I'm not sure where to begin or what to write. After I post this, I am going to post a few "notes" that I have posted in my Facebook. You can find me at www.facebook.com/tofercole for a real profile of me. You can see lots of pictures and blah blah blah. Who cares right? Well, I have realized that I care. I look at lots of people's pictures. I'm curious about who they are, where they live, who they have as friends, whether they are married or in relationships, gay or straight, spiritual, religious, not any of the above. I'm curious because I feel an attachment to humanity. I am human of course, so that shouldn't be a shock...but I have found that more and more people are become "disenfranchised" from humanity. Why? Well, I suppose it has to do with all of our weaknesses. It isn't just him or her or me or you. It's all of us in some way. We all have the same or different weaknesses from each other, just as we all have the same or different strengths from one another. Oh..I also started a website called ShareUrLight.com . I want it to be a place where people can discuss spirituality and religion and...... well, LIFE all together. When I think about my beliefs, I don't think of them as a religion..even though most people would. I think about them as a way of life... using what I believe is true about our existence to guide that. It isn't about going to a church building on Sunday (or Saturday) and being seen. It isn't about saying the right thing all the time. It isn't about an image... although I often do feel overwhelmed with trying to be what I consider a "good" person..and then sometimes often failing miserably. But, no worries... I don't do it out of coercion. I don't do it because I am afraid of God. I do it because I really do believe in something beyond this life. I believe that we are evolving, and it will take the village to raise the child. It will take all of us. And I believe that things like sin are talked about..and punishment..because of small misunderstandings. I personally don't believe in any punishment from God (the God of Abraham)... But I do believe in consequences for our actions. These consequences are things that I believe God, in all His(is He really a He, I don't know if He needs to be any gender) goodness warned us about. A lot of the details have been corrupted and changed by the hands of political figures who wanted to use their interpretation of God, therefore creating an idol and a different god, to subjugate and oppress the multitude.

I need some help and some collaborators who want to encourage me to get the ShareUrLight website going. I have the domain paid up for another... 9 months I guess. I'd like to use it as a place not only for people to share their individual beliefs...but also a place for them to try to rip apart my own. And I will try to defend what I believe and actually share what I believe... to clear up misconceptions of what it means to be a true Latter Day Saint. Even those three words, I'm sure, cause a stir in some people. How can anyone claim to be a saint in this day and age? Well, I dont think a saint is a perfect person. The the first point I'd like to make. And also... a saint isn't what the Catholic church has made them into (from my perspective they are lesser gods in a way...that are prayed to for intercession when Jesus is who was made for that purpose...same goes with people praying to Mary...) If you look in the New Testament (which I know, has gone through the hands of politicians, but I think there is some use in it) you will see that the epistles written were addressed to the saints in certain areas. A saint is just a member of what is called the Kingdom of God on Earth. A saint is someone who has come in at the gate (being baptized [immersed in water] by one who holds authority to do so, has been confirmed by the laying on of hands, and has partaken of the Eucharist [of course, all of this after having a belief in the validity and truth of the claims made by those performing these ordinances and having repented of committed acts that bring about the natural consequences that separate us from our God]). Phew... that was a mouth full.

I share all these things with you because I believe they are true. I have become more and more aware how beliefs affect all of our existence. Political beliefs divide our country and our world. Hurt feelings and old wounds unhealed keep us apart from one another. The inability to forgive and move on keep us tied to old ideas about what someone may or may have not done to us. We are only hurting ourselves by not letting go and not moving forward. We are meant to see eye to eye. We are meant to be as one. But all our weaknesses and short sighted notions keep us apart. There can only be one ALL ENCOMPASSING truth about all the good and bad of this existence. There can only be one history book that details where things went wrong and where they went right. Even right now, with the British Petroleum Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill ... I keep hearing different reports of how many barrels or gallons of oil is being spewed out and what may or may not be happening with the ocean floor. What is true and what is not? All we have is what we believe. When so many reports are different, when we live in a time (which has always been the time) that you can't trust government officials or the spokesperson of the company in charge of the statements...how do you really know what is happening? Everything is hearsay. Look at another example... Textbooks being changed in Texas to represent history from a skewed perspective. If you don't know what I'm talking about.. look it up. You think this is the first time the textbooks have been skewed? Do you think lies have not been taught in the public school system for years?

I say all this because I want to make a point about beliefs. We all work off of them... whether it is a belief that an institution of higher learning is the best place for guidance about how to live by the best practices, or if you believe that you should blindly follow a government of man or a religious institution of man, or if you want to study everything that is out there and hope and pray to be doing what is good... it's all about following beliefs and hoping that those beliefs are taking you into a beneficial and good outcome.

The Earth was once flat. And the Sun orbited around it. And the atom was the smallest particle. I just heard a rumor the other day that oil... is not actually a fossil fuel..but the outcome of an abiotic chemical process at lower levels of the crust than where any dinosaur bones should have ever been found. I wonder....

Anyway.. I'm done for now... later gatorz.

Jesus is Our Savior: by Samuel West

JESUS IS OUR SAVIOR

Most people are not aware that Jesus is the Savior of all mankind—
both good and evil. "For therefore we both labour and suffer
reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of
all men, especially of those that believe." (1 Tim. 4:10) All mankind
will receive an immortal, physical body when resurrected. The
faithful and obedient "believers" will receive an immortal physical
body in the first resurrection and inherit the earth in eternal life.

The rest will have to spend another thousand years with the spirits
in prison (hell). "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on
such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God
and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." (Rev.
20:5, 6)

We need to understand our existence in eternity. Our
real self is a spirit; even as God is a spirit and Jesus is a
spirit. Jesus was the first spirit of this creation and the only
spirit begotten of the Father—the bright and morning star. "In this
was manifested the love of GOD toward us, because that GOD sent his
only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." (1
John 4:9) Jesus was the beginning of this creation.

"In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with GOD,
and the Word was God [of this creation]. The same was in the
beginning with GOD. All things were made by him; and without him was
not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was
the light of men." (John 1:1-4) Our spirits were created long before
Adam walked on the earth. "And God said, Let us [GOD and Jesus] make
man in our image, after our likeness... So God [Jesus] created man in
his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female
created he them." (Gen. 1:26, 27) This was the spiritual
creation, "1 ...in the day that the LORD God [Jesus] made the earth
and the heavens, 5 And every plant of the field before it was in the
earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God
had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to
till the ground." (Gen. 2)

The physical creation of Adam and Eve is recorded in the second
chapter of Genesis. Like Adam and Eve, each of us at birth are united
with a physical body and become a
living soul. "And the LORD God [1] formed man of the dust of the
ground, and [2] breathed into his nostrils the breath of life [his
spirit]; and man became a living soul." (Gen. 2:7)

At death the spirit leaves the mortal body and returns to Jesus for
judgment. "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and
the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." (Ecc. 12:7) The
righteous "believers" are saved in the bosom of Abraham with all the
saints of God. The rest are taken to the spirits in prison (hell).

We are given an example of conditions after death with the story of
Lazarus and the rich man. "23 And in hell he [the rich man] lift up
his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus
in his bosom... 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a
great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you
cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."
(Luke 16) The rich man was in "torments" because he realized that he
had squandered his life on worldly delights and was not spiritually
prepared for mortal death. Those who live with the spirits in prison
have no association with either the saints of God or those in mortal
life. This is the heaven and hell most religions acknowledge. These
are the two places spirits live between death and the
resurrection. "The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all
liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone." (Rev. 21:8)

After death of the mortal body, Jesus opened a dispensation of the
gospel to the spirits in prison (hell). "By which also he went and
preached unto the spirits in prison." (1 Pet. 3:19) Why? "For for
this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that
they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live
according to God in the spirit." (1 Pet. 4:6) When the law on baptism
is obeyed, they transcend to the bosom of Abraham. "Else what shall
they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at
all? why are they then baptized for the dead?" (1 Cor. 15:29)

Righteous "believers" receive their immortal physical bodies in the
first resurrection at the beginning of the Millennium. At the end of
the Millennium and the short season, comes the end of mortal man and
the second resurrection. "And they went up on the breadth of the
earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved
city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."
(Rev. 20:9)

Unbelievers come forth in the second resurrection. They cannot share
in the grace that brings forgiveness of sins and the grace that
confirms men into the kingdom of God. They can only be judged
according to works in the flesh. After the final resurrection, man
enters eternity again and there is no more death. "12 And I saw the
dead [unbelievers from the spirits in prison], small and great, stand
before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened,
which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the books, according to their
works. ...14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire."
(Rev. 20) "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have
put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality,
then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is
swallowed up in victory." (1 Cor. 15:53, 54) Satan is then cast off
with his followers as spirits never to associate with the rest of
mankind again.

Jesus told us, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were
not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."
(John 14:2) "There are also celestial bodies, and bodies
terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of
the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and
another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one
star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the
resurrection of the dead." (1 Cor. 15:40-42)

The "believers" inherit the new earth in its celestial glory. "And I
saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first
earth were passed away; and there was no more sea [evil]." (Rev.
21:1) "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have
right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into
the city." (Rev. 22:14)

There are obviously great differences between the salvation of those
that "believe" and the salvation of those that do not believe. We
have seen those that "believe" are taken to the bosom of Abraham
after death and the unbelievers are taken to hell to await their
resurrection. Those that "believe" and live by the commandments of
God receive their physical, immortal bodies in the first
resurrection. The rest remain in hell to come forth after the
Millennium in the second resurrection. Believers inherit the earth
in its celestial glory with GOD and Jesus in a paradise that we can
only imagine. Those who were honorable men of the earth and accepted
the gospel in the spirit will inherit the lesser terrestrial glory
like the moon. The rest begin eternity in one of the multitudes of
kingdoms in the telestial glory that is compared in glory to the
stars.

This mortal life is like a snap of the fingers compared to eternity.
If we seek the best condition after death, we must follow the path of
those who "believe" We are all born alien to the kingdom of God—even
Jesus. Those who "believe" obey the gospel of Christ. "I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to
the Greek." (Rom. 1:16) Jesus compared the gospel to a gate. "Enter
ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way,
that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it." (Matt. 7:13, 14)

Every kingdom/counry has laws that must be obeyed and officers to
administer those laws. "For our gospel came not unto you in word
only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much
assurance." (1 Thess. 1:5) What is the word of the gospel? It
begins with a correct understanding of GOD and Jesus and an
overwhelming desire to live according to the will of God.

The first principle of the gospel is faith. "Without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that
he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
(Heb. 11:6) Gospel faith is the most powerful force in the
universe. "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to
tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of
David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith
subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped
the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge
of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in
fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." (Heb. 11:32-34)

Sin can only be forgiven if we are truly penitent. "From that time
Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand." (Matt. 4:17) The gospel went first to the Jews, "and
then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do
works meet for repentance." (Acts 26:20)

We are cleansed of sin through the regeneration— being born again
through the waters of baptism. "Buried with him in baptism, wherein
also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God,
who hath raised him from the dead." (Col. 2:12) "Jesus answered,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5)

"38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto
you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many
as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2)

Being pure in heart and confirmed into the kingdom, each must share
in the sacrifice made by Jesus through the Eucharist. "53 Then Jesus
said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the
flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life;
and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6)

The power of the gospel is the Melchisedec Priesthood. Not even
Jesus was permitted to preach the gospel without first being properly
called and ordained. Jesus was ordained an Apostle, Prophet, and
Lawgiver like Moses (Acts 3:22) under the hands of the Father.
Holding this highest office He also held the lower office of High
Priest. "4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that
is called of God, as was Aaron. 5 So also Christ glorified not
himself to be made an high priest; but he [the Father] that said unto
him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. 10 Called of God
an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. " (Heb. 5; Luke 4:18)

Jesus went to John the Baptist to be born of water because John was a
Priest of the Levitical Priesthood and held divine authority to
baptize with water; but, John could not baptize with the Spirit. "I
indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh
after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." (Matt. 3:11)
What was different about the priesthood that Jesus received? He was
called and ordained to the Melchisedec Priesthood and therefore held
divine authority to baptize with the Spirit. Without the Melchisedec
Priesthood, none can enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus organized the kingdom with all of the officers of the
Melchisedec Priesthood. "And he gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists [High Priests]; and some, pastors
[Elders] and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work
of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all
come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the
fulness of Christ." (Eph. 4:11-13)

This calling and ordination is essential to anyone being legally
confirmed into the kingdom. "And I will give unto thee the keys of
the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall
be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven." (Matt. 16:19) "Beginning from the baptism of
John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be
ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. " (Acts
1:22) "And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and
had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom
they believed." (Acts 14:23) "Neglect not the gift that is in thee,
which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of
the presbytery." (1 Tim. 4:14)

Believers are those that have faith in God, Jesus, and the
priesthood. They must repent and seek to do the will of God. They
must be born of water and the Spirit—including receiving a gift of
the Holy Ghost—by one holding the Melchisedec Priesthood. Each
initiate must then share in the sacrifice made by Jesus through the
bread and wine of the Eucharist.

The Melchisedec Priesthood was lost by the time the final form of the
beast (Papal Rome) was organized in 570 AD. Satan was given complete
dominion over the souls of man for 1260 years. "And there was given
unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was
given unto him to continue forty and two months. And it was given
unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power
was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." (Rev.
13:5, 7; 12:6, 14)

Exactly 1260 years later Joseph Smith claimed to organize the Church
of Christ and claimed a restoration of the Melchisedec Priesthood
through angelic ordination [the same as Moses and Jesus]. "And I saw
another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting
gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." (Rev. 14:6)

A remnant of the Melchisedec Priesthood remains today. Joseph Smith
was martyred on June 17, 1844; but, James J. Strang (400 miles away)
claimed the same hour to have been ordained under the hands of angels
to the same priesthood. He ordained L. D. Hickey one of the twelve,
who ordained Samuel Martin a High Priest, who ordained Lloyd Flanders
a High Priest, who ordained Samuel E. West an Elder, who has ordained
other Elders.

The gate into the kingdom of God is open to you. You could be a
Biblical believer, a saint in the kingdom, be taken after the mortal
body dies to the bosom of Abraham, be given an immortal physical body
during the first resurrection, live with Jesus on the earth during
the Millennium, and enter eternity on the earth in the celestial
glory.

For more information contact Samuel E. West at Samuel270@aol. com, or

Keep reading what else I've posted to this blog.

I Believe: by Samuel West

I BELIEVE

There is a treasure to be found that is worth more than all the gold
in the world. It is a treasure worth our spending more time pursuing
than any other effort in life. But, it is a not a treasure that
originates with man. It is a gift from God. Before Adam walked in
the Garden of Eden, we all lived as spirits. "And no man hath
ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the
Son of man which is in heaven." (John 3:13) "Before I formed thee in
the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I
sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."
(Jer. 1:5)

There was a great rebellion during that time. Satan rebelled against
God, a third of all the spirits (stars) followed him, and all were
cast down never to have a physical body (Rev. 12:4). Evidently, only
a few remained loyal to God and Jesus. These were chosen by God to
hear the gospel during mortal life, enter the kingdom of God, and
inherit the earth when the seven thousand years allotted to mortal
man is over. "4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
before him in love: 5 Having predestinated [for-ordained] us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the
good pleasure of his will." (Eph. 1)

Jesus told us that only a few will enter the gate and become members
of His kingdom and enjoy the opportunity to inherit eternal life
while in mortal life. "13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide
is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and
many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and
narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that
find it." (Matt. 7)

It is most likely every Christian feels that he is saved--no matter
what may be his beliefs. Something must be wrong in this vast crowd;
as Jesus said, "few there be that find it." The Bible,
ecclesiastical historians, and church leaders tell us of a falling
away of the Christians from the pure gospel of Christ. "Let no man
deceive you by any means: for that day [return of Jesus] shall not
come, except there come a falling away first. For the mystery of
iniquity doth already work." (2 Thess. 2:3, 7)

"11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a
famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the LORD: 12 And they shall wander from
sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to
and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it." (Amos
8) "O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of
affliction [shortly before the return of Jesus], the Gentiles shall
come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our
fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no
profit." (Jer. 16:19)

The first big lies in Christian beliefs, by which Satan was able to
rob them of their hopes in eternity, came when the unbaptized, pagan
Roman Emperor organized his Catholic Church. Being the supreme ruler
was not enough for Constantine. He also wanted to stand as God and
head of all religion. He became the absolute head of the Christian
church and all dissenters were disposed of. "Immediately upon coming
to power as the sole ruler of the empire, but only then, Constantine
asserted the right to exercise absolute authority over the entire
Church. He did this despite the fact that he was not baptized."
(James Carroll, Constantine' s Sword, p. 188) "In this way, the choice
(`heresy') to be religiously different became defined as treason."
(Ibid., p. 189)

Constantine remained loyal to the sun god. In 325 AD he called the
first Christian council, stood at its head, and adopted into
Christianity all of the pagan doctrines to which he was loyal. The
true and living God of Israel became the polytheistic, Trinitarian
god of paganism. "Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed
of David according to the flesh" (Rom. 1), became a pagan demigod
born of a virgin fathered by Himself. The Christian Sabbath became
the "venerable day of the sun." Christianity became "Mystery,
Babylon the Great." Jesus will return very soon, "In flaming fire
taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."(2 Thess. 1:8) "Therefore hath the
curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate:
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left."
(Isa. 24:6) There is a terrible desolation promised on this
generation. The only escape is to be counted among the elect of God.

There must be great danger among the various Christian churches and
creeds. It makes a great deal of difference what we believe. "Study
to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15) "Prove
all things; hold fast that which is good." (1 Thess. 5:21) "To the
law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word,
it is because there is no light in them." (Isa. 8:20)

In the early sixteenth century Martin Luther rebelled against the
Catholic Church and was cut-off. The Catholic Church claimed their
authority to minister in the gospel was through Peter, whom they
claimed was the first Pope and that there has been an unbroken chain
of Popes. History defies this claim. The first Bishop to claim
authority over the church was in 570 AD; and even prostitutes sat in
the Papal chair. Luther could make no claim to divine authority.
His response was to change the gospel. "But though we, or an angel
from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Gal. 1:8)

Luther was first to succcessfully preach than men can be saved by
faith alone. This new gospel has become sanctioned by many. Let us
follow the advise of the Bible and prove this new gospel whether it
be true or false. When questioned about this doctrine, many offer
the following verse: "8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest
any man should boast." (Eph. 2) This would seem to settle the matter;
but, we have to identify who the "ye" are. "Paul, an apostle of
Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus,
and to the faithful in Christ Jesus." (Eph. 1:1)

This was not addressed to every person in all ages of the world. It
was specifically "to the saints." The question must then be
answered, who are the saints? We find the Bible uses a number of
names to identify those who are members of the kingdom of God. They
are also called believers, disciples, and sons of God.

If there is one other thing other than faith required to enter the
kingdom of God, the new gospel of Luther is a fraud. Millions are
loyal followers of the Catholic Church. Yet, there can be no doubt
that it is known in the Bible as "Mystery, Babylon the Great."

The Apostle John said, "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself
also so to walk, even as he walked." (1 John 2:6) It is easy to talk
the talk [to believe]; but, it is necessary for eternal life to also
walk the walk. "19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest
well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O
vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2)

How did people come to be called saints? What was the first work
Jesus performed before He began preaching the gospel? He went to
John the Baptist to be born of water. As Jesus explained, "Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5) This
clearly identifies two ordinances of the gospel that must be obeyed
to become a saint who can be saved by grace. These ordinances are
taught throughout the New Testament. There can be no doubt as to the
manner of their administration. The very term baptism means to
immerse. "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:
that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6:4)

Prior to being born of water a person must repent and fervently
desire to live by the will and law of God. "20 But shewed first unto
them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of
Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to
God, and do works meet for repentance." (Acts 26)

Born of Spirit involves several blessings. First, it confirms the
initiate into the kingdom of God. How is a person born of the
Spirit? "17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received
the Holy Ghost. 18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the
apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money."
(Acts 8)

Second, it bestows a gift of the Holy Ghost (see 1 Cor. 12 and Heb.
11). If these gifts do not exist in your church, there must not be
any saints of God. The gospel does not change.

Third, if the person lives faithful and obedient, the Spirit will
remain and serve to inspire with faith, intelligence, and
understanding. "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he
will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you
things to come." (John 16:13) "17 And these signs shall follow them
that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak
with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink
any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the
sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16) "14 Is any sick among you?
let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over
him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the
prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up;
and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." (James
5) Are these things common in your church? If not, you have
discovered a great warning.

Each member of the kingdom must then share in the one great sacrifice
made for them. "53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his
blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh
my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last
day." (John 6)

This new gospel of Luther—that a person can be saved by faith alone—
is false according to the Bible. Jesus taught, "he that endureth to
the end shall be saved." (Matt. 10:22) Before a person can enter the
kingdom of God, it is necessary to repent and turn to the will of
God, to be born of water and the Spirit, and to partake of the holy
sacrament. "5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration
[baptism of water], and renewing of the Holy Ghost [baptism of the
Spirit]; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3)

Surely, if any have been saved, it was the great gentile Apostle
Paul. Yet, he wrote "11 If by any means I might attain unto the
resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained,
either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may
apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing
I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth
unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3)

There is another problem with this new gospel. The kingdom of God
always had officers called of God to preach and administer the
gospel. "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in
power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what
manner of men we were among you for your sake." (1 Thess. 5:5)

What is this power of the gospel? It is a divine calling through the
spirit of prophecy and an ordination by one holding that power.
Jesus went to John the Baptist because John was a Priest of the
Levitical Priesthood and held divine authority to baptize with
water. "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to
bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire."
(Matt. 3:11)

How was Jesus mightier than John? Jesus was ordained by the Father
as an Apostle and Prophet; and thereby held all of the offices of the
Melchisedec Priesthood, including the honorable office of High
Priest. "22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall
the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me;
him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. 23
And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that
prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." (Acts 3)

The office of Prophet is the highest office of the Melchisedec
Priesthood. It was lost about 400 years before Jesus with the last
Prophet, Malachi. It was restored with Jesus.

Not even Jesus could not take the honor of the priesthood upon
Himself. Jesus was called and ordained by the Father. The law of God
provides that "no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is
called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not himself to
be made an high priest; but he [the Father] that said unto him, Thou
art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. ...Called of God an high
priest after the order of Melchisedec. " (Heb. 5:4, 5, 10)

Divine authority is obtained only through the spirit of prophecy and
bestowed only through one holding that priesthood by the laying on of
hands. Aaron was called through a revelation given to Moses and
ordained by Moses who held the higher Melchisedec Priesthood. The
Apostle Paul advised his son, "Neglect not the gift that is in thee,
which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of
the presbytery." (1 Tim. 4:14) "...for the testimony of Jesus is the
spirit of prophecy." (Rev. 19:10)

Jesus organized the kingdom with all of the officers of the
Melchisedec Priesthood. "11 And he gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists [High Priests]; and some, pastors
[Elders] and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till
we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of
the fulness of Christ." (Eph. 4)

It is evident that without holding one of these offices that men were
not authorized by God to preach the gospel and administer the saving
ordinances of the gospel. One of these officers must be on the earth
to have the kingdom and for others to enter the kingdom. Even
knowledge of the Melchisedec Priesthood has been lost to most.

Joseph Smith and James J. Strang both claimed to hold the Prophetic
Office by an ordination under the hands of angels. Although both
were martyred, a remnant of that priesthood remains through an
unbroken chain of proper callings and ordinations.

If it is your greatest desire to live by the will of God and be a
saint in His kingdom, the straight gate into the kingdom is open to
you. Faith alone will not get you there. Only the administration of
the Melchisedec Priesthood is given that power. "And I will give
unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou
shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou
shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matt. 16:19) Repent
and be baptized in the name (authority) of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins; and you will be born again through the waters of
regeneration and the Holy Spirit, receive a gift of the Holy Ghost,
enjoy all the blessings promised to the faithful saints of God, and
be gathered to Zion before the terrible desolation promised very soon
upon this generation.

More information is available from Samuel E. West, Elder in latter
day Zion, Samuel270@aol. com or at www.mormonbeliefs.com .

The Deluge, by the prophet James J. Strang

[Page 1]

THE DELUGE

Its Natural Causes—Changes Accompanying It—

Certainty As A Fact In Science

By James J. Strang

To one well acquainted with the surface and appearance of the earth, the extent of its continents, and the height of its moun­tains, nothing would be more difficult to conceive possible than an universal deluge. Yet are we required, not merely by the tra­ditions of nearly all nations, but by our faith in the sacred oracles, to believe that such an event has taken place in the time past.

I propose, in a brief essay, to show that such an event, however impossible it may be now, was, at the creation, quite possible; and beyond the mere testimony of historic writing, to show from the geologic struc­ture of the earth, and its planetary arrange­ment, that it has occurred.

The great difficulty in believing in the verity of an universal deluge arises from the impossibility of obtaining water to produce it. Water will naturally and forever seek its own level. The mass of the waters find their common level at the surface of the ocean. If all the lakes, rivers and fountains of wa­ter were drained into the ocean, they would suffice to raise it but a very few feet‑-prob­ably not more than two or three. But the highest mountains are elevated some five miles above the level of the ocean. From what source was the water supplied that deluged these mountains?

This is the great question concerning the deluge. This we propose to answer, not merely to the fanatical, but to the philo­sophical, in a manner perfectly satisfactory to the rational and thinking.

Any one will readily admit that such an event as an universal deluge must have ef­fected great changes; and must also have been produced by means of great changes of some kind or other.‑Though the earth in its present condition could not be del­uged, was it not so created that it could be deluged as easily as any other great event in nature could be produced?

Gen. i. 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, l0.‑"In the begin­ning God created the heaven and the earth. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament heaven. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he seas."

By this short account it appears that the earth was not created as it now is, with its surface one vast ocean, broken by two con­tinents, and specked with innumerable is­lands. It was a vast surface of land, with here and there in its deepest valleys a gath­ering together of waters called seas. The great body of water which has filled up these seas till they join together in one vast ocean was then the waters "above the firmament." For God formed the firmament, that is, the natural heavens, dividing the waters above it from the waters below it.

There was, then, at the creation, a vast body of water above the firmament. That water should thus be held above the firma­ment cannot be regarded as incredible, since the planet Jupiter is found by modern as­tronomers to be thus situated at the present time. It has its belts or rings of aqueous matter constantly surrounding it, and the centripetal and centrifugal attractions which keep all the planets in their proper orbits would, as they do in the case of the planet Jupiter, keep this water at the proper eleva­tion above the earth. So it did not require any act of violence to the laws of nature to keep a great body of the water above the firmament, and therefore off from the earth, leaving the principal part of the earth dry land, fit for the habitation of man, for whom it seems most peculiarly designed.

The planet Jupiter has no change of sea­sons; no natural division into zones. The plane of its equator and ecliptic are identi­cal, and its days and nights are continually of the same length. And, though astrono­mers have not observed the fact, it is never­theless a demonstrable truth, that its nights are distinguished from its days by a very moderate degree of darkness, quite insuffi­cient to break off men's ordinary avocation. For the reflections of light upon the inter­nal surface of its rings must extend its twi­light quite round its circumference.‑-So, too, when the earth was in like manner sur­rounded by its waters above the firmament, it could not properly be said that day and night alternated, but evening and morning alternated.‑-There was no night there.

It is an interesting fact in this connec­tion that all mention of natural events and of the habits of the antediluvians confirm us in the opinion that previous to the del­uge there was no change of season, no burning heat, or freezing cold, but a perpetual harvest in spring time.

It is nowhere mentioned that any of the Antediluvians lived in houses. True, one tribe, "dwelt in tents." Gen. iv. 20. Yet this is spoken of as a marked peculiarity which distinguished them from other tribes. I may safely affirm further that the sacred writer did not originally assert that the sons of Jabal dwelt in "tents," but only that they dwelt in changeable habitations. They were herdsmen; or, in the simply language of the sacred historian, "such as have cattle," and wandered about from place to place, dwell­ing where inclination led them, instead of cities or fixed places, where various tribes constantly dwelt.

Previous to the deluge men wore cloth­ing, it is true; but this was merely to cover themselves for shame, (Gen. iii. 7, 21,) and not to protect from inclement weather; and the ideas of heat and cold are nowhere named or alluded to till after the deluge. Seed time and harvest, cold and heat, sum­mer and winter, rain and drought are all ideas originating with the deluge. At the time of the creation we are told that it did not rain, but that God caused a mist to go up from the earth, and water it. Gen. ii. 6.

When the flood abated from the earth, God "spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him saying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed af­ter you; and with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you: neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood: neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you; and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will re­member my covenant which is between me and you, and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting cov­enant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." Gen. ix. 8 to 16.

Thus it appears that the rainbow was not known till after the deluge. Yet any one having the slightest acquaintance with the laws of light can readily see that there could be no rain but the rainbow would ap­pear to those who were on the sunny side of the storm. It is vain to pretend that the rain­bow was miraculously introduced. It is pro­duced by well known natural causes; causes existing in the nature of light itself, and therefore coeval with it. The non‑existence of the rainbow previous to the deluge, there­fore pre‑supposes the non‑existence of rain, and of clouds high above the earth.

To account for all these facts, so differ­ent from what we find in the present state of the earth, we have only to give credence to the account of the creation in Genesis that God made a firmament to divide the waters above the firmament from the water below, and that he gave the earth the same manner of motion with the planet Jupiter, which has its firmament dividing its wa­ters in the same manner.

The waters around the earth protected the equatorial regions from the burning heat, and the reflected rays from the sides of the rings made up for the loss of heat by the obliquity of the sun's rays in the polar regions. The water was so near above that mists did not rise into clouds; but if the ten­dency to ascend was strong, the mists would be attracted to the waters above.‑If not strong enough for that, they watered the earth in dews, which, falling on the earth every day, always watered without every drenching it with the poles of the earth always per­pendicular to the ecliptic, there could be no change of seasons; and the warmth and moisture of every part of the earth gave it universal and perpetual fruitfulness. In the cultivation of the soil man had only to con­tend with thorns and thistles, (Gen. iii. 18,) which, like the fruits, were everywhere spontaneous. With such a climate the growth of plants could not but be exuberant in every part of the earth; and, considering these facts, the geological remains of equa­torial plants of enormous size, near the poles, can no longer surprise us.

Corresponding to this theory the sacred historian, speaking of the coming of the flood, says, "the same day were all the foun­tains of the great deep broken up, and the WINDOWS OF HEAVEN WERE OPENED." The opening of the windows of heaven can mean nothing but the pour­ing down of the waters above the firmament.

As to the means by which the waters were precipitated to the earth, it does not become me to speak dogmatically. But it is enough to know that a large comet passing in the immediate vicinity of the earth would be cause sufficient to incline down the wa­ters by deranging the balance of centripetal and centrifugal attraction, and thus deluge the earth and produce an alternation of sea­sons by one single act.

There could be no bow before the del­uge, for there was no rain. There could be none during the deluge, for there was no rain. There could be none during the deluge, for the rain was then universal, and there was no sunny side on which to form a bow.

But as soon as the deluge was finished, God set the bow in the cloud; not by creat­ing a new law of light, but only by that change of circumstances which brought it into action. The law of light by which the refraction of the sun's rays at a certain angle produces the rainbow is doubtless eternal--immutable‑-essential to the existence of light itself, and therefore could not have been produced by the exercise of creative power even, at the time of the deluge. It must have been in existence as a scientific truth as long as light had a being.

The same act which precipitated the waters above the firmament to the earth, also broke up the fountains of the great deep. For the attractive power of a comet or other heavenly body sufficient to change the position of the earth in its orbit would pro­duce a tide even in the [Page 2] inland seas of the Antediluvian earth sufficient to inundate all the low grounds about their shores.

A question will be raised, how does it happen that the water does not now cover the whole earth? For, says the sacred writer, "the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, and all the high hills that were under the whole heavens were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail, and the mountains were covered." Gen. vii. 19, 20.

This objection is predicated upon the theory that the water stood at a dead level fifteen cubits above the tops of the moun­tains. Such a theory is not warranted by the language of the sacred historian. The waters prevailed fifteen cubits where the writer speaks of probably where the ark was; but in regard to the high hills and the tops of the mountains, we are only assured that they were covered. After this (Gen. viii.) we learn that the waters abated, but we do not learn that any part of them were returned to the heavens, or in any way re­moved, except by abating; that is, sinking down to their natural level. In thus sinking down the present division of land and wa­ter, with some slight differences, was doubt­less formed, without any diminution of the quantity of water, which, in the act of pre­cipitation, "covered the tops of the highest mountains," so as to destroy everything "that had the breath of life."

After the deluge, the Lord said, "I will not any more curse the ground for man's sake, neither will I again smite every living thing, as I have done." And the earth hav­ing lost its perennial productiveness, in the alternation of seasons, which was estab­lished by the change of the direction of the earth's axis, he promised farther, (Gen. viii. 22,) "While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and sum­mer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." This is the first mention in all hu­man records, of any such changes.‑-They were new facts, founded on the new state of the earth, and the promise was that the earth should not be any farther cursed, so as to take away the advantages it then possessed. Agreeing with this hypothesis is the fact that throughout all northern Europe and Asia the skeletons of elephants and other animals peculiar to the tropics are found in vast abundance. Indeed, not many years since the carcass of an elephant was dis­covered embedded in a vast mass of ice near North Cape in Norway, in a state of nearly perfect preservation. It was first brought to light by the sliding on of a vast avalanche, undermined by the constant washing of the sea. The flesh was being devoured by the bears as fast as it thawed out, but so perfect was its preservation that almost the entire hide, as well as the skeleton, were preserved for the royal museum. This carcass, previ­ous to the abrasion of the ice, was imbed­ded several hundred feet beneath the sur­face of snow and ice, where it had been left at the abating of the waters of the deluge, frozen by the first frosts, and covered by the first snows ever witnessed on the earth.

There are places where the waters are constantly wearing away the coasts of Greenland, and imbedded in ice, and cov­ered with snows, are cane brakes as regular as any on the Mississippi, and of as luxuri­ant a growth as those of Central America. These must have grown, as the animals lived, at a period when the polar regions had a tropical climate; that is, in the Ante­diluvian world.

In the Delta of the Mississippi, the Niger and several other large rivers, forests are found standing where they grew, buried in the alluvial which has been accumulating for ages, and remaining perfect in their structure to about sea level. Those forests are extensive in Louisiana, and in the lower part of the State the trees are found entire. Further up the tops are rotted away down to sea level, but in either places if you dig down to the roots they are found to stand in the soil where they grew.‑-These forests must have grown when the surface of the ocean was below where their roots now are.

Geologists have attempted to account for the existence of these forests by supposing that the ground has sunk since they grew. But it is a well known fact that the down ­sinking and up‑rising of the earth goes on so very slowly as to be scarcely perceptible in a generation.‑-Consequently if these grounds had merely sunk by the burning out of internal fires, (as the countries bor­dering on the German ocean are supposed to be,) the forests would have utterly wasted long before the waters rose over them so as to preserve them.

Unquestionably these forests are Ante­diluvian. They grew on their present level, and were drowned out and preserved from decay by the waters of the ocean, which was filled up at the subsiding of the deluge so as to cover them; those portions of the for­est not entirely submerged rotting off near the surface of the water, and preserved merely the stumps. The annual deposit of mud since that time have filled up these narrow and shallow portions of the ocean, and made Deltas where were formerly the estuaries of the great rivers.

This hypothesis stands with the account given by the sacred historian, both of the creation, the history of the antediluvians and the deluge. It agrees with a vast mass of facts discovered by the scientific in modern times in the geology of the earth. It makes the flood a possible and probable fact, which would otherwise be incredible and impos­sible. And I submit that the various facts and circumstances referred to in the course of this article, show it not merely possible and probable, but true."

Book of Mormon

The first time I read the Book of Mormon I walked away from it full of fear and dread and not truly understanding the intent of it. You see, in my heart, I was not yet ready for the message that it gives. There were things in my life that were keeping me from understanding the truthfulness and seeing the examples set forth in this abridgment of the records of two scattered tribes of Israel. It wasn't until I truly desired truth and only truth, setting aside what I was holding onto, did I actually understand it. It is written with purpose and with knowledge by those that wrote it that it would be used as a record of the truth of Jesus Christ for future generations. It is another revelation, like those in the Bible, in which we know that not all records were contained. Any scholar of the Bible knows that in some places it refers to books that are not part of the standard Bible today. It refers to books such as Enoch and Jasher that are no where found in the Bibles most people use this day. Is it so outrageous that other people of God, from Israel would also write prophecies just as those that were before them? Is it unfounded that God speaks through revelations and is it not in His power to reveal His will to man? If you are a believer in God, I would hope that you believe He has that power.

The Book of Mormon was the foundation of truth for me at the beginning of my development of faith and my coming to the true knowledge of God. Take away from your minds the associations attached to the term Mormon. It is a name given to a people, not one taken for themselves. The book is only named after Mormon because he was the man chosen of God to abridge the records of many others and place them together. He is not to be worshiped. He's made of the same dust of the earth as all of us are.

The Book of Mormon is a history of a people in a place that we have come to know there are many temples of a once civilized people. This knowledge was found in the Book of Mormon before it's actual discovery by men of education. Joseph Smith, Jr. had no formal education and you see from his translation how crude his speaking must have been. Regardless of the knowledge given to man, we still have weakness, as do the prophets chosen of God. You'll see, if you read Smith's original copy of translation, which can be found at www.inephi.com that he often misspelled words or used double negative. He was not educated, but yet, if you read this book, you'll see how complex a lie it would be if false; a lie that a man of his education could not have come up with. It was indeed a truth that came to an enlightened mind through the power of God.

Don't take my word for it. Read it yourself. But know that when you read it, you must read it with the knowledge that all that is written in it was written for some purpose; for our minds to understand. And know that each of us comes to an understanding of things in ways that our minds can comprehend.

My belief in this book fed my belief in Joseph Smith, Jr as a true prophet called of God in the latter days. My belief in Joseph Smith, Jr feeds my belief in his further revelations, such as in the Doctrine and Covenants, 1835. My belief in his revelations feeds my belief in the revelation given to him concerning the requirement that if he could no longer lead the church, he was to appoint another, and that he did so, when he appointed James J. Strang. No one else ever claimed to be appointed by Joseph Smith, Jr. or ever actually provided the letter except for James J. Strang. No one else entered in the way that we were foretold his true successor was to do, but James J. Strang. Believing in those revelations fuels my belief in the prophet that was called after him, and the fruits of Jame J Strang's labors added more fuel to the fire of belief and truth.

All knowledge is open to those who seek diligently and with true desire. It's there to find if you seek. If any lack wisdom, let him ask of God.

www.mormonbeliefs.com

Fasting-Laying Hold on the Light of the World

Our progress to eternal life is continual. Each day we must remind ourselves of the glory of God and the bounty He has provided to us through His goodness and mercy. The world we live in has been freely given. The sun has been placed where it is for us. The moon has been put in such an exact position for us, that if it was bigger or smaller, closer or farther away, our entire existence would change and life would not be sustainable. If Earth was like other planets with their atmospheres or no atmosphere there would be no life and no order. There would be no up. There would be no down. Our whole existence is a precise calculation by God. There is a need for order. We could not exist with out it. If the celestial bodies that make life exist on this planet were not to obey the laws of physics (laws of God) there would be chaos.

In the beginning the word was with God and together created existence as we know it in six days (ages). Our days are based on the Earths rotations on its axis and which side faces the sun. What measures a day for God? We don't know. In Genesis we see God's first law. Adam and Eve were forbidden from eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good/Evil. We all know that food creates change in our bodies. Without it we can not live. Our minds and bodies become weak. Rational thought will leave you. It affects us like other drugs can affect us. Is it so outlandish to think that God could create a fruit that could permanently open our minds to greater thought? Man has created drugs that alter the mind. Of course those were made by imperfect beings and can cause a lot of damage to those who indulge. But a fruit, created by the Master Scientist would work exactly how intended.

God knew that man was created by corruptible material. He knew that Satan would tempt Eve and she would partake of that fruit. He knew that although the planets would follow His law without question, man, who He endowed with a portion of His spirit and given agency would, at some point, error. For order to exist there must be laws to follow. Otherwise: Chaos. Eve, not knowing the difference between good and evil before she ate, only knew God's law. Once she partook, she knew she had broken that law. God, who cannot lie, was bound to punish as He said He would. Despite her being ignorant, her disobedience caused the penalty of breaking the law to fall upon her: death. We know that Adam also partook.

God, in His infinite wisdom, knew what would take place and created a plan of salvation, because, being God, He loves His creations and wants happiness for them.

Jesus had to be a sacrifice. We know that Jesus was with God from the beginning. He and God created the earth and everything that is in it. Jesus is the God of this creation, but not God of the universe. He is the first and only begotten of the Father. God said "let US make man in OUR image". This is all in Genesis.

Jesus became the greatest sacrifice imaginable. Him who took part in our creation would come to die for our breaking of the law of God. We will all die, because of the transgression of Adam and Eve, but we will all live again, because of Jesus. He came endowed with so much of the Father's spirit; he was capable of living a perfect life (obeying the 10 commandments). He even showed us how to enter the Kingdom of the Father by doing those things necessary (baptism by water and the spirit, obedience).

Jesus was killed by his own and then returned to life by his Creator. He stayed a while and then returned. While he was here he was a teacher to many. When he was on the Earth, people flocked to him for learning and healing. When present during his ministry, the power of God was on Earth in the most concentrated amount possible. He did many things which were different than the Law of Moses. As he was not destroying but fulfilling the law, many had questions.

One of these is what I am here to discuss. It concerns fasting. You can find it in Matthew 9: 14-15, "Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast".

He mentions mourning in relation to fasting. During the time he was here, those who believed in him had a direct connection to God. There was no reason to mourn. There was no want. There was joy at his presence and his message. Not until after he was gone would the people have mourn and have need to fast.

The etymology of the word fast comes from the word fastan, which has evolved to mean "hold firmly", and then "firm control of oneself", to "holding to observance".

My view of fasting is as follows:

We eat to sustain life. Food makes us feel full and content. Being without food causes a bodily tribulation that can be endured. It's a sacrifice. Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice so that we can be with God. With proper mental preparedness (through prayer) we can become closer to God through fasting.

I'm going to make a connection here. The energy (power that moves us) we receive from food originates in the sun. Many times God is referred to as the Father of light. In all instances of God, Jesus, or angels appearing to humans it is written that He (or they) is surrounded by light. Light is also something that we use everyday, not only for energy, but also to transfer information. Anyone have high-speed internet connection? Do you know what fiber optic cables transmit? Light gives us life, it gives us vision, it gives us colors, and it lets us transfer information over millions of miles. Light has great utility and is pretty amazing.

I believe that fasting allows us to give up a tangible manifestation of God's power (in food) in order to receive His LIGHT in another way. Fasting allows us to give up something that we have physical proof sustains us and lets us sacrifice our dependency of that in order to find focus in another manifestation.

I challenge anyone reading this to pray regarding fasting. If you have a desire to learn more about truth (even a very small desire you wish to grow with in you), ask for God to give you truth and understanding as you give up the material manifestation of energy (food). This helps to remind us of all that we have and to follow in the example of Jesus.

Paul to the Colossians (1 Col 19-29) King James Version:

"19 For it pleased the Father that in him (Jesus) should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; 24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: 25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.


In order to truly appreciate the sacrifice Jesus made for each of us, I find it important to sacrifice in this life. To be without something we hold as a necessity allows us to appreciate how much we actually have been freely given.

Until I wrote everything up until this quote from Colossians, I did not understand how it applied to fasting. I have now found, through fasting; in order to write about fasting, that it is a similitude of the sacrifice Jesus made, of shedding our worldly concerns and deriving our sustenance from God. We give something in order to attain something, just as Jesus gave his life in order for all of us to receive life. Paul delights in his suffering because he knows that through his tribulations that are required of him by God, he will attain a greater reward after. He says he is “striving according to his working”, which, from my view, means Jesus’ example. He sacrificed the lesser (his mortal body) to attain something greater (immortality for all of us). It's a marvelous thing. So yes, we must fast, we must mourn, we must appreciate, but we must also rejoice that such a plan was set forth for us. Most of all, we must continue to remember who we are, why were are here, and what is ahead. Fasting will help you do that.

Preaching the Gospel

How does one expound truth to those that do not seek it? How does one share something remarkable when those who need to hear it, will not? How do I do my duty to preach when I fear that the ears of those who need it will just hear the same thing they have gotten used to hearing from everyone else who preaches to them?

Before I found the truth, I would have nothing to do with religion or listening to someone else's view of God and Jesus. I tried my hardest to convince myself I didn't need to listen to something that I believed boiled down to fables that had been twisted and changed over the years. Granted, I also had never read any of these "fables".

I tried to created an idea of the world on my own. I tried melding my moral beliefs into a agnostic life. I knew I was a good person, whatever that means to people, but I still felt that there was something missing; something wrong...somewhere.

I wasn't even looking for God when I stumbled upon what I now believe to be truth. I was bored and at work. For a while I had been writing a lot in my journal and posing questions to myself that I wanted answered. Although I had come to accept myself as an open homosexual, I still had doubts. They would creep in when I had started to date someone. When I was single and not content, my thoughts were way too selfish to think of anything else, but once I had gotten comfortable and started to see myself with that person, it just never made sense. I've always been a man of many thoughts that flip and turn and twist and sometimes crash and burn. My mind became a jumble and anxiety would overwhelm me. Ever since I was a child, I'd wake in the midst of the night fearing existence. What I was raised to believe didn't quite sit well with me. Even before I thought I was gay, there was something missing between me and my religion. I was raised in the Utah-based Mormon church that was founded by Brigham Young. I say it was founded by him, because I do not believe it is the same church that was founded by Joseph Smith. I stopped attending that church when I was 16, but never officially left. Over the years I had thought about returning, but never seriously. I always pushed it away. A few years ago I actually did go back...in an attempt to be what I thought I should be. That didn't work.

Not until I stumbled across the truth behind all the churches today, did I discover something that was undeniable. I learned about Constantine and how he took control of the the church of Christ a few hundred years after all the apostles were gone. I learned about how he changed the Sabbath from the 7th day of the week to the first (in order to get pagans to more easily convert, because they already worshiped the sun god on Sunday). I learned how important it is to know and keep the original Sabbath, as it was a law instituted for God's people for a thousand generations (~40,000 years). I learned how he introduced the trinity and idolatry (crucifix worship). I learned about Revelations and how it states that no one would enter the Kingdom of God for 1260 years, which is the time between the last form of the beast (last form of the once church of Christ) coming about and the organization of the Church of Christ under Joseph Smith. He began to restore (RESTORE) the church to how it was from the very beginning with Adam. And then James Strang (Joseph's true successor) restored the complete 10 Commandments (which no other church has). Take a look in your New Testament and see where Jesus states that one of the commandments (listed with others of the 10) is to Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself and see if you see that listed in 10 Commandments for your church. I've learned the truth behind the birth of Jesus and how he is of the SEED of DAVID and the SON of JOSEPH. He was not a demi-god born of a virgin(as we know them), But a baby born of a mother(who was pure so in that time called a virgin) and father (mother from the tribe of Levi, father a descendant of David as was prophesied he would be). He says “16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root [creator of David in the spirit] and the offspring of David [according to the flesh], and the bright and morning star [beginning of the spiritual creation].” (Rev. 22) “13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” (John 3)

I learned that he had to be JUST LIKE US in order to die for us and it mean anything. In order for him to truly go through the same things we did and come out perfect, he had to be flesh and bone and susceptible to the same things..Just like we are.

I've learned that it all makes much more sense then "Mystery, Babylon the Great" would have you think.

I've learned that evolution and God go hand in hand. I believe that we are all meant to evolve into something more than we are now. To be LIKE GOD (as Jesus is), but NOT GOD, as God is only being that is eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. All power, all light, all intelligence is a gift from God. We have all been endowed with a portion of His spirit to guide us in this life. Some more than others, depending on how faithful we were before we were given a body of flesh and bones to reside in during our probation.

The weather is energy, so is fire. All life comes from the Sun. We all truly do come from the dust. The dust truly did originate in the stars. Scientists have newly discovered this thing they call Dark Matter. It is an invisible matter that scientist know is there because they can see light refracting within it, but cannot see it. They know it exists because of physics, they can calculate the mass of a galaxy and see how fast it is going, and they know that there is more to every galaxy out there because the figures don't match up.

I find it difficult to order all my thoughts on God and this life He has given us and the guide he's given us that has been manipulated over the years. There's so much information. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with it all, but I keep reading and studying. I just pray for light, knowledge, and most of all truth.

When I first started in investigate this website www.mormonbeliefs.com I was VERY skeptical. I came from a Mormon background. I really had no desire to go back. The secret things that happened in the church kinda freaked me out. I learned about Mason rituals that are the same performed in the Utah-based mormon church. But this (James Strang's church) is different. This is what the church was BEFORE it was manipulated over and over by many different leaders. I just kept praying. I wanted to have an open mind, but still be skeptical and thorough. I've read every page on the website. And I've visited the man in person who created the website. I've been baptized and then ordain an elder in the Melchesedick Priesthood.

Don't think this makes me think I'm perfect. I'm far from it. I struggle each day to be a person who does good by people and God. I struggle to keep the 10 commandments. The hardest one is "thou shalt not bear false witness". I've gotten so used to being flippant about telling a small lie that makes things easier. Sometimes certain situations can be avoided if you just fib a little. I had gotten very comfortable with saying what needed to be said, but now I struggle to be an honest person. It seems like a small, maybe unimportant thing, but it's not. It's very important.

God created the 10 Commandments as laws of love. They are rules for us to follow that can keep peace if followed.

First off:

1. Love the Lord thy God with all they might, mind, and strength: He wants us to love the one that has a created EVERYTHING in existence. How can we not? We wouldn't be able to experience life with out him.

2. Thou Shalt not take the Name of they Lord thy God in vain.: He only wants those that he has appointed to act for Him, to actually act for Him and use His name (authority). If it wasn't for all these man-appointed religious leaders making up stuff on their own, things would be a bit more simple.

3. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: Wow, this is a big one. Most people DON'T remember the Sabbath because they have no idea that Sunday is not the original day designated as God's day.

4. LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF: There's that love again. Could imagine if we all treated each other as we'd like to be treated? I think more people would respect each other.

5. Honor thy Father and thy Mother: Our parents are our spiritual brothers and sisters. They are people with more experience (or once were, read the news and see how many people actually parent these days) that if taught in the law of God would be able to teach their children and all would know of His glory.

The rest of the laws all deal with treating others as we'd like to be treated.

6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors inheritance.

Are any of those laws up there things that you think are bad to follow?

I know many people who read this just wont get it. I know that most people wont actually. We all have been raised to believe what our parents believed and theirs before them. Many traditions have taken over where actual law once was. Much has been added because of man's ignorance and desire.

God lives. Jesus lives. And although we will die one day, we too will live again. Everyone who has potential for good will be saved from destruction and then enter a kingdom of glory depending on their works. Most people don't understand that Christ's sacrifice is for all and it will cause all of us to become immortal and be resurrected, but it doesn't mean that we will have eternal life (closeness to God). Some will be cast away with Satan, his angels, and become sons of perdition.

Again, most people will be shaking their heads, probably in disbelief, but do you who are shaking your heads realize that in the New Testament it states that when Jesus was crucified, he was in hell for 3 days preaching the truth to the spirits in prison before his resurrection? It's because even though they were dead, they STILL had the opportunity to learn the gospel, and be saved. I think in Acts it even talks about baptism for the dead.

Anyway. If anyone even reads this, feel free to ask questions or to visit my better versed friends' websites at

www.mormonbeliefs.com Goes into A LOT of detail about other mormon churches, basics of the truth, and more.

www.strangite.net -- another elder who has decided to do his own work through a website as well.

With the way the world is today, I can't help but believe that talking to people on the streets or preaching on a soup box ever does any good. I know it never worked with me. I just kept on walking and had a very choice words to say under my breath upon passing.

If you are searching for some truth, please look further. This stuff might sound outlandish, but if you let yourself open up a bit and just hear it all out (more than just reading what I've written) you may just be surprised.

But, I know that most people wont. I know that there will only be few left who believe (another prophesy in the Bible).

This blog is my attempt to put something out there and still retain me being me and not put together a sermon or a piece of academic writing. I'm a normal flawed human who just happens to know that God lives and loves us and has used His servants to do His work from the very beginning. I don't like controversy. I don't like arguments. And I very much dislike stepping on people's toes or causing confusion, but I feel obligated to put my voice and beliefs out there for anyone looking. Confusion is going to happen. But prayer and belief in answers being given in His own due time will help you to overcome that. If you TRULY and DILIGENTLY seek, you will be answered in a way that you understand. Read the information provided. What can it hurt?

No one is asking for your social security number or any personal information. Sins are real, but they can be forgiven. Roll your eyes if you must, but I pray that whoever is meant to receive this message and attain the truth will have their hearts soften and will find it.