Month: November 2018

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ” Ephesians 6:13. 

We are spiritual beings first.  Our spirits were placed inside physical bodies at birth and we are expected to master these bodies.  Our bodies belong to God, they are temples he created for our spirits to experience mortality.   Section 93 of the Doctrine and Covenants teaches us that we existed in the beginning with God and that the essence of who and what we are is intelligence or light and truth. 

Even though we now are identified as physical beings, our spirits still define what we think, what we learn, how we act.  For a person that is not aware of his or her spiritual nature, the only world they experience or have knowledge of is the physical world.  But a person who is aware of the spiritual world understands that we can experience things that cannot be explained in worldly terms. 

What is startling to realize is that the spiritual world is more permanent than the temporal world that our senses are tuned to. The physical world is transitory and temporary, so we can consider that the things experienced that are spiritual in nature are more “real” than what we can see and touch. Also consider that our thoughts and imagination is inspired or motivated by unseen forces and influences that are constantly passed on to our minds.  All of our thoughts are influenced by either dark entities who are constantly at work bombarding our minds with thoughts motivated by fear, or by the Lord through the Holy Spirit with thoughts that are founded on love and righteousness.

It follows that there are things that happen on the spiritual plane of existence that we cannot understand or will seem very strange to us. Apostle Paul explains that the real struggles in life are not so much about physical and worldly concerns as it is about unseen forces.  He says:

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

 Nephi, the son of Helaman warns that the devil seeks to destroy the souls of men (Helaman 8:28), while the Lord warns Joseph Smith in a revelation in 1828 (D&C 10) that Satan seeks to destroy him. “…the devil has sought to lay a cunning plan, that he may destroy this work….Satan stirreth them up, that he may lead their souls to destruction.” (Verses 12 and 22).  Verse 27 says, “And thus he goeth up and down, to and fro in the earth, seeking to destroy the souls of men.” The Lord has given Satan dominion that he might have power over men (Alma 12:6).  The Lord allows this to happen in order for the spirits of men and women to learn between good and evil and to become agents “unto themselves” (D&C 29:39).  But the Lord has not left us without tools with which to defend ourselves. These “tools” are spiritual in nature and are hard for the natural man to comprehend without being instructed by heaven.

To buttress our ability to withstand the power of the prince of darkness, Paul admonishes us to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-11).  He tells us to weaponize ourselves, to arm ourselves to be able to battle the adversary on grounds that neutralize the advantages Satan has by being a purely spiritual being.  He is a nemesis who has inherent stealth, surprise, and anonymity in his bag of tricks.  That puts us at a certain disadvantage right off the bat.  Servants of the Lord sent out on missions by the Lord find themselves pitted against the not inconsequential power of Satan. Think of Joseph Smith in the sacred grove or Moses on Mt. Sinai. Paul also knows of what he speaks. As people become more aware of the Gospel of Christ and take a more active part in teaching others, Satan is given more leave to tempt and try us. Without this awareness, we would fall prey to his very real and extensive power over us. Paul exhorts us to prepare to do battle, to put on the armor of God.  

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…” (Ephesians 6: 14-18)

It is almost as if Paul is talking about a literal suit of armor, shield, and sword? Or is this all metaphorical? Here is an account from an individual who experiences receiving spiritual armor.  By this account it seems that Paul may not simply be using a literary device to get his message across.

“I woke up in the middle of the night and wasn’t able to get back to sleep.  I thought I might as well be praying if I couldn’t sleep. So, I went into the guest room and knelt to pray.  I prayed for maybe thirty minutes and felt a great spiritual peace and acceptance about the things that I was praying. Suddenly a voice in my mind said to me, calling by my name,  “Stand!”  So I stood up in the middle of the room. I felt impressed to raise my arms straight out at my sides, making the sign of the letter “T” with my body. I suddenly saw (this all takes place in my mind’s eye, more powerful and real then just my imagination) a white tunic, which looks like a mid-thigh length nightshirt with sleeves with markings on the neck and hem.  There are other markings on it, but they are not distinct to my memory.  The tunic is placed over my head and I am clothed with it.  Next a belt is placed around my waist. I sensed that something was placed on my head, but I didn’t see it. I then saw a breastplate which was placed to cover my chest, but I couldn’t see any straps or any means to attach it to my body. Arm bands were also placed on me.”  

Here is another account related to me by a friend who believed he had been given an actual set of armor several years ago.

“I had been studying the scriptures intensely for several months.  I had read Ephesians 6, where Paul talks about putting on the armor of God.  I was impressed that I needed to ask for this armor.  One day a vision opened up in my mind and I saw a set of armor.  I asked if it was for me and was told, “Yes, that is your armor, you will be needing it.”

Another brother relates how his wife was involved in his receiving armor.   After having a vision of armor being placed on him, he relates how odd it all seemed to him. “This was all very strange to me. The vision ended and I went back to bed.  In the morning I read Ephesians 6 to try and understand what had happened and what I had been given.  I was impressed to tell my wife about it. As I was telling her this I said to her, “If you ask the Lord, he will show you the vision.”  She immediately left me and went into her prayer place and asked the Lord to show her the vision.”

My wife later told me that the Lord showed her part of the vision. She saw the white robe, that it glowed brilliant white and she saw the belt being placed around my waist. She described the personage that did it. I didn’t see an angel during my vision, but she was shown one. She also provided a more detailed description of the breastplate, and added that it had jewels all over it.

One night about six months later, I was praying that the Lord would make me clean.  After praying for a while I saw a sword being presented to me. It was a beautiful flaming sword with words written on it. It shined with brilliant light that appeared like flames.  I took the sword in my hands and marveled at it.  I drew it to me and then put it away in a scabbard I found at my side. Then I was told I was clean, but not completely.”

There have been several others that I know of with similar stories. Some of these people received specific missions from the Lord; the armor was given to them as a means to prepare them.  Receiving spiritual armor is sometimes accompanied with a specific mission. It seems odd that we would need to take on literal armor, even if it is spiritual and can be seen only in our mind’s eye. Especially when you consider that armor is a purely earthly device used to protect the physical body. Why not just rely on the protection of the Lord, and his righteousness?  I can only surmise that receiving armor in this way is a necessary ordinance to enable individuals to endure encountering the adversary in his full fury and power. Satan, although a purely spiritual being, has enormous power over the physical world. It may also be that the devils and dark spirits recognize the armor, that it has some effect upon their power, and understand that it is a symbol that person has been anointed to do the Lord’s work.  

“Wherefore, gird up your loins and be prepared. Behold, the kingdom is yours, and the enemy shall not overcome. Verily I say unto you, ye are clean, but not all; and there is none else with whom I am well pleased; For all flesh is corrupted before me; and the powers of darkness prevail upon the earth, among the children of men, in the presence of all the hosts of heaven— Which causeth silence to reign and eternity is pained, and the angels are waiting the great command to reap down the earth, to gather the tares that they may be burned; and behold, the enemy is combined.” (D&C 38:9-12)

As Paul has written, the greater battle, the one we have trouble seeing or is hidden from us, is a spiritual one with dark forces opposed to the Lord’s work. It is fitting that we be outfitted with spiritual armor and weapons to battle spiritual forces that are becoming more blatant, more powerful, and more influential in the war for souls. I like what Val Brinkerhoff says about the need to obtain the armor of GOD:

“Darkness is increasing. Fortunately, Ephesians 6 and D&C 27 both address the Armor of God. They provide two witnesses for the faithful, detailing the defensive and offensive nature of this armor in spiritual warfare between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan. God is waiting for us to be actively engaged in receiving a portion of His power – that we might be protected and empowered as His servants to defeat evil. If we don’t become equipped with God’s protection and power, we will not “stand,” but become a casualty in the upcoming battles that lay before us – those of the “evil day.” We must fight valiantly as an intercessor for the innocents, in an invisible spiritual warfare with the dark powers of heaven, that we might win the victory for God and free the captives. Multiple times in the book of Isaiah God is calling out to those who might help Him, especially to the 144,000 that they might become effective intercessors with Him (note verses 41:28, 59:16, 63:5). This is only possible if we are fully protected and empowered with the whole armor of God. We must ask God for it and ask Him to see it in our mind’s eye, that we might have confidence in using it to battle darkness. ” 7witnesses.com

Armor of God comes in many forms

The armor of God comes in many forms.  In many cases it is manifest to individuals as a suit of armor with shields, swords, spears, even bows and arrows.  But in one case I wrote about above, the armor manifests itself more as priestly clothes.  The account above of the wife describing her husband’s breastplate with jewels covering it , is one example.  There is actually a lot of evidence in the scriptures that when Paul is describing the armor of God, he is describing priestly clothes and accoutrements. After all, in the Jewish mind at the time of Christ, it was thought to be an army of priests led by a warrior chief Messiah who would restore Israel as a nation.  The battles of the Isrealites in conquering Canaan were led by the High Priest (Numbers 31:6). Jericho’s walls came “tumbling down” after priests paraded the ark around the city seven times.  One of the Dead Sea Scrolls is called the “War Scroll” and describes the warfare between the priestly sons of light and the sons of darkness.  The armor of God taking on the form of priestly garb would be right at home in the minds of the Jews at the time of Christ.  Revelation 19 describes an army of priests clothed in fine linen, the required clothing for priests under service in the temple,  who follow the Lord sitting on His war horse’. “And I saw the heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war…And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean” (Revelation 19 11-14). 

When Paul wrote about the armor of God he was probably quoting Isaiah who is talking about priestly clothing in the following verses:

“For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal as a cloke.” (Isaiah 59:16-17)  and “Righteousness will be the girdle of his loins and faithfulness the girdle of his reigns”. (Isaiah 11:4-5)

In conclusion, it does seem odd to think that a suit of armor is required in order to do the Lord’s work, at least for some who may have a specific mission to perform.  No one can see this armor, and you can only see it in your imagination or mind. But, if the battle is really against the adversary and dark forces you cannot see, and those with spiritual eyes, maybe it is only important that they can see it. 

Do you have your Armor of God? Sometimes all that is required is to  ask the Lord.

God Bless.

Within a hundred years after the fall of Rome in the western empire,
Justinian the Great was emperor of the Eastern Empire in Constantinople. At the time, around 530 AD, the people of the city had divided themselves into four factions named after colors.  They were the Reds, Blues, Greens and Whites, named after the colors of the uniforms their chariot teams wore. The supporters of the teams also wore the colors of their teams.  The teams were more than just sporting teams, they represented political parties or ideologies– well, as much as they could be political in the Eastern Empire of Rome in the 6th century with a ruler having virtually absolute power. They were the republicans and democrats of the Byzantine Empire. These factions combined aspects of street gangs, political parties, and sports clubs taking positions on current issues as diverse as theological concepts, supporting various claimants to the throne, or social issues such as immigration and taxes.

There is an incident that occurred in 6th century Constantinople that I
believe has some bearing on what’s going on in America today. I find it
quite telling that, as Mark Twain is reputed to have said, “History never
repeats itself, but it rhymes.” That is the curse we are under coming to
this existence, human nature being what it is; we seem to continue to make the same mistakes our ancestors did.  In the case of the incident in 6th century Constantinople, our culture, our society, our people are manipulated in very much the same way to further the aspirations of a small group of elites. They pray upon our jealousies, our fears, and our prejudices in order to gain power.

The games, which may have included some gladiatorial events as well as chariot races, were as much political events in their day as election outcomes are in our day. A lot of people took the outcomes very personally and violence would take place, much like the rowdy British Soccer fans that, if not kept in check with thousands of police to keep peace, will riot whether their team wins or losses. Some cities in America have fans with the reputation of also creating riots when their team wins or loses a big event like the super bowl. The riots occuring in ancient Constantinople, however, were much more sinister, and carried with them serious consequences that impacted everyone.

Late in the year 531 AD there was an incident that occurred that eventually causes a riot that ended up killing tens of thousands of people and almost brought the rule of the emperor to an end. It has become known in history as the Nika Riots.  Some members of the Blues and Greens were arrested for murder in connection with deaths that occurred during rioting after a recent chariot race.  The rioters who were arrested were convicted of murder and sentenced to death. But two men, one from each faction, escaped and found sanctuary in a church.  To protect the men in hiding the church was surrounded by an angry mob who demanded the men be set free.  Fires were being set in the city, riots on a small scale occurred in sections of the city. After attempting to stop the riots and hooliganism, Justinian was unable to bring an end through application of force.  He declared a festival with chariot races and commuted the men’s sentence to serve in prison instead of execution in an attempt to placate the factions. The mob, however, continued to demand that the men be set free.

The day for the chariot races arrived and the crowds arrived emotionally charged. They were not only enraged about the sentences handed to the men charged with murder, but they had become resentful of high taxes, low wages, and were hostile toward the policies of their emperor.  As the day wore on the yells had transformed from cheers for their teams, “BLUE!” or “GREEN!”, to demands against the emperor, who was attending the races in his special imperial box. Insults directed at Justinian broke out and eventually the shouts became a united “NIKA!” (“Victory”, or “Win- Conquer”) directed aggressively at the emperor. Crowds began to break out and assault the imperial palace which was next door to the Hippodrome where the races were conducted.  Justinian and his wife were able to escape to the palace, which was under temporary protection by imperial guards, where he started making plans to escape the city.  His wife, Theodora, however, convinced him to stay and deal with the rioters.

There was a party of senators who had been opposed to Justinian.  They were behind the scenes manipulating the mobs, which at this point were ripe for listening to any rumor, any bit of misinformation that fed their highly emotional, riotous state of mind.  This was the opportunity these senators were looking for, and in fact had been conspiring to create, to gain power over the populace and remove Justinian from power.  In the ensuing chaos created in the Hippodrome after Justinian left, hundreds of people were killed and an alliance between the blues and the greens elected an emperor to replace Justinian.

Justinian ended up bribing the leaders of the blue faction by sending them a large amount of gold through a very trusted court official.  The blue leaders then left taking most of their faction members from the Hippodrome and left the shocked green faction members alone in the complex.  The Imperial Guards, who numbered in the thousands, entered the Hippodrome and slaughtered some 30,000 people who were left. Justinian was able to regain control and as a result of the riot and its disastrous consequences gained a greater control over the people of Constantinople.  He would become known in the history books as Justinian the Great, one of the most successful and important emperors of the Roman Empire, rivaling the legacies and influence of Julius Caesar and Augustus. After Justinian, the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire began a slow decline.

So, what does this event teach us about our own times?  Blues, Greens,
Democrats, Republicans–fundamentally there is not much difference between how they operate and what the hidden goals are. Yes, there are different policies, political philosophies, social causes, but in all cases–in all instances of groups forming a collective arrangement–it involves the promotion of one group over another.  When the policies and platforms of one group take precedence it will always benefit one class of people more than all the others.  I am sorry to say, but that is the way of human nature. Some, maybe most, may benefit from changes brought about by political change, but some elements of society will always lose or gain less.  The vast majority of people do not realize that the majority of great social movements in our day, that they may be in support of, possibly are actively involved in, are being manipulated by a small cavil of elites who will gain the most in success.  This is the inheritance of Babylonian political philosophy–rule of the fittest.  The communists would say, “All are equal, but some are more equal than others”. Bare in mind that many of the social movements are for good causes, but what invariably happens is that ambitious and talented men and women attach themselves to the cause and high-jack it and remake it in their image in order to gain political  traction for themselves.

The Nika Riots is an extreme example of how the manipulation of a whole society occurs.  Another example of this occurs in the Book of Mormon with the account of the Kingmen told in Alma 51.  An elite class of people desired to increase their power. We do not know the names of the leaders, but in following the patterns of history, we know these leaders manipulated this class of elites to vigorously support a return to a monarchical government, which would have greatly empowered the leaders.   They were eventually put down by Captain Moroni, but the discontent continued to fester below the surface where it almost caused the eventual destruction or enslavement of the Nephite people. The operations of the Kingmen in the Book of Mormon became the pattern of how the Gadiantons infiltrate at the highest levels and take over governments. 

The account in Alma serves as a warning to us in 21st Century America. Mormon is constantly warning the reader not to allow what happened to the Nephites to occur to the gentile nation of our day.  There has always been political division in American politics, even from the very beginning. The divisions created between different segments and classes of people have been self-serving for a very small group of elites attempting to control the opinions and votes of the people. The presidential election of 1800 was acrimonious and set a precedent in elections in America for the next 200 years. President John Adams was trying for a second term as president while his Vice President, Thomas Jefferson, ran against him. In order to gain traction against Adams, Jefferson called Adams “a hideous hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman.” He labeled Adams a fool, a hypocrite, a criminal, and a tyrant. Name calling and labeling is one of the most powerful and insidious methods that corrupt politicians and demagogues use to foment emotional responses in people. “He/She is a racist!” “He/She is anti-gay and hates gay people.” In Babylonian political systems, which is any government not run by principles found in a Zion society, political power trumps propriety and friendship, for Adams and Jefferson were known to be great friends before this election.  Power trumps decent, humaine, and charitable behaviors; after all the end justifies the means in almost all political systems.

Jefferson hired what we would call a publicist or campaign manager today, James T. Callendar. Callendar falsely accused Adams of wanting to start a war with France and have himself crowned king. This was instrumental in convincing the electorate to narrowly vote out Adams in favor of Jefferson in 1800.  Callendar later went to prison for the slanders he wrote about Adams, but that did nothing to correct the wrongs done preventing Adams from winning his second term.

Today lies and slanders are alive and well in American Politics.  Both parties are very well practiced in spinning truth, creating half truths and lies, and disseminating false news. To enter politics is to have your name drug through the mud, slandered, and innuendoes lavishly published in a way to convince others with a certain prejudice to vote a certain way. American society has not reached the levels of fevered violent emotionalism that pervaded the ancient society of Constantinople yet.  But there is a change in the wind. When parties declare that they will not ever support the policies or legislation of the other party, or president, the gauntlet is thrown down. Violence will eventually become the only means of arbitration between them.   We are starting to see the beginnings of this. Think about what happened in the U.S. House and Senate as well as in the country as a whole in 1860 before the Civil War.  Lies, half truths, made up stories, were all crafted to inflame the passions of the people, especially in the south, to support a disastrous policy that could only benefit an elite class of the society.

In the Zion I envision there will of course be no political parties. But there will also be no classes of people.  There will be no descendants of Lehi, Lamanites, Gentiles, Jews, or other designations. There will be no parties, no “you” as differentiated from “us”, no “remnant”, no children of Jacob. There will only be Israelites, which means “Blessed of God” (Literally means “Contends with God” but the meaning is that of having received a blessing at God’s hand after having contending for that purpose).  As a Zion people we will be color blind, we will be blind to the education or intellect of a person, and we will be blind to the genealogy of a person. We simply will not care. We will not be jealous of another person’s talents, or accomplishments, or assignment. Nor will we be impressed. Our only concern, THE ONLY ONE, will be how to make our neighbor’s life better. Imagine living in a place like that, where you and your neighbors have no hidden agenda, no jealousy, no fear, no desire to manipulate or control.

Unfortunately, before we get to Zion, we will have to live through the degradation of society, which will in large part be encapsulated in the behaviors, manipulations, and demagoguery that is infesting our political process.  In all of history and especially in the scriptures, we recognize that the fall of societies and great nations is always preceded by the collapse in morals of the King or governing bodies. 

God Bless.