If The Gentiles Repent

This post is related to but not formatted like the other Book of Mormon Study Group posts.

It is directly related to Nephi's act of crying unto the Lord in behalf of his brothers Laman and Lemuel.

We see in Nephi's feelings and attitude what we must become if we are to be invited to participate in building a house to God and be invited to live in a city of peace.

Nephi is not only seeking to forgive but he is also seeking to cover or atone for his brother's failings.

A good sister in our study group is very kind to cut my hair and she blew me away with what she shared with me while cutting my hair.

Part of the blowing me away is due to the fact that it was a major call to repentance for me, which is a good thing.

She shared commentary found in the book Remembering the Covenant Vol. 2 concerning 2 Nephi 30:2.

In the newly completed scriptures it is NC 2 Nephi 12 par. 11

"For behold I say unto you that as many of the gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord, and as many of the Jews as will not repent shall be cast off.  For the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel."

I will try to stick to the commentary from the book which is found on denversnuffer.com under 2 Nephi 30:2 and in the book Come Let Us Adore Him.

To the extent that gentiles “will repent” they may become part of the Lord’s “covenant people.” They are not the remnant, but they may join in the covenant. If they do, then by virtue of the covenant they become “covenant people.”

What is required for the gentiles to repent?

What covenant must they enter into or receive so they may be numbered among the “covenant people?” Is membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the only thing needed to “repent” and become a “covenant people?” If not, then what else would be required?...

Well, all of this is of no import if the gentiles do not “repent.” Whenever we brush up against that subject we wind up engaged in discussions about justice, mercy, vengeance and restitution. I’ve written about this process in both The Second Comforter and Come, Let Us Adore Him. Briefly, here are some of the most important points:  To be forgiven we must forgive. Not just forgive, but plead for mercy for those who have offended us. The role of accusing is left to “the accuser of the brethren” or Satan. (Rev. 12: 10.) When we accuse others we interfere with their salvation. If we are the one who was offended, and we make no accusation against them, then we become their savior. Satan’s right to accuse is inferior to ours as victims of the offense. We suffer in the flesh the wrongs of others. If we make no claim for justice, surrender those and seek instead for mercy on behalf of others, then Satan’s accusations can have no claim upon them. We mimic Christ, follow His example, and in our own limited way also atone for the sins of others. Joseph Smith was trying to get us to understand this concept when he taught: “If you do not accuse each other, God will not accuse you. If you have no accuser you will enter heaven, and if you will follow the revelations and instructions which God gives you through me, I will take you into heaven as my back load. If you will not accuse me, I will not accuse you. If you will throw a cloak of charity over my sins, I will over yours—for charity covereth a multitude of sins.” (DHC. 4:445)

What is so important, in my opinion, by what is shared here is that our repentance is tied only and completely to our forgiveness of others and our desire in our own limited way to atone for others who have intentionally or unintentionally offended us in any way.

This is the only way we may be considered "covenant" people as I understand this.

I have explained this at length in what I’ve written in Come, Let Us Adore Him. Christ said this in His ministry repeatedly. He lived it.  He showed by His own example the way to obtain forgiveness for every wrong you have ever done. It is in the same way He went about atoning for sins. It is by suffering offenses and returning good. It is by forgiving those who despitefully use and abuse you. It is through loving those who are your enemies. It is by becoming sons and daughters of God. And it can be done in no other way. (Matt. 5: 38-48.) If you do not forgive others, you cannot be forgiven. (Matt. 6: 14-15.) This is why Christ, in teaching us to pray, told us we are only forgiven as we forgive others.  (Matt. 6: 12.) It is as we forgive that we obtain forgiveness.

The way is strait and narrow, and cannot permit you to pass through while carrying any burden of accusation, desire for revenge or even just complaint about others. When you lay down what you might justly claim against others and seek nothing for their offenses, then you are able to enter in. To be blessed, we must seek peace with those who would make war against us. (Matt. 5: 9.) When we judge all others with mercy, it is with mercy alone we will be judged. (Matt. 7: 2.)

For the most part, the gentiles will not repent. They will hold courts, use their time judging, exact conditions, set limits, and annotate their permanent records with notes showing what discipline a person has undergone. And happily employ control, compulsion and dominion over one another (D&C 121: 37) right up to the time when the trumpet sounds and it is everlastingly too late.  Others will justify this failure to forgive, shout praises to the abuse, and claim all compulsion and dominion is necessary to protect us from the evil. Even though our Master told us not to resist the evil, but forgive it. (Matt. 5: 39.)

For the most part, the gentiles will demand they be judged by a law they cannot satisfy.  Some few, however, will forgive and plead for the weaknesses and failings of others. They will forgive, and thereby be forgiven. They will obtain for themselves a judgment based only on mercy, for they have shown mercy to others. This atoning act of love and intercession will be the hallmark by which the children of God are identified in the Day of Judgment. (Matt. 5: 9.) Only the peacemakers can be trusted to live in peace with one another. All others are unfit for the presence of God.

This is beyond amazing to me.  If I desire to be forgiven of EVERYTHING!!! I have ever done all I must do is give up any and all claim to justice against anyone who may have offended me.

Holy Cow!!!  There are no words. Seriously!! Why wouldn't I do this??!!

The way is too narrow for me to pass if I hold onto even one just complaint against anyone.

If I would desire to live in a city of peace I must be a peacemaker.

This good sister in our group also sent me the following.

Denver referred to his discussion of this principle in Come Let Us Adore Him:

"We are all required to come to peace with our sins and with the offenses we have suffered.  To be fully redeemed, we must leave this life having peace through a clear conscience before God and all mankind.  This can only be obtained by forgiving others their trespasses."  (p. 225)

"There are many things men do that they lack the capacity to make amends.  The price they must pay for their own transgressions are paid by forgiving all others of their offenses."  (p. 226)

That great gulf I cannot bridge is bridged by my dropping of all my just claims upon justice for others.

"…forgiveness is the means by which the Lord enables men to take advantage of His 'preparations unto the children of men.'  (D&C 19:19)  To forgive is to atone."  (p. 227)

"The Father cannot give men what they ask of Him until they first forgive all offenses among one another."  (p. 227)

This is beyond importance!

If we are crying to the Father asking Him to allow us to build a house unto Him and asking Him to bring Zion, He cannot give these things until all offenses are forgiven among us.

"…All mankind must redeem themselves by permitting others to escape condemnation for the offenses they have committed against them.  In this way men are no longer their brother's accuser; and, the Accuser of Mankind is without means to keep men from redemption.  For justice cannot have hold on those who have claim on mercy.  Mercy comes to those who give mercy, and men are restored to that which they have become.  The merciful are entitled to mercy."  (p. 228)

We have the ability to be more powerful than the Adversary!!

"To enter into the kingdom of heaven, all men must lay down their sins.  But this they cannot do when they claim the right to restitution for any offense from their brother.  All claims must be set aside, the greater and more difficult being the righteous claim against another for their deliberate offense.  Yet, in asking for justice for yourself, you always require justice be answered, in turn, for all of your offenses…"  (pp. 228-229)

"Now I know these things to be true, and the Lord has permitted them to be made known to anyone who will believe so they may repent and forgive one another, and may, in turn, have claims on mercy for themselves.  It is certain Christ is able to heal us of any affliction which this life may visit upon any of us, but only if we will forgive one another and come to Him.  He can teach all how to forgive.  No matter how terrible the offense, He has the knowledge to lead us to peace…

"When men come to the Lord seeking forgiveness, He will prepare the means for each of them to obtain forgiveness.  The way will be opened for them to forgive so they, in turn, may be forgiven.  In this way all may come to know their Lord…

"Do not depart this life while still harboring resentment against any person.  It does not matter how just the claim may be, we must surrender our claims for justice to merit mercy.  Find a way to forgive all those who transgress against you before leaving mortality and, by showing mercy to them, you will find mercy for yourself."  (p. 230)

 "To obtain perfect charity…a man must make intercession for those who offend him…He wants us to go beyond merely forgiving others.  He wants us to become like Him and atone or cover the sins of others.  Through intercession on behalf of our enemies, we not only learn to understand Him, we also learn to be like Him.  This is what Christ did.  This is what Stephen did.  All those who have the hope of Christ within them will do likewise."  (p. 231)

"He admonished mankind to return love for hate.  It is not enough to refrain from retaliation.  He said to purge anger from our hearts.  He required us to forgive people quickly before they even ask to be forgiven.  He said men should not offer anything to God at an altar without first reconciling and forgiving all ill will toward their fellow man…

If the Lord sees fit in His mercy to offer another task for us to complete as a people, working together willingly, would the determination of whether our offered end product is acceptable to Him be judged by Him by looking at whether we have all forgiven all our ill will towards each other and not so much as to whether it is totally correct scripturally? 

"He requires us to be better than we think even possible.  He requires us to be perfect.  No matter how unlikely that may seem, He speaks with such authority about it that it inspires confidence in us to at least try to live His commandments…

"He told us not to judge others.  He told us not to correct others.  He said to be self-critical, remove our own faults, and be tolerant and forgiving of the faults of others."  (p. 271)

What if in all our communications and relationships with each other no one said to another anything that in any way reflected, No you are wrong, The scriptures say such and such and you are wrong and I am right?

What if we began all of our conversations together with the real feelings in our hearts and the statements from our lips, In my opinion, which may or may not be right, or My present understanding, because of such and such, or I believe right now that such and such?

Wouldn't that make us harmless to each other and invite others to share their opinions, understandings, and beliefs in safety; with the understanding that maybe I might be persuaded by what someone else has to say but even if I am not it is totally ok?

My present understanding of the above subject is that the Lord cares INFINITELY more about my ability to forgive, intercede for, and live in peace with others than being scripturally correct on any matter.

God can fix the scripturally correct part for me or anyone if I can live in peace.  This is my belief.

I am guilty of looking at what others presented in the effort assigned to us by God to come up with a Guide and Standard and "correcting" them.

I harbored feelings and isssued statements that, Such and such are not scriptural, Such and such is wrong, They need to be corrected!

My present understanding of the above topic is that IF I desire to repent as a gentile, IF I desire to be a "covenant" person, the only path for me is to forgive all offenses against me real or percieved (The percieved offenses constitute the majority of offenses against me. They are only in my mind they are not real.) and I must seek to intercede or plead for mercy for anyone I might have a just claim against.  I must be at peace with the opinions, beliefs and understandings of all those around me.

I must mimic Christ who I hope to have as my Savior.

Our cries to God for Him to allow us to build Him a house and bring a city of peace will not be answered until we forgive all offenses among one another.

I really am unable to type how powerful an impact what this good sister shared with me had upon me.

She very much blew me away and I thank her for it.

Please, I would invite and plead with everyone to read the blogpost at denversnuffer.com and read the discussions in Come Let Us Adore Him and also in The Second Comforter, Conversing with the Lord Through the Veil.

What is shared here is so inadequate but it reflects my present opinion, understanding and belief.

Making Things Known Which the Lord Manifested

1 Nephi 2:17 - 18, NC 1 Nephi 1 par. 9

And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit.  And it came to pass that he believed in my words.  But behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words.  And being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts, I cried unto the Lord for them.

As we look at this experience even though this is account is expanded compared to Lehi's experience is it possible that this part is compressed a bit as well?

Is it possible that some time is passing as these things unfold?

Is it possible that this is not a one day or multiple day or even a week-long event?

Is maybe a substantial amount of time passing like possibly months or a year or more as Nephi is making things known to Sam, Laman and Lemuel?

If we return to Alma and the experiment he proposed for trying the word we can get an idea of what Nephi would have had to do following his initial answer to his petitions concerning the words of his father Lehi.

"Now behold, would not this increase your faith?  I say unto you, Yea.  Nevertheless, it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.  But, behold as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then ye must needs say that the seed is good for behold, it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow...And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment and planted the seed, and it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good...And as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say, Let us nourish it with great care that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit." (Alma 32:29 - 37, NC Alma 16 pars. 

Nephi has been given an initial gift of a soft heart,to believe his father's words.

This we would compare to Alma's analogy that the seed or the word has swelled within Nephi and has become delicious to him.

Now that Nephi knows the word spoken by his father is good he begins to nourish it so that it will grow up in him.

How much time must be taken to nourish the word in oneself?

Would it be a lighning event to nourish the word?

How quickly does a tree seedling grow into a tree?

Why the symbolism from Alma of a tree rather than say grass or a vegetable plant?

Is it possible that Nephi recieved learning and understanding from the Lord because of his diligence to ponder on what he had already received?

"For my soul delighteth in the scriptures and my heart pondereth them and writeth them for the learning and profit of my children.  Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard." (2 Nephi 4:15 - 16, NC 2 Nephi 3 par. 6)

The Prophet Joseph stated,

"A fanciful and flowery and heated imagination be aware of, because the things of God are of deep import, and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out.  Your mind, O man, if you will lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost Heavens, and search into and contemplate the lowest considerations of Eternal expanse.  You must commune with God.  How much more dignified and noble are the thoughts of God than the vain imaginations of the human heart?  None but fools will trifle with the souls of men."(T&C 138 par. 18, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 137)

Is it by careful, ponderous and solemn thoughts about what he had received that Nephi was able to receive more?

By experience, practical application of what he received, was Nephi able to understand what he received?

Nephi declared plainly that he pondered upon the words of his father's dream at the time he received his marvelous revelation.

"And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God - and the Son of God was the Messaih who should come - I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see and hear and know of these things by the power of the Holy Ghost,...For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord,..."(1 Nephi 10:17 - 1 Nephi 11:1, NC 1 Nephi 3 par. 5 - 6)

If we ponder the things in the scritpures is it possible that questions will come up?

If we ask for further clarification concerning the questions that arise for us does that give the Lord greater opportunity to teach us?

Is the Lord willing to reveal things to individuals that clarify and expand their understanding of scriptural topics they have read that are hidden to others simply because they do not ask?

Are we given scriptures only for the sole purpose of governing our ownselves by the principles there?

Could it be that the scritpures are also given to encourage questions?

When a child is asking their parents concerning anything can their questions be unceasing?

A child might ask, Why is it so?  The parent may respond, Because of xyz.  The child may then continue, Why x? and so forth.

Is this what the Lord desires of us to nurture the word in us?

Does He give us things so that we will ponder, consider  and ask, Why is it so? so that He may respond , Because of xyz in anticipation of us continuing, Why x? so that He may continue to teach us what cannot be written?

Is there holiness imparted from God to anyone who approaches Him in humility and faith asking?

Does an individual have the opportunity to become more holy as they communicate more and more with God?

Does the power of godliness, God's ability to commune individually with each one of us, allow an opportunity to prepare our minds to be firm and steadfast in every form of godliness so that the angels may begin to come and teach us? (Moroni 7: 30, NC Moroni 7 par. 6)

Was Nephi able to have faith that the Lord would show unto him the same things He had shown to his father Lehi precisely because from the beginning of Nephi's inquiries the Lord had always responded to the little things all the way until Nephi questioned concerning this?

Is Nephi's experience in any way similar to Joseph Smith's?

"In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions I often said to myself, What is to be done?  Who of all these parties is right?  Or are they all wrong together? And if any one of them be right, which is it?  And how shall I know it?  While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse [Epistle of Jacob 1:2], which reads, If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upraideth not, and it shall be given him.  Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did to mine.  It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did." (Joseph Smith History 1:10 - 12, T&C 1 JSH part 2 par.3)

Was it the scriptures that inspired Joseph to ponder and ask God for answers?

Nephi declared that the things he shared with Sam, Laman and Lemuel had been manifested to him by God's Holy Spirit.

What is God's Holy Spirit?

How does God's Holy Spirit manifest things to someone?

The Prophet Joseph prepared a series of lectures for the School of the Prophets to teach the participants how to develop saving faith.

Joseph edited these lectures for inclusion in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants.  These lectures were the Doctrine part of that canon of scritpure.

In 1835 the entire body of the church, men women and children voted to accept the lectures and the other parts of the canon of Doctrine and Covenants as scripture.

In Lecture Fifth we read the following.

"We shall, in this lecture, speak of the Godhead: we mean the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  There are two personages who constitute the great matchless, governing and supreme power over all things - by whom all things were created and made, that are created and made, whether visible or invisible, whether in heaven, on earth, or in the earth, under the earth, or throughout the immensity of space - They are the Father and the Son: The Father being a personage of spirit, glory and power: possessing all perfection and fullness; The Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, a personage of tabernacle, made or fashioned like unto man, or being in the form and likeness of man, or rather, man was formed after his likeness and in his image -...possessing the same mind with the Father, which mind is the Holy Spirit that bears record of the Father and the Son, and these three are one, or in other words, these three constitute the great matchless, governing and supreme power over all things, by whom all things were created and made that were created and made.  And these three constitute the Godhead, and are one:  The Father and the Son possessing the same mind, the same wisdom, glory, power and fullness, filling all in all - the Son being filled with the fullness of the Mind, glory and power, or in other words, the Spirit, glory and power of the Father - possessing all knowledge and glory, and the same kingdom: sitting at the right hand of power in the express image and likeness of the Father - a Mediator for man- being filled with the fullness of the Mind of the Father, or in other words, the Spirit of the Father, which Spirit is shed forth upon all who believe on his name and keep his commandments.  And all those who keep his commandments shall grow up from grace to grace and become hiers of the heavenly kingdom and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, possessing the same mind, being transformed into the same image or likeness, even the express image of him who fills all in all: being filled with the fullness of his glory, and become one in him, even as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one." (T&C 110 Lecture Fifth pars. 1-2)

The Prophet Joseph declared that the Holy Spirit is the Mind or Spirit of the Father.

He declared that Christ possesses a fullnes of the Mind or Spirit of the Father and that anyone who believes on Christ and keeps His commandments the Mind or Spirit of the Father is shed forth upon them.

Could we say that the Mind or Spirit of the Father being shed forth upon a person is the same thing as that person gaining access to or tapping into the Mind or Spirit of the Fahter?

He declared that those who believe in Christ and keep His commandments will grow up from grace to grace and become joint heirs with Christ possessing His same Mind or Spirit.

Is it possible then that when someone communicates with God and receives an answer that they are allowed access to information that exists in the Mind or Spirit of the Father?

Is it by receiving from or being allowed by faith in Christ to tap into this stream of knowledge so to speak that a person grows in capacity to know and understand the Father's Mind?

Is it possible that the Father's Mind constitutes His knowledge and will?

Is it possible that the Father's Mind constitutes more?

Is the Holy Spirit in any way related to the Light of Christ we talked about in the post "The Language of Lehi's Praising part 3?"

When an individual comes into contact with  the Mind or Spirit of the Father in any degree does that contact do more than just convey knowledge and understanding?

Is it possible that this contact also changes an individual imparting holiness to them so they are able to grow in grace?

Wisdom is mentioned here as well.  Is wisdom imparted as an individual connects with the Mind or Spirit of the Father?

In the previous post "God's Way of Teaching?" we looked at what the Prophet Joseph taught about progression.

"We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him.  But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed in the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, until his mind is capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality, and consistency of the same." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 51)

When the Holy Spirit or Mind of the Father manifests things to an individual is this what is meant by having light from heaven communicated to the intellect?

Was Nephi tapping into this stream of knowledge and wisdom?

If someone grows in their connection to the Mind of the Father do their views become clearer?

Do they experience greater enjoyments as they receive what this seeming fountain of living water has to give?

As someone connects more and more to the Mind of God does their desire for sin leave?

Do they grow in faith?

There are things that cannot be written or communicated man to man concerning the kingdom of God.

"But great and marvelous are the works of the Lord, and the mysteries of his Kingdom which he showed unto us, which surpasses all understanding, in glory, and in might, and in dominion, which he commanded us we should not write while we were yet in the Spirit, (connected to the Mind of the Father?) and are not lawful for men to utter, neither is man capable to make them known, for they are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him and purify themselves before him, to whom he grants the privilege of seeing and knowing for themselves, that through the power and manifestation of the Spirit, (Mind of the Father?) while in the flesh, they may be able to bear his presence in the world of glory. (D&C 76:114 - 118, T&C 69 par. 29)

It would appear that the instruction in the government and laws of the Kingdom of God by proper degrees, until a person's mind is capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality, and consistency of the same is done in no other way than connecting with the Mind of the Father which is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Can we reasonably state then that what Nephi is imparting to Sam, Laman and Lemuel is light communicated from heaven to his intellect by tapping into the Mind of the Father?

Can we state with some certainty that in order to travel along the same path that Nephi is traveling on we must connect or tap into the Mind of the Father?

Is it part of the journey for everyone who would come to God the Father face to face in the flesh to tap into His Mind and by that connection grow in faith,knowlege, wisdom, and holiness; acquiring His attributes until we are able to see the Lord as He is because we become like Him?

We can see that Nephi is developing the same attributes as the Lord on his journey because when Laman and Lemuel reject his words he does not condemn or judge them he cries out to God for them seeking to intercede.  We have addressed this attribute of God in earlier posts, "With All His Heart."

Is it possible that the scriptures, in addition to giving instruction how to live righteously, are given to hopefully cause us to ponder or reflect and ask in faith in order that we may tap into the Mind of the Father to receive from His Mind, by grace, knowledge, wisdom, holiness, faith and so forth in order to make our connection to His Mind stronger and stronger until we can possess the same mind and be transformed into the express image or likeness of Christ, becoming joint heirs with him?

Initially, it would seem that our tapping in is something fragile that can be broken or discarded by our unbelief unless it is nourished and grows by our diligence and heed to what the Father desires to give us.

What a marvelous path.

I Did Cry Unto the Lord

1 Nephi 2:14 - 16, NC 1 Nephi 1 par. 8 - 9

And it came to pass that my father did speak unto them in the valley of Lemuel with power, being filled with the spirit, until their frames did shake before him.  And he did confound them that they durst not utter against him; wherefore, they did do as he commanded them.  And my father dwelt in a tent.  And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I cried unto the Lord.  And behold he did visit me and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father.  Wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.


The Book of Mormon gives multiple examples of the power of the word spoken by someone filled with the spirit and power of the Holy Ghost.

At a time later in the journey when Laman and Lemuel were withholding their labor from Nephi when Nephi was commanded to build a ship we have the example of Nephi speaking with this power.
(1 Nephi 17:23 - 55, NC 1 Nephi 5 par. 17 - 23)

Jacob speaking with Sherem. (Jacob 7:8, NC Jacob 5 par. 2)

Abinadi speaking to the court of king Noah. (Mosiah 13:1 - 6, NC Mosiah 7 par. 19 - 20)

Nephi son of Nephi in the book of 3rd Nephi. (3 Nephi 7:16 - 20, NC 3 Nephi 4 par. 9 - 10)

Moroni spoke of this power in the book of Ether. (Ether 12:23 - 25, NC Ether 5 par. 4)

We have the example of Enoch as he preached repentance in the Book of Moses. (Moses 6:32 - 47, OC Genesis 4 par. 2 - 6 )

We are sure that there are many more examples of this that match the power used by Lehi in speaking to his oldest sons Laman and Lemuel.

All of these examples show that even though the God's power is manifest in speaking the words, those hearing the words may still reject the words outright, even though they have been confounded, or they still may choose not to exercise faith in Christ and they will forget about the power of the words spoken to them.

Nephi uses a phrase, "past feeling", to describe someone who finds themself not heeding words spoken in power because they were unable to feel the power of what was spoken.

Now we come to the part of Nephi's walk where we see that Nephi chose a path opposite to the path that leads to not knowing the dealings of that God who created us.

It would appear that Nephi at this point finds himself questioning his father's words. 

Is this a bad thing? 

We don't believe so.  This leads Nephi to inquire of the Lord if what his father is saying and doing is of God.

Nephi states clearly that he had "great desires to know of the mysteries of God."

Nephi cries unto the Lord.

Is crying unto the Lord different than praying?

What would crying unto the Lord entail?

What feelings and desires must an individual possess if they are crying to the Lord?

Do we have other examples of individuals who cried unto the Lord to show us what this entails?

How about Enos?

"And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God before I received a remission of my sins.  Behold I went to hunt beasts in the forest, and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning Eternal life and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart, and my soul hungered, and I kneeled down before my Maker and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul.  And all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came, I did still raise my voice high, that it reached the heavens." (Enos verses 2 - 4, NC Enos par. 1)

What about king Lamoni's father?

"And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord upon his knees yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth and cried mightily saying, O God Aaron hath told me that there is a God and if there is a God and if thou art God wilt thou make thyself known unto me and I will give away all my sins to know thee and that I may be raised from the dead and be saved at the last day." (Alma 22:17 - 18, NC Alma 13 par. 10)

What about the brother of Jared?

"And he did carry them in his hands up on the top of the mount and cried again unto the Lord, saying, O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods.  Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee, for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually.  Nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee that from thee we may receive according to our desires.  Behold, O Lord, thou hast smitten us because of our iniquity and hath driven us forth, and for this many years we have been in the wilderness; nevertheless thou hast been merciful unto us.  O Lord, look upon me in pity and turn away thine anger from this thy people..." ( Ether 3:1 - 3, NC Ether 1 par. 11)

What do these three examples all have in common?

What is the attitude of the person in each of the three examples?

How do they feel about their place before God?

Are they all earnest in their requests?

Are there more examples in the scriptures of individuals crying in faith unto God?

We believe that Nephi possessed the same attributes in his petition to God at his point as those individuals in the above three examples possessed.

Would crying unto the Lord affect one's ability to receive an answer from Him?

Nephi describes his first answer.  "And behold he did visit me and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father."

At the beginning of the path Nephi has his heart softened to believe the words of his father Lehi.

Nephi is following the pattern described by the prophet Alma that all must follow in order to grow in faith to be able to receive the mysteries of God.

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise even a particle of faith, yea, even if you can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work within you even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.  Now we will compare the word unto a seed.  Now if ye give place that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief that ye will resist the spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts.  And when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves, It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul.  Yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding; yea, and it beginneth to be delicious to me." (Alma 32:27 - 28, NC Alma 16 par. 27 - 28)

We can state that Nephi has experimented upon the words of his father Lehi.

The Lord softened Nephi's heart so that Lehi's words could have place there and Nephi found that those words swelled within his breast so that he knew that his Father's words were good.

This first answer to an earnest petition is small and simple.

We believe that this is the pattern for any who would desire to know of the mysteries of God.

If we have desires and we experiment upon the words of the Lord by crying unto the Lord to know concerning it He will answer and soften our hearts to believe.

Are we willing like Lamoni's father, the king, to give away all our sins to experiment on God's word?

Are we willing to be open to God breaking down our deeply held traditions if they are incongruent with His words?

The beginning answer is so fragile; just like a budding seed that Alma describes.  It must be nourished. 

Action must be taken that is consistent with what God's words direct.

Can we say that if an individual receives such a small and simple answer to their petition such as a softening of their heart to believe in the words given that they now know for themselves the dealings of that God who created them?

Is this the power of Godliness; to ask and receive directly from Him?

Is such a response to a sincere petition a manifestation of God's mighty power?

We believe so.

Because of such a small, simple fragile answer to his crying, Nephi is given a gift.  He believes his fathers words and avoids the tragedies that come from rebellion.

Nephi described himself as being exceedingly young at this point in the journey from Jerusalem.

As we look at this two things come to mind.

1) There are several examples of those who are exceedingly young desiring and receiving the mysteries of God.  Therefore there is no age limitation to following this path and receiving these things.

Mormon (Mormon 1:15, NC Mormon 1 par. 4)
Samuel (1 Samuel 3:1 - 10, OC 1 Samuel 2 par. 8 - 10)
Joseph Smith (T&C 1 JSH part 2 par. 1 - 6)

There are many others.

2) We must become like little children or the "exceedingly young" in our attitudes in order to desire and receive a knowlege of the mysteries of God.

"And again I say unto you, Ye must repent and be baptized in my name  and become as a little child or ye can in mowise inherit the kingdom of God." (3 Nephi 11:38, NC 3 Nephi 5 par. 9)

Children would look upon a small, simple, fragile answer to their request as something precious.  They would be apt to act upon the answer, thereby showing faith in what they had received.

We must do likewise as we start the path.

Knowing Not the Dealings of that God Who Created Us

1 Nephi 2:8 - 14, New Covenants (NC) 1 Nephi 1 par.8

And it came to pass that he called the name of the river, Laman, and it emptied into the Red Sea; and the valley was in the borders near the mouth thereof.  And when my father saw that the waters of the river emptied into the fountain of the Red Sea, he spake unto Laman, saying: O that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of all righteousness!  And he also spake unto Lemuel:  O that thou mightest be like unto this valley, firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord!  Now this he spake because of the stiffneckedness of Laman and Lemuel; for behold they did murmur in many things against their father, because he was a visionary man, and had led them out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land of their inheritance, and their gold, and their silver, and their precious things, to perish in the wilderness.  And this they said he had done because of the foolish imaginations of his heart.  And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their father.  And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them.  Neither did they believe that Jerusalem, that great city, could be destroyed according to the words of the prophets.  And they were like unto the Jews who were at Jerusalem, who sought to take away the life of my father. 

I would like to acknowledge at this point that I need to repent.

Because of the intended focus on a certain audience, I initially decided to reference all scriptures to the LDS standard version of scriptures as I concluded that the newly restored scriptures would probably be completely rejected by my intended audience, even though, as a group, we have been studying the Book of Mormon from the new scriptures.

Last Sunday I was listening to a talk and in it there was reference made to the glorious work the Lord has accomplished in working with some to restore, as close as possible, the scriptures and the revelations of the Prophet Joseph; removing all the uninspired and unauthorized additions and subtractions made by Oliver Cowdery and others now found in the LDS Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon and Bible.

I have seen the Lord bring this work about and I have also witnessed that the Lord has personally accepted this work.

I believe God works to bring about the salvation of all of His children on the earth and by working a work to correct His words He has created again an introductory canon of scripture that is sacred and that will give a correct understanding of His character perfections and attributes in order that any one of His children may exercise faith in Him unto salvation.

I have been wrong and ungrateful to God for not including references to the new scriptures.

From here on I will include both references.

I will include standard LDS scripture references for those who do not have the new scritpures in their possession.

For the new scriptures the referencing to the books is as follows:

Old Covenants - OC (the books of the Old Testament including the Book of Moses revealed by the Prophet Joseph)

New Covenants - NC (the books of the New Testament and the Book of Mormon with all of the Prophet Joseph's corrections)

Teachings and Commandments - TC (The History of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Doctrine and Covenants (corrected), the Book of Abraham and recent revelations and books (this is an open canon))

If a correction has been made to the text or punctuation then those using the standard LDS scriptures will note that what is referenced will read differently in their scriptures than what is put here.  I will use the corrected version here.

As a group, we are aware that this point in the record is the beginning of what could be titled Nephi's walk.

If you are a sincere seeker of truth we would invite you to read the book The Second Comforter, Conversing with The Lord Through the Veil, by Denver C. Snuffer Jr.  It will have a much more detailed review of this journey Nephi makes that describes principles that anyone may use to enter back into the presence of the Lord in the flesh.

We will discuss some of these principles that we have discussed together as a group in this blog, but again, what is put here is completely inadequate and meant only to possibly inspire individuals to undertake their own more indepth and exhaustive study.

In the previous post "God's Way of Teaching?" we discussed how what occurred to Lehi is a very compressed account.

We shared what the prophet Joseph taught.

 "We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him.  But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed in the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, until his mind is capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality, and consistency of the same." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 51)

We can clearly see that Lehi has arrived, "...at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him."

What we are not privy to in this account is everything that details how Lehi's views became clearer, what greater enjoyments he had, how he had overcome the evils of his life and lost his desire for sin, how he was instructed in the government and laws of God's kingdom (family) by proper degrees in order for his mind to be capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality, and consistency of what he saw.

There is a tremendous amount that is left out here.

As we begin this part of the record that describes Nephi's walk we now start to see expanded before us in greater clarity what principles must be applied by any individual, in order for our minds which are capable of instruction and which have a faculty to be enlarged according to the heed and diligence we give to the light of heaven communicated to our intellect, to have our views become clearer, have greater enjoyments, overcome evils until we lose the desire for sin, become instructed in the government and laws, propriety and justice, equality and consistency of the kingdom (family) of God until we can be wrapped in the glory of our Maker and be caught up to dwell with Him.

Having seen already what the end goal isfrom Lehi's account, we now have our minds oriented as to where Nephi's walk will lead for any individual who applies the principles Nephi has recorded here.

This section of the Book of Mormon is a "how to" section; a "Coming into the Presence of the Lord for Dummies" book so to speak. (I know I am a dummy when it come to this so I thank Nephi)

One of the principles taught by the Book of Mormon is oppostion.

"For it must needs be that there is an opposition in all things.  If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad." (2 Nephi 2:11, NC 2 Nephi 1 par. 7)

Is it more productive to look at this situation with Laman and Lemuel to pronounce condemnation upon them claiming "they are along for the journey to provide the opposition," or is it more instructive to look at the principle in play here and apply it to ourselves to see if we are suffering from the same ailment?

Did Nephi include this to poo poo his brothers or to accuse them?

Did the Lord give these words to the prophet Joseph to shame Laman and Lemuel?

We don't believe so.

We believe that the Lord would like us all to look at ourself and maybe see if we have need to repent.

What is the principle in play?

We believe it has to do with, "they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them."

It does not say that they knew "not of" the dealings of that God who had created them.

If Lehi and Sariah were devout and righteous would they have neglected to teach Laman and Lemuel of God's dealings among men?

Nephi declared at the very beginning of the record, "I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father."

Can we safely consider that Laman and Lemuel had the same experience; they were taught somewhat in all the learning of their father?

We see in the verses at the beginning of this post that Lehi sought diligently, as a loving father,  to persuade Laman and Lemuel to work righteousness.

We can be sure that Lehi taught them of the things of God; His works among men.

When Nephi and his brothers were sent by an angel to make a third attempt to recover the brass plates from Laban, Nephi convinced Laman and Lemuel to be faithful by drawing their minds to the scriptural record.

"Therefore let us go up.  Let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither and our fathers came through out of captivity on dry ground and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea.  Now behold, ye know that this is true;..." (1 Nephi 4:2 - 3, NC 1 Nephi 1 par. 15)

Just these two examples show that Laman and Lemuel were familiar with the dealings of God among men and in one instance, at least, were convinced to be faithful by an appeal to the record of God's dealings.

What then does it mean to know not the dealings of that God who had created them?

How might we find ourselves in the very same situation and in need of repentance (turning to God)?

Let's ask a question.

Were Laman and Lemuel sane, intelligent, rational human beings?

What would happen in our society if an already controversial father of a wealthy landowning family woke up one morning and declared that the Lord had instructed him in a dream that the whole family should leave their home, their real estate holdings, their IRAs, their stock portfolios, their bank accounts and safety deposit boxes, their thriving businesses, everything "precious", and take tents and supplies and flee into the wilderness because our society was about to be destroyed and the people of the United States of America were about to be subjected, killed and led away into slavery by a foreign power?

Could it be safely stated that the above scenario is similar to what Laman and Lemuel and everyone in the family faced at Jerusalem?

If any member of the above mentioned family were against such actions, as giving everything up and leaving, could they not easily have their controversial father declared incompetent and have him admitted to an institution for the mentally ill and administer to him heavy doses of mind altering drugs?

Would it be an understatement today to say such a declaration was a foolish imagination of someone's heart?

If we are to get any benefit from this account we have to ask ourselves, "What would be our reaction to something like this?"

Does this experience show that God does things, in His wisdom, that appear totally irrational and destructive, even suicidal, according to our currently held beliefs, ideas or traditions?

What is the only way we would be able to know that we were not acting in total self destructive mode by going along with such a "preposterous" proposition?

A little later in the record Laman and Lemuel ask Nehi a question concerning some things that their father had declared and Nephi asked them a question.

"And I said unto them, Have ye inquired of the Lord? (1 Nephi 15:8, NC 1 Nephi 4 par. 2)

Laman and Lemuel's answer is very telling.

"We have not, for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us." (1 Nephi 15:9, NC 1 Nephi 4 par. 2)

Nephi responded,

"How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord?  How is it that ye will perish because of the hardness of your hearts?  Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said, If ye will not harden your hearts and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you?" (1 Nephi 15:10 - 11, NC 1 Nephi 4 par. 2)

As we consider this experience, is it possible that this is what it would mean for us to know not the dealings of that God who created us?

Does it mean that we have not personally experienced or sought to experience the act of asking the Lord for answers and receiving them from Him?

By not inquiring of the Lord are we breaking His commandments?

Is it ok for anyone to be skeptical of anything that is put forth as something that comes from God?

We believe so.  We believe that is healthy.

Does it then become our responsibility to look into a matter, to study it out and then go to God and ask if our conlusions are correct?

the Prophet Joseph taught,

"President Joseph Smith read the 14th chapter of Ezekiel - said the Lord had declared by the Prophet, that the people should each one stand for himself, and depend on no man or men in that state of corruption of the Jewish church - that righteous persons could only deliver their own souls- applied it to the present state of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints- said if the people departed from the Lord, they must fall- that they were depending on the Prophet, hence were darkened in their minds, in consequence of neglecting the duties devolving upon themselves..." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pgs. 237 - 238)

Are we darkened in our minds if we depend on any man or men and do not perform the duty devolving upon ourself to find truth from God by asking Him?

Are we departing from the Lord if we rely on others instead of asking God?

By going to God and asking, do we have any assurances that God will respond to us personally?

"If any of you lack wisdom, ask God, who gives to all liberally and upbraids not, and it shall be given you;" (James 1:5, NC Jacob 1 par. 1)

This is a sure promise.  God will speak to each and every one of us.

As a group, we believe God will speak to each and every one of us about any matter.  There are no limitations to what we are allowed to ask.

If we are not prepared to receive the answer God will set about to prepare us to receive it according to our diligence and heed to His commandments to us individually.

When the Father and the Son appeared to the Prophet Joseph they declared concerning the creeds that they had, "...a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof." (Joseph Smith History verse 19, T&C 1, JSH Part 2 par. 5)

We believe that to "deny the power of godliness" is to "know not the dealings of that God who created us".  It is to say "He maketh no such things known unto us".

Nephi declared,

"And now my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts, and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing.  For if ye would hearken unto the spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray, for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.  But behold I say unto you that ye must pray always and not faint, that ye must not perform anything unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of they soul." (2 Nephi 32:8 - 9, NC 2 Nephi 14 par. 3)

We believe that the opposing priciples the Lord is displaying here are the opposition between,

Pray and ask always and by that means come to know personally, by experience, the dealings of that God who has created us on the one hand.

and

The Lord maketh no such things known unto us therefore we will not pray and so we know not personally the dealing of that God who has created us on the other hand.

The power of godliness is manifest on the one hand versus the denying the power of godliness manifest on the other hand.

The one in opposition to the other.

As we consider our walk before God, or we consider beginning our walk before God, would it be good to look inward and sicerely ask ourselves,

"Do I believe that no matter how irrational or ludicrous a work may seem to me, if I ask in faith believing, God will  talk to me personally to either soften my heart to believe in the work or to warn me that it is not His work?"

or

"Do I believe that God has already made all His will known therefore I will not ask for He will make no such thing known unto me?"

We believe that the accounts of Laman and Lemuel are not included to allow us to condemn and accuse them.  That would be wrong.  That would be acting in the role of Satan the accuser of the brethren for surely Laman and Lemuel are our brethren.

Their accounts are included to show us what Alma taught in order that we may avoid a similar fate.

"...he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word...And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and they are taken captive by the Devil and led by his will down to destruction.  Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell." (Alma 12:10 - 11, NC Alma 9 par. 3)

Seeing now, in stark contrast, the opposing principle to the beginning of Nephi's walk we can better look at ourselves and see if we are truly following the same path as Nephi or if we are in an opposing path;  All of this so we can repent.

Lehi's Altar conclusion

1 Nephi 2:5-7


And he came down by the borders near the shore of the Red Sea; and he traveled in the wilderness in the borders which are nearer the Red Sea; and he did travel in the wilderness with his family, which consisted of my mother, Sariah, and my elder brothers, who were Laman, Lemuel, and Sam.  And it came to pass that when he had traveled three days in the wilderness, he pitched his tent in a valley by the side of a river of water.  And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God.

In the previous post we addressed how we believe that this event, Lehi building an altar and offering sacrifice, is important to understand in order to show that here is an example of the Lord doing multiple works simultaneously among multiple groups of people with one whole group totally unaware of the other group.

In this post I will share a little of what our study group believes concerning Lehi's authority to perform such an ordinance; how he recieved it, how the authority is perpetuated, and the question, "Is anything required besides the authority for ordinances to be done in righteousness?

We would invite any sincere seeker for truth to read a way more indepth and complete discussion on this subject of "authority" or "priesthood" at denversnuffer.com/papers/ and click on "Lecture 5 - Priesthood" as what will be shared here is so woefully inadequate.

The Prophet Joseph taught,

"All priesthood is Melchizedek, but there are different portions or degrees of it.  That portion that brought Moses to speak with God face-to-face was taken away, but that which brought the ministry of angels remained.  All prophets have the Melchizedek priesthood and were ordained by God himself." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pgs. 180 -181)

As we look at the record we can see that Lehi, having come into the presence of God, recieved authority directly from Him, Melchizedek priesthood. He was ordained by God Himself.

Do we have any other example in scripture of this similar pattern that occured with Lehi offering sacrifice?

1 Kings 18 is the account of Elijah, who was not a Levite, preparing a sacrifice on Mt Carmel, not in the temple, as a challenge to the priests of Baal.

We know that Elijah was acting in righteousness because the Lord sent fire down from heaven to consume the offering he had prepared.

If we are to believe the Prophet Joseph then Elijah as well possessed Melchizedek priesthood and was ordained by God Himself.

Let's look at this "Melchizedek priesthood".

How does one obtain it?

We know from Joseph that one can recieve it from God Himself.

Is that the only way to receive it?  

When and how would that happen?

"And Melchizedek lifted up his voice and blessed Abram.  Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire.  And thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch, It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; niether by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God;  And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name." (JST Genesis 14: 25 - 40)

Before we analyze the above verses lets look at what the Prophet Joseph said concerning the ordination that Melchizedek possessed.

"There are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood.  Why the first is called the Melchizedek Priesthood is because Melchizedek was such a great high priest.  Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God." (D&C 107:1 - 3)

We need refresh our memories of an event that occured with Adam in order to begin to tie this together.

"And he heard a voice out of heaven saying: Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost.  This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever;  And thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity.  Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen." (Moses 6:66 - 68)

According to JST Genesis, how is the order of priesthood Melchizedek obtained or delivered to men?

JST Genesis, D&C107, and Adam's experience recorded in the Book of Moses, all three, show that those who possess this priesthood are after the order of the Son of God.

Given Adam's experience and the voice he heard from heaven does that match the pattern of recieving this priesthood by God's own voice?

At this time the voice out of heaven declared to Adam that he had become a son of God and, "thus may all become my sons."

Are we to understand that to mean that all who receive the Melchizedek priesthood receive it only in this way, just like Adam?

Does this manner of recieving the Melchizedek priesthood fit the pattern of this priesthood or order, which order is after the Order of the Son of God, being received, "not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God?"

Is God a man or is His will the will of man?

Is God a mortal father or mother?

If God is from eternity to all eternity then does He have a beginning of days or end of years?

We read above that Melchizedek was approved of God to be made a part of this order.  The record of the Book of Moses shows that Adam was personally approved of God as well.

Can we then say with total certainty that this "Order after the Son of God" this "Melchizedek" priesthood came to them not by man or the will of man or from father or mother or beginning of days or end of years?

If this priesthood is received not by man or the will of man is it possible for one man to give Melchizedek priesthood to another man?

Adam heard a voice out of heaven.  That is how he knew that he was approved by God.

Is that what it means when the Prophet Joseph taught that a man is not saved in ignorance?  

Adam knew and was not ignorant of the fact that God approved of him because he heard God's own voice out of the heavens declaring such.

Is it possible then for one man to approve another man for this priesthood?  

Wouldn't that be trying to bring the Melchizedek priesthood by the will of man?

Jacob taught,

"Behold the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a strait course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be decieved, for the Lord God is his name." (2 Nephi 9:41)

The Lord taught,

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth in not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." (John 10:1)

If this Melchizedek priesthood must be obtained by God's approval by His own voice from heaven then doesn't that follow the pattern Jacob taught of the gate being kept by the Holy One of Israel and there being no other way to enter?

If one declares that they are in possession of Melchizedek priesthood without receiving it according to the pattern Adam and all the others received it doesn't that make them thieves and robbers?

Through the above analysis can it be reasonably stated then that Melchizedek priesthood or the possession of it is entirely dependent upon an individual associating face to face with God?

"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.  Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.  And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live." (D&C 84:19 - 22)

It would appear that the soul pupose for this priesthood is to enable a mortal individual through its ordinances to associate with God, the Father, while in mortality. (the flesh)

Could that be why God stated, "and thus may all become my sons?"

Is God inviting all to come back into His presence "in the flesh?"  

Section 84 continues.

"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;  But they hardened their hearts and could not endure hsi 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.  Therefore, he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also;" (D&C 84:23 - 25)

Moses sought for all of the chilldren of Israel to obtain the Melchizedek priesthood.  

He wanted them all to speak face to face with the Father, in the flesh, and live.

Because they refused what was offered God removed that priesthood which would have allowed them to speak with Him face to face.

He would not speak with a voice from the heavens to approve them as being after the Order of the Son of God.

Nowhere in the scriptures does it speak of this priesthood as a command structure.  Quite the opposite.

"No power nor influence can nor ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only be persuasion, by long suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy and without guile--" (D&C 121:41 - 42)

Any "keys" associated with this priesthood are what Joseph taught.

"...thus we behold the Keys of this priesthood consisted in obtaining the voice of Jehovah that he talked with him in a familiar and friendly manner..." (The Words of Joseph Smith, pg. 42)

In section 124 we see an example of what Joseph is teaching here in the Lord's direction concerning Hyrum Smith, Joseph's brother.
"...and that he shall receive counsel from my servant, Joseph, who shall show unto him the keys whereby he may ask and receive,..."

The "keys" Hyrum was shown consisted in Hyrum obtaining the voice of Jehova that he could talk with Jehova in a familiar and friendly manner. He could talk with God face to face just like Joseph.

In section 107 Joseph spoke of two priesthoods existing in the Church, namely the Melchizedek and the Aaronic of Levitical priesthood.

Our understanding is that if one possesses the Melchizedek priesthood they are able to stand in the presence of God. They are after the Order of the Son of God. They have received it from God Himself by His own voice out of Heaven.

Joseph and Hyrum possessed this priesthood.

The rest of the church did not. Therefore they possessed Aaronic priesthood which Joseph referred to as the other order of priesthood which is a lesser portion of Melchizedek priesthood as Joseph described.

What are we to understand about this Aaronic priesthood?

At the beginning of the Restoration the Prophet Joseph and Oliver Cowdery were visited by a resurrected John the Baptist in response to their inquiry concerning baptism.  

John the Baptist layed his hands upon them and declared the following.

"Upon you my fellowservants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness." (D&C 13) 

Following their ordinations and baptisms John the Baptist directed them to ordain each other, which they did. (Joseph Smith History, verses 68 - 71)

What can we learn from this experience?

1) We believe that this Aaronic priesthood can be conferred from one man to another.  That is demonstrated by John the Baptist directing Joseph and Oliver to ordain each other.   

2)  We believe from what John the Baptist said that this priesthood is independent of any organization, group or body of people.  John's exact words were that this priesthood, "shall never be taken from the earth, until..." 

He never declared that any specific group, organization, body, denomination, etc. would possess it until the sons of Levi make an offering in righteousness.

3) We believe that this priesthood contains within it the power to preach repentance and the authority to baptize which is what is required in order for any individual to comply with the Doctrine of Christ as explained by Christ Himself to those at Bountiful when He visited the saints there following His ressurection. (3 Nephi 11:18 - 41)   

4) We believe that contained within this priesthood is the power to have the minstration of angels which is necessary in order to prepare any individual to enter into the presence of the Lord.

Is there evidence in the Book of Mormon that show that these things were in existence among Lehi's family and descendants?

Did Lehi's descendants offer sacrifice according to the Law of Moses?

Was repentance preached among the Nephites and Lamanites?

Were angels administering to people among the Nephites and Lamanites?

Were individuals ordained by other individuals among the Nepites and Lamanites?

Was the ordinance of baptism had among the Nephites and Lamanites?

We know from the record that there was no Levite along with Lehi and his family on the journey to the new world.  

That means that this authority, the Aaronic priesthood, was conferred from Lehi, who possessed the Melichizedek priesthood having been ordained by God Himself, upon his descendants.

In contrast to the Melchizedek priesthood, which can be easily lost, this Aaronic priesthood appears to be "hardy" so to speak in order to allow the Father in His mercy to continue to offer a path of repentance to all His children on the earth.

Now we come to the question of power.

Just because someone possesses authority, does that mean they have power?

What do we have for an example?

"Wherefore I, Jacob, gave unto them these words as I taught them in the temple, having first obtained mine errand from the Lord.  For I, Jacob, and my brother Joseph having been consecrated priests and teachers of this people, by the hand of Nephi." (Jacob 1:17 - 18)

Jacob was ordained by Nephi to be a priest and a teacher to the people.  He had authority

Jacob declared that he obtained his errand from the Lord.  He did not declare anything to the people until the Lord gave him something to declare.  That is where the power came from; It came from the Lord.

Here's another example.

Alma, a priest in King Noah's court had been ordained a priest by King Noah.

"And now it came to pass that Zeniff conferred the kingdom upon Noah, one of his sons; therefore Noah began to reign in his stead; and he did not walk in the ways of his father...For he put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father, and consecrated new ones in their stead, such as were lifted up in the pride of their hearts." (Mosiah 11:1 - 5)

Alma possessed authority but he did not baptise until he was given power from heaven to do so.

"And now it came to pass that Alma took Helam, he being one of the first , and went and stood forth in the water and cried, saying: O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant, that he may do this work with holiness of heart.  And when he had said these words, the Spirit of the Lord was upon him,..." (Mosiah 18:12 - 13)

Notice that when Alma was ordained and received authority it was because he was lifted up in the pride of his heart.  The authority was durable but Alma had to repent and when he did he asked God for power to perform the ordinance of baptism.  

Heaven responded to his penitence and gave Alma power to baptise.

There are so many things that can and ought to be discussed in order to get a better understanding of what is happening here with Lehi, concerning the works of God among peoples and the authority and power He gives to those who exercise faith in Him that they may faithfully accomplish what He commands them to do in the sphere of work He assigns them, but it is impossible to adequately examine those things in a post or two.

We hope that everyone would seriously look into the matter themselves and see what the scriptures have to say. 

We are of the understanding that the Lord is able to work among and give authority to many nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples independently at the same time.  

We desire to humble ourselves so that the work He gives to us in our own small sphere will be accompanied not just with authority to perform it but with power from Him to perform it in righteousness.