Average Joe

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Everything posted by Average Joe

  1. Thanks. Avoided the temptation of Utah living I see
  2. First, we are all eternal. “Howbeit that he made the greater star; as, also, if there be two spirits, and one shall be more intelligent than the other, yet these two spirits, notwithstanding one is more intelligent than the other, have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have no end, they shall exist after, for they are gnolaum, or eternal. And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all.” (Abr. 3:18-19) Second, we tend to overlook certain things and thereby not put 1+1 together to create 2. 1) “The Holy Ghost is yet a spiritual body and is waiting to take to himself a body, as the Savior did.”[Joseph Smith, Encyclopedia of Joseph Smith's Teachings, edited by Larry E. Dahl and Donald Q. Cannon (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997)] Plus 1) “It is true that the earth was organized by three distinct characters, namely, Eloheim, Yahovah, and Michael, these three forming a quorum, as in all heavenly bodies, and in organizing element, perfectly represented in the Deity, as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” - Journal of Discourses 1:51 (April 9, 1852) If those two statements are true then what of Adam/Michael when he came to earth and fell? Moses 4:9 And in that day the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying: I am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth and forever, that as thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even as many as will. Equals 2) The Holy Ghost is an office and a personage of spirit. *** In John chapter 5 we read: 17 ¶But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. 19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. 21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. To do as the Father did is to be a Christ even as the Father was. Brigham Young gave a sermon in General Conference on 8 October 1854 in which he espoused this view: Let me open the eyes of your understanding. There has never been a time when the creations of worlds commenced. They are from eternity to eternity in their creations and redemption. After they are organized they experience the good and the evil, the light and the dark, the bitter and the sweet as you and I do. There never was a time when there were not worlds in existence as this world is, and they pass through similar changes in abiding their creation preparatory to exaltation. Worlds have always been in progress, and eternally will be. Every world has had an Adam and an Eve, named so simply because the first man is always called Adam and the first woman, Eve. And the oldest son has always had the privilege of being ordained, appointed and called to be the heir of the family if he does not rebel against the Father, and he is the Savior of the family. Every world that has been created has been created upon the same principle. They may vary in their varieties, yet the eternity is one: it is one eternal round. Christ is both an office and a person *** “As man now is, God once was; as God is now man may be.” - (The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1984], 1.) “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” Rev. 3:12 “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Rev. 3:21 To “write upon him the name of my God/my new name” is to write “God” God is an office and a title. So if the Holy Ghost, Christ, and God are each a title and a person there was always the power/office of each being preformed and always shall be. Remember, Elohim means "Gods".
  3. "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." (Matt 27:50-53). The gates of hell did not prevail (keep in the righteous dead) during the time of the apostles. see also: 1 Peter 3:18-20 & 1 Cor. 15:29 That there was a season of apostasy after the death of the apostles and the destruction of the Nephites means little since the church has been restored...and in order for "the church" to be restored we must understand the church. As it explains in D&C 107: 4 But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood. 5 All other authorities or offices in the church are appendages to this [Melchizedek] priesthood. 6 But there are two divisions or grand heads—one is the Melchizedek Priesthood, and the other is the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood. 7 The office of an elder comes under the priesthood of Melchizedek. 8 The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world, to administer in spiritual things. 9 The Presidency of the High Priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek, have a right to officiate in all the offices in the church. 10 High priests after the order of the Melchizedek Priesthood have a right to officiate in their own standing, under the direction of the presidency, in administering spiritual things, and also in the office of an elder, priest (of the Levitical order), teacher, deacon, and member. 18 The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church— So did the gates of hell prevail against the church/Melchizedek Priesthood to keep the righteous dead in? No. Peter, James and John appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and restored the Melchizedek Priesthood, and Joseph Smith restored the church as in the times of Peter.
  4. slavery / the lack of agency has never been seen as good by any but the few who wish to rule over the many.
  5. nice to meet ya too. how's life in southern Utah treating you? :)
  6. Since this is the to do thing (and I don't want to come out in open rebellion just yet ), hi, I'm the newbie. I'm nothing to write home about, just your average Joe. I'm LDS, redneck, blue collar, and living in the south...but enough about me, who the heck are you?