Pattern of Apostasy

Some say that God would never allow his Church to fall into Apostasy. However, does this assertion follow what the Bible actually says? 

2 Thes 2: 1Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Amos 8:11Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 12And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. 

 1. Jehovah establishes His covenant with Adam -------> Man falls away from the Truth -------> The Great Flood 

 2. Jehovah re-establishes His covenant with Noah -------> Man falls away from the Truth --------> The Tower of Babel 

 3. Jehovah re-establishes His covenant wtih Abraham -------> Man falls away from the Truth -------> Egyptian Captivity 

4. Jehovah re-establishes His covenant with Moses -------> Man falls away from the Truth -------> Babylonian Captivity 

 5. Jesus Christ re-establishes His covenant with Peter -------> Man falls away from the Truth -------> Holy Roman Dark Ages 

 6. Jesus Christ re-establishes His covenant with Joseph Smith ------> Second Coming of Jesus Christ

 However, in the Last Days, the Bible says that things will be different. God will finally establish His Kingdom which will stand forever.

 

Dan 2:44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

Daniel's triumphant Last Days kingdom did not start in the days of Peter and the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was represented in the dream by the legs of iron. So, when did the days of the Kings of iron mixed with clay begin? The Holy Roman Empire ended with the defeat of the 3rd Coalition by Napoleon and the signing of the Treaty of Pressburg on Dec 26, 1805. Joseph Smith was born on Dec 23, 1805. The current Rothschild Central Banking system (G20) started with the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Joseph Smith's First Vision occurred in 1820 and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was founded in 1830. 

 The Great Apostasy during the Dark Ages had to do with a falling away of the physical Church of Christ and the exercize of the priesthood keys, authority and sealing power to administer the covenants and ordinances of Christ's gospel. The Great Apostasy does not mean there was not a preservation of a remnant of spiritual belief. If there was no remnant of spiritual belief, then there would have been noone to join the true Church of Jesus Christ again when it was finally restored.

Women and Priesthood

It is not authority that women want but power.  People want power to change lives for the better and make a difference. But you don't need to have authority in the LDS Church to have power.  You can have even more power in your local ward through influence than by authority.  

I have had the calling of activities chair at a BYU singles ward. This calling has very little priesthood authority but very big influence.   My roommate was the Elders Quorum Pres. He and the Bishop controlled what went on for 3 hours on Sunday.  I controlled almost everything that happened the rest of the week. Through activities and regular service projects our singles ward had near 40 marriages the following summer (myself included).  I felt very powerful and influential in this calling.

I didn't need Church priesthood authority (pay the bills and take out the garbage) to have power in the LDS Church to make a difference.  But acting under priesthood authority, I had great influence and power to help and bless others.

My wife has had similar power in a ward as Visiting Teaching Coordinator.  She had had great power and influence in the ward with that calling because she makes a point of visiting and knowing everyone.  The bishop has her on speed-dial when she has had that calling.

You can "minister" in the LDS Church without having to bother with the "administering".  God knows women are way better at ministering so he doesn't waste their talents on the paperwork.

Agency: ability to choose the right

Since the Fall of Adam, Man has always had the ability to choose the wrong. The easiest way to damnation is to do nothing.  Choosing the wrong is our default setting. Following the natural man, following after our appetites and passions, and doing whatever we want, leads to slavery and death.

However, because of the commandments of God, and the atonement of Christ, man now has a choice.  Man can now do something other than being an animal and following his stomach.  Sons and daughters of God can choose to fast even while we are hungry.  We can choose to forgive even when offended. Man can act instead of just reacting in a predictable way and being acted upon.

Some misunderstand the definition of agency as the right to choose right and wrong.  This definition leads to thinking that our laws should protect our right to choose wrong.  We should be free to use drugs or be immorally promiscuous.  In reality, while our laws should never force people to do what the government thinks is right, they should punish those who harm harm others and protect the free expression of conscious.  

(Recreational drug abuse should not be illegal because there is no victim.  However, recreational drug distrubution should be illegal because it harms the buyers.  Similarly, same-gender civil union should be legal with all associated benefits.  However same-gender couples should not be married which means bep ermitted to bare and raise children because children ideally have the right to be raised by both a father and mother.)

Or in other words, laws that protect agency should: 1. never be against a person's belief. 2. they should punish for caused harm but not try and prevent (prevention laws punish everyone but the perpetrator) 3. laws should never force people to do what the government thinks is right. 4. laws should protect people's right to act according to the dictates of their own conscience. 

Acting according to conscience is not "doing whatever we want" but acting according to what each person believes is good, right, moral, just, merciful, ethical and the will of God.

Because of the commandments of God and the atonement of Christ, all mankind are now free to choose liberty and death. Or in other words, if we do nothing or just follow the flesh and "whatever we want", we will be involuntarily bound to the consequences of slavery and death.  On the other hand, if we instead choose liberty and eternal life in Christ, be are free and must remain free to voluntarily bind ourselves in covenant to the commandments of God.  We must bind ourselves because fasting when we are hungry, forgiving when offended, helping and serving others are not the natural things we do. 

Charity is the pure love of Christ- for our Father in Heaven.  Because of Christ's unwavering commitment to do His Father's will in all things and not His own will, Christ was empowered to be good and to do good more than any other man.  Charity is the opposite of pride and not what we give to the poor but our williness to do and obey the will of God.  If we love and obey God we will be empowered to help others more and better then we could ever do on our own because: 1. God knows and loves otgers more than anyone could 2. God has the perfect concept of what is right and good.  God's thoughts and ways are higher than our thoughts and ways.

Why LDS Mormons are True Christians and Not Pagan

Blood Atonement
1. Pagans practice blood atonement. Pagan's believe that shedding blood of virgins, babies, infidels or animals will appease the Gods and bring prosperity and safety . In reality America currently is behaving pagan-like, by engaging in pre-emptive war for safety. Catholics killing muslims or muslims killing Christians is all pagan blood atonement. 

Christ's atonement is the last great and infinite sacrifice which ends the sacrifice by the shedding of blood. LDS accept the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ. LDS receive the Lord's Supper as a sign of our acceptance of Christ's blood and acceptance that only through obeying Christ can we receive the safety and prosperity we desire and NOT blood shedding.  Again, safety and security can only be secured by repentance and a return to virtue and no other way; especially not by war and blood shedding (No, WW2 did not save us from the Great Depression).

Brigham Young was NOT teaching blood atonement in the Journal of Discourses, but teaching how individuals deal with seeming unpardonable sins. Some people believe they are stuck in sin and cannot ever be forgiven. BY using the example of Sherem in the Book of Mormon and the Malefactor crucified beside Christ taught that forgiveness is possible by accepting Christ, making a full confession, and voluntary submission to the penalty (death in Sherem's and the Malefactor's case under the strict Law of Moses).

Divinity of Christ
2. LDS teach the divinity of Jesus Christ. If Christ was not divine, His atoning blood sacrifice would not be infinite. Only God sacrificing His own blood could be an infinite sacrifice.

Not As I Will
3. LDS teach that God the Father and God the Son are 2 distinct individuals unified in purpose because the whole purpose of Christ was that He came to Earth and subordinated His will to the Father in all things: "Not as I will but as thou wilt". It is because of the charity or pure love of Christ-- for the Father that Christ was empowered to be good and do good, more than any other man. If Jesus Christ is the same being and will as the Father than we are saying Christ was empowered by doing His own will. That is the opposite of what the Bible is teaching. Pagan teaches "Do as you will". Christ teaches "Not as I will but as [God] wills." LDS teaches to follow Christ and give our lives in service to God and our fellow men.

Welfare and Virtue
James teaches that "pure religion" is to help the widow and fatherless in their affliction (welfare) and keep himself unspotted from the world. LDS care for and provide for our people as well as humanitarian service. LDS also teach virtue according to 1 Cor 5:11 (fornication, coveting, idolatry, railing, drunkenness, extortion). The LDS Church provides mechanisms to give confession according to the virtue requirements in 1 Cor 5:11. 

Pagan teaches hedonism that you can follow after the flesh and still be saved. False religion teaches that virtue is slavery and that we can still follow the flesh and if we say we accept Christ we are still saved without repentance. True Christianity says we accept Christ and Christ empowers us to repent. Pagans teach they are saved in their sins, Christ teaches that we are saved from our sins.

If we choose to follow the flesh we are bound to the unavoidable consequences of slavery and death. If we choose liberty and eternal life then we must bind ourselves by covenant to the commandments of God. This is the purpose of the LDS Temple. We must voluntarily bind ourselves to God's commandments or be involuntary slaves to the flesh (natural man).

Christian Ordinances

LDS offer the Christian ordinances of baptism by immersion and the weekly Lord's Supper.  True believers have always been baptized by water upon becoming Christian and partaken of the Lords Supper weekly as a sign of their belief and devotion. 

Christmas Caroling
These points are the essence of religious belief.  But with the Christmas season in mind, I just returned from Christmas caroling with my family to several neighbors.  I have gone Christmas caroling most years of my life since I was a child.  What pagan do you know who go out singing the sacred carols heralding the birth of Jesus Christ?

Christmas Magic vs. Priesthood

Magic is the ability to exert one's own will (for good or bad) on the universe. It doesn't have to involve supernatural means.  Our society praises individuals that demonstrate great skill and ability to achieve or obtain the objects of their desires. Unfortunately, only practicing white or good magic is still wrong because, unfortunately, we don't always know what is good and right.

Priesthood, on the other hand, is the authority and power to spread God's will in the universe. Spreading God 's will is never done by coercive or deceptive means or force.  Priesthood finds its power by strict human self-restraint of our natural appetites and passions.  Also, prieshood is empowered by subordinating our individual will to the will of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

When we say that men should be free to follow the dictates of their own conscience.  This doesn't mean that society should encorage its citizens to "do whatever they want".  Rather, the hope is that our society will encourage its citizens to seek the will of God and their good conscience (not appetites) and be free to follow that. 

Jesus Christ as our examplar was empowered to be good and do good because of His love and devotion to His Father.  Christ again and again told us that He had come to to do his own will but to to the will of the Father in all things.  Christ's example of charity was His perfect love--- for the Father .  It is because of His love and devotion that Christ was empowered to make such a profound impact on the world, which we remember and commemmorate this Christmas.

Merry Christmas