In the Lord’s prayer the Savior says, “Your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” [1] Like us, earth is preparing to be inhabited by a select group.The Savior refers to those who inherit earth in His “Sermon on the Mount.” “And blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth ” (RE Matthew 3:8, emphasis added). The kingdom of God comes to earth, but the meek will not inherit it until earth and those who occupy it complete preparations to reside

The Testimony of Saint John provides the following description of the Savior: “Now, therefore, know that Jesus is the Messiah, the Walker in the Path  who has proven for evermore that Father Ahman sent Him into the world to prove His Father’s path ” (RE T&C 171, The Testimony of Saint John 12:21, emphasis added). Our Heavenly Father sent His “Only Begotten” Son to earth. His objective was to prove to us the viability of the path the Father followed to Godliness. How it works

In part 1 of “Unraveling the Mystery of Godliness,” a personal anecdote with my grandchildren mentioned basketball. In review, the subject of dribbling was discussed and the difference between knowing how to dribble and proficiency in dribbling. Dribbling by a novice requires concentration of sight and coordination on the ball. Through practice and “muscle memory” a proficient dribbler turns their focus away from the ball to the court. The acquisition of this skill enables pl

“To be godly” or “close to God.” It is possible to pretend to godliness (i.e., have a “form” that mimics it) without actually being close to God . In the truest sense, to be close to God is to be in His presence ” ( A Glossary of Gospel Terms , Godliness, second edition, p.129, emphasis added) To be in His presence we must undergo a transformation from the attributes of the natural man to become like Him. Because: “If a person is meek and humble in heart  and confesses by the

In C of C, 3 Nephi 9:12 we find the fulfillment of Moses prophecy foretelling the coming of Christ in the last days. In the Savior’s explanation of the prophecy's fulfillment, the Father empowers a servant to deliver words of Christ to the Gentiles and from them to descendants of Lehi. When the servant delivers Christ’s words, those Gentiles rejecting them are “cut-off” from the Lord’s people of the covenant [Israel]. “ At that time , to advance My [the Saviors] cause, the Fa

In my last submission the question of what Joseph Smith knew about his fate and the future of the Church of Jesus Christ he founded was...

Note for those beginning to read this paper: The content of this paper will provide light and increased understanding relative to the...

*This paper is longer than usual because of the numerous footnotes. If you are less interested in the deeper dive, ignore the footnotes....

The following words from Isaiah’s prophecy of Cyrus are curious to contemplate and relate to promises made to Joseph of Egypt by the...

The distinction between literal lineage and spiritual lineage is relevant to Joseph as it is to Jesse. The spiritual lineage of Jesse...

Part 5 addressed the subject of Hezekiah. This part was to address the subject of Cyrus, king of Persia. Contemplating how to approach...

In Isaiah’s record, two kings play pivotal roles in Israel’s past and future. They act as types or examples of events that have happened...

This series of papers came because of the Savior’s words regarding the importance of Isaiah’s words to Israel and the Gentiles. “Now I...

The “ root of Jesse ” is a descendant of Jesse and Joseph who receives his priesthood by right and holds “ keys ” of the “ kingdom ” to...

In part 1 of Isaiah, (RE Isaiah 5:5), Isaiah spoke of a time in the last days when Judah and Joseph would initiate the gathering of...

In His ministry to the Nephites, Jesus made the following statement about Isaiah’s prophecies: “Now I tell you that you ought to...

The 2500 people present on the first day of the Savior’s Nephite ministry returned to their homes following the Savior’s ascension....

A servant acting as proxy for the Savior in the last days brings forth words of Christ on His behalf. Events following the arrival of the...

The Savior stated plainly the path we follow to return to the presence of the Father and Son. It was given to Jesus by the Father and...

Part 1 of “Do As You Have Seen Me Do” drew a distinction between members of the congregation and His disciples. Differences between the...