THE CERTAINTY OF GOD

We can safely say that the signs of the times are upon us. Things will get worse and sufferings will intensify. Now, more than ever, we are in need of a beacon of hope and we all know who that should be for no man on earth could offer what He can.

In chapter 11 of Hebrews, Paul speaks extensively on faith of the ancients who did many marvelous things. He also speaks of many who had suffered insufferable things looking beyond this life to the eternal promise because 'God had provided better things for them through their sufferings' and for one reason: because without sufferings we cannot be made perfect (Hebrews 11:40a JST). I pondered why this would be so and came to understand that sufferings enhance our faith in God and who He is.

Abraham is the greatest example of coming to know God through faith, who 'against hope believed in hope' (Romans 4:18). We often say that Abraham's faith was counted by God as righteousness. And we often believe that it was his faith in the promise of a baby that makes it so. Inspecting Paul's take on the matter closely, however, clarifies this point to perfect understanding. It was not Abraham's faith in the promise that pleased God to such heights, but Abraham's faith in God's ability to fulfill the promise and integrity of His character which would bring the promise into fruition (Romans 4:21,22).  Likewise, Paul points out that it was Abraham's utter belief in God's ability to raise Isaac from the dead the instant he was sacrificed, so that He could fulfill the promise of a righteous posterity for his father, that enabled Abraham to commit to Isaac's sacrifice (Hebrews 11:17-19). 

What can we learn from all this? Mostly, that now more than ever we need to know and trust the God we worship or we will not be able to withstand the turmoil that is yet to come upon us prior to His coming. How will we contain the discouragement and fear at bay?  Where should our focus be so that we can have hope against hope?

Some years ago it was given to me to know that I was in the Saviour's inner circle in pre-existence and that I admired Him greatly. I could see this inner circle in my mind when I was given this understanding and I could see that He had a perfect balance of godly attributes. He was powerful yet meek; strong yet merciful; intelligent yet humble; strict yet compassionate; vengeful yet protective.

Elder Tad Callister in his book The Infinite Atonement says that we voted for Christ in pre-existence because we not only knew that He could save us but that He would.....that He would not fail us. We knew first hand the integrity of His character. I imagine many of us were in that inner circle and we knew Him intimately. But how well do we know Him now? Have we proved Him in our lives to the point where we can trust Him that He will see us through the calamities ahead and beyond? Do we see Him on the pages of the scriptures that we read? Do we feel Him in our hearts? So I say to you: Who is Christ?

- Cathryne Allen

ABSENCE OF FEAR

"Legend has it that one day a man was walking in the desert when he met Fear and Plague. They said they were on their way to a city to kill 10,000 people. The man asked Plague if he was going to do all the work. Plague smiled and said, 'No, I'll take care of only a few hundred. I'll let my friend Fear do the rest'."   -  Author unknown


During some of the toughest persecutions experienced by the saints in the meridian of times Apostle Paul wrote tirelessly to the Church exhorting the members to faithfulness and endurance. During his second imprisonment in Rome and just prior to his martyrdom, Paul wrote his second epistle to Timothy which stands as 'one of the great monuments to faith and hope in the face of loneliness and adversity' (The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p 375). One of the most profound things he said in this letter had reference to fear: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). This statement should become the creed by which we, the saints of this dispensation, live by because we live in a world filled with turmoil, uncertainty, calamities and strife. We who are living during the winding up scenes of this earth's 6,000 years of time are living during the best and the worst of times. Before the Saviour comes again to personally reign for a thousand years we will experience some of the most intense trials of all dispensations that will drive fear into the hearts of all who will stand as witnesses of such times. Discoursing on the signs that will precede the Second Coming, the Saviour described the condition of our day: "And they shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars....for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places" (JSM 1:28,29).

This scripture is a very accurate description of our world today for "nations and kingdoms and peoples are at war all over the globe. The D&C 45 version of this discourse says that men "will take up the sword (or its modern equivalent) one against another" (vs 23). We see this as people fight among their own without regard to any living person; and this, according to Christ, is due to the hardening of their hearts. There will be commotions and desolations as we just read that will come in the form of famines, pestilences, disasters and earthquakes. Such events have increased dramatically in just our lifetime. The D&C version also indicates that these wars and catastrophes will increase until "the whole earth shall be in commotion" which will cause "men's hearts to fail them" (vs 26). We already see the beginning of a general feeling of hopelessness, despondency, depression and despair among many in the world today. This, for instance, is one of the primary purposes of terrorists - to strike a feeling of fear and hopelessness in others - and this will only increase" (Larry D. Keeler, If Ye Are Prepared, Ye Shall Not Fear (Now Is the Time to Prepare), p.3). Like the civilizations of old we allow and even foster 'secret combinations' within our societies which drive fear into the inhabitants of the whole earth. These are our modern day 'Gadianton Robbers' who seek power by inducing fear for the purpose of controlling countries and nations in upholding Satan's plan of destruction of the plan of salvation.

Perilous times equal fear. For this reason the Saviour chose to make the signs of the times known to us who follow His teachings. He said He did so for the 'elect's sake' (JSM 1:29), 'elect' meaning those who have taken upon themselves His name through the covenant of baptism. In His infinite mercy, the Saviour wanted us to have hope of the promises He has made so that we would not be troubled and fearful of the present: "Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled" (D&C 45:35). In other words, instead of fearing the calamities, rejoice that the end is fast approaching and the promises of something better are about to be fulfilled. Here are a few priceless promises made to the faithful who watch for the signs of His coming:

1. We can have peace in the midst of turmoil of the world and live without fear.
2. We can be assured that in the coming destruction of the world, we will be caught up to escape the baptism of fire for it is written 'that in the last days, two shall be in the field, the one shall be taken and the other left' (Matt 24:40-41).
3. We can be assured a place in His Kingdom after this life, which He promised when He said to His disciples: "In my Father's house are many mansions: I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2)

An absence of fear equals a brighteness of hope. Hope and fear cannot co-exist for one will always dispel the other. If we choose not to fear, should we not hope for something better? Considering the bleakness of today's world, can we not rejoice when contemplating the promise of eternal life in Christ's Kingdom of which John the Beloved said: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice of of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Rev 21:1-4). Can we not in the absence of fear, have an abundance of hope in the Prince of Peace who can indeed dry all tears from our eyes and give us splendour and glory after the valley of shadow and death?

The greatest promise of all that we have been given is to receive the Second Comforter while still in mortality. The Prophet Joseph Smith has said that this is a reality for every faithful and worthy Latter-Day Saint who continues to humble himself before God; who hungers and thirsts after righteousness; and who lives by every word of God. Once a person has proven through his faithfulness that he will serve God at all cost, the Saviour Himself will come to Him and even manifest the Father to him, "and the Lord will teach him face to face" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 150-151, 298). Can we not be lifted up above fear when we hear the Saviour's divine promise such as this: "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you....I will love [you], and will manifest myself to [you]....and my Father will love [you] and we will come unto [you] and make our abode with [you] (John 14:18, 21, 23). This promise is, firstly, that the Son and the Father will visit us in person; and secondly, that we can receive from Him an assurance while still in mortality that we will be exalted. This divine promise is given even though we are not yet perfect. This promise means that the Lord knows the innermost desires of our hearts and will assure us divine tutoring beyond the grave that will qualify us for exaltation. Joseph Smith himself received this promise: "For I am the Lord thy God, and will be with thee even unto the end of the world, and through all eternity; for verily I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father, with Abraham your father" (D&C 132:49)

What could we possibly fear if we had an assurance of exaltation and if we knew the Saviour was bringing with Him at His appearing the fulfillment of all His wondrous promises? No earthquake, no flood, no act of terrorism could possibly consume us with fear. We are children of the promise, the elect of the covenant, who have everything to hope for. We are here but for a moment; a moment of learning, a moment of faith, a moment of preparation. As we witness the fulfillment of the signs of the times may we be propelled to urgent preparation to meet our Maker and may we be like John the Beloved,to whom the Saviour gave a glorious vision of the Second Coming and following which He said: "Surely, I come quickly", meaning quickly after all has been fulfilled and to which John simply replied: 

"Even so, come, Lord Jesus"

(Rev 22:20)

A special thanks to my good friend Larry D. Keeler from whom I learnt most of what I posted here and his insightful talk entitled "If Ye Are Prepared, Ye Shall Not Fear" on which this post was based.

THE LIVING WORD

"While I was on a trip to Brazil with two colleagues from Brigham Young University-Idaho, we had the opportunity to spend several days in the Amazon Jungle on the Rio Negro. The river is enormous beyond imagination, and the vegetation in the jungle is thick. One could easily lose his way if he were to venture into it without a guide. Our guide, Moreno, was a native of Italy. He knew the jungle and the river well. Now in his late 30's, he had realized his childhood dream of living in the Amazon Jungle.

Our small group boarded a canoe docked at our floating hotel and departed for the starting point of our hike. We were fascinated by what we saw and impressed by Moreno's deep knowledge and his ability to lead us through the thick and imposing jungle. As we walked he would explain the various plants, animals, insects, and vegetation that surrounded us. He taught us about plants and insects that could be harmful if we were not careful. He also pointed out various plants that Amazon Indians had used for medicinal or other useful purposes. Deeper into the jungle we went. We truly had no idea where we were going. We merely followed Moreno and trusted that he would get us safely back to our canoe and eventually our hotel.

At one point, Moreno stopped the group, and we all gathered around him. "This jungle is hot and humid", he said. "We are at least a mile from the river, and a person cannot live here without water. You would die quickly. There is water right here, right now, where we are. Can any of you see it?" We could not. All we saw were trees, vines and shrubs. The mosquitoes seemed to be everywhere. None of us had any idea where there might be water nearby. With a smile on his face, Moreno said, "Let me show you." He grabbed his machete and walked to a vine, lightly covered with green velvet moss. After two quick swings, he was holding a piece of the vine in his hand. We still didn't understand. "Water is right here", he said, "right in my hand". Just then he lifted the vine vertically and clear, cool water came dripping out! We were all amazed. As we looked around, we could now see similar vines everywhere. Some were large, others small but once we were taught by one who knew, we saw that in this jungle there was an abundance of water. We each took turns drinking from the vine. As we hiked back to our canoe we continued to see that water was everywhere now we knew where to look.

I have since thought about this experience in relationship to the true vine, living water, and following one who knows. In John 15:1, Jesus teaches us that He is the true vine and His Father is the husbandman. In 1 Nephi 15:15, we read Nephi's prophetic teachings to his unbelieving brethren regarding the remnant of Lehi's seed: "Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine?"  In John 4:14, the Saviour teaches a woman of Samaria that He is the one who gives living water: "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life". As we read about what Nephi saw in vision in 1 Nephi 11:25, we also learn of the 'fountain of living waters.....which waters are a representation of the love of God'.

Just as Moreno guided our group through the jungles of the Amazon, modern-day prophets can lead us through the jungles of life. If we trust them, they will point us to the true vine and living water."
(Bruce C. Kusch, "Living Water in the Rain Forest", Ensign Feb 2006)

"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets"
Amos 3:7

When Amos was called to preach repentance to the House of Israel around 750 B.C., the Israelites were so far gone in iniquity that they were no longer considered a 'peculiar people'. In fact the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Judah were included in the list of evil nations upon which Amos pronounced curses and calamities which which the Lord would punish them. Israel, who was once favoured was condemned all the more because of the privileges they had enjoyed by virtue of being a covenant people. They had been given the law of God and, therefore, more was expected of them. Instead of living up to that expectation, they squandered their right to be the favoured people by going in the opposite direction. So gross were their sins of idolatry and oppression of the poor that the Lord rejected the whole nation's present and future sacrifices and offerings. So addicted were the Israelites to idolatry that they carried everywhere they went miniature replicas of heathen gods Moloch and Chiun that the Israelite women had adopted (Amos 5:26). And so evil had the women of Samaria become (Amos 4:1-3) that they 'urged their husbands to bring them food bought with money squeezed from the poor' (Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings-Malachi, p. 92).  The oppression of the poor was rife amongst the whole nation which showed no mercy or justice to the point where the people 'longed to see the poor in such a state of misery that they threw dust on their heads (a sign of mourning)' (Old Testament Student Manual, p. 91).

We can learn several lessons from the ministry of Amos:

• The Lord always gives us a lot of opportunities and ample time to repent. In the course of Amos' ministry, Israelites were afflicted with famine, drought, earthquake, floods, heat waves, dust and sand storms, wildfire, excessive rain, mildew and crop blight, insect infestations (grasshoppers, palmerworm etc.), siege, battle losses, and even captivity of various cities or areas for periods of time. When recounting these afflictions, Amos repeatedly points out: 'yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord'. Then he issues a most chilling edict: 'prepare to meet thy God, O Israel' (Amos 4:6-12).

• The Lord never does anything regarding his children without telling them so first through his prophets. In Amos' words: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). What is a prophet and what are the secrets he reveals? In a broad sense, a prophet is someone who bears special witness of Jesus Christ, meaning we all could be prophets. Anciently, there were periods where several prophets were called at the same time. It is supposed that Amos was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea and that they administered to the House of Israel concurrently. The Office of a Prophet, however, is held by one man at a time who is also the President of the Church. In that capacity, he is also a seer and a revelator. In simplistic terms, a prophet is a teacher of known truth; a seer is a perceiver of hidden truth and a revelator is a bearer of new truth. Many of the 'secrets' Amos talks about deal with the future,, often the latter days - our days. God would have no secrets between us. He wants us to know most and eventually all of what He knows. For this purpose He calls prophets to impart knowledge to us. Once God reveals his mind to humanity, there are no secrets, only revelations.

• God is fair and extremely patient and long-suffering but He is also just. His repeated many warnings during Amos ministry did nothing to bring the people to repentance. In all fairness then, they were warned. All God's judgments that Amos pronounced upon Israel and their enemies were fulfilled within 30 years of his ministry. In 721 B.C. Assyria swept out of the north, captured the Northern Kingdom of Israel and took the ten tribes into captivity.  Amos' prophecies for our day are also being fulfilled.  With war and pestilence and famine, with poverty and desolation in the world today, it behooves us to pay attention to the prophets, seers and revelators  to lead us to 'through the jungles of life to the vine and living water' that ancient Israel so blatantly rejected. 

Because Israel rejected the word of God, Amos predicted a famine of His word, which served as a dual prophecy: "The hardness of their hearts reached such a state that from 400 B.C. until the ministry of John the Baptist, which began in 30 A.D., as far as we know there were no prophets in Israel. But Amos' prophecy was also fulfilled at a later time. After Christ re-established His Church on earth, it too eventually fell into apostasy. Again revelation ceased, and there was a great famine of the word of God, this famine lasting for well over a thousand years." (Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings-Malachi, p. 94). That's a long time to go without a prophet who is the embodiment of 'the living word' which flows through revelation from God to His children. This period of time embedded in people the belief that revelation was dead and that the scriptures are the only directive we have to rely on. God, however, in his mercy and never-ending kindness does not wish for the destruction of his children. His plan is secure and all his purposes will be fulfilled.   

"After centuries of spiritual darkness....we solemnly announce to all the world that the spiritual famine is ended. the spiritual drought is spent, the word of the Lord in its purity and totalness is available to all men. One needs not wander from sea to sea nor from north to the east, seeking the true gospel as Amos predicted, for the everlasting truth is available" (Spencer W. Kimball, Conference Report, April 1964, pp 93-93).

"A young lad..... Joseph Smith, of incomparable faith, broke the spell, shattered the 'heavens of iron' and re-established communication. Heaven kissed the earth, light dissipated the darkness, and God again spoke to man, revealing anew 'his secret unto his servants the prophets' (Amos 3:7). A new prophet was in the land and through him God set up his kingdom, never to be destroyed nor left to another people - a kingdom that will stand forever. The foreverness of this kingdom and the revelations which it brought into existence are absolute realities. Never again will the sun go down; never again will all men prove totally unworthy of communication with their Maker. Never again will God be hidden from his children on the earth. Revelation is here to remain." (Spencer W. Kimball, "Revelation: The Word of the Lord to His Prophets", Ensign, May 1977, p. 76)

"For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, that createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon high places of the earth, The Lord, The God of hosts, is his name." (Amos 4:13)

THE FALSE GODS WE WORSHIP

Some years ago whilst we were studying the Old Testament in Sunday School, a friend of mine called me quite distressed and asked me to explain how the Lord could command the children of Israel to slaughter so many people as they took possession of the promised land. She reasoned they were His children too and surely he loved them as much as the Israelites so how could He possibly have so many people including women and children killed so mercilessly just so the Israelites could move into their land.  I tried to explain about the heathen nations but my argument wasn't gelling with her. In the end I said that the Saviour of all mankind who bled at every pore for our sins had the right to demand our utmost allegiance and as the creator of this earth He had all things in His hand and could do as He pleased.

The more I reflect on the Israelites taking possession of the promised land, the more I realise the destruction of the idolatrous Canaanites is a great lesson in reaping what you sow. Israel had to have the land of their fathers back and the evil practices which polluted the land had to be eradicated for worship of the true and living God to take place. In essence, it was Canaanites who were responsible for their downfall at the hands of the Israelites. This is evident from the scriptures: "...for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, that he may perform the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers..." (Deut. 9:4).

The scriptures constantly affirm that if we are faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord we will prosper in the land. The opposite to prospering in the land is being removed from the land and the opposite to being blessed through obedience is being destroyed, spiritually and at times physically. The destruction of the heathen nations that possessed Canaan was a matter of time.  I wonder how many of us take the scriptural warnings seriously. I am never surprised to hear of calamities that befall different parts of the world. More often than not, these calamities happen in non-Christian countries where false gods are worshipped. Sometimes they even happen in heathen pockets of Christian countries for God will not be mocked. Consider the poor countries in the third world. Most of them do not worship the one true and living God.

I love the story of how Israelites conquered Jericho . The ingenious strategy to overpower this city was clearly the plan through which God would show forth his power over the inhabitants of the earth and any false gods that they turn to.  I would love to travel back in time to witness this majestic display of His power. I get emotional just thinking about it. Instead of complicated strategies, all it took was a shout to bring the walls down, shout from God's chosen people bearing the ark of the covenant in their midst. Why would anyone choose to worship anything other than the God of glory and power? But worship we do in so many ways and so many things other than the God who can give us all.  The Lord said of our day: "They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own God, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall" (D&C 1:16).

President Spencer W. Kimball cites a modern day example of false god worship through this story:

"One man I know of was called to a position of service in the Church, but he felt that he couldn't accept because his investments required more attention and more of his time than he could spare for the Lord's work.  He left the service of the Lord in search of Mammon, and he is a millionaire today.  But I recently learned an interesting fact: If a man owns a million dollars worth of gold at today's prices, he possesses approximately one 27-billion of all the gold that is present in the earth's thin crust alone. This is an amount so small in proportion as to be inconceivable to the mind of man. But there is more to this: The Lord who created and has power over all the earth created many other earths as well, even 'worlds without number' (Moses 1:33); and when this man received the oath and covenant of the priesthood (D&C 84:33-44), he received a promise from the Lord of 'all that my Father hath' (D&C 84:38). To set aside all these great promises in favour of a chest of gold and a sense of carnal security is a mistake in perspective of colossal proportions. To think that he has settled for so little is a saddening and pitiful prospect indeed; the souls of men are far more precious than this." (The False Gods We Worship, Ensign June 1976)

I wonder when the Saviour comes again, what will we be clutching in our hands? What treasure will we consider to be worth more than eternal life? When the expanse of eternity spreads before us, will we want the splendor of celestial life or will we be dragging our treasure chests behind us content to own that for all eternity? I fear that some of us may get there with closed fists resembling the monkeys in the following story:

"I am reminded of an article I read some years ago about a group of men who had gone to the jungles to capture monkeys. They tried a number of different things to catch the monkeys, including nets. But finding that the nets could injure such small creatures, they finally came upon an ingenious solution. They built a large number of small boxes, and in the top of each they bored a hole just large enough for the monkey to get his hand into. They then set these boxes out under the trees and in each one they put a nut that the monkeys were particularly fond of.

When the men left, the monkeys began to come down from the trees and examine the boxes. Finding that there were nuts to be had, they reached into the boxes to get them. But when a monkey would try to withdraw his hand with the nut, he could not get his hand out of the box because his little fist, with the nut inside, was now too large.

At about this time, the men would come out of the underbrush and converge on the monkeys. And here is the curious thing: When the  monkeys saw the men coming, they would shriek and scramble about with the thought of escaping; but as easy as it would have been, they would not let go of the nut so that they could withdraw their hands from the boxes and thus escape. The men captured them easily.

And so it often seems to be with people, having such a firm grasp on things of the world - that which is telestial - that no amount of urging and no degree of emergency can persuade them to let go in favour of that which is celestial. Satan gets them in his grip easily. If we insist on spending all our time and resources building up for ourselves a worldly kingdom, that is exactly what we will inherit." (Spencer W. Kimball, The False Gods We Worship, Ensign, June 1976)