In Covenant of Christ the Savior concludes a portion of His sermon with the following commandment: “The Law also says for you to love your neighbor, and lets you even hate your enemy. But now I say to you: Love your enemies also, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you, so you may become the children of your Father who is in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good. Therefor

The whole cloth of the Restoration has frayed since the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. At first slowly but now with increasing speed. History was altered and narratives designed to protect succession claims and covering sin have become increasingly problematic. Websites, podcasts, and group chats have become alternatives for candid conversations about subjects previously ignored or suppressed. Sharp divisions emerging over “settled history,” seem less settled und

Angels are often presumed to be only those beyond the veil. The term should be broadened to include anyone delivering a message from God. They may be immortal, just men made perfect, or mortals acting as “chosen vessels”[1] or “heirs of salvation”[2] delivering a message from the Lord. The above categories include Patriarchal Father’s in the Holy Order of Priesthood who are translated beings. They maintain associations on earth and Heaven. Patriarchal Fathers are si

Enoch was shown when Christ would return to earth: “. . . 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. 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 m

After witnessing the earthly ministry of the Savior, Enoch asked the Lord when the earth would rest and when He would return? In response to Enoch’s question the Lord said: “. . . 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 [post-flood]. And the day shall come that the earth shall rest. But before that day, the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of d

In part 2, John the Beloved is discussed as a latter-day Elias with two objectives. The first objective is “restore all things” and the second is “to gather Israel.” As a translated being, John does not accomplish these missions personally. This is the work of flesh and blood. John’s mission directs a mortal counterpart in accomplishing these tasks. Prior to giving Malachi’s prophecy to the Nephites, Jesus admonished the Nephites to heed the prophecy of Isaiah. “Now

Part 1 introduced the Savior’s reference to the prophecy of Malachi to the Nephites. This was after commanding them to add the prophecy of Samuel the Lamanite to their records. Jesus explained the scriptures to the Nephites but His explanation is not recorded only mentioned. Survivors of the cataclysmic events knew of future events because of the Lord’s explanation. Adding the prophecies of Samuel and Malachi are for the benefit of people in the last days. The Gentiles, Lehi’

I try to research and write one paper a week. Some papers take more time, others take less. When a week begins, I rarely have a clear idea of what to research. Prayer and studying chapters in the Covenant of Christ usually bring out a subject of interest. When a paper is complete, I review the content and self-edit in the process. After multiple revisions my wife and I read and edit the paper one final time. In the beginning of the first week I was reading different

The Covenant of Christ is the Book of Mormon transcribed in modern English. Nephi, the son of Lehi, began the record of their family’s migration from Jerusalem to the America’s. Nephi was familiar with Israel’s religious traditions and style of writing. After extensively quoting Isaiah’s prophecies, Nephi explained the meaning of the prophet’s writings. The reason for Nephi turning to Isaiah’s prophecies is because he was shown the future of his descendants. He was

The purpose of the website: adayindavid.com is sharing with my family my beliefs informed by years of scripture study, personal experience, and prayer. It is open to all but my target audience has been and continues to be my family. Recently my reflections have been about patriarchal blessings and family. This morning I read the end of 2 Nephi 3 and all of 4. 2 Nephi 3 explains blessings given to Joseph of Egypt passing through to generations of his poster

The last paper was titled, “The Lord Reveals His Arm to the Gentiles.” The body of the paper was introductory to the Lord’s actual revelation of His “Arm” or His servant sent to the Gentiles. At the conclusion of the paper several links were provided to a YouTube video of Denver Snuffer’s talk: “The Holy Order, Part 3, Adoption” with the associated transcript. In Denver’s talk he describes three ascending levels of understanding applying to all who hear or read his

The introduction of the Doctrine and Covenants warns the world the Lord’s day of judgment is coming. This warning arrived November 1, 1831. “Hearken, O you people of my church, says the voice of him who dwells on high, and whose eyes are upon all men. Yea, truly I say, hearken you people from afar, and you that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together, for truly the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape. And there is no eye that shall not see,

While discussing challenges a strengthening dollar imposed on global currencies, a commentator recited a story of Egypt in approximately 1200 B.C., when Ramesses III was Pharoah. Egypt was the dominant power in the known world. A warrior class of people known as “sea people” invaded and conquered many countries around Egypt who traded goods with them. Having great success against smaller, less powerful Egyptian trade partners, “sea people” decided to challenge Egypt

Joseph of Egypt’s Prophecy Joseph of Egypt shared a prophecy with his brothers prior to his death. Like Ezekiel’s prophecy of sticks of Judah and Joseph being united, [1] Joseph of Egypt said: “Therefore your [Joseph of Egypt’s] offspring will write [the record of Joseph’s posterity], and Judah’s offspring will write [Bible, record of Judah]. The Lord says: The things your offspring write, and the things Judah’s offspring write, will grow together in order to expose

In Teachings and Commandments 82 the Lord condemned “the children of Zion, even all.” Note the Lord didn’t limit His condemnation to the weakest of saints. Children of Zion are presumed to be the pinnacle of righteousness at the time of this revelation. Those inhabiting Zion must be “of one heart, one mind, dwelt in righteousness, and there was no poor among them.” [1] The closest to qualifying as “children of Zion” fell short of the Lord’s standard and were condemned by Him.

The Lord revealed to Nephi “small means” are used to promote righteousness among the repentant or to destroy rebellious Gentiles in the last days. God’s judgments are suspended for now but His scourging of Gentiles continues until they receive sufficient light to repent or reach a fullness of iniquity. “Then the Angel of the Lord told me: The Lamb of God says: After I’ve judged the remnant of the house of Israel (referring to your father’s [Lehi’s] descendants), after punishi

Alma the younger approached the end of his mortal life and ministry. He prepared for his departure by delivering to his son, Helaman, records, artifacts, and instruments from God. They originally were in the possession of the kings of Zarahemla until the death of Mosiah, the son of Benjamin. During the reign of the righteous king’s additional scriptures were accumulated; expanding the canon of scripture. We recognized Kings led the people of Zarahemla through a cove

Clarification: In the “Awake and Arise” series, I may have incorrectly conflated the stone tablet of Coriantumr with twenty-four plates discovered by Limhi’s people. Both records were passed down from kings to Alma and his son, Helaman. The stone tablet with the record of the Jaredites is partially shared in Moroni’s abridgment in the Book of Ether. Confusion arises because they represent separate societies occupying the same land who suffer the same fate. Both became wicke

The Primary Objective the Lord Accomplishes When Moses led Israel to Sinai it was to introduce the people into the Lord’s presence. [1] In the beginning of the Restoration Joseph Smith sought to do the same for the faithful in Nauvoo unsuccessfully. During the fullness of the Gentiles the Davidic king gathers faithful Gentiles and scattered Israel. They establish Zion and receive the Lord’s presence. [2] The Lord’s servant follows the pattern set by kings of Zarahem

From the beginning of the Restoration through Joseph Smith the Lord stated His intended objectives for mankind and how He guides the willing: “Wherefore, I, the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph and spoke unto him from Heaven, and gave him commandment, and also gave commandments to others that they should proclaim these things unto the world. And all this that it might be fulfilled which was written b