Lucifer's Insidious Plan - Part 3

Heavenly Father chose Jehovah. In response, Lucifer rebelled. Many rebelled with him. But the majority of spirits did not join with Lucifer; they understood his lies. They saw through his orations and discerned his pride. However, those who followed Satan fought hard for his plan; Lucifer drew the support of one third part of the hosts of heaven (see D&C 29:36). Heavenly Father let Lucifer fight and gain supporters because He could not take away His children’s agency. He would not force them to follow His plan. Michael led God’s armies to victory and Heavenly Father cast Satan out of heaven and down to the earth through the power of His Beloved Son (see Moses 4:3). Lucifer became Satan and the heavens wept over him. God wept over Lucifer’s fall; all wept for him and those who followed him. He had been a choice spirit but instead chose the path to perdition. His path left him nothing more than spirit. He is bitter about the loss of glory but he is still prideful; he wants to draw away as many children of God as will follow him.

Satan continues to wage his war against the Savior and all of God’s children. He wants to deny us what he was denied – the opportunity to return to live with God again. The war he commenced in heaven continues today. Satan’s prophets preach sermons that are merely gaudy imitations of godly principles. They preach relativism, hedonism, and humanism. They build false temples and gain faithful followers. His disciples buy up power and influence with the riches of the earth and with promises of happiness. Any happiness or mirth that comes from living as a citizen of Babylon is ephemeral. His followers prance about in gaudy clothing, walking with a mincing step (see Isaiah 3:16), and speaking with tongues of tinkling cymbals and sounding brass (1 Corinthians 13:1). They compass themselves with sparks, thinking they are the lights of the world (see Isaiah 50:11 and 2 Ne. 7:11). Yet their evanescent sparks will sputter and die. Some of Satan's followers even preach his gospel while denying his existence. They create whitewashed facades to hide their inner decay. Instead of being filled with truth and light, they are filled with dead men’s rotten bones. Satan’s lies are so insidious yet so appealing, that many do not realize the deleterious effects of heeding them. Those ensnared by Satan’s deceptions often, like the anti-Christ Sherem who stated at the end of his life that "he had been deceived by the power of the devil" (Jacob 7:18), do not know that they are living his plan of damnation and not the Lord’s plan of progression. Satan lives a plan of misery and desires all of us to forget and stop following the plan of happiness.

We should use our agency to reject Satan’s plan of misery. We need to cleave to the good and reject that which is bad. We need to clasp the iron rod and ignore the scorn of those dwelling in Satan’s architectural marvel – the great and spacious building – even as beautiful or impressive an edifice it might be. It was built by the master of pride, and like Lucifer, will have an exceedingly great fall. The time is now to choose to endure to the end where we partake eternally of the sweet fruit of the tree of life and where we will be forever clasped in the loving embrace of the Savior through His atoning blood.

We must press on keeping the encouragement of the Prophet Joseph in our minds: "Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren [and sisters]; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free. Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons [and daughters] of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!" (D&C 128:22-23).

As we fight on in righteousness we will be victorious! We can, and will, win the war that was started in the pre-earth life. In righteousness we will stand victorious, surrounded by the army of the archangel Michael, and be reunited with our Eternal Father in a world of endless light and love.

Arise From the Dust And Be Men, Part 4

While the phoenix and grail can be viewed as symbolic or representative of the Savior's power, we have His actual power here on earth - it's not mythology. The Lord gave to his apostles power to act in His name and to do the works He would do. In the book of Acts we read stories of the apostles healing and otherwise continuing the miracles that the Savior did (e.g, Acts 3). This priesthood power was taken from the earth when the apostles were killed. Different branches of the church quickly apostatized. The priesthood was not found on the earth (other than the three Nephites and John the Beloved, all who remained to watch the earth and to prepare for the restoration of the Church) until May 15, 1829 when John the Baptist conferred the Aaronic Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Shortly after this the Melchizedek Priesthood was restored. Once again, the Lord's power and authority was upon the earth. Once again were men able to act in the name of the Lord and perform miracles in His name. The priesthood is far greater than the power of the phoenix or the Holy Grail (ignoring the fact that they are mythical). Those who have been given the priesthood hold real power and authority.

Those who have the priesthood have a portion of God's power. They should strive to be like Him in faith, in righteousness, and in holiness. One of the most important and sacred names for our Father is Man of Holiness. When we are commanded to "arise from the dust and be men" we are commanded to be like the ultimate Man (not intending any disrespect) - our Heavenly Father. We should strive to live as our Heavenly Father wants us to live. As we shake ourselves free of the dust of mortality, as we strive to remain free from the dirt and the mud of sin, we can better prepare to live with our Father again. We can, like the phoenix, arise from the ashes and dust of our past to a new life of purity.

The Armor of God and Spiritual Clothing, Part 3

"The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17). A sword is not armor but Paul included it because without an offensive weapon, even the most heavily armored person can fall. It is difficult to withstand attacks without being able to deliver your own, whether in offense or defense. The sword represents the Spirit and the word of God. The Lord stated in the latter-days, "Behold, I am God; give heed unto my word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore give heed unto my words" (D&C 6:2; 11:2; 12:2; 14:2). A key addendum to this verse is also found in the Doctrine and Covenants: "Open ye your ears and hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, whose word is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of the joints and marrow, soul and spirit; and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (D&C 33:1; emphasis added). Thus, the sword of the Spirit helps us discern the thoughts and intents of others. There are numerous examples of this in the Book of Mormon. One such example is Alma and Amulek. They understood and confounded Zeezrom with the Spirit and the word of God. The Savior always understood what the Pharisees and scribes were thinking; He knew their intents. This is why the Spirit is a weapon; through the Spirit we can reveal falsehoods in others and defend our testimonies against their attacks. We can expose their intents and confound them with the word of God. The truth pierces the soul and severs lies. The Spirit acts as a powerful testifying force, cutting to the heart of those with ears to hear.

Throughout the scriptures we find other "spiritual clothing." Isaiah mentioned a couple articles of clothing in chapter 61: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels" (Isa. 61:10; emphasis added). We should wear garments of salvation, clothing that is pure, clean, and worthy of and representative of the covenants we make with God. Latter-day accounts of Heavenly visitors often include descriptions of the visitors wearing bright white robes (e.g., JS-H 1:31). As Isaiah stated, the robes represent and reflect righteousness. Isaiah also stated that our scarlet sins can be white as snow (Isa. 1:18) through repentance and through the redeeming blood of Christ. The whiteness of the robes represents purity, holiness, and righteousness. The great Book of Mormon teacher Jacob taught about the Final Judgment: "We shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness" (2 Ne. 9:14).

Now returning to the Isaiah verse quoted before, I think it is significant that Isaiah compared putting on the robe to a bridegroom and bride preparing themselves for marriage. All the ornamentation that we need, all that is truly precious, is a robe of righteousness. This is especially true in context of the numerous scriptures in the Book of Mormon where the wicked were known for wearing and being so enthralled with "fine-twined linens" (see 1 Ne. 13:7-8; Alma 4:6). What is it about clothing and wickedness? It's not the clothing per se, it's the pride that people have in wearing nicer clothes than others. It's possible to be righteous and wear beautiful clothing (see Alma 1:29) just like it's possible to be righteous and wealthy. However, pride and selfishness so readily follow such blessings. It's like Tevye in the musical Fiddler on the Roof who sings "If I were a rich man." While meant to be somewhat humorous, he wants to be rich so he wouldn't have to work hard, could see his wife strutting around like a peacock putting on airs, and have others see him spend so much time with the Rabbi and other learned men. There is a difference between the humble followers of Christ putting on their robes of righteousness and garments of salvation and the worldly wicked in the great and spacious building arraying themselves as peacocks in their gaudy garments of wickedness.

I pray that we will decide to wear spiritual clothing worthy of who we are as children of God. We should protect ourselves with the armor of God and join the fight against sin.

Link to part 2 of this essay.

The Armor of God and Spiritual Clothing, Part 1

Clothing is used symbolically numerous times throughout the scriptures. The most well-known example is found in Ephesians 6. "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be ale to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11). Elsewhere Paul referred to this armor as the "armour of light" (Rom. 13:12). The Roman Empire was in control of Israel at the time. The armor Paul was referring to was likely that of the Romans, with which all Israelites were quite familiar. Paul states: "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth" (Eph. 6:14).

This piece of armor that helped protect the loins (which is the area from the lower abdomen - including the intestines - down to upper thighs) was likely what is called an apron; for a Roman soldier, an apron was a piece of armor that hung down below the breastplate, protecting the loins. It was part of (or at least held in place by) their balteus (sword belt). In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve made themselves aprons because they were ashamed of their nakedness after they ate some of the fruit of the tree of knowledge (see Genesis 3:7). The apron was the first article of clothing made on this earth; it covered the loins of Adam and Eve. Just as they wore aprons once their eyes were opened to the truth, so should we gird our loins with truth. When we know the truth, we put off the natural man and woman and follow the law of chastity.

There is also a "breastplate of righteousness" (Eph. 6:14). The breastplate protects the torso - which houses most of the vital organs. It is the largest and one of the most important pieces of armor. It covers the lungs, which provide the breath of life, and the heart, which provides the blood of life. We wear this armor when we let our every breath and heartbeat be filled with righteousness. We wear this breastplate when we strive to live like Him who provides us with life, physical and spiritual. We wear this breastplate when we turn our hearts to the Savior, who shed His blood for us. We wear this breastplate when we repent, washing our crimson garments in the blood of the Lamb.

Lessons from David - Part 1

David was a young man when he stood up in defense of the armies of the Lord and faced Goliath. He was not a warrior but he was courageous and humble. David was a shepherd, a watcher and protector of sheep. He chased after a lion that had taken a sheep. He saved the sheep, grabbed the lion by its mane, and killed it. He also killed a bear (1 Sam. 17:34-36). David was courageous; he was humble. He stated that it was the Lord who delivered him from the paws of the lion and bear (1 Sam 17:37). When faced with Goliath, David did not wear Saul's heavy armor. He was adorned with the armor of God - faith and righteousness and truth. He grabbed his sling and some stones. He then ran toward Goliath as he sent his rock into the forehead of Goliath. David knew the Lord would deliver him. He made the choice to stand up and fight the man who defied the armies of the Lord and blasphemed His name. David was an impressive young man who impressed the king of Israel. He was a man after the Lord's own heart: "[The Lord] raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will" (Acts 13:22).

Later, as king, David looked upon the bathing Bathsheba and lusted after her. Here was the start of this great man's fall. He did not avert his eyes when he should have looked away. This led to an act of adultery. However, David's greater sin was placing Bathsheba's husband in harm's way so that he would die to cover up the sin of David and Bathsheba. David's fall is not the focus of this essay though. David's story is tragic but I still look up to him and respect him. David spent the rest of his life trying to repent for what he did. He spent many hours pleading in prayer and in song for forgiveness. His story is especially striking in the context of Saul's and Solomon's. Both of them faltered and never seemed to try to stand back up and dust off the dirt.

Saul was condemned for offering a burnt offering without proper authority (see 1 Sam. 13). Later, when David gained popularity, Saul become jealous to the point where he tried to kill David many times (see 1 Sam. 18-19, 22, etc). However, David was forgiving. Just like Hamlet spared his uncle when he had an opportunity to slay him, David spared the life of his father-in-law Saul on multiple occasions. Eventually, after a defeat in battle by the Philistines, Saul killed himself to prevent some unspeakable death at the hands of the Philistines (see 1 Sam. 31). Saul had been the Lord's anointed but he fell and never tried earnestly to repent.