“Simple Means” - Part 2

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 punishing them using the Gentiles, I’ll show mercy to the Gentiles. They’ll make a great many mistakes because of the extremely clear and valuable parts of the Lamb’s gospel that have been removed by that utterly wicked church, which is the mother of harlots [those who sell themselves for money, popularity, and power]. But by My power I’ll bring to light for them more [but not all] of My gospel, which will be clear and very valuable, says the Lamb. Indeed, says the Lamb, I’ll personally appear to your [Nephi’s] descendants so they are able to write many things that I’ll provide to them, which will be plain and very valuable. After your descendants are destroyed and fall away in unbelief, along with your brothers’ descendants, these writings will be hidden and protected, to later be delivered to the Gentiles by the gift and power of the Lamb. My gospel will be written in them, says the Lamb — My rock and My salvation. I’ll bless those who then want to bring about My Zion; they’ll have the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. And if they continue faithful to the end, they’ll be raised up on the last day and saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb [“bring forth fruit meet for the Father’s kingdom,” see T&C 82:20]. Therefore, any who proclaim peace, the joyful news, how beautiful shall be their presence upon the mountains [“mountains” is Isaiah’s metaphor for nations]!

“Then I saw my brothers’ descendants [Lamanites] and the book of the Lamb of God, which had come from the Jews [Bible], and that it came from the Gentiles to my brothers’ descendants. After it had come to them, I saw other books that came by the Lamb’s power from the Gentiles to them — these convinced the Gentiles and my brothers’ descendants, and also the Jews [Israel] who were scattered throughout the earth, that the records of the prophets [Old Covenant] and the Lamb’s Twelve witnesses [New Covenant] are true. Then the Angel told me: The last records [other books] that you’ve seen among the Gentiles will confirm the truth of the first ones — which come from the Lamb’s Twelve witnesses — and will reveal the clear and valuable things which have been removed from them and reveal to all people of every tribe and language that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father and Savior of the world and that all people must come to Him or they cannot be saved. And according to the words of the Lamb they must come to Him. And the Lamb’s words will be revealed in the records of your descendants [Lehi’s descendants] as well as in the records of the Lamb’s Twelve witnesses. [1] So they’ll both be witnesses together, because there’s one God and one Shepherd over the whole earth. At a future time, He’ll reveal Himself to all nations, both to the Jews and to the Gentiles. And after He has revealed Himself to the Jews and to the Gentiles, He’ll then appear to the Gentiles and to the Jews. The last will be first and the first will be last.

If the Gentiles then obey the Lamb of God, He’ll reveal Himself to them in word [scripture, revelation] and power [Spirit of Elijah is sent, Patriarchal Fathers]  and in person [Christ will be with them, see CofC 3 Nephi 10:1], in order to remove barriers to their belief, and if they [Gentiles] don’t harden their hearts against the Lamb of God, they’ll be included with your father’s descendants — indeed, they’ll be included as part of the house of Israel. And they’ll become a blessed family in the promised land forever. They won’t be enslaved anymore, and the house of Israel won’t be embarrassed anymore. And the great pit dug for them by that utterly wicked church, which the accuser and his followers founded so that he could take people’s souls down to hell — that great pit dug for people’s destruction will be filled with those who dug it, to their complete destruction, [2] says the Lamb of God — not the destruction of the soul, but throwing it into that endless hell. This is according to the accuser’s imprisonment, and according to God’s justice as well, upon all those who insist on doing wicked and corrupt things in God’s sight” (CofC 1 Nephi 3:23-25; emphasis added).

There is a pattern of events designed to cause three societies to repent or be swept away and destroyed. Prior to fulfilling this prophecy the Lord has mercy on the Gentiles because the Biblical records in their possession have redactions of true doctrines. The extracted teachings from original records cause the Gentiles to “make a great many mistakes” because the absence of easily understood truth’s cause Gentiles to err in doctrine. To rectify deficiencies the Lord restores lost doctrines by introducing the record of Joseph or “Covenant of Christ,” and “other books.” Together the introduction of additional records has a persuasive effect on three groups. Gentiles, descendants of Lehi, and scattered of Israel are “convinced” Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and all men must come to Him to obtain salvation.

          If Gentiles resist hardening their hearts against the new light, the Lord will reveal Himself to them in “word,” “power,” and “in person.” Additional revelation “removes all barriers to their [Gentiles’] belief.” In doing so some Gentiles are placed in the same position as prior societies who receive greater enlightenment. Once enlightened, if they turn from the greater knowledge and reject the testimony the Gentiles will be destroyed. This is consistent with the Alma’s blessing on the earth for the righteous.

          The Lord’s process of removing barriers from the Gentiles began with barely more success than the saints in Joseph Smith’s day:

“There is an astonishing amount left undone, and each year we make very little progress toward completing the remaining work. We certainly have made

progress. But with all that is left to be done, we have only made a start.

Although there have been a number of important talks, we have hardly begun

to be taught everything that needs to be returned.

At times in human history, multiple written languages were used by the

same people. The sacred writings were not preserved in the commonly used

written form, but instead, the priests used pictographic images for the sacred

messages. These were hieroglyphics: the Greek word “hieros” meant sacred

and the word “glyphen” meant to carve. The sacred carving was intended to be

difficult to decipher, in order to preclude common or profane understanding.

That system required an oral tradition to preserve the meaning, tell the story,

and provide the key of knowledge required to understand the carved

pictograph. It would not allow an uninitiated novice who had not been taught

the oral tradition to grasp the meaning of the hieroglyph. An image like a horse,

for example, might mean a horse. Or it could mean strength. Or it could mean

movement. Or it could mean wealth. Or it could refer to a constellation. Or it

could be the name of a place, person, town, or people. It could mean an army.

However, to understand the meaning of the image, you had first to be orally

initiated into the belief system, at which point the image served as a prompt to

recall the underlying story.

Assuming Thoth of Egypt is Enoch of the Bible, it was Enoch who

began the use of pictograph hieroglyphs as a device to conceal sacred

knowledge from the uninitiated. This let sacred information be preserved, while

also leaving the unworthy ignorant of what they were unwilling to receive and

obey. This division of people into a larger, outer group and an inner, more

knowledgeable body has been referred to as the “exoteric” and the “esoteric”

church. 

In the earliest days of this creation, the open exposure of sacred

knowledge led to such inordinate wickedness that God determined to destroy

the creation and begin anew. A tradition about Enoch claims he knew the flood

would not only destroy mankind, but also knowledge. Rather than allow those

who would be preserved through the flood to remain ignorant, Enoch was said

to have erected two pillars: one of brick and the other of stone. On these, he

engraved enough to preserve the sacred knowledge mankind would need to be

saved from ignorance and damnation. To preclude the inordinate wickedness

that results when esoteric knowledge falls into the hands of wicked men,

Enoch used hieroglyphs to prevent the uninitiated from gaining access to the

inner knowledge that is intended only for the qualified who have been

approved by God.

This division between the outer and inner is reflected in the Tabernacle

of Moses, the Temple of Solomon, and the architecture of the Second Temple.

There were areas for the public [Elias, Aaronic, preparatory], and others limited to the priests [Elijah, Patriarchal Priesthood], and still another limited to the High Priest [Messiah, Son of God], and then only one time a year. The temples of the Old Testament show there was hidden knowledge that was unavailable to the public, and the content was excluded from the Bible narrative.

Without knowing anything of the mysteries God has kept from the

scriptural record, and hidden behind a veil in this creation, we can be confident

that no matter how much we may long for it, or how deeply we search to find

it, the inner, esoteric knowledge will forever remain unavailable to the public.

But it is God’s intent to restore that for a small group in the last days, before

His return in glory. Because the full extent of this cannot be made public, the

revelation will need to happen in the Lord’s House. As the Lord explained in

1841:

T&C 141:10-13:

For there is not place found on the earth that he may come and

restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he has taken

away, even the fullness of the Priesthood.

… I command you, all you my saints, to build a house unto me,

and I grant unto you a sufficient time to build a house unto me,

and during this time your baptisms shall be acceptable unto me.

But behold, at the end of this appointment, your baptisms for

your dead shall not be acceptable unto me. And if you do not

these things, at the end of the appointment you shall be rejected

as a church with your dead, says the Lord your God. …

And again, verily I say unto you, how shall your washings be

acceptable unto me except you perform them in a house which

you have built to my name? For, for this cause I commanded

Moses that he should build a tabernacle, that they should bear it

with them in the wilderness, and to build a house in the land of

promise that those ordinances might be revealed which had been

hid from before the world was. Therefore, verily I say unto you

that your anointings, and your washings, and your baptisms for

the dead, and your solemn assemblies, and your memorials for

your sacrifices by the sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your

most holy places wherein you receive conversations, and your

statutes and judgments for the beginning of the revelations and

foundation of Zion, and for the glory, and honor, and endowment

of all her municipals, are ordained by the ordinance of my holy

house, which my people are always commanded to build unto my

holy name.

And verily I say unto you, let this house be built unto my name

that I may reveal my ordinances therein unto my people, for I

deign to reveal unto my church things which have been kept hid

from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to

the dispensation of the fullness of times. And I will show unto my

servant Joseph all things pertaining to this house and the

Priesthood thereof, and the place whereon it shall be built.

The people living in 1841 were offered the fullness, oracles, ordinances,

and conversations by the Lord. They would not receive it. They bickered,

fought for power and influence, and diverted resources away from the temple

to construct their own houses. They engaged in abominable sexual sins, lied to

conceal it, and conspired to spread their lustful conduct by attributing it to

Joseph and Hyrum. They proved themselves utterly incapable of the serious

discipleship necessary to obtain the Lord’s trust. We are not distinguishing

ourselves from them.

If we should ever be able to build a temple, it will fulfill this prophecy of

Isaiah, which Christ quoted to the Nephites: “O you afflicted, storm-tossed,

and suffering one, know that I will provide a foundation as sturdy as rock and

beautiful as sapphire. I’ll make your towers more valuable than rubies, doors

that are precious, surrounded by heavenly designs upon the walls.” (3 Ne. 10:3)

Christ immediately followed this quote from Isaiah with the admonition:

Now I tell you that you ought to carefully study these things. In

fact, I give you a commandment to study these things diligently,

because Isaiah’s prophecies are critical. He clearly focused his

prophecy on My people who are part of the house of Israel.

Therefore, he necessarily prophesied about the Gentiles. And

everything he prophesied has happened, or will happen, precisely

as he foretold. (Id. ¶4.)

We resist instruction. We would rather fight over things that injure our

pride than welcome and accept what the Lord offers. As we were told by the

Lord in 2019: “I reminded you that you do not understand the glory to be

revealed unto my covenant people.” (T&C 177:2.) Although I have tried to get

you interested enough to cooperate with the Lord so as to allow Him to fulfill

that offer to us, I acknowledge my failure. We have been overtaken by a

distracting, false, and prideful spirit that hinders and delays the enormous work

remaining to restore all things. We do not yet have even the possibility of

building the Lord’s House. Although the Lord has provided everything

necessary to accomplish that project, we do not have suitable candidates, and

we lack the necessary means. We have some interest, and perhaps even a

longing, but we lack the thirst and humility to acquire the skills necessary to

reason together and resolve our differences amicably.

If we continue on in the next few years the same as we have done for

the last decade, we may gain increased understanding, yet more inspired

instructions from the Lord, and be blessed by His gentle guidance. But right

now, it seems unlikely to me that we will be able to reach the finish line to

fulfill the prophecies, vindicate the covenants, and welcome the Lord’s return. [3]

So, I would ask us all to be more easily entreated by the Lord. To be easily

persuaded, eager to respond with alacrity, humble, meek, and repentant. I

cannot help but feel we should already have those qualities, feel the urgency,

and readily align ourselves with the Lord’s will.

I refuse to act the part of the strongman. I will confine myself to

teaching and hope to be persuasive. But you must rise up and willingly accept

the burden of discipleship. I do not want you to follow or obey me. I want to

persuade you to follow Christ and to take seriously what He asks of us. We

need to stop fighting and start reasoning together as if we reflected the image

of God. We need to behave more like our Lord and less like His adversary.

The work to prepare people for the Lord’s glory is imposed on every

disciple. I can only improve myself. I can do nothing to improve you. But you

have the power to individually rise up and qualify for the glory to be revealed.

Or you can choose instead to lapse into petty arguments, prideful disputes, and

more wasted time.

When I was in high school, the debate class had a single proposition that

would be debated for a year. Teams would research both sides of the

proposition. In any single debate, the team might argue for the proposition or

against it. The assigned side would not be disclosed until moments before the

debate began. As a result, debate teams needed to understand both sides of the

matter well enough to persuasively present arguments from either vantage

point. The high school students realized that they could not decide the question

personally, because if they aligned themselves with one side, they would not be

effective in arguing against it when called to do so. So they suspended

judgment during the year. When the class ended, the students were free to

decide how they would resolve the matter. However, their opinions were often

influenced by the year-long discussions in ways that refined their understanding

far beyond where they originally stood.

That debate experience introduced the students involved to critical

reasoning. It made them thoughtful. It required them to suspend judgment and

to instead consider what would support and what would undermine the

question. Those skills are missing among us. We need to be able to discuss,

understand, and weigh both sides of an argument being debated. We need to

reason carefully, suspend judgment, and listen for the strengths and weaknesses

of a question. Instead, we tend to decide everything for ourselves quickly,

without respecting there is always another side to the matter. Instead of

patiently improving we judge and dismiss each other. We use disagreements to

condemn one another. We are at our ugliest when we disagree, and we should

instead be models of patience and charity, recognizing fractures are inevitable

and treating them as opportunities to understand one another. That seems like

a distant goal, presently over the horizon and out of our sight. But we are

pointed in the right direction. It may remain a long journey, but we are clearly

moving. As long as there is any sign of growth in the Lord’s vineyard, He will

tend it and let the growth develop. So, press on, in faith believing, cheerfully

confident that we matter enough to the Lord that He has now given to us a

name. That is a milestone none of us expected.

Finally, although we are small, we are far stronger than other

congregations or denominations. We are equals, entrusted with making joint

decisions, and required to struggle over things that other bodies of believers

surrender to leaders who adopt and enforce decisions [compulsory means in opposition to God.] Our frailties are on display. Theirs are hidden. We have a chance to grow into a harmonious body that can live in peace. We aren’t there yet, but we are clearly working on it. Others are not, and indeed cannot. Their unequal status [4] precludes what ours requires. We are often bruised, bleeding and in pain, but once healed are strengthened by the ordeal. Other faiths are only superficially at peace with one another, but it will be impossible to gather them into a body of one heart, one mind, having all things in common, with no poor among them. We may not be able to do that at present either. But, we are actually working on it. And now we know [as Covenant Christians] that if we need discipline, affliction, difficulties and challenges to help us along, the Lord has now assured us that He will discipline us. He will be attentive, and not neglectful; so we should expect to be corrected by sad experiences whenever we neglect to learn by precept. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen” (God’s Covenant People, Denver Snuffer Jr., pp.33-38; emphasis added).

Many, if not most, in the Covenant Christian gathering come from a culture with a subtle undercurrent of transcendent privilege. That perception is presumed because, in the billions of people on this planet, there is a presumption we are most enlightened, most connected to God. Lip service is paid to the concept of equality among us. In our private prideful moments we find it difficult to believe we are not a little more blessed, a bit more privileged and pleasing in God’s eyes. Our self-ascendency is fueled by where we have come from more than what we are. Progress in enlightenment is commendable but it pales in comparison to what God requires of us. All should be stirred to humility when the first sentence in this quote is read:

“There is an astonishing amount left undone, and each year we make very little progress toward completing the remaining work”

          We are task-oriented people who make lists and check off items as they are completed. Tasks require effort but they serve as a distraction from facing God and having Him reveal who we truly are in relation to Him. It is preferable to immerse ourselves in tasks at hand than confront our weakness He gives us as “small means” for making us strong through His grace.

“And I said to Him: Lord, the Gentiles will ridicule these things because of our weakness in writing; You’ve made us powerful in speaking, by faith; however, You haven’t made us powerful in writing. You’ve made this people able to speak great things because of the Holy Ghost, which You’ve given them. Yet You’ve made us able to write only a little because of the difficulty of inscribing and You haven’t made us gifted in composing like Jared’s brother. You endowed the things he wrote with power, just as You are, to such a degree as to overpower the people who read them [this explains why the record of the Jaredites is withheld until latter-day Gentiles become sanctified like the Brother of Jared]. You’ve also inspired our sermons to be powerful and great, so that we can’t even write them. Therefore when we write, we see only our weakness and hesitate because of the contrast in our writing. I’m afraid the Gentiles will mock our record.

When I had said this, the Lord told me: Fools mock, but they will mourn. And My grace is sufficient for the meek, so that they [Gentiles] won’t find an excuse in your weaknesses. If people come to Me, I’ll show them their weaknesses [through precept and sad experience]. [5] I give people weaknesses so they can be humble. And My grace is sufficient for all people who humble themselves before Me. If they humble themselves before Me and have faith in Me, then I’ll make weak things become strong for them. I’ll show the Gentiles their weaknesses. [6] I’ll show them that faith, hope, and charity lead to Me, the Source of all righteousness” (CofC Ether 5:5; emphasis added).

In the previous quote every example given by Moroni attributes what occurred to the Lord. The Lord made them powerful by faith. The Lord didn’t make them powerful in writing because of the difficulty in transcription. The Lord made them “able to speak great things” because of His gift of the Holy Ghost. The Lord made the brother of Jared’s writings powerful to the extent they overpowered all who read them. As Moroni humbly expressed concern latter-day Gentiles would mock his writing and reject it, the Lord explained why He dealt with mankind in different ways. “I give unto men weakness that they may be humble.” God is the giver of good gifts. Appropriate gifts for our circumstances and His objectives.

          The logic behind the Lord’s wisdom is His endowment of weaknesses to humble mankind before Him. Humility makes mankind teachable and pliable in God’s hands. If we turn to Him in humility, He lays bare our weakness. Especially our ignorance regarding where we are in our progression and how far we must go. As we learn to submit to His Spirit and receive instruction, the Lord transforms us into His image. That is why He says: “I’ll show them that faith, hope, and charity lead to Me, the Source of all righteousness.” This is how the Lord reveals Himself to latter-day Gentiles in “word,” “power,” and “in person.” [7]

          After commenting on the extraordinary work ahead for Covenant Christians, Denver raises how “small means” play a role in restoring the Lord’s word to His covenant people in the last days. He doesn’t refer to “small means” formally. Informally he introduces how broadly distributed sacred knowledge can be misapplied or openly mocked. It can destroy life as well as bless mankind if embraced.

          The Lord’s restraint in sharing sacred truth is an act of mercy and love.

“In the earliest days of this creation, the open exposure of sacred

knowledge led to such inordinate wickedness that God determined to destroy

the creation and begin anew. A tradition about Enoch claims he knew the flood

would not only destroy mankind, but also knowledge. Rather than allow those

who would be preserved through the flood to remain ignorant, Enoch was said

to have erected two pillars: one of brick and the other of stone. On these, he

engraved enough to preserve the sacred knowledge mankind would need to be

saved from ignorance and damnation. To preclude the inordinate wickedness

that results when esoteric knowledge falls into the hands of wicked men,

Enoch used hieroglyphs to prevent the uninitiated from gaining access to the

inner knowledge that is intended only for the qualified who have been

approved by God” (Ibid).

This knowledge is part of the restoration of “all things” God intends to reveal in the last days. [8] When the Lord deems it appropriate to make this knowledge known, it will be in restricted circumstances given only to people prepared to receive it. There will come a time when a large number of people turn from their wickedness and are “tried by fire” in preparation for these prophecies.

“And now Melchizedek was a priest of this Order, therefore he obtained peace in Salem and was called the Prince of Peace. And his people wrought righteousness, and obtained Heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days, or the end of the world, and has said and sworn with an oath that the heavens and the earth should come together, and the sons of God should be tried so as by fire. And this Melchizedek, having thus established righteousness, was called the King of Heaven by his people — or in other words, the King of Peace.

Melchizedek’s people “wrought righteousness, and obtained Heaven.” Prior to Zion’s establishment small groups follow the same pattern as the people of Melchizedek. Their righteousness is forged in the furnace of affliction [sad experience] where they become sanctified in preparation for a reunion with Heaven. The number of people passing through the fire will be few. Regardless of how great or few, it is up to all to decide if they repent or not. There will always be room for the righteous.

“I [Denver Snuffer] recently had a vision that began as a dream. In it I was traveling in a small car up a mountain road. The road was steep [difficult], but straight [path in Lehi’s dream], and it grew steeper as it climbed upward [adversity]. On the left side of the road there was a railroad track running parallel [close to the straight path of the car but not identical]. As we drove the small car upward [where God communes with man], I noticed a sharp bend in the railroad tracks ahead that interrupted the otherwise straight course of the line. [divergence in doctrine and teachings] I saw a train approaching from uphill in the distance coming downhill rapidly, and it seemed to be going far too fast [in its descent away from God] to safely negotiate the sharp bend in the tracks. The small car we drove was not quite to the bend [event leading to the derailment] when the rushing train hit the bend, leapt from the tracks [departure from the straight portion of the track], and violently crashed in front of us [destruction of the “mother of abominations,” [9] . Our little car narrowly escaped a collision, as the train’s wreckage spread about. As the small car continued upward, the train crash worsened, at first beside the car, and then as we accelerated, closely behind us. The little car got ahead of the continuing wreck of the moving train and I could see the train was full of passengers who, uphill from the wreckage, were enjoying themselves. They were paying no attention to the disaster already befalling their train. We began to shout out the windows of our car, trying to warn the occupants in the doomed train, but they gave no heed. They laughed and partied aboard the train with no concern for their impending destruction. [10] I could see the wreckage behind me in the mirror [testimony of past societies in scripture destroyed] as the violence of the wreck threw shattered railcars about, some onto the road behind us, making the road now impassable. We were powerless to save those aboard the train because they would not hear the warnings we shouted to them. [11]

As we reached the top of the mountain [Where the Lord’s presence meets with men, the ensign, And in that day, there shall be a root of Jesse who shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious.” (RE Isaiah 5:4], the last of the train went by and I stopped the little car. We got out and stood in the roadway looking down the mountain and watched as the last of the train [Babylon] was destroyed. [“And thus with the sword and by bloodshed, the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn. And with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed has made a full end of all nations, that the cry of the saints, and of the blood of the saints, shall cease to come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies” (RE T&C 85:3)]. While mourning over the many lives that had been lost, I awoke from the dream and sat up on my bed, but the vision continued.

I next saw in the distance, beyond the wreckage, an overpowering flood, as if it was a great fire [Elijah], consuming and destroying all the country, coming from the east [Christ and His entourage]. [12] Although we had survived the train wreck, it appeared certain we would all be killed in the coming flood. I looked about for any sign of hope we might survive and noticed beside the roadway a great rock with an opening. I led the small party to the rock and discovered the opening was for a cavern that went upward within the shelter of the rock. We entered the cave, and climbed upward. Inside the cavity of the rock our small group waited as the flood approached, unsure whether we would live or die. The noise of the destruction outside was deafening as the flood approached, and then the opening of the cavern went black and we were left in complete silence and darkness. We waited. In a few moments the light returned, but silence remained. After a few more moments our small group emerged from the rock’s cavern to see what had transpired with the world.

The scene of destruction was astounding. The entire landscape was transformed. It was destroyed. The wrecked train, the tracks, and the road had all been consumed. Everything appeared barren. Then suddenly new life began to spring forth in the widespread desolation. Barren trunks brought out new limbs, blossoms, and leaves. Flowers sprang from the earth. As we watched, the earth was quickly transformed, and in a short time the denuded desolation was full of life, beauty, and fertility, much greater than before the flood of fire had destroyed the landscape.

At this point the vision ended and I was given the interpretation: The train is the false religions of the world. The occupants of the small car are those who repent and accept baptism. The protective rock with the cavern is Christ” (RE T&C 172; emphasis added).

The size of the car is an indication of the number prepared to ascend the straight and narrow road. Who those individuals will be is directly related to the number of souls who find humility in the face of adversity. Humility combines with faith, hope and charity leading us to Christ, the “Source of all righteousness.”

[1] “Therefore your [Joseph’s] offspring will write, and Judah’s offspring will write [Bible]. The Lord says: The things your offspring write, and the things Judah’s offspring write, will grow together in order to expose false doctrines, settle disputes, and establish peace among your offspring and bring them, in the last days, to understanding their ancestors [Patriarchal Fathers] and comprehending My covenants. The Lord said: His [Joseph Smith’s] weakness will be made strong. My work will then [when Joseph Smith is made strong] begin among all My people. I’ll restore you, O house of Israel” (CofC 2 Nephi 2:4; emphasis added).

[2][2] “. . . Wherefore, I [Enoch] ask you if you will not come again on the earth. 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. 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. And righteousness [“power, ”see CofC 1 Nephi 3:28] will I send down out of Heaven. Truth [“word”, scripture, see T&C 82:18] will I send forth out of the earth to bear testimony of my 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 my own elect from the four quarters of the earth ]see T&C 74:8] unto a place which I shall prepare, a 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. And the Lord said unto Enoch, Then shall you and all your 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; and there shall be my 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 shall the earth rest” (RE Genesis 4:22; emphasis added).

[3] “But if the Gentiles repent and hearken to My words and don’t harden their hearts, I’ll establish My congregation among them. And they will enter the covenant and be included with the remnant of Jacob, to whom I’ve given this land as their inheritance. They [repentant Gentiles] will join with My people, the remnant of Jacob, and all those of the house of Israel who come, so they can build a city that will be called the New Jerusalem. Then they will join with My people who are scattered throughout the land so they can be brought in together to the New Jerusalem. Then the Powers of heaven [Patriarchal Fathers] will come down among them, and I [Christ] will be with them as well. Then the Father’s work will be underway, when this gospel is preached among the remnant of this people. Truly I say to you: At that time, the Father’s work will be taught among the scattered portion of My people, even the tribes that have been lost, whom the Father led away out of Jerusalem. The Father will work with My scattered people, to enable them to come to Me, so they can call on the Father in My name. Truly the work of the Father will be underway in all nations, clearing the way to let His people be gathered home to the land of their inheritance. [“. . . the consumption decreed hath made a full end to all nations. . .,” (RE T&C 85:3)] They will go out from all nations. And they won’t go hastily or at a run, because I will go in front of them, says the Father, and I will guard them from behind” (CofC 3 Nephi 10:1; emphasis added).

[4] “. . . Nevertheless, in your temporal things you shall be equal in all things, and this not grudgingly; otherwise, the abundance of the manifestations of the spirit shall be withheld” (RE T&C 61:4; emphasis added).

“. . . And thus we saw the glory of the Celestial, which excels in all things, where God, even the Father, reigns upon his throne for ever and ever; before whose throne all things bow in humble reverence, and give him glory for ever and ever. They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn, and they see as they are seen and know as they are known, having received of his fullness and of his grace, and he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion” (RE 69:25; emphasis added).

“For truly I say unto you, the time has come and is now at hand, and behold and lo, it must needs be that there be an organization of the literary and the mercantile establishments of my church, both in this place and in the land of Zion, for a permanent and everlasting establishment and firm unto my church, to advance the cause which you have espoused, to the salvation of man, and to the glory of your Father who is in Heaven, that you may be equal in the bonds of Heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of Heavenly things. For if you are not equal in earthly things, you cannot be equal in obtaining Heavenly things, for if you will that I give unto you a place in the Celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded and required of you” (RE T&C 70:2; emphasis added).

[5] “When it comes to asking the Lord about something on which His teachings are already clear, a person risks receiving permission to do what will ultimately instruct them by sad example that they ought to have followed His earlier teachings.  The best example of this is when Joseph requested he be allowed to let Martin Harris take the 116 pages and was told “no.”  He persisted, and despite having been told “no,” he asked again and was then told “yes.”  The “yes” was not because God had changed His mind, but because Joseph simply refused to learn by anything other than sad experience to respect God’s counsel.  (D&C 3; D&C 10: 1-30.)

 Therefore, when there is already an instruction on point from the Lord, and we ignore it, the answer we receive may be for our benefit.  We may need to learn by sad experience what we might have learned instead by precept and wisdom from the Lord.

It is this kind of experience men repeat by failing to follow God’s counsel.  Then, when they might have avoided the sting which follows, they choose instead to suffer.  Oftentimes they will blame the Lord for the hardships they brought upon themselves, when, if they had hearkened to the Lord’s counsel in the first place, they would never have had to suffer.

This is why it is so important to study the scriptures.  If the answer is in there (and almost everything IS in there) and we do not choose to find it, but to inquire for a new revelation instead, we oftentimes doom ourselves to a sad experience.  His counsel should be heeded.  When we don’t heed, and ask instead for new or different guidance, we may be given permission to do what He has already told us to avoid.  This is one of the great lessons from the lost 116 pages” (“Most answers are in the scriptures” blogpost, Denver Snuffer Jr., May 18, 2010; emphasis added).

[6] “At that time, to advance My cause, the Father will begin a work, which will be a great and awe-inspiring work among them [Gentiles]. There will be many who won’t believe it, although a man will tell it to them. But the ministry of My servant will be led by My hand; therefore they won’t be able to harm his work, although he’ll be opposed and discredited by them. Yet I’ll support him; I’ll show them My wisdom is greater than the accuser’s deceitful scheming. Therefore those [Gentiles] who won’t believe in My words, and I Am Jesus Christ, which the Father will give and empower that servant to set before the Gentiles, it will result exactly as Moses said: They will be cut off from My people who are part of the covenant. And then you [Lehi’s descendants], a remnant of the house of Jacob, will rise up from them. And you’ll be mixed in with them who will outnumber you. You’ll be among them like a lion among his prey in the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who moves unopposed to take down and tear to pieces [see “3 Nephi 21:12-14 “blogpost, Denver Snuffer Jr., July 16,2010]. Your hand will be against your opponents and all your enemies will be cut down. Yes, woe to the Gentiles unless they repent: For when that day comes, says the Father, I’ll take away your strength from you, and I’ll destroy your security. Your cities will fall and I’ll break open your guarded borders. Your sciences and learning will turn into foolishness, and your false beliefs will cause your failure. I’ll expose the fraud of those in authority, and your trusted institutions will lose everyone’s loyalty. False prophets and false ministers will be brought to shame and humiliation. All lying, deceiving, envying, strife, priestcraft, and whoredoms will come to an end. At that time, says the Father, I’ll cut down anyone who won’t repent and draw near to My Beloved Son to preserve My people, the house of Israel. I’ll take vengeance and unleash My fierce anger on all the unbelieving, beyond anything they expect” (CofC 3 Nephi 9:12; emphasis added).

[7] “If the Gentiles then obey the Lamb of God, He’ll reveal Himself to them in word and power and in person, in order to remove barriers to their belief, and if they don’t harden their hearts against the Lamb of God, they’ll be included with your father’s descendants — indeed, they’ll be included as part of the house of Israel. And they’ll become a blessed family in the promised land forever. They won’t be enslaved anymore, and the house of Israel won’t be embarrassed anymore. And the great pit dug for them by that utterly wicked church, which the accuser and his followers founded so that he could take people’s souls down to hell — that great pit dug for people’s destruction will be filled with those who dug it, to their complete destruction, says the Lamb of God — not the destruction of the soul, but throwing it into that endless hell. This is according to the accuser’s imprisonment, and according to God’s justice as well, upon all those who insist on doing wicked and corrupt things in God’s sight” (CofC 1 Nephi 3:25; emphasis added).

[8] “Question: What are we to understand by the little book which was eaten by John, as mentioned in the 10th chapter of Revelation [Rev. 3:13]?

Answer: We are to understand that it was a mission and an ordinance for him to gather the tribes of Israel. Behold, this is Elias who, as it is written, must come and restore all things” (RE T&C 74:14; emphasis added).

[9] “And I saw that God’s wrath was poured out upon that wealthy and utterly wicked church, so that wars and reports of wars arose among the nations and tribes of the earth. As these wars and reports of wars arose among the nations that followed the mother of abominations, the Angel told me: God’s wrath is upon the mother of harlots. You’re a witness to all these things [like those who are in the small car]. When the time comes that God’s anger is poured out upon the mother of harlots — the wealthy and utterly wicked church of the whole earth, whose foundation is the accuser — then as that happens it will be part of the Father’s work to vindicate the covenants He has made with His people who belong to the house of Israel” (CofC 1 Nephi 3:29; emphasis added).

[10] “I also looked around and saw on the other side of the river an impressive and large building. It stood like it was in the air, high above the earth [without foundation], and it was filled with people — old and young, male and female — and they wore expensive clothing. They appeared to mock and point their fingers at those who had come up and were eating the fruit. Those who had tasted the fruit were ashamed because of people scoffing at them, and they left, following forbidden paths and were lost.

Now I don’t write all my father’s words. But to summarize, he saw other crowds coming forward. People came, grasped the end of the iron railing, and moved forward, continually holding firmly to the iron railing until they arrived, sat down, and ate some of the fruit from the tree. He also saw other crowds of people moving toward that impressive and large building. And many drowned in the deep river, and many disappeared from his view, wandering on unfamiliar roads. A large number of people entered the large building. After they entered the building, they pointed at and made fun of me, and those who were also eating the fruit, but we didn’t pay attention to them. My father said the following: All those who paid attention to the insults fell away. And my father said that Laman and Lemuel didn’t eat any of the fruit” (CofC 1 Nephi 2:11-12; emphasis added).

[11] “And when we saw that it was the Lord we rejoiced and were filled with joy. I turned to my wife and said, Look, it is Christ! and she said, Yes, it is! And we were filled with joy and peace of mind, for the long awaited day of the Lord had come.

But others were filled with dread. They feared and lamented and wanted the mountains to cover them and hide them from His presence, for he was clothed in red and came in judgment. And Christian ministers knew they had taught falsely and that their faith could not save — and they begged for relief from the Saints.

This caused me to marvel at how this could be. It was given unto me to understand that without the ordinances of salvation through the authorized ministers of the gospel it was not possible for men to shed their sins. And they could not look upon a just and holy Being without being racked with torment and guilt for their sins. And they pled with the Saints to minister to them, but we could not, for we were constrained by the spirit and were forbidden to do so. For this was the day of judgment which the Lord had in His heart, and he was now come to preach His own sermon, clothed in red, and to deliver those who waited on Him and to convict and condemn those who had not” (CofC RE T&C 160:2-4; emphasis added).

[12] “And again, after the tribulation of those days which shall come upon Jerusalem, if any man shall say unto you, Look, here is Christ, or there — believe him not; 24for in those days there shall also arise false christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant. 25Behold, I speak these things unto you for the elect’s sake. And 6you also shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you be not troubled, for all I have told you must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 26Behold, I have told you before; wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert — go not forth; behold, he is in the secret chambers — believe it not; for as the light of the morning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west, and covers the whole earth, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be” (RE Matthew 11:6; emphasis added).

Scott Roderick

6/2/26

Simple Means Part 2.pdf

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