A RIGHTEOUS BRANCH

 

 

The ongoing difficulties of the Jewish nation which we are even now witnessing brings to mind the reason a certain Israelite family escaped the destruction of Jerusalem in 597 B.C. when the diaspora began. Lehi explained to his son Joseph the promise that the Lord made to his progenitor, Joseph of Egypt, that He would, in their day, ‘raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel’ (2 Nephi 3:5). And so the promised land they were led to across the waters in 600 B.C. meant a new beginning. How utterly tragic then that just over a thousand years later, a sole survivor of that very ‘righteous branch’ wandered the land of America with a heart wrenching explanation: "Behold.....I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have no friends nor whither to go...therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not." (Mormon 8:4,5).

But the Lord was not finished with the House of Israel and so He gave another promise to Joseph of Egypt, that He would raise up ‘a choice seer’ in the latter days who ‘will be like unto Moses’ and who will bring to light the words of them who were destroyed and who will speak ‘out of the ground’ (2 Nephi 3:7; 26:16,17). Enter Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.

We all know that the Book of Mormon is the important second witness of Jesus Christ but it also speaks of something else equally important. Another purpose of the Book of Mormon is to bring to our remembrance the covenant which Jehovah has made with the House of Israel (2 Nephi 3:7, 12). This says two things to me: 1. the Lord will never give up on us and; 2. He will never break His covenant with us, even though we break our covenants with Him (Deuteronomy 4:31). This is the promise He has made to the House of Israel that will stand forever.

If you study the Book of Mormon closely, two things will become very obvious to you: 1. the merciful nature of the God we worship and 2. He always, always fulfils His promises. Mormon ensured that every prophecy and promise in the Book of Mormon was tied to its fulfillment and he testified of this with such phrases as 'all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled' (Mosiah 21:4) and 'God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words' (Alma 37:16). This was his technique and his tool through which he testified of Christ. This strategy proves in a unique way that the Book of Mormon is an authentic record written by Mormon himself for it would have been impossible for anyone else to chronicle such numerous promises and their fulfillments let alone an uneducated man like Joseph Smith. Mormon, on the other hand, knew the history of his people well because of many records that were in his keeping for many years.

One last thought: Christ is the vine and we are the branches (John 15:5). If we will be the righteous branch of the House of Israel, we need to abide in the vine for without Him we can be nothing (v 4,5). How wonderful is the God of Israel!!! How exquisite the bond He has with His people! I have often thought His tolerance and mercy towards us is excessive but one day a thought came to me that He could have never subjected himself to such an unjust death if He was any other way. This is who He is….Christ the Lord, the Hope of Israel, the Rock of Our Salvation, the lover of our souls……

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Coming to Save You by Laura Wilson)

A GOD YET A BOY

 

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man……and continued from grace to grace until he received a fulness.”   (Luke 2:52; D&C 93:13)

We know little about the boyhood of Jesus but what little we know is befitting of the God who condescended to be a mortal to save humanity. From a dependent babe in arms Jesus grew into a boy who was in all things subject unto his earthly parents even though He was in every way superior to them (Luke 2:51). It shows incredible meekness. And even though He was endowed with talents and spiritual capacities exceeding those of any other person, He participated in the normal activities and experiences of His time and was subject to the restrictions and testings of mortality (Hebrews 2:10-18; 4:15; 5:8-9; Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:111)

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that as a boy, Jesus Christ possessed superior intelligence to all mortals: “When still a boy He had all the intelligence necessary to enable Him to rule and govern the kingdom of the Jews, and could reason with the wisest and most profound doctors of law and divinity, and make their theories and practice to appear like folly compared with the wisdom He possessed.” (in History of the Church, 6:608)

It is evident that by the age of 12 the Saviour knew who He was. When He was found in the temple teaching the doctors of the law who ‘were hearing Him and asking Him questions’ (JST Luke 2:46), He confirmed as much telling Joseph and Mary that He was about His ‘Father’s business’ (Luke 2:49). It is said Christ started His ministry at 30 years of age but to me He started at 12. A boy, yet a God, who at 12 proved, in the temple, the Father is with Him and that He will ‘do always those things that please him’ (John 8:29).

 

Did You see me Father

Giving glory to Thy name?

My words of Thee

Flowing from my tongue

Like a holy flame.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: When Did He Know by Liz Lemon Swindle)

THE NOBLE AND GREAT ONES

 

 

I listened to Handel’s ‘Messiah’ this Christmas. This would have to be the most spiritually charged and soul-stirring piece of music ever written. A good choir could lift the roof of a building singing something so majestic and powerful. Even though angelic host can do even better,  I wondered as I listened how the Saviour would feel listening to such songs of praise. I wondered if His heart would swell within His chest, if He felt being ‘a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief’ for a season was worth it (Isaiah 53:3). I wondered how He felt reflecting back on His difficult mortal, sacrificial life that He lived exclusively for others. Reflecting on this  made me weep wondering how He could endure it all on His own but then I realized something that gave me a fresh perspective: the success of His mission was aided by some very noble spirits.

Consider first the most pure vessel chosen to be His earthly mother. Tradition has it that Mary was only 15 years old when she had Jesus. Such a responsibility for one so young seems overwhelming, nevertheless, her spiritual maturity must have exceeded her mortal years. And Joseph, the noble son of God who was chosen to rear the Saviour from infancy to adulthood; who protected Him at every turn, taught Him the law, and schooled Him in a profession and responsibilities of a righteous Hebrew man. And what of Peter and the apostles who left behind everything to follow Him and went to their deaths willingly to further the cause of Him whom they professed had ‘the words of eternal life’ (John 6:68)? And John the Beloved…..what kind of love would it have to be to want to remain on this earth for over 2,000 years doing missionary work (D&C 7:1-3)? And what of friends who loved Him and offered refuge from His sorrows such as Lazarus, Mary and Martha?  These were the noble and great hand-picked supporters who were converted to the cause of the truth long before the earth began. These were the ones who made the Saviour’s mortal life bearable. I am certain that when He reflects on His experience His heart swells with gratitude for the committed, the valiant, the accepting fellow travellers on the greatest journey ever undertaken.

What faith You had

In those who held You

by Your mortal hand;

How loyal to their charge

Were they who sustained You

When it all began.

How tender their heart

To see the Hope of Israel

And recognize The Great I am.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Child of Grace by Liz Lemon Swindle)

A BIRTH AND A DEATH

Did you miss Your throne divine

When You crossed the threshold of the stable?

 And did You clutch my worth inside You

That made Your mortal task divinely able?

 

I heard the angels in the field

Sing praises to Your name;

And I sorrowed knowing, like holy water,

Your love would spill on sacrificial altar.

 

I cannot look at the Saviour’s birth without being reminded of His death. Every time I see the baby in the manger these words echo in my mind: “To this end was I born and for this cause came I into the world….” (John 18:37). You cannot have birth without death and you cannot have death without birth.

When I think of both, my consolation comes from remembering that the jubilation of Christ’s birth was outdone by the jubilation upon His return in triumph beyond the veil. Imagine the tears of sorrow at the cross and compare them to tears of celebration and gratitude that greeted the Saviour as He entered the spirit world: “And there were gathered together in one place an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality…they were filled with joy and gladness and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand….while this vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful…..And the saints rejoiced in their redemption, and bowed the knee and acknowledged the Son of God as their Redeemer, and Deliverer from death and the chains of hell. Their countenances shone and the radiance from the presence of the Lord rested upon them, and they sang praises unto His holy name….” (D&C 138:12-18; 23-24)

And what of us who had not yet been born in mortality? We who awaited the return of Him who knew our earthly lives before we did? I imagine the gratitude would have been overwhelming. I imagine we fell down before Him in adoration and praise, knowing our salvation was secure and that the Atonement was fixed and in place to enable us to endure our tribulations and resist the evil forces that would seek to destroy us. I imagine that the very heavens echoed the shouts of our praise. I imagine we wept tears of exquisite joy as we saw our God take His place upon His throne and I imagine all eternity shook as we cried with one voice: “Glory and honour, and power, and might, be ascribed to our God…..let the sun, moon and morning stars sing together and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever!” (D&C 84:102; 128:23)

-      -  Cathryne Allen, (Art: Born This Day by Liz Lemon Swindle)

 

 

A THIEF OF GLORY

 

The similitude that comes to mind when we think of Satan is a snake but John the Revelator describes Satan more aptly from his vision. What could be more deadly and more powerful than a snake? A dragon. The dragon that John saw was red, a colour that represents fury. And how well he painted the scene of the dragon who drew with ‘his tail the third part of the stars of heaven’! (Revelation 12:4).

The Book of Revelation calls Satan ‘an accuser’ who accused us of our sins to the Father, day and night (Revelation 12:10). I can only imagine the glee with which he relentlessly and craftily complained about us, claiming that we were beyond redemption and would all be lost if the Father did not accept his plan. No mercy and no genuine concern for our welfare. But then the Saviour stepped forward and offered both and hope was born. But ‘the accuser’ picked up another tactic and sought to destroy our faith in Christ without ceasing. A war ensued….”the same kind that prevails on earth; the only kind Satan and spirit beings can wage – a war of words, a tumult of opinions, a conflict of ideologies; a war between truth and error, between light and darkness…”(Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:518).

This is how we won the war in heaven. When the Saviour stepped forward to take responsibility for us He sealed His fate as our Redeemer. So sure was the foundation of His commitment that the Atonement in mortality was really just a formality. So iron clad was His destiny as our Saviour that it became our reality long before the earth was made. The scriptures confirm that ‘the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world’ meaning the power of the Atonement was already in place in pre-mortal world enabling all God’s children, from the beginning, to be born innocent (Revelation 13:8, 1 Peter 1:18-20; Mosiah 3:13; 4:7; D&C 93:38). Because the Atonement was such a surety, it was as if it had already happened and consequently we could draw upon its’ blessings and power before we were even born. It is this power and our testimonies by which we defeated Lucifer and his followers in the war in heaven (see the New Testament Institute Manual commentary on Revelation 12:11; 13:8, By Blood and Testimony)

The name ‘Lucifer’ means ‘light bearer’. He was so great once, ‘he was in authority in the presence of God’ (D&C 76:25). So great was he that we wept when he was lost (76:26). We too are great with enormous potential but we can find ourselves lost too under his influence. His fury will not spare one soul. He will use every tactic and every tool to steal our spiritual identity, to kill our faith in God and to destroy our commitment to Christ (John 10:10) . We of the last days cannot allow this to happen. We will not allow the red dragon to win. We already know the outcome. The only question remaining is who will be among the survivors. The war has not ended. In the words of Elder McConkie: “……..the battle lines are still drawn. It is now on earth as it was then in heaven; every man must choose which general he will follow” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:518).

These are the tools Satan uses that are so prevalent in our society:

HIS THREE DOCTRINES:

No punishment for sin

Nothing after death

He does not exist

HIS LIES THROUGH RATIONALISATION:

Just once won't hurt

No one will know

Everybody is doing it

HIS VALUE SYSTEM:

Selifshness

Self-indulgence

Immediate gratification

HIS SALES TECHNIQUES:

Pacifying

Flattering 

Lulling 

Like a thief in the night,

He seeks to steal, kill and destroy.

He is the collector of ruined lives,

The Master of ravaged souls.

 

He is the Son of the Morning,

His pride yielded irreversible cost

In the beginning we sorely wept

When his soul was forever lost.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: AI generated by NightCafe Creator)

ARRAYED IN WHITE

 

The sheer contemplation of eternity overwhelms me. What in pre-mortality was a concept so plain to my understanding, now begs to unravel the mystery that plagues me. The treasures in the Book of Revelation just keep giving. Nowhere in the holy writ do I get a glimpse into eternity like I do in this book. The picture this book gives us of the throne of God the Father surrounded by His exalted children, arrayed in white apparel, praising Him because their robes had been washed in the blood of the Lamb is beyond breathtaking. It was explained to John that these so arrayed ‘came out of great tribulation’ and that they ‘shall hunger no more….for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes’ (Revelation 7:9-17). When you put this into the context of our exaltation being His work, you can understand how His exalted children also become His glory (Moses 1:39).

And here is another glimpse into our eternity. John saw animals and people not only praising God the Father but worshipping Him ‘forever’ (Revelation 4:8-11). This truth stands: we will continue to worship Heavenly Father in the eternities to come because He will ALWAYS be our God. It gives you a clearer picture of how we glorify God through the lives that we live, because that glory lives on.  (see New Testament Institute Manual for clarification of these quoted scriptures and Neal A. Maxwell’s “From Whom All Blessings Flow”, Ensign, May 1997, p 12).

The most supernal glimpse into the splendor of eternity would have to be John’s vision of the book of life with the seven seals revealing the history of this earth. And here is the tenderness of it….John says he ‘wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon’ (5:4). Why did John weep? Because the book contained the history of every living soul upon this earth and souls matter, they matter very much. And then hope…..John was told not to weep because the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, who was slain and had redeemed us was worthy to open the book (5:5,9). And John heard ‘every creature in heaven and on earth, and under the earth saying: Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever’ (5:13). Imagine the spiritual energy, the rapture, the ecstasy of this moment in the celestial realm. This glimpse would be overwhelming to a mere mortal. But it was a moment of love to John who sat alone at Patmos and who would live through all the tribulations of this world until the last day when the King of Kings comes again and greets him exclaiming: John, my Beloved!

If you want to ‘think celestial’ like President Nelson advised, study the Book of Revelation.

Our exaltation would never be possible without the condescension of Christ. The birth was the beginning of the end. Without the birth, there would be no salvation, no exaltation, no glory. The glory begins with the lowliest of all births amongst animals of this earth and lambs in the field witnessing the greatest act of humility in the arrival of the King. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

THE GIFT OF OVERCOMING

 

Have you ever experienced elation after overcoming a bad habit or weakness or sin just from the sheer victory that became yours? The Book of Revelation is a book of promises for those who overcome that takes elation to the next level for those who conquer. When John was commanded to write to the priesthood leaders of the seven churches of Asia Minor he detailed their good works, their intentions and their failings with such accuracy and transparency that it left them no doubt as to who was the originator of such messages. As the messages were given to John, the Saviour identified himself as the one who searches the desires, thoughts and hearts of men and sees all things (Revelation 2:23).

Consider the promises that were made to these seven churches, and ultimately to all of us, and imagine the elation at their fulfilment:

1.  “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life” (2:7) thus eradicating the effects of the Fall and granting eternal life to the faithful.
2. “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” (2:11) sparing all eternal separation from the Father except those who refuse to repent. To the faithful He says: “I will give thee a crown of life” (2:10)
3.  “To him who overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna and will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written” (2:17): He alone is the ‘hidden manna’ and those who symbolically partake of His flesh will receive everlasting life (John 6:47-58) with entrance into celestial kingdom (D&C 130:8-11).
4. “He that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give the morning star” (2:28): Being the firstborn among the host of heaven, the morning star is a symbol of Jesus Christ, the Second Comforter who manifests himself to men in the flesh and teaches them face to face.  (NT Institute Manual; Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 3:381).
5. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne” (3:21): To sit on His throne, means to receive exaltation in celestial worlds and reign with Him forever in everlasting glory (Bruce R. McConkie, The Purifying Power of Gethsemane, Ensign May 1985)
6. “He that overcometh shall inherit ALL things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son” (21:7)…..is there any explanation needed for this??? Being joint heirs with the Saviour of ALL the Father has defies any mortal imagination.

It must be noted that all the promises are for next life bar one which deals with the Second Comforter manifesting himself to men in this life. Why is that? Because what is to come after this life is of the greatest worth. It's what matters above all. We cannot presently comprehend the glory and the splendor of the blessings herein promised. One thing I do know, we once saw that glory and deemed it worthy of the work of overcoming. And here is proof: Satan lost himself forever in an effort to obtain it. This also I know: the splendor of eternal life for each of us was worth the condescension of a God who exchanged His throne for the stench of a stable. None of the promises could have been made without His Atonement but more so, without His birth. Surely there could not be a greater gift than the gift of that Bethlehem stable for what more could He offer us than Himself?

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Birth by Dan Burr)

 

Art: Birth by Dan Burr