Fulness of Times

As kind of a follow up from my previous post, here are some things that members of the Church need to be aware of and repent of. The following verses are from Doctrine and Covenants section 56 14 Behold, thus saith the Lord unto my people—you have many things to do and to repent of; for behold, your sins have come up unto me, and are not pardoned, because you seek to counsel in your own ways. 15 And your hearts are not satisfied. And ye obey not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness. 16 Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved! 17 Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes ...

The verses in this post are from Doctrine and Covenants section 63. Verse 34 has the focal point, "the saints also shall hardly escape." 34 And the saints also shall hardly escape; nevertheless, I, the Lord, am with them, and will come down in heaven from the presence of my Father and consume the wicked with unquenchable fire. Verse 34 seems to indicate a quick flight, with little notice of preparation. The words "hardly escape" could just as easily been stated as "barely escape." However there are some other possible meanings of "hardly" in the 1830 Webster's Dictionary,  http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/hardly . Basically "hardly escape" could have a couple of meanings. First, would be those who manage to flee before things get really bad. Second, "hardly" could imply an escape that might be "grudgingly, or severely, or unfavorably, or oppressively, or rigorously, or harshly, or roughly, or unwel...

For those who are prepared physically and spiritually, there could very likely be a call, a great gathering invitation to all who are willing and ready. This would be a great test of faithfulness and preparedness. Such a gathering call would follow similar patterns in the scriptures, (see another post of mine http://fulnessoftimes.blogspot.com/2017/05/a-few-scriptural-examples-of-righteous.html ) coming before severe trials afflict those who stay behind. It will likely be several weeks or even months before such trials become evident to those who do not gather. Most likely these weeks or months immediately following such a gathering--where the faithful are gathered out from among the wicked and less faithful--will see minor events take place. Economic conditions may deteriorate. Fuel will likely become more expensive, making travel less likely. Food prices will increase, leading to riots. In many places martial law or travel restrictions may come into play. These may be imposed as ...

One of the many lessons the Book of Mormon teaches is how often the Lord saves his people physically by leading those who will listen to his voice to safety. Lehi and his family This story is fairly well known in the Church. Most people who have started, and re-started reading the Book of Mormon, have probably read this story several times before getting stopped at the Isaiah chapters. But while most know Lehi's family spent years in the wilderness before the reached the land they called Bountiful, and then crossed the seas to the promised land, what is less known is time frame back in Jerusalem. Lehi's family left about 600 B.C. They probably arrived in the promised land (America) about 589. In about 588 B.C. Lehi tells his family that he saw a vision that Jerusalem was destroyed. So, about 11-12 years after Lehi's family left, and probably within a year after reaching the America's, the Jews were taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Nephi In 2 Ne...

I've wondered if a slowdown or stoppage in the construction of temples might indicate the coming of the time when tribulations and persecution will be increasing. However, after our stake conference priesthood leadership meeting a few weeks ago, it occurred to me, after a statement made by the visiting member of the Seventy, that temple construction will continue as much as it possibility can. Temples will close as needed for remodeling and refurbishment, and they will open. Most likely this will continue to happen right up until the time a gathering is called. The reason is this: "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing." (Matthew 24:46, https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/24.46?lang=eng#p45). and the same is in Luke: "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing." (Luke 12:43, https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/luke/12.43?lang=eng#p42) But look at Joseph Smith-Matthew "Blessed ...

In the short 5-minute drive to work I managed to hear the local breaking news, and had to look up some more information when I got into work. "LDS Church to no longer participate in Varsity, Venture Scouting" is the headline of the article on KSL.com http://www.ksl.com/?sid=44204644&nid=1016&title=lds-church-to-no-longer-participate-in-varsity-venture-scouting The Varsity and Venture ages are 14-15 and 16-17, respectively. According to the article the change, effective January 1, 2018, will "impact approximately 180,000 boys. Which is not a small number, and not an insignificant financial impact on the scout councils. While those boys who want to continue working towards rank advancement in Scouting will be encouraged to join with other units, I would be surprised if even 20% will have the interest to do so, and those who do will probably only do it because they are wanting to achieve the Eagle rank, and are likely close to getting it. This will be a hu...

Whenever I can, and when appropriate, I try to provide sources for anything presented as factual. I think it is irresponsible to supposedly quote something that somebody said, or to present something as true or factual, but then fail to provide a source that others can refer to. Basically it's providing the option for at least some kind of peer review, to substantiate claims made. However, most of what I post is purely my thoughts, my opinions, my ideas. The following is not doctrinal, at least I have not found any specific evidence supporting this thought, but I think it fits. So, as a preface, these are my thoughts. I think that in premortality, when the great plan of salvation was being presented, Lucifer wanted to cheat his way to godhood. Lucifer presented his version of the plan, where he would come down and make sure all of God's children did what they were supposed to do, and that he, Lucifer, would do this on condition that he would get all of God's glory. ...

This is more for my personal reference for later, but thought I'd make a post of it. I've listened to several online talk show hosts interview and have discussions with Joel Skousen. Personally, I think Joel is one of the more level-headed analysts of world events. I'm not sure where he gets his sources, but he has worked in some high positions. He appears to have a fairly good understanding of politics around the world. Before I'd heard of Joel, I had already thought World War III would most likely be started or involve the Korean peninsula, most likely being started by North Korea. The conflict would give China an excuse to invade and take over Taiwan. Russia would take back its former soviet states. It's interesting that Joel also has the belief that North Korea will be the start of WWIII. I found this interview which gives a good introduction of who Joel is, some of his background, and some of his views. Insight Vox: Joel Skousen https://youtu.be/h2...

Last week President Trump signed an executive order to help ease political restrictions on churches. Basically, it doesn't change the law (this isn't the job of the president) but "  it directs agencies enforcing the related laws to refrain from interfering with houses of worship and other religiously affiliated organizations." http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865679214/Trump-to-ease-political-restrictions-on-churches-with-new-executive-order.html Essentially it attempts to reduce the fear that non-profit religions have on losing tax-exempt status if the leaders of the church make political statements, or if they church facilities are used for political means. I've read a few articles about this executive order, but I liked the Deseret News comment, "Thursday's executive order does not address the relationship between religious freedom protections and LGBT nondiscrimination law — a delicate balance that has been unsettled since the Supreme Court...