Month: November 2020

The Second Temptation

I think the Savior is a lot more like us then we suppose. Sure, He is the Messiah; anointed and chosen as the Only Begotten. He was perfect in His obedience to the Father, not perfect to the commandments, because He didn’t always keep them (a subject for another post). He was always open to hearing the voice of the Father and doing everything the Father commanded.

We think that because Jesus was a God condescended to this earth (1 Nephi 11:26) as a mortal, that He had some apriori knowledge (a preexisting knowledge) of who He was and what was expected of Him and that knowledge was spoon fed to Him by the angels. We tend to think that as a child or young man He knew as soon as He could reason who He was and what His mission was. On the contrary, I think He had to tease light and knowledge from heaven just as Joseph Smith, the Brother of Jared, Moses, and Abraham did. He, like the former prophets, had to plead and entreat the heavens for every morsel of truth at first until, after demonstrating their desire, knowledge came as a torrent of light (D&C 9:7-8) Their attitude toward Heaven was no different than the attitudes we also are expected to learn in order to obtain the same light and knowledge: humility, charity, faith, trust, belief and some persistence.

I believe Christ had to go through the same uncertainties and doubts that we experience. The difference being He was more intelligent than us. He was able to deal with fears and doubts and overcome them perhaps quicker than us. It had to be this way. He had to learn to deal with the doubts and confusions life deals us the same way we have to deal with them, otherwise we could say things like, “I am not Abraham or Christ. I cannot do those things.” It had to be thus so that He could become the path, so that He could overcome all things, so that we would be able to look at Him and say, “If Christ could do that alone, I should be able to follow His path with His help.” How could we follow the path if we believe that the one we were following had some help that is barred to us?

During the temptations of Christ in the desert Matthew describes how the devil took Him to a pinnacle of the Temple and said to Him, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at anytime thou dash thy foot against a stone.” (Matthew 4:6) Even as Jesus was beginning His mission it seems He was having doubts about who He was or Satan would not have been able to tempt Him. It is the nature and disposition of all humans, even those with an immortal Father, to have to experience and deal with doubts and fears. I know there will be some who will disagree with me when I say I believe Christ had to deal with some uncertainties His whole life. There is no sin with harboring doubts because doubts are the catalyst for developing faith and perfect knowledge. You cannot develop faith without experiencing doubt.

Here is how Isaiah describes the way Christ deals with uncertainty and fears, “For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed (regret).” (Isaiah 50:7) Christ set His face like a stone, not to be deterred from what he believed, but not by perfect knowledge, but by faith in what His purpose and mission was.

I was reading some comments on a Facebook page several weeks ago and came across this comment someone posted: “The Lord spoke to me through the Spirit and said, ‘You are just like Me.‘” I was blown away by that statement. I had heard someone else describe the exact same experience a few weeks before. Is it possible that we really are like Him? Are we more like the Savior than we have believed? It makes me wonder. Beyond the veil and behind the forgotten memories, who are we? It makes me think that Christ and His kingdom is more obtainable than I thought.

A Conversation

I had this conversation while praying. It was for me, and pertains to me and my family, but I was impressed to share it.

“What should I be doing now?” I asked.

“Read and study the scriptures, particularly the Doctrine and Covenants (Teachings and Commandments). Learn what my word is to this generation. Share with others what you learn.”

“Should I write this in a post?”

“Write that trouble is coming and preparations are needed. The physical is not as important as the spiritual. All of the planning and storing of goods will not save anyone unless they are prepared spiritually. Tell them to learn to hear My voice. How will you know where the safe places are if you don’t know how to receive it from Me? People tend to rely too much on other people they consider to be true messengers. So what if they are? Those messengers cannot save you.“

“Is there anything specific I can tell people, or write about?”

“No, everything pertaining to preparations has been given, declared, and written. People need to know how to receive revelation and discern in order to get specific instruction for themselves and their family.”

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If you are not having daily conversations with your Heavenly Father you are not ready for what is coming. All the food, guns, cabins and land in remote places, gold and silver, is not going to save you in the long run. You have to know how to talk to God and, more importantly, know how to receive revelation from Him if you want to survive what is coming. There is no person on this whole earth that will be able to tell you what to do when the trouble comes. You will not be able to rely on government, churches, welfare organizations, even prophets and inspired clergy, etc. You may have 10 years, 3 years, or 2 months to prepare, why put it off?

Following people that you believe have a direct connection to God can be hazardous to your health, if you believe that they will be able to save you. They may have a direct connection, but it won’t save you. Ezekiel had something to say about that:

“Son of Man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job (you could add Joseph Smith, Russell Nelson, Denver Snuffer or add your favorite prophet) were in it, they would deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 14:13-14)

King Benjamin implored his people to come to know the Master’s voice:

“I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also the name by which he shall call you. For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” (Mosiah 5: 10-15)

It comes down to this: you either believe what has been revealed in the scriptures or you don’t.