Pre-mortal and Earthly Councils

Majority vote makes the decision; mutual agreement prevents separation; Justice is the guardian of liberty. 

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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...
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Heaven and Hell, pt. 2

Separation from Gods people (not just God) is hell: “And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel your brother? And he said, I know not; am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries unto me from the ground. And now you shall be cursed from the earth which has opened her mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto you her strength. A fugitive and a vagabond shall you be in the earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, Satan tempted me because of my brother’s flocks, and I was angry also, for his offering you did accept and not mine. My punishment is greater than I can bear .” — Gen 3:10 This is an interesting story because if you recall Cain was never truly alone after he became a fugitive and vagabond. People followed him and he built his own city (v. 11) So how was he a vagabond?  He was separated from God’s people. Another example :  “And it came to pass tha...
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A message from the Covenant of Christ

Lehi was a man whom the Lord called “blessed” because he was “faithful and declared the things [God] commanded [him]” (1 Nephi 1:6). This is important to remember because, despite the people’s reaction to Lehi’s preaching, he remained faithful. He didn’t declare anything the Lord didn’t want him to. Their reaction and their fruits were not indicative of Lehi’s mission, faithfulness, or alignment with God. It is interesting that the Covenant of Christ opens with several examples of interpersonal conflict. It doesn’t begin with flattering stories about Lehi being a good husband, a faithful employee, a good sense of humor, a beloved friend, or a warm personality. Instead, beginning on page one, it goes straight to the heart of what prevents God’s kingdom from growing on earth: disagreements that turn into division. The very first interaction between two or more people that we read about in Lehi’s ministry is negative—Lehi was met by the people in Jerusalem with mocking (speech that bel...
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