"They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are THE HUMBLE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men." (2 Nephi 28:14)
Nephi is referring to the humble followers of Christ among the many churches of the last days. In other scripture, he refers to those outside the Mormon Church as saints, "Behold the formation of a church which is most abominable above all other churches, which slayeth the saints of God...for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity (1 Nephi 13:5,9). In this latter example, Nephi is speaking of the saints among the Gentile nations prior to the life and mission of Columbus. Therefore, in these two separate instances, Nephi refers to those outside the church as being acknowledged by the Lord. This should not surprise us. For the Lord to save an unrighteous Mormon and damn a righteous Methodist is an unacceptable doctrine that denies the justice of God.
Many wondered, "what will happen to those of the other churches who followed Christ their entire lives, but never joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?" Nephi makes it clear that the Lord recognizes those humble followers of Christ even if they are few in number and err because they are taught by the precepts of men. Like everyone else, they will be judged according to their works and according to that portion of light which they had received in mortality.
However, in order for these to receive all the blessings that the Lord has promised for the righteous, they must receive the ordinances of salvation. Whether in this life or the next, they must receive baptism and temple ordinances in order to enter the celestial kingdom-for baptism, performed by one with priesthood authority, is the key to entering the gate of the celestial kingdom:
"Therefore in the ordinances OF THE KINGDOM,
the power of godliness is manifest.
"And without the ordinance thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
"Denying the doctrine of the premortal existence of man shrinks man's perspective. He begins to think, mistakenly, that this life is all there is; that the insignificant 'me' of a tiny 'now' is not only all there is, but all there ever was. The adversary is quick to use that 'what if' there is no purpose to life in order to induce some to act 'as if' such were the case. The resultant misbehavior only deepens the despair (see Moroni 10:22).
"Naturally, such a view tends to be accompanied by a diminished belief or a pronounced unbelief in the resurrection and a perpetuation of personality, which pushes a person's hope for the future down to nil. This 'no answer' attitude equates with a 'no answer-ability' concept that too often leads to the 'eat, drink, and be merry' outlook. Thus one dimensional mortality relentlessly promotes a one dimensional morality!" (Neal A. Maxwell, But for a Small Moment, p. 89)
"Some people think of anything else but annihilation. What a glorious prospect for the sinner! Then he could say, 'Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for to-morrow we die, and next day we will be annihilated, and that will be the end of our sorrow and God's judgment upon us.' Do not flatter yourselves that you are going to get out of it so easy. This Book of Mormon is replete all the way through with the testimonies of the servants of God that men are born to be immortal; that after the resurrection their bodies are live as long as their spirits, and their spirits cannot die. They are immortal beings, and they destined, if they commit the unpardonable sin, to be banished from the presence of God and endure the punishment of the devil and his angels throughout all eternity. I think the wicked would prefer annihilation to the suffering of such punishment. that would be an end to punishment -- and end to being. This view cannot be reconciled with the word of God." (Collected Discourses 1886-1898, ed. by Brian Stuy, vol. 4, Joseph F. Smith, Jan. 20, 1995)
"And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink and be merry; nevertheless, fear God - he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God." (2 Nephi 28:8)
"I want you to note that: 'He will justify in committing a little sin.' That cunning adversary knowing that if he could only get a man or woman to do a little wrong, that far they had gone into his territory, that far they were in his power.
"Nevertheless, fear God, he will justify in committing a little sin... Isn't that just exactly what the devil says to the children of men today as plainly as it is written here? Oh, commit a little sin, that won't do any harm, lie a little, that won't do any particular damage, the Lord will forgive that and you will only be beaten with a few stripes and at last you shall be saved in the kingdom of God. That is what he says to the man or the woman who has been taught the Word of Wisdom when he says, oh, drink a little tea, that won't hurt you; use a little tobacco, that won't make any difference: a little liquor won't do any harm. These are little things; he always does it a little at a time, not all at once. That is what I would like us to remember, my brethren, this morning. It is these insignificant insidious whisperings that betray mankind and that place us in the power of the devil." (George Albert Smith, Conference Report, Apr. 1918, p. 39-40)
"And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:
"None shall be weary nor stumble among them; non shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:
"Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:
"Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it." (Isaiah 5:26-29)
WHAT IS THIS ENSIGN?
The Hebrew word for "ensign" is nec (nace), meaning something lifted up, a standard, a signal, a signal pole, a banner, or a sign. It is also a standard, as in a rallying point.
The Hebrew word for hiss is sharaq (shaw-rak'). Among the possible definitions is to whistle, as to signal. In the military, a trumpet has been used to signal troops. The Church has issued the signal or invitation to the nations of the earth to gather to the Church.
"And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men.
Wherefore, he shall bring forth his words unto them, which words shall judge them at the last day, for they shall be given them for the purpose of convincing them of the true Messiah, who was rejected by them; and unto the convincing of them that they need not look forward any more for a Messiah to come (2 Nephi 25:17-18)
HOW IS THIS PROPHECY BEING FULFILLED?
Missionaries are being sent, in increasing numbers, to the nations of the earth to gather to the Church.
Elder LeGrand Richards
"Since there were no such things as trains and airplanes in that day, Isaiah could hardly have mentioned them by name, but he seems to have described them in unmistakable words. How better could 'their horses hoofs be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind' than in the modern train? How better could 'Their roaring... be like a lion' than in the roar of the airplane? Trains and airplanes do not stop for night. Therefore, was not Isaiah justified is saying 'none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken'? With this manner of transportation the Lord can really 'hiss unto them from the end of the earth,' that 'they shall come with speed swiftly." (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, p. 236)
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another (John 13:34-35.)
Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone would follow this commandment? Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone would just "love one another?" Not just any love, but the love he (Jesus) has for us. He said "as I have loved you." Whoa... that's a whole lot of lovin.
President Thomas S. Monson once said: "Love is the catalyst that causes change. Love is the balm that brings healing to the soul. But love doesn't grow like weeds or fall like rain. Love has its price. "God so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). That Son, even the Lord Jesus Christ, gave His life that we might have eternal life, so great was His love for His Father and for us."
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (John 4:11)
When Nephi saw the vision of the tree of life, he wanted to know the meaning of the tree of life. His explanation came in the form of a vision - he was shown the birth of the Savior. Then the angel said: "Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?" Now Nephi knew! He had been shown the greatest expression of God's love for his children, and he replied, "yea, it is the love of God" (1 Nephi 11:8-22). When we think of the loving acts of a kind Heavenly Father, we think of our creation as spirit children, we think of the creation of the earth, we think of the privilege of coming to earth, and we think of the great plan of happiness. Yet none of these beautiful gifts caused the Father any personal pain. But the gift of his Only Begotten was another story. To see him mistreated, spit upon, scourged, and suffering in Gethsemane must have been an almost unbearable sacrifice. Such was the love of God for the world!
A new commandment I give unto you,
That ye love one another; as I have loved you
"This is not emotional fluff. This is not pie in the sky, wishful thinking, or idealistic gas. Love is not some subsidiary principle that allows the weepy among us to go off on a crying jag. It's not just something thrown in for the benefit of the sisters or for the super-sensitive 'artsy' types. It is not an option that may be ignored by those who would prefer not to clutter their lives with other people's problems. There is a grand key here, probably the grandest of them all. It is this: the heart and soul of the gospel is love, and all the rest is commentary. Whatever else we may perceive religion to be, we are wrong-for true religion is love in action-God's love for us and our love for God and for our neighbors." (Following Christ: The Parable of the Divers and More Good News [Salt Lake City: Desert Book Co., 1995], 137.)
By this shall men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another
Elder Carl B. Pratt
"We are reminded of the Savior's word, 'By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another' (John 13:35). Will nonmembers, new converts, and visitors to our chapels recognize us as His disciples by the warmth of our greeting, by the ease of our smiles, by the kindness and genuine concern that shine in our eyes?
"Let us pay more attention to those who are new to our congregations. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught: 'For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?... And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?' (Matthew 5:46-47).
"In building the kingdom of God, every positive act, every friendly greeting, every warm smile, every thoughtful, kind note contributes to the strength of the whole. It is my prayer that we may be open outgoing, friendly, and helpful to all who come among us. But let us give special care and concern for the new converts to the Church. When we detect a halting step or stumble as they begin their journey on the gospel path, let us be there to lift and support with words of kindness and concern; let us be available to give gentle, loving counsel that will strengthen and sustain. Let us conscientiously look for occasions to show that love which the Savior admonished us to have when He said, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another' (John 13:34)." (Care for new Converts, Ensign, Nov. 1997, 12).
"And he (Christ) received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him......I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fullness." (D&C 93:17-19)
Many are familiar with the saying by Jesus that is recorded in the New Testament where he says "And ye shall know THE TRUTH and THE TRUTH will make you free." (John 8:32) Many who read this scripture miss the deeper meaning of this passage entirely. They think that "the truth" is that which is not false. To them, the truth is a set of facts that are accurate. However, this understanding of the passage is a profane or carnal understanding. In another passage, Jesus says "... I AM the way, THE TRUTH, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) Thus, the deeper (spiritual) meaning is that the truth is Christ himself. According to the passage, we have to KNOW Him (Christ) to become free. This idea is stated openly a few verses after the original passage, albeit it seems that almost none notice the words... "And ye shall know the truth and the truth will make you free... If THE SON therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."(John 8:32-36)
Another example of this symbolism is in the familiar story of Lehi’s dream in the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi chap. 8-15). Most are aware that the "iron rod" that leads beside the path to the Tree of Life represents the "word of God" (1 Nephi 15:23-24) and that it is by clinging to this rod that one is able to make it through the dark mists that are cast upon the path. Again, the profane (carnal or natural) meaning of this passage is that which seems to be the most obvious. Many think that the iron rod is the scriptures (words of the prophets), but in reality this is the (natural) understanding that brings damnation rather than life eternal.
A higher (spiritual) meaning lies in Jesus himself as being the word (the meaning of the rod of iron).... "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, THE WORD, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."(1 John 5:7) Thus, it is Christ himself that is represented by the rod of iron in Lehi’s dream to which all must cling to reach the Tree of Life. In reality, Jesus condemned those who relied upon the scriptures rather than clinging to the true "rod of iron".... "(Ye) Search the scriptures; for in them ye THINK (carnal understanding) ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And YE WILL NOT COME UNTO ME THAT YE MIGHT HAVE LIFE." (John 5:39-40) Most should notice that this is a restatement of the idea that "salvation cometh by none other than Jesus Christ" (John 14:6).
I've been thinking about this for quite a while now. According to my Patriarchal Blessings, it states that my Heavenly Father will bless me with words that will come into my mind and grant me wisdom and the faith with courage to be bold in my testimony.
Bold is defined: of a person, action, or idea - showing an ability to take risks; confident and courageous.
Being bold doesn't necessarily mean it's always good though. In fact, we might be thinking we're being bold, but in reality we're being judgmental. Just because we feel something strongly, it doesn't give us the license to confront someone. If we do that, we could be mistaken as being judgmental or plain rude. So how can we use bold faith? We can find that in the Book of Mormon in Alma 38 verse 12:
"Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness."
Spencer W. Kimball once stated: "Sometimes we forget that it is better to risk a little ruffling in the relationship of a friend than it is to deprive them of eternal life by leaving them silent. Besides, our missionaries generally follow the counsel in the Book of Mormon: "Use boldness, but not overbearance."
Bridle all your Passions
Satan would like us to believe that to be religious we must "stifle" all our passions. He teaches that religion demands that we be monk-like, emotionless, boring, and incapable of any strong feelings. This of course, is a typical twisting of the truth. A bridle is placed so that the horse's direction can be controlled. A bridle does not slow the horse's speed, it just points it in the right direction. So it is with our emotions and passions. The Lord does not expect us to stifle them. He does not expect us to be emotionless, Impassionate robots. Rather, he wants us to express our passions and deepest emotions in the proper channels, within the bounds that are appropriate for their full expression.
Boyd K. Packer once said: "A bridle is used to guide, to direct. Our Passion is to be controlled - but not controlled by extermination, as with a plague of insects; not controlled by eradication, as with a disease. It is to be controlled as electricity is controlled, to generate power and life. When lawfully used, the power of procreation will bless and it will sanctify" (The Things of the Soul, p. 109)
Conclusion
Being bold is not a bad thing. In fact we are counseled to "Be Valiant in the Fight of Faith." We're even commanded to become "A Voice of Warning" to the people. However, love always comes first. A single act of kindness will seldom be enough. The Lord described the love we must feel, and that those we invite must recognize in us, with words like these: "Charity suffereth long," and it "beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things" (1 Cor. 13:4,7.)
This will probably be one of my worse blogs ever. Why? Because I'm just going to be straight forward - BLUNT - on what I need to say about "Judging Others". You may judge me if you like - I give you permission :)
I think many have taken advantage of this situation, especially when President Dieter F. Uchtdorf presented his talk, The Merciful Obtain Mercy.
"To evaluate behavior in relation to the principles of the gospel; to decide; to discern good from evil."
With that said - how do we do that without being accused of being judgmental to others? Believe me - I struggle with this - so don't think I have an answer for this particular question. We have heard it all, read it all, we "think" we know it all - but yet, we are still being accused of being a judgmental people. What if we were to say nothing? What would happen then? Are we to stay quiet because we don't want to be accused of being judgmental?
"Judge not, that ye not be judged" (Matthew 7:1)
Doug Towers shares his insight: "This sounds simple enough. But does this interpretation make sense? We actually want to be judged, or how do we go to be with God? We also want to be judged correctly by others. We like receiving credit where credit is due, for starters.
So obviously this would be better interpreted to say that we shouldn't judge with a condemning heart, so that we won't be judged by a condemning heart.
This could also be looked at to say that if we judge others with a condemning and unforgiving heart, that we will judge and condemn ourselves by the same standard: We won't really accept in our hearts that Christ's atonement can cleanse a person who has made errors (which includes ourselves).
As Christ stated: "...Forgive, and it shall be forgiven you" (Luke 6:37) or "Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors." (Matthew 6:12)
We will notice that others have done evil to us or others. Recognizing that others have done evil isn't a bad thing. How can we avoid doing evil ourselves if we don't know or recognize evil? But Christ is saying to forgive.
Christ warns, "but beware of men..." (Matt 10:16). He is saying to be wary of people in our dealings with them. This requires judgment.
So how do we judge righteous judgment?
Isaiah says in regard to Christ "...he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears." (Isaiah 11:3)
We have the tendency to judge people by their actions and words. Yet he is saying this isn't fair judgement. This then requires us to learn to judge by the intent of their heart and the perception in their mind. It is impossible to judge such a way without either an ability to see inside others or to use the Holy Ghost or both.
Moroni states the following: "For look, my brethren, it is given to you to judge, that you may know good from evil... so, I show to you the way to judge; for every thing which invites to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forward by the power and gift of Christ; so you may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God." (Moroni 7:15-16)
So Moroni is telling us how to judge. He's gone on in verse 17 to declare that those who subject themselves to the devil can be determined by the criteria of judgement he has set forth. Obviously, therefore, he hasn't regarded Christ's statement as posing that we don't judge people.
Either way I wish to stress again that the Holy Ghost is best used in any judgement we make and if our judgement is made with a view to helping others move on from mistakes, we will accept our mistakes with the same attitude. [close quote]
I think that was nicely said by Doug Towers. What concerns me the most is that some people are not standing up for what is right. Especially when asked. You're probably wondering - what do you mean by being asked? Haven't you noticed when people ask you a question and then you give them your opinion, they choose to get offended? I mean c'mon people. Would you rather have me lie? No, but I should be more kind about it - right? Well - I am. But when people choose to get offended - it's not kind at all. All of a sudden - the tables turn and you're the bad guy. Yes - I am talking about Social Media People!
The point of this blog is perhaps we are getting too offended and we are too quick to tell others they're being judgmental. Isn't that also being a judgmental person? Aaah, you see how that works both ways? I was recently told that I was not "Christlike" for not giving a helping hand to someone who is going through poverty. This individual posted a donation site where you're able to donate money electronically and whomever would like to help - they can help. This isn't the first time I've seen this. There was another time when a "couple" needed money for their son to go on a mission. Do you see where this is going? These are people who claim to be from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yes, this is the church I go to. The true Church of Jesus Christ.
Am I saying these people are absolutely lying? No. I am not. What I'm saying is that there is better ways on doing this. The Church itself provides help for those who are in need. This is why we give Fast Offerings. I find it interesting when I try to give them advice about this, they begin to say negative and mean things about the Bishop or church members. Basically saying they're new to the church and are being treated as if they're not wanted and that they don't want to help them. I'm truly very suspicious about that because - how is it that everyone doesn't like you and doesn't want to help? You mean to tell me that the Stake President doesn't like you either? I've even asked them if I can get their address and phone number to the church they reside at so I can help them through their leaders. Do I get a response? Nope! I sure don't. So what does that tell you? Am I being judgmental? Well of course I am. This is a judgement I have to make. Is it righteous or unrighteous? The point is that we need to take precautions. We can't make foolish judgments and say, "Okay, how much do you need?"
Look, if you want to give people money electronically, by all means, more power to you. That there is TRUE FAITH! I am sure God will bless you for it. As for me, I cannot take that chance. I have a family to provide and I'm barely making it myself. Giving money electronically is a no no for me. There is too much fraudulent going on in this world. I can't risk to give my debit/credit card number online to people I just don't know. Sorry. It's my choice, my agency and well you have yours.
The best talk I've read about judging was by Elder Dallin H. Oaks on "Judge Not" and Judging". He said: "I have been puzzled that some scriptures command us not to judge and others instruct us that we should judge and even tell us how to do it. But as I have studied these passages I have become convinced that these seemingly contradictory directions are consistent when we view them with the perspective of eternity. The key is to understand that there are two kinds of judging: final judgments, which are forbidden to make, and intermediate judgments, which we are directed to make, but upon righteous principles..."
I truly encourage you to read his talk. It will help you discern how to make righteous judgments.
Well then - I hope I didn't offend thee. I'm a very straight forward guy. I tell it like it is, and I'm sorry if you do not agree with this blog. It's okay if you don't - I'm actually waiting to be judged LOL
