Behold my lambs, Father,
So dear and priceless are they!
They break my tender heart
When from me they stray.
I willingly carried my cross
To Golgotha’s hill,
I would do it again
If it would keep them with me still.
I will bring home each lamb
Who are willing to follow
And those who stray
I will keep in my sorrow.
-
Cathryne
Allen
To
say that the scriptural accounts of those who have had visions of God’s kingdom
beyond the veil are easy to comprehend would be an understatement. We have no
reference to describe such experiences and we simply lack the language also. The
Prophet Joseph Smith provided a perspective on this when he said:
“Could
we read and comprehend all that has been written from the days of Adam, on the
relation of man to God and angels in a future state, we should know very little
about it. Reading the experience of others, or the revelation given to them,
can never give us a comprehensive view of our condition and true relation to
God. Knowledge of these things can only be obtained by experience through the
ordinances of God set forth for that purpose. Could you gaze into heaven five
minutes, you would know more than you would by reading all that ever was
written on the subject.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 324)
Even
the Saviour had difficulty explaining the workings of the universe and the
kingdoms that existed within it in a revelation given to Joseph Smith and
contained in Doctrine and Covenants 88. You can almost feel His frustration in
reading His words: “Unto what shall I liken these kingdoms, that ye may
understand?” (v 46) And then His summation of the difficulty of the task: “Behold,
all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these
hath seen God moving in his majesty and power.”
(v 47)
Isaiah
endeavoured to describe what he was permitted to see of the celestial sphere in
chapter 6 of his book (vs 1-4) by using images and terms with which his readers
could identify, but even he sensed how much he fell short of communicating the
reality of his experience. The description of his experience is definitely
beyond my understanding or appreciation because I cannot relate to it.
Others
who have had visions of the celestial realms have cited Isaiah’s somewhat
adequate summation of such an experience which readers of all generations and
time-lines can understand:
“For
since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear,
neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him
that waiteth for him.” (Isaiah 64:4)
Paul
refined Isaiah’s explanation to the Corinthians by saying: “But as it is
written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart
of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1
Corinthians 2:9)
Perhaps
the testimony of the Nephites is the greatest of the glories beyond the veil:
“And
no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the
hearts of men conceive so great and marvellous things as we both saw and heard
Jesus speak; and no one can conceive the joy which filled our souls at the time
we heard him pray for us unto the Father.” (3 Nephi 17:16-17)
The
joy is an incentive to those who want to experience the reality of the glories
beyond the veil…..
Some
days, Father, I cannot bear,
The
absence of Your touch.
I
cannot wait for Your embrace
That
I have missed so very much.
In
this abyss of worldly darkness
I
stumble but I fall into the arms of Him
Who
lifts me higher than I can go.
I
fly to You, Father, on my wings of faith,
I
sail through stormy skies,
Seeking
for Thy face.
Look
Father, no hands!
Only
trust in these strong arms
Of
my Saviour’s loving grace.
-
CATHRYNE ALLEN
Jesus Prince of Peace by Danny Hahlbohm
“And the Lord will create upon
every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke
by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory
shall be a defence.
“And there shall be a tabernacle
for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a
covert from storm and from rain.”
(Isaiah 4:5,6)
Elder Orson Pratt suggested that
the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy would be literal:
“The time is to come when God
will meet with all the congregation of his Saints, and to show his approval,
and that he does love them, he will work a miracle by covering them in the
cloud of his glory. I do not mean something that is invisible, but I mean that
same order of things which once existed on the earth so far as the tabernacle
of Moses was concerned, which was carried in the midst of the children of
Israel as they journeyed in the wilderness….But in the latter days there will
be people so pure in Mount Zion, with a house established upon the tops of the
mountains, that God will manifest himself, not only in their Temple and upon
all their assembles, with a visible cloud during the day, but when the night
shall come, if they shall be assembled for worship, God will meet with them by
his pillar of fire; and when they retire to their habitations, behold each
habitation will be lighted up by the glory of God, - a pillar of flaming fire
by night.
“Did you ever hear of any city
that was thus favoured and blessed since the day that Isaiah delivered this
prophecy? No, it is a latter-day work, one that God must consummate in the
latter times when he begins to reveal himself, and show forth his power among
the nations.” (In Journal of
Discourses, 16:82)
It’s the time worth waiting for…..
I
have a friend who cannot understand why I love the Old Testament. She told me
once that the Old Testament is a ‘dead book’. I take it that some think so
because the law of Moses has been fulfilled through the ministry of Christ,
however, the Old Testament is full of prophecies of our day which are in the
process of being fulfilled or are yet to be fulfilled. A book that contains
prophecies which are still pending cannot be a dead book.
Reading
all the dual prophecies in the book of Isaiah makes me feel like I am reading
about our world instead of ancient Israel. The tragedy of it is that Isaiah’s
comments are directed to the House of Israel and not the condition of the world
at large. His lament is about Israel following in the ways of the world and
reaping the same consequences.
In
chapter 3, Isaiah spoke at length about the corruption of women of his day who
were proud, arrogant, and more concerned with their clothing and personal
appearance than with righteousness. It also reads like 2026 where women have
lost sight of proper priorities and the women of Zion are following suit all
the way to the fruits of addiction and transgression:
“The
prophet contrasts their former beauty with the results of judgment. Because of
their wickedness, the beauty, the pride, and the fashion will become tragedy,
disaster, and slavery. The girdle in verse 24 of chapter was the sash used to
fasten the outer clothing. Keil and Delitzsch showed that the “rent” which was
to replace it was the rope used to bind slaves. Sackcloth was black goat’s hair
worn at times of great mourning. The “burning” refers to the branding that
often accompanied one’s being made a slave (Commentary, 7:1:147; Old
Testament Student Manual 141).
Slavery
today might not appear in the physical form but a spiritual and emotional one. This
is not just about dress or immodesty but also about women’s assertiveness in
denying the qualities of their gender in pursuit of a more masculine role.
Of
most interest is the parallel used in Isaiah 4:1. Isaiah speaks of scarcity of
men due to war mentioned in Isaiah 3:25-26 and the devasting effect that this
had on women in the ancient world. To be unmarried and childless in ancient
Israel was a disgrace (see Genesis 30:23; Luke 1:25). So terrible the
conditions would be anciently when Israel was at peril of dispersion and
devastation, that women would be willing to share a husband with others and not
expect any material support from him, if only they could claim they were
married to him and had children by him.
In
21st century we see women avoiding child bearing in preference of
convenience and their pursuits by freezing their eggs, having abortions and even
eradicating the need of husbands by replacing them with sperm banks. Isaiah wrote that in his day seven women would
be willing to share one man just to have his children. Reflect on how many
women could end up having children by one man through the sperm bank……
Whether
we follow the world or not is the deciding factor in who we become. Isaiah
spoke of this too when he said, “the show of their countenance doth witness
against them” (3:9). This perhaps is the most important lesson we can take from
Chapter 3 of Isaiah:
“Every
man and every person who lives in this world wields an influence, whether for
good or for evil. It is not what he says alone; it is not alone what he does.
It is what he is. Every man, every person radiates what he or she really is…It
is what we are and what we radiate that affects the people around us.”
(President David O. McKay, Man May Know For Himself, p 108)
The
influence we have on the world is crucial because we are a ‘peculiar’ people,
the definition of which is: one’s very own, exclusive or special, uncommon,
unusual, distinctive in nature or character from others, belonging exclusively
to some person, group or thing. As God’s people, we are obligated to pursue a
character of nobility that we might be an influence for good on the nations of
the earth as we await the return of our King.
Nephi’s
vision of our day should give us the hope and courage to make this a reality: “And
it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it
descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant
people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they
were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.” (1 Nephi 14:14)
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
By
Isaiah’s time, Israel, a chosen nation of God had sunk into such spiritually
depraved condition that Isaiah referred to them as Sodom and Gomorrah (Isaiah
1:10). Their hypocritical performances of the Mosaic offerings and feasts was a
clear indication of their superficial form of worship devoid of repentance
(1:11).
As
per Jehovah’s inexhaustible mercy, the following hope was issued to Israel that
they can still remain chosen:
“Come
now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they
shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)
Even
though this beautiful promise can be applied to individual members of Israel,
it was originally issued to Israel as a nation: “No matter how many prophets
the Lord sent to Israel and Judah, the how many times he pleaded with them, all
through their history they were rebellious. Here we find a promise that if they
would return to the Lord, their past sins would be forgotten, and he would
again receive them as his people and bless them abundantly, and they should
continue to be his covenant people.” (President Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers
to Gospel Questions, 2:180)
The
House of Israel has had a treacherous past but its destiny remains. This
destiny is centred on the Millenial Day when “out of Zion shall go forth the
law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (2:3).
“Jerusalem
shall be the gathering place of Judah and his fellow of the house of Israel,
and Zion shall be the gathering place of Ephraim and his fellows, upon whose
heads shall be conferred ‘the richer blessings’. These two cities, one in the
land of Zion [America] and one in Palestine, are to become capitals for the
kingdom of God during the Millennium (Old Testament Student Manual 1 Kings
– Malachi p 139). In other words, the House of Israel will be the theocratic governing
body of the world with Christ as its head during the Millenium age.
In
chapter 2 of his book, Isaiah summarized the basic spiritual problems that
troubled Israel in his day and made this a dualistic prophecy applicable to the
last days before the Second Coming:
·
Verse
6: Ancient Israel looked to the religious philosophies and the gods of the
Assyrians and other heathen countries for power and for sustenance. Today
people look to may other religions and philosophies of men for wisdom and
guidance instead of the gospel of Jesus Christ;
·
Verse
6: Ancient Israel was joining the heathen nations in all their wickedness, and
modern society is joining with the influences of the world rather than looking
to the Lord;
·
Verse
7: The people were wealthy and materialistic. Their hearts were set on the
things of the world. In the last days, materialism runs rampant.
·
Verse
7: The land was “full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots”.
The horse was a symbol of warfare as was the chariot. Today is an age
characterized by wars and military power.
·
Verse
8: The land was filled with idolatry then, and people still turn to false gods
today, though not necessarily to idols made of wood or stone.
·
Verse
9: Nephi’s quotation of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon says that the “mean man
boweth NOT down, and the great man humbleth himself NOT (2 Nephi 12:9). Here
Isaiah was referring to the fact that men would not worship the true God. In
the preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord indicated this failure
would be a major concern of the last days (D&C 1:16).
-
(Old
Testament Student Manual 1 Kings – Malachi, p 139)
To
fulfil our destiny as the Millenial Nation we need to heed this call:
“O
house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5)
Like
Israel of old
I
foolishly sought man’s protection
Until
you showed me the strength
Of
Your invincible arm
And
how much easier You can make
My
journey’s difficult path.
How
foolish I was to trust in man’s might,
How
foolish to seek mortal comfort
And
settle for feeble sentries of the heart.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
“No
one’s eyes were more penetrating than His, and much of what He saw pierced His
heart. Surely His ears heard every cry of distress, every sound of want amid
despair. To a degree far more than we will ever understand, He was “a man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” Indeed, to the layman in the streets of
Judea, Christ’s career must have seemed a failure, a tragedy, a good man
totally overwhelmed by the evils surrounding Him and the misdeeds of others.
“He
was misunderstood or misrepresented, even hated from the beginning. No matter
what He said or did, His statements were twisted, His actions suspected, His
motives impugned. In the entire history of the world no one has ever loved so
purely or served so selflessly – and been treated so diabolically for His
effort. Yet nothing could break His faith in His Father’s plan or His Father’s
promises. Even in those darkest hours at Gethsemane and Calvary, He pressed on,
continuing to trust in the very God whom He momentarily feared had forsaken
Him.
“Because
Christ’s eyes were unfailingly fixed on the future, He could endure all that
was required of Him, suffer as no man can suffer except it be “unto death”, as
King Benjamin said, look upon the wreckage of individual lives and the promises
of ancient Israel lying in ruins around Him, and still say then and now, “Let
not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
“How
could He do this? How could He believe it? Because He knows that for the
faithful, things will be made right soon enough. He is a King; He speaks for
the crown; He knows what can be promised. He knows that “the Lord….will be a
refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble….For the needy shall not
always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.” He
knows that “the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth
such as be of a contrite spirit.” He knows that “the Lord redeemeth the soul of
his servants: and none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate.”
-
Jeffrey
R. Holland, “An High Priest of Good Things to Come”, GC Oct 1999
As
Golgotha raged and tore
Your
flesh without mercy,
The
Garden sprang anew
As
from every drop of blood You spilt
New
flowers came into bloom.
How
pitiful the cross that claimed You
Not
knowing it sent a God to a
Darkened
tomb!
-
CATHRYNE ALLEN
In the arms of
an angel
I hear Your
call,
I hear it
all….
The beating of
Your heart,
Your tender
voice
Guarding my
steps so I would not fall.
In the arms of
an angel
I am carried
to Your heart;
And I know I
am there,
forever in Your care.
-
CATHRYNE ALLEN
