Casper

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  1. I could only answer your question in relation to myself. For me my faith is based upon revelation given to me personally. It is not based on the words of any mortal men women family or anything, the spirit of God has told me that Jesus Christ died that I might live eternally, that all people have the opportunity to make use of this gift. I believe that Joseph Smith was called of God and given the authority and power to translate what he translated, and that he translated it from gold plates but I also would not care what it was on or who saw them or if anyone saw them at all. My faith is not built on those things it is built on revelation from the Spirit of God. It is that spirit that leads me to live the life that I have chosen to live, no more and no less. I would hope that helps you understand at least were I am and how I what my faith is based on.
  2. The translating ordinances and blessings that are in the hand book are guidelines for translating from one language to another. The church does not yet have the power in the priesthood of translating people to a terrestrial condition. “All the powers of the priesthood are in the church except the principle and power of translation. That, however, will in due time be restored.” John Taylor (J.D 23:32)
  3. There is often misunderstanding about these churches and who belongs to them. They are not physical churches, they do not have specific buildings that you go to. They are spiritual churches or churches of the heart. Membership in these two churches is determined by the intentions of our hearts, not by anything else. The Lord taught Samuel …for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 And in D&C 64:22 … I, the Lord, will not hold any guilty that shall go with an open heart up to the land of Zion; for I, the Lord, require the hearts of the children of men. And Jesus said in Luke 17:20-21 When Nephi talks of these two church he says that there are only two churches (1 Nephi 14:10). Nephi is not talking about outward organizations, Nephi saw our day and how many churches there would be and according to Wikipedia there are approximately 38,000 churches that are just Christian, Nephi is talking about two Churches where membership is determined by the desires of our hearts. The members of these two kingdoms or churches are spread among all denominations countries. Some members that belong to “The church of the lamb of God” are also members of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints and some in most other denominations. The same goes for the members of “The Church of the devil” they are all over the world; Some in the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints and some in most other denominations to. It is all to do with who we love, do we love God or the Devil, good or bad and light or darkness. The true answer to this question will let us know what Church we belong to.
  4. Those people how are mentioned in Mark 13:20 are also members of the church of the Firstborn. (D&C 76:51-58) They have received the oath and covenant of the priesthood then magnified there priesthood and reached the level of translation just as Enoch did (D&C 84:33-35, D&C 76:57) They are then outside the power of Satan like the three Nephites (3 Nephi 28:39) and can’t be tempted, this is why in mark 13:22 it says And in Matthew 24:24 If it were possible they would be deceived or seduced, but because they are the elect of God and outside the power of Satan to be tempted they can’t be deceived. I don’t believe these are the only people that will go to heaven in the last days, by heaven I would think you are talking of the millennium.The elect will be the first ones to move into the terrestrial state in preparation for the millennium in the last days. then they will go out as missionaries for the last time to gather out every one that will follow them from all over the world. (D&C 77:11)
  5. Talking of the rule of Christ in the Millennium Joseph Smith said: Not all people will be resurrected at the same time, and from what Joseph Smith is teaching in this quote the resurrected saints may not even use this earth as their primary dwelling place. I would think then that the Celestials and Terrestrials would have much the same relationship as they do now. The three Nephites have been in a terrestrial state like Enoch for some 2,000 years, they interact with Both Telesteals and Celestials, but we know they don’t live with Telesteals however I don’t believe there is any scripture or authoritative teaching on if they can or even do currently live with Celestials.
  6. In D&C 42:22 we are also told “Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else.” I look at it in the same way as a parent having children, they have one chilled and they love that chilled with all their heart, however when another chilled is bourn they don’t have to stop loving the first as much so they have love left for the next chilled. The ability for the parent to love is increased and they can love as many children as they are blessed with and they can do it with all their heart.
  7. I was reading over the creation in Gen 1 and Moses 2 with both accounts the next chapters say that no flesh was yet on the earth, does this mean that the accounts of the creation in the above chapters are about the spiritual creation. They also mention in Gen1:27-28, Moses 2:27-28 that man was made on the 6th day but it does not mention being made of the dust at that time. It is not mentioned until later in the next chapter of both Gen and Moses when the creation of man is mentioned a second time. Also in D&C 77:12 it says that man was formed out of the dust on the 7th day. So I would like to hear your thoughts on wither Gen 1 and Moses 2 are about the Physical or Spiritual creation.
  8. Baptized twice Does anyone know why the disciples of Ephesus in Acts chapter 19 were baptized again by Paul after being baptized by John the Baptist. Acts 19:1-7
  9. I agree Suzie, if self righteousness cannot be recognised by each of us personally, we have no way of humbling ourselves. That makes me think of the times when our Heavenly Father needs to humble us. But the good side is when we see self-righteousness and non-humilty in others it can help us reflect on how we may be doing the same thing occasionally. I think: Being Righteous is being in-line with the Father's will, as discerned through current revelation/ spiritual prompting. Self-Righteous is adhering to a view of right or wrong according to your own individual judgments (which are often limited or static). Humility is comfort with oneself as you currently are (Carnal & Divine). It's about having Heavenly Father's perspective of you as your prime focus (Not caring what others think about you: Good or Bad) Non-Humilty is self-degradation. It's hiding ones god-given power for fear of appearing prideful or self-aggrandizing.
  10. I believe it was during the Flood, I don’t know of anything that says Noah was in the Middle East; I also don’t believe there is any scripture that will say what continent Noah was on before the Flood. This would leave open the possibility precisely mentioned that they may have walked.
  11. I don’t know who the Elias was that came before Abraham, however I think the Elias that came to Joseph and Oliver was John the revelator. This idea comes from D&C 77:9,14 ` I think it is John that came back to the temple as part of his mission of restoring all things.
  12. I love a lot of what Skousen says, my main problem with his explanation of the Atonement is that in one place he quotes Alma 34:11-12 Then when he explains how the Atonement works it is by Christ sacrificing his own blood to atone for the sins of another. If all the intelligences are moved with compassion or not it is not completely just. I believe it is based on a different principle altogether.
  13. Just a not this got a lot longer then I first expected Where I’m coming from is that I don’t believe the great and abominable church is any specific denomination. There is no denomination that has ever completely fitted the description. In 1Nephi 10:10-12 Nephi describes the church of the devil, that she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations kindreds, tongues, and people. He then describes the church of the Lam of God, its numbers were few as a result of the wickedness and abominations of the church of the devil but it also was upon all the face of the earth. There is no single denomination that has had dominion over all the earth wither for good or evil. I believe them both to be an inner churches or a churches of the heart. The Lord has always need the heart and looked at the heart. When Christ was asked about the Kingdom of God in Luke he replyed The savior is talking about an inner church it is about our hearts, this church is spread over all the world among all nations kindreds tongues, people and also includes some members of the LDS Church. Likewise the church of the devil is made up in the same way spread over all the world among all nations kindreds tongues, people and also includes some members of the LDS Church. With this view I look at anyone that loves the Lord and is committed to live as close as they can to his the amount of knowledge they have belong to the Church of the Lamb of God, and those how do the opisite belong to the church of the devil how is also called by both Nephi and John “the whore of all the earth. Sow my resin for what I said in my other post is that as a member of the LDS Church I believe that the LDS Church is the only church that has the authority of God to perform binding ordinances that are recognize by God, this is a great blessing. When a person is baptized into the LDS Church they covenant to take upon themselves the name of Christ, the same way a women would take on the name of a man she was engaged to marry in the days of Christ. The church is often called Christ’s bride, not married but awaiting the return of the bridegroom to be married. So as members of the LDS Church we are the only ones that can truly make this covenant with the Lord, by virtue of the authorized priesthood that we have, so being a member of the LDS Church and having covenanted to the Lord, to faithfully keep ourselves clean and pure, loving him above all the world, we are counted as worthy brides. But then on the other hand when we make this covenant to love the Lord and keep ourselves for him and then set our hearts on something that is not of him we become the whore, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. Because we are the only church that can truly make the covenant we are the only church that can truly break it and become the whore, in its most true and complete way. There are other groups of people that have done things like change parts of the bible and cloud the minds of people to follow after ways that are incorrect, but they never had the power to covenant with the Lord and take his name upon themselves in the first place to become a whore when they break it, I would still count them as members of the church of the devil but that they are not as abominable if that makes sense. I hope this helps to show were I’m coming from
  14. This might be a bit blunt and I would like to know what others think of this but my feelings about who the "great and abominable church" and also know in revelations as “the great whore” and “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.” Is more accurately displayed by unfaithful members the “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints “ more than another denomination.
  15. It is also found in the Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Teacher's Manual, p.160