Over the last few months I have been observing many
different groups of people that have embraced the messages delivered different self proclaimed "prophets" to one degree or another. While
God is setting his hand to do his own work, it is interesting to see the hand
of the adversary moving quickly to infiltrate these groups to lead them down
forbidden paths that will ultimately lead many to indifference, apathy, and
destruction.
I am witnessing people engage in the scriptural definitions
of spiritualism, witchcraft, sorcery,
necromancy, and outright lawlessness while at the same time proclaiming that
they “connecting to Heaven”. There are many who esteem the scriptures
given to us as lesser and label them stumbling blocks as they attempt to “feel the
force.”
To those gentiles who are engaging in such behaviors and
ideologies, YOU ARE MISSING THE MARK!
What? You don’t think Ancient
Israel did the same things? Do you
actually believe it got them any closer to God?
If God didn’t spare the green tree of his covenant people Israel who
broke his covenant (all the while engaging in these idolatrous practices), what
do you think he is going to do to the dry tree of the gentiles who engage in
the same behavior?
Idolatry is Idolatry.
People can delude themselves by engaging in practices that are forbidden
under God’s law all the while telling themselves that they are practicing
things in an attempt to worship the Living God.
If such is the case with you, Repent!
Turn from your modern Golden Calves and do not attempt to worship or
approach God in a way he has not appointed.
Like Moses who brought Israel out of bondage in Egypt to the
base of Mount Sinai, you have been given an opportunity to be lead out of
spiritual bondage. Even as Moses went up
into the Mountain and left his people for a season, you have been left to
yourselves to see what you would do with the message given. Will you follow God’s words strictly? Or in
your impatience, zeal, and frustration will you erect the golden calves of
spiritualism, witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, and lawlessness in an attempt to
force the hand of God into giving you the fruits of his promises without
walking the path appointed?
If God’s voice were to speak from his holy mountain today or
a messenger were to deliver additional instructions, would they be words of, “Come
up the Mountain? Or Here is God’s Covenant for You?” or would it most likely
be, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING?!”
Many a Gentile cites the Book of Mormon about the Jews
looking beyond the mark and stumbling:
“But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they
despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things
that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which
blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath
taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which
they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it
God hath done it, that they may stumble.” (Jacob 4:14)
Is this scripture a correct assessment of Ancient Israel?
YES!
For a people to be “stiffnecked” means that they are
prideful and stubborn. They actually
believe in their own wisdom and self-importance rather than understand their
true position as it relates to God. In
reality their wisdom is nothing and their importance is tenuous at best. The “words
of plainness” is a Hebraic expression referring to the Torah (i.e. God’s
Scriptures and Instructions). In other
words they despised God’s written word! The scriptures were deemed as lesser
when compared to their man made traditions or spiritualistic ideologies.
They became blind (Heb. Unable to discern between right and
wrong) because they looked beyond the mark.
In Hebrew the word Torah comes from the root Yarah which means “to hit
the mark” like an arrow being shot at a target.
To embrace and uphold God’s commandments is to hit the mark. Because they despised God’s laws and deemed
them as lesser as opposed to their own teachings and practices he took away his
word from among them (their understanding of the scriptures darkened and God
removed his revelations from them).
Christ is the Mark and without following his words we cannot enter in by
the way and approach him.
Without God’s scriptures (his words of plainness) and his
voice, Ancient Israel was left to wander in the dark. As a result priestcraft took over, false
prophets arose crying, “Follow Me! I
have the secret teaching that will get you to God? “ In doing these things Israel stumbled (left
the commandments) and were broken. As a
result centuries of traditions and practices developed among the people leading
them even further from the Worship of the true God all the while the people being
under the delusion that they were worshipping God through their abhorrent
practices.
Gentiles Missing the Mark—Scene 2—Take 2
I am writing this not to cause a ruckus but to warn many
that they are following the same path as Ancient Israel. For many this opportunity to “remember the
restoration” is being supplanted by the words of false prophets and
prophetesses who claim to look through the veil and will tell you what to do or
if you have a spirit stabbing you in the back.
There are those arising making fantastic claims of having tea with
Heavenly Mother and who could write books like “Visions and Revelations for
Dummies”!
“This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for
you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach. It is not kept in heaven,
so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we
can hear it and obey?’
It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must
ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’
No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips
and in your heart so that you can obey it.
“Now listen! Today I
am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster.
For I command you this day to love the LORD your God and to
keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do
this, you will live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you and the
land you are about to enter and occupy.
(Deuteronomy 30: 10-16)
In all of this and with all these conflicting voices, I
notice that the words of plainness are falling by the wayside. Because the branches of Israel had become corrupt,
God grafted in the wild branches of the Gentiles in their place. For a time good fruit was produced, but when
the Lord returned to his vineyard after a long period of time he noticed the
following, “But behold, this time it hath brought forth much fruit, and there
is none of it which is good. And behold, there are all kinds of bad fruit; and
it profiteth me nothing, notwithstanding all our labor; and now it grieveth me
that I should lose this tree.” (Jacob 5:32)
Fruit is appearing but it is not the fruit that God
desires. By taking strength to
themselves (thinking that they are the root and they have the sap of the spirit
independently in them) they produce all manner of fruit and NONE OF IT IS GOOD!
The root is the Messiah and the sap is the nourishment of his covenant word.
Because of this condition, the branches of the wild branches
of the Gentiles will be cut off even as the natural branches of the House of Israel
will be grafted back in in an effort to save the tree and bring forth the fruit
God desires. These scriptures serve as a
clear warning to us:
“Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For
notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they
will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God,
if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the
day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts.” (2 Nephi 28:32)
In these latter days the fullness of the gospel (or message
that was sent forth) was to come by way of the Gentiles. Like Israel of old their failure to embrace
and implement the message has set the stage for judgments to be poured out. For
the Lord to lengthen out his arm from day to day is a Hebraic expression that his arm is poised to strike in judgment. In other words, in spite of the fact that
the Lord’s arm is poised to fall upon them in judgment the gentiles will deny him.
He promises them that if they turn to
him, the God of Israel, and create a place for him to come he will grant mercy
unto them during the time when his judgments are poured out. While their repentance does grant them God’s
mercy it does not stop God’s judgment upon the gentiles as a whole. The
judgments that are poured out upon the gentiles are poured out even as the
Lord’s Great and Marvelous work commences for the Gathering of his people O’
House of Israel.
“And I will show unto
thee, O house of Israel, that the Gentiles shall not have power over you; but I
will remember my covenant unto you, O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto
the knowledge of the fulness of my gospel. But if the Gentiles will repent and return
unto me, saith the Father, behold they shall be numbered among my people, O
house of Israel. And I will not suffer
my people, who are of the house of Israel, to go through among them, and tread
them down, saith the Father.
But if they will not turn unto me, and hearken unto my
voice, I will suffer them, yea, I will suffer my people, O house of Israel,
that they shall go through among them, and shall tread them down, and they
shall be as salt that hath lost its savor, which is thenceforth good for
nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of my people, O house
of Israel.” (3 Nephi 16:12-15)
Zion is the Messiah, a people, a covenant offered, and a
land granted. It is a real condition and
place whose foundations must be laid according to the strict instructions given
in God’s revealed word and further instructions. Revelations from God will build upon the
foundation of his word and will not contradict or break his words revealed in
the scriptures. The Spirit and the
testimony must agree.
This brief opportunity granted comes with a decision, ascend the Mount along the path appointed or
stand at the base with your golden calves.
THE DECISION IS YOURS!
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