Transcription

1 019 Book of Mormon (from Philippines) 2 Nephi 1 by Mike Stroud (Transcribed by Carol Crisp) We're starting the 2nd Book of Nephi, chapter 1. I title this lesson "A Land of Liberty" and you can see in the chapter heading: Lehi prophesies of a land of liberty His seed will be scattered and smitten if they reject the Holy One of Israel He exhorts his sons to put on the armor of righteousness. About B.C. We want to start with verse 3. Verses 3-11 talk about America, the land of liberty. I think it's important that we'll see from this chapter and from other chapters that the promised land in the Book of Mormon, in the last days, is what we call today, the United States of America. In the millennium, all of N & S America will be the inheritance land for the seed of Joseph. So, what we call today as N, Central and S America, during the millennium, that land mass will be given as an inheritance to the descendants of Joseph. But, right now, prior to the millennium, this land of liberty, this promised land, there's just no other way to interpret it than calling it the USA. We'll see why, as we go into this chapter. Let's start in vs. 3: (Lehi is speaking.) And he also spake unto them concerning the land of promise, which they had obtained how merciful the Lord had been in warning us that we should flee out of the land of Jerusalem. (They are in the land of promise at this time.) 4 For, behold, said he, I have seen a vision, in which I know that Jerusalem is destroyed;(look at your date on the page: 588 B.C.-570 B.C. Historically, we find out that Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar's army came in and took Jerusalem at 586 B.C.) and had we remained in Jerusalem we should also have perished. 5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; (You're going to see that phrase used multiple times.) a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me (Lehi) should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord. Let's go to the Bible for a minute. Let me show you something that I hadn't thought of until just now. Lehi found out from the brass plates that he was a descendant of who? Joseph, then Manasseh. We find out from the BOM that Ishmael is a descendant of who? Joseph also, and Ephraim. So, what we have in these two families (Ishmael and Lehi) is a representation from both sons of Joseph. So, when he says, "the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord"; this goes back further than Lehi. Lehi is receiving a renewal of a covenant that was given to Joseph. Let's go to Genesis 49:22. We'll look at the ancient blessing given by Moses to Joseph. This 49th chapter of Genesis is a blessing for all the twelve tribes of Israel (Jacob). The two that we really pay attention to are: in verses 8-10 is Judah, and verses are the blessings on his 11th son, Joseph. In this particular blessing he doesn't break down the difference between Ephraim and Manasseh. It's just a blessing on Joseph. Let's see if we can pick up something from vs. 22, and remember, according to the BOM, part of the blessings of Joseph are to inherit a land of liberty, and a land of promise. 22. Joseph is a fruitful bough, (Whenever you talk about being fruitful, that should bring a word to mind from the temple ceremony. 'Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth'. That's what Adam was told. So, fruitful means many many children, a large posterity.) even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: (The branches running over the wall, and the well, talk about water source, and the wall is something that separates where Joseph was at this time that he received this blessing from his father, Jacob, and where he would be at some future day. That has reference of the seed of Joseph, at least partially, passing over the great oceans of the world, and being found in a promised land, that is separate from the land of their original inheritance where Jacob is given this blessing. Today, we would call that in and around the state of Israel, the middle east.) Let's go to vs. 26, and I just want to show you that what we're reading about in 2 Nephi 1, Lehi's blessings, have their origin in the blessing given by Jacob, way earlier. 26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: (That is a modern day reference to what we call the Rocky Mountains. The Rocky Mountains run from Canada, all the way down through S. America. The everlasting hills are some of the most ancient mountain chains in the world. They run right through the heart of the land of inheritance for the seed of Joseph. These blessings in vs. 26:) they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

2 Remember that Joseph was sold by his brothers, went into Egypt, and was separated for many years. So, Joseph really found out what his identity was and became a great prince in Egypt, where he blessed all of the house of Israel. This was all a result of being separated and sold by his brethren, because of envy and malice. So, this little blessing here, has a direct reference to what we're reading in 2 Nephi 1. Any questions? Basically, what is says is you're going to be separated from where you're at, you're going to pass over a large body of water that acts as a barrier, and we'll see that right here in that blessing that Lehi is given. You can see how that is a barrier. Nations were not allowed to mingle because of this wall of water, called an ocean. Student: A wall is also symbolic of the veil in the temple. So, crossing through the wilderness, and this wall that keeps out certain people, is just like the veil in the temple. You have to have certain qualifications in order to step through it. Mike: Let's go on over to 2 Nephi 1:6. 6 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord. How many people do we know, historically, that were brought to the land that we now call "America"? The Jaredites. Did the Jaredites make it without his help? No. The Mulekites. Student: The Mulekites made it, I assume, with his help. Mike: They would have never gotten there without the help. Student: Everyone that is there, because he says he's going to keep this place hidden, unless he "allows" people to go there. Mike: So, everyone that gets there has the Lord's help. Let's look at our progenitors. Who are our forefathers now? They go back to the Puritans and the English fathers who escaped England for religious freedom, and they were brought there. Student: In the beginning, everyone was brought there for "religious freedom". That's one of the reasons why this whole land exists. It exists for those who want to come out of the world, they come into the presence of God by worshipping correctly. 7 Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; (Notice the stipulation there. Whoever's here, in order for the land to be a land of liberty, they have to serve the God of the land. If they do that:) wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; (There is one of your first clues as to why we consider the U.S./America, as this land of liberty. We've had invaders come there, but they've never been able to occupy for very long. The longest one would be King George and the British, and they were run out. Since that time, the establishment of America through the Declaration of Independence, and in 1787, the Constitution, there have been no nations that have occupied and overthrown this country. The nations around us, to the North and to the South, have had kings and queens, and have been brought into captivity.) if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever. Student: It's interesting because we ourselves are kind of like invaders. The Lamanites fell into iniquity and we came and scourged them and pushed them around. We, then, inherited the land, and through righteousness, we kept it, and have been able to prevent invaders from taking over. Mike: Good insight. Let's go to Ether 2 for a minute. This is Moroni writing, and verses 7-12 are again a discourse by Moroni towards the end of the BOM. Even though it's in the Book of Ether, this is actually written after the Hill Cumorah episode. So, after all the Nephites are killed, what you're reading is the interpolations done while Moroni is the last surviving Nephite. This is probably when he was wandering around. He talks about the land of liberty. Then it's helpful to see what Lehi is talking about, because it's an extension. So, let's go to vs. 7, and look at these verses. 7 And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people. That could apply to Lehi and his people, but this, particularly, is applying to the Jaredites. In vs. 6 you'll see it: 6 And it came to pass that they did travel in the wilderness, and did build barges, in which they did cross many waters, being directed continually by the hand of the Lord.(But, even though it's talking about the Jaredites here, it can apply to us, it can apply to our forefathers, anyone who is brought here by the hand of the Lord. 8 And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his

3 wrath should come upon them. Put your finger here, and go back to 2 Nephi 1, in the middle of verse 7: And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever. (If we go back here and look at Moroni, it's exactly what he said in vs. 8. If we don't serve him, if the fulness of his wrath comes, it will result in that people being what he calls "swept off".) Ether 2:9. Here's an interesting statement. There are decrees made by God concerning this land. What's a decree? Student: It's a document saying, this is how it will be, this is the law. Mike: Who usually sends it out? Student: A person in authority. 9. And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. You notice that this is the fourth time in this 2nd chapter of Ether, that the Lord has referred to this land as the 'land of promise'. We're hearing that over and over. The other thing that we're hearing over and over is, 'if you don't serve him, you'll be swept off'. And, the other thing that we're hearing is, when the fulness of his wrath comes, and now in vs. 9, a new addition: when the fulness of his wrath comes, they are ripened in iniquity. You need to ask yourself what that means. Look at Ether 2:15 now, in the middle of the verse: for ye shall remember that my Spirit will not always strive with man; wherefore, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And these are my thoughts upon the land which I shall give you for your inheritance; for it shall be a land choice above all other lands. I look at the USA, and I read these verses, and I have some real anxiety for our country. The thing that causes us to lose this liberty and freedom, and bring these curses upon us is that we forsake and cease to serve the God of the land. I fear that we are doing that at a rate that has never been seen in the 200+ year history of our country. Student: In 4 verses, 8-11, the fulness of his wrath is talked about 5 times. This is not a casual "the fulness of his wrath". Mike: So, Moroni is really trying to get a message over to us, and this message is for us, here in the last days. Here we are in the Philippines and we're talking about the USA. So, if this happens in the USA, will it impact the Philippines? Big time. Anything that happens in the U.S. is going to impact the whole world, concerning the principles of individual freedom, use of agency, and liberty. It's going to impact us all. Ether 2:10. For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off. 11 And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, (You could just say, "This cometh to you, you Americans." Because the Gentiles of the latter-days are the citizens of the U.S., that he is talking to now. Why does he refer to the citizens of the U.S. as Gentiles? Because the majority of the Americans in the U.S. can trace their ancestry to the great Gentile nations of Europe. America is a nation that has descendents of the Gentile nations of Europe.) that ye may know the decrees of God that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done. Who is that? The Jaredites, Mulekites, Nephites. Everybody that has ever lived on this land have failed to learn this lesson. Let's skip on over to Mormon 9: for a moment. Student: Before we leave that, we keep seeing the words: "sweep off", "sweep off", etc. When you sweep something off, it's just all in one big swoop. When I sweep, it's not just one little crumb at a time. It's all done at once, quickly. So, I don't see this as a trickling little thing, happening a little bit at a time. I see one big "wipe-out". Mike: And, that's what's happening. That's what's coming, isn't it? We're going to see some more prophesies. Let's look at Mormon 9:31. These are Mormoni's last words that he has written in the B of M. He's 72 years old. Think about these warnings that we're getting here. Remember where he said, 'Don't be like the nations that have been here before'. Look what he says: 31 Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, (Watch!) that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.

4 The purpose of the Book of Mormon? Student: To teach us how to not make these same mistakes. Mike: I can't remember who said these words: 'Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.' I'm afraid that that's what's happening here. Student: Sister Stroud was talking about being 'swept off'. Brigham Young said that when they go back to Missouri, this land will have been swept so clean that there won't even be a yellow dog to wag his tail. Mike: That's a good tie-in. Let's go back to Ether 2 and finish up the last verse: 12 Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written. It seems like the powers of Hell and the powers of darkness understand these decrees and promises, and so, they are doing everything they can to remove Christ, and the Judeo-Christian foundation of America, to remove it as fast as they can. They understand that if we, as a nation, can legislate laws that remove Christ and Christian ideals and principles from American life, that this nation is doomed. So, what's the deal here? Is America going to fail? Is America going to die? Is America going to cease to be the great beacon of freedom and liberty that it has been for the last 250 years? Student: It will be swept clean of iniquity. It will get a house cleaning. For a period of time, it won't be completely wiped off, but it will be wiped clean of the iniquity, the bad people, and only the very elect will be remaining at the end. Mike: So, the cleansing of America. "Swept clean." Student: Go back to the prophesies of Joseph Smith where he talks about the Constitution hanging by a thread, and how the boys from the mountains will come down and save the country. Our own military forces are already going to be taxed and not many left. You can see all of that happening now. Our guys are being sent all over the world to defend countries. Also, you see more and more people going onto government subsistence, and running the economy into ruin. You see our Constitution being shredded with new laws and executive orders being written that are unconstitutional, and not for the good of the people. They are for the good of only a few. All those things we already see happening. And, I think also that you see China and Russia forming a bit of a bond. I see the North Pole opening up with all the natural resources underneath it and not utilizing it for our good. I really see we are getting ourselves primed for a huge bubble burst. Mike: I have some prophesies here that I want to read quickly to you. This is a prophesy of Joseph Smith, according to Orson Hyde. 'The time would come when the Constitution and the country would be in danger of an overthrow, and if the Constitution be saved at all, it would be by the elders of this church.' From the Journal of Discourses. Here's J.S. March 10, 1844: "Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is on the brink of ruin, this people (The LDS) will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they (LDS) shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction." David O. McKay: "Next to being one in worshipping God, there is nothing in this world upon which this Church should be more united than in upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States! If members of the Melchizedek Priesthood allow the U.S. Constitution to be destroyed, they not only forfeit their rights to the Priesthood, but to a place in this highest degree of glory as well." (How's that for a statement?) What's going to happen is, in our future, we're going to have an opportunity as priesthood bearers, and members of the Church, to move forward and support this heavenly document. Ezra Taft Benson: "The prophet Joseph Smith declared that it will be the elders of Israel who will step forward to help save the Constitution, not the Church." "Brethren, if we had done our homework and were faithful, we could step forward at this time and help save this country. The fact that most of us are unprepared to do it is an indictment we will have to bear. The longer we wait, the heavier the chains, the deeper the blood, the more the persecution, and the less we can carry out our God-given mandate and worldwide mission. The war in heaven is raging on the earth today. Are you being neutralized in the battle?" Boyd K. Packer in 2004: Will the Constitution be destroyed? No. I might ask, "Will the government of the United States be destroyed? Absolutely." It's been prophesied that the government that we have will be broken in pieces like a potter's vessel. But, the

5 Constitution, the heavenly banner, will not be. It will be held inviolate by this people. And, as Joseph Smith said, "The time will come when the destiny of this nation will hang upon a single thread. At this critical juncture, this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction. It will be so. Harold B. Lee: Latter-day Saints devoutly believe that if the Constitution shall be in danger of being overthrown, their lives, if need be, are to be offered in defense of its principles. Erastus Snow, 1885: "Well, we were told by the Prophet Joseph Smith, that the United States Government and people would come to this: that they would undermine one principle of the Constitution after another, until its whole fabric would be torn away, and that it would become the duty of the Latter-day Saints and those in sympathy with them to rescue it from destruction, and to maintain and sustain the principles of human freedom for which our fathers fought and bled. We look for these things to come in quick succession." We are here, now, right in the middle of it. Never before have we seen a leader of this country rip the Constitution to shreds like Obama does. Let's go back to 2 Nephi 1:8. And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance. That ties right into vs. 6 "that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord." Student: You see that in S. America. You have the Spanish swarming one side. You have the Portuguese swarming on the other side. (can't understand the rest). All that happening to other countries, but never the USA. 9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever. Great promise. I think we're forfeiting that. Let's go to 2 Nephi 1:10: But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them. Go back to vs. 9, and who is this talking about? This is a promise given by the Lord to those who will possess this land. In Lehi's day, it was his people, up until only the Lamanites were left. The Nephites fulfilled this promise. The Nephites were extincted because of these very warnings. Now, vs. 10 is also talking about us. It's coming up to us, and I want you to notice "if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them." That's us. Now look what happened in vs. 11 (It's a repeat: Yea, he will bring other nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten. That's the future of America. Isaiah talks about our land being invaded and occupied for a period of time, but not for very long. The LDS will also be caught up into that. If I read this right, and I take this verse 11, and I read Isaiah, that even in this land of promise, the people will lose some of their freedoms, some of their liberties for a while. They will feel the foot of the oppressor upon their neck. But, the Lord will deliver them because of what he calls in Isaiah "the anointing". That is temple covenants and promises. We're going to feel that. My personal opinion is that we will see the Russians attack the east coast of the U.S. and move west. We will see China and her allies invade the west coast and move east. They'll move from both directions until they hit the Rocky Mountains, and those mountains will stop them. It's not the mountain barrier itself which will stop them. They are a huge formidable barrier with canyons and things like that, but it will be the people that live in and around those states, and basically, the population of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is mostly in 11 states around the Rocky Mountains, and they will stop them. We have members and we have Stakes elsewhere throughout the U.S., but this area north and south, near the Rocky Mountains, contains the majority of our members in the USA. It's also interesting that Constitutionally, the Constitution vouchsafed to the American citizens the right to bear arms. In America, we have a constitutional right that says Americans can have guns. It's in the 2nd Amendment. We're the only country in the world that has that. Out of the 300,000,000 weapons that are

6 estimated to be in the U.S., in the hands of private citizens, the vast majority of them are located along the Rocky Mountain range/barrier! They're right there in that corridor. I don't think that is by chance. I think that when the invader comes to cleanse America, along with natural occurrences, I think it will be the boys from the mountains (i.e. those that are freedom lovers, and love traditional American values, priesthood bearers acting under the direction of the priesthood leaders, and using priesthood power) that will use their weapons, or they will put their weapons away and use priesthood power to stop this thing coming at us, at that point. It doesn't mean that the people here in the great Rocky Mountain area won't be affected. They will be. There will be plagues, natural catastrophes, and so on. That verse 11 is the invaders, and when we get into the Isaiah chapters, we'll see more and more about that. And, it'll identify who they are. Let's go on down in 2 Nephi 1:13. Lehi talks to his children, his sons. I call these verses 'the awake and arise' verses. I have cross-references to about 25 of them in my scriptures. 13 O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe. What are these awful chains? Let's go back to Ether again and find out what these awful chains are that have put us to sleep. Ether 8 is the great Moroni section on secret combinations. Ether 8:21. And they (Meaning the secret combinations.) have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking, (Meaning the Jaredites.) and also the destruction of the people of Nephi. So, these secret combinations that Moroni talks about in Ether 8, and we're not going into that in detail, have caused the destruction of two great civilizations, and they are the cause of America's problems today. Here's a warning in vs. 22: And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not. That little statement when it says 'these secret combinations spread over the nation', that means government control. So, when the combination is over the nation, that means that the government that controls that nation is now corrupt and is run by a secret combination. That's where we're at today. Skip to Ether 8:23: Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, (Here's the warning. Moronii is speaking to us again. You American citizens in 2012) it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you,(why? So that you can:) that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, (That means, don't let them take control of your country/government. I'm afraid we're too late there. So, it looks like the option right now is to just cleanse it.) which are built up to get power and gain and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, (You Gentiles.) yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be. Ether 8:24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up. See how that ties in with what Lehi is saying over in 2 Nephi 1:13. Lehi is speaking to his sons, but he's also speaking to us. "O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell,...by which ye are bound," Look what these chains do. What's the purpose of the chains of hell, which are secret combinations, "which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe." So, what do the chains do? They enslave you. Chains are the great physical symbol of slavery and the loss of liberty. You see how all this fits together? So, even though Lehi is speaking to his boys, he's also speaking to us. 14 Awake! and arise from the dust, (Let's look at that for a minute. That's talking about the natural man. The natural man comes from the dust. You need to put off that natural man. He's saying the same thing that King Benjamin later says, 'Put off the natural man and become a saint.') and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days and I go the way of all the earth. Isn't it interesting in the temple, the creation of Adam, 'we will cause a deep sleep to come upon this man whom we have formed. We will take a rib from his side and form a woman.' But, the question that comes up there first of all is, 'Is it good for him to be alone?'

7 'No, it's not good. We will do this.' And, as he goes to sleep, what's the first thing the Lord says? 'Adam, awake and arise.' That's symbolic of him coming out of a sleep, forgetting what he's known. Then, coming up and arising in knowledge and remembering who you are, magnifying your priesthood. 'Come up, put off that natural man.' 2 Nephi 1:15 But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love. Why do you think he puts v. 15 in there, after 2 verses of "wake up, wake up; shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound; come up out of the dust; free yourself from the sleep of hell"? Then, in v. 15, he gives an interesting verse which is the song of redeeming grace. Why is it given like that? Student: Basically, he's saying, "I've been there, done that. He, himself, redeemed my soul from hell." It means that he was already in the same situation, and he beheld the glory of the Lord. And he was encircled about with His love. So, he felt love. He came to a point where he knew that he had to 'come up' himself, out of chains. Mike: I like the last part of that, "I was encircled about eternally in the arms of his love." Safety. 16 And I desire that ye should remember to observe the statutes and the judgments of the Lord; behold, this hath been the anxiety of my soul from the beginning. (Any comments on this?) The arms of Jesus become a symbol of love and safety and rest and peace. All the good things there. I find it interesting that you're only encircled in the arms of Jesus after you're invited into an embrace. And, in the temple, the last thing you do at the veil, before you enter into the Celestial Kingdom, is an embrace. A symbol of the Atonement. 2 Nephi 1:21 And now that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might leave this world with gladness because of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity; Let's look at v. 13: "awake; awake". V. 14: "Awake! and arise". V. 21: "arise from the dust". V. 23: "Awake, my sons"; "Shake off the chains with which ye are bound ". What are the chains? Go back to v. 13: "a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell". Isn't that interesting? V. 23: "Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity,"; "arise from the dust". How many times have you heard 'awake and arise' here? 4-5 times? Notice that when you are asleep, not only are you unconscious, but really not aware what's going on around you, you are in a laid-down, horizontal position. In a battle, when a soldier is down, he's dead, or about to be dead. So, whenever we're told to "awake and put on the armor of God", a soldier, a warrior can only fight the battle as long as he's standing. If the soldier goes down, he's done. The soldier is dead, and you've just lost one of the number that you need to protect. So, when he says, "Awake, put on the armor of righteousness, shake off the chains of hell, and come out of obscurity", what do you think that means? What is he saying, "come out of obscurity"? How does that apply to us? Student: Well, you can be a wall-flower, blending into the background, and saying, "All is well in Zion, I'm just going to kick back and do what's good for me", or, you can go forth and be an instrument unto the Lord, help your fellow brothers and sisters, our Father in Heaven's other children, and stand up and do something. Mike: Very good. Let's go to D&C 1: 30. This is about the Lord talking about the coming forth of the Church. One of the words that's mentioned with obscurity helps us understand what obscurity means. And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and (What?) out of darkness, (So, whenever we use the word 'obscurity', the Lord also uses the word 'darkness'.) the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually So now, attach the word darkness every time you use the word obscurity. Let's go back and take a look at what he says in 2 Nephi 1:23: "come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust." Do what? Put off the natural man. So, we get these messages here. I think right now, politically, the Church is probably coming out of obscurity more than ever before in the history, with Mitt Romney running for President of the U.S. I suppose there's a chance he can get that. Can Mitt Romney, at this point, let's talk about this for a minute. Of course, we don't know, but we'll talk about it. If he wins the presidency, can he turn this around? Can we escape this power that sits at the seat of government, and turn around the direction that this country has gone, or are we destined for a cleansing? Student: Well, there's a couple answers to that. If the people who care stand up and support him, then maybe we have a

8 fighting chance. But, it depends on wholly entrenched the secret combinations are, if they are fully entrenched; and whether or not he'll be effective or not. In the Philippines you have President Aquino trying to do away with graft and corruption, and he's had very minimum success. Mike: And his father was assassinated? Wasn't he shot to death? So, could Mitt Romney turn this whole mess around, or are we still looking a cleansing? Student: I think we're so far down the tubes that we won't come out of it. The scriptures say that we can, but I don't think he can do it. The powers that be (the dark side) are going to be so much more in control and have more power than a president would have. But, after we go down the tubes, the Elders of Israel will rise up and save the land! Let's go to D&C 29:17. All of this depends on the majority, or what the BOM calls 'the voice of the American people', choosing righteousness. If the day comes where the majority or the voice of the people choose wickedness, then destruction is decreed, and it's going to come. 17 And it shall come to pass, because of the wickedness of the world, that I will take vengeance upon the wicked, (Watch! Notice it doesn't say 'I won't do this if they will repent'. It just says they won't.) for they will not repent; for the cup of mine indignation is full; for behold, my blood shall not cleanse them if they hear me not. But, in the middle of that verse, it says they won't. That's the only place I know of in the scriptures where it's an unconditional prophecy. Everywhere that I know of, the Lord says, 'If they will do this..., if they will do this...then... then...' Student: It's almost like, if you're riding a bike and you go over this hill, and all of a sudden, it's straight down. You're going so fast, and you get peddling faster and faster, that you can't stop. Even though you want to stop, you can't. You put on your brakes, but you can't push too hard or the bike might flip, and you're toast. So, we're to the point that the momentum is so fierce that we cannot stop. There's some that want to stop what's going on, but there's more that don't want to. They are in it so deep. Mike: And, I think that right now, just from some statistics that I read the other night, that 56% of all families in America are on one form or another of government aid. It's encouraged by Obama, as well. Let's go to Mosiah 29:25 and look at one more little puzzle piece, as we look at what's going on. This is where the Nephites changed from the rule of kings to a system of judges. 25 Therefore, choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord. The U.S. Constitution is based after this principle..."by the people, for the people..." But, the Constitution only works in a moral society. So, when the founders (James Madison, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, etc.) put together a system that works wonderfully when the population is moral. But, if the population loses it's moral foundations, then the Constitution can't work, because of this principle here: 26 Now it is not common that the voice of the people (The majority.) desireth anything contrary to that which is right; (If you have a moral society, you're always going to have dissidents, and opposing sides, but the majority will choose the right, if they have strong moral footings.) but it is common for the lesser part of the people (The minority.) to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law to do your business by the voice of the people. Your government needs to be as close to the people as possible. The rule is, the farther away from the people the government gets, the greater the loss of liberty, and the greater the corruption. It was intended that government could come down close to the people, and they could actually have a say in the direction of their leadership. Now, here's the warning: 27 And if the time comes that the voice of the people (The majority.) doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land. There's another puzzle piece. So, are we to the point now where the voice of the people, the majority, either do not participate in their franchise American citizenship at all, and about 1/2 the population won't vote, and is over half the population so enabled and so tied into the government, that beast, that 56% are on government subsidies, that they'll vote for evil? They'll lose their liberties, just to keep going? I'm afraid they will. The other element in this whole thing is that I don't think we can pull this out. Not, because of politics, but because of money. I think we're so far buried right now, that with 15 trillion in debt (and growing rapidly) in the U.S., there is no way out. I don't want to sound negative, but I believe the 'house is broke'. The system is bankrupt. We can only let this thing go down (we're in a flame-out), we can't pull it out. Look at 2 Nephi 1:24: Rebel no more against your brother, whose views have been glorious, and who hath kept the

9 commandments from the time that we left Jerusalem; and who hath been an instrument in the hands of God, in bringing us forth into the land of promise; for were it not for him, we must have perished with hunger in the wilderness; nevertheless, ye sought to take away his life; yea, and he hath suffered much sorrow because of you. Now, in the rest of this chapter, what he does is, he puts a blessing on Laman and Lemuel, on the children of Ishmael. Look at v. 30: And now, Zoram, I speak unto you: Behold, thou art the servant of Laban; nevertheless, thou hast been brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and I know that thou art a true friend unto my son, Nephi, forever. He puts a blessing on Zoram, the servant of Laban. And the Zoramites, interestingly enough, throughout most of the history, up until we get to Alma, the Zoramites are active members of the Church. It's about in Alma 32 that they start struggling, and then the Zoramites fall into apostasy. Then, their descendants become Lamanites. But Lehi had said to Zoram: I know that thou art a true friend unto my son, Nephi, forever. Let's look at the last 2 verses of 2 Nephi 1: 31 Wherefore, because thou hast been faithful thy seed shall be blessed with his seed, that they dwell in prosperity long upon the face of this land; and nothing, save it shall be iniquity among them, shall harm or disturb their prosperity upon the face of this land forever. 32 Wherefore, if ye shall keep the commandments of the Lord, the Lord hath consecrated this land for the security of thy seed with the seed of my son. Interesting thing. Over and over, it's a land " for the security". It's a land of safety. It's reserved. You never have to worry. It will be a blessed land... if you keep the commandments. I fear we've passed that point. I think it's our privilege to live in the day of cleansing. The broom is out! Student: There's a place in the BOM I remember, where the kings, or somebody, was trying to buy the votes of the people. I can't remember exactly where that is, but I think we're in a situation like that right now. That's what all these government hand-outs are all about.

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