About the need for prophets and modern revelation

If I were to ask people today to name people who are/were prophets, I'm sure I would get answers like: Moses, Isaiah, and some of the other names from the Old Testament of the Bible. Back in Biblical times, prophets acted as a mouthpiece of God. In the Bible Dictionary about prophets, we read, "The work of a Hebrew prophet was to act as God's messenger and make known God's will...He taught men about God's character, showing the full meaning of his dealings with Israel in the past...It was also the prophet's duty to denounce sins and foretell its punishment, and to redress, as far as he could, both public and private wrongs. He was to be, above all, a preacher of righteousness" (pg 754). And that is exactly what past prophets have done: they told the Israelites direct messages from God, warned them about various cursings that would come if the people continued to sin, and blessings for following God's way. When the people would follow God, as directed through the prophets, they were blessed. However, as we can read time after time in the Old Testament, the people tended to stop trusting the prophets, preferred to do things their own way, and would start sinning. Then the Israelites would be punished, sometimes by different kings taking over the population. One thing that always remained the same is that whenever the people realized they were sinning, and repented, and turned back to God, God would call another prophet to lead them on the righteous path. Each time a major prophet was called in that period, it is known as a dispensation. Whenever the people fell away from God, it is known as an apostasy.

When Jesus Christ was born, He was born in a very special and unique way. He was born of a virgin, who was betrothed to a carpenter. He was born in a manger, because there were no other rooms available for his parents to stay in. On the night of His birth, a new star shone brightly in the sky. Many things dealing with Christ, from His birth, through His ministry, death, and resurrection fulfilled prophecies that were told of old. Jesus also was a prophet. He talked to people about things that God wanted them to know. Obviously, He was much more than just a prophet, He was the Son of God, sent to earth to become Saviour of the world. During Jesus' earthly ministry, He set up His Church. He selected apostles, taught them divine truths, healed the sick, and performed other miracles. After Christ returned to heaven, his apostles were eventually killed off or died. Then, the earth entered into a period known as the Great Apostasy. Many churches were created, all of which tried to take things they had learned from the Bible, and make them a reality. Unfortunately, none of them had the entire picture. An illustration to demonstrate this can be done using a mirror. Christ's original Church is that mirror. After He returned to heaven, and all the original disciples died or were killed, the mirror fell and was shattered. Different churches took different pieces of the mirror and tried to put it back together, to recreate what was originally in place. But they still have many differences. (Look at baptism, for example. One church practices that infants must be baptized via sprinkling, another teaches that people should be baptized by immersion, and some practice that baptism is not necessary for salvation, but rather a way to show a desire to follow Christ, and is therefore optional. These can't all be right.) That would lead me to think that if the type of church was on the earth today that was like Christ's original church, that said church would be the same, and all churches would be the same.

This is the same thought that a young boy had. His name was Joseph Smith, and he was the first prophet of this dispensation. He was brought up in a religious family, and went with his parents to different churches. He was earnestly seeking the right church, the true church, because all the churches were teaching different messages. The church should be teaching the same message, like as it says in Ephesians 4:5, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." While Joseph Smith was pondering the different churches, he found a verse from in James that reads, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him" (James 1:5). Joseph Smith decided to do exactly that: he would pray to God and ask Him which church he should join. He went out to a grove of trees, and began to pray to God. Then, a most miraculous thing happened. In Joseph Smith's own words, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me...when the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing to the other-This is my Beloved Son, Hear Him!" (JSH 1:16-17). Joseph Smith was told that he was going to become a prophet, and that he would restore Christ's original church on the earth. And that's what he did. Joseph Smith became the first in a line of prophets that have been called of God. In Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets". Joseph Smith called Apostles, restored the priesthood (to be covered in another blog post), reinstated the sacrament, and other things that were in Christ's original church.

My guess is that many people would disagree that there is a prophet on the earth today. However, we read in Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." If Christ is the same, and if Christ's ministry is to be continued on the earth today, it logically makes sense that God would still reveal important truths to us through prophets. I think that it is wonderful that we still have a prophet on the earth today. Having a prophet shows that God still loves us very dearly, and wants to guide us as best as He can through a worthy man that He has called. This means that we aren't left alone with only our scriptures (which are very wonderful and full of truth, but hard to interpret at times), but also with someone who speaks on behalf of God. I know that we have a prophet on the earth today. His name is Thomas S. Monson, and he is the head of the Church. I know that the words that he speaks truly are inspired and full of all richness and truth. I know that the Holy Spirit has testified to me the truthfulness of what he speaks, and that I can still learn and grow under the guidance of a prophet. I know that prophets are still needed in this earth today, when so many things of morality are being changed, and people are having a hard time connecting to the Savior. Look to the Prophet; he will guide you back to Christ.

Outside of the Manhattan NY Temple

Word of Wisdom

There are many differences between Latter Day Saints and other Christians. One of them is our belief in something called the "Word of Wisdom". The Word of Wisdom is, in a sense, our health code, explaining what is helpful and harmful for the body. This was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in a revelation back in 1833. He had been contemplating the use of tobacco during there meetings, so he prayed to God to find out what should be done about it. Doctrine and Covenants Section 89 is the result of the answer to his prayer.

The Lord promised us, that if we follow this Word of wisdom that we will, "...receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint" (D&C 89:18-20). What this tells us, is if we follow God's commandments (like how Daniel followed the health code when he was subject to King Nebechadnezzar) we we be blessed. What particularly is written in this Word of Wisdom? Why does it matter?

Specifically, we have been warned not to partake of: alcoholic drinks, tobacco products, tea (non-herbal), and coffee. First off, most of these items are very addictive in nature. I can't express how many people I know that suffer headaches or other withdrawal symptoms if they don't take their morning cup of coffee. It is not good to be addicted to any substance. Being addicted to something takes away our agency (agency is the ability to choose for ourselves, like free will). When a person partakes of alcohol, their judgment gets clouded, and they may do things that they would not have originally done if they were sober, thus their agency has been impaired. Also, the items listed are not very healthy, and have some damaging affects to the body. The easier ones to see are alcohol on the liver, and tobacco on the lungs and mouth. Other things that also fall into this category are the taking of illegal drugs and abusing prescription drugs. Both of these can be very addictive, and have bad effects on neurotransmitter release and the post synaptic terminal.

On the plus side, things that are good for the body are: vegetables, fruits, grains, and meat. Again, all of these things should be used sparingly. The Lord is trying to teach us moderation, and not to be consumed with anything. It would be just as bad to be a glutton over food as it would be to smoke cigarettes. Both are harmful to the body. Now, I realize that nobody is perfect, but this is what we are striving for. To live the Word of Wisdom, to not partake of what the Lord has asked us not to do, and to eat other things in moderation. 

I know that I have been blessed in this regard. Before joining the Church, I used to drink on occasion. I never really got into the hang of it, but I slightly enjoyed having my inhibitions loosened. However, when I would look back at what I had done while I was drinking, I was not proud of the actions I had taken. I did not like that drinking had changed my mindset, and had let my moral compass slide on standards that I had held sacred. While I was drinking, I could not choose for myself what I wanted to do. My mind was clouded, and I was easily swayed. Without alcohol, I can fully weigh both the positives and negatives of a decision, and make a prayerful choice. I have been healthier since I decided to follow the Lord's standard, and I have been blessed.

Please don't get me wrong, many of my friends and family members partake of some of these substances, and I am not judging you. I believe that people need to make this decision for themselves, and to pray about it. I will never stop loving or caring for a person if they decide to partake of the substances that I abstain from. (It reminds me of something that Paul wrote about in one of his letters, dealing with, "if someone needs to abstain from meat, that is fine, but you don't need to, if you don't believe it is necessary). It is something that someone who I hold in authority has asked members of the Church to follow, and since I am in that Church, I will continue to follow it. I believe that it can benefit the lives of others.

Best shirt ever, and definitely true of me :)

Lessons learned from the Hill Cumorah Pageant

Let me start off by saying that the Hill Cumorah Pageant was truly amazing! I know that the word "amazing" gets over used a lot, but in all reality, the Pageant was full of so much Spirit and wonder.

I drove to the Pageant with my YSA group, and we marked off some chairs. I had the great opportunity of meeting up with some friends who were in the Pageant: Tiffany Clarkstone and Garrett Hawkins. The size of the stage for the Pageant is so immense, and all the costume actors know all their parts spectacularly well. It was so unreal to be in an atmosphere where so many people believed the same thing were gathered together. I have gotten a lot of slack over the months for the decision that I have made, in joining this church, and it was great to be around people who have also understood the truth.

Since we got to Pageant wicked early, we did a little bit of sight seeing in the area. We were able to go to the bookstore, where the first copies of the Book of Mormon were published. Outside of the bookstore, I saw my first set of protesters. It really saddened me to see them. They do not understand the awesome message that the Book of Mormon gives, and how everything in it, the prophets and all, sincerely point to Christ. I mean, Christ told his disciples in the New Testament that He has other sheep to visit that they know not of. These other sheep definitely included the people who lived previously in the Americas. It was really interesting learning of how the book got published and all the steps that it took.

Fast forward to the evening: from 7 to 9pm the cast came out and shared the message of Truth and Restoration to those in the audience. It was very humbling to have the actors who would portray Nephi (from 1 Nephi) and Alma come to my group and share a message with me. They challenged me to think of a name of a person who could benefit from the message of the Restored Gospel, and I actually came up with one! Being surrounded by so many LDS people (700 in the cast, and many thousands watching that evening), gave me a snippet of what Heaven will be like. The Spirit was so strong there. I have experienced spiritual moments before, even before joining the Church. However, this was one of the times where the Spirit was so palpable for such an extended period of time. It gives a better understanding of how the Holy Ghost witnesses of the truth in all things, and the Holy Ghost was so evidently witnessing of all the truth that was being portrayed. It was like basking in a glorious light, with a perpetual sense of peace and calmness. So amazing, so inspiring!

The Pageant itself tells 10 stories from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. The  first scene deals with the Prophet Lehi, and his warning the people in Jerusalem to turn from their sins and repent, or Jerusalem would be destroyed. The people reject him, and Lehi takes his family from that area.

The people in Jerusalem

The second scene deals with the visions of Jesus Christ. Lehi and Nephi (his son) get visions from God dealing with Jesus Christ, and what will happen to the Savior of the world.

Lehi's vision of the tree.

Nephi's vision of the birth of Jesus.

Nephi's vision with Jesus getting baptized.

Nephi's vision with Jesus ordaining his 12 Apostles.

The third scene deals with Nephi and others building a ship that will be sailed to travel to the Americas. The Lord directs him to do so, and Nephi gets some persecution from his brothers, Laman and Lemuel, in the process.

Nephi building the ship.

Nephi tells his brothers to touch him not or they will become like unto a dried reed.

Scene four is the voyage to ancient America. Lehi's family begin sinning, and Nephi tries to correct them. Laman and Lemuel with some others don't like this, and they tie him to the mast of the ship. A terrible storm occurs, and it is only through repentance to God that they are saved. Once in the Americas, Nephi begins to write of his history on golden plates, that will be passed down through the generations. After a while, a fraction occurs, and those that follow God through Nephi are called the Nephites, and those that ignore God are called the Lamanites.

The families on the ship to the Americas.

Nephi recording the history on the plates.

The Nephites (bottom) and Lamanites (top) did battle much.

Fifth scene deals with the burning of Abinadi. Many hundred years have passed, and the Nephites have become wicked. Abinadi, a prophet, preaches repentance and faith in Jesus Christ who is to come. The people don't believe him, and the evil King Noah have him burned. Alma does believe the prophet, and leaves the service of the king to follow after God.

Abindai preaching faith in Christ alone.

Abinadi's death.

Alma preaching.

Scene six deals with Alma's ministry in the wilderness. He teaches the people the correct doctrine, baptizes people. King Noah gets captured and is burned alive, as Abinadi had prophesied.

Alma baptizing.

King Noah burned alive.

Scene seven deals with the prophecy by Samuel, a righteous Lamanite, about the birth and death of Jesus Christ, and various signs that will be present during that time in the Americas. When Christ is born, there will be no darkness, and when Christ dies, there will be great destruction followed by 3 days of darkness. People don't believe the signs, and about 5 years later, the night sky is lit up by a new star.

Samuel, having things thrown at him, while he prophesies on a wall.

The eighth scene deals with Christ's crucifixion, the darkness that overshadows the land in the Americas for 3 days, and then Christ's ministry among the Nephites and Lamanites. After Christ ministers, organizes His Church, ordains Apostles, heals the sick, and many other miracles, He ascends back to His Father in Heaven.

Christ's condescension to the ancient Americans.

Christ ordaining His Apostles.

Christ with the little children.

The ninth scene deals with how the Nephites and Lamanites split once more after many years of peace. Most people reject the message of Jesus Christ. The prophet Mormon writes some of the history onto golden plates and gives them to his son, Moroni. Moroni then deposits the plates in a stone box at the Hill Cumorah.

Moroni receiving the plates from Mormon.

Moroni with the golden plates.

The tenth and final scene deals with the restoration of the Church. In September 1823, near Palmyra, NY, a young man named Joseph Smith prays in a grove of trees about what church to join. He is told not to join any, in a vision where he sees Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Four years later, Joseph Smith receives the plates from the Hill Cumorah as directed by the angel Moroni. Joseph Smith translates the plates, and publishes it as the Book of Mormon. Now the Book of Mormon goes forth throughout the world.

Joseph Smith receiving the golden plates.

Joseph Smith with a copy of the printed Book of Mormon.

I learned a lot out in Palmyra. I learned that I am part of a larger group of believers than I thought possible, and that I can get strength from knowing the truth of it all. I learned that the Spirit definitely manifests the truth of all things taught, and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I learned that nobody can change my mind on that fact, and that I am even more convinced of its truthfulness day by day. And that we should share this message with all those around us. Go to Palmyra, if you get a chance, you will definitely be blessed!

About God and Jesus Christ

It is sad to me when I hear other Christians call Mormons not Christians, or hear that we "worship another god". The reasoning behind this viewpoint is our view of the Godhead. In most Christian churches, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are seen as one, a trinity. Although, there are numerous times in the Bible when the Beings are referred to separately, that is still the prevailing belief. Under the heading of LDS, we believe that they are separate Heavenly Beings, but one in purpose, hence the term Godhead. There was an excellent talk given in the April 2013 General Conference by Elder Christoffel Golden Jr. of the Seventy that I will refer to heavily in this blog post. His talk was entitled, "The Father and the Son" (pgs 99-101 of the May 2013 edition of the Ensign).

'The importance of this most fundamental principle [correct understanding of the Father and the Son] of the gospel of Jesus Christ is confirmed by the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1820. The Prophet wrote: "I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other--This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"'

As can be seen by this first point made by Elder Golden, the young Prophet Joseph Smith saw Jesus Christ and God the Father as two separate Beings. Okay, well, some people may not believe in this first part, because it is the basis for the LDS church, and is highly controversial. How about a look into the Bible then, because all Christians believe in that.

'In the New Testament, for example, we read of Stephen's final testimony at his martyrdom. Said he, "Behold, I see the heaven opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56)' Now, how could the Son of God [Christ] stand on the right hand of God, if they were both the same Being? Continuing in Elder Golden's talk, 'While in mighty vision on the Isle of Patmos, the Apostle John sees the "Lord God Almighty" (Revelation 4:8) as well as the Lamb of God, who "redeemed us...by [His] blood" (Revelation 5:9).' There are many other examples as well, take the baptism of Jesus Christ in Matthew 3, where all three personages of the Godhead appear at the same time (God=voice from Heaven, Jesus Christ=physically in the water, and Spirit=descending in the form of a dove); when Christ is transfigured in front of his disciples, Peter gets a little concerned, offers to build a shelter, and then God speaks directly to them (Matthew 17:5). Plus, there is also the creation account in Genesis 1 which has God making mankind (verse 26), "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." This again refers to more than one Being for which mankind is being made.

Jesus and God work together. The way that they are able to go about this, causes a oneness of mind, a oneness of spirit. Referring back to Elder Golden, 'Every time our Lord refers to His Heavenly Father, He does so with the utmost reverence and submissiveness. In saying this, I hope there will be no misunderstanding. Jesus Christ is the great Jehovah, the God of Israel, the promised Messiah, and because of his infinite Atonement, he is our Savior and the Redeemer of the world. Of Him the Apostle Paul declared, "Then cometh the end, when [Christ] shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when [Christ] shall have put down all rule and all authority and power" (1 Corinthians 15:24).' Paul is suggesting that at the end of time, Christ will give up His kingdom back to God, meaning that Christ was ruling it for a while, and then, like a faithful son would, returned it back to his loving Father.

True, there are also references in the Bible to Christ and God sharing a oneness, like in John 17:20-22, which reads, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one." This oneness, that the Apostles are told to be imitating, is a oneness of purpose. Christ mentioned the relationship of himself to His Father, and their oneness in purpose, in Spirit, and in Truth, but separate in personal existence.

Elder Golden has a good way of explaining it, 'The Father and the Son are distinctly separate beings, but They are perfectly united and one in power and purpose. Their oneness is not reserved for Them alone; rather, They desire this same oneness for everyone who will, with devotion, follow and obey Their commandments.' We get this oneness with God and His Son through the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost witnesses to the truth of all things, is a comforter, and witnesses of Christ, among other wonderful things.

So, what is the purpose of all of this? Why does it matter? Other than me just trying to fully assert that I am still a Christian. Because, having the Godhead as three separate Beings, means so much more to me than having one Being who changes form when it seems appropriate. This makes my whole relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit much more personal. I know that I have a Father in Heaven, and also a perfect older Brother. This falls in line with God's continual focus on the family unit. Knowing that Christ atoned for my sins, because His Father asked Him to, and therefore I should do whatever it is that my Father asks me to. The road may not always be easy, and I cannot always see the end that God sees,  but I know that if I continue to follow God, as best as I can, that I will be blessed. 

I bear my testimony that I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are separate individuals, and that my life has been, and will be continually blessed as I seek to follow Them. It is important to seek the truth, and to have the Holy Ghost bear witness to all things that point to Christ, and to the truth in other areas of life. Only by seeking the truth, have I come to this realization. My God is a very real, very personal, Father in Heaven, who cared enough to send His only Begotten Son to atone for all the sins of the world. I end this blog post, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.