022 Book of Mormon by Mike Stroud (Transcribed by Carol Crisp)

Transcription

1 022 Book of Mormon by Mike Stroud (Transcribed by Carol Crisp) We're on 2 Nephi 2:1. Lehi is speaking, and he's speaking to one of his two boys born in the wilderness, Jacob. I remember when I first saw this, I have some good references there, I'd like to emphasize certain words. Jacob was born during the 8 years they were in the wilderness, so, he's just a young man here at this point, and gets this blessing. 1 And now, Jacob, I speak unto you: Thou art my firstborn in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness. And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren. Those three words: afflictions, sorrow and rudeness, pretty well describe our telestial experience. You can put us all there in that first verse (sorrow, afflictions and rudeness everyday, just by being here). 2 Nevertheless, (in spite of this) Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; (and here's the great lesson) and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain. We've got some cross references on that. Let's take a look at D&C 121:7-8, which we've looked at before. This is Joseph in the Liberty Jail, suffereing afflictions, sorrow and rudeness big time. Here, the Lord says, 7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; 8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. It's the same principle; look at vs. 2: 'God will consecrate thine affliction for thy gain'. Let's take a look at D&C 105:40. Section 105 talks about learning to be obedient, the celestial law, and look what it says: (The prophet told the brethren to make proposals for peace among their enemies) And make proposals for peace unto those who have smitten you, according to the voice of the Spirit which is in you, and all things shall work together for your good. (Everything works out. It depends on how you handle things. So, 'be patient, and God will consecrate thine affliction for thy gain'.) Let's look at one more in 3 Nephi 10 and look at this principle of, 'afflictions are really our greatest blessings'. We learn more and change more in the midst of affliction, while we're in the telestial world, than in any other way. 10 And the earth did cleave together again, that it stood; and the mourning, and the weeping, and the wailing of the people who were spared alive did cease; and their mourning was turned into joy, (See that principle there?) and their lamentations into the praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Redeemer. (See those words: mourning, weeping, wailing, lamentations; all those appear to be horrible adversity, but the principle is: it's turned to joy, thanksgiving and praise.) 2 Nephi 2:3, speaking to Jacob again, 3 Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. (Of course, some of the greatest writings in the B of M are from Jacob. Later on in 2 Nephi 9, what Joseph Fielding Smith said was, 'That if we had no other scripture than 2 Nephi 9, it would be enough to get you to exaltation.' That was written by Jacob. Look down here, at this interesting little thing:) Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men. (This is just a little boy. He can't be very old. We don't know just how old he is here. Did you see that? for thou hast beheld That's some kind of a vision that he has had there. That's not just reading the scriptures.) 4 And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; (See, that's Second Comforter stuff. So, Jacob, even at an early age, and I'm not going to say he's 8, because I don't know. This could have been written somewhat later, maybe like John talking about earlier in life, then later as a teenager. But, at any rate, at an early age he has a Second Comforter experience.) wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free. A good cross reference on 'the way' is John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. In the temple it says, 'We will prepare a way for them that may come into our presence, and with us, partake of eternal life and exaltation.' So, every time we see that 'way', I think of the doctrine of the two ways, and

2 that Christ is the 'only way'. Any questions or comments? Men are instructed sufficiently, that they know good from evil. Where does that instruction come from, that they have sufficient knowledge? That's the Light of Christ. It really is. Yesterday, somewhere, a missionary asked me about accountability. "What if they have never been taught the gospel?" They're talking about God holding people accountable, once they become accountable at age 8. "What if people are never taught the truth, how can they be held accountable?" Well, all people are taught the truth. One of the names for the Spirit of Christ is "The Light of Truth". So, every person, no matter who you are, if you are living as a Tasaday tribesman in Mindanao, still stone age, and know that they didn't discover the wheel until 40 years ago, they didn't know what the wheel was, they saw a jet aircraft landing in Manilla, and they'd look up there and think it was some kind of a God flying over them, those people still are instructed sufficiently to know good from evil. See that? Sufficiently means what? Give me an example of how much knowledge is enough, and for what purpose, to know good from evil. They obviously don't know the gospel, or this. So, what is the knowledge they have that is sufficient for them, in their unenlightened, uncovenanted state? What is it? What's a minimum standard for people everywhere, to be judged by, that the Spirit of Christ teaches them right from wrong? Everybody knows when something is wrong. Student: For instance, even a tribesman knows that murder is wrong. Mike: There's an example, taking another human life. Student: Taking something from your neighbor, or those kinds of things, the Ten Commandments type of things, or the Law of Moses. Mike: That's giving sufficient things. Now, let's go on down a little bit further. 5 And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; (Let's look at that word justified. What does that mean?) Student: To me, justified means to be kind of like ratified that you've done action, and whether or not it is appropriate or inappropriate, acceptable or unacceptable, to me that's being justified. That's one level of a meaning, there's others as well. Mike: Very good. So, in the scriptures, when it talks about justification, or a man being a 'just man', what does that mean? Because, a just man is someone who is 'justified'. And, here it says 'the law can't justify'. So, what does that mean? Student: To be justified, or instance, every man starts out being a 'natural man', carnal. He repents of his sins, which means he changes from his sins because he's directed to by the Light of Christ, and the Holy Ghost is a purifier, a sanctifier, and after all that, you can become justified. That is, as you said before... Mike: I know you know this, but it's hard to put into words. Think in terms of legal terms. We use the word 'justification' as we think of God and Christ as the judge, when we talk about coming before the judgment bar, when we talk about Christ being an advocate with the Father. All of these words that are like legal terms, court terms, the judge advocate, the plaintiff, pleading, etc.; to be 'justified' means to be held guiltless or innocent before the demands of the law of justice. In other words, something's happened now, that if you were to die a justified man or woman, if you were to die, the demands of the law of justice have no claim on you. So, a justified person is a person that mercy claims. We have lots of different scriptures. Let's look at a couple of them here. The N.T. talks a lot about it. I'm going to pull out one here, and I'm not sure what it'll say. I have about 30 scriptures here on justification. Let's see if we can pick up the feeling for that. Let's go to Mosiah 4: This is King Benjaman 25 And now, if ye say this in your hearts (He's talking about what you would say to the beggar. You see a beggar, and you'd like to give something but you can't, because you don't have it, and up in vs. 24 it says, "And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give." Now watch:) ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received. 26 And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the

3 hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants. (A word you could put in there very easily would be 'justified', instead of guiltless. Justified would fit in there nicely, where the two words guiltless are.) Let's pick up another one here. Let's go to Moses 8:27. And thus Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord; for Noah was a just man, (And, you could put there, justified man.) and perfect in his generation; and he walked with God, as did also his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And, from what we know from the B of M, he was justified and perfected in Christ. We could easily plug that in, and get a better feeling for it. Does that give you a feeling for 'justified'? And, the law can't do that. You have to get over to the mercy side in order to be justified, because all the law does is, look what it says in the rest of 2 Nephi 2:5: And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. (The law is necessary, but the law, in and of itself, cannot make you innocent and guiltless; only Christ's atonement can.)...by the law men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever. (Through the fall.) Any questions on that? 6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Let's talk about redemption. What does redemption mean? Student: Redeeming from a lost and fallen state to having the Redeemer coming in, because we can't get back to our Heavenly Father without this one who redeems us, and makes it possible for us to get back to our Heavenly Father, based upon our repentance. Mike: Very good: on conditions of repentance. When you redeem something in this world, what are you doing? If you go to a pawn shop, what are you doing? Student: You're reclaiming something that had been yours. You had that iphone, or that android in your hands, and it wasn't really yours. You had it, and it really belonged to someone else. In order for that person to come and get it, they had to come back and, not only pay the original price, but interest, right, to get that? So, it cost a price to reclaim it. That's 'redeeming'. 7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, (What law? The law of justice, which says what, according to our lesson last week? When you break a law, there's a penalty attached. And, what is a definition of punishment? Absence of blessings.) unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; (That's the conditions of repentance. So, if you don't have those conditions of repentance that Alma 34 talks about, repentance comes on conditions of repentance, then the law of mercy can't claim you, and the law of justice takes his demands.) and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered. 8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. There's a whole lot of meat in vs. 8. Why is it so important that people understand this whole thing? It starts back there, when you're talking about the fall, starting in vs. 3, and it goes all the way down through vs. 5: "by the law men are cut off." They are spiritually dead. Why is it important in vs. 8 to make these things known to the inhabitants of the earth? Student: To let people know there is a way to overcome these things. If you don't know you're lost and fallen, you don't know what to do to get out of that state. Mike: Ezra Taft Benson said, 'No man truly wants food unless he knows he is hungry.' or something like that... Let me give you some information on this. It's kind of interesting. Before the fall, Adam and Eve were four things: 1) they were unmortal, 2) they lived in God's physical presence, 3) they had no knowledge of good and evil, and 4) they could have no children. The first two are positives and the second two are negatives. (1) After the fall, Adam and Eve are cast out, and are mortal, so the positive becomes a negative. (2) After the fall, they lost innocence and were cast out of God's physical presence. So, the positive, again, becomes a negative. So, the first two positives: unmortal and in God's presence, after the fall, become negatives. (3) No knowledge of good and evil, which was a negative over there, now they know good and

4 evil, which becomes a positive. (4) And, no children over here, which was a negative, now they can have children, and that becomes a positive. So, through the atonement, all become immortal, a plus, all live again in God's presence, a plus, all know good and evil, a plus, all can have children in eternity on conditions: a plus. So, through the atonement, everything ends up being a plus, no negatives. 2 Nephi 2:9: Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved. What's intercession? What does that mean, to intercede? Student: It's like the mediator thing. It also means, when something bad is happening, someone steps in to stop it from happening. We also know he's a mediator, which means he's a 'go between' God and us. Mike: To do what? Student: To apply mercy, if we repent, so that our Father in Heaven, who is bound by the laws of mercy, himself, can also apply the mercy through the atoning sacrifice that his son made for us. Mike: Thank you. In fact, look up at vs. 8. It says, "through the merits, and mercy, and grace." Last week we talked about mercy, and we learned that the plan of mercy cannot even operate if there is no atonement. Let's go to that word 'merit' for just a minute. What does that mean? Why does Lehi use the word merit there? Student: Because we can't really earn it. We'll never earn it, but we have to do certain qualifications in order to access it, but we don't really earn it. We're just saying, "We'll do the right things so that we can receive this reward, that we can never really earn. Mike: Very good. I have a little quote here that I wrote down, and I don't know where it came from on merit. It says, "Spiritual credit, given as a result of the performance of righteous acts, able to ensure future benefits." The word 'earn' is not found anywhere in the scriptures, or used anywhere in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why? Student: Because you can't earn anything. We can't pay the price. It's too high. We're not able to. Student: And, there's other reasons too. For instance, we cannot do any real good thing by ourself, and we can't sustain any really good thing that we do by ourself. All of that comes through the power of Jesus Christ. Mike: So, if the word 'earn' was used anywhere in the scriptures, it would, in one way or another, negate the power of Christ and his atoning sacrifice. Because, if you can earn anything, in and of yourself, you don't need him. Student: If you were to see the word 'earn' anywhere in the scriptures, or in any of this doctrine, we would 'earn' our own damnation. Student: Want to know the Roman Catholic definition of merit? "Worthiness of spiritual reward acquired by righteous acts made under the influence of grace." Mike: Oh, good one. That's a great definition. That just goes to prove that truth is found everywhere, isn't it? Let's look at another scripture on merits. Let's go to Helaman 14: 13: And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits. What do we learn from that scripture? Students: That, if you truly believe on his name, then you will repent of all your sins and change, move away from your sins, give them up, as King Lamoni did. Once you decide you want to move away from all your sins, then you have help by Him, through His Spirit, or through the Holy Ghost, to teach you all things to change you, to move you to become a better person. You may receive a remission of your sins when you are spiritually reborn. It's not through our own merits. It's through the merits of Jesus Christ. It's when we are trying to be righteous. Just giving our will to Him. If we were to try to do it by our own merit, we wouldn't be able to achieve it. So, it has to be done through the merits of Christ, him submitting his will to the Father, coming down, performing the atonement, and living a perfect sinless life. Mike: I like that. Let's go to Alma 24:10, another scripture on 'merit'. And I also thank my God, yea, my great God, that he hath granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins and murders which we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son. I love that scripture. If you take that down and you say, "What has happened

5 in that verse as a result of the merits of Christ's atonement? Let's see what can happen. (1) Granted us repentance. So, without the merits of Christ's atonement, see that? "he hath granted unto us that we might repent". (2) He hath forgiven us. So, not only can you repent, and have the power to repent because of the merits of Christ's atonement, but also can be forgiven. I like this third one. (3) Taken away the guilt. I love that one. Three things that take place because of the merits of his son. Let's take one more scripture. Let's look at Alma 22:14. And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; (That's what we've been talking about.) but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king. See all those great things that take place as a result of the merits of Christ? Let's look at a couple more verses. 2 Nephi 2:10. And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; (From vs. 8 and 9, how do they come unto God? Through the resurrection. And, because of the resurrection, all men come unto God.) wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law (Meaning, the purpose of the law.) which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement Now, Joseph Smith just made all of that up!! You look at the wording in vs. 10. Do you think any man could have made that up? Think about the intricacy of that verse, how those truths are interwoven back and forth. Basically, what he's saying is, and, let's look at Alma 41:11. We're talking about the two ways here. Over here, Lehi is talking about judgment and pain and punishment, which stands in opposition to justification and happiness. You've got the two opposites. Now, look what he says: 11. And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, (What is that? That's the natural man in their fallen state.) or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, (Now, kind of slip back for a moment, go back to 2 Nephi 2:10 and look what it says here: "...Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, (Because of the breaking of the law of justice. Remember that? Because of the two sides? Now, go back to 41:11.) and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness. So, the nature of man is what? Bonds of iniquity and punishment. The nature of God is what?... "therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness." See the two opposites there? Alma 41:12 And now behold, is the meaning of the word restoration to take a thing of a natural state (Think of the fallen man.) and place it in an unnatural state, (Think of in the presence of God.) or to place it in a state opposite to its nature? (So, if your state is "Bonds of iniquity", and you're placed into a state of happiness, would you be happy? No, you wouldn't. You wouldn't be comfortable. That's what he's saying.) 13 O, my son, this is not the case; but the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful. That's kind of what Lehi is saying over here in 2 Nephi 2. Now look at 2 Nephi 2:11, and he kind of introduces this law of opposites. 11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. (Why?) Student: Otherwise, you have no agency, no choice. You can't choose if you don't have two things to choose between. Student: You can't enjoy good, unless you've experienced bad. If you were to eat ice cream every day, it would lose it's flavor, lose it's desire to you. That's really simplifying it. All good things are like that. Mike: Let's look at this down here: If not so, (Everything has to be in opposition.) my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be

6 brought to pass, neither wickedness, (Why? Because, in order to understand righteousness, you have to understand wickedness. Otherwise, if you didn't understand wickedness, how are you going to understand righteousness? They're opposites.) neither holiness nor misery, (Notice all the opposites here--underlined) neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. Without these opposites, look what he says: "all things must needs be a compound in one". What an interesting statement. Without opposites, you only have one, so if you only have light without its' opposite of darkness, you've got nothing. A person who has only experienced light, can't really appreciate the light, because he's never seen what it means to be in darkness. So, here we are, in our pre-mortal life, never having experienced the turmoil of a telestial world. We learned about it up there...i'm sure we must have seen video replays of what it's like to be in a telestial world, but, until you're down here, up to your eyeballs in alligators, it's all theory...until you enter the lab! You're taking the class. You're learning the concepts. You may even see the videos, but until the 'practical lab' starts, it's all theory. It's the same with Christ. I'm sure that he saw videos of Gethsemane. I'm sure his father talked to him about what it was like to 'atone'. I'm sure the Savior had every tool in the universe available to show him what it was like and how to prepare. "Spencer" talks about portals, where you can go in and out of portals and see things. But, until you're under the press physically in Gethsemane, there's no way to know, it's all theory. Don't you think? Student: Obviously, because you can't tell somebody what it's like to lose a wife, if they haven't gone through it. You can't tell someone anything that they haven't done. It's like you can't tell someone what it's like to be in the presence of the Savior in this life. You can think about it, and desire it. You can study it. You can talk to people who have had that experience. But, until you have had that experience, it's all in theory. Mike: Good analogy. I think of the Savior in Gethsemane, when he's on his face in blood and agony, sweating, flat on the ground, the press is on, and his comment was, "If it be possible, remove this cup from me." ('Is there any other way to do this?') But, what I heard the Savior say was, 'I had no idea'. It's like us coming home from Mongolia. We bump into an old cowboy poet. First person I saw when I got home, he looked up and said, "You're back!" I said, "Yes". He looked at me and said, "We have no idea, do we?" And I said, "No, you don't." That was his first words. "We have no idea." 'And, how do I explain it to you...how do I explain Mongolia?' How do I explain the Philippines? How do I explain this? We can tell them about it. We can show pictures. We can give experiences. But, experiences don't really tell the whole story. Going back to 2 Nephi 2:11...wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life (That would be Adam and Eve and us, without the creation, the fall and atonement. In other words, there's no life, no experience.) neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. (See all the opposites?) 12 Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; (It would have no value, a waste.) wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing (A world without opposition) must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God. (Lehi was pretty profound. I remember when I first heard this, I thought, "That Nephi was really something." Now, I realize, this wasn't Nephi, this was Lehi giving us this.) Student: Do you know why he's really profound? He's speaking under the influence of the Holy Ghost. It's not really Lehi. He's already had his calling and election made sure. He's been shown all these things. And, he's still under the influence. Mike: He's been taught by the master. Student: You take Joseph Smith, when he's first writing. He can't even recite or write a coherent sentence, and then, all of a sudden, look at his letters from Liberty Jail and the Doctrine and Covenants and everything. He goes from a third-grader up to a doctoral level writer. And, it's because he's under the influence of the Holy Ghost.

7 Student: He said things we're just now discovering now in the world. You know, in 1962 they came up with a report that said that smoking is bad for your health...lung cancer and stuff like that. 1962: the year I was born! Joseph Smith was saying that back in the 1830's. The other thing I was thinking is that, the Garden of Eden was really quite the gilded cage in a way! They were really 'doped up'. They have no knowledge of good and evil or anything. They really couldn't make any kind of good decisions. Sort of like la la land and euphoria! And it wasn't until they actually did that (ate the forbidden fruit), and yes, they were tricked a little bit, but I really think it was a conscious idea, that they wanted to have some kids. Eve started it out and made the move. 'There is no other way'. The only thing that I keep wrapping my mind around this whole thing is that the person who says, 'there is no other way' is Satan! Then, later on Adam says, 'I see that this must be...' and then, Satan says, 'that is right'. Again, if was God saying that, I would feel a lot better. I don't like Satan saying 'that is right'! Mike: So, how do you wrap your mind around that? Student: I just contemplate it more and more. I haven't finished! But, I can see that, right now, that is what we know. And, that this whole thing was planned, because, remember that Satan was put there by Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ, as our mutual adversary. I forgot the exact words, 'our mutual enemy'...common enemy. It was definitely set up for that to happen. Mike: Do you think that Lucifer skipped too many classes in the pre-mortal life when these things were discussed? Student: Either he skipped too many classes, or like we said, the more evil you become, you lose light and knowledge. So, Satan was so blocked by his own pride, that he couldn't see what he was doing to help. He was busy thinking he could do it 'his way'. Mike: The Lord knows Lucifer better than Lucifer knows himself, and knows every step and act that he is going to make, and knows that because of his hatred and loss of light, that he is going to attempt to do anything and everything counter to 'what I say. So, if I want him to move forward and do something, all I have to do is say "Don't do it" '. In 2 Nephi 2 it would be the fall of man. I think, when we get back into the 9th chapter, where Jacob's speaking, it would be on the atonement. So, Lehi really sets the state for a future chapter of his younger son. They do talk about atonement here, but it really is talking about choosing, and the fall. Let's go to vs. 13, talking about opposites: 13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. (He's saying, if there are no opposites, there is no God. Why? Student: If you don't have Satan, you can't have God. He's the opposite. If there's no opposite to God, then he doesn't exist. Mike: We talked about the importance of opposites, and using agency, and we'll see at the end of this verse, he answers why: And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away. So, one of the purposes of opposites is to have 'things' to act or to be acted upon. We talked the other day about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, or the voice of Christ, is really not something that 'acts'. It's something that's 'acted upon'. 14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon. We had a lesson on this once before. In eternity, there are building blocks. Let's go into that real quick. What are the building blocks of creation, that are found in eternity? One is spirit, and one is element. That's in Section 93. Which one acts, spirit or element? Spirit acts, and element is acted upon. So, if we can get that kind of fixed, and that comes from Section 93. Let's take a look at 2 Nephi 2:15:

8 15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, (What is the end of man? His immortality and eternal life.) after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, (Notice that we're setting the stage here, now. Remember, always in the scriptures, it follows three steps: creation, fall, atonement. Now, which part is he talking about right now? Creation.) it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter. Let's talk about that. So, even in the Garden of Eden, when he sets up the 'stage' for the fall, it's like you said, 'The Garden of Eden is like a gilded cage'. It's really a stage, a platform. It has props and it has actors, and there's a certain script that needs to be followed, and the main thrust of that script is the agency of man. So, the whole thing is a waste, unless the agency of man is present, on the stage, with the actors, the players, and the props. Part of the props on that stage are two trees. One is called the 'forbidden fruit'. Which one is that? The tree of knowledge of good and evil, in opposition to the tree of life. Now watch, and see the semi-colon: there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter. So, which one is the sweet one? Student: The tree of life. Mike: You would think so, wouldn't you? You would think the tree of life would be the sweet one, but remember what was said, that 'as long as they were in that gilded cage (that place), there was no progress, there was no life, and they remained there pretty much as zombies, eating what tree? The tree of life. So, there's no progress, there's no knowledge, there's no wisdom. There is nothing there, as they continue to eat of the tree. Now, notice how he places them in sequence. The first tree mentioned is the 'forbidden fruit', followed by the tree of life. See that sequence? The forbidden fruit is #1 and the tree of life is #2. (Semicolon:) "; the one being sweet and the other bitter." The forbidden fruit is the one mentioned first, being the 'sweet' one. The second one is 'bitter'. Why is the tree of knowledge of good and evil the sweet one? This is where it throws everybody off, because of the word 'evil' is mentioned in there...because the word evil is mentioned there, that must be the one that is bitter. In reality, it's not. It is the sweet fruit. Why is partaking of the tree of knowledge of good and evil the 'sweet fruit'? Student: You've got your opposites and your opportunity for growth, but, I think that down the road the roles of these two trees reverse. Mike: They do, they switch. Right now, the sweet one is... Student: That gets them out of the euphoria, la la land, just wandering around, partaking of fruit, and there's no progress, no progression, there's no opposition, there's no anything. So, it would be sweet to partake of it, and have that knowledge to progress. Student: You hear that they are told to go out and dress the garden, and all that kind of stuff, but the first thing they were told to do was to 'go out and replenish the earth'. Mike: Multiply and replenish the earth was their first commandment. Student: How frustrating would it be to say, "Mother and Father asked us to do this thing, but how do we do it? We just can't get there from here." Mike: I wonder if they even knew that. I wonder if when he said, 'we give you a commandment now, to multiply and replenish the earth', they maybe said, 'oh, okay, whatever you say...'. Student: When people don't understand, they just maybe 'nod their head and say, yeah, sure...'. Student: It's the other way around, too. We don't want to look stupid... 'ok, sure'...(we''ll worry about it later) Mike: So, interesting, that as long as they are eating of the fruit of the tree of life, it's impossible to keep the first commandment. Is that correct? What's the second commandment? Student: Just look at the word, replenish. It means "to make full or complete again". I always think replenish means, okay, if you drank all the milk, let's replenish it by doing it again the way it is. But, it you take it to mean "make full or complete again", men and women are not complete without their families, without each other, without that marriage relationship. You can't go back home without having that. Mike: Somewhere I read in the old Rabbi writings that they didn't use the word "replenish". They used the word "plenish". "Multiply and plenish the earth". If the word replenish means to 'make full again', then the word plenish means 'to make full or complete', like the word plenty. That's probably where it does come from.

9 So, no children, unless you partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Let's go to vs. 23, where we find out what would happen if they did not partake of the fruit: 23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. This is really an intricate plan, and let's look at some of the things that need to be available to them in the Garden of Eden, in order for them to act out their part and fulfill their destiny. One thing that has to be in there is a knowledge of good and evil, and they didn't have that yet. So, the availability of that knowledge has to be there. So that promise of knowing good and evil has to be present in that garden. The second thing they need is: God has to give them law. The first law that was given to them here was to 'multiply and replenish the earth'. Have children. The second law that was given was, 'You can eat of every tree of this garden, but of that tree, don't eat of it'. The interesting thing is, the Lord also comes out and says, "Nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself". That brings in the third element that needs to be in the garden is the freedom to choose. The fourth element that has to be in the garden is opposition. Student: The fifth one is an enticer. You have to have something to dangle the carrot in front of you, otherwise, "you don't want me to do that, OK, no big deal." But if Satan or somebody comes up and says, "If you do this, this is going to happen". There's your enticer. So, "Are you going to keep all the commandments?" "Yea, I'm going to do that." Then the enticer steps in. Mike: So there are three actors on the stage. The prompter said, "Lets go over the things that are necessary again. Number one, you have to have the knowledge or the availability or the promise of 'knowledge of good and evil'. Remember that one of the things he said was, "If you eat of this fruit you will have knowledge." That promise has to be there. The second thing that needs to be in there is 'Law'. God has to give law and another word for law is commandments. There's two given here. The first one given here is an absolute impossibility to keep as long as they obey the second one. So, in order to keep the first commandment, they have to transgress and disobey the second one. The mind of God here at work is amazing. The third thing that needs to be in there is 'the freedom to choose'. The agency of man has to be there. That is why the Lord says, "Do this, have children, I give you a commandment. Don't eat of this tree, that's a commandment, but I give it unto you to choose for yourself. See, don't do it, remember I said, "don't do it, but thou can choose for thyself". There's the agency. The fourth thing is, you have to have a stage or a world: a place full of opposites, so you can have things to act and things to be acted upon. When we go through this, we want to ask ourselves a question, as we look at the players and we look at what happens here. "Who is acting and who is being acted upon"? as we see it unfold. Those who are given agency, their primary purpose in life is to act. What happens is, Satan tricks you and turns you from that foreordained destiny of being an action person to being a person who is being acted upon. As long as you are in charge of your physical desires, appetites, and passions, as long as your spirit reigns over your body, you're always in a position of acting. The minute that starts to turn around, and the body steps in, and the desires, appetites, and passions start to control the spirit and subject it, now you become a person that is being acted upon. That is exactly what Lucifer wants. Student: In essence, we have opposition in our own bodies. We have the good and we have the evil in our bodies. Our mind is, "The Light of Christ says do this and Satan says do that!" Mike: So in your own existence, you have the Garden of Eden right there in the middle. So there you are, Adam and Eve in the middle, the Tree of Life (the voice of God) and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (the voice of Lucifer) enticing both ways. You make the choice. This is what he is going to say a little later in the chapter, and as Sister Stroud says, in verse 16, we bring up a fifth item here that only the Book of Mormon talks about. This is pure Book of Mormon doctrine. 2 Nephi 2:16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. (There's the moral agency of man. The term "free agency" is not scriptural. It's something that we've brought up in the Church,

10 and it's used, and now, it's a tradition. The true word is "the agency of man" or, "mans moral agency". Now watch. You should act for yourself:) Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one (The tree of knowledge of good and evil.) or the other. (The tree of life, or by the Spirit of Christ, or by the spirit of the devil...whatever the opposites are. So, light, in opposition to darkness, you're enticed by one or the other; virtue and vice. So, you can't do it now, unless you have what Sis. Stroud called, "an enticer".) Isn't it interesting, that here they are, everything's in place, but you need this third actor on the stage, or nothing moves forward. This is pure Book of Mormon doctrine. That's why we love this book. Let's go to vs. 17: And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God. I hope you noticed closely, that God, when he writes things down, inspires things exactly. We're talking about, of course, the fall of Lucifer. But, notice when it says, "he became a devil, (Not "the" devil. What does that tell you? There is more than one devil. And, there is more than one main devil. So there is a hierarchy. Because he had fallen from heaven, he became miserable forever.) having sought that which was evil before God." Let's go to Alma 41:11 and see why he is miserable forever. This verse will tell us. And, if any of us are miserable in this life, it's the same reason that Satan is miserable. Why misery? 11 And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness. What's the opposite of happiness? Misery. When you go contrary to the nature of God, what's the result? Misery. If you are aligned with God, and united with him, and he is in you, and you are in him, then, what's the nature of that existence? Joy, happiness. This is why Alma calls the plan... (If you go over to Alma 42:8 "Now behold, it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness.") So, now we come back here to 2 Nephi 2:18 "And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever," Why was Satan going to be miserable forever? He found himself in a position contrary to the nature of God. He now becomes our great example of misery, and why there is misery. "he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil." What just happened there? Student: Satan, who was a devil, became "the devil", which might mean that he became the devil of this earth. Mike: That's right. And, what is it that he did there? He comes to Eve and said, Student: 'partake of this and you'll have knowledge of good and evil and you'll be as God'. Mike: Is that a truth, or a falsehood? That is truth. So, his tactic was to tell a half truth. Let's go to Moses 6:55, and get a little more information here. This is after the fall, and Adam and Eve had been instructed in the gospel: And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, (What that means is they are born into a telestial, fallen world. That doesn't mean that Adam and Eve are sinners. That means that the children are brought into a fallen world.) even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good. See that? Kind of fits right in. Now, think about a person who acts. Look at vs. 56: And it is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore (Because they know good from evil.) they are agents unto themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment. There's a lot of information in there. Without these opposites, without the knowledge of good and evil, you really can't exercise agency. Thank Goodness for multiple scriptures for our information. So, he tells a half lie: you won't die; but you'll be as God, knowing good and evil. That's the way he acts. He tells a half-truth,

11 and he mixes truth in with error. I guess after 6000 years, since the fall, he and his third part have become exceedingly expert. In fact, you and I don't stand a chance against their expertness without the enticings of the Holy Spirit. 2 Nephi 2:19: And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth. 20 And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth. Let's stop there for a minute. Let's see what Adam and Eve said, after they were cast out. Let's go back to Moses 5:11-12, and let's see what Mother Eve said, after her eyes were opened, and she now has knowledge. 11 And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient. 12 And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters. So, Eve mentions four things there, that came as a result of the fall. #1) We can have children. If we hadn't fallen, we never would have had seed. #2) We would have never known good and evil, without this whole experience. Student: I've always tried to distinguish between sin and transgression. I finally found the perfect definition: (Anyone want to know the difference?) an act of transgression is 'violation of a law'. So, right there, the Lord gave two commandments, two laws; so, a violation of a law, rather than a commandment (which are kind of like the same thing) but... Mike: What's sin? Student: Usually, it's an act, but this is a law, and I know laws are commandments, but the law makes it a little different. Mike: 'Violation of a law'. Interesting. Good. #3) 'The joy of our redemption'. That's an interesting thing right there. Student: That's transgression of a divine law. Mike: Is that what it says? #4) 'And the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient'. Let's skip up and see what Adam said. That's what Eve said. 10 And in that day Adam blessed God (In what day? The day they were cast out of the garden, or when they left the garden. And, I think it was some time after that, because it says he built an alter and offered prayer, and is instructed by an angel. And, I think it's in THAT day. And, actually, from what we understand, and as close as we can tell, it was up to 300 years after they were cast out of the garden, before the gospel plan was made known. I've heard that from a pretty good source. At any rate, it comes to when an angel appeared to them, and Adam is offering sacrifices, and is asked, "Why are you offering sacrifices? From what I understand, that was up to 300 years after the Garden of Eden episode. Then, the angel explains the sacrifice, about the atonement.) and was filled, (Filled with what? Go back to vs. 9: And in that day the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son. So, what was it over in vs. 10, where it says he blessed God and was filled? With the Holy Ghost.) and began to prophesy (Why? Because he was filled with the Holy Ghost.) concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression (#1) my eyes are opened, and in this life (#2) I shall have joy, and again (#3) in the flesh I shall see God. Now, that flesh there, that can mean a couple of things. It can mean after your resurrection, but, I also believe that's the Second Comforter. Sis Stroud: I found the difference between sin and transgression. First: two definitions of transgression. a) violation of law, command or duty; b) exceeding bounds or limits. Dallin H. Oaks says, "Some acts like murder are crimes, because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a drivers license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. So, an example of this is when parents tell their children they can't have a cookie until after dinner. This is a rule or law, set by the parents. But, eating a cookie before dinner in and of itself isn't a sin. (not a crime) Thus, if a child ate a cookie before dinner, they would have transgressed, in other words, they violated the parents rule, but did not sin. Under these conditions, the act that produced the fall, was not a sin i.e. inherently wrong, but a transgression. It was wrong because it was