Dave is a friend that enjoys talking
about the greatness of God. He has Bible study weekly and is active
in his church. We regularly comment about God and Christ in our
conversations. This week he came into my office and asked what I
knew about what happens to an individuals spirit when it leaves the
body at death. Taking the opportunity to teach doctrine that is in
the Bible I asked if he knew the parable of the rich man and Lazarus
that is found in the New Testament in Luke Chapter 16:
19 ¶There
was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen,
and fared sumptuously every day:
21 And
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s
table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And
it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by
the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also
died, and was buried;
23 And
in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And
he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my
tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But
Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy
good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is
comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And
beside all this, between us and you there is a greatgulf fixed:
so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can
they pass to us, that would
come from
thence.
28 For
I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also
come into this place of torment.
31 And
he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
We
learn many important facts about the afterlife directly from the
Savior Himself. Since the Savior would not teach false doctrine we
have it on good authority about what some things are like after this
life. We learn that there is a separation between those that are
prepared and those who knew about how to behave and choose not to.
We also see that there is a physical divide of some kind to limit
movements from one sphere to the other at that point in time. This
apparently changes later as Peter teaches in 1 Peter ch 3 and 4 that
Christ while deceased during the 3 days went to preach to those in
prison (rich man and others where he was). This also fulfills Isaiah
24:22 , 49:9 that Christ would free the prisoners and captives that
were held.
This
brought our discussion to the point that for those trapped in prison
there is a way out if they would accept the gospel message delivered
to them. This explains why in 1 Corinthians Paul while teaching
about the resurrection and it's eventuality for all mankind why the
the saints in Corinth were performing baptisms for the dead 1
Corinthians ch 15. This coincides with the work of Elijah as
prophesied by Malachi in the last chapter about what is to happen
before the 2nd
coming of the Lord.
5 ¶Behold,
I will send you Elijah the prophet before the
coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
6 And
he shall turn the heart of the fathers to
the children, and the heart of the children to their
fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with
a curse.
We
with out our ancestors are lost and they without us are lost. The
work of salvation for all of
Gods children is to go forward and we must do our part to push it along. Part of that includes doing the ordinances of salvation for those who have not had them done while they were on the earth.
Gods children is to go forward and we must do our part to push it along. Part of that includes doing the ordinances of salvation for those who have not had them done while they were on the earth.
At
this point Dave had more questions. Why don't others know about this
work or do it? This brought out discussion to an apostasy and a
restoration. Paul and Peter clearly teach of an apostacy before the
the Lord returns again. The Lord Himself declares to Peter, James
and John that John the Baptist would return to participate in
restoring all things prior to His 2nd
coming. This is found in Matt. Ch 17
10 And
his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias
must first come?
12 But
I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not,
but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the
Son of man suffer of them.
Note:
John will need to come prior to the Lord's return in glory – why?
To restore – restore what? With a falling away (apostacy) there is
a need for a restoration not a reformation. There is a big
difference. Paul clearly teaches in Ephesians ch2 and 4 that the
Church needs to have certain things in it.
Ch.
2
19 Now
therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens with the saints, and of
the household of God;
20 And
are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Ch.
4
10 He
that descended is the same also that ascended up far above
all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11 And
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors 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:
14 That
we henceforth be
no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But
speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all
things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From
whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which
every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying
of itself in love.
17 This
I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not
as other Gentiles walk, in the vanityof their mind,
18 Having
the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life
of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of
the blindness of their heart:
We
are not at the unity of the faith yet. Clearly there are many points
of doctrine and vast numbers of churches claiming to be Christ's.
Yet do they have Prophets, Apostles, and others holding priesthood
offices? Where are they? We certain could use an authorized servant
of God who holds power and authority from God today to guide us.
Dave agreed. He then asked “What will John the Baptist do when he
comes back?” I showed him Doctrine and Covenants Sec. 13 -
Heading:
An
extract from Joseph Smith’s history recounting the ordination of
the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery to the Aaronic Priesthood near
Harmony, Pennsylvania, May 15, 1829. The ordination was done by the
hands of an angel who announced himself as John, the same that is
called John the Baptist in the New Testament. The angel explained
that he was acting under the direction of Peter, James, and John, the
ancient Apostles, who held the keys of the higher priesthood, which
was called the Priesthood of Melchizedek. The promise was given to
Joseph and Oliver that in due time this higher priesthood would be
conferred upon them. (See section 27:7–8, 12.)
The
keys and powers of the Aaronic Priesthood are set forth.
1 Upon
you my fellow servants, 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.
WE
then read of Paul needing to do corrective work for those who thought
they were baptized in Acts Ch. 19
1 And
it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having
passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and
finding certain disciples,
2 He
said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?
And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be
any Holy Ghost.
4 Then
said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance,
saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should
come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
6 And
when Paul had laid his hands
upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues,
and prophesied.
Paul
needed to baptism them due to his questioning of how someone cold
have received a valid ordinance of baptism and never have heard of
the Holy Ghost. Note Paul laid hands on them to bestow the Gift of
the Holy Ghost after he had administered baptism.
Dave
and I then reviewed Numbers Ch. 16 which tells of those who demanded
the priesthood and what happened to them. Another story is of Simon
in Acts Ch. 8
9 But
there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same
city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria,
giving out that himself was some great one:
10 To
whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This
man is the great power of God.
12 But
when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning
the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they
were baptized, both men and women.
13 Then
Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued
with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs
which were done.
14 Now
when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had
received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and
John:
16 (For
as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in
the name of the Lord Jesus.)
18 And
when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’
hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
20 But
Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast
thought that the gift of God may be purchased with
money.
22 Repent
therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps
the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
24 Then
answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of
these things which ye have spoken come upon me.
When
we understand that God chooses the messenger not the other way around
we may more fully understand Hebrews Chapter 5 -
5 So
also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he
that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten
thee.
Preaching
for money is priestcraft. With out the authority of God – we may
do nothing on His behalf to fulfill ordinances. Dave then expressed
he felt he should be baptized again. I asked who had authority to
baptize him when it was done before? Where did he get his authority
from? If it did not come like it was given of old and mentioned in
the scriptures by someone who had the authority by the laying on of
hands --- it means the individual did not have any and the ordinance
was not valid.
Dave
thought for a moment, then expressed -”that is why the spirit is
prompting me to be baptized – I have not been.” The light went
on and he felt great joy in knowing there was a way for him to
receive a valid baptism.
We
then covered his question about “why do I feel the Spirit at times
then”. I answered him that he may always get impressions from the
Spirit like any other child of God. However this is not the Gift of
the Holy Ghost which is the 2nd
half of baptism and taught by the Savior to Nicodemus in John ch. 3.
That is being baptized by fire like on the day of Pentacost and
represents having the opportunity to have the Holy Ghost with you at
all times as a companion. What an awesome gift!! A member of the
Godhead that was promised to the apostles after Christ left them and
when it showed up the church grew amazingly fast. It was an awesome
time for those that experienced it. Similarly in our day when the
priesthood was restored and the gift of the Holy Ghost was given it's
manifestation was evident and profound.
Dave
and I then reviewed how God has opened up a continuous flow of
revelation since the “fullness of times” has begun in 1820. In
1836 as part of the restoration the following was recorded:
Section 110
Visions
manifested to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery in the
temple at Kirtland, Ohio, April 3, 1836. The occasion was that of a
Sabbath day meeting. Joseph Smith’s history states: “In the
afternoon, I assisted the other Presidents in distributing the Lord’s
Supper to the Church, receiving it from the Twelve, whose privilege
it was to officiate at the sacred desk this day. After having
performed this service to my brethren, I retired to the pulpit, the
veils being dropped, and bowed myself, with Oliver Cowdery, in solemn
and silent prayer. After rising from prayer, the following vision was
opened to both of us.”
1–10,
The Lord Jehovah appears in glory and accepts the Kirtland Temple as
His house; 11–12, Moses and Elias each appear and commit their
keys and dispensations; 13–16, Elijah returns and commits the
keys of his dispensation as promised by Malachi.
And
for a summary of ordinances for our ancestors: we reviewed Sec 128 in
part :
6 And
further, I want you to remember that John the Revelator was
contemplating this very subject in relation to the dead, when he
declared, as you will find recorded in Revelation 20:12—And
I saw the dead, 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.
7 You
will discover in this quotation that the books were opened; and
another book was opened, which was the book of life; but the dead
were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works; consequently, the books spoken of must be
the books which contained the record of their works, and refer to the
records which are kept on the earth. And the book which was
the book of life is the record which is kept in heaven; the
principle agreeing precisely with the doctrine which is commanded you
in the revelation contained in the letter which I wrote to you
previous to my leaving my place—that in all your recordings it may
be recorded in heaven.
8 Now,
the nature of this ordinance consists in the power of the
priesthood, by the revelation of Jesus Christ, wherein it is granted
that whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Or, in
other words, taking a different view of the translation, whatsoever
you record on earth shall be recorded in heaven, and whatsoever you
do not record on earth shall not be recorded in heaven; for out of
the books shall your dead be judged, according to their own works,
whether they themselves have attended to the ordinances in
their own propria
persona, or
by the means of their own agents, according to the ordinance which
God has prepared for their salvation from before the foundation of
the world, according to the records which they have kept concerning
their dead.
9 It
may seem to some to be a very bold doctrine that we talk of—a power
which records or binds on earth and binds in heaven. Nevertheless, in
all ages of the world, whenever the Lord has given a dispensation of
the priesthood to any man by actual revelation, or any set of men,
this power has always been given. Hence, whatsoever those men did
in authority, in the name of the Lord, and did it truly and
faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of the same, it
became a law on earth and in heaven, and could not be annulled,
according to the decrees of the great Jehovah. This is a
faithful saying. Who can hear it?
10 And
again, for the precedent, Matthew 16:18, 19: And
I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I
will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it. 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.
11 Now
the great and grand secret of the whole matter, and the summum
bonum of
the whole subject that is lying before us, consists in obtaining
the powers of the Holy Priesthood. For him to whom these
keys are given there is no difficulty in obtaining a knowledge of
facts in relation to the salvation of the children of men,
both as well for the dead as for the living.
12 Herein
is glory and honor, and immortality and eternal life—The
ordinance of baptism by water, to be immersed therein in order
to answer to the likeness of the dead, that one principle might
accord with the other; to be immersed in the water and come forth out
of the water is in the likeness of the resurrection of the dead in
coming forth out of their graves; hence, this ordinance was
instituted to form a relationship with the ordinance of baptism for
the dead, being in likeness of the dead.
13 Consequently,
the baptismal font was instituted as a similitude of the
grave, and was commanded to be in a place underneath where the living
are wont to assemble, to show forth the living and the dead, and that
all things may have their likeness, and that they may accord one with
another—that which is earthly conforming to that which is heavenly,
as Paul hath declared, 1 Corinthians 15:46, 47, and 48:
14 Howbeit
that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and
afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth,
earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy,
such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are
they also that are heavenly. And
as are the records on the earth in relation to your dead, which are
truly made out, so also are the records in heaven. This, therefore,
is the sealing and binding power, and, in one sense of the
word, the keys of the kingdom, which consist in the key
of knowledge.
15 And
now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that
these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that
cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For
their salvation is necessary and essential to our
salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us
cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be
made perfect.
16 And
now, in relation to the baptism for the dead, I will give you another
quotation of Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:29: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?
17 And
again, in connection with this quotation I will give you a quotation
from one of the prophets, who had his eye fixed on the restoration of
the priesthood, the glories to be revealed in the last days, and in
an especial manner this most glorious of all subjects belonging to
the everlasting gospel, namely, the baptism for the dead; for Malachi
says,last chapter, verses 5th and 6th: Behold,
I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the
great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of
the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their
fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
18 I
might have rendered a plainer translation to this, but it
is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is
sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with
a curse unless there is a welding link of some
kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some
subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is
the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be
made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither
can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the
gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the
dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is
now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect
union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers,
and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam
even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which
never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but
have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed
unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the
fulness of times.
This
excited Dave to know that God has continued to speak to man today.
The Spirit was strong and witnessing that the doctrines and
principles discussed were true. Now it is up to Dave to follow
through with what he has been given. He must pursue more light and
knowledge and pray to have the experience confirmed by God as valid.
He then may receive the ordinances of salvation and bless his life
and those whom he will interact with while he remains on the earth.
What an AWESOME day. God lives! Jesus in the Christ! And His Church
has been restored in it's fullness to the earth.
It is a great time to live.
It is a great time to live.
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