Church of the Lamb of God

The Great and Abominable Church/the whore of all the earth has dominion over all the earth, among all nations kindreds, tongues, and people. This Church includes everyone who is not a part of the church of the Lamb of God. All the nations of the Gentiles fight against against the Lamb of God.

But

There is also the church of the Lamb of God (I made it small c because it isn't a legally organized entity of any kind, nor does it try to hold itself up as some kind of authority that tries to force others to obey its every whim). The people belonging to it are also all over the planet, even though there are very few of them in comparison to the earth's population.

The saints of the church of the Lamb of God and the covenant people (I find it curious that it's worded as two groups - or is it saying that the "saints" of the church of the Lamb are also the covenant people?) are armed with the righteousness and with the power of God in great glory. That description deserves a lot of humble pondering and self-introspection.

At some point, Satan will have no power because of the righteousness of the people. He has no power over their hearts. I think that also deserves a lot of humble pondering and self-introspection.

Sources: RE 1 Nephi chapter 3, paragraph 28

RE 1 Nephi chapter 7, paragraph 5

Ponderings

 I've been reading through some of Denver's latest posts. I've heard him say this before, and it makes me wonder, ponder, think. Out of the nearly 2 millennia of people who preached Jesus coming soon, this is the only one I know of who God told me was a true messenger, thus I feel obligated to at least consider that Jesus may very well come within the next few decades.

There are clearly many signs underway in the heavens above and in the earth beneath. NC Luke 12:17 Christ told our generation to “look up” and realize He will soon come. Of course the meaning of “soon” is the Lord’s, and He alone will set the event. But the generation now lives who will see Him vindicate His prophecies.

There are great reasons to be optimistic and hopeful. Far more reasons for that than for despair and gloom. Keeping the commandments is the first step in having the mysteries of God’s last-days “strange act” revealed. (T&C 101:20)
February 21, 2021

That doesn't mean I'll live to see it. If I live to be 99, that will be just over 35 years. On the other hand, if a 20 year old lives to be 99, that will be 79 years. "But the generation now lives" - that obviously could include those born before Feb 21st, so now we've added 98+ years to the hypothetical 99 year life span.

So, perhaps, it is safe to suppose there's a century-long window. At the same time, we've had a lot of signs. The moon turning to blood (eclipses) on Jewish holy days which, if I recall correctly, included an LDS general conference day. Eclipse of the sun that created the first X across the United States (which was also on the birthday of the leader of the LDS Church at the time). Bare Record has posts about these eclipses which are very much worth reading (I have the individual links at the bottom of this post if you would prefer to see them that way).

And the end (fulfilling?) of the times of the gentiles is upon us. In my opinion, this is not only white gentiles, but black ones, too. I expect the violence we have seen in the last year will increase until-perhaps-all that are left are those Americans whose ancestors lived here 2,000 years ago and beyond - and those who refused to pick up a weapon and kill others.

When I think of keeping the commandments, I think of God's commandments to me, personally, yet not ignoring the general commandments (like don't kill, don't steal, etc.). I've been reading in 1 Nephi. He told his brothers that he could do anything God commanded him to do - because of God, not because of himself.

I've thought, recently, how both Denver and Nephi seem superstitious to me. A man shows up, asks Laman and Lemuel why they're beating their brothers, is inspired to prophesy that, this time, they'll be successful, and Nephi considers the man an angel (and, by Denver's definition in one of the early lectures, he was). Denver seems to see signs everywhere, including things that I would think nothing about (like bleeding for 40 days after an operation; I would not have even kept track of the days, let alone made a spiritual connection to it).

As I've thought, it seems to me that maybe I could take a lesson from these men who see signs in the most logical of situations (women becoming strong and no longer complaining = natural consequences of a hard life, eating mostly meat, and adapting. Nephi says it's a miracle from God). Like, if I looked at things as miracles or signs from God (like the 3 wild, white, horses peacefully grazing across the river when Daryl baptized me in the river in Sept 2013 between the first and second lectures, fully accepting them as a sign of the Father/Mother/Son. Right; I did not include the Holy Ghost - or the beggar I met in a Walmart parking lot whose skin reflected so much light that I wondered if he was an angel. Though he (lackadaisically) held a sign, he seemed more interested in conversation than in asking for help), and fully accepted that God is not only mindful of me, but is giving me signs galore, would I then have more and more realistic (to me) experiences with heaven until real and true miracles abounded in my life even more than they do now? Or, at the least, I would be fully aware of great miracles I am presently blind to? And would the heavens open more fully to me so that visions outside of dreams would be the norm for me? Would all fear be gone? Would the scripture be fulfilled in my life that because of righteousness, Satan has no power over me? Would I actually have the power to help the poor and needy, to lift up those around me, to perhaps even help in the physical and mental healing of those who suffer?

Here is a list of the posts in the above link for Bare Record (dates are the dates the posts were written):

Solar Eclipse, May 20 2012

Four Blood Moons and the Man in the Moon, Nov 11, 2013

Partial Eclipse, Oct 23, 2014

Rare Astrological Events: Signs in the Heavens, April 11, 2014

Fourth and Final Moon in the Tetrad, Sept 27, 2015

The Great Conjunction: Signs in the Heavens on the Winter Solstice 2020, Dec 21, 2020

Numbers

It seems to me that God likes 40, 7, and 3 ½. It also seems like God likes to use his messengers as signs to the people (see the Old Testament). He also likes to use heavenly bodies as signs (see Genesis).

I'll jump right into my thoughts. Denver Snuffer was baptized on Sept 10, 1973 (Second Comforter: Conversing with the Lord Through the Veil, page 88). 40 years later, to the day, he was excommunicated (see Lecture 1 in Boise, Idaho, of the 10-lecture circuit that stretched from Sept 2013 to Sept 2014).

His ministry began March 1, 1984 (Second Comforter, pages 104, 200-01). Interesting, I think: 1984. The name of a book about total loss of real freedom to act and be. A story about a man who tried to buck the system. I believe his ministry will either end or change 40 years later. On the exact day of March 1st, 2024? I don't have an opinion on that, though I do think it will be in the spring of that year.

And the moon shall turn to blood

When the moon is eclipsed, it looks blood red. No biggie, except there have been several blood moons on or near Jewish holy days, and even an LDS holy day (Saturday General Conference, April 4, 2015). You can read more about the eclipses and the holy days here and here. And here is a list of all the posts on Bare Record that talk about moon and blood, if you care to peruse it.

From the first link:

. . . the fact that these four blood moons will occur on significant Jewish holy days is not only rare, but significant. The first blood moon will be on Passover on April 15, 2014. There will be another blood moon on the following year on Passover which will be April 4, 2015. The other Jewish Holy Day is the Feast of Tabernacles which is  Oct. 8, 2014. On this day as well, there will be a Blood Moon Eclipse.. and then the following Feast of Tabernacle on Sept. 28, 2015 will be the 4th Blood Moon.

 The sun shall be turned to darkness

There's something interesting about the full eclipse of the sun (August 21, 2017) that goes from the west coast to the east coast of the continental United States. First, it falls on the birthday of "the venerable leader" of the LDS Church. Second, it is the first stroke of an X. The second stroke will come on April 8, 2024 and will begin in Mexico and end in a tiny bit of Canada, crossing the United States in the process.

As you can see below, it marks a giant X over the continental United States (as an aside, God's handwriting is very artistic. The X is not a straight, austere duet of lines but poetic curves). It's as if God will be saying, "I've had enough of your wickedness, rebellion, and nonsense, dearest Gentiles. I'm done. You are no longer a nation. The Gentiles have proven themselves fruit worthy only to be cast out and burned." I suspect it's all quickly downhill from there for us.

Sidenote: It was made known in a conference in St. George, Utah in March 2017 that God was offering another covenant. People will have the opportunity to accept or reject that covenant on Sept 3, 2017. The words of that covenant were given by the Lord in, if I remember correctly, July 2017, and 7 years from that conference is March 2024. Also, 7 years from verbally accepting or rejecting that covenant is Sept 2024.

Spring 2024.  
Denver's 40-year mission is complete. March 1. 
 The X is complete. April 8. 
The covenant is either accepted or rejected by our behavior; the time possibly past, and the country erupts into violence, the like of which has never been seen before. March to Sept.

It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. Maybe, just maybe, this post is not the vain musings of a religious lunatic. I wonder if we should, perhaps, "fear and tremble" and look into our own hearts for pride and rebellion against God, look into our own hearts to see if they are filled with love or with anger/accusation against our fellow beings. Truly, the earth is quickly filling with more violence than it has experienced for a long time. Not too many years from now, I expect, until the whole face of this land is one continual round of murder and bloodshed (see Mormon 8:8) and violence from one end to the other.

On Serpents and Trust

I've been thinking of the story about the Israelites today. It's the one where many of them got bitten, and God told Moses to make a brazen (is that brass?) serpent. All the people had to do was look at it and they would be healed. Many did not look, and they died.

Dang Israelites didn't have faith. Or was that really it? Was faith the root of the lesson God was trying to teach? What if He was trying to teach them to trust Him? Trust Him for food, for protection, for everything.

For these last 2 1/2 years, God has been in the process of teaching me to trust Him. I thought He was trying to teach me to trust Him for food, shelter, transportation, and so forth. Today, it occurred to me that it was so, so much more. I caught a glimpse. Not enough to really explain well, but enough that I would like to share it.

He wants me (and all of us, I'm sure) to trust Him not only for food, shelter, clothing, transportation, but also for the direction our lives go, as well as salvation. In other words, I screw up. I don't understand. I'm going to continue to screw up. I'm going to continue to not understand what God is doing in my life. I really don't know where I should live, what I should do, how to be "good" (whatever that really is). I don't know enough to be someone worth the time the Lord invests in me. If I can trust Him with everything, trust Him to the point that He wishes I would, then I can rest assured of my salvation because I have turned it over to Him. Submission to Him is trusting Him.

This is in no way "resting on my laurels" (I don't have any, anyway). This is trusting the Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation, for my protection, and that everything is going to work together for my good.

A while back, I had a convo with my good friend, Meili. She has a tendency to charge forward, doing what she thinks she should, with the idea that God will correct her if she's wrong. He has. It may have taken longer than would have suited other people, but her life is between her and God, not between her and onlookers. And, in my view, she has learned wisdom in the process, wisdom she probably could not have learned in any other way. I'm not exactly sure what this has to do with the topic at hand, except-perhaps-that trusting that God will correct us if need be is a part of trusting God as a whole. Perhaps we needn't be so afraid that we'll screw up that we make no decisions at all (that's pretty much where I stand/sit a lot of the time). Perhaps, after we have learned the lessons, God will correct us and set us straight - as long as we remain trusting, humble, and teachable. Rather like that child God keeps telling us to be like to inherit His kingdom.

Helaman 3:27-30

Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name. Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked— And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

Anyone can lay hold on the word of God, not just members of a certain sect (LDS, FLDS, RLDS, JW, SDA, etc.).

The word of God is quick and powerful.

The word of God cuts to bits all the tricks, lies, deceits, traps, and so forth that the devil throws out.

The word of God leads the (hu)man who follows Christ in a strait and narrow course. Rather like a guide who leads people through a forest, because he knows the right trails to follow.

Across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked. This shows my bias towards mortality, but I look at this and see that this mortality touches everlasting on the one side and everlasting on the other. It, being in time, is in the middle.

And is it not a place where the most wicked dwell? Does it not engulf the wicked? Are we not swallowed up in the cares of the world, in perversions, greed, fear, lust for power and money, lust for bodies to play with, the need to survive, and so forth? Are we not all wicked to some degree or other?

To land with the Gods (why does this remind me of fishing? He landed the fish).

To go no more out. What? So, if God makes lots of eternal rounds in an effort to save his children, does this mean that if we follow Christ and don't veer off the path, we don't have to come back to another round? We can be with the Gods? We can be on that upper rung of Jacob's ladder? We don't have to come down into a mortal hell ever again? Sounds enticing to me.

Let's do it. Let's follow Christ and let him lead us safely out of this vale of tears and pain. Let us not allow the cares of this world, the fears of this world, the lusts of this world to distract us from our task of escaping this stuff.

The End

In March, 1974, a teacher's ministry began. In April 2014, that ministry continued, but changed drastically as far as outward appearances.

40 years from baptism to casting out - Sept 2013
40 years from beginning of ministry to end of either it or of the first phase of it - March 2024

This, below, was brought to my attention by "briznian" so I am quoting it. I find it key to the quotes below.

I've thought about that chapter [the chapter of scripture quoted below] for many months. Those three are the last of the quorum who deposed Eldred Smith and the office of Patriarch to the Church. While they live, they have the power to rectify the situation. After they are gone it will require a restoration for the office to return.

As much as I love those three, it pains me to watch as all this unfolds. I have figured for some time that it was Perry who would go first, then Packer ... and finally Monson. That way there will only one changing of the Presidency. Because both Packer [and] Monson have looked so feeble nobody will connect Zechariah 11 saying it was just coincidence. Then Elder Nelson will ascend to the Presidency. Elder Hales hasn't looked well for some time and supposedly Elder Scott is ill too. It's conceivable that five of the fifteen could be replaced in the next year. I figure that they will be replaced with churchmen like Elder Clayton (Google his involvement in high profile excommunications) and Elder Rasband who supposedly lives in DS' stake and was involved in getting DS exxed.

All this will come during the announcement by the SCOTUS that gay marriage will be the law of the land. We will then shortly see it in the church.

I hope I'm wrong.

 Combine that with this:

[L. Tom Perry's] passing will mark another milestone in the loss of leaders who were there when I first joined the LDS Church. The only ones remaining now in leadership who were there at the beginning are Thomas S. Monson, Boyd K. Packer and L. Tom Perry.

I wish him and his family well. It saddens me to see him depart.
from here

And this. I am quoting the chapter in its entirety, but highlighting a few spots for tl;dr people (too long, didn't read).

Zechariah, Chapter 11

1  OPEN thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.

2  Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.

3  ¶ There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.

4  Thus saith the LORD my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;

5  Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and they that sell them say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.

6  For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.

7  And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock.  And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock.

8  Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.

9  Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another.

10  ¶ And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it assunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.

11  And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.

12  And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear.  So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.

13  And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them.  And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

14  Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

15  ¶ And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.

16  For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.

17  Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock!  the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

Babylon
Wednesday, February 18, 2015

The God of Heaven tells me all the world should pray that Baghdad does not fall.

Lamentation for Baghdad
May 28, 2015

Days of distress are upon Baghdad and the days of their troubles are begun. Distress shall overtake them, for those who come shall have no pity.

During the next nine years, we will see things happen in the LDS Church (and probably in all of the factions that claim to be the "true" doctrinal and authoritative descendants of Joseph Smith Jr). A cry for repentance, coming from the Lord as He tears things apart, as He preaches His own sermons.

After those nine years (March 2024), what will happen then?

If the Gentiles (called Gentiles even if there happen to be drops of rebellious Ephraimite blood in them) have taken advantage of the calamities and destructions and have repented, it will be well with them. They will be numbered among the house of Israel.

If not, they will be destroyed and trodden under foot.

How long after March 2024 will that take? I don't know.

Am I a true "prophet" or a false one?

I don't know.

All I know is that we are in great spiritual and physical danger. As goes the world, so goes the Church.

 We cry, "All is well," and bury our heads in the sand to our detriment and to our future horror and agony.

Repent and come unto Christ. Lean upon Him and no other. Be baptized by one having authority (rather than by one merely commissioned in a dead Church). Join no formal organization.

Keep your current religion if you wish (LDS, FLDS, Community of Christ, Buddhist, Islamic, Catholic, Episcopalian, Baptist, Pagan, New Age, and so on and so forth).

The Lord's church consists of those who repent, come unto Him, and are baptized. That is His doctrine. There is no doctrine but this, which is encapsulated in the words, "Come unto me."

The Book of Mormon is extremely helpful in this journey, but a belief in the literalness of it as a history doesn't seem to be a requirement.

Take Care

This is semi-related to my previous post. A couple of days ago, I was able to meet with some friends to partake of the sacrament. We got there a few hours early and spent time conversing on spiritual things. They brought up something I think is important.

Those of us in this movement are mostly a friendly bunch. We greet each other with hugs. We help each other freely. We are glad to converse and share. We love to see each other. In fact, a big bonus of the ten-lecture sermon for most of us was that we got to meet each other in person. We spent hours talking to each other, ate at restaurants and in parks together, partook of the sacrament, and even performed baptisms on occasion.

The friends I conversed with a couple of days ago brought up something important. That is that our friendliness could be our undoing if we are not careful. They have made a rule about the husband not hugging other women and the wife not hugging other men. It could be very easy for wrong thoughts and wrong desires to enter one's mind and heart (if not immediately, then over the course of time).

They pointed out that some of the people who meet do not have companions who are "on board" with the ideas we are espousing. The friendliness can lead to sins or weird ideas, borne of the loneliness of being on the path without one's spouse. Ideas like being "spiritually" sealed to a man or a woman who is not one's husband or wife. A great deal of mischief can ensue, limited only by the imagination of men and women.

Truly Benjamin spoke rightly when he said, "And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them."
Book of Mormon | Mosiah 4:29

I sincerely hope and sincerely pray that we can do this, that we can connect with our Lord, that He will bring us to Zion, that darkness may leave and have no power over us anymore, at all. I pray that we will all be sensitive to the many ways in which we can err and sin so that we may be clean vessels of the Lord. I pray that we will all be sensitive to the many ways in which we can do good and serve our Lord, that we may be clean vessels of the Lord.

Strongmen

We need to be ever so careful about becoming strongmen and following strongmen. It can begin oh-so-innocuously. I realized this recently.

A community I know has split. As far as I know, it was a peaceful split (they met on Sundays and I work that day, so know very little about it). There was disagreement on the manner of administering the sacrament and on baptism. (This is not a post on splitting communities, though.)

One of the men understood the scriptures to mean that one must receive God's own voice before one has authority to baptize. A couple other men were willing to baptize those who desired it and were warned by the first man that they did not have authority without that voice. The other men baptized, anyway, following the pattern of Alma Senior (crying unto the Lord, then immediately began to baptize). The first man did not consider those baptisms to be valid.

I was not in the group baptism(s) but I was baptized by one of these (Alma-oriented) men later. I felt clean afterward and I noticed that the scriptures opened up to me. I began to understand them like never before. I would read and wonder why I hadn't seen that before; it was so obvious. That is still happening to me. Consequently, I believe my baptism to be valid.

The first man finally got the voice of the Lord giving him authority to baptize and was told to baptize beginning in the spring. He offered his services, including to those who felt their previous baptism was invalid (I was one who got that email. I didn't understand it completely until it was explained to me by a couple of friends).

Now, I don't judge or condemn either side. One desires an audible voice and believes that is the way to go. The others did not. One is now offering his services. The others offered their services last fall. That's okay.

What I saw, though, is this: we, perhaps, think of a strongman as easy to discern. We may think we know if we are becoming one. But, maybe it isn't so easy to figure out. Saying, "I think it should be done this way," was fine - but saying, "You are doing it wrong. Your baptisms are not valid," was not.

In the LDS Church, there is a concept of "stewardships". That is to say, you have the right to receive revelation for whoever you are a steward over, but no one else. A parent, a bishop, a Relief Society president, and on up to the general authorities and president of the church. We are supposed to not receive revelation for anyone outside our stewardship.

I bring that up because, in this movement created by the Lord, there is no such thing as that type of stewardship - i.e. no one has the right to tell another that their revelation is wrong, their way of performing ordinances is wrong, their manner of living and being in their communities is wrong (though they should be perfectly free to disagree, to say, "I don't think that is the right way." The difference is that one is spoken by way of opinion and the other is spoken by way of commandment). The only one who could do that would be one to whom the Lord, personally, has given the commandment and obligation of teaching everyone what the Lord desires. (Now, that man exists, but his current job is to step back and let us figure it all out.)

The purpose of these communities, the purpose of this last (new?) chance by the Lord is so that no one may say, "Hear ye the voice of the Lord," but that they may all hear the voice of the Lord, themselves. We are each to connect to heaven. We are each to see, hear, and touch the Lord ourselves, relying on no man (or woman) to take us to Him.

It was a small thing. I'm sure that those who may be following the first man (I don't know if anyone is actually "following" him or if they simply agree with his opinions) don't think of him as a strongman. I know the man and he is the kindest, biggest-hearted man I know. I am positive he is not trying to be a strongman, but is simply trying to do what he feels is right.

The reason I'm writing this post is to open our eyes to ourselves. Are we doing anything that is pointing in the direction of being a strongman? Am I? Is someone around us doing that? If we follow their position and agree with it, is it because we genuinely agree that that position is correct, or are we thinking that they might have a better connection to heaven or know more than we do?

It so so easy to fall into the trap of becoming a strongman or being led by one. We can't even see it when it begins, most likely.

You see, I used to think that "the strongman model" would be a man who wanted followers. He wanted people to think he was hot stuff, that he had a special connection to heaven. This man, this friend of mine, opened my eyes to the idea that we are all in danger of being one, no matter how loving and honest and sincere we may be.

It is such a treacherous road we have chosen to follow. Dangers loom on every side. And they may very well be disguised as, "I'm trying to help you," "You've gone off the path and you need to do what I want you to do or else you are in need of repentance." And that is not to mention the dangers of, "We are doing great!" "We are having much success!" "Let's go forward and create Zion because we know how to do it, now," without God actually appearing and telling you to do so. (And if He did appear, was it really Him?)

Seek the Face of Christ - Literally

The restoration through Joseph Smith was not to create a New Testament church. It was to prepare a people to see the face of Christ, no matter what religion they professed. It was not to bring people into a legal corporation, to follow a myriad of regulations or be cast out.

This is what the Lord was attempting to do:

1  VERILY, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 93:1)

19  And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.

20  Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.

21  And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;

22  For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.

23  Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God;

24  But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.

25  Therefore, he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also;

26  And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel;
Doctrine and Covenants 84

63  Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

64  Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you;

65  And if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation.

66  Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the wilderness—in the wilderness, because you cannot see him—my voice, because my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.

67  And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.

68  Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.
Doctrine and Covenants 88

10  And again, verily I say unto you that it is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you that have been ordained unto this ministry, that inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am—not with the carnal neither natural mind, but with the spiritual.

11  For no man has seen God at any time in the flesh, except quickened by the Spirit of God.

12  Neither can any natural man abide the presence of God, neither after the carnal mind.
Doctrine and Covenants 67

Know. Not merely believe. An actual knowledge. It is possible. We should be seeing angels (and for a whole lot more than genealogy). We should be seeing the Lord. We should be allowing Him to prepare us to see the Father, then seeing Him, also.

Where are our fruits? Where are our secret acts of kindness? We should not be patting ourselves on the backs, telling each other in our publications and meetings how wonderful we are. We should be helping those who need our help, those we have the means to help. All of us can give something, even if it is just a listening ear and fervent prayers in behalf of the suffering.

Let us seek after our Lord, not letting anything come between us and Him. There need be no obstacles. Someone once said that obstacles are what one sees when one takes one's eyes off the goal. Let us keep our eyes on the goal and move forward, firmly, not looking back. Let us count the cost and move forward with the faith that if God asks us to sacrifice all (see Lectures on Faith), it will be worth it.

Nothing is more important than fidelity to our Lord and seeking His face. Not money, fame, power, belongings, friends, relatives, nor any organization we may align ourselves with. Let us cast aside our fears and pride. Let us face the enemy of all righteousness courageously. We are already in the battle.Don't let them shoot you in the back. Go forward fearlessly, seeking only truth no matter how much it may contradict what we currently believe.

Then, we shall begin to see the fruits. Then we shall see the miracles and gifts of the Spirit that don't need acrobatic techniques to convince us and others that they are genuine, bona fide miracles and gifts.

When God Asks for the Ultimate Sacrifice

Job. Abraham. Others. God either put into their lives something they greatly feared, or asked them to do something that - I believe - they greatly feared.

One of the parts on the path to God is that He will ask you to do something you do not want. It appears that it is something that is fearful to you. Abraham was going to be offered up as a human sacrifice. It is only natural that he should fear not only having such a thing done to him, but having it done to his beloved son. He had apparently already lost one son when Sarah kicked out the boy and his mother. He may have been fearful of losing his other son. Job plainly says that the thing he greatly feared had come upon him.

A friend and I were talking about Abraham's sacrifice. She pointed out that God wants us to face our fears and overcome them. That is the point of asking us to do the one thing we most don't want to do.

It is not so we can take a stand against God and say, "No. I'm going to be an adult here, and I will not do what you ask." (There is a thought process going around that Abraham lost his exaltation because he obeyed the command to offer up Isaac. Such a notion contradicts scripture.)

Neither is it to feed God's pride, or to show us and Him that we will bend to Him at all costs (though bending to Him at all costs is part of the process).

It is God helping us to over come all fear, all hesitation: Fear of what others will think about us or do to us. Fear of losing everything. Fear that your only son will not only be killed, but will be killed as a sacrifice.

Do we trust God? Do we trust that what He asks us to do is for our own benefit? Truly? Deep inside? Does God love us? Is He selfless in that love? Can He be trusted with all that we are, have, and believe?

It is a process of learning to trust God completely. When He asks for that one thing that we fear most, that one thing that we are most reluctant to put upon the altar, we are learning several things:

God always comes first. Not us. Not our families. Not our religion. Not our money nor our job. Not our reputation.
We learn to overcome all fear. After that experience, we fear nothing.
We learn to be selfless. Those who become eligible to be as God, must be as selfless as He is.

I'm sure there are many other things to be learned from this, however, this is all I have right now. Isn't scripture study incredibly interesting? Isn't there so much to learn and gain from looking deeply into what is there, and asking God to open up to us what we do not know?

Understanding the Gifts of God in the Church

In Mount Zion has a guest post that is awesome!

I will paraphrase a little, but seriously go to that blog and read the post.

Some of us are frustrated, the post says, because of some of the things we see going on in the church. He says that seeing this is a gift that is surely meant to be cultivated by diligent study. There is a tension created when those who see this try to force others to see. Then he says, "We often think of those around us as being asleep, but they are awake in other ways."

Seriously, read the post.

Thoughts on Storing Food

First - Where is the revelation where God commands us to store food?

I wonder if it would have been better to learn how to trust God for my supply, instead of putting away food.

What if food storage subverts the work of God as He tries to teach us to rely on Himinstead of the arm of flesh (even if it is our own arm)?

We (my family and I) are living off our food storage. The oil is nearly gone. Depending on how many sweets we make, the sugar could last several months to a year (we don't usually use it very quickly). The salt will last forever (we don't use much of that, either). Our oils are olive oil and grapeseed oil. Our sugar is sucanat (brown) and dried cane juice (white, but not as white as refined cane sugar). To replace any of those items with similar items is more than we can afford right now. We'd have to “downsize” to the lowest quality available (or go without).

But this post isn't to draw attention to us, nor to make anyone feel sorry for us. God is taking care of us. We aren't starving. I'm just wondering if we would have, perhaps, been better off learning to trust God for our food supply instead of our own ability to hoard, even if collecting the food entailed sacrifice (which it did at times).

Second - The fruits of storing food.

What are they? You know the most prolific fruit I see? Fear and violence.

So many people (not all - and I know many because of my interaction with the internet) are stockpiling weapons to defend their food storage. They speak of how they plan to kill anyone who tries to take their food by force. They speak of how they will make someone who asks for food labor in the most menial, demeaning ways to earn the right to survive. You know, s/he didn't prepare when the time was right. Now the time of preparation is past. Even though I didn't agree with the violent tendencies, it seem “normal” to me. But, now . . .

What about King Benjamin's sermon? What about not judging the beggar? What about freely giving to him/her? What about the fact that his/her death is upon your head if they perish because you withheld food?

“Which of my children should die that you might live?” Catchy comeback for those who assume they can just come to your house and get some food when times get bad, because they didn't store away food. (I liked the comeback when I first heard it. I thought I could use it if I ever came across that particular situation.)

But this doesn't sound like the fruits of the Spirit on either side - Not on the side of the one assuming they have a right to take, nor on the side of the one who assumes that sharing means automatic death for a family member.

I see food storage preventing faith that God will provide.

I see food storage causing otherwise good people to desire to kill their fellowmen.

I see food storage causing selfishness, pride, and greed.

I see food storage causing envy, covetousness, and anger.

This is a new view for me. A new paradigm. An unexpected turn of thought.

What if we are supposed to rely on God and God only, for our support?

The rich man who hoarded his grain was only being a good steward. He was making sure he had his long term supply of food - And God called him a fool.

Jesus said (in the Bible) that we shouldn't worry about how or if we are fed and clothed. He seemed to be talking to everyone, the 12 apostles as well as the general congregation. Jesus said the same thing to another group (in the Book of Mormon), but it was to 12 disciples and didn't seem to be directed to the multitude in general. I don't know if that means something or not.

A group of people in the Book of Mormon got together a 7 year supply -

But -

1) They did it together

2) There was an immediate threat they were responding to.

The Pharaoh in the Old Testament had a warning dream. God's seer interpreted it. Again, there was a specific threat. God gave a specific revelation in relation to it.

What if the people in Pharaoh's time had been righteous? What if they were in the habit of trusting God for their supply? Would there have been a need for them to eventually sell their souls to the Pharaoh? Would the dream have been necessary? Joseph certainly would not have been in prison because a wanton woman would not have been among the people (neither would slavery had been among them). Did God provide the dream because the people, like us, lacked the faith for God to provide for them day by day and minute by minute? Like the ravens. Like manna. Like clothes never wearing out (and that was among a rebellious people).

And the Israelites the dream was intended to save? How righteous were they? Many of them wanted to kill their brother. Instead, they threw him in a pit and sold him as a slave, putting blood on his clothes so the lie they told their father would seem more realistic. Two of them massacred a great many young men in a certain town. One slept with his father's wife. This doesn't sound like people who would be able to draw down the power of heaven when a famine showed up (and perhaps the famine was to humble them).

For us today, what happens when the food runs out? When there are no stores to go to? No money even if there were stores? No gardens because there is no safety, no unpoisoned land, no good water? Will we be fed by ravens? Will manna come from heaven? What if we have killed to protect our food supply? Is God bound to save our lives after we have done that? Will He still send ravens or manna or water from a rock to a murderous people?

I have not seen even one revelation from God for our time, commanding us to have a food supply (yet we think there was one). I have not seen such a revelation telling us to rely on it for our lives.

A dream by an unknown person (attributed to John Taylor, I believe, but the truth is that there is no name attached though there is a space for the name once the journal writer found out who had it). What credence should we give to that? The same as we give to the myriad of other rumors of thus and so general authority had a dream or a prophecy, but never bothered to deliver the message over the pulpit, pointing out that God had given it to him to warn the people?

“Thus saith the Lord, it is meet that my people gather together food and other supplies to sustain them for xxxx years, And this is a standing law unto them forever (or at least until I come). Amen.”

Where is it? If God said it and it is scripture for our day, it should be in the Doctrine and Covenants. I cannot find it there.

And if it isa commandment from God (but someone forgot to canonize it), why are the fruits

fear

greed

anger

envy

violence

murder

slavery?

If it was from God, wouldn't the fruits be

faith

charity

peace

generosity

freedom?

As one who has been to the spirit world, I can tell you that to kill for fear of dying from hunger makes no sense. If you do that, your death when it comes will not be pleasant for you. As one who has experienced serious hunger, I assure you that one does adjust to hunger. For myself, the pain became my friend. I didn't want it to leave. Scary thought, huh?

Idolatry

Note: This post is in NO WAY mocking Pres. Monson. This is mocking those who insist on putting our current leaders upon a pedestal that not even Christ, Himself was willing to stand on while He lived on earth. Christ never sought the chief seats nor did he seek adulation. The “honor” toward our leaders borders on idolatry, if it is not actual idolatry.

And this post is firmly tongue-in-cheek - a parody of what I read.

And for you historical sticklers out there, I am fully aware that these paragraphs (other than the original) are not historically accurate.

I came across this on a blog whose author is unknown:

A gala event is planned for August to celebrate the 85th birthday of President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The masters of ceremonies duties for the celebration, called "Golden Days: A Celebration of Life," will be shared by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and Hall-of-Famer Steve Young and former network news anchor and author Jane Clayson Johnson. The event will feature Broadway and other musical selections performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square and notable guest artists, who have not yet been announced. Choir President Mac Christensen said, "I happen to know the songs being performed will delight President Monson."

The evening will also include a nostalgic look back at Pres. Monson's life, including his childhood, marriage, time in the Navy during World War II, and decades of service. He was called as a bishop of a congregation at age 22 and has served for nearly a half century as a general authority of the church.

A news release from Mormon Newsroom quotes Young as saying, "This celebration is a great way to let (Pres. Monson) know how much he is loved and appreciated. It's a privilege to play a small part in that recognition."

How about changing the notice a little?

A gala event is planned for September to celebrate the 80th birthday of Annas of The Church of Moses of Yhwh. The master of ceremonies for the celebration (called "Length of Days: A Celebration of My Life") will be Annas' son-in-law and high priest, Caiaphas. The event will feature musical selections from Roman epic poems from the last 50 years. The poems and music have not been announced yet, but Tiberius Judas happens to know that the performance will delight Annas.

The evening will also include a nostalgic look back at Priest Annas' life, including his childhood, marriage, and time in the service at the temple. He has served for nearly a half century as high priest of the church, and has been a champion for truth and casting out unrighteous zealots.

A news release from the Jerusalem Times quotes Tiberius Judas as saying, "This celebration is a great way to let Annas know how much he is loved and appreciated. It's a privilege to play a small part in that recognition."

Or

A gala event is planned for December to celebrate the 45th birthday of President Joseph Smith Jr. of The Church of the Latter-day Saints. The masters of ceremonies for this event (called "Restoration Days: A Celebration)" will be shared by Orson Pratt and Sidney Rigdon. It is rumored that Charles Dickens and Mark Twain will make a surprise appearance. The event will feature Broadway and other musical selections performed by the Pioneer Playhouse. Brigham Young said, “I know that the songs will delight Brother Joseph.”

The evening will also include a nostalgic look back at Brother Joseph's life, including his childhood, marriage, translation of the Book of Mormon, and decades of service. He was called as a prophet of the church at age 24 and has served for nearly a quarter century as a general authority of the church.

A news release from Deseret Newsroom quotes Young as saying, "This celebration is a great way to let Brother Joseph know how much he is loved and appreciated. It's a privilege to play a small part in that recognition."

Or

A gala event is planned for March to celebrate the 90th birthday of President Nephi Son of Lehi of The Church of Yhwh of Current-day Saints. The masters of ceremonies duties for the celebration, called "Gold and Brass Days: A Celebration of Life," will be shared by former Assistant of Riches and Records in Jerusalem Zoram and former network news proclaimer Sam the Elder. The event will feature local talent. Choir President Amon said, "I happen to know the songs being performed will delight President Nephi."

The evening will also include a nostalgic look back at Nephi's life, including his stormy youth, marriage, and time in the service of the Lord. He was called as a ruler over his brothers at age 16 and has served for nearly three-quarters century as a general authority of the church.

A news release from the Land of Nephi quotes Amon as saying, "This celebration is a great way to let Nephi know how much he is loved and appreciated. It's a privilege to play a small part in that recognition."

Or

A gala event is planned for Winter Solstice to celebrate the 65th birthday of Alma the Younger of The Church of Christ. The masters of ceremonies duties for the celebration, called "Days of Peace and Rest: A Celebration of Life," will be shared by former military officer General Moroni and former mayor of the Ammonites Ammon the Fearless. The event will feature dances and other musical selections performed by the Church of Christ Choir and notable guest artists, who have not yet been announced. Choir President Moronihah said, "I happen to know the songs being performed will delight President Alma.

The evening will also include a nostalgic look back at Alma the Younger's life, including his childhood, his warring against the true and living church, time in the mission field and decades of service. He repented of apostasy and persecuting the Church of God at age 22 and has served for many years as a general authority of the church.

A news release from Mormon Newsroom quotes Moronihah as saying, "This celebration is a great way to let Alma know how much he is loved and appreciated. It's a privilege to play a small part in that recognition."

Or

We regret that the gala event that was planned for April to celebrate the 34th birthday of Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus of Galilee (also known as Joshua) will be canceled. The masters of ceremonies duties for the celebration, called "A Life of Miracles: A Celebration," was planned to be shared by former fishermen Peter and Andrew. The event would have featured musical selections performed by the Mary and Martha, and notable guest artists, who had not yet been announced. Choir President Palatius said, "I happen to know the songs being performed would have delighted Rabbi Joshua."

The evening would have also included a nostalgic look back at Joshua's life, including his miraculous conception and birth, childhood, marriage, and miraculous service to the people in the area of Israel. He was called as Rabbi at age 30 and has served for nearly four years as a voice from God outside the established hierarchy who, let's face it, hate him.

A news release from Joshua Fan News quotes Palatius as saying, "This celebration is a great way to let Joshua know how much he is loved and appreciated. It's a privilege to play a small part in that recognition."

As many have expressed shock and dismay at the cancellation, we feel compelled to explain the reason.

First, Jesus of Nazareth refused to be part of the celebration. He said, “Let not thy right hand know what thy left hand doeth.” He also said, “They who seek the chief seats and seek to be seen of men - verily, verily, I say unto you - they have their reward.” And, finally, he said, “Do good in secret and your Father who is in heaven shall reward you openly, but if you seek to do good before men, you have your reward.”

When pressed, he admitted there was also another reason. “For the son of man goeth up to Jerusalem to be crucified, and to rise the third day.” When we said, “Say what?” He replied, “You goons love the chief seats. You love the adoration and worship of the masses. But, guess what? That will lead you straight down to hell. I have a work to do and it has nothing to do with gaining the accolades and honors of men. Those who follow me will be hated by the world. No one will seek to sing their praises. Not one will have huge parties attended by famous personalities. Those who follow me shun the limelight and the praises of men. Those servants of mine who I send will preach repentance, baptism, and coming unto Christ. They will not spend their time bathing in the adoration and worship of mindless, slobbering masses of people who look to be dictated to in every thought.” We said, “We get it. We get it.” He said, “Good! Now I've got some work to do in Jerusalem. If you'll excuse me . . . .”

So, instead of celebrating Joshua, we will celebrate a man who was released from prison by the name of Barabbas. He has no problems being the honored person in this party. Oh, and Peter, Andrew, Mary, and Martha have backed out. We'll surprise you with who the entertainment is.

A Couple of Blogs Worth Perusing

A friend sent me a link to a blog and I found one of the posts worth repeating. Instead of repeating it here (since I don't have permission to quote the entire post), I'll send you over there. A Little Peace In Paradise  is the name of the blog - The Doctrine of the Anti-Christ is the post.

The other blog is All Things Bear Record of Me, also known as "Bare Record".

I'm a Mormon

Inspired by this and this and this post, I decided to add my own testimony of assorted things.

I'm a Mormon. I'm a Mormon who has a brother who began to research church history when I was about eleven years old. Pretty much all of our ancestors, except for the Swedish line, came from Nauvoo. Some of the things my brother told me about church history were far from faith-promoting. As a young adult, I had several friends who began to learn about the history we don't hear at church; they also began “searching for the mysteries”. All of these (my friends and my brother) left the church. I didn't. I was pretty good at “putting [things] on the shelf” and, besides that, I was acutely aware that the biggest mystery in my life was to know myself and overcome the sins that so easily beset me. I had no desire for any deeper mystery (and wasn't even sure that the mysteries my friends were seeking were the mysteries the scriptures were talking about).

I also read many “anti-Mormon” books. (It has been over thirty years since I've read them, so I don't remember a whole lot of specific examples from them.) I noticed several things about the ones I read:

First, there were a lot of “must have beens” thrown in. Sometimes it was a real stretch of logic to come to those conclusions. I saw no reason why something “must have been” from the evidence given. I could think of other “could have beens”.

Second, the books contradicted themselves. One example that I can think of right now is the book written by one of Brigham Young's wives. He lusted after her, she said. He was really wanting her sexually, the dirty old man. But, lo and behold, many pages later we find out that he married her. And her chief complaint was that he never (apparently not even once) had sex with her. Hm. So which accusation is true? If he lusted after her so much, wouldn't her complaint be that she couldn't make him stay away from her? Her other chief complaint was that he wouldn't give her money. She expected him to support her. In fact, it appeared that the only reason she married him was for money and prestige. In any case, she was bummed that he only gave her a house she could use for a rooming house to bring in her own money. Actually, that way, she wouldn't have to be dependent on him, begging for money – but that is a perception that was not appreciated until much later in American history.

Third, harmless things were depicted as horrendously evil. Joseph Smith was a money-digger. That means he dug for gold and such. Oooh, spawn of the devil, indeed! So, what does that make all of those people who followed the gold into California and Alaska? What does that make people in the past and present who mine for gold, silver, copper, diamonds, and so forth? And he believed in superstitious things. You know, things that we are far too “superior” to believe in today. Incredible, isn't it? He had faith in things unseen, like a child does until it “knows better”. I doubt angels and Gods could have appeared to someone too “sophisticated” and “advanced” to believe it possible.

Fourth, truths were depicted as lies straight from hell. For example, the doctrine that humans can, through repentance and the grace of God, eventually become gods, themselves. Yes, the devil told Eve that if she ate the fruit that she would become like the Gods, in that she would know good from evil. The devil was right; he just neglected to tell her that it was through excruciating pain that she would learn the difference. But, seriously, if God tells a truth, who was Joseph, and who is the church, to change the truth into a lie to make it palatable to the world at large?

Fifth, there were some outright lies. The woman who stated some things were never taught (like Jesus was never mentioned when she went to primary), ever. But, of course, she fell into the category of contradicting herself. She knew exactly what the “Mormon” church taught every Sunday even though she admitted in another part of the book that she rarely went. It reminds me of the woman I met on my mission who told me how evil the Book of Mormon was. When I asked her if she had ever read it, the answer was no. She'd never read such an evil book and she never intended to read it. Strange how she would know so much more than me about a book she had never read, but that I had read several times.

The books, I noticed, would suck people in on an emotional level. Once that happened, you'd be “good and angry” so that the inconsistencies and idiocies in the book would go unnoticed by your rational mind.

On my mission, my foundation got knocked out from under me, and I realized it had been based on being surrounded by an LDS environment. In Michigan, that environment was not there. So, my base of faith began to be built up again, being based on something other than environment.

Recently, I came across a book called, “Passing the Heavenly Gift”. I thought I could handle it, in light of my brother, friends, and the books I'd read. There were many parts of the book I didn't like. There were a couple of experiences I read that I could have gone my whole life without knowing, and I would have been fine and dandy about it. But the book lacked the anti-Mormon qualities. I don't recall any “must have beens”. I saw no contradictions. Things one might have considered “horrendously evil” were explained. Truths were depicted as true. There was nothing that I could see was a lie. And the best thing was that I could take Brigham Young off the shelf. I'm not any more impressed with him than I have been since I was 11 or 12, but I can accept him as a “legal” or bona fide leader now. He is no longer an enigma to me.

Oh, I've got to mention this: I recognized immediately that I am one of the “proud descendents of Nauvoo” and the label didn't bother me one whit. I am what I am. I was glad to wake up. I was glad to see things in a better light, even if it showed me that my ancestors were not quite as worthy to be worshipped as I had been taught. That doesn't diminish their suffering. It doesn't diminish their humanness. I don't think them worthy of anger or resentment. I'm not so sure I would have done any better if I had been in their shoes.

I like the original plan of letting every member of the LDS church believe the way they understand the gospel to be, instead of trying to force each member into a unified box, or having a secret committee like the Strengthening the Members Committee. I like the idea of letting my son have ear plugs if he wants them. I like the idea of a variety of clothing on the men each Sunday. Some men look terrific with beards and/or a mustache. I like the idea of being able to meet with friends to discus the gospel without an “authorized priesthood leader” around to make sure we aren't going “apostate”. I like the idea of seeing someone at church with a tattoo and admiring the beauty if it is an artistic drawing. I like the idea of accepting each other as children of God when we don't fit some preconceived and arbitrary mold. I have known demons who “dressed the dress” and appeared to “walk the walk” and “talk the talk”. I have known angels who not only didn't “look the part” but who were not members of my religion (or were not active members of it). (For the curious, I am speaking of mortals, not actual unembodied demons nor of angels from the presence of God.)

I love my God. I love my Savior. Jesus Christ has rescued me from hell. When He has sent true messengers, He has told me they were His if I asked. He has been opening my mind to the fact that we are all on equal ground, that not one person is better than another. True messengers are not to be worshipped nor idolized nor feared nor strictly obeyed. The message is to be listened to, heeded and probably strictly obeyed, but only after God has let us know it is a true message. Sometimes that message is not comfortable. Sometimes it tells us our thinking has been all wrong. But the honor and the glory go to the Man who has sent the message, not the one who has delivered it.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Jesus' church. It was restored through a bona fide prophet of God who was not only imperfect, but never made a pretense of perfection.

The leaders the church have now are bona fide leaders. They are there through our common consent. They are thus eligible for inspiration and revelation when it comes to guiding the church. Like Joseph Smith, they are imperfect, and should not make a pretense of perfection. If they have given anyone the idea that they are perfect and that every action they have and every word they speak is as if God, Himself, has spoken and acted I would think they would feel sorrow for that worship of men.

Jesus has not deserted this church. As far as I know, He has not deserted any soul who lives upon the face of this earth. He speaks to anyone who will listen, no matter what religion they espouse.