Student: 2 Nephi 25:1 v. 2 2 Nephi 25: 3

Transcription

1 028 Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 7-8 by Mike Stroud (Transcribed by Carol Crisp) I'm going to start out with a little story. Did you hear about the young man who was going to battle in Viet Nam? He was a Marine and also LDS. Before he left, he went in to see his bishop, who gave him a little military edition of the BOM. After he left, he took this little book to a book-binder to get a better cover for it. He told the binder, "I want you to take this little BOM and put a binding on it, and I want you to put armor plated steel on both sides of the book". The book-binder asked why he wanted to do something like that. The young man said he was going into battle and wanted to be able to put that armor plated book in his fatigue pocket over his heart, so it would protect him in case a bullet came his way. The book-binder told him it wouldn't help him because they make armor piercing bullets now, that go through steel. The young man said, "Not to worry. Nobody gets past 2 Nephi."!! The reason for this story is concerning these very books we're studying here. For years, people have read up to 2 Nephi 4-5, and then they get into the books of Isaiah, and they either stop, and get discouraged, and go back and start over. So, many members have read 1 Nephi, and the first 5 chapters of 2 Nephi many times, and they don't know that there's anything after that, OR more likely, what they do is to skip beyond all the Isaiah passages, and they'll jump over to get to the next part. Now, Isaiah lived between 790 and 715 B.C. So, his ministry covered 70+ years. He was a prophet to several of the kings in ancient Israel. So, because of the Lehi expedition to get the brass plates, they probably have all the writings of the prophet Isaiah, covering his whole ministry, and perhaps some that we don't have. They may be on the brass plates, but not on the original Bible manuscripts. When they found the dead sea scrolls, they were amazed to find, among all the scrolls, the complete Book of Isaiah. It becomes the oldest written copy of Isaiah that we have, because they are not the originals. Interestingly enough, it reads pretty much the way it does today. When the prophet Joseph Smith went through and made corrections to the Bible, in his J.S. Translation, not much was changed in the Book of Isaiah. If you compare the brass plate records to the record in the stick of Judah, it's pretty much the same. So, out of all of the books of scripture, Isaiah looks to be the least altered of all of them. Why do you think that is? Student: You have to understand something to change it. They probably couldn't understand it enough to change anything. Mike: So, Isaiah is what I like to call a "coded book". You have to break the code. Let's go to 2 Nephi 25:1, and look at some of the ingredients of the "coded" messages of Isaiah. "1 Now I, Nephi, do speak somewhat concerning the words which I have written, which have been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah. For behold, Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand;" This isn't a modern phenomenon, of not understanding the words of Isaiah. So, even among the contemporaries of Isaiah, people had a difficult time with his writings. Here's your first key to decode the Book of Isaiah: "for they know not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews." Just, kind of, tuck that away, as item #1, as to why it's so hard to understand. The Jews and their prophets, especially at the time of Isaiah, had a way of prophesying that was different than anybody else. The Books of Ezekiel, Daniel, all the others, they read differently. They're also difficult to understand, but not like Isaiah. Now, lets look at v. 2: 2 For I, Nephi, have not taught them (my people) many things concerning the manner of the Jews; (The one up above is called the manner of prophesying, and this one is called the manner of the Jews. And, here is why he doesn't teach his people about them:) for their works were works of darkness, and their doings were doings of abominations. So, he doesn't take the culture, and some of the secret things that existed among the Jews when they left Jerusalem, and teach them to his people. 2 Nephi 25: 3 Wherefore, I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive hereafter these things which I write, that they may know the judgments of God, (There's another key to understanding. Why is he writing Isaiah's prophesies to us, because Isaiah speaks heavily about the judgments of God among the ancient people, and here's one of the keys to understanding Isaiah: he has a dualistic nature in his prophesies. It's totally unique to him. That means, if he's living in 750 B.C., and he's speaking about a nation called the Assyrians, and he's talking to his people about what's going to happen to this nation that exists next to them, and prophesies concerning the immediate future, his prophesies that are now 2000 years old, have exact application to almost exact events to the same nations, with different names, in our day. These prophesies are timeless, and they are duel nature, so they take care of the people in his time, but Isaiah is a prophet of the latter-days, so the Lord is engineering and customizing these prophesies in such a way, that will benefit the people in Isaiah's day, but also warn us of the exact enemy, the exact problems, and with maybe different names. The Assyrians then and now found in the nations of Iraq and Iran. So, think about what's going on right now in 2012, and you say, "Is Isaiah talking about something that's going to repeat itself, in our day, exactly as it did anciently? YES!

2 Nephi understand this, and this is why he's recording these prophesies in the BOM. Nephi's not recording Daniel, or Ezekiel, and not much of Moses. But, with Isaiah, he's hitting it hard, and inspired to do so because of what Isaiah sees in his day is exactly being fulfilled in our day.) 2 Nephi 25:4 Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of the house of Israel, and give ear unto my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, (Here's your next key:) nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy. But I give unto you a prophecy, according to the spirit which is in me; wherefore I shall prophesy according to the plainness which hath been with me from the time that I came out from Jerusalem with my father; for behold, my soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may learn. There's a key to understanding Isaiah (you need to be filled with the spirit of prophecy). Over in Revelations 19:10 (And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.) John the Revelator tells us what the spirit of prophecy is: It's the testimony of Jesus Christ. So, if you've been given a testimony by the Holy Ghost, and you're walking in that testimony, and you have the companionship of the H.G., that H.G. will teach you what this is all about. If you don't have the spirit of prophecy, Isaiah remains a closed book. 2 Nephi 25:5 "Yea, and my soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah," (When you read that as a member of the Church, and you decide to skip over these passages, you should do so with a guilty conscience. Because, if Nephi rejoiced and delighted in these words, and we choose to skip over them because they're hard for us to understand, it's because we haven't applied the keys, and you haven't paid the price to have the spirit of prophecy with you, nor learn what the manner of prophesying among the Jews is. Therefore, Isaiah's message has no benefit to you, and it may well be that in a future day, you'll rue that, you'll regret having skipped over this. I know that for me, Isaiah answers many things. I can tell what's coming in a future day, right down to the people, the timing, and what's going to happen, because of the words of Isaiah, as we'll see, because we're going to go through them.) "...for I came out from Jerusalem, and mine eyes hath beheld the things of the Jews, and I know that the Jews do understand the things of the prophets, and there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews." Part of that 'manner of the Jews and their prophesying', what we just talked about, are dualistic prophesies. 6 But behold, I, Nephi, have not taught my children after the manner of the Jews; (We talked about that.) but behold, I, of myself, have dwelt at Jerusalem, wherefore I know concerning the regions round about; and I have made mention unto my children concerning the judgments of God, which hath come to pass among the Jews, unto my children, according to all that which Isaiah hath spoken, and I do not write them. 7 "But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my plainness;" So, what Nephi is doing is, before and after he quotes the Isaiah prophecies, he provides an introduction to the chapter before, and a commentary to the chapter after. So, another key to understanding the Book of Isaiah, in the BOM especially, is to look at the chapter just before he quotes those verses, and then look at the chapter just after he quotes those, and you'll find out what he's talking about. "in the which I know that no man can err; nevertheless, in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass." Why, because they'll be in your face! They will be in all the news. It will be the conversation topic among all people globally. If you've read about these things, and you now see these things happening in the news, you'll put 2+2 together and say, "There it is. I know who the Assyrian is in the last days. I know where he's coming from. I know why he's doing what he's doing. I know what he's going to do, and I know what the Lord's going to do to counter the attack, because he did the same thing in Isaiah's day." 8 Wherefore, they (Meaning the words of Isaiah.) are of worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly, and confine the words unto mine own people; (This part right here:) for I know that they (The words of Isaiah.) shall be of great worth unto them in the last days (that's us); for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their (Us.) good have I written them. So, all of these Isaiah prophecies that we're going through, and we're really going to start with chapter 6 today, and there's a good dozen of these chapters, that are right off the brass plates. Let's go to 2 Nephi 7 now. From the heading: "Isaiah speaks messianically". Messianically means that what he's going to talk about here, he's going to refer to the Messiah. " The Messiah will have the tongue of the

3 learned He will give His back to the smiters He will not be confounded " That is the message for ch. 7, and it's a short chapter of 11 verses. 1 Yea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother s divorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away. This prophecy was given between 750 and 715 B.C. The northern tribes of Israel (remember that the tribes are divided into 2 sections: the North was the 10 tribes, called the Kingdom of Israel (and Joseph was one of those) and the South was Judah, called the Kingdom of Judah. The first one to go was the Kingdom of Israel, and they were carried away into Assyrian captivity in 721 B.C. He's already speaking as though this has happened. So, he saying, "Who sold you? Where did you go? What happened? Why has this happened to you?" He's also speaking to the Jews about their captivity and destruction, which doesn't take place until 586 B.C. It's still 200 years away, and yet, he's speaking to them as though it's already happened! (Because it will.) All through their history, they're warned, "If you forsake the Lord and the covenants you make with him, this will be your fate. You'll lose your national homeland, you'll lose your identity, many of you will die in war, and the rest will be sold and carried away into captivity. So, when he says, at the bottom of v. 1, " for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves", he's telling them that they're blaming everyone else, but it's your own fault. If you had kept my commandments, you could have dwelt safely in the land of your inheritance. It's the same thing to us. What does Lehi say? "Inasmuch as you keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land, and inasmuch as you do not keep my commandments, you shall be cut off from before my face." It's the ancient promise of God to his children. Look what else it says: "Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother (The house of Israel in her apostate and scattered condition) put away." At this time when he's talking, the house of Israel is scattered and smitten, and after the Babylonian captivity, and then down, eventually, after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., from that point on, for the next 2000 years, the house of Israel has no identity. They are literally lost, led away, and scattered among every nation of the world. This scattering begins in 721 B.C. and goes all the way up to May, That's the scattering of Israel, and that's what Isaiah is talking about. "...have I cast you off forever?" 'Where is your mother?' If you have no identity, and you're an orphan, whose fault is it? You're blaming everybody, but it's you that caused this. Any questions? Student: I like this verse, but when it says, "to which of my creditors have I sold you?", who would be the creditor of Christ? Who would that be, except for maybe "Justice", for justice sake. How about that? Mike: Think about it. That's a good one to ponder. What does he mean by that? Usually creditors are used when there is no cash available, things are down, and you can buy things on credit with a promise to pay later. What you are doing right there is, you are looking into the "manner of prophesying among the Jews". You're looking at that and asking the question, "What does that mean, creditor?" So, you start to break down words and phrases and you start to understand historical implications. "What was happening at the time that this was given?" Who are the people mentioned in the verses? And, you've got to do all of that to have Isaiah wake up and come alive. If you don't do that...isaiah even names his children weird names, strange names like Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz! You wonder why he would name his child that awful name?!! When you look and find out what the meaning is, you find out it has to do with "cut-off, dispersed, losing your national homeland, and become a spiritual orphan". So, even names of children based on what's happening around him, or is about to happen, are based on what's about to happen. Student: If you look in v.1 under "creditors", there's a reference to Matthew 18:25: "25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made." Mike: Oh! That's good. Another key to understanding Isaiah is to use all your references at the bottom of the pages. 2 Nephi 7:2 Wherefore, when I came, there was no man; when I called, yea, there was none to answer. O house of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make their rivers a wilderness and their fish to stink because the waters are dried up, and they die because of thirst. So, here you have the house of Israel that's in a state of apostasy, and where's the Lord? Did he go off into a corner of the universe and hide? No, he stands there and he calls to them. He has an out-stretched arm. 'Look, you're in trouble, you're being killed, you're being abused, you're being raped and beaten and robbed, and I can help you, if you will come to me. Come to me.' But, he says, 'I called and there was none to answer.' That's a basic rejection of Christ and his power to do what? Deliver you. The way they rejected him was to kill the prophets. Do you know how Isaiah was killed? He was cut in half with a saw! He was sawn in half alive! I would say that that is a basic rejection. 'I called you and no one answered. I send my prophets and you kill them'. Then, he reasons and he says, 'Look, I have power to move the

4 elements. At my word, this happens... and yet, I can't help you because you reject me;' "is my hand shortened?" Look at the Atonement symbol. 'Is my hand shortened at all, that I cannot redeem, or that I have no power to deliver?' There's 2 words there: redeem and deliver. Redeem means to buy back something that you previously owned, but have lost, and now costs you a price to get it back. We've talked about redemption. Deliver is a great term: "deliver me from evil." Moses was called the 'great deliverer', and Christ is also a deliverer. So, it's a great Atonement term. 3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering. That's another reference to the power he has. I command the elements and they obey, but I command you, and you do what? Disobey. So, everything obeys God but his children. He laments that at times. 2 Nephi 7:4 "The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season unto thee, O house of Israel. When ye are weary he waketh morning by morning...". Who are we talking about here? 5 The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. Who is talking here? It says: "The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned". Who is the Lord God, and who is the me? Student: Maybe the Lord God is the Father, and the learned is his Son. Mike: That's what I put down. It has two meanings now, it can go two ways, and it fits. The other way is, the Lord God is Christ who has given me (Isaiah) the tongue of the learned. Both of these will fit, because all of the prophets are Christ symbols. You see in the life of all of the prophets, including President Monson, you see the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. 4..."He waketh mine ear to hear as the learned. 5 The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back." So, when it says, "He waketh mine ear", that can be Isaiah or us, either one. Student: Maybe it's meant to be Isaiah historically, and in the future, us, because all of his prophecies are dual timing. Mike: I like that. I like also, in the temple, where it talks about the ear. There's a place where your ears are blessed, and it says, 'you may hear the word of the Lord'. If you look at that scripture, you can see "God hath opened mine ear", for what purpose? To hear the word of the Lord who stands with open arms and says, 'I can deliver you'. And, the greatest burden of all is not physical slavery, even though that is what they will struggle with. The greatest burden of all is to be delivered from your own sins, and your own natural man. 6 I gave my back to the smiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting. This is one verse where you can apply...go back to v. 4 where it says, "He waketh mine ear to hear as the learned", and you go on down, and the person in v. 6 is obviously the Messiah. It's the same person speaking in v. 6, that has reference to in v So, you can easily apply that, but it can have application down to our day. Now, this is talking about the time when he was abused, arrested, and taken before the Sanhedrin, Herod, Caiaphas, Annas, and later on taken to Pontius Pilate. Then, he was taken back again to the leaders of the Jews. This is what they did. This is a prophecy that is 700+ years in advance. "I gave my back to the smitter." (He willingly gave his back to the smitter. That would be a good tie-in with 1 Nephi 19:9 where it says, "wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it". He could have escaped at any time, so that shows voluntary submission.) What happened there, that his back was smitten? He was scourged! "...my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair." One of the things that was done to Christ, when they were abusing him, was to pull the hair right out of his face. "I hid not my face from shame and spitting. That certainly happened, didn't it? So, here is a prophecy 700+ years in advance, on some of the indignities and tortures that Christ would suffer. 2 Nephi 7:7 For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. If we're looking Messianically, "the Lord God will help me", we would be speaking about the Father, wouldn't it? And the Father was with the Savior at all times until that one moment on the cross. Here's the Savior speaking: 7 "... I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." What do you think he's talking about? Let's talk about flint. I know a little about flint. Student: Well, you can make fire with it, and that could be one, but the other one is, I think, is that it is a very hard substance. Mike: Very hard. And, the word that we could use about that "hardness", that quality of flint, and putting it into human emotions, would be "strict". And, did he ever step to the right or to the left of his father's will? He never did. Remember the scripture in John 6:38: For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. That's why he came, and did he ever vary from that? No. So, he was strict in obedience and complete in submission: "I

5 set my face like a flint". 2 Nephi 7:8 And the Lord is near, and he justifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near me, and I will smite him with the strength of my mouth. What do you think that is? Let's talk about that. "The Lord is near, and he justifieth me". If we continue on with the same thing, the Lord, in v. 8, could be, and not exclusively, referred to as the Father, who justifies the Son. And, what does it mean to be justified? Student: I always struggle with that a little bit. It's what comes after your heart has been changed, purified, sanctified, and then everything has been ratified by the Holy Ghost, for everything that happened before that: your baptism, all your covenants will be ratified, justified. Mike: Very good. The way I learned this is, I look at that justified, and I see the word "justice" in there. All of us, because of our fallen natures and our disobedience and sin, owe a debt to the law of justice. If we have that debt paid, answered, or alleviated, we become justified. In other words, justice has no claim on us at that point. So, through the gospel, if you come to a point where your sins are forgiven, you have a remission of sins, and you were to die at that point, in that state of remission, the laws of divine justice can have no claims on you. In other words, you would be held innocent and guiltless, and that law could have no claim on you. In other words, mercy claims you, and justice is satisfied. Well, Christ is not a sinner. So, in that way, it really doesn't apply to him. But, he does come to answer the demands of justice for all of us. So, through the Atonement, justification through Christ applies to all of us, but not to him. He's the only sinless man that was free from the demands of justice, and it could have no claim on him. But, like Paul says, 'he became sin for us'. So, the law of justice now claims Christ because of his voluntarily offering himself as a sacrifice for all mankind. So, he steps in now, and because of his sacrifice, all of us, through that, become justified. 9 For the Lord God will help me. And all they who shall condemn me, behold, all they shall wax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up. I think we can see that everyone who fights against Christ and the gospel, someday are just going to fade away into ignominity. Instead of a destiny, they become ciphers in eternity because of what they could do. They fought against him, and as a result, it says "they shall wax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up". In other words, they lose their destiny. History has nothing to say about them. Student: I'm just taking a look at that again. 'wax old as a garment and the moth shall eat them up'...the scriptures talk about moths eating up garments in other places too. It talks about where your treasures are, rust, and moths, I think on the Sermon on the Mount. Mike: Hiding up your treasures, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt... or moth eats... Student: So, you can either turn to the natural man or you can turn to Christ. Student: I see the moth as a nothing...just a little bitty thing. So, really, the tiniest things are going to take you down and destroy you. Not necessarily the big things, but just these little things, if you're not strictly obedient, can bring you down. So, without the Lord, you're nothing. Student: A lion devours you right away, but this little 'moth' slowly degrades you and can take you down. Mike: The Spirit of Revelation is flowing in here, giving us ideas on this subject! Verses 10 and 11 are two of my favorite ones: 10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? What's he saying there? What does it mean to 'fear the Lord'? Should we fear the Lord? Student: It's being reverent or respectful towards the Lord. Mike: That's exactly right. So, what's he saying in v. 10? A good word to replace 'fear' is 'reverence'. Student: It's an interesting question because he says 'who among you feareth the Lord, obeys the voice of his servant, will be obedient to everything he says, but still, you're walking in darkness, and you have no light. Mike: This is Isaiah speaking now. These are metaphorical type things, so what's he saying? Put it into words that we can understand, that we would use in our day. Student: I'd have to read the next verse to see where he's going with this. Mike: Let's read the next verse, then we'll take them together. 11 Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand ye shall lie down in sorrow. Mike: Those are two great verses! Student: It seems like the key there is that he's saying, 'You're just doing your own thing there. You don't even address me. You say that you fear the Lord, but you're not really doing it with your heart.'

6 Mike: Is there a promise from the Lord anywhere there, in v ? We find a principle there, which is a statement of truth to help us make correct decisions, which is always tied to a promise. What's the promise? Student: From v.10, if you respect the Lord, follow what his apostles and prophets say, then you're going to have the spirit of revelation, the light of Christ to direct you, and it will bring more light until you have... Mike: Exactly, that's what he's saying. You can't respect the Lord, reverence his word, and walk in the dark. You can't do it. It's impossible. Then, what does he say in v. 11? The follow-up is what? Student: The follow-up is that people who trust in the strength of their own arms, instead of the Lord... in today's application you could say that those who depend on what NASA has discovered, what kind of things we understand from our classrooms, in other words, the understanding of men rather than the understanding of God. Mike: Beautiful interpretations. And the result of walking after the light of your own fire is what, in v. 11? Student: 'ye shall lie down in sorrow'. Mike: Meaning you'll die in your own sins. Let's go to 2 Nephi 8. Look in your chapter heading for the key that we're looking for. When does chapter 8 take place? Student: The last days. Mike: Okay, now it's a heads-up. How do we know it's the last days? Whenever you read in Isaiah, he uses certain words that will take you into the last days period. Sometimes he'll come right out and say, "In the latter-days", which is easy to identify. More often it will be something like: "It will come to pass at that time". Or, "It will come to pass at that day". Whenever you read Isaiah, and you hear him say that, you should automatically know he is talking about the latter-days. Look for the key words he uses, that will jump over, 2700 years, and bring you down into the latter-day period. Look at the heading: Jacob continues reading from Isaiah: In the last days, the Lord will comfort Zion (Where is Zion? It's the New Jerusalem.) and gather Israel (That could speak to the whole house of Israel, or could also have reference to the Jews.) The redeemed will come to Zion amid great joy Compare Isaiah 51 and 52:1 2. About B.C. 1 Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness. Look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged. This is pure Isaiah! Student: " the rock from whence ye are hewn", isn't that making a likeness to the Savior? Mike: Exactly, so you go over to Helaman 5:12 and it says, "my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation". You're built upon the rock of Christ, your Redeemer. He's talking about two things. 1) If you are hewn from the rock, and the rock is Christ, that means you've become a child of Christ, through a spiritual rebirth, because you're hewn. You're taken from that stone. You're a part of that stone. 2) The other one is: the hole of the pit from which you're digged. So, something coming from a stone, something coming out from a hole from which you're digged, your key is in the beginning of v Look unto Abraham, your father, (So, right there, Isaiah answers what you're talking about. He's talking about those people in v. 1, in the latter-days, that are the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, on down to the house of Israel, the covenant people in the latter-days.) and unto Sarah, she that bare you; for I called him alone, and blessed him. So, the rock from which you're hewn, and the hole of the pit from which you're digged, has reference to your patriarchal ancestry, and also being born of Christ and becoming his son or his daughter. Look back at your heading again. It says, "In the last days, the Lord will comfort Zion and gather Israel-- (watch:) The redeemed". So, v. 1 is kicking right off, when you're talking about those who are redeemed. How do we know? V.1: "ye that follow after righteousness". That already cleared a whole bunch of people out of the way. That cleared the majority of the earth's population out of the way. We're now talking about a select group of people right here, that love righteousness, that are the spiritual sons and daughters of Christ through the rebirth, and that are descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and are heirs to the promises made to the fathers. That's all in v See how you can get that? Can we get any of that without the D&C and the BOM? Can we get any of that without modern prophets and revelation? We can't get any of that. So, to a person that doesn't have what we have, Isaiah remains a closed book. 3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Isaiah is really good at dividing the whole earth into two general categories. He divides them into two world centers during the Millennium. One is Jackson Co, MO. (Zion, the New Jerusalem) and the other one is Israel, the old

7 Jerusalem. Those are the two world-governing places. Right now in v. 3 he's talking about "cleansed and prepared America". V. 3 is not Israel. He's talking about Eden, and the ancient garden of Eden, was Jackson Co., MO. So, that reference right there tells you it is America. Look at what's happening. He's going to comfort the people of Zion. Then, he refers to her wilderness and her deserts, etc. What's happened? He's saying that the wilderness will become like Eden, and the desert like the garden of the Lord. But, something has happened, before they are restored to that, that causes Zion to mourn, and to be in travail. Let's go back to the Articles of Faith and look at #10. To help you understand Isaiah, Article of Faith 10 really helps out. 10. "We believe in the literal gathering of Israel" Let's stop right there. The word literal means the opposite of symbolic. A lot of people who read Isaiah, when it talks about the scattering and gathering of Israel, they don't think it actually, historically took place. They think it's a spiritual thing, especially the 'gathering' part. Historically, we can see that they lost their homelands and were assimilated into foreign countries and lost their identity. But, the restoration, the gathering of Israel, is not something the Christian world even talks about. They don't have any idea what that is. The historical fact that they call the "diaspora", that they were scattered, dispersed is there, but they don't understand that. From this A of F, we know this gathering is a literal thing, meaning that people from dispersed, scattered, lost and fallen conditions, are going to be brought home. "and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes;" So, in those two things, the literal gathering of Israel, and the restoration of the Ten Tribes, you have all of the covenant people of the house of Israel, in every nation, that are gather to where? What did Joseph Smith say the purpose of the gathering is? To bring them to the temple. And now, as Sis. Stroud told me, 90% of the membership of the Church live within 4 hours of a temple. So, as Israel is being gathered, what is the LDS Church doing to fulfill the purpose of the gathering? We're building temples, so that all the members of the Church can get to a temple before the Second Coming. "that Zion (the New Jerusalem)" Now, that's a huge thing, because Isaiah talks about Zion all the time. There, right in your A of F, defines what you are to understand by it. "will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory." There is several hours of doctrinal study in the 10th A of F. Let's go back to Chapter 8. What's going to happen in America that will turn her wilderness and her desert places into garden of Eden places? CLEANSING! America has to be cleansed. America is the seat of a giant secret combination that seeks to enslave the whole world. The cleansing is coming! The other side of that is, it's going to be beautiful. Look: " Joy and gladness shall be found therein". Look at the first part of Isaiah, so typical of him: "the Lord shall comfort Zion". You comfort people when they're in turmoil, or mourning, or when they're sad. And, at that same verse, he says, "Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody." That will replace the comforting the Lord shall give. He's talking about significance cleansing events in America. Student: V. 3 also reminds me of when the pioneers first came to Utah valley. It wasn't much to look at, and they did turn it into a 'garden unto the Lord' and they did have 'joy and gladness', and they do have lots of general conferences. I remember it as being a very happy place. Student: And to me, "the voice of melody" is not necessarily people singing, but they're in harmony with the Lord. Go to: 2 Nephi 8:4. The Lord talks about a law, and he's speaking of Zion. 4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation; for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light for the people. Look at 2 Nephi 12:3. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Now, look at v. 2 here in Nephi 12: 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, (There's an example where he just spells it out.) when the mountain of the Lord s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. He's talking about temples in the last days. He's speaking about a specific temple in the last days: Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; (This has reference to the SLC Temple.) and he (God) will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; (That's your initiatory, your endowment, your sealings, your covenants; all of those blessings of the temple. Watch:) for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and

8 the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Now, go back and look at v. 4: "for a law shall proceed from me" (and we're talking about Zion, right?) "I will make my judgment to rest for a light for the people." What is the law the Lord is talking about, that will go forth out of Zion? Let's go to D&C 98:4 and find out what this law is. There are two kinds of law on the earth. This is something more would understand, especially when it comes to voting. There is something called 'the law of man', and the other is called 'Constitutional law'. Think about the law during the Millennium that will come forth out of Zion. 4 And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them. Keep your finger here and go to Article of Faith again. I want to show you something that's really interesting. This is something that's quoted all the time in the Church, and we need to be more alert to it. Look at A of F #12: We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. What law? All laws? Any law that happens to be a law in place in a fallen society, are we obligated to obey and sustain that law? Most Mormons will tell you "Yes", until you say, "Roe vs. Wade, federal law, that authorizes aborting and murdering children? We're supposed to obey that law?" They say, "Oh well, that's different." Okay, there is some differences. Let's see what Section 98 says about that. Student: If you go to D&C 58:21, it says, "21 Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land." Mike: Interesting. Let's go on and see what happens here. D&C 98:4: And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them. 5 And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me. So, here's the Lords definition where he says 'I want you to be obedient to the laws of the land as long as they are constitutional' and defined as, "supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me." D&C 98:6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land; 7 And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this (Meaning constitutional law), cometh of evil. So, there are two laws: one is the 'constitutional law of the land', the other is 'laws of man'. So, if it's what the Lord calls the law of the land, it's evil. 8 I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free. (What law? Only constitutional law. ) 9 Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.(so, we've got wicked people that in control right now. What are they doing to the Constitution? Shredding it. What's happening to the population? We're in trouble! We've forsaken that law of Zion, that heavenly banner. ) 10 Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil. Now we know what kind of law should be sustained to support the principles of freedom and rights and privileges of mankind. Our Founding Fathers had done that. That great constitutional government, that doctrine, has been exported and implemented in all of the free societies and nations of the world, including right here in the Philippines. The Philippine Constitution is based on the U.S. Constitution. We came in here and kicked the Japanese out of here, and in Japan, what did they do? They established principles based on the American Constitution. Student: Actually, in 1935 they established something called the "Commonwealth Constitution" which was made by the Americans who were here at the time. Mike: So, now let's go back to Isaiah (2 Nephi 8:4): "...for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light for the people." In the Millennium, after the establishment of Zion, constitutional law will be the established political ruling law of the Zion society. So, this is where Joseph Smith comes up and says that 'the Constitution will hang by a thread'. It is, but we'll be saved from destruction by the Elders of this church. Let me read to you a couple of comments on that law. Here's what the prophet Joseph Smith said on March 10, 1844, "Even this nation will be on the verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people (The LDS) will be

9 the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction. That's the law that will be in place at the establishment of Zion. It will be threatened, we'll have to have a cleansing period, we'll have to wipe out the government of the U.S. And, Wilford Woodruff said, "The American nation will be broken in pieces like a potter s vessel". Then, out of that, will come forth constitutional principles, all the beauty of Zion, etc... Let's go on to 2 Nephi 8:5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arm shall judge the people. The isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust. That's an interesting principle of 'my righteousness'. There are two kinds of righteousness. Did you know that? One kind of righteousness you need to repent of. It's called 'man's righteousness vs. God's righteousness '. Man's righteousness is good, because the word righteous comes from the word 'right'. But, the righteousness of man is something that they do without giving credit to God. In other words, they don't acknowledge His power, His grace, or His strength. It's good things they do, we're not talking about doing bad things. They just don't give Christ the credit for it. Student: It was Satan's plan. He was going to be 'the Savior', but he wanted the credit. So, it was doing something good, but he wanted the credit for himself. Mike: Good point. Student: Self righteousness is kind of like if you don't give God credit for it, then you don't receive constant revelation, and update your righteousness. You continuously apply through your own eyes how you see the world, including all your little 'pet sins' that you keep to yourself. So, something is really terrible to you??? (can't hear) Mike: Good stuff. 2 Nephi 8:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner. (That is talking about the destruction of the telestial world at the Second Coming.) But my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. We just read in the tenth Article of Faith that the earth will be renewed and receive it's Paradisiacal glory. Paradisiacal is terrestrial. So, the telestial will be taken away, " the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and they that dwell therein (telestial) shall die in like manner. But my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness (Meaning a terrestrial level, a Millennial level) shall not be abolished. " 7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. What does it mean where is says, "the people in whose heart I have written my law"? Student: That would be the disciples of Christ, and it expands out from them. At the basis you have the disciples of Christ. From those, you expand out to those who receive more revelation. Then, it expands out to apostles and things like that. You'll have the 144,000 who will actually have Christ's name written on their heads. Things like that. Mike: What does it mean that His law is written on their heart? Student: That we take it personally, that our every breathing moment we praise Him, etc. Mike: I like that. Let's look at the BOM to get a definition. Mosiah 27: This is Alma the Younger talking about his conversion, and think about that last scripture (2 Nephi 8:7) 24 For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit. 25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; 26 And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. Is that what he's talking about? Let's go to Alma 5:26 and look at maybe another way that the Lord's law is written in your heart. 26 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now? (Is something written in your heart? Having the image of Christ? You see all those things in your countenance... and so on. Is that what he's talking about? Maybe.) 2 Nephi 8:8: "For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool." Who?? The men that are reviling you. If you give in, if you can't stand the pressure, in other words, like Harry S. Truman, 'If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen'. It's like Jeffrey Holland said recently, "The day is here where we can't run away, we can't move to the mountains, we now have to look it in the face and stand fast. You've got to look

10 evil and Babylon right in the face, and stand fast. No more running. We don't fear their reproach, neither are we afraid of their revilings. It's going to be harder and harder. Sis. Stroud has a story regarding Mormon persecution. This is the latest, and it's going to get worse and worse. Sis. Stroud: There are some X-Mormons who have built a company, and you can now order online "Magic Mormon Garments". They're making the garments with the signs and everything. They're showing them, and then there's a cartoon that shows a lady hugging on her horse and says, "Oh, I wish they'd sell Magic Mormon Garments for horses." Mike: That's revilings. What are you going to do? More and more, with Mitt Romney coming up, in the next 90 days you're going to see persecution on the Church that's not been seen ever before. That's the negative side. The good side of it is that more and more people are saying, "What do these LDS people believe in? What's going on here?" So, right now, the Church public relations has more going right now than they've ever had in the history of the Church. 8 "...But my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation." I think we need to look in the Bible for a minute, where Paul talks about the 'righteousness of God' vs. 'mans righteousness'. Romans 3:21-22 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (So there now, it's talking about the righteousness of God.) Now, let's go to Philippians 3:8-10 for more about the righteousness of God that Paul talks about. I love this scripture in v. 8. It's quoted by Elder Holland: 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,(Now look at this:) 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (Notice the semi-colon there) 10 That I may know him, (Did you catch that?) and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; Here we're talking about two kinds of righteousness: Man's righteousness, which is good. But, the righteousness of Christ, by faith, which has what purpose? To bring you to Him, so that you may know Him (bring you into His presence). So, there's two things. Man's righteousness we need to repent of. I look at myself and I say, "I do some good things. What's my motive?" If I go out and do a good thing, and I bless the life of somebody, but my motive for doing that is to be seen by others, so that they can see what a great guy I am, what a good Latter-day Saint, "Look at him doing his home teaching on the first week of the month!" So, I do my H.T. on the first week so that other people can see that I'm not like the majority, waiting for the last day, I actually go out and do it the way I should do it. Student: It's the scripture in John 7:18: He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. Mike: So, you come to a process where you stop doing wickedness, and that's good. And, you start doing righteousness, and that's good. Then you come to a point where the Lord takes you from that and says, "That's a good thing you're doing. Why are you doing it?" He has you look inside, and you see that your motives for doing it are not really great. That's man's righteousness. You come up through faith, hope and charity, and a love for the Savior, and you end up doing the right things for God's righteousness, because you love Him, and you want to keep His commandments. That's what Isaiah's talking about all the way through here when he says 'my righteousness, the righteousness of the Savior'. 2 Nephi 8:9 Awake, awake! Put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the ancient days. Art thou not he that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? This is classic Isaiah. What is that all about?? Rahab is an emblematic name for the nation of Egypt. The history behind that is that every time a nation attacked Israel, they formed an alliance with Egypt to help them survive. Every time they formed an alliance with Egypt, they lost liberty and freedom. So, every time they formed an alliance to escape their enemies, rather than accept the Lord as their ally, they ran down and took Egypt as an ally. Student: Didn't this happen the time the Babylonians came over and sacked Jerusalem? Mike: It happened several times, and it happens all the time. Rahab is a symbol for fierceness, violence and pride, and the dragon, of course, represents Satan and everything evil, darkness, chaos. So, "! Put on strength... awake as in the ancient days. Art thou not he that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? " (Aren't you the one that can cut Rahab, and do away with fierce, violence, pride and false alliances, and wounded the dragon?)