BORROWED LIGHT

 

“Let me say to you, that many of you will see the time when you will have all the trouble, trial and persecution that you can stand ,and plenty of opportunities to show that you are true to God and His work. This Church has before it many close places through which it will have to pass before the work of God is crowned with victory.

“To meet the difficulties that are coming, it will be necessary for you to have a knowledge of the truth of this work for yourselves. The difficulties will be of such a character that the man or woman who does not possess this personal knowledge or witness will fall.

“If you have not got the testimony, live right and call upon the Lord and cease not till you obtain it. If you do not, you will not stand. Remember these sayings, for many of you will live to see them fulfilled.

“The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within himself. If you do not have it, how can you stand?”

-          “Life of Heber C. Kimball” p 446,449-50

 

I would rather be a vessel in Your hand

Than a crowned king on gilded throne;

I would rather be a bird in flight

Without a shelter to keep me warm;

I would rather cross the oceans

And go where you would want me to go

Than sit contented never knowing

the trail that leads me home.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: At The Helm by Danny Hahlbohm)

A LINK IN THE CHAIN

 

When my mother-in-law lay dying in her hospital bed, she repeatedly told her children and grandchildren to stay on ‘the gospel train’. Just prior to her death one conference talk was centred on this life being like a train journey and we think she connected this in her mind to the gospel. She died a dignified death with her testimony on her lips. I hope to go like that.

In his farewell address, Moses admonished the children of Israel, repeatedly, to worship the one true and living God and that they should have no other gods before Him. This farewell constitutes the entire book of Deuteronomy with strong emphasis on dangers of idol worship. This farewell address was not only instructional but also the legacy of his testimony and faith.

Moses' farewell coincided with the children of Israel's entry into the promised land. Because the inhabitants of Canaan were ripe in iniquity and idol worship (1 Nephi 17:32-35) they presented a very real threat to the covenant people. As the Israelites conquered cities before them, lands were appropriated to them for their settlement. Among the first to receive land were the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh. They settled in the land of Gilead which divided them from the rest of Israel by the river Jordan (Numbers 34:14,15; Deuteronomy 3:12,13; Joshua 22:9).

After these three tribes had assisted in further conquest of the land, Joshua sent them back to Gilead to live peacefully in their newly appointed inheritance. Upon their return home, these tribes built an altar by the river Jordan. When the rest of Israel heard of it they were outraged presuming the altar was built for idol worship. They sent Phineas, the son of Eleazor the priest, with the heads of the remaining tribes, to call these two and a half tribes to repentance.

In their defence, these tribes explained that the altar was not made for any worship but was meant to stand as a witness to the rest of Israel, for generations to come, that the tribe of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh were united with the rest of Israel in the worship of one true and living God, that they would not be the downfall of Israel. They said the altar was to be "a witness between us that the Lord is God" (Joshua 22:34).  These three tribes recognised that even though they were geographically divided from the rest, they were still a link in the chain. They knew that if they turned to the worship of other gods, the ripple effect would be detrimental to the whole House of Israel.

So it is with us. We of modern Israel are individual links in a great chain which binds the covenant people. How we live our lives and how we worship God has great impact upon not only us personally but upon the body of Christ as a whole because "no one sins in isolation. We cannot say that our actions influence only ourselves for even if we do something sinful that is completely personal, our individual loss of spiritual power means a lessening of power for all mankind and contributes to the withdrawal of the Lord's spirit, and that is damaging to all......". (Old Testament Student Manual Genesis-2 Samuel, p 243).

Today the chain, being the Church of Jesus Christ, spreads across the globe. It unites me, who am an Australian, with you who are an American, European or African. It unites us through our faith in Him who is the Saviour of all, regardless of nationality, colour or culture. Our faith in Christ and our commitment to that faith is our commonality. He creates a spiritual umbilical cord that makes us one and strengthens us even though we are miles apart. I depend on you and you depend on me to keep the chain unbroken because one day this chain will bring us together to live with Him forever.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Light of the World by Eva Koleva Timothy)

 

TO PROSPER

 

“Consider President George Q. Cannon’s approach to tithing when he was an impoverished young man. When his bishop commented on the large amount of tithing poor young George was paying, George said something like: ‘Oh Bishop, I’m not paying tithing on what I MAKE. I’m paying tithing on what I WANT to make!’ And the very next year George earned exactly the amount he had paid tithing on the year before!” (Wendy Watson Nelson, “Becoming the Person You Were Born to Be” BYU-Hawaii Devotional for Young Adults Jan 10, 2016)

President Cannon’s example is not a get rich quick scheme but it is the way of taking faith to the next level when an increase in livelihood is needed.

When I was 17 I read about the Church in a library book. I loved everything I read and didn’t find fault with any principles the members were asked to live by. I accepted everything and yearned to be baptized. One Sunday I made my way to the closest chapel during meeting time. I walked past it several times looking at it longingly thinking I was not allowed in because I was not a member. 

For some reason what came into my mind was the law of tithing. I was working in an office full time by then and earning $100 per week. It was a lot 50 years ago. I felt rich. My response to the thought was: “I would gladly give my entire pay to the Church for the privilege of sitting in that building.”  And so began my Church membership and my testimony of the principle of tithing.

I had no problem paying tithing until I was a struggling single mother following my divorce. I learnt that falling behind in paying it made me feel terribly unworthy and inferior in God’s kingdom. I learnt it was not worth being half-hearted in my obedience. Since then, as part of my penance, I have paid my tithing first and foremost before I paid any bills. I made it my biggest priority.

I cannot tell you that I ended up financially well off but I can tell you that something much greater happened. Even though I had wished at certain times of my life that I was more financially secure, the pursuit of something far greater than temporal blessings became my main focus, and this is what became my focus: “true prosperity is the growth in the knowledge of God, and in a testimony, and in the power to live the gospel…” (“Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant [2002], 124)

The Book of Mormon prophets talked at great length about ‘prospering in the land’, Alma in particular (1 Nephi 2:20; 2 Nephi 1:9,20,31; Jarom 1:9; Mosiah 1:7; Alma 36:1,30; 37:13; 38:1; 49:30; 50:20). To understand what true prosperity is, it’s imperative to know what it isn’t. In the scriptural sense prosperity means to have the blessing of being close to God, to be in His presence in this life…because to NOT prosper means to be cut off from His presence: 2 Nephi 1:20; 4:4; Mosiah 7:29; Alma 9:13; Mosiah 1:7; 2:22; Omni 1:6; see also The Book of Mormon Student Manual p 234).

I have never forgotten that moment in time when I was 17 when I regarded the Church far greater than the money I was earning. As a result I have never paid tithing throughout my Church membership in expectation of financial blessings in return.

I have paid it because I wanted to be a worthy member of His Church: worthy of having the truth He had blessed me with; worthy of the commandments He had given me so that I would never become lost; worthy of the trust He had in me to live by the covenants I had made with Him; worthy of the spiritual knowledge He was bestowing upon me; worthy of His Spirit which encircled me in the arms of His love many, many times.

I am not negating temporal blessings here as a result of tithe paying. My patriarchal blessing says if I pay my tithing and offerings I will be blessed beyond my fondest dreams. At first glance, anyone would think that would mean I would be rich in this life……but the scriptures are more right than anyone…… I testify true prosperity has exceeded my fondest dreams….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: His Love Fills My Heart by Greg Collins)

TO KNOW THE ENEMY

 

There is great insight into the adversary, and how he operates, from his interaction with the children of Adam and Eve, and Cain in particular.

Firstly, to draw Cain into his web, Satan observed him closely. When Cain showed openly he was not interested in knowing God and aligned himself with his older brethren who loved Satan more than God, the adversary knew he had the right man (Moses 5:16). He needed someone as arrogant and prideful as himself but who knew the snares of mortality that could defeat God’s plan for humanity. And he was even prepared to sacrifice his position of leadership for such an opportunity. In time Cain became ‘the father of Satan’s lies’ and assumed his name of Perdition (5:24) and this is how it happened.

From his observation of Cain’s relationship with his righteous brother Abel , he knew just how to push the buttons to ignite jealousy and from there to initiate him into secret combinations of gain and murder (Moses 5:18-21). But to bind Cain into his oath, Satan first commanded him to implicate his apostate brothers in the same oath so that they would not reveal the plan to their father (Moses 5:29). Interesting, isn’t it? Why would he worry that Adam would find out?

This is why. Satan knew who Adam was and the coward that he is, he feared him. John the Beloved was shown the war in heaven and he described Satan as the dragon who fought with his angels and the leader who opposed him with his angels and prevailed against him was Michael the Archangel (Revelation 12:7-10)…… the name by which Adam was known in the pre-mortal life (Guide to the Scriptures, Gospel Library). Satan feared Adam who cast him and his followers down to this earth (v 11.

Secondly, he made Cain swear ‘by the living God’ that he would not reveal the secret oath by which he was bound. This was a plain admission on his part that there is none greater than God, and that he harbours secret respect for the very enemy he tries to deny and whose kingdom he tries to destroy. Not a very smart move for someone with self- aggrandizing bravado.

This is the most important part of this intriguing story: “During the ‘war in heaven’ shown to John the Beloved on the Isle of Patmos, it does not appear that Elohim interfered in any way even though He was greatly concerned with the outcome. The scripture says that when Satan was ultimately cast out it was Michael and his angels who did it. It even describes HOW they did it: ‘by the word of their testimony’ (Rev 12:11).”  (W. Cleon Skousen, “The First 2,000 Years”, p 101)

The adversary knows us from pre-earth life but he has no power here but what we give him. We have the biggest advantage that he will never have, a body. That in and of itself makes us greater than him, and he knows it. The second biggest advantage is our testimony of ‘the blood of the Lamb’, even the same that we defeated him with in pre-mortal life (v 11). The third biggest advantage is our righteousness. He quivers before it. He kneels before it. It is like an open flame that threatens to destroy.

Satan has no power on his best day to destroy you on your worst day…….fear not. You are one of the angels who fought the greatest war in our history and you prevailed against the greatest enemy….and you still have your sword.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: I Am A Warrior of Light by Greg Collins)

A HUMBLE WITNESS

 

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them…..and the angel of the Lord said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord…..And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:8-14)”

“The trustful and unsophisticated keepers of sheep had not asked for sign or confirmation….they waited not, but went in haste, for in their hearts they believed….They found the Babe in the manger…and having seen they went out and testified to the truth concerning the Child.

“Tidings of such import had never before been delivered by angel or received by man – good tidings of great joy, given to but few and those among the humblest of earth….” 

-          James Talmage, “Jesus the Christ” p 93,94

The humblest of births produced the most humble witnesses of the born Christ, who testified to the people of Judea. No kings, not even Jewish rulers, were privileged to see the newborn Messiah……so anxiously awaited by common man, for it is the common man that would believe and honour the most significant birth in history.

So it is with us, the common people, that our testimony of Christ will bring others to the fold of God. May we let our light shine this coming Christmas and make it known that WE believe…..

 

I watched in awe from our home above

Your descent to the threshold of the stable

And wondered if my soul’s worth

Would make Your mortal task divinely able.

 

Then I heard the angels in the field

Singing praises to Your name;

And I sorrowed knowing, like holy water,

Your love would spill on sacrificial altar.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Fear Not by Liz Lemon Swindle)

LOVE

 

“I am struck by the similarity between the process of developing a testimony and the process of falling in love. Love and testimony are two of the most important human experiences, yet often we are unsure how we can be certain that either has come fully into our lives.

“In finding the love we seek during the courtship years, we often have in mind the personal qualities we are looking for. But even when we meet someone who has everything on our list (the test of reason), there may be something missing: the “spark”, that mysterious something that makes us FEEL love, not just think it (the test of feeling). Yet rational satisfaction and good feelings are still not enough.

“To know if this relationship is the real thing, we must give it some time (the test of experience). We must see how things go when the “new” wears off. We need to know how the relationship holds up under pressure, whether it grows and stirs, almost whether it takes on a life of its own. As it is in the search for love, so it is in the search for testimony…….through reason, feeling, and experience.”  (Bruce C.Hafen, “The Believing Heart”, p 23-4)

Out testimony is in essence, a courtship. Whether it will lead to marriage when the Saviour appears is something we are yet to see. The marriage depends on one thing: if “the spark” has passed the test of time. I often hear some converts say that they miss those early days of their Church membership: the excitement, the discovery of spiritual moments and doctrine, the motivation of Church involvement. I know it all because I have been through it. But so often the spark dulls over time and is sometimes even lost altogether. That’s when people leave.

The path is clear: “If thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”  (Deuteronomy 4:29). For those who leave the seeking seems too much work.

The degree of our acceptance of Christ as our personal Saviour and our testimony of His Gospel is proportionate to our love for Him and vice versa. Seeking Christ and the truth does not end at baptism. It is just the beginning. How much we seek Him thereafter will determine how bright the spark is on the wedding day. It’s about the heart and about the love. Is it any wonder the Saviour compared our relationship with Him to a marriage covenant?

I followed all Your footsteps

And I sacrificed everything.

I did Your bidding no matter

What You asked of me.

I trusted, I had faith, I endured

All the pain that was given me.

I kept my love burning like a flame

Until I came to see the reality:

It is not my love, but Yours,

That is consuming me.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: His Love Fills My Heart by Greg Collins)

UPON A ROCK

 

"Someone once said you can't visually tell the difference between a strand of cobweb and a strand of powerful cable - until stress is put on the strand. Our testimonies are that way, and for most of us, the days of stress for our testimonies have already begun.

"It may not be the death of a loved one. We might not yet have been asked to give up something that is really precious to us, though the time for such a test may well come to us by and by.

"Our current stress is more likely to come in the form of overpowering temptations, which show us that a shallow acceptance of the gospel does not have the power to cope with the full fury of the powers of darkness.

"Perhaps there is a mission call to a place of illness and disappointment, when we had planned on a mission to a place of unbounded opportunity. Or perhaps there are too many questions to which our limited knowledge simply has no answer, and those who claim to know more than we do taunt us with what appears to be a persuasive certainty.

"When those times come, our testimonies must be more than the cobweb strand of a fair-weather faith. They need to be like strands of a cable, powerful enough to resist the shafts of him who would destroy us.

"In our days of stress and trouble, we must be built 'upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God....that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind....and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you....because of the rock upon which ye are built' (Helaman 5:12).

- Bruce C. Hafen, "The Believing Heart, 2nd ed. [1990] 21-22

There is none like Thee
My Saviour and my King,
With power and glory in Thy wings.
Who can compare and who can equal Thee
In Thy unfailing care of me?

Thou art the rock of my salvation
Thy wings my refuge from the fall.
Thou art my role model,

My example, my all.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: In Humility Our Saviour by Jay Bryant Ward)

TESTIMONY OF THE FAITHFUL

 

 

I am learning how subtle the adversary is in his persecution of the faithful. I recently wrote about the enemy moving amongst the early saints of the Church who sought to discredit Joseph and the work of the restoration. We usually expect opposition to come from all corners of the world but I am convinced that is not so.

Unrighteous influence and unrelenting persuasion to abandon our convictions of the truth often come within the Church also. This is very much manifest through the well-meaning Saints who have themselves abandoned the Gospel and walked away from the Church.

I read today something jarring that has made me see how incredibly important it is for us to stand our ground where our testimony of the Church, the Gospel and our Saviour Jesus Christ is concerned.

Consider the adversary’s greatest push to destroy our faith in the beginning of ‘the end’:

“Lucifer will be perniciously zealous in manifesting his great power among his dominions at that day when the ambassadors of the Lord pass through every kingdom crying repentance (D&C 1:35).

“Lucifer’s technique will be to feed the sign-seeking multitudes of the earth with sensational exhibitions (Rev 16:14). He will show them fire coming down from heaven (Rev 13:13-14). He will raise up false Christs and false prophets, and so great will be their power that, ‘if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, according to the covenant (JSMatt 1:22; Matt 24:11-13).” 

-        Clean Skousen, Prophecy and Modern Times p 62

Who are the elect? Us, who have become the covenant people. But just because we have become  so, it does not mean that we cannot be deceived. The operative term in this scripture is, “if possible”. What would make it impossible for us to be deceived?

Firstly, if we build upon our testimonies on regular basis and allow the Holy Ghost to feed us spiritually we will come to the point where no counterfeits of the adversary would be able to match our convictions of the spirit. We will see the deception clearly.

Secondly, if we regularly resist the smallest attempts of anyone, even the well-meaning members of the Church who try to convince us to believe anything contrary to the guidance we receive from the leadership of the Church, we will build upon our resilience.

Thirdly, and most importantly, if we center ourselves upon Christ, we will know Him and His Gospel, it will be impossible to be deceived by the anti-Christs. May we study the scriptures intently that we might gain this knowledge and seek the witness of His character and greatness constantly to keep our testimonies burning so bright that nothing can extinguish them.

You sowed Your truth

Deep within my heart;

So deep, the enemy cannot

sever us apart.

 

You bid me to nurture the seeds of faith

So you can forever cherish my name;

You are my keeper of salvation’s flame.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Sower by Annie Henrie Nader)

A LINK TO ETERNITY

 

When I wrote a post recently about the coming of Elijah to the Kirtland Temple to restore the priesthood sealing power,  I received a very direct 3 word comment from an unbeliever: “It never happened.”

I get these kinds of comments from time to time from anti-Mormon activists. I have learnt not to try to prove anything to them because they usually come into LDS Facebook Groups to cause contention and not to be converted. When I was a missionary, we missionaries were told not to ‘Bible bash’ when people try to oppose our beliefs, but to only bear our testimony.

I never replied to this comment I received but I have been thinking about it ever since. How would I bear testimony of the spirit of Elijah to someone who is not a Church member? It’s a witness of the spirit and helping others to understand that and believe it is virtually impossible. Even Elder Boyd K. Packer admitted to that (refer to "The Candle of the Lord", Ensign Jan 1983, 51-52)

It has always amazed me that the Spirit of Elijah courses throughout the world prompting people to seek out their ancestors and find their roots yet nobody really knows why. The world at large knows very little of proxy work for the dead. And some who know think it is un-ethical to be baptising people ‘into our religion’ without their consent. In this day and age of human rights, it even becomes problematic to talk about this subject.

I am amazed at the boldness by which Elder LeGrand Richards testified of Elijah’s return:

 "The story of Elijah's return can be found in D&C 110.  Obviously, there is no need to wait for him any longer.  This became the subject of conversation between Elder LeGrand Richards and the Mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek.  Elder Richards had just dedicated the Orson Hyde Memorial Garden [in year 1979] on the Mount of Olives.  After the ceremony, the two conversed as they ate their lunch:

Elder Richards said:  "Mayor, I want to tell you something".

"What's that?" asked the Mayor.

Looking Mayor Kollek directly in the eye, the apostle said:

"Ten years ago I was here in Jerusalem and one day I went into three synagogues and hanging up on the wall in one of them was a large armchair.  I asked the rabbi what it was there for (I knew but I wanted him to tell me, which he did).  He said that it was so that if Elijah comes 'we can lower the chair and let him sit in it'. 

“Now Mayor, I want to tell you something and what I tell you is the truth.  Elijah has already been.  On the third day of April 1836 he appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple".

The Mayor said:

"I guess I better tell them to take that chair down."

- (LeGrand Richards, Beloved Apostle, p.301)

Maybe boldness is what we all need. I am certain, however,  that Elder Richards would have told the Mayor all about the Church prior to this conversation. I am certain that his conviction of its truthfulness was something that the Mayor could not oppose, hence the respect for the information he was given. If only all people would be so respectful of our beliefs…..

I guess you cannot bear witness of Elijah’s return without bearing your testimony about the whole restoration of Christ’s Church. You cannot have a testimony of family history if you don’t have a testimony of Joseph Smith and the priesthood that was given him; of the scriptures that speak of Elijah’s return; of temples and proxy baptisms; of living prophets that build those temples; of resurrection and eternity, that being the whole purpose for Elijah’s sealing power, and of continuation of families beyond this life.

And most of all, Christ’s power of redemption and His work and His glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39). We need to know it all and have an iron clad testimony of it all.

Our testimony needs to be a light to the world and our link to eternity…..like our parents and their parents and their parents and their parents.....You know what I mean.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

CHRIST IN PROPHECY

 

We are in the currents of celebrating the first fulfilment of the Messianic Prophecy. Isaiah’s prophecy of Christ foretold of ‘the suffering servant’ who would be a ‘man of sorrows’, one who stands ‘as a sheep before his shearers, and one who takes our transgressions upon Himself (Isaiah 53). This ‘suffering servant’ was the babe in the manger, of lowly birth, yet of godly descent, the Christ child whom the angels heralded into this fallen world.

The second part of the Prophecy speaks of the Messiah as the “King of Glory”. This prophecy foretells His Second Coming when He will subdue all enemies under His feet; put down all kingdoms, will sit on the throne of David, and ‘the government shall be upon his shoulder’ (Isaiah 9:6). This is yet to come.

When we think of the ‘Messianic prophecies’, we usually think of the prophets and the scriptures, but in truth, every believer in Christ has a part in these prophecies.

“Every proper and perfect prayer uttered by a righteous man, woman, or child, from the day Adam stepped through Eden’s portals into his lone and dreary habitation, to the day the angelic hosts acclaimed the birth of God’s own Son, was in fact a Messianic prophecy.

“The mere saying, with sincerity and understanding, of the words of the prayer itself constituted a Messianic affirmation…..thus witnessing that they knew that salvation came through Him and His atoning blood.

“Similarly, every true prayer today is a reaffirmation that Jesus is the Lord and that through His blood the believing saints are redeemed.

“And so with every baptism, every priesthood ordination, every patriarchal blessing, every act of administering to the sick, every divine ordinance or performance ordained of God, every sacrifice, symbolism, and similitude; all that God ever gave to His people – all was ordained and established in such a way as to testify of His Son and center the faith of believing people in Him and in the redemption He was foreordained to make.

“The words of those who have spoken of Christ since He lived upon this earth, and believed in His coming, are ‘Messianic testimonies’……in fulfilment of the prophecies of His birth and His Second Coming..”  (Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, 26,27

Every testimony we bear of Christ, every prayer we utter, and every act done in His name, affirms that Christ lived and that He will return. Each time we do so, we confirm the fulfilment of the Messianic Prophecy of His birth and the Messianic Hope of His Second Coming. Every man, woman and child who believes and lives with expectation of salvation through His name, has the power of prophecy.

I worshipped You in heaven

As my Saviour and my King.

I knew Your holy suffering

Would pay for everything.

 

I rejoiced when I heard Your sweet cry

In the warmth of the stable,

The beginning of Your journey

To the sacrificial table.

 

I awaited anxiously to see all

That You would do,

And I wept bitterly

When the cross claimed You.

 

But when You returned in triumph

With trumps echoing Your fame

I was amazed at the price You paid

For the value of my name!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art by ZENART07)

THE RISING GENERATION

 

 

It took just three years for the Nephites to begin to forget the signs and wonders which they witnessed heralding Christ’s birth (3 Nephi 1:4; 2:1). Positively chilling, isn’t it???

It is true that following revelation, opposition will always rear its ugly head. No sooner had the night appeared without darkness and a new star given, that Satan increased his influence in spreading lies to ‘harden the hearts of the people that they might not believe in the signs and wonders which they had seen’ (3 Nephi 1:19-22).

The more part of the people did believe and were converted unto baptism, except they had one problem. The Gadiantons who infested the land were so strong that people could not overpower them (3 Nephi 2:27).

By the second year following the signs, they had grown incredibly large in number because of the Nephite dissenters who fled to them in their mountain retreats, and among them…..the rising generation (v 28, 29). And this is the saddest part: the faithful, staunch Lamanites decreased in faith and righteousness ‘because of the wickedness of the rising generation’ (v 30). Such a contrast to the 2,000 stripling warriors….makes you want to weep….

Consider the seriousness of this: “The young people of the Church….hold the future in their hands. The Church has always been one generation away from extinction. If a whole generation were lost, which will not happen, we would lose the Church. But even a single individual lost to the gospel of Jesus Christ closes doors for generations of descendants, unless the Lord reaches out to bring some of them back.” (We Must Raise Our Sights, (Church Educational System conference on the Book of Mormon, Aug 14, 2001; see CES addresses on the Church website).

I know so many young people in the Church who have gone inactive, my daughter included. I have another daughter who is an active member of the Church and a mother of three and I can see her legacy of faith in her children. I have great hopes for them and pray for them daily that they will grow up to bless and honour God’s name. That hope is very much fostered by the faithfulness of their parents.

I also know many adults who have gone inactive and shattered their childrens’ belief in the reality of eternal family. It is difficult to stay the course when your parents negate all the testimonies they have born at the Church pulpit. It is difficult to still believe and keep going when your parents are negative about the Church. I know one such boy who lasted a few years past his parents’ inactivity but in the end abandoned the Gospel himself despite having been a highly successful missionary.

We cannot make our children’s choices for them once they reach the adult years but we can hold up the light of Christ that it may shine unto the world’ and most importantly unto our children and we can be a ‘light on a hill that cannot be hid’ and so many of us today are becoming ‘hid’ (3 Nephi 18:24; Matthew 5:14-16).

So it is up to us, the older generation, to be exemplary in living the gospel we proclaim to be true. It is no guarantee that our children will remain in the gospel but it is our contribution to the future. The plant is strongest when it has strong roots. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Jeffrey Hein [1974]

WHOM DO YE SAY THAT I AM?

The Sermon on the Mount offers us an interesting lesson besides the obvious one by which Jesus declared He was the Bread of Life. The Gospel of Matthew records that 5,000 men plus women and children (Matthew 14:21) had followed Christ to the mount to hear His words. When the evening drew nigh and the time of departure had come (JST Mark 6:36) all three gospels record that the Twelve came to Jesus and told Him to send the crowds away to go and buy victuals and feed themselves (Luke 9:12). However, John's version differs slightly. John recorded that Jesus said to Philip, one of the Twelve, "Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do." (John 6:5,6). It's almost as if He was saying: Ask me to feed this people out of nothing; Ask me to perform a miracle; Ask me to show you that I am the Christ. Could it be that the miracle of feeding 5,000+ was as much for the benefit of his disciples' conviction of His divinity as it was for His declaration of being the Bread of Life? If Philip's conviction was iron clad his answer would have been: "You are the Christ, You can feed these people because you can do all things". Philip answered instead that even two hundred pennyworth of bread was not enough to feed them so the problem remained unsolved, until the Saviour offered a solution.

Luke records immediately after the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus asked the Twelve the crucial question: "Whom say the people that I am?" (Luke 9:18)  They came back with various answers according to people's opinions. Then Jesus asked a more personal and direct question: "But whom say YE that I am?" And Peter straightway answered: "The Christ of God", Christ being the title of Greek translation of "The Anointed One". Thus Peter's answer was: "Thou art the Anointed One of God" (Luke 9:20).

A long time ago I heard this poignant saying: "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence?" This question of course highlights the importance of us living Christian lives. But anybody can perform acts  of Christian values out of the goodness of their hearts. Of us as members of the elect House of Israel we should ask this question: "If you were arrested for being a Christian, is there enough evidence that you know Christ?" Our lives should reflect our deep knowledge and conviction of His character and attributes which has been manifest through our faith in Him and all He can do. Have we enough proof in our personal lives that He forgives sins; that He heals our hearts; that He performs miracles; that He provides and watches over us; that He is a lamp unto our feet; that the power of His Atonement has wrought a change in our hearts; that we are encircled about in the arms of His love? If we were tested as Philip was, we should be able to answer: "You are God, you can do all things".

When the Saviour comes again, He might ask each one of us "Who do you say that I am?" and we will not be able to rely on other people's knowledge of Him. Our own conviction will need to be such that we will be able to say:

Thou art the Christ and there is none else.....

Thou art the Redeemer and there is none else...

Thou art the Saviour and there is none else.....

Thou art the Lord and there is none else....

Thou art the Anointed One and there is none else.....

Thou art  God and there is none else.....

(Isaiah 45)

THE FATHER OF MY SOUL

Some years ago I sat in Stake Conference singing my favourite hymn "Redeemer of Israel" and as I sang a vision opened up to me in which I saw myself in my pre-existence preaching to spirits who were not converted to the Plan of Salvation as advanced to us by Jesus Christ. Afterwards as I reflected on this vision I came to understand that I was very converted to the Saviour and His plan before I was born into mortality. Over the years I have had other revelations and dreams which have given me a glimpse into who I was back then and what my purpose is here. Another significant insight came form of my patriarchal blessing which told me that my time of coming to this earth was set in order that I may fulfill a great promise which I had made in my pre-existence. It went on to say that many of the spirits who were with me at the time rejoiced when by my own testimony I fulfilled that vow by entering into the waters of baptism.

I didn't know any of these significant facts about myself when at the age of 16 I started searching for the truth. I was born and raised in Europe in a very Catholic background so I had a very deep faith in God. I didn't, however, find answers to a lot of my questions in the Catholic faith so I started investigating other religions, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints being one of them. The more I investigated the Church, the more answers I found and I knew they were true. I felt strongly I had to be a part of this religion so I made contact with the Church asking to be baptised. On 19 April 1975 I entered the waters of baptism and took upon myself the name of Jesus Christ. When I came up out of the water the Spirit descended upon me so strongly that I wept. I felt like I had come home.

I didn't really understand everything about baptism when I entered the baptismal font 40 years ago. I just knew that it was right and that my sins up to that point had been washed away. After these many years however, I have come to understand the most significant aspect of being baptised. What I understand now with great clarity and joy is the new relationship we form with the Saviour as we enter the waters of baptism. When we are baptised by proper priesthood authority and take upon ourselves His name we automatically become spiritually begotten children of Jesus Christ. Thus the Saviour becomes our new father surpassing in importance Elohim, the Father of our spirits and the mortal father who gave us a body of flesh and blood. This is an amazing concept to me. So many fathers yet the most important one is the one through whose atoning sacrifice we stand to inherit eternal life. We learn this truth through the symbolism of the ordinance of baptism. Baptism is symbolic of both birth and death. It symbolises birth as we emerge out of the water just as a newborn baby emerges out of the watery womb. It also symbolises death as we are buried in the water and rise again which rising represents new life through Jesus Christ who overcame the sting of death through His resurrection.

I received a personal witness of becoming a daughter of Christ following my baptism. My parents were very opposed to me being baptised and as the result I had to choose between them and the Church. I chose the Church and left my family. Shortly after my baptism I had a dream where I found myself in a particular house with my parents. Suddenly we became aware of a lot of commotion on the street. As we came out of the house to see what was happening a white matter akin to snow fell on top of us and buried us. We immediately started digging our way up to the top. I was the only one that made it through and did not see my parents again. As I emerged I saw whiteness everywhere I looked and as I turned to my right I saw the Saviour with outstretched arms coming towards me saying: "Where are my children?" This dream at the time confirmed to me that I had made the right choice to be baptised but now I view it as more. Over the years it had become clear to me that I was being told that my baptism had gifted me a father that would not only lead me to eternal life but would be a father to me in this life in every sense of the word.

We seldom think of the Saviour as our father. We are more conditioned to view Him as our Brother or the Son through whom we come to the Father but in reality coming to one is like coming to the other for the Saviour and the Father are one (3 Nephi 11:27).  This oneness suggests that there is another dimension to the title of the Father the Saviour has taken upon Himself. What I love about this is the personal aspect of this title. A father is someone who is meant to love you, lead you, protect you, provide for you, discipline you, chastise you, guide you and be a good example to you. All these things and more the Saviour, as our father can do and does do. He lives up to this role magnificently. One of the fatherly attributes I wish to expound upon here is that of a provider. We can find many evidences of this fact in the scriptures. As we are studying the Book of Mormon this year I will use Lehi and his family as the prime example.

When Lehi asked his sons to return to Jerusalem to obtain the brass plates from Laban, Nephi did not hesitate because he knew that God would not ask anything of us if he did not provide the way for us to accomplish the task (1 Nephi 3:7). Eight years and many challenges of the wilderness later, Nephi was even further convinced that God  provides means "whereby [we] can accomplish the thing which he has commanded [us]" (1 Nephi 17:3). After eight years of travel this group of colonists arrived to the seashore being guided by the Liahona which was provided by the Lord. The land to which they were brought to by the seashore was so plentiful in food that they called it Bountiful. In this land the Lord had prepared and provided all things that they would need to not only subsist but to make the journey to the promised land (1 Nephi 17:5). These were the conditions that existed in the land of Bountiful (identified in Warren P. and Michaela Knoth Aston, In the Footsteps of Lehi: New Evidence for Lehi's Journey Across Arabia to Bountiful [1994], p 28-29):

1. Fresh water available year round.
2. 'Much fruit and also wild honey' (1 Nephi 17:5-6, 18:6)
3. Fertile ground in both the general area (17:5, 8) and the specific location (17:6) where Lehi's family camped
4. Reasonable access from the interior desert to the coast
5. A mountain prominent enough to justify Nephi's reference to 'the mount' and close enough that he could go there to 'pray oft' (18:3, see also 17:7)
6. Shoreline (17:5) suitable for the construction and launching of a ship (18:8)
7. Ore and flint for Nephi's tools (17:9-11, 16)
8. Enough large timber to build a seaworthy ship (18:1-2,6)
9. Suitable winds and ocean currents to take the ship out into the ocean (18:8-9)
10. No population residing in the area.

Could Lehi and his family make such a monumental journey to the American continent if the Lord did not provide the means, the guidance, the instruction and material for construction of a ship? No. As prepared as they were for the wilderness experience, this family could never had survived let alone crossed oceans to another continent they did not even know existed. 

King Benjamin called us all beggars before God (Mosiah 4:19). I have been one such beggar from the time of my baptism until the present day. I have witnessed many times the hand of the Father as the provider in my life. His mercy has been without end and His goodness without limit. I will recount just one here that might prove this point and bring someone hope in their desperate moment. After I was divorced I struggled terribly to financially support myself and my two children. One particular day I realised I would not have enough petrol for my car that week until the next pay day. As I knelt in prayer that morning I asked the Father for $20 to fulfill this need. I then went to work and during the course of the morning forgot all about my petition. As lunch time rolled around, a work colleague approached my desk and put $20 on it. I asked him what the money was for and he said that he was coming back to work from lunch and noticed this $20 note on the pavement. He picked it up and thought to himself that he didn't really need it and as he did so, I immediately came into his mind and he said he knew he had to give the money to me. In my mind, the money that particular day did not fall out of someone's pocket but out of the hands of a Father who provides for the children who have taken upon themselves His name. Such a small thing but such big proof, one that has sent me to my knees over and over again. The petitions have been many over the years and the blessings outnumbered them all. The needs I had not even anticipated have been met by One whose foresight and wisdom astound me. And for those petitions which He denied over the years, I thank Him, for they supplied the growth and an increase in faith that I had not imagined. I stand in awe of His wisdom. I stand in awe of His love. I stand in awe of the Father of my soul.

"And he loveth those who will have him be their God..."

(1 Nephi 17:40)

THE REVEALER OF GOD

I was stunned by her comment. So much so that all I could say was "I don't believe it". We were sitting around the Christmas table and came to discuss the latest publications of Church history that had upset a number of members who had chosen to abandon their Church membership. The comment that sent me reeling from someone I have known for some years was this: "All these years the Church has glorified Joseph Smith when in fact he was a terrible man!". The conversation was quickly changed to prevent further negativity but the energy of that slanderous statement remained with me causing me sorrow and regret that I had not borne witness of my testimony of Joseph's prophetic calling. Somehow, however, I wonder if we are restrained from casting pearls before swine for I consider my testimony of Joseph to be one such pearl. I have been down the polygamy path. I went searching, not to disprove the Church, but to aid a history assignment towards my degree. I read and read and sorrowed and in the end I asked the Lord to help me understand and He did. By the power of His spirit my heart and mind were opened and I came to know the true character of Joseph Smith and came to understand that he acted during his prophetic calling out of good will towards the women that he was sealed to, with great desire that they should have the priesthood ordinances performed to seal them up to eternal life. As this understanding flooded over me I could not contain my tears and came to appreciate the great sacrifices the pioneers made in regards to living this commandment which had indeed tested and purified them and strengthened the Church through growth.

It is my belief that we need to tread lightly when we delve into the past. I heard one of my University professors say once that history is very much subjective. Even though it is supposed to be cold hard facts, they are recorded from someone's perspective, a human perspective. We of this century cannot fully understand the mentality, the challenges and the pattern of how things worked in times past. Equally hard to understand to the people of other time periods would be our dispensation; the liberties we take, the freedoms we have, the technology which affords us the ease with which we perform our daily tasks, the stresses of modern day living, our sicknesses, our anxieties, our depressions, our battle with forces of evil. A clear example of differences in times is found in Mary, the mother of Christ: some historians claim that Mary was 14 when she gave birth to Jesus. In the meridian of time, by the time girls reached that age they were well trained and ready for marriage. Today, Mary at 14, would have been considered a minor and not allowed to marry and any man who engaged in sexual conduct with her would be facing criminal charges. In times past and indeed until not long ago, marriage was a woman's destiny, now it is an option. Times change and with it the mentality of the people.

Was Joseph Smith a prophet? Yes. Was he perfect? No. He admitted so himself (JSH 1:28-9). But he did the best he could with who he was and with what was required of him. When the angel Moroni visited him for the first time he told him that his name will be had 'for good and evil among all nations, kindreds and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people' (JSH 1:33). It is sad indeed that even Church members are counted among those who speak ill of him. The truth is, each one of us has enough sins to worry about without worrying about those of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young or anyone else in the Church, living or dead. Another truth is, do we have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and are we focused on it? The Church is people but the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the truth, unchanging and the same yesterday, today and forever. It is administered to the hearts of the children of men by the power of His holy spirit. Once you have received this spiritual witness, all else is of little importance. Another truth, is there another Church out there as perfectly formed as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with apostles and prophets bearing the priesthood; with temples making available the saving ordinances for the living and the dead? To what other Church can we go for our eternal salvation? Who has what we have?

This year in Sunday School we are studying the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith called this book the keystone of our religion (Introduction, The Book of Mormon). Ezra Taft Benson, one of its' strongest advocates, explained that this keystone is threefold: 1. it is the keystone in our witness of Christ; 2. it is the keystone of our doctrine; and 3. it is the keystone of testimony. Bruce R. McConkie taught that Joseph's expression that "'the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion' means precisely what it says. The keystone is the central stone in the top of the arch. If that stone is removed, then the arch crumbles, which, in effect, means that Mormonism so-called -- which actually is the gospel of Christ, restored anew in this day -- stands or falls with the truth or the falsity of the Book of Mormon" (Bruce R. McConkie, Conference Report, April 1961, pp.38-39). Personally, if I take 'stone' out of it, I end up with the 'key' to all that the Book of Mormon represents to me, a key to my salvation which is in Christ, in His doctrine and in my testimony of same.

On the last leaf of the golden record, Moroni explained the purpose of the Book of Mormon. This explanation is found on the very first page of the book as we have it today. It can be summarized in three words: show, know and convince. To elaborate, it is to show the remnant of the house of Israel (Lamanites) what great things God had done for them; so that they may know the covenants and one day be converted; and it is to convince the Jew and the Gentile that Jesus is the Christ. When Joseph Smith called the Book of Mormon the keystone of our religion he also said that 'a man would get nearer to God by abiding its precepts, than by any other book' (Introduction, The Book of Mormon). This promise has been repeated by many other prophets since Joseph. In 1963, Spencer W. Kimball said this: "But after all, it is not the book's dramatic crisis, its history, its narrative that are so important, but its power to transform men into Christlike beings worthy of exaltation" (Spencer W. Kimball, Conference Report, April 1963, p. 6). How could a man who has brought the power of salvation and exaltation to mankind be a terrible man? The crucial part of all this is that we cannot have a testimony of the Book of Mormon if we do not have one of Joseph Smith, 'a prophet of dispensational proportions'......"As much as we delight in and need to have a testimony concerning the present-day prophet who heads the Church,we must also realise that each prophet subsequent to Joseph Smith has had a testimony of Joseph Smith. The echoing effect of these prophets only reinforces that there is an order and pattern by which that specific 'chosen vessel', the Prophet Joseph, was designed to re-reveal God to us in this day. As we teach the gospel in this dispensation, it is important to remember that the reality of God we proclaim to a world of non-members is founded on the knowledge of the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith, the revealer of God......." (Jerry A. Wilson, The Great Plan of Happiness, Insights from the Lectures on Faith, p. 23)

I fully believe we will be held accountable for our sustaining vote of Joseph Smith or lack thereof because his accomplishments were not his own. To deny them would be to deny the power of God through which Joseph accomplished all that he was given to do to prepare us for the second coming. He was called of God and he was anointed to accomplish this work and to deny his divine calling is to deny God Himself. The spirit can bear truth to this fact, besides the logical considerations of his greatest accomplishment being the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon. Consider the following views of this logic:

 "There are three possible explanations for the origin of the Book of Mormon. One is that it is a product of spontaneous generation. Another is that it came into existence in the way Joseph Smith said it did, by special messengers and gifts from God. The third is the hypothesis that Joseph Smith or some other party or parties simply made it all up. No experiments have ever been carried out for testing any of these theories. The first has not even been considered, the second has been dismissed with a contemptuous wave of the hand, and the third has been accepted without question or hesitation. And yet the third theory is quite as extravagant as the other two, demanding unlimited gullibility and the suspension of all critical judgment in any who would accept it. It is based on the simple proposition that since people have written books, somebody, namely Smith or a contemporary, wrote this one. But to make this thesis stick is to show not only that people have written big books, but that somebody has been able to produce a big book like this one. But no other such book exists. Where will you find another work remotely approaching the Book of Mormon in scope and daring? It appears suddenly out of nothing--not an accumulation of twenty-five years like the Koran, but a single staggering performance, bursting on a shocked and scandalized world like an explosion, the full-blown history of an ancient people, following them through all the trials, triumphs, and vicissitudes of a thousand years without a break, telling how a civilization originated, rose to momentary greatness, and passed away, giving due attention to every phase of civilized history in a densely compact and rapidly moving story that interweaves dozens of plots with an inexhaustible fertility of invention and an uncanny consistency that is never caught in a slip or contradiction. We respectfully solicit the name of any student or professor in the world who could come within ten thousand miles of such a performance. As a sheer tour-de-force there is nothing like it. The theory that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon simply will not stand examination. (Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol.7, Ch.6, pp.137, 138).

"[I only] say what so many have said before: that if Joseph Smith–or anyone else, for that matter–created the Book of Mormon out of whole cloth, that to me is a far greater miracle than the proposition that he translated the book from ancient records with an endowment of divine power to do so. Has anyone here ever tried to write anything? Have you ever, with your degrees and libraries and computers and research assistants, ever tried to write anything anyone could stand to read? Even if you have my guess is you haven’t succeeded at writing anything anyone would read more than once, or say it changed their lives, or say that were willing to leave family and fortune and future for–and then do it. You thought it was tough to have your dissertation committee grill you for a couple of hours. How about tossing your piece of work to the most hostile–and learned–of enemies for, say, 164 years (just to pull a number out of the air). Go ahead. Put that terrific master’s thesis of yours out there under a microscope for everyone to kick and gouge and attack for a century or two, and let’s see how marvelous that university-produced accomplishment of yours really was. After a little of that are you still standing by the divinity and immortality of your work? Is anybody still reading it? In light of all this, as it applies to the Book of Mormon which is still changing human lives and still moving moral mountains, and as one who has tried to write a line or two of both poetry and prose and failed miserably, I want to meet the author of this work whoever it is. I want to praise first hand such a remarkably gifted writer. Furthermore I’d live to read anything else this elusive figure has ever written. I’d love to talk to the whole research team who must have produced it. If they’ve got anything else they’ve ever put their pen to, I’ll pay any amount of money to get hold of it. This is writing that moves millions so more of it could certainly make millions. Let’s talk contracts. Surely in 164 years there must be someone willing to step for forward– you know, the “real” author–claiming credit for such a remarkable document and all that has transpired in its wake. Or at least those descendants of such an author should have come forth by now willing to cashier the whole thing. Where are they? Well the simple fact of the matter is no other origin for the Book of Mormon has ever come to light because there isn’t one. A bad man could not have fabricated such an inspiring book and a good man would not have done so" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, CES Symposium, BYU Marriott Center, 9 August 1994).

Elder David O. McKay told of his father's missionary experience that confirms Moroni's prophetic statement to the teenage Joseph that his 'name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people' (JHS 1:33):

"He accepted a call to a mission about 1880. When he began preaching in his native land and bore testimony of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he noticed that the people turned away from him. They were bitter in their hearts against anything Mormon, and the name of Joseph Smith seemed to arouse antagonism in their hearts. One day he concluded that the best way to get these people would be to preach just the simple principles, the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, the first principles of the gospel, and not bear testimony of the restoration of the gospel. It first came simply, as a passing thought, but yet it influenced his future work. In a month or so he became oppressed with a gloomy, downcast feeling, and he could not enter into the spirit of his work. He did not really know what was the matter, but his mind became obstructed; his spirit became clogged; he was oppressed and hampered, and that feeling of depression continued until it weighed him down with such heaviness that he went to the Lord and said: 'Unless I can get this feeling removed, I shall have to go home. I cannot continue my work with this feeling'. It continued for some time after that, then one morning before daylight, following a sleepless night, he decided to retire to a cave, near the ocean, where he knew he would be shut off from the world entirely, and there pour out his soul to God and ask why he was oppressed with this feeling, what he had done, and what he could do to throw it off and continue his work....He entered that place and said: 'Oh, Father, what can I do to have this feeling removed? I must have it lifted or I cannot continue in this work'; and he heard a voice, as distinct as the tone I am now uttering, say: 'Testify that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God'. Remembering, then what he tacitly had decided six weeks or more before and becoming overwhelmed with the thought, the whole thing came to him in a realization that he was there for a special mission, and that he had not given that special mission the attention which it deserved. Then he cried in his heart, 'Lord, it is enough' and went out from the cave. (Gospel Ideals, pp 21-22)

If we do not believe that Joseph Smith has done more towards the salvation of mankind save Jesus alone, we do not know and understand the Book of Mormon. In an interview with her sons a few months before she died, Emma Smith, bore her testimony to them: "My belief is that the Book of Mormon is of divine authenticity. I have not the slightest doubt of it....Though I was an active participant in the scenes that transpired, and was present during the translation of the plates....and had cognizance of things as they transpired, it is marvelous to me, 'a marvel and a wonder', as much as to anyone else". Describing her experience, she said: "The plates often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen tablecloth which I had given him [Joseph] to fold them in. I once felt the plates as they lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metallic sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book". She also testified, "I know Mormonism to be the truth; and believe the church to have been established by divine direction" (Gracia N. Jones, My Great-Great-Grandmother, Emma Hale Smith, Ensign Aug 1992)

What do we owe to Joseph Smith, 'a disturber and an annoyer of Satan's kingdom' (JHS 1:20), the revealer of God, a martyr in the cause of truth? In my opinion, much more than slanderous words and disregard for his sacrifices, obedience and divine appointment. When Parley P. Pratt visited Emma, 'a woman of commitment in sorrow', in Nauvoo where she remained after the saints travelled west, she told him 'I believe he [Joseph] was everything he professed to be'. Emma lived almost 35 years after the martyrdom of her prophet-husband. A few days before she died she told her nurse, Elizabeth Revel, that Joseph had come to her in a vision and said: "'Emma, come with me, it is time for you to come with me'. As Emma related it, she said, 'I put on my bonnet and my shawl and went with him; I did not think that it was anything unusual. I went with him into a mansion, and he showed me through the different apartments of that beautiful mansion'. And one room was the nursery. In that nursery was a babe in the cradle. She said, 'I knew my babe, my Don Carlos that was taken from me'. She sprang forward, caught the child up in her arms and wept with joy over the child. When Emma recovered herself sufficient she turned to Joseph and said, 'Joseph, where are the rest of my children?' He said to her, 'Emma, be patient and you shall have all of your children'. Then she saw standing by his side a personage of light, even the Lord Jesus Christ." (Gracia N. Jones, My Great-Great-Grandmother, Emma Hale Smith, Ensign Aug 1992)

Men may be deceived by our works and by our sins but God cannot. He knows all things and it is Him we must trust in all things, even in regards to a prophet named Joseph Smith upon whom the Saviour himself sealed his exaltation on 12 July 1843 in Nauvoo, Illinois:

"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 for you a throne in the kingdom of my Father...."

(D&C 132:49)