Heaven and Hell, pt. 3

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.” - George MacDonald

“The desert teaches you more about water than the ocean ever could.” - African Proverb


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lehi's Covenant

I consider this the most important post I've written thus far. Most scholars believe Lehi was born between 660-640 BC. These birth dates are based on the information and clues we get from 1 Nephi that: (1) Lehi lived in Jerusalem his whole life (2) he lived there during the first year of king Zedekiah's reign around 600 BC (3) he was already married at that time with at least four kids (some of whom were old enough to be married) and (4) after eight or so years of traveling in the wilderness he and Sariah were considered "old".  For the sake of argument, let's say Lehi was born at the earliest accepted date, around 640 BC. This means by the time king Zedekiah began his reign around 600 BC, Lehi was about 40 years old. Again, for the sake of argument, these dates are give-or-take a couple years.  If Lehi was born around 640 BC, this also means that he grew up during king Josiah's reign, which was from 640-609 BC ( 2 Kings 7:5-12 ). For those who need a quick re...
Read more

Polygamy

Image
From the Historical Introduction of Joseph Smith Papers  Documents, Volume 11: September 1842–February 1843: " JS published a notice in the 1 December 1842 issue of the  Times and Seasons  denying responsibility for the publication of a pamphlet by  Udney H. Jacob , titled  An Extract, from a Manuscript Entitled The Peace Maker,  that advocated the practice of polygamy. . . .  Because JS owned the  printing office , the pamphlet listed him as the printer. Although as owner JS served as the nominal head of the office and the editor of the  Times and Seasons,  in practice he typically played a minimal role in day-to-day office duties. . . .  According to  John D. Lee ’s later autobiography, the pamphlet caused considerable “excitement among the people” in Nauvoo and “no one was more opposed to it than was his [JS’s] brother  Hyrum , who denounced it as from beneath. . . .  Amid this negative reaction to the pamphl...
Read more

Salvation

The terms save/saved/salvation have a precise meaning. It means overcoming or being delivered from your enemy or enemies - from the smallest, everyday struggle, to the greatest foe you could face, the last of which is death  (1 Corinthians 1:63).  Strong's  Concordance states: "It is used to describe the act of being saved from danger, distress, or oppression, and is frequently associated with God's saving acts for His people. The term can also imply victory or success, particularly in battle or conflict, emphasizing the triumph that comes through divine aid." Pharoah and his army were an enemy to the Israelites whom God was delivering from their bondage. Moses tells them: "...  Fear not. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which he will show to you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." (Exodus 9:2).  Was this Israel's last en...
Read more