On Sin, Repentance and the Atonement:
It is my belief that sin has an actual effect on our souls—both spiritually and to a lesser degree, physically. It also sets a course toward eternal damnation. By repenting, we turn our hearts back to God, stop the sin, and do our best to remedy the problems caused by it. But we cannot undo what was done, we cannot erase the effects of our actions or the damage we have done to ourselves. We cannot through our own effort cleanse and purify ourselves or change our course sufficiently to regain the path to God or avoid damnation.
Therefore, repentance—while necessary—is not and never will be enough. Thus God, in his mercy and goodness, sent us a savior to redeem the effects and rewards of sin which is death and hell. He took our sins upon him and overcame them for us. And so when we repent and are baptized as an exercise of faith in Him accepting Him as our savior, His grace becomes sufficient for us. He overcomes the effects of sin in us and which allows us to regain God’s presence. The Holy Ghost comes upon us and has a cleansing and purifying effect on our soul. He sanctifies us, so that we become clean—without spot—holy and pure even as Jesus is. For by the blood are we sanctified and by the spirit are we justified.
Our work is to keep the commandments of God, make and keep sacred covenants and even be perfect as Jesus and his father are perfect. But we, being weak and fallen and subject to the weakness of the flesh cannot be perfect. Thus our works cannot save us for they are insufficient. It is by grace that we are saved after all that we can do. Nevertheless, we must work diligently—for our works are the demonstration of our faith. Do we have the faith in God and Jesus Christ to keep His commandments? Do we have faith enough to repent? Do we have faith enough to deny the flesh and addictions? Do we have faith enough to follow Christ, and do all that He asks of us, even if it leads to the cross and a bitter cup? We must do all that we can, repenting when we sin, and the miraculous atoning power of Jesus Christ will make up the infinite balance lacking—having already overcome the greatest obstacles of death and hell. If we don’t give our whole selves, our full effort—our all, then our faith is not sufficient. Christ says: “give me everything you have, and I’ll make up the difference.”
And so we work diligently to keep the commandments and do God’s will (repenting as we go) because of our faith in Christ. For we know that it is only in and through him that we can be saved. We of ourselves are nothing, but in Christ we can do all things and overcome the world and be perfect in him. This gift of salvation is only available to those who enter into the covenants of baptism and who receive the Holy Ghost as prescribed by Jesus and by legal administrators authorized by him to act on his behalf—who have lawfully received His priesthood.
Not only does the grace provided by the Atonement of Christ redeem us from the effects of sin, but it has the power to transform us into new creatures. It lifts us to levels we could not achieve on our own. And provides us with the inspiration and endurance to perform labors we would not otherwise be able to achieve or maintain. We need a savior to change our nature—to fill us with charity and love for mankind.
A note on mercy and justice: If justice sees that we get what we deserve, then mercy extends to us more than we deserve. Even if we suffer the penalty for our sins… the penalty is paid, but we are still filthy and unholy, and our character/nature would still be contrary to the character and nature of God—thus we would be unable to withstand his presence or the celestial law and glory.
Also, God will put us in the glory or kingdom in which we will be able to stand and find the greatest joy—conducive to the natural state we attained to. If we cannot abide a celestial law, we will not withstand a celestial glory—we won’t be able to take it and will even feel unworthy and unclean and therefore will feel more comfortable in the place we obtained to. Blessings are predicated on obedience to the particular laws and principles required to obtain it.
I believe that the character and love of God is such that he will give us the maximum reward and minimum punishment that His justice and mercy will allow.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Monday, January 13, 2014
Here is my new website for most of my Real Estate Business: http://www.realdealrealestateutah.weebly.com It has a blog where I will be posting most of my thoughts on real estate, business, and investing.
I am planning to buy the domain http://www.realdealrealestate.com for it as soon as I work out the bugs on the other one.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Thoughts on Creation
According to Joseph Smith, matter, spirit (more refined matter), and intelligence are all co-eternal with God. This is in harmony with the observed laws of science, namely the 1st law of thermodynamics—matter/energy can neither be created nor destroyed (fundamentally), but have always existed and always will. And so when we talk of the creation of the world, we do not mean ex-nihilo (out of nothing) as the rest of the Christian world does; but by “creation,” it’s meant that God took of this eternal and unorganized matter and created/organized (in the creative sense) the Heavens and the Earth.
Now we also have no quarrel with the 2nd law of thermodynamics, which talks about entropy and the breakdown of matter. For the natural state of things is chaos and disorder. Things die, decay and break down from greater or heavier to lesser or lighter according to the 2nd law. All particles naturally break down over time and spread apart. Long ago everything should have broken down and scattered throughout the universe. But scientists see another force which they don't understand working against this natural destructive force. For we find the universe in a completely unnatural state of order. And even things in the very process of creation. If you walk into a previously disordered room and find everything cleaned up the natural assumption is not that time is going backwards but that someone has been by to clean it up. If you find a page with the letters of the alphabet ordered into a beautiful sonnet, you do not deduce that teams of monkeys have been strumming at typewriters for thousands of years, but rather that Shakespeare has passed that way.
Seeing that there is order and creation, there must also be an opposing force which creates, organizes, and maintains order—namely God. This is also observed in science. But even so, we see things (the world, men, lives, matter, etc.) breaking down—corruptible and fallen.
Jacob in the Book of Mormon speaks about this subject: 2 Nephi 9:6-7
6 For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfill the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.
7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
And so there would be no reversal if there wasn’t a similar force to the creative one which could restore, redeem and atone things back to their original orderly and proper state. That is the role of the infinite atonement performed by Jesus Christ which restores all things physically and spiritually to their natural state (and thus the need for us to repent and have our natures changed by the Holy Ghost through the mercy and grace of Christ so that when we are restored it is unto righteousness and not filthiness) bringing all things back to a perfect state and thus our corruption puts on incorruption and death is conquered, etc.
Through the Atonement of Christ all men and indeed all of God’s creations will be resurrected physically: cleansed from all imperfections, renewed and restored back to God’s presence. All things will be saved from the destructive forces of nature—death and men who repent and accept Jesus Christ will also be saved from Hell—spiritual death or separation from God, for being cleansed through the grace of Christ, we will be perfected in Him and live forever in the presence of God.
Note: This view of creation from already existing eternal matter is also consistent with the findings of science; for when they try to date this material—who knows what state it would have been in when God started forming the Earth, or how His creative works affected the observable age of such things. New molecules forged together would start a new timeline as traced by science. Layers of the Earth could have been made and shaped in violent, drastic ways that our experience and understanding can’t comprehend, etc.
Now we also have no quarrel with the 2nd law of thermodynamics, which talks about entropy and the breakdown of matter. For the natural state of things is chaos and disorder. Things die, decay and break down from greater or heavier to lesser or lighter according to the 2nd law. All particles naturally break down over time and spread apart. Long ago everything should have broken down and scattered throughout the universe. But scientists see another force which they don't understand working against this natural destructive force. For we find the universe in a completely unnatural state of order. And even things in the very process of creation. If you walk into a previously disordered room and find everything cleaned up the natural assumption is not that time is going backwards but that someone has been by to clean it up. If you find a page with the letters of the alphabet ordered into a beautiful sonnet, you do not deduce that teams of monkeys have been strumming at typewriters for thousands of years, but rather that Shakespeare has passed that way.
Seeing that there is order and creation, there must also be an opposing force which creates, organizes, and maintains order—namely God. This is also observed in science. But even so, we see things (the world, men, lives, matter, etc.) breaking down—corruptible and fallen.
Jacob in the Book of Mormon speaks about this subject: 2 Nephi 9:6-7
6 For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfill the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.
7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
And so there would be no reversal if there wasn’t a similar force to the creative one which could restore, redeem and atone things back to their original orderly and proper state. That is the role of the infinite atonement performed by Jesus Christ which restores all things physically and spiritually to their natural state (and thus the need for us to repent and have our natures changed by the Holy Ghost through the mercy and grace of Christ so that when we are restored it is unto righteousness and not filthiness) bringing all things back to a perfect state and thus our corruption puts on incorruption and death is conquered, etc.
Through the Atonement of Christ all men and indeed all of God’s creations will be resurrected physically: cleansed from all imperfections, renewed and restored back to God’s presence. All things will be saved from the destructive forces of nature—death and men who repent and accept Jesus Christ will also be saved from Hell—spiritual death or separation from God, for being cleansed through the grace of Christ, we will be perfected in Him and live forever in the presence of God.
Note: This view of creation from already existing eternal matter is also consistent with the findings of science; for when they try to date this material—who knows what state it would have been in when God started forming the Earth, or how His creative works affected the observable age of such things. New molecules forged together would start a new timeline as traced by science. Layers of the Earth could have been made and shaped in violent, drastic ways that our experience and understanding can’t comprehend, etc.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Zion -The City of Heaven-
Here I started the first part of the story/dialogue with the rest more fleshed out:
This story would need some flushing out of parts of the story: a touch of romance, some of the action, the story of the second main character, and the actual building and establishing of Zion—although for that you could adopt portions of the story of the modern saints of the restoration.
(Start with darkness and a voice narrating the following):
In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And God said: “Let there be light;” and there was light. And God divided the light from the darkness and set the lights in the heavens; the sun the moon and the stars. And God divided the water from the dry land, and planted all manner of grass and plant life upon the face thereof to reproduce after its own kind. And all manner of animal life did God create: fowls in the air, fishes in the sea and all the beasts upon the land. And God commanded them to be fruitful and multiply after their own kind and fill the earth and the sea. And God looked upon his creations and saw that they were good.
(Show an father teaching his son—same voice as previous narration):
Last of all God created man in His own image and likeness; male and female. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
And those were our first parents, right?
Yes, that was father Adam and mother Eve.
And they lived in paradise, didn’t they father?
Yes, they did. God planted a garden in Eden full of fruit trees and beautiful flowers and set them in it. And God forbade them to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil lest they die. But Adam and Eve, our first parents, being innocent as little children, were beguiled by the serpent and ate of the forbidden fruit of the tree. And having thus transgressed the commands of God, they could not dwell in His presence and were cast out of the Garden. And the Earth was cursed for their sakes.
But God said they would die; … did they?
They did spiritually, and so we are all fallen and have become sinful and are separated from the presence of God. But Adam has not yet died physically, though he is bowed down and crippled with age. Nevertheless he became mortal and will die as will we all.
Wow, he must be really old…
He is, and someday, I will take you to meet him.
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Switch to the story of another character: Eli (or a better name if found), in his youth. He is growing up in the wicked city of Shum. He asks his parents questions about God and life, but does not understand or believe the things they teach him. Some of his family are involved in the secret combinations and meetings. They plot to dethrone the governor.
---
Switch back to the story of Enoch.
They are taking a lamb to sacrifice.
Father, why do we sacrifice animals to God?
Well, my son; When Adam our father was driven out of the Garden of Eden, God commanded Adam to sacrifice the firstlings of his flocks as an offering unto God. After he had done so, an angel appeared unto him and asked Adam your very question.
Really?
Yes. And Adam didn’t know either. He said: “I know not, save the Lord commanded me.” And the angel then explained saying: “This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth. Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore.”
So we do this as a symbol of what will be?
Yes, for the Son of God shall come in the meridian of time and shall be offered up as the great, eternal and last sacrifice to redeem us from our sins and to overcome the effects of the Fall: Sin and Death.
And in that day the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying: I am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth and forever, that as thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even as many as will.
And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: “Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.”
And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: “Were it not for our transgression we never should have had children, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.” And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto us, their sons and their daughters.
But Satan came among them, saying: I am also a son of God; and he commanded them, saying: Believe it not; and they believed it not, and they loved Satan more than God. And men began from that time forth to be carnal, sensual, and devilish. That is why there are so many wicked people who do not believe as we do. And the Lord God called upon men by the Holy Ghost everywhere and commanded them that they should repent; and as many as believed in the Son, and repented of their sins, should be saved; and as many as believed not and repented not, should be damned; and the words went forth out of the mouth of God in a firm decree; wherefore they must be fulfilled.
And that is why we offer a lamb to God for our sins, to remind us of the Messiah who is to come, that we can repent and have faith in Him and remember Him as you are always teaching me to do, right?
That is exactly right, my son. Would to God that all our people would be as quick to learn and understand as you and have as strong a faith as you. May God bless you, my son.
---
Flash back to the story of Eli--older.
Eli is trained as a soldier and is very skilled. He becomes captain of the king of Shum’s guard and his relatives try to bring him into their secret schemes to build a utopian society. He resists. Revolution breaks out and he and some of his family try to escape. He alone makes it out of the city, but his sister didn’t come and is still there—forced to marry one among the new leaders.
He joins up with a caravan of traders as their guard. He is sad and somewhat bitter. He listens to them quarreling about what is true: different philosophies about life, liberty, God, etc. He doesn’t know what to think of any of them. He asks them what they think about those who’ve died. They argue more. He asks: “Why would God, or the gods, if there are any, leave us to suffer and die without knowing what’s true or what this life is for and what happens after. If they exist, why did they create us and send us here to suffer? Do they hate us so?
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Enoch, much older, is traveling alone. He is reflecting on what had happened. He had gone to meet Adam at a great gathering of the people, Adam felt near his death. Enoch was ordained a priest. Adam prophesied and testified. (Just a short flashback, a few quick images, etc.) During this journey, he is called of God to go and preach. He anoints his eyes, etc.
48 Enoch was twenty-five years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam; and he was sixty-five and Adam blessed him.
49 And he saw the Lord, and he walked with him, and was before his face continually; and he walked with God three hundred and sixty-five years, making him four hundred and thirty years old when he was translated.
50 Methuselah was one hundred years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam.
51 Lamech was thirty-two years old when he was ordained under the hand of Seth.
52 Noah was ten years old when he was ordained under the hand of Methuselah.
53 Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing.
54 And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel.
55 And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever.
56 And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and, notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation.
57 These things were all written in the book of Enoch, and are to be testified of in due time.
And it came to pass that Enoch journeyed in the land, among the people; and as he journeyed, the Spirit of God descended out of heaven, and abode upon him. And he heard a voice from heaven, saying: “Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and say unto them—Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their fears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off; and for these many generations, ever since the day that I created them, have they gone astray, and have denied me, and have sought their own counsels in the dark; and in their own abominations have they devised murder, and have not kept the commandments, which I gave unto their father, Adam. Wherefore, they have foresworn themselves, and, by their oaths, they have brought upon themselves death; and a hell I have prepared for them, if they repent not; and this is a decree, which I have sent forth in the beginning of the world, from my own mouth, from the foundation thereof, and by the mouths of my servants, thy fathers, have I decreed it, even as it shall be sent forth in the world, unto the ends thereof.”
And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: “Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?”
And the Lord said unto Enoch: “Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good. Say unto this people: Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you. Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me. And the Lord spake unto Enoch, and said unto him: Anoint thine eyes with clay, and wash them, and thou shalt see. And he did so.
And he beheld the spirits that God had created; and he beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye; and from thenceforth came the saying abroad in the land: A seer hath the Lord raised up unto his people.
---
Enoch comes near a city and begins to preach. Many people come to hear him. Eli and his group are among them.
And it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him. And they came forth to hear him, upon the high places, saying unto the tent-keepers: Tarry ye here and keep the tents, while we go yonder to behold the seer, for he prophesieth, and there is a strange thing in the land; a wild man hath come among us. And it came to pass when they heard him, no man laid hands on him; for fear came on all them that heard him; for he walked with God.
And Eli (Mahijah is the name of the man who asks this in the Pearl of Great Price) was intrigued and asked: “Tell us plainly who thou art, and from whence thou comest?”
And he said unto them: I came out from the land of Cainan, the land of my fathers, a land of righteousness unto this day. And my father taught me in all the ways of God. And it came to pass, as I journeyed from the land of Cainan, by the sea east, I beheld a vision; and lo, the heavens I saw, and the Lord spake with me, and gave me commandment; wherefore, for this cause, to keep the commandment, I speak forth these words.
And Enoch continued his speech, saying: The Lord which spake with me, the same is the God of heaven, and he is my God, and your God, and ye are my brethren, and why counsel ye yourselves, and deny the God of heaven?
The heavens he made; the earth is his footstool; and the foundation thereof is his. Behold, he laid it, an host of men hath he brought in upon the face thereof. And death hath come upon our fathers; nevertheless we know them, and cannot deny, and even the first of all we know, even Adam. For a book of remembrance we have written among us, according to the pattern given by the finger of God; and it is given in our own language.
And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence. And he said unto them: Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe. Behold Satan hath come among the children of men, and tempteth them to worship him; and men have become carnal, sensual, and devilish, and are shut out from the presence of God.
But God hath made known unto our fathers that all men must repent.
And he called upon our father Adam by his own voice, saying: “I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh.”
And he also said unto him: “If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.”
And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said: “Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water?”
And the Lord said unto Adam: “Behold I have forgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden.” Hence came the saying abroad among the people, that the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.
And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: “Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good. And it is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment. Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time.
(Perhaps here or perhaps later—show the preaching/narration about the coming of Christ, his life, ministry, death and resurrection exactly as it is in the movie TESTAMENTS) also 1 Nephi 19:9 “And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.” Also Mosiah 3:4-13, Alma 7:9-16)
Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying: that by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory; for by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified; therefore it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment.
And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time. And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.”
And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water. And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man.
And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying: “Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever; and thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity. Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen.”
And it came to pass that Enoch continued his speech, saying: Behold, our father Adam taught these things, and many have believed and become the sons of God, and many have believed not, and have perished in their sins, and are looking forth with fear, in torment, for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God to be poured out upon them.
Eli and many others believe and are baptized. Eli follows Enoch and helps him.
Enoch tells of his vision about the people of Cannaan going to war against the people of Shum and prophecies their destruction. Eli leaves to save his sister and warn the people despite Enoch’s warning not to. He goes. His sister won’t listen but wants him to stay with her. While he’s there, they are attacked. Most are slain but he and his sister are among those sold as slaves.
Enoch and all who believed him are cast out of the city and he travels to other cities to preach with the people following him. There he finds Eli, his sister and others enslaved and he buys their freedom. His sister doesn’t understand this mercy. It is hard for her to believe. Eli falls in love with one of his former fellow slaves. Missionaries are sent among the various settlements. Eli goes. Many people repent and they gather to Enoch. Eli is married and has children later in the story.
Insert portions of the stories/teachings/principles and efforts of building up Zion from Alma and the city of Helam, Melchezidek’s city of Salem, the Nephites in 4th Nephi, and Joseph Smith and the early Church as applicable and appropriate… i.e. Alma saying: “If this be the desire of your hearts, to bear one anothers’ burdens, etc. then what have ye against being baptized…”
Show people getting older as the story progresses (Enoch built up Zion over 300 years, but perhaps everyone didn’t age as quickly then as now either).
Show how the saints would gather and be driven from place to place, their towns being burned, but that the power of God (by the word of Enoch) protected them, warned them, led them, and fought battles for them as listed below: (mountains, rivers, beasts, rain, flood, etc.) Finally they find a place that God says is the place and they build the city of Enoch and a temple of God there.
And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the drivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness (show this in the process of them fleeing their enemies); and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.
There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea, and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off and went upon the land which came up out of the depth of the sea.
And the giants of the land, also, stood afar off; and there went forth a curse upon all people that fought against God; (Don’t know if this is worth showing, but definitely show giants somewhere)
And from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness. (Show them building a temple and a city in the mountains)
The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish.
And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.
And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even ZION.
And it came to pass that Enoch talked with the Lord; and he said unto the Lord: Surely Zion shall dwell in safety forever. But the Lord said unto Enoch: Zion have I blessed, but the residue of the people have I cursed.
And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth; and he beheld, and lo, Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Behold mine abode forever.
Include this vision both visually and verbally as they are preaching, etc.:
23 And after that Zion was taken up into heaven, Enoch beheld, and lo, call the nations of the earth were before him;
24 And there came generation upon generation; and Enoch was high and lifted up, even in the bosom of the Father, and of the Son of Man; and behold, the power of Satan was upon all the face of the earth.
25 And he saw angels descending out of heaven; and he heard a loud voice saying: Wo, wo be unto the inhabitants of the earth.
26 And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he looked up and laughed, and his angels rejoiced.
27 And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.
28 And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?
29 And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?
30 And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations; and thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; thou art merciful and kind forever;
31 And thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom, from all thy creations, from all eternity to all eternity; and naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of thy throne; and mercy shall go before thy face and have no end; how is it thou canst weep?
32 The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;
33 And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should alove one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood;
34 And the afire of mine indignation is kindled against them; and in my hot displeasure will I send in the floods upon them, for my fierce anger is kindled against them.
35 Behold, I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name, also.
36 Wherefore, I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also, and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren.
37 But behold, their sins shall be upon the heads of their fathers; Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?
38 But behold, these which thine eyes are upon shall perish in the floods; and behold, I will shut them up; a prison have I prepared for them.
39 And That which I have chosen hath pled before my face. Wherefore, he suffereth for their sins; inasmuch as they will repent in the day that my Chosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in torment;
40 Wherefore, for this shall the heavens weep, yea, and all the workmanship of mine hands.
41 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Enoch, and told Enoch all the doings of the children of men; wherefore Enoch knew, and looked upon their wickedness, and their misery, and wept and stretched forth his arms, and his heart swelled wide as eternity; and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook.
42 And Enoch also saw Noah, and his family; that the posterity of all the sons of Noah should be saved with a temporal salvation;
43 Wherefore Enoch saw that Noah built an ark; and that the Lord smiled upon it, and held it in his own hand; but upon the residue of the wicked the floods came and swallowed them up.
44 And as Enoch saw this, he had bitterness of soul, and wept over his brethren, and said unto the heavens: I will refuse to be comforted; but the Lord said unto Enoch: Lift up your heart, and be glad; and look.
45 And it came to pass that Enoch looked; and from Noah, he beheld all the families of the earth; and he cried unto the Lord, saying: When shall the day of the Lord come? When shall the blood of the Righteous be shed, that all they that mourn may be sanctified and have eternal life?
46 And the Lord said: It shall be in the meridian of time, in the days of wickedness and vengeance.
47 And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying: The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me.
48 And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I crest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?
49 And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth? Wilt thou not bless the children of Noah?
50 And it came to pass that Enoch continued his cry unto the Lord, saying: I ask thee, O Lord, in the name of thine Only Begotten, even Jesus Christ, that thou wilt have mercy upon Noah and his seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods.
51 And the Lord could not withhold; and he covenanted with Enoch, and sware unto him with an oath, that he would stay the floods; that he would call upon the children of Noah;
52 And he sent forth an unalterable decree, that a remnant of his seed should always be found among all nations, while the earth should stand;
53 And the Lord said: Blessed is he through whose seed Messiah shall come; for he saith—I am Messiah, the King of Zion, the Rock of Heaven, which is broad as eternity; whoso cometh in at the gate and climbeth up by me shall never fall; wherefore, blessed are they of whom I have spoken, for they shall come forth with songs of everlasting joy.
54 And it came to pass that Enoch cried unto the Lord, saying: When the Son of Man cometh in the flesh, shall the earth rest? I pray thee, show me these things.
55 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Look, and he looked and beheld the Son of Man lifted up on the cross, after the manner of men;
56 And he heard a loud voice; and the heavens were veiled; and all the creations of God mourned; and the earth groaned; and the rocks were rent; and the saints arose, and were crowned at the right hand of the Son of Man, with crowns of glory;
57 And as many of the spirits as were in prison came forth, and stood on the right hand of God; and the remainder were reserved in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day.
58 And again Enoch wept and cried unto the Lord, saying: When shall the earth rest?
59 And Enoch beheld the Son of Man ascend up unto the Father; and he called unto the Lord, saying: Wilt thou not come again upon the earth? Forasmuch as thou art God, and I know thee, and thou hast sworn unto me, and commanded me that I should ask in the name of thine Only Begotten; thou hast made me, and given unto me a right to thy throne, and not of myself, but through thine own grace; wherefore, I ask thee if thou wilt not come again on the earth.
60 And the Lord said unto Enoch: As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfill the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah;
61 And the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve;
62 And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem. (The restoration)
63 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other;
64 And there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years the earth shall crest.
65 And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years;
66 But before that day he saw great tribulations among the wicked; and he also saw the sea, that it was troubled, and men's hearts failing them, looking forth with fear for the judgments of the Almighty God, which should come upon the wicked.
67 And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world; and he saw the day of the righteous, the hour of their redemption, and received a fulness of joy;
68 And all the days of Zion, in the days of Enoch, were three hundred and sixty-five years.
69 And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, ZION IS FLED.
See the picture of the City of Enoch ascending to heaven in flame and light. Methusela, his son Lamech and young Noah watch it ascend.
Credits
Quick view of Noah Building his Ark—FLASH—The animals entering. The people laughing and mocking.—FLASH—Thunder. Rain. The Door closes.
Have a message that somehow presents a message like this: Jesus said that in the time before he comes again, people will be as in the times of Noah—Living, buying, selling, marrying, etc.—not paying attention to the warnings. Noah prepared for the flood and saved himself and his family. Let us prepare spiritually for the fire and the second coming of Christ.
More Credits. (Show the sun breaking through the clouds and a dove flying with an olive branch in the background)
This story would need some flushing out of parts of the story: a touch of romance, some of the action, the story of the second main character, and the actual building and establishing of Zion—although for that you could adopt portions of the story of the modern saints of the restoration.
(Start with darkness and a voice narrating the following):
In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And God said: “Let there be light;” and there was light. And God divided the light from the darkness and set the lights in the heavens; the sun the moon and the stars. And God divided the water from the dry land, and planted all manner of grass and plant life upon the face thereof to reproduce after its own kind. And all manner of animal life did God create: fowls in the air, fishes in the sea and all the beasts upon the land. And God commanded them to be fruitful and multiply after their own kind and fill the earth and the sea. And God looked upon his creations and saw that they were good.
(Show an father teaching his son—same voice as previous narration):
Last of all God created man in His own image and likeness; male and female. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
And those were our first parents, right?
Yes, that was father Adam and mother Eve.
And they lived in paradise, didn’t they father?
Yes, they did. God planted a garden in Eden full of fruit trees and beautiful flowers and set them in it. And God forbade them to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil lest they die. But Adam and Eve, our first parents, being innocent as little children, were beguiled by the serpent and ate of the forbidden fruit of the tree. And having thus transgressed the commands of God, they could not dwell in His presence and were cast out of the Garden. And the Earth was cursed for their sakes.
But God said they would die; … did they?
They did spiritually, and so we are all fallen and have become sinful and are separated from the presence of God. But Adam has not yet died physically, though he is bowed down and crippled with age. Nevertheless he became mortal and will die as will we all.
Wow, he must be really old…
He is, and someday, I will take you to meet him.
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Switch to the story of another character: Eli (or a better name if found), in his youth. He is growing up in the wicked city of Shum. He asks his parents questions about God and life, but does not understand or believe the things they teach him. Some of his family are involved in the secret combinations and meetings. They plot to dethrone the governor.
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Switch back to the story of Enoch.
They are taking a lamb to sacrifice.
Father, why do we sacrifice animals to God?
Well, my son; When Adam our father was driven out of the Garden of Eden, God commanded Adam to sacrifice the firstlings of his flocks as an offering unto God. After he had done so, an angel appeared unto him and asked Adam your very question.
Really?
Yes. And Adam didn’t know either. He said: “I know not, save the Lord commanded me.” And the angel then explained saying: “This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth. Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore.”
So we do this as a symbol of what will be?
Yes, for the Son of God shall come in the meridian of time and shall be offered up as the great, eternal and last sacrifice to redeem us from our sins and to overcome the effects of the Fall: Sin and Death.
And in that day the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying: I am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth and forever, that as thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even as many as will.
And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: “Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.”
And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: “Were it not for our transgression we never should have had children, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.” And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto us, their sons and their daughters.
But Satan came among them, saying: I am also a son of God; and he commanded them, saying: Believe it not; and they believed it not, and they loved Satan more than God. And men began from that time forth to be carnal, sensual, and devilish. That is why there are so many wicked people who do not believe as we do. And the Lord God called upon men by the Holy Ghost everywhere and commanded them that they should repent; and as many as believed in the Son, and repented of their sins, should be saved; and as many as believed not and repented not, should be damned; and the words went forth out of the mouth of God in a firm decree; wherefore they must be fulfilled.
And that is why we offer a lamb to God for our sins, to remind us of the Messiah who is to come, that we can repent and have faith in Him and remember Him as you are always teaching me to do, right?
That is exactly right, my son. Would to God that all our people would be as quick to learn and understand as you and have as strong a faith as you. May God bless you, my son.
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Flash back to the story of Eli--older.
Eli is trained as a soldier and is very skilled. He becomes captain of the king of Shum’s guard and his relatives try to bring him into their secret schemes to build a utopian society. He resists. Revolution breaks out and he and some of his family try to escape. He alone makes it out of the city, but his sister didn’t come and is still there—forced to marry one among the new leaders.
He joins up with a caravan of traders as their guard. He is sad and somewhat bitter. He listens to them quarreling about what is true: different philosophies about life, liberty, God, etc. He doesn’t know what to think of any of them. He asks them what they think about those who’ve died. They argue more. He asks: “Why would God, or the gods, if there are any, leave us to suffer and die without knowing what’s true or what this life is for and what happens after. If they exist, why did they create us and send us here to suffer? Do they hate us so?
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Enoch, much older, is traveling alone. He is reflecting on what had happened. He had gone to meet Adam at a great gathering of the people, Adam felt near his death. Enoch was ordained a priest. Adam prophesied and testified. (Just a short flashback, a few quick images, etc.) During this journey, he is called of God to go and preach. He anoints his eyes, etc.
48 Enoch was twenty-five years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam; and he was sixty-five and Adam blessed him.
49 And he saw the Lord, and he walked with him, and was before his face continually; and he walked with God three hundred and sixty-five years, making him four hundred and thirty years old when he was translated.
50 Methuselah was one hundred years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam.
51 Lamech was thirty-two years old when he was ordained under the hand of Seth.
52 Noah was ten years old when he was ordained under the hand of Methuselah.
53 Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing.
54 And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel.
55 And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever.
56 And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and, notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation.
57 These things were all written in the book of Enoch, and are to be testified of in due time.
And it came to pass that Enoch journeyed in the land, among the people; and as he journeyed, the Spirit of God descended out of heaven, and abode upon him. And he heard a voice from heaven, saying: “Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and say unto them—Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their fears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off; and for these many generations, ever since the day that I created them, have they gone astray, and have denied me, and have sought their own counsels in the dark; and in their own abominations have they devised murder, and have not kept the commandments, which I gave unto their father, Adam. Wherefore, they have foresworn themselves, and, by their oaths, they have brought upon themselves death; and a hell I have prepared for them, if they repent not; and this is a decree, which I have sent forth in the beginning of the world, from my own mouth, from the foundation thereof, and by the mouths of my servants, thy fathers, have I decreed it, even as it shall be sent forth in the world, unto the ends thereof.”
And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: “Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?”
And the Lord said unto Enoch: “Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good. Say unto this people: Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you. Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me. And the Lord spake unto Enoch, and said unto him: Anoint thine eyes with clay, and wash them, and thou shalt see. And he did so.
And he beheld the spirits that God had created; and he beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye; and from thenceforth came the saying abroad in the land: A seer hath the Lord raised up unto his people.
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Enoch comes near a city and begins to preach. Many people come to hear him. Eli and his group are among them.
And it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him. And they came forth to hear him, upon the high places, saying unto the tent-keepers: Tarry ye here and keep the tents, while we go yonder to behold the seer, for he prophesieth, and there is a strange thing in the land; a wild man hath come among us. And it came to pass when they heard him, no man laid hands on him; for fear came on all them that heard him; for he walked with God.
And Eli (Mahijah is the name of the man who asks this in the Pearl of Great Price) was intrigued and asked: “Tell us plainly who thou art, and from whence thou comest?”
And he said unto them: I came out from the land of Cainan, the land of my fathers, a land of righteousness unto this day. And my father taught me in all the ways of God. And it came to pass, as I journeyed from the land of Cainan, by the sea east, I beheld a vision; and lo, the heavens I saw, and the Lord spake with me, and gave me commandment; wherefore, for this cause, to keep the commandment, I speak forth these words.
And Enoch continued his speech, saying: The Lord which spake with me, the same is the God of heaven, and he is my God, and your God, and ye are my brethren, and why counsel ye yourselves, and deny the God of heaven?
The heavens he made; the earth is his footstool; and the foundation thereof is his. Behold, he laid it, an host of men hath he brought in upon the face thereof. And death hath come upon our fathers; nevertheless we know them, and cannot deny, and even the first of all we know, even Adam. For a book of remembrance we have written among us, according to the pattern given by the finger of God; and it is given in our own language.
And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence. And he said unto them: Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe. Behold Satan hath come among the children of men, and tempteth them to worship him; and men have become carnal, sensual, and devilish, and are shut out from the presence of God.
But God hath made known unto our fathers that all men must repent.
And he called upon our father Adam by his own voice, saying: “I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh.”
And he also said unto him: “If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.”
And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said: “Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water?”
And the Lord said unto Adam: “Behold I have forgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden.” Hence came the saying abroad among the people, that the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.
And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: “Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good. And it is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment. Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time.
(Perhaps here or perhaps later—show the preaching/narration about the coming of Christ, his life, ministry, death and resurrection exactly as it is in the movie TESTAMENTS) also 1 Nephi 19:9 “And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.” Also Mosiah 3:4-13, Alma 7:9-16)
Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying: that by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory; for by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified; therefore it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment.
And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time. And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.”
And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water. And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man.
And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying: “Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever; and thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity. Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen.”
And it came to pass that Enoch continued his speech, saying: Behold, our father Adam taught these things, and many have believed and become the sons of God, and many have believed not, and have perished in their sins, and are looking forth with fear, in torment, for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God to be poured out upon them.
Eli and many others believe and are baptized. Eli follows Enoch and helps him.
Enoch tells of his vision about the people of Cannaan going to war against the people of Shum and prophecies their destruction. Eli leaves to save his sister and warn the people despite Enoch’s warning not to. He goes. His sister won’t listen but wants him to stay with her. While he’s there, they are attacked. Most are slain but he and his sister are among those sold as slaves.
Enoch and all who believed him are cast out of the city and he travels to other cities to preach with the people following him. There he finds Eli, his sister and others enslaved and he buys their freedom. His sister doesn’t understand this mercy. It is hard for her to believe. Eli falls in love with one of his former fellow slaves. Missionaries are sent among the various settlements. Eli goes. Many people repent and they gather to Enoch. Eli is married and has children later in the story.
Insert portions of the stories/teachings/principles and efforts of building up Zion from Alma and the city of Helam, Melchezidek’s city of Salem, the Nephites in 4th Nephi, and Joseph Smith and the early Church as applicable and appropriate… i.e. Alma saying: “If this be the desire of your hearts, to bear one anothers’ burdens, etc. then what have ye against being baptized…”
Show people getting older as the story progresses (Enoch built up Zion over 300 years, but perhaps everyone didn’t age as quickly then as now either).
Show how the saints would gather and be driven from place to place, their towns being burned, but that the power of God (by the word of Enoch) protected them, warned them, led them, and fought battles for them as listed below: (mountains, rivers, beasts, rain, flood, etc.) Finally they find a place that God says is the place and they build the city of Enoch and a temple of God there.
And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the drivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness (show this in the process of them fleeing their enemies); and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.
There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea, and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off and went upon the land which came up out of the depth of the sea.
And the giants of the land, also, stood afar off; and there went forth a curse upon all people that fought against God; (Don’t know if this is worth showing, but definitely show giants somewhere)
And from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness. (Show them building a temple and a city in the mountains)
The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish.
And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.
And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even ZION.
And it came to pass that Enoch talked with the Lord; and he said unto the Lord: Surely Zion shall dwell in safety forever. But the Lord said unto Enoch: Zion have I blessed, but the residue of the people have I cursed.
And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth; and he beheld, and lo, Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Behold mine abode forever.
Include this vision both visually and verbally as they are preaching, etc.:
23 And after that Zion was taken up into heaven, Enoch beheld, and lo, call the nations of the earth were before him;
24 And there came generation upon generation; and Enoch was high and lifted up, even in the bosom of the Father, and of the Son of Man; and behold, the power of Satan was upon all the face of the earth.
25 And he saw angels descending out of heaven; and he heard a loud voice saying: Wo, wo be unto the inhabitants of the earth.
26 And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he looked up and laughed, and his angels rejoiced.
27 And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.
28 And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?
29 And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?
30 And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations; and thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; thou art merciful and kind forever;
31 And thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom, from all thy creations, from all eternity to all eternity; and naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of thy throne; and mercy shall go before thy face and have no end; how is it thou canst weep?
32 The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;
33 And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should alove one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood;
34 And the afire of mine indignation is kindled against them; and in my hot displeasure will I send in the floods upon them, for my fierce anger is kindled against them.
35 Behold, I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name, also.
36 Wherefore, I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also, and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren.
37 But behold, their sins shall be upon the heads of their fathers; Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?
38 But behold, these which thine eyes are upon shall perish in the floods; and behold, I will shut them up; a prison have I prepared for them.
39 And That which I have chosen hath pled before my face. Wherefore, he suffereth for their sins; inasmuch as they will repent in the day that my Chosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in torment;
40 Wherefore, for this shall the heavens weep, yea, and all the workmanship of mine hands.
41 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Enoch, and told Enoch all the doings of the children of men; wherefore Enoch knew, and looked upon their wickedness, and their misery, and wept and stretched forth his arms, and his heart swelled wide as eternity; and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook.
42 And Enoch also saw Noah, and his family; that the posterity of all the sons of Noah should be saved with a temporal salvation;
43 Wherefore Enoch saw that Noah built an ark; and that the Lord smiled upon it, and held it in his own hand; but upon the residue of the wicked the floods came and swallowed them up.
44 And as Enoch saw this, he had bitterness of soul, and wept over his brethren, and said unto the heavens: I will refuse to be comforted; but the Lord said unto Enoch: Lift up your heart, and be glad; and look.
45 And it came to pass that Enoch looked; and from Noah, he beheld all the families of the earth; and he cried unto the Lord, saying: When shall the day of the Lord come? When shall the blood of the Righteous be shed, that all they that mourn may be sanctified and have eternal life?
46 And the Lord said: It shall be in the meridian of time, in the days of wickedness and vengeance.
47 And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying: The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me.
48 And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I crest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?
49 And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth? Wilt thou not bless the children of Noah?
50 And it came to pass that Enoch continued his cry unto the Lord, saying: I ask thee, O Lord, in the name of thine Only Begotten, even Jesus Christ, that thou wilt have mercy upon Noah and his seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods.
51 And the Lord could not withhold; and he covenanted with Enoch, and sware unto him with an oath, that he would stay the floods; that he would call upon the children of Noah;
52 And he sent forth an unalterable decree, that a remnant of his seed should always be found among all nations, while the earth should stand;
53 And the Lord said: Blessed is he through whose seed Messiah shall come; for he saith—I am Messiah, the King of Zion, the Rock of Heaven, which is broad as eternity; whoso cometh in at the gate and climbeth up by me shall never fall; wherefore, blessed are they of whom I have spoken, for they shall come forth with songs of everlasting joy.
54 And it came to pass that Enoch cried unto the Lord, saying: When the Son of Man cometh in the flesh, shall the earth rest? I pray thee, show me these things.
55 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Look, and he looked and beheld the Son of Man lifted up on the cross, after the manner of men;
56 And he heard a loud voice; and the heavens were veiled; and all the creations of God mourned; and the earth groaned; and the rocks were rent; and the saints arose, and were crowned at the right hand of the Son of Man, with crowns of glory;
57 And as many of the spirits as were in prison came forth, and stood on the right hand of God; and the remainder were reserved in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day.
58 And again Enoch wept and cried unto the Lord, saying: When shall the earth rest?
59 And Enoch beheld the Son of Man ascend up unto the Father; and he called unto the Lord, saying: Wilt thou not come again upon the earth? Forasmuch as thou art God, and I know thee, and thou hast sworn unto me, and commanded me that I should ask in the name of thine Only Begotten; thou hast made me, and given unto me a right to thy throne, and not of myself, but through thine own grace; wherefore, I ask thee if thou wilt not come again on the earth.
60 And the Lord said unto Enoch: As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfill the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah;
61 And the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve;
62 And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem. (The restoration)
63 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other;
64 And there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years the earth shall crest.
65 And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years;
66 But before that day he saw great tribulations among the wicked; and he also saw the sea, that it was troubled, and men's hearts failing them, looking forth with fear for the judgments of the Almighty God, which should come upon the wicked.
67 And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world; and he saw the day of the righteous, the hour of their redemption, and received a fulness of joy;
68 And all the days of Zion, in the days of Enoch, were three hundred and sixty-five years.
69 And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, ZION IS FLED.
See the picture of the City of Enoch ascending to heaven in flame and light. Methusela, his son Lamech and young Noah watch it ascend.
Credits
Quick view of Noah Building his Ark—FLASH—The animals entering. The people laughing and mocking.—FLASH—Thunder. Rain. The Door closes.
Have a message that somehow presents a message like this: Jesus said that in the time before he comes again, people will be as in the times of Noah—Living, buying, selling, marrying, etc.—not paying attention to the warnings. Noah prepared for the flood and saved himself and his family. Let us prepare spiritually for the fire and the second coming of Christ.
More Credits. (Show the sun breaking through the clouds and a dove flying with an olive branch in the background)
Monday, May 23, 2011
Repentance
Outline and materials for talk on Repentance:
First Principles and Moroni 6:1-3
In the Gospel, it’s often the basics that are least understood. Today, we’ll focus on repentance.
“Do you know how to repent?”
Elder Jay Jensen of the Seventy recounted the following:
“Twenty years ago my bishop was interviewing me for my temple recommend. Because I was a member of a stake presidency, I knew all the temple recommend interview questions. I asked them weekly to other members, and I was prepared to answer each question that my bishop asked me. But following the formal questions, he caught me totally off guard with an additional inquiry about my understanding of the gospel.
He asked, “Jay, do you know how to repent?” My first thought was to say, “Yes, of course I know how to repent.” I paused for a moment to think about it, and the more I thought about it, the more uncertain I was of my answer. The standard five or six words we use to describe repentance (recognition, remorse, restitution, reformation, resolution, and so on) did not seem adequate. In fact, they were meaningless to me at that time. They seemed to be too trite, too compartmentalized.”
Think about it brothers and sisters do you KNOW HOW to repent?
What does the word repent mean?
The dictionary says that to repent is:
1. to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc.
2. to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the better; be penitent.
By the way, have you ever wondered why a prison is called a penitentiary? I suppose they feel it will help people get to that point where they can repent and reform themselves.
Theodore M. Burton, “The Meaning of Repentance,” Ensign, Aug 1988, 6–9
As a General Authority, he often dealt with transgressors in the Church.
Just what is repentance? Actually, in some ways it is easier to understand what repentance is not than to understand what it is.
He says. Many times a bishop will write, “I feel he has suffered enough!” But suffering is not repentance. Suffering comes from lack of complete repentance. A stake president will write, “I feel he has been punished enough!” But punishment is not repentance. Punishment follows disobedience and precedes repentance. A husband will write, “My wife has confessed everything!” But confession is not repentance. Confession is an admission of guilt that occurs as repentance begins. A wife will write, “My husband is filled with remorse!” But remorse is not repentance. Remorse and sorrow continue because a person has not yet fully repented. Suffering, punishment, confession, remorse, and sorrow may sometimes accompany repentance, but they are not repentance. What, then, is repentance?
To find the answer to this question, we must go to the Old Testament. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, and the word used in it to refer to the concept of repentance is shube.
…
That is the message of the Old Testament. Prophet after prophet writes of shube—that turning back to the Lord, where we can be received with joy and rejoicing. The Old Testament teaches time and again that we must turn from evil and do instead that which is noble and good. This means that we must not only change our ways, we must change our very thoughts, which control our actions.
The concept of shube is also found in the New Testament, which was written in Greek. The Greek writers used the Greek word metaneoeo to refer to repentance. Metaneoeo is a compound word. The first part, meta-, is used as a prefix in our English vocabulary. It refers to change. The second part of the word metaneoeo can mean air, the mind, thought, thinking, or spirit—depending on how it is used.
In the context in which meta- and -neoeo are used in the New Testament, the word metaneoeo means a change of mind, thought, or thinking so powerful that it changes one’s very way of life. I think the Greek word metaneoeo is an excellent synonym for the Hebrew word shube. Both words mean thoroughly changing or turning from evil to God and righteousness.
Confusion came, however, when the New Testament was translated from Greek into Latin. Here an unfortunate choice was made in translation; the Greek word metaneoeo was translated into the Latin word poenitere. The Latin root poen in that word is the same root found in our English words punish, penance, penitent, and repentance. The beautiful meaning of the Hebrew and Greek words was thus changed in Latin to a meaning that involved hurting, punishing, whipping, cutting, mutilating, disfiguring, starving, or even torturing!
It is no small wonder, then, that people have come to fear and dread the word repentance, which they understand to mean repeated or unending punishment.
The meaning of repentance is not that people be punished, but rather that they change their lives so that God can help them escape eternal punishment and enter into his rest with joy and rejoicing. If we have this understanding, our anxiety and fears will be relieved. Repentance will become a welcome and treasured word in our religious vocabulary.
Repentance is essential to our temporal and eternal happiness. It is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments.
The Need for Repentance
The Lord has declared that “no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven” (Alma 11:37). Our sins make us unclean—unworthy to return and dwell in the presence of our Heavenly Father. They also bring anguish to our soul in this life. Alma says to his son Coriantumer Alma 42:16,18 “Now, repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment, which also was eternal as the life of the soul should be. … “Now, there was a punishment affixed, and a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man.”
Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our Father in Heaven has provided the only way for us to be forgiven of our sins (see Forgiveness). Jesus Christ suffered the penalty for our sins so we can be forgiven if we sincerely repent. As we repent and rely on His saving grace, we will be cleansed from sin.
2 Nephi 2:6-7
Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.
Behold he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.
3 Nephi 9:19-20
And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.
And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the holy ghost…..
Alma 5:12-14 (Alma hearing Abinadi)
And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true.
And behold he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wroguht in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful unto the end; therefore they were saved.
And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts.
Clean Hands and a Pure Heart
Elder David A. Bednar
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
The gospel of Jesus Christ encompasses much more than avoiding, overcoming, and being cleansed from sin and the bad influences in our lives; it also essentially entails doing good, being good, and becoming better. Repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness are spiritually necessary, and we must always do so. But remission of sin is not the only or even the ultimate purpose of the gospel. To have our hearts changed by the Holy Spirit such that “we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2), as did King Benjamin’s people, is the covenant responsibility we have accepted. This mighty change is not simply the result of working harder or developing greater individual discipline. Rather, it is the consequence of a fundamental change in our desires, our motives, and our natures made possible through the Atonement of Christ the Lord. Our spiritual purpose is to overcome both sin and the desire to sin, both the taint and the tyranny of sin.
Mosiah 3:19
For the natural man is an enemy to God and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
What else is involved in that process?
Elder Nelson said: Many of our Saints don’t understand what repentance really is. Repentance is more than just undoing the wrongs you’ve done. It’s a whole change of your outlook on life. You want to think like the Lord. You want to talk like the Lord. You want to act like the Lord. You want to believe, you want to pray, you want to love the way the Lord does. And then you’re converted. Often you see people whose first interest is somewhere else. They will have conflicts, because as they try to serve the Lord they have one foot in the stirrup and one foot dragging on the ground.
Repentance
Elder Neal A. Maxwell
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Repentance is one of the most vital and merciful doctrines of the kingdom. It is too little understood, too little applied by us all, as if it were merely a word on a bumper sticker. Since we have been told clearly by Jesus what manner of men and women we ought to become—even as He is (see 3 Ne. 27:27)—how can we do so, except each of us employs repentance as the regular means of personal progression? Personal repentance is part of taking up the cross daily. (See Luke 9:23.) Without it, clearly there could be no “perfecting of the Saints.” (Eph. 4:12.)
Real repentance involves not a mechanical checklist, but a check-reining of the natural self. Often overlapping and mutually reinforcing, each portion of the process of repentance is essential. This process rests on inner resolve but is much aided by external support.
There can be no repentance without recognition of wrong. Whether by provocation, introspection, or wrenching remembrance, denial must be dissolved. As with the prodigal son who finally “came to himself” (Luke 15:17), the first rays of recognition help us begin to see “things as they really are” (Jacob 4:13), including distinguishing between the motes and beams. Recognition is a sacred moment, often accompanied by the hot blush of shame.
After recognition, real remorse floods the soul. This is a “godly sorrow,” not merely the “sorrow of the world” nor the “sorrowing of the damned,” when we can no longer “take happiness in sin.” (2 Cor. 7:10; Morm. 2:13.) False remorse instead is like “fondling our failings.” In ritual regret, we mourn our mistakes but without mending them.
Alma said “… I desire that ye should let these things trouble you no more, and only let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance.” (Alma 42:29. Italics added.)
There can be no real repentance without personal suffering and the passage of sufficient time for the needed cleansing and turning. This is much more than merely waiting until feelings of remorse subside. Misery, like adversity, can have its special uses. No wonder chastening is often needed until the turning is really under way! (See D&C 1:27; Hel. 12:3.)
Real remorse quickly brings forth positive indicators, “fruits meet for repentance.” (Matt. 3:8; see also Acts 26:20; Alma 5:54.) “In process of time,” these fruits bud, blossom, and ripen.
True repentance also includes confession: “Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers.” (Ezra 10:11.) One with a broken heart will not hold back. As confession lets the sickening sin empty out, the Spirit which withdrew returns to renew.
All sins are to be confessed to the Lord, some to a Church official, some to others, and some to all of these. A few may require public confession. Confessing aids forsaking. We cannot expect to sin publicly and extensively and then expect to be rescued privately and quickly, being beaten “with only a few stripes.” (D&C 42:88–93.)
In real repentance, there is the actual forsaking of sinning. “Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.” (Ezek. 18:30.) A suffering Korihor confessed, “I always knew that there was a God,” but his turning was still incomplete (Alma 30:52); hence, “Alma said unto him: If this curse should be taken from thee thou wouldst again lead away the hearts of this people.” (Alma 30:55.)
Thus, when “a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.” (D&C 58:43.)
The Lord said in 1832: “… go your ways and sin no more; but unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God.” (D&C 82:7.)
And so a temporary, momentary change of life is not sufficient.
Alma 41:9:
“And now behold, my son, do not risk one more offense against your God … which ye have hitherto risked to commit sin.” (Italics added.)
“Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.” (Alma 41:10. Italics added.)
There is an area in Yucatan so fertile and weather-favored that the jungle grows rapidly. Needy peasants make a clearing and plant a crop, but constantly the shrubbery and forest creep in, and unless the owner is diligent and persistent to keep down the undergrowth, it will soon take over his little farm and turn it to jungle again.
Likewise, repentance must be consistent and continuous. To repent of a sin and then to tamper with it again or permit it to invade, even slightly, is to lose the repentance and its benefits, and “the former sins return, saith the Lord God.” (D&C 82:7.)
Restitution is required, too. “Because he hath sinned, … he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found.” (Lev. 6:4.)
Sometimes, however, restitution is not possible in real terms, such as when one contributed to another’s loss of faith or virtue. Instead, a subsequent example of righteousness provides a compensatory form of restitution.
In this rigorous process, so much clearly depends upon meekness. Alma said: “… Do not endeavor to excuse yourself in the least point because of your sins, by denying the justice of God; but do let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart; and let it bring you down to the dust in humility.” (Alma 42:30. Italics added.) Pride keeps repentance from even starting or continuing. Some fail because they are more concerned with the preservation of their public image than with having Christ’s image in their countenances! (Alma 5:14.) Pride prefers cheap repentance, paid for with shallow sorrow. Unsurprisingly, seekers after cheap repentance also search for superficial forgiveness instead of real reconciliation. Thus, real repentance goes far beyond simply saying, “I’m sorry.”
One must simply surrender, caring only about what God thinks, not what “they” think, while meekly offering, “O God, … make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee.” (Alma 22:18.) Giving away all our sins is the only way we can come to know God.
Even when free of major transgression, we can develop self-contentment instead of seeking self-improvement. This was once true of Amulek, who later acknowledged, “I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God.” (Alma 10:4–6.)
Given the relevancy of repentance as a principle of progress for all, no wonder the Lord has said to His servants multiple times that the thing of greatest worth would be to cry repentance to this generation! (See D&C 6:9; D&C 14:8; D&C 15:6.)
Ironically, some believe the Lord can forgive them, but they refuse to forgive themselves. We are further impeded at times simply because we have not really been taught why and how to repent.
As we do repent, however, special assurances await: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isa. 1:18.) “All his transgressions … shall not be mentioned unto him.” (Ezek. 18:22.) “I, the Lord, remember [their sins] no more”! (D&C 58:42.)
Brothers and sisters, we need never mistake local cloud cover for general darkness. The Atoning Light of the world saw to that. It was for our sake that perfectly remarkable Jesus was perfectly consecrated. Jesus let His own will be totally “swallowed up in the will of the Father.” If you and I would come unto Jesus, we must likewise yield to God, holding nothing back. Then other soaring promises await!
First Principles and Moroni 6:1-3
In the Gospel, it’s often the basics that are least understood. Today, we’ll focus on repentance.
“Do you know how to repent?”
Elder Jay Jensen of the Seventy recounted the following:
“Twenty years ago my bishop was interviewing me for my temple recommend. Because I was a member of a stake presidency, I knew all the temple recommend interview questions. I asked them weekly to other members, and I was prepared to answer each question that my bishop asked me. But following the formal questions, he caught me totally off guard with an additional inquiry about my understanding of the gospel.
He asked, “Jay, do you know how to repent?” My first thought was to say, “Yes, of course I know how to repent.” I paused for a moment to think about it, and the more I thought about it, the more uncertain I was of my answer. The standard five or six words we use to describe repentance (recognition, remorse, restitution, reformation, resolution, and so on) did not seem adequate. In fact, they were meaningless to me at that time. They seemed to be too trite, too compartmentalized.”
Think about it brothers and sisters do you KNOW HOW to repent?
What does the word repent mean?
The dictionary says that to repent is:
1. to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc.
2. to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the better; be penitent.
By the way, have you ever wondered why a prison is called a penitentiary? I suppose they feel it will help people get to that point where they can repent and reform themselves.
Theodore M. Burton, “The Meaning of Repentance,” Ensign, Aug 1988, 6–9
As a General Authority, he often dealt with transgressors in the Church.
Just what is repentance? Actually, in some ways it is easier to understand what repentance is not than to understand what it is.
He says. Many times a bishop will write, “I feel he has suffered enough!” But suffering is not repentance. Suffering comes from lack of complete repentance. A stake president will write, “I feel he has been punished enough!” But punishment is not repentance. Punishment follows disobedience and precedes repentance. A husband will write, “My wife has confessed everything!” But confession is not repentance. Confession is an admission of guilt that occurs as repentance begins. A wife will write, “My husband is filled with remorse!” But remorse is not repentance. Remorse and sorrow continue because a person has not yet fully repented. Suffering, punishment, confession, remorse, and sorrow may sometimes accompany repentance, but they are not repentance. What, then, is repentance?
To find the answer to this question, we must go to the Old Testament. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, and the word used in it to refer to the concept of repentance is shube.
…
That is the message of the Old Testament. Prophet after prophet writes of shube—that turning back to the Lord, where we can be received with joy and rejoicing. The Old Testament teaches time and again that we must turn from evil and do instead that which is noble and good. This means that we must not only change our ways, we must change our very thoughts, which control our actions.
The concept of shube is also found in the New Testament, which was written in Greek. The Greek writers used the Greek word metaneoeo to refer to repentance. Metaneoeo is a compound word. The first part, meta-, is used as a prefix in our English vocabulary. It refers to change. The second part of the word metaneoeo can mean air, the mind, thought, thinking, or spirit—depending on how it is used.
In the context in which meta- and -neoeo are used in the New Testament, the word metaneoeo means a change of mind, thought, or thinking so powerful that it changes one’s very way of life. I think the Greek word metaneoeo is an excellent synonym for the Hebrew word shube. Both words mean thoroughly changing or turning from evil to God and righteousness.
Confusion came, however, when the New Testament was translated from Greek into Latin. Here an unfortunate choice was made in translation; the Greek word metaneoeo was translated into the Latin word poenitere. The Latin root poen in that word is the same root found in our English words punish, penance, penitent, and repentance. The beautiful meaning of the Hebrew and Greek words was thus changed in Latin to a meaning that involved hurting, punishing, whipping, cutting, mutilating, disfiguring, starving, or even torturing!
It is no small wonder, then, that people have come to fear and dread the word repentance, which they understand to mean repeated or unending punishment.
The meaning of repentance is not that people be punished, but rather that they change their lives so that God can help them escape eternal punishment and enter into his rest with joy and rejoicing. If we have this understanding, our anxiety and fears will be relieved. Repentance will become a welcome and treasured word in our religious vocabulary.
Repentance is essential to our temporal and eternal happiness. It is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments.
The Need for Repentance
The Lord has declared that “no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven” (Alma 11:37). Our sins make us unclean—unworthy to return and dwell in the presence of our Heavenly Father. They also bring anguish to our soul in this life. Alma says to his son Coriantumer Alma 42:16,18 “Now, repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment, which also was eternal as the life of the soul should be. … “Now, there was a punishment affixed, and a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man.”
Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our Father in Heaven has provided the only way for us to be forgiven of our sins (see Forgiveness). Jesus Christ suffered the penalty for our sins so we can be forgiven if we sincerely repent. As we repent and rely on His saving grace, we will be cleansed from sin.
2 Nephi 2:6-7
Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.
Behold he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.
3 Nephi 9:19-20
And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.
And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the holy ghost…..
Alma 5:12-14 (Alma hearing Abinadi)
And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true.
And behold he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wroguht in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful unto the end; therefore they were saved.
And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts.
Clean Hands and a Pure Heart
Elder David A. Bednar
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
The gospel of Jesus Christ encompasses much more than avoiding, overcoming, and being cleansed from sin and the bad influences in our lives; it also essentially entails doing good, being good, and becoming better. Repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness are spiritually necessary, and we must always do so. But remission of sin is not the only or even the ultimate purpose of the gospel. To have our hearts changed by the Holy Spirit such that “we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2), as did King Benjamin’s people, is the covenant responsibility we have accepted. This mighty change is not simply the result of working harder or developing greater individual discipline. Rather, it is the consequence of a fundamental change in our desires, our motives, and our natures made possible through the Atonement of Christ the Lord. Our spiritual purpose is to overcome both sin and the desire to sin, both the taint and the tyranny of sin.
Mosiah 3:19
For the natural man is an enemy to God and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
What else is involved in that process?
Elder Nelson said: Many of our Saints don’t understand what repentance really is. Repentance is more than just undoing the wrongs you’ve done. It’s a whole change of your outlook on life. You want to think like the Lord. You want to talk like the Lord. You want to act like the Lord. You want to believe, you want to pray, you want to love the way the Lord does. And then you’re converted. Often you see people whose first interest is somewhere else. They will have conflicts, because as they try to serve the Lord they have one foot in the stirrup and one foot dragging on the ground.
Repentance
Elder Neal A. Maxwell
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Repentance is one of the most vital and merciful doctrines of the kingdom. It is too little understood, too little applied by us all, as if it were merely a word on a bumper sticker. Since we have been told clearly by Jesus what manner of men and women we ought to become—even as He is (see 3 Ne. 27:27)—how can we do so, except each of us employs repentance as the regular means of personal progression? Personal repentance is part of taking up the cross daily. (See Luke 9:23.) Without it, clearly there could be no “perfecting of the Saints.” (Eph. 4:12.)
Real repentance involves not a mechanical checklist, but a check-reining of the natural self. Often overlapping and mutually reinforcing, each portion of the process of repentance is essential. This process rests on inner resolve but is much aided by external support.
There can be no repentance without recognition of wrong. Whether by provocation, introspection, or wrenching remembrance, denial must be dissolved. As with the prodigal son who finally “came to himself” (Luke 15:17), the first rays of recognition help us begin to see “things as they really are” (Jacob 4:13), including distinguishing between the motes and beams. Recognition is a sacred moment, often accompanied by the hot blush of shame.
After recognition, real remorse floods the soul. This is a “godly sorrow,” not merely the “sorrow of the world” nor the “sorrowing of the damned,” when we can no longer “take happiness in sin.” (2 Cor. 7:10; Morm. 2:13.) False remorse instead is like “fondling our failings.” In ritual regret, we mourn our mistakes but without mending them.
Alma said “… I desire that ye should let these things trouble you no more, and only let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance.” (Alma 42:29. Italics added.)
There can be no real repentance without personal suffering and the passage of sufficient time for the needed cleansing and turning. This is much more than merely waiting until feelings of remorse subside. Misery, like adversity, can have its special uses. No wonder chastening is often needed until the turning is really under way! (See D&C 1:27; Hel. 12:3.)
Real remorse quickly brings forth positive indicators, “fruits meet for repentance.” (Matt. 3:8; see also Acts 26:20; Alma 5:54.) “In process of time,” these fruits bud, blossom, and ripen.
True repentance also includes confession: “Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers.” (Ezra 10:11.) One with a broken heart will not hold back. As confession lets the sickening sin empty out, the Spirit which withdrew returns to renew.
All sins are to be confessed to the Lord, some to a Church official, some to others, and some to all of these. A few may require public confession. Confessing aids forsaking. We cannot expect to sin publicly and extensively and then expect to be rescued privately and quickly, being beaten “with only a few stripes.” (D&C 42:88–93.)
In real repentance, there is the actual forsaking of sinning. “Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.” (Ezek. 18:30.) A suffering Korihor confessed, “I always knew that there was a God,” but his turning was still incomplete (Alma 30:52); hence, “Alma said unto him: If this curse should be taken from thee thou wouldst again lead away the hearts of this people.” (Alma 30:55.)
Thus, when “a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.” (D&C 58:43.)
The Lord said in 1832: “… go your ways and sin no more; but unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God.” (D&C 82:7.)
And so a temporary, momentary change of life is not sufficient.
Alma 41:9:
“And now behold, my son, do not risk one more offense against your God … which ye have hitherto risked to commit sin.” (Italics added.)
“Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.” (Alma 41:10. Italics added.)
There is an area in Yucatan so fertile and weather-favored that the jungle grows rapidly. Needy peasants make a clearing and plant a crop, but constantly the shrubbery and forest creep in, and unless the owner is diligent and persistent to keep down the undergrowth, it will soon take over his little farm and turn it to jungle again.
Likewise, repentance must be consistent and continuous. To repent of a sin and then to tamper with it again or permit it to invade, even slightly, is to lose the repentance and its benefits, and “the former sins return, saith the Lord God.” (D&C 82:7.)
Restitution is required, too. “Because he hath sinned, … he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found.” (Lev. 6:4.)
Sometimes, however, restitution is not possible in real terms, such as when one contributed to another’s loss of faith or virtue. Instead, a subsequent example of righteousness provides a compensatory form of restitution.
In this rigorous process, so much clearly depends upon meekness. Alma said: “… Do not endeavor to excuse yourself in the least point because of your sins, by denying the justice of God; but do let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart; and let it bring you down to the dust in humility.” (Alma 42:30. Italics added.) Pride keeps repentance from even starting or continuing. Some fail because they are more concerned with the preservation of their public image than with having Christ’s image in their countenances! (Alma 5:14.) Pride prefers cheap repentance, paid for with shallow sorrow. Unsurprisingly, seekers after cheap repentance also search for superficial forgiveness instead of real reconciliation. Thus, real repentance goes far beyond simply saying, “I’m sorry.”
One must simply surrender, caring only about what God thinks, not what “they” think, while meekly offering, “O God, … make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee.” (Alma 22:18.) Giving away all our sins is the only way we can come to know God.
Even when free of major transgression, we can develop self-contentment instead of seeking self-improvement. This was once true of Amulek, who later acknowledged, “I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God.” (Alma 10:4–6.)
Given the relevancy of repentance as a principle of progress for all, no wonder the Lord has said to His servants multiple times that the thing of greatest worth would be to cry repentance to this generation! (See D&C 6:9; D&C 14:8; D&C 15:6.)
Ironically, some believe the Lord can forgive them, but they refuse to forgive themselves. We are further impeded at times simply because we have not really been taught why and how to repent.
As we do repent, however, special assurances await: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isa. 1:18.) “All his transgressions … shall not be mentioned unto him.” (Ezek. 18:22.) “I, the Lord, remember [their sins] no more”! (D&C 58:42.)
Brothers and sisters, we need never mistake local cloud cover for general darkness. The Atoning Light of the world saw to that. It was for our sake that perfectly remarkable Jesus was perfectly consecrated. Jesus let His own will be totally “swallowed up in the will of the Father.” If you and I would come unto Jesus, we must likewise yield to God, holding nothing back. Then other soaring promises await!
Testimony of Christ
This is a combined version of Elder Maxwell's testimony of Jesus Christ and his Atonement as given in several devotionals:
We begin to see in the scriptures the weight
of the Atonement burdening him shortly before
Gethsemane and Calvary:
Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say?
Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause
came I unto this hour. [John 12:27]
He became “very heavy,” which, in the Greek
means, “depressed and dejected, in anguish.”
Just as the Psalmist had
foreseen, the Savior was “full of heaviness”
(Psalms 69:20). The heavy weight of the sins
of all mankind was falling upon him.
He had been intellectually and otherwise
prepared from ages past for this task. He is
the creator of this and other worlds. He knew
the plan of salvation. He knew this is what it
would come to. But when it happened, it was
so much worse than even he had imagined!
Hence he was “sore amazed” or, in the Greek,
“astonished,” “awestruck” (Mark 14:33).
Now, brothers and sisters, this was not
theater; it was the real thing. “And he went
forward a little, and fell on the ground, and
prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might
pass from him” (Mark 14:35).
“And he said, Abba, Father, all things
are possible unto thee; take away this cup from
me” (Mark 14:36). And when Jesus used the word
“Abba,” it was a most personal and intimate
familiar reference—the cry of a child in deepest
distress for his father to help him in the midst
of this agony.
Did Jesus hope there might be, as with
Abraham, a ram in the thicket? We do not know,
but the agony and the extremity were great.
The sins and the grossness of all mankind were
falling upon someone who was perfectly sinless,
perfectly sensitive.
But said he: “Nevertheless not what I will, but
what thou wilt” (Mark 14:36).
Through that marvelous Prophet Joseph,
in the book of Alma, we learned that Jesus not
only suffered for our sins, but, in order to
perfect his capacity of mercy and empathy, he
also bore our sicknesses and infirmities that
he might know “according to the flesh” (see
Alma 7:11–12) what we pass through and thus
become the perfect shepherd, which he is.
All the cumulative weight of our sins—the
whole human family—fell upon him. He, and
he alone, bore them! Thus he is able to say,
“I have overcome and have trodden the winepress
alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness
of the wrath of Almighty God” (D&C
76:107; 88:106). This would include all the penalties
that a God who cannot look upon sin with
the least degree of allowance would require (see
D&C 1:31). Could there be any wrath more fierce
than divine wrath? Especially as Jesus encountered
cumulative, mortal grossness including
the vilest of all human sins? Jesus bore them.
Indeed, Christ was alone, for “there was
none with me” (Isaiah 63:3; D&C 133:50). His
astonishing, personal triumph was complete.
Yet he who premortally had promised he
would give glory to our Father kept that
promise, saying after accomplishing the
Atonement, “Nevertheless, glory be to the
Father” (D&C 19:19; Moses 4:2).
…
Jesus bore all mortal sins, mankind’s cumulative
total. Thus Jesus, of his suffering, truly
could later say that “he descended below all
things” (D&C 88:6).
…
On the cross, there came from Christ the
soul-rending cry, “My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; see also
Psalms 22:1). What awful aloneness! What deprivation,
Especially after the special and extended closeness of
Father and Son! Is it possible
that Jesus needed to suffer and experience
aloneness not only so his personal triumph
would be total, but also so that he might
“know according to the flesh” how it is for us
to feel forsaken? (See Alma 7:11–12).
…
All this emptying agony preceded the
empty tomb, which signified the glorious
resurrection. In his comments after the awful
atonement, he uses words like “sore” and
“exquisite.” Jesus tells us that he suffered “both
body and spirit” (D&C 19:18–19). He does not
even mention having been spat upon, struck,
receiving vinegar and gall, being scourged, etc.
Neal A. Maxwell 7
He does say that he trembled because of pain
and would that he might not drink of the bitter cup and
shrink- (see D&C 19:18). But he partook of the bitter cup
and did so without becoming bitter! Mercifully
for all of us, he did not shrink!
And behold, I am the light and the life of the
world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which
the Father hath given me, and have glorified the
Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in
the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all
things from the beginning. [3 Nephi 11:11]
I have overcome and have trodden the winepress
alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the
wrath of Almighty God. [D&C 76:107]
Thus he became our fully comprehending and
fully atoning Savior. No wonder we sing of him,
“How great thou art!” (Hymns, 1985, no. 86).
Why did he do it?
And the world, because of their iniquity, shall
judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they
scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite
him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him,
and he suffereth it, WHY? Because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children
of men.
We begin to see in the scriptures the weight
of the Atonement burdening him shortly before
Gethsemane and Calvary:
Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say?
Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause
came I unto this hour. [John 12:27]
He became “very heavy,” which, in the Greek
means, “depressed and dejected, in anguish.”
Just as the Psalmist had
foreseen, the Savior was “full of heaviness”
(Psalms 69:20). The heavy weight of the sins
of all mankind was falling upon him.
He had been intellectually and otherwise
prepared from ages past for this task. He is
the creator of this and other worlds. He knew
the plan of salvation. He knew this is what it
would come to. But when it happened, it was
so much worse than even he had imagined!
Hence he was “sore amazed” or, in the Greek,
“astonished,” “awestruck” (Mark 14:33).
Now, brothers and sisters, this was not
theater; it was the real thing. “And he went
forward a little, and fell on the ground, and
prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might
pass from him” (Mark 14:35).
“And he said, Abba, Father, all things
are possible unto thee; take away this cup from
me” (Mark 14:36). And when Jesus used the word
“Abba,” it was a most personal and intimate
familiar reference—the cry of a child in deepest
distress for his father to help him in the midst
of this agony.
Did Jesus hope there might be, as with
Abraham, a ram in the thicket? We do not know,
but the agony and the extremity were great.
The sins and the grossness of all mankind were
falling upon someone who was perfectly sinless,
perfectly sensitive.
But said he: “Nevertheless not what I will, but
what thou wilt” (Mark 14:36).
Through that marvelous Prophet Joseph,
in the book of Alma, we learned that Jesus not
only suffered for our sins, but, in order to
perfect his capacity of mercy and empathy, he
also bore our sicknesses and infirmities that
he might know “according to the flesh” (see
Alma 7:11–12) what we pass through and thus
become the perfect shepherd, which he is.
All the cumulative weight of our sins—the
whole human family—fell upon him. He, and
he alone, bore them! Thus he is able to say,
“I have overcome and have trodden the winepress
alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness
of the wrath of Almighty God” (D&C
76:107; 88:106). This would include all the penalties
that a God who cannot look upon sin with
the least degree of allowance would require (see
D&C 1:31). Could there be any wrath more fierce
than divine wrath? Especially as Jesus encountered
cumulative, mortal grossness including
the vilest of all human sins? Jesus bore them.
Indeed, Christ was alone, for “there was
none with me” (Isaiah 63:3; D&C 133:50). His
astonishing, personal triumph was complete.
Yet he who premortally had promised he
would give glory to our Father kept that
promise, saying after accomplishing the
Atonement, “Nevertheless, glory be to the
Father” (D&C 19:19; Moses 4:2).
…
Jesus bore all mortal sins, mankind’s cumulative
total. Thus Jesus, of his suffering, truly
could later say that “he descended below all
things” (D&C 88:6).
…
On the cross, there came from Christ the
soul-rending cry, “My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; see also
Psalms 22:1). What awful aloneness! What deprivation,
Especially after the special and extended closeness of
Father and Son! Is it possible
that Jesus needed to suffer and experience
aloneness not only so his personal triumph
would be total, but also so that he might
“know according to the flesh” how it is for us
to feel forsaken? (See Alma 7:11–12).
…
All this emptying agony preceded the
empty tomb, which signified the glorious
resurrection. In his comments after the awful
atonement, he uses words like “sore” and
“exquisite.” Jesus tells us that he suffered “both
body and spirit” (D&C 19:18–19). He does not
even mention having been spat upon, struck,
receiving vinegar and gall, being scourged, etc.
Neal A. Maxwell 7
He does say that he trembled because of pain
and would that he might not drink of the bitter cup and
shrink- (see D&C 19:18). But he partook of the bitter cup
and did so without becoming bitter! Mercifully
for all of us, he did not shrink!
And behold, I am the light and the life of the
world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which
the Father hath given me, and have glorified the
Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in
the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all
things from the beginning. [3 Nephi 11:11]
I have overcome and have trodden the winepress
alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the
wrath of Almighty God. [D&C 76:107]
Thus he became our fully comprehending and
fully atoning Savior. No wonder we sing of him,
“How great thou art!” (Hymns, 1985, no. 86).
Why did he do it?
And the world, because of their iniquity, shall
judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they
scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite
him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him,
and he suffereth it, WHY? Because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children
of men.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Zion -The City of Heaven-
This is the rough description of some vague visions of a movie that came to my mind while reading the Pearl of Great Price in the Book of Moses, Chapters 5 & 6
Wickedness, persecution of saints. Show the ancients, etc. Adam. They testify of God and of the Gospel—repent and believe in the Son of God—the Messiah.
Jared teaches his son Enoch the Gospel from his childhood. He tells of Adam and how after being cast out of the Garden of Eden, he built an alter and offered sacrifices. How the angel came and explained the sacrifice and proclaimed the coming of the Son of God who should die that all who believe on his name and repent would be saved from sin.
Mocking of people.
Narration of Enoch’s call to be a prophet, etc.
Start now the story of a man Mahijah? who is searching for the truth and is converted by Enoch’s preaching.
Enoch tells of his dreams and visions which show the creation of the Heavens and Earth and the wickedness of the people, God weeping, the flood and the coming of Christ, and the restoration and the last days etc. (This could be portrayed as he preaches, interspersed throughout the story)
Show the gathering of the people, fleeing from armies and saved by miracles: moving rivers, mountains, calling beasts, etc.
Show the building of a city. The goodness of the people.
Show some wars among the wicked and how they fear Zion. Show missionaries sent among them.
End with the whole city being taken up in fire and light (See picture of it in the Church’s set of pictures) as Methusela looks after it.
End Credits and then show a quick clip of Noah pleading as he loads the Ark and then the rain comes, thunder...
Subscript: “Noah came before the flood; we are nearing the time of the fire of the return of Christ…” or something like that. Or maybe that in the last days it will be as it was in the time of Noah…
More credits.
Wickedness, persecution of saints. Show the ancients, etc. Adam. They testify of God and of the Gospel—repent and believe in the Son of God—the Messiah.
Jared teaches his son Enoch the Gospel from his childhood. He tells of Adam and how after being cast out of the Garden of Eden, he built an alter and offered sacrifices. How the angel came and explained the sacrifice and proclaimed the coming of the Son of God who should die that all who believe on his name and repent would be saved from sin.
Mocking of people.
Narration of Enoch’s call to be a prophet, etc.
Start now the story of a man Mahijah? who is searching for the truth and is converted by Enoch’s preaching.
Enoch tells of his dreams and visions which show the creation of the Heavens and Earth and the wickedness of the people, God weeping, the flood and the coming of Christ, and the restoration and the last days etc. (This could be portrayed as he preaches, interspersed throughout the story)
Show the gathering of the people, fleeing from armies and saved by miracles: moving rivers, mountains, calling beasts, etc.
Show the building of a city. The goodness of the people.
Show some wars among the wicked and how they fear Zion. Show missionaries sent among them.
End with the whole city being taken up in fire and light (See picture of it in the Church’s set of pictures) as Methusela looks after it.
End Credits and then show a quick clip of Noah pleading as he loads the Ark and then the rain comes, thunder...
Subscript: “Noah came before the flood; we are nearing the time of the fire of the return of Christ…” or something like that. Or maybe that in the last days it will be as it was in the time of Noah…
More credits.
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