a half years, and their field of labor will be Jerusalem, after it shall have been rebuilt by the Jews. By means of their prophecies and the power of God attending them, the nations who are gathered together against Jerusalem will be kept at bay, these Prophets will hold them in check by their faith and power. By and by these nations overcome the two witnesses and, having finished their mission, they are slain, and their bodies will lie three days and a half in the streets of the city. Then a great earthquake will take place, and these two witnesses will be caught up to heaven.” (JD, vol. 16, p. 329. Italics added.)
For a thrilling detailed insight into what is going to take place concerning this, one should read the entire eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation.
12. The Savior is to appear to the descendants of Judah.
Zechariah says:
“… they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him. …” (Zech. 12:10.) The Doctrine and Covenants provides an even more vivid account, because the Savior, in talking about this, says:
“And then shall the Jews look upon me and say: What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet?
“Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.
“And then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their king.” (D&C 45: 51–53.)
President Woodruff has referred to this great event as follows: “… the Jews have got to gather to their own land in unbelief. … and when they have done this and rebuilt their city, the Gentiles, in fulfillment of the words of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and other prophets, will go up against Jerusalem to battle and to take a spoil and a prey; and then, when they have taken one-half of Jerusalem captive and distressed the Jews for the last time on the earth, their Great Deliverer, Shiloh, will come.” (JD, vol. 15, pp. 277–78. Italics added.)
13. The Messiah will lead the people of Israel to victory and later he will rule as King of kings and Lord of lords.
In fact, Zechariah, in talking about this, says:
“Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
“And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.” (Zech. 14:3, 9.)
The Doctrine and Covenants also mentions this event:
“… for the presence of the Lord shall be as the melting fire that burneth, and as the fire which causeth the waters to boil.
“O Lord, thou shalt come down to make thy name known to thine adversaries, and all nations shall tremble at thy presence.” (D&C 133:41–42.)
Also, President Woodruff has said that the Savior will fight the battles of Judah: “… but when this affliction comes, the living God, that led Moses through the wilderness, will deliver you, and your Shiloh will come and stand in your midst and will fight your battles; and you will know him, and the afflictions of the Jews will be at an end, while the destruction of the Gentiles will be so great that it will take the whole house of Israel who are gathered about Jerusalem, seven months to bury the dead of their enemies, and the weapons of war will last them seven years for fuel, so that they need not go to any forest for wood. These are tremendous sayings—who can bear them? Nevertheless they are true, and will be fulfilled, according to the sayings of Ezekiel, Zechariah, and other prophets. Though the heavens and the earth pass away, not one jot or tittle will fall unfilled.” (Cowley, pp. 509–10.)
14. Two great world capitals are to be established—one in Zion and one in Jerusalem.
Isaiah has prophesied the following concerning this event (Latter-day prophets have also indicated this scripture pertains to this day, and the same idea is found in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 133 [D&C 133]):
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
“And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isa. 2:2–3.)
President Joseph F. Smith has spoken of these two gathering places as follows: “Jerusalem of old, after the Jews have been cleansed and sanctified from all their sin, shall become a holy city where the Lord shall dwell and from whence he shall send forth his word unto all people. Likewise, on this continent, the city of Zion, New Jerusalem—shall be built, and from it the law of God shall also go forth. There will be no conflict, for each city shall be headquarters for the Redeemer of the world, and from each he shall send forth his proclamations as occasion may require. Jerusalem shall be the gathering place of Judah and his fellows of the house of Israel, and Zion shall be the gathering place of Ephraim and his fellows, upon whose heads shall be conferred ‘the richer blessings.’” (Improvement Era, vol. 22 [1919], pp. 815–16.)
As Latter-day Saints, we should know more about the prophecies pertaining to Israel than any other people on earth, including the Jewish people themselves. We have everything they have, and in addition we have the words of the prophets in the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine and Covenants. We also have living prophets who stand at the head of our church today who can tell us about these great events.
The Savior has admonished us to “search these things diligently.” One purpose of devoting this special issue of the Ensign to the Holy Land is to inspire and motivate Latter-day Saints to learn about the dealings of the Lord with his covenant people.
