That
brothers would make dramatically different choices is not unusual. It
has happened time and again, as the scriptures attest: Cain chose to
serve Satan; Abel chose to serve God. (See Moses 5:16–18.) Esau
“despised his birthright”; Jacob wanted to honor it. (Gen.
25:29–34.) Joseph’s brothers sought to kill him; he sought to
preserve them. (Gen. 37:12–24; Gen. 45:3–11.)@“Men are free
according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are
expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal
life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity
and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he
seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.” (2 Ne.
2:27.) Good Friday morning Brandon, can you tell I went to BoM
class last night? And fishing on Monday afternoon? I am also
recovering from my worst sore throat and cold and lung congestion of
the winter! But isn't it summer? How could I get so sick now? @ So to
start off with I am going to send you the 2nd email I sent
Janice Divine this morning. I also left her 4 vmails. Talking is
easier than writing. @ I am lucky. . . I can research anything I
want, anytime I want!\9:40 AM (8 minutes ago)\toJanice\\How can Jesus
and Lucifer be spirit brothers when their characters and purposes are
so utterly opposed?\Jess L. Christensen, Institute of Religion
director at Utah State University, Logan, Utah. On first hearing, the
doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may
seem surprising to some—especially to those unacquainted with
latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets
affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our
Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers. Jesus Christ was
with the Father from the beginning. Lucifer, too, was an angel “who
was in authority in the presence of God,” a “son of the morning.”
(See Isa. 14:12; D&C 76:25–27.) Both Jesus and Lucifer were
strong leaders with great knowledge and influence. But as the
Firstborn of the Father, Jesus was Lucifer’s older brother. (See
Col. 1:15; D&C 93:21.)\How could two such great spirits become so
totally opposite? The answer lies in the principle of agency, which
has existed from all eternity. (See D&C 93:30–31.) Of Lucifer,
the scripture says that because of rebellion “he became Satan, yea,
even the devil, the father of all lies.” (Moses 4:4.) Note that he
was not created evil, but became Satan by his own choice.\When our
Father in Heaven presented his plan of salvation, Jesus sustained the
plan and his part in it, giving the glory to God, to whom it properly
belonged. Lucifer, on the other hand, sought power, honor, and glory
only for himself. (See Isa. 14:13–14; Moses 4:1–2.) When his
modification of the Father’s plan was rejected, he rebelled against
God and was subsequently cast out of heaven with those who had sided
with him. (See Rev. 12:7–9; D&C 29:36–37.)\That brothers
would make dramatically different choices is not unusual. It has
happened time and again, as the scriptures attest: Cain chose to
serve Satan; Abel chose to serve God. (See Moses 5:16–18.) Esau
“despised his birthright”; Jacob wanted to honor it. (Gen.
25:29–34.) Joseph’s brothers sought to kill him; he sought to
preserve them. (Gen. 37:12–24; Gen. 45:3–11.)\It is ironic that
the agency with which Lucifer rebelled is the very gift he tried to
take from man. His proposal was that all be forced back into God’s
presence. (See Moses 4:1, 3.) But the principle of agency is
fundamental to the existence and progression of intelligent beings:
as we make wise choices, we grow in light and truth. On the other
hand, wrong choices—such as the one Satan made—stop progress and
can even deny us blessings that we already have. (See D&C
93:30–36.)\In order for us to progress, therefore, we must have the
opportunity to choose good or evil. Interestingly, Satan and his
angels—those who opposed agency—have become that opposition. As
the prophet Lehi taught, “Men are free according to the flesh; and
all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are
free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator
of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the
captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might
be miserable like unto himself.” (2 Ne. 2:27.)\Although the Father
has allowed Satan and his angels to tempt mankind, he has given each
of us the ability to rise above temptation. (See 1 Cor. 10:13.) He
has also given us the great gift of the Atonement.\When the Lord
placed enmity between Eve’s children and the devil, Satan was told
that he would bruise the heel of Eve’s seed, but her seed would
bruise his head. (See Moses 4:21.) President Joseph Fielding Smith
explained that “the ‘God of peace,’ who according to the
scriptures is to bruise Satan, is Jesus Christ.” (Answers to Gospel
Questions, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957, 1:3.) Satan would
bruise the Savior’s heel by leading men to crucify Him. But through
his death and resurrection, Christ overcame death for all of us; and
through his atonement, he offers each of us a way to escape the
eternal ramifications of sin. Thus, Satan’s machinations have been
frustrated and eventually he will be judged, bound, and cast into
hell forever. (See Rev. 20:1–10; D&C 29:26–29.)\In Hebrew,
the word bruise means “to crush or grind.” Therefore, the very
heel that was bruised will crush Satan and will help us overcome the
world and return to our Father. As we use our agency to choose good
over evil, the atonement of Christ prepares the way for us to return
to our Father in Heaven.\We can only imagine the sorrow of our
Heavenly Father as he watched a loved son incite and lead a rebellion
and lose his opportunity for exaltation. But we can also imagine the
Father’s love and rejoicing as he welcomed back the beloved son who
had valiantly and perfectly fought the battles of life and brought
about the great Atonement through his suffering and death.\~~When our
Father in Heaven presented his plan of salvation, Jesus sustained the
plan and his part in it, giving the glory to God, to whom it properly
belonged. <<< Did you notice! Whose plan? Of course if you
look in the bible there is no plan!!\How humble and gracious our
Savior is. What a man! What a God! He is my God! I like him and
admire him through and through.\Like I said in my vmail: it makes
sense that we ask questions as we study. How else can we learn.\As I
didn't say in my vmail: You were so sweet to allow the discussion to
take us where it was wont. When you brought up the topic of Kishkumen
making oaths in the name of God, it made some of our class members
think of Satan, Kishkumen's real power. \I was shocked as I visited
with a classmate after a PoGP class and he said: Of course there is a
unique Satan for every world! What? I hadn't ever considered
that.\But something I had considered was how many followers he has:
40 billion and they are all here right now, some of them are lazy and
wasting time and seeking thrills and satisfactions of addictions
through the bodies of others, but some are almost as rebellious
against God as Satan is. They want to destroy all good, all
happiness, all loyalty, all rejoicing, all gratitude, all
charity.\Now even though we are left growing and experimenting in
faith, doesn't it strengthen us to know the opposition?\>It is
ironic that the agency with which Lucifer rebelled is the very gift
he tried to take from man. His proposal was that all be forced back
into God’s presence. (See Moses 4:1, 3.) But the principle of
agency is fundamental to the existence and progression of intelligent
beings: as we make wise choices, we grow in light and truth. On the
other hand, wrong choices—such as the one Satan made—stop
progress and can even deny us blessings that we already have. (See
D&C 93:30–36.)<\Satan's plan wasn't really a workable plan
at all. It wasn't a plan. Agency has to be the way God receives his
glory. We have to worship him because we want to, because we feel
grateful to him! Can you force people to worship you and give you
glory? I don't think so. Satan's plan ignored eternal truth! I loved
how we emphasized opposition in all things last night. There can't be
good without bad, etc..@@ bps, as you know I like to prepare
something to share at BoM. Even though I was sick as a dog yesterday
and hadn't eaten a thing for 2 days and felt weak, I still wanted to
share. I ordered 12 lbs of sliding fishing sinkers and they arrived
last Saturday. Tom Drum sent them to me by USPS-3 day mail! Can't
beat that! When ever I order something on ebay I know it is just an
experiment. I don't trust it yet! Guess how large a box the 12 lbs
came in? It was no bigger than a book of mormon! Could I lift it out
of my mail box? Just barely. It took multiple tries! I had no idea
how small 12 lbs of lead could be! BradL asked if I would sell him
100 ½ oz weights for 10cents each? Answer: Absolutely. Of course it
was really me that had made the offer. I dropped them off at his
house Saturday before noon and it seemed to hardly make a dent. @
Last year I took Colby Jack cheese and Swiss cheese and crackers for
an after class treat. Janice loves to compare the Bible to Swiss
cheese. It has empty pockets in it. So last night's comparison was
the opposite. I passed around my bible and my box of weights. The box
of weights represented the BoM with baptism, and plan of salvation,
revelation, and restoration, 3 witnesses and 8 witnesses, Nephi,
Mormon and Moroni (all heavy duty gospel sluggers) plainly tangible.
I couldn't help classifying the type of teaching aide it was. You
have heard of visual aides. When we ate the Swiss cheese that was a
savory aide. Well this was a tactile aide! Janice talked about the
sizzling hot letter Pahoran got from Captain Moroni! That was a
tactile aide image. So she got credit for using the first tactile
aide last night. I got credit for sharing the last one! And I loved
it. No one else seemed that impressed but I had written Plan of
Salvation, Happiness, Redemption, Mercy in great big letters on
the side bb. Shannon Jensen recently pointed out that none of those
are in the D&C! They are only in the BoM! Amazing! @ Julie, a 2nd
weeker, wanted to talk about Satan last night. So we had quite a
lengthy discussion about him and in general I feel any time spent on
Satan is wasted time. I testified strongly of our Lord's
submissiveness versus Satan's selfishness. Jesus Christ won't even
allow us to pray to him. He commands us to pray to our Father. He
gives all the glory to the Father. And he excuses the poor Nephites
that can't help but worship him when he visits them by saying: 19 And
it came to pass that Jesus departed out of the midst of them, and
went a little way off from them and bowed himself to the earth, and
he said:20 Father, I thank thee that thou hast given the Holy
Ghost unto these whom I have chosen; and it is because of their
belief in me that I have chosen them out of the world.21 Father, I
pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall
believe in their words.22 Father, thou hast given them the Holy Ghost
because they believe in me; and thou seest that they believe in me
because thou hearest them, and they pray unto me; and they pray unto
me because I am with them.23 And now Father, I pray unto thee for
them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that
they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in
me, that we may be one.24 And it came to pass that when Jesus had
thus prayed unto the Father, he came unto his disciples,@ There is a
prayer offered by JC. I underlined it. “and they pray unto me; and
they pray unto me because I am with them.” So it is almost like JC
is apologizing that his saints just can't help but pray unto him,
even though he has asked them to pray unto the Father, because the HG
has come upon them and JC is with them. @ I was a little upset with
how stupid everyone seemed to be about Satan's plan versus Jesus'
plan. As you can tell by what I wrote Janice I wanted her to know #1
Satan's plan was never viable! #2 Jesus' plan wasn't his, but the
Father's. Julie wanted to talk about HF's father and his father and
their Satan's. She had not yet come to the conclusion that there are
obedient and disobedient among all children. @ As I have read the
scriptures carefully I have come to the conclusion that among all
god's creations: atoms, elements, molecules, cells, organisms,
planets, stars, there are the obedient and nonobedient. The obedient
follow his commands. The nonobedient don't and are not part of his
kingdom. I am not going to volunteer the scriptures that are the
source of those conclusions. You can find them yourself or if you
just can't resist and have to know soon, then you can write and ask.
:) And you can't say it will be an imposition because. . . I will be
writing you anyway! Ha @Friday, June 2, 2017
That brothers would make dramatically different choices is not unusual.
That
brothers would make dramatically different choices is not unusual. It
has happened time and again, as the scriptures attest: Cain chose to
serve Satan; Abel chose to serve God. (See Moses 5:16–18.) Esau
“despised his birthright”; Jacob wanted to honor it. (Gen.
25:29–34.) Joseph’s brothers sought to kill him; he sought to
preserve them. (Gen. 37:12–24; Gen. 45:3–11.)@“Men are free
according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are
expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal
life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity
and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he
seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.” (2 Ne.
2:27.) Good Friday morning Brandon, can you tell I went to BoM
class last night? And fishing on Monday afternoon? I am also
recovering from my worst sore throat and cold and lung congestion of
the winter! But isn't it summer? How could I get so sick now? @ So to
start off with I am going to send you the 2nd email I sent
Janice Divine this morning. I also left her 4 vmails. Talking is
easier than writing. @ I am lucky. . . I can research anything I
want, anytime I want!\9:40 AM (8 minutes ago)\toJanice\\How can Jesus
and Lucifer be spirit brothers when their characters and purposes are
so utterly opposed?\Jess L. Christensen, Institute of Religion
director at Utah State University, Logan, Utah. On first hearing, the
doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may
seem surprising to some—especially to those unacquainted with
latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets
affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our
Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers. Jesus Christ was
with the Father from the beginning. Lucifer, too, was an angel “who
was in authority in the presence of God,” a “son of the morning.”
(See Isa. 14:12; D&C 76:25–27.) Both Jesus and Lucifer were
strong leaders with great knowledge and influence. But as the
Firstborn of the Father, Jesus was Lucifer’s older brother. (See
Col. 1:15; D&C 93:21.)\How could two such great spirits become so
totally opposite? The answer lies in the principle of agency, which
has existed from all eternity. (See D&C 93:30–31.) Of Lucifer,
the scripture says that because of rebellion “he became Satan, yea,
even the devil, the father of all lies.” (Moses 4:4.) Note that he
was not created evil, but became Satan by his own choice.\When our
Father in Heaven presented his plan of salvation, Jesus sustained the
plan and his part in it, giving the glory to God, to whom it properly
belonged. Lucifer, on the other hand, sought power, honor, and glory
only for himself. (See Isa. 14:13–14; Moses 4:1–2.) When his
modification of the Father’s plan was rejected, he rebelled against
God and was subsequently cast out of heaven with those who had sided
with him. (See Rev. 12:7–9; D&C 29:36–37.)\That brothers
would make dramatically different choices is not unusual. It has
happened time and again, as the scriptures attest: Cain chose to
serve Satan; Abel chose to serve God. (See Moses 5:16–18.) Esau
“despised his birthright”; Jacob wanted to honor it. (Gen.
25:29–34.) Joseph’s brothers sought to kill him; he sought to
preserve them. (Gen. 37:12–24; Gen. 45:3–11.)\It is ironic that
the agency with which Lucifer rebelled is the very gift he tried to
take from man. His proposal was that all be forced back into God’s
presence. (See Moses 4:1, 3.) But the principle of agency is
fundamental to the existence and progression of intelligent beings:
as we make wise choices, we grow in light and truth. On the other
hand, wrong choices—such as the one Satan made—stop progress and
can even deny us blessings that we already have. (See D&C
93:30–36.)\In order for us to progress, therefore, we must have the
opportunity to choose good or evil. Interestingly, Satan and his
angels—those who opposed agency—have become that opposition. As
the prophet Lehi taught, “Men are free according to the flesh; and
all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are
free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator
of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the
captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might
be miserable like unto himself.” (2 Ne. 2:27.)\Although the Father
has allowed Satan and his angels to tempt mankind, he has given each
of us the ability to rise above temptation. (See 1 Cor. 10:13.) He
has also given us the great gift of the Atonement.\When the Lord
placed enmity between Eve’s children and the devil, Satan was told
that he would bruise the heel of Eve’s seed, but her seed would
bruise his head. (See Moses 4:21.) President Joseph Fielding Smith
explained that “the ‘God of peace,’ who according to the
scriptures is to bruise Satan, is Jesus Christ.” (Answers to Gospel
Questions, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957, 1:3.) Satan would
bruise the Savior’s heel by leading men to crucify Him. But through
his death and resurrection, Christ overcame death for all of us; and
through his atonement, he offers each of us a way to escape the
eternal ramifications of sin. Thus, Satan’s machinations have been
frustrated and eventually he will be judged, bound, and cast into
hell forever. (See Rev. 20:1–10; D&C 29:26–29.)\In Hebrew,
the word bruise means “to crush or grind.” Therefore, the very
heel that was bruised will crush Satan and will help us overcome the
world and return to our Father. As we use our agency to choose good
over evil, the atonement of Christ prepares the way for us to return
to our Father in Heaven.\We can only imagine the sorrow of our
Heavenly Father as he watched a loved son incite and lead a rebellion
and lose his opportunity for exaltation. But we can also imagine the
Father’s love and rejoicing as he welcomed back the beloved son who
had valiantly and perfectly fought the battles of life and brought
about the great Atonement through his suffering and death.\~~When our
Father in Heaven presented his plan of salvation, Jesus sustained the
plan and his part in it, giving the glory to God, to whom it properly
belonged. <<< Did you notice! Whose plan? Of course if you
look in the bible there is no plan!!\How humble and gracious our
Savior is. What a man! What a God! He is my God! I like him and
admire him through and through.\Like I said in my vmail: it makes
sense that we ask questions as we study. How else can we learn.\As I
didn't say in my vmail: You were so sweet to allow the discussion to
take us where it was wont. When you brought up the topic of Kishkumen
making oaths in the name of God, it made some of our class members
think of Satan, Kishkumen's real power. \I was shocked as I visited
with a classmate after a PoGP class and he said: Of course there is a
unique Satan for every world! What? I hadn't ever considered
that.\But something I had considered was how many followers he has:
40 billion and they are all here right now, some of them are lazy and
wasting time and seeking thrills and satisfactions of addictions
through the bodies of others, but some are almost as rebellious
against God as Satan is. They want to destroy all good, all
happiness, all loyalty, all rejoicing, all gratitude, all
charity.\Now even though we are left growing and experimenting in
faith, doesn't it strengthen us to know the opposition?\>It is
ironic that the agency with which Lucifer rebelled is the very gift
he tried to take from man. His proposal was that all be forced back
into God’s presence. (See Moses 4:1, 3.) But the principle of
agency is fundamental to the existence and progression of intelligent
beings: as we make wise choices, we grow in light and truth. On the
other hand, wrong choices—such as the one Satan made—stop
progress and can even deny us blessings that we already have. (See
D&C 93:30–36.)<\Satan's plan wasn't really a workable plan
at all. It wasn't a plan. Agency has to be the way God receives his
glory. We have to worship him because we want to, because we feel
grateful to him! Can you force people to worship you and give you
glory? I don't think so. Satan's plan ignored eternal truth! I loved
how we emphasized opposition in all things last night. There can't be
good without bad, etc..@@ bps, as you know I like to prepare
something to share at BoM. Even though I was sick as a dog yesterday
and hadn't eaten a thing for 2 days and felt weak, I still wanted to
share. I ordered 12 lbs of sliding fishing sinkers and they arrived
last Saturday. Tom Drum sent them to me by USPS-3 day mail! Can't
beat that! When ever I order something on ebay I know it is just an
experiment. I don't trust it yet! Guess how large a box the 12 lbs
came in? It was no bigger than a book of mormon! Could I lift it out
of my mail box? Just barely. It took multiple tries! I had no idea
how small 12 lbs of lead could be! BradL asked if I would sell him
100 ½ oz weights for 10cents each? Answer: Absolutely. Of course it
was really me that had made the offer. I dropped them off at his
house Saturday before noon and it seemed to hardly make a dent. @
Last year I took Colby Jack cheese and Swiss cheese and crackers for
an after class treat. Janice loves to compare the Bible to Swiss
cheese. It has empty pockets in it. So last night's comparison was
the opposite. I passed around my bible and my box of weights. The box
of weights represented the BoM with baptism, and plan of salvation,
revelation, and restoration, 3 witnesses and 8 witnesses, Nephi,
Mormon and Moroni (all heavy duty gospel sluggers) plainly tangible.
I couldn't help classifying the type of teaching aide it was. You
have heard of visual aides. When we ate the Swiss cheese that was a
savory aide. Well this was a tactile aide! Janice talked about the
sizzling hot letter Pahoran got from Captain Moroni! That was a
tactile aide image. So she got credit for using the first tactile
aide last night. I got credit for sharing the last one! And I loved
it. No one else seemed that impressed but I had written Plan of
Salvation, Happiness, Redemption, Mercy in great big letters on
the side bb. Shannon Jensen recently pointed out that none of those
are in the D&C! They are only in the BoM! Amazing! @ Julie, a 2nd
weeker, wanted to talk about Satan last night. So we had quite a
lengthy discussion about him and in general I feel any time spent on
Satan is wasted time. I testified strongly of our Lord's
submissiveness versus Satan's selfishness. Jesus Christ won't even
allow us to pray to him. He commands us to pray to our Father. He
gives all the glory to the Father. And he excuses the poor Nephites
that can't help but worship him when he visits them by saying: 19 And
it came to pass that Jesus departed out of the midst of them, and
went a little way off from them and bowed himself to the earth, and
he said:20 Father, I thank thee that thou hast given the Holy
Ghost unto these whom I have chosen; and it is because of their
belief in me that I have chosen them out of the world.21 Father, I
pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall
believe in their words.22 Father, thou hast given them the Holy Ghost
because they believe in me; and thou seest that they believe in me
because thou hearest them, and they pray unto me; and they pray unto
me because I am with them.23 And now Father, I pray unto thee for
them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that
they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in
me, that we may be one.24 And it came to pass that when Jesus had
thus prayed unto the Father, he came unto his disciples,@ There is a
prayer offered by JC. I underlined it. “and they pray unto me; and
they pray unto me because I am with them.” So it is almost like JC
is apologizing that his saints just can't help but pray unto him,
even though he has asked them to pray unto the Father, because the HG
has come upon them and JC is with them. @ I was a little upset with
how stupid everyone seemed to be about Satan's plan versus Jesus'
plan. As you can tell by what I wrote Janice I wanted her to know #1
Satan's plan was never viable! #2 Jesus' plan wasn't his, but the
Father's. Julie wanted to talk about HF's father and his father and
their Satan's. She had not yet come to the conclusion that there are
obedient and disobedient among all children. @ As I have read the
scriptures carefully I have come to the conclusion that among all
god's creations: atoms, elements, molecules, cells, organisms,
planets, stars, there are the obedient and nonobedient. The obedient
follow his commands. The nonobedient don't and are not part of his
kingdom. I am not going to volunteer the scriptures that are the
source of those conclusions. You can find them yourself or if you
just can't resist and have to know soon, then you can write and ask.
:) And you can't say it will be an imposition because. . . I will be
writing you anyway! Ha @
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