Faith in Yourself

The Lord has faith in us. Why shouldn’t we have faith in ourselves?

We have to have faith in our ability to endure all things, keep the commandments, and become justified and sanctified.

I read all kinds of books and scriptures about being born again and receiving the second comforter. But I didn’t make any progress on this journey until I began to believe that this was doable and that I could do it.

Paul had faith that he was able to endure all things because of Christ:

Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Peter had faith in his ability to lead people to Christ:

2 Pet 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

John taught that we can have boldness in the day of judgment we are one with God and God is one with us:

1 Jn 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

1 Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Both John and Moroni taught the we can have faith that the transformative power of the Holy Spirit will bring about a change in us, and having this hope we will purify ourselves even as the Lord is pure

1 Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

1 Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Moroni 7:48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.


Is the testimony of the servants of the Lord (above), those who speak in His Name, not good enough to demonstrate His faith in us.?

Where has the Lord said that he doesn’t have faith in us?

The Lord SHOWS us that He has faith in us in everything he says and does.

The “more sure word of prophecy” aka “calling and election made sure” aka the “testimony of Jesus” is the Lord’s prophesying to you that you have eternal life. Would He do that if He didn’t have faith in us? Would He lay His own salvation on the line in order to provide immortality and eternal life for us if he didn’t believe that at least some of us would receive it?

But here’s a sampling of the Lord’s promises to us:

D&C 35:27 Fear not, little flock, the kingdom is yours until I come. Behold, I come quickly. Even so. Amen.

D&C 38:9 Wherefore, gird up your loins and be prepared. Behold, the kingdom is yours, and the enemy shall not overcome.

D&C 38:15 Therefore, be ye strong from henceforth; fear not, for the kingdom is yours.

D&C 62:9 Behold, the kingdom is yours. And behold, and lo, I am with the faithful always. Even so. Amen.

D&C 78:18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.

D&C 82:24 For even yet the kingdom is yours, and shall be forever, if you fall not from your steadfastness. Even so. Amen.

Lack of Faith in ourselves

A lack of faith in ourselves is a great weakness, and I believe where it shows up most often is that we have trouble forgiving ourselves. We can’t truly repent unless we forgive ourselves and we must have faith that we really can stop sinning.

True faith in oneself is not pride. Some people may confuse it with pride, but it is not pride.

Humility is knowing where you are on the path and acting accordingly. False humility is pride. When the Lord encourages you and calls you to do something, you need to have faith that you can do it. To doubt that you can do it, is to doubt the Lord, and it is also pride because you are saying you know more than He does.

This is how I know the Lord has faith in us

God works by faith – Lecture 1 of the Lectures on Faith

17. Who cannot see, that if God framed the worlds by faith, that it is by faith that he exercises power over them, and that faith is the principle of power? And that if the principle of power, it must be so in man as well as in the Deity? This is the testimony of all the sacred writers, and the lesson which they have been endeavoring to teach to men.

22. We here understand that the sacred writers say, that all these things were done by faith – It was by faith that the worlds were framed – God spoke, chaos heard, and worlds came into order, by reason of the faith there was in Him. So with man also – he spoke by faith in the name of God, and the sun stood still, the moon obeyed, mountains removed, prisons fell, lions’ mouths were closed, the human heart lost its enmity, fire its violence, armies their power, the sword its terror, and death its dominion; and all this by reason of the faith which was in them.

3.2 It is by words, instead of exerting his physical powers, with which every being works when he works by faith.

3.3 God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” Joshua spoke, and the great lights which God had created stood still. Elijah commanded, and the heavens were stayed for the space of three years and six months, so that it did not rain: he again commanded and the heavens gave forth rain. All this was done by faith.

8.1 When men begin to live by faith they begin to draw near to God; and when faith is perfected they are like him; and because he is saved they are saved also; for they will be in the same situation he is in, because they have come to him; and when he appears they shall be like him, for they will see him as he is.

17.6 That is was a system of faith – it begins with faith, and continues by faith; and every blessing which is obtained in relation to it is the effect of faith, whether it pertains to this life or that which is to come. To this all the revelations of God bear witness.

God doesn’t boast of faith – He shows it by His works, words, dealings with men

God’s Supreme Act of Faith: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth on Him [exercises faith in Christ] should not perish, but have everlasting life.

How man exercises faith

The Lord gave us an example that we can all understand: planting a seed, or planting a tree.

Jacob 5 – Parable of the Lord’s vineyard in which He planted and nourished and cared for his olive trees in anticipation (faith) that they would yield good fruit.

Matt 13:37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

Alma 32:40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.

The Lord Takes Delight in us

Zeph 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Isaiah – His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

Ps 149:4 – The Lord takes pleasure in his people

Before the foundation of the world, The Lord entered into an everlasting covenant with each of us by which we can come to this earth, gain experience, learn of Him through faith, gain a desire to return to Him, above all else, so that we can be adopted as His sons and daughters and be joint-heirs with Him and partake of eternal life. He offers us this covenant and has faith that we will enter into that covenant and be faithful to it.

The Lord does everything by faith. By faith, He formed this world and everything that is in it. By faith, He placed us here. By faith, He teaches us, encourages us, supports us, succors us in the hour of temptation.

By faith, He saves us from both hell and death. By faith, He walked into that holy place alone and endured for us a trial that we could never endure. By faith, He resurrected Himself, by the power of the Father that was in Him, so that we could obtain a resurrection, too.

He tells us that the worth of our souls is great in the sight of God.

I once asked God for the gift of charity: to see each of us the way He sees us. If you could see this, you would know how much faith He has in us because he sees us as we are: glorious eternal beings, capable of becoming like Him.

We spoke recently of general commandments and individual revelation. When you come to Him, He will speak to you and tell you and show you how much you mean to Him. Seeing you grow and struggle and grow closer to Him makes His day and justifies the faith He has in you. He will give you a calling or a mission and empower you to do it. He may give you permission to speak His words and act in His Name because He knows that you will never speak or do anything contrary to His will.

It is my greatest desire to be a servant in the hands of the Lord. I know that the Lord has faith in me, because He told me so. I know what He expects of me. He enters into covenants with me because He know that I am faithful. He gives me visions and revelations because He knows that I will not seek them for my own glory and will only share what can be shared and encourage others to seek their own revelations.

He also knows that I have a tendency to disbelieve what He tells me because am afraid. Jesus knew Peter could walk on that water as long as he kept his eyes fixed on the Lord. The Lord puts me in situations where I must learn to “sink or swim”, and that I must trust that He will bless and uphold me in whatever He asks me to do.

It’s a mutual relationship of trust and faith. It goes both ways. This of your business relationships. Think of your marriage. Think of you and your children. The faith and trust must flow both ways.

John said we love Him because He first loved us. There is no higher form of love than trust. We trust Him because He first trusted us.

I think God because I know He has placed Him trust in me. I try very hard to justify that trust. I know I fall short often, and fail to reflect what He has shown me and what He has helped me to become. But, I trust Him to forgive me, and continue to work with me and teach me.

Romans 8:28 – All things work together for you maximal good.

2 Nephi 26:24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

Desire

If you get to the point where you are one with Christ and Christ is one with you, does it really make any difference? If you are one with God and God is one with you, then it comes from God. But the desire has to come from us. God already has everything else, but what He seeks is our desire. This is why desire is so important. Desire is ours and ours alone. God may arrange conditions to bring about a desire in us to come to Him, but it is us that still has to have that desire.

D&C 76:58 Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God–

D&C 76:61 Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet.

We should not glory in the natural man, but we should glory in the part of us that is one with God: in the goodness which in us and the glory which God shares with us so that we can be one with Him.

We should glory in our divine nature.

The Divine Nature – by Panashe Gouche

The Holy Spirit is the essence of Godhood. It is the link that connects all divine beings. The Holy Spirit is something that emanates from God and it is also beyond Him. It is the link of all Gods in eternity, and our God is fully in tune with It. In a sense, the Holy Spirit is the Eternal Godhead. When we receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, we become members of the Holy Spirit. It then becomes easier to tap into the Celestial frequency that is the Holy Spirit so we can commune with God. We become a Holy Ghost and one with the Father and Son. In that way is the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost one. When we receive the Holy Ghost, we become partakers of the Divine Nature which is the Holy Spirit.

The Nature of God

When you read the Book of Mormon and the Lectures on Faith and compare them with some of Joseph Smith’s later speeches like King Follett and Plurality of Gods, some people notice an apparent difference in the description of God, and claim he “evolved”. I never believed this, but I never knew enough to prove it. Now, I do. Thanks to prayer, revelation, scripture study, and a few good ideas from other sources. If this were just a theory, I would call it “The Unified Theory on God”, but it is more than a theory. It is truth, and it ties together so many separate conflicting ideas about God. I thought it was a mystery and I couldn’t reveal it, but something prompted me to tell it to somebody on Facebook. He said “You nailed it.” I told it to somebody else who said “But, isn’t that obvious?” Then, I started writing it up, and I discovered a Mormon philosopher who had thoughts along the same lines.

This is not the trinity.  This is not Adam-God. This is not what the church teaches. But this is what the scriptures teach.

I recommend you download both documents (about 35 pages each) and read them in order.

The Nature of God

The thing you must realize about anything you are taught about God is subject to bias: your own and that of the writer or speaker. Even if we receive something directly from God, we must take into account our own culture, understanding, and traditions and seek as much as possible to eliminate those from the pure truth we receive. We must realize also that God can also speak to us in terms of our culture and understanding in order to get a truth across to us. So much of what any church teaches us: traditional Christianity, or restored Mormonism, is based on somebody’s interpretation or translation of scripture. Given all of this, we have to be constantly discerning for truth.


Blake Thomas Ostler is an American philosopher, theologian, and lawyer. He has written numerous articles on the topics of Mormon theology, philosophy, and thought. This paper deserves to be better known and find a more prominent place in Mormon thought.


Blake Ostler offers a new way to perceive God and the Godhead, based on scriptural evidence, which I believe is much more truthful than the traditional Christian or Mormon interpretations of God. It resonates with the scriptures, with what Joseph Smith taught, and with my understanding of what the Lord is teaching me. Do not mistake any of what you have previously heard or read or what you will now read for the final word about what God is. Instead, take it as a giant step forward in our understanding of God and our quest to know Him, and thus, obtain Life Eternal. Then, having built on a better foundation, I heartily invite you to continue your search for God and obtain an even greater understanding. But, to know God is more than just to know about God. You actually have to understand the heart and mind of God. I hope this discussion of the mechanics of God helps you somewhat to both know and love God in a better more complete way.

Re-vision-ing the Mormon Concept of Deity

Writings of Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer

Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer — these three men hold a unique place in Latter-day saint history. After Joseph and Oliver, David Whitmer was the third person to be baptized. These three men were the first to behold the gold plates and the artifacts of the Book of Mormon, as shown in vision by the angel. These three men were the only three men whom the Lord called Apostles. The Lord only referred to the other twelve traveling high councilmen as “disciples”.

Oliver and David also left us some valuable writings, which shed additional light on the foundation of the Restoration, and which deserve to be read and considered.

Besides the handful of scriptures which the angel quoted to Joseph Smith when he was being prepared to receive the gold plates, he received a total of some 40 scriptures from the angel. Oliver Cowdery recounts these scriptures and provides additional details of how Joseph received and translated the plates.

David Whitmer gives his final witness of his role in witnessing the plates, the translation of the Book of Mormon, and first-hand accounts of the establishment of the church. Portions of David Whitmer’s testimony may be controversial to some because he outlines how Joseph followed the arm of flesh and succumbed to personal pride. He provides historical and scriptural support.

Many of us today realize that it is a mistake to gain a testimony that the Book of Mormon is true, and then to blindly extrapolate that testimony into believing that the LDS church is true and that everything its leaders do is inspired of God.

David Whitmer points out that the early saints made the same mistake. They gained a testimony that the Book of Mormon was of God, then blindly extrapolated that testimony into believing that everything the Joseph Smith did, for that point on, was inspired of God. David Whitmer admits that he made that mistake, along with Oliver and all the early members.

He points out that even though King David and Solomon did wrong in having many wives and concubines, the books of Psalms and Proverbs are beautiful books of poetry and wisdom, which we revere today from the man who was after the Lord’s own heart and the man who was the wisest man who ever lived. If we can receive wisdom and revelation from these books, we can also receive wisdom and revelation from the most correct book, and respect Joseph Smith for having translated it.

Both these men had fallings-out with Joseph Smith, but they never denied their testimonies of the Book of Mormon.

Scriptures Given by the Angel to Joseph.pdf

An Address to All Believers in Christ.pdf

A “Special Witness” of the “Name of Christ”

There has been some discussion on social media about some church officer, having the title of “apostle”, declaring himself a “special witness of the name of Christ”. People were outraged, whether it was feigned or real, at the thought of somebody not only declaring himself to be an apostle, but calling himself a “special witness of the name of Christ”, rather than a “special witness of Christ”, as if this were something new, and a demotion in calling.

The man is correct. He was called to a church office, originally held by twelve men, who were called as “traveling councilors” and called to become “apostles”. They were to become “special witnesses of the Name of Christ” – special because this calling differs from all others in the church, and of the name of Christ, because this, too, is a special designation and the topic of this post.

My goal in posting this was to educate people about this calling by calling upon the scriptures to do so. To illustrate the low level of knowledge in the church, by presenting this information, I was accused of “gaslighting” by somebody who didn’t have the grounding to tell the difference. This, in itself, is sad.

My purpose is this is not to judge the man, whether he is in fact a true apostle, or not. My purpose is to explain and defend the designation “the Name of Christ”. It does not belong in the gutter of unbelief. It deserves the highest honor, recognition, and worship of which we are capable.

This designation has not changed since this revelation was given in 1835:

D&C 107:23 The twelve traveling councilors are called to be the Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world–thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling.

The Lord never designates the “twelve traveling councilors” AS “Apostles”, but they are called TO BE “Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ”. They never rose up to fulfill this calling because they never followed Oliver Cowdery’s (who was an Apostle) charge to seek their ordination at the hand of the Lord.

If you understand the full meaning of the word “Name” in Hebrew. It is more than just a label. It DESCRIBES the nature, mission, office, calling, and role of a person, among other things.

The Name of Christ is not the same as the name “Christ”.

It is a Name above all other names. It is the only name under which we may be saved. It is the Name by which we may ask and receive. It is the Name by which we gather so that the Lord may be in our midst.

It is the Name which we witness that we are willing to take upon ourselves. But the Name is actually placed upon us by the Lord, himself. A true Apostle is a witness that he has actually stood in the Presence of Christ and received that Name from the Lord.

How do I know this? To receive this Witness and to take upon me this Name was the desire of my heart, and in response, the Lord sought me out and found me

D&C 18:27 Yea, even twelve; and the Twelve shall be my disciples, and they shall take upon them my name; and the Twelve are they who shall desire to take upon them my name with full purpose of heart.

D&C 18:28 And if they desire to take upon them my name with full purpose of heart, they are called to go into all the world to preach my gospel unto every creature.

D&C 18:37 And now, behold, I give unto you, Oliver Cowdery, and also unto David Whitmer, that you shall search out the Twelve, who shall have the desires of which I have spoken;

D&C 18:38 And by their desires and their works you shall know them.

Here are a few scriptures illustrating the purpose and nature of that Name:

2 Nephi 31:13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism–yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.

2 Nephi 32:9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

2 Nephi 33:12 And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day.

Enos 1:15 Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.

Mosiah 3:17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

Mosiah 5:8 And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.

Mosiah 5:9 And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ.

Mosiah 5:10 And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called by some other name; therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God.

Alma 5:38 Behold, I say unto you, that the good shepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ; and if ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd, to the name by which ye are called, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd.

3 Nephi 27:5 Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day;

Mormon 8:38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies–because of the praise of the world?

Mormon 9:21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.

D&C 46:31 And again, I say unto you, all things must be done in the name of Christ, whatsoever you do in the Spirit;

Book of Commandments 15:23 Take upon you the name of Christ, and speak the truth in soberness, and as many as repent, and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved.

Book of Commandments 24:30 Behold whosoever humbleth himself before God and desireth to be baptized, and comes forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnesseth unto the church, that they have truly repented of all their sins and are willing to take upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him unto the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, then shall they be received unto baptism into the church of Christ.

To be a witness of the Name of Christ is not only to testify of the reality of Christ, having seen Him and having receive authority from Him, but is to be a living example of Christ in every way.

Speaking to the 12 disciples to the Nephites, the Lord said:

3 Nephi 27:27 And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.

Keys of Knowledge to be Learned from the Endowment

The first thing that you should know about the endowment is that everything is not a literal, but a symbolic representation. The endowment is not a saving ordinance, but it is a symbolic depiction of a saving ordinance which should take place throughout your life as you come to Christ. I pray that as I present some of those symbols and what the Lord has taught me about them that you will see these representations, not as beliefs, but as ways of understanding the symbols. You can understand them on many levels, and there are many ways to interpret them. Use these ideas as suggestions that the Lord can show you the true principles behind them, that you may use them in your life.

We are forced to labor under very difficult circumstances. We are taught by fallible men. We have poorly translated and incomplete scriptures. We have to contend with the vagaries of our language. And, last of all, we are bound by false traditions promoted by false, apostate religions. And yet, the Lord tells us that we have sufficient to enable us to lay hold of the iron rod and walk the path back to Him. Given all this, why should we expect our temple ordinances to be pure and uncorrupted? It’s a measure of our faith that even when given insufficient information, we can still step forward and act boldly and valiantly. None of this is a barrier to the Lord. By His grace, He will compensate for our lack of pure knowledge by giving us pure revelation. The Endowment

A “Spiritual translation of Isaiah, Chapter 28”

“These are all major blessings and gifts that the Lord bestows upon His servants for the purpose of building the Kingdom; but this gift has a personal application in a lesser form. The gift of Translation is helpful when studying scripture. For instance, many have struggled with Isaiah. Using this gift, asking the Lord in faith for permission to understand the intent of the words, can lead to your personal spiritual translation of these books. Put away your study manuals and lean upon the Lord for revelation. This gift, used for personal use is appropriate when the Lord has given express permission and not for the purpose of simply sharing your opinions. In this case, it would be taking the Lord’s name in vain. As with all gifts of the Spirit we must seek permission from the Lord.” –

PR, A Witness to the Gifts of the Spirit

This is one of the chapters of Isaiah that PR did not translate. I have often made “spiritual translations” scripture before. It really helps you to understand it, and it is really useful, even if you are the only one who reads it. I love the words of Isaiah. Just putting his words into modern English puts a vivid picture in your mind. My favorite lines in this are:

  • “to perform his act, his unusual act, and do his work, his awesome work.”  – Awesome is a popular, but over-used word, but it really fits here
  • “This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.” – This also describes the Lord at work. He plans, he counsels, and his work is excellent. So is the work of Isaiah. I hope I can measure up to it in some tiny way.
  • The first verse was fun. It talks about the shiny gold decorations that the “drunkards of Ephraim” like to decorate the tops of their buildings with. The ones that get struck by lightning or toppled by earthquakes

1 Woe to the crowns of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim! Their crowning splendor is now the foolish [nabel meaning ‘foolish’ or ‘drooping’] gold decorations [tsiyts From a Hebrew word meaning to ‘blossom’ or ‘sparkle’. A metaphor for shining thing (of gold plate on high priest’s mitre). Isaiah was simply describing what he saw in vision. Wonder what he saw?] so cherished by the fat proud ones [drunkards drunk on their own wine]. [2 Nephi 28:14 They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms …]

2 My Lord has held back in reserve to come forth one mighty and strong [a servant, sent from God to deliver a message by the power of God]: like a tempest of hail of a destroying storm, like a flood of mighty waters, he will bring their false traditions of men down to the ground by his hand [the power of his words, which are the words of Christ]. [D&C 85:7. And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the scepter of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words; while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth, to set in order the house of God …] [teach and administer the ordinances of adoption into the family of God]

3 The traditions of men that the drunkards of Ephraim are so proud of shall be trampled underfoot.

4 And the foolish gold decorations [see above], like crowns of pride, their idols, shall be like the first-ripe fruit before summer harvest: he who sees it devours it the moment he has hold of it.

5 In that day the Lord of Hosts, alone, shall be as a crown of honor and the object of praise to the remnant of his people:

6 and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle [persuade others to a knowledge of the truth] in their gathering places.

7 Nevertheless, even they [the remnant] have indulged in wine [false traditions] and are giddy with strong drink: priests and prophets have gone astray through liquor. They are intoxicated with wine and stagger because of strong drink; they err as seers; they blunder in their decisions. [2 Nephi 28:14 … they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men.]

8 For all tables are filled with vomit [traditions and teachings passed on from the learning of men, not taught through the Spirit]; no spot is without excrement.

9 To whom shall he give instruction? To whom shall he enlighten with revelation? Weanlings weaned from milk, those just taken from the breast? [Young men and young women who have been taught the basics of the true Gospel and who hunger and thirst for more.]

10 For it is but line upon line, line upon line [teach the Doctrine of Christ], precept upon precept, [build precept upon precept] precept upon precept [then, teach the Everlasting Covenant]; a trifle here, a trifle there [He will teach from the revelations of God, taught so that people can receive them but not run faster than they have strength].

11 Therefore, by incomprehensible speech [His servants will teach the truth in all plainness, teaching principles, not clichés.] and a strange tongue [They will teach in a language which the people have not heard before, but will sound familiar to them.] must he speak to these people,

12 to whom he said, this is rest; let the weary rest! This is a respite! But they would not listen. [But they hardened their hearts, taking too lightly that which they had received, i.e. the fullness of the Gospel and the Everlasting Covenant, therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest, which rest is the fulness of his glory.]

13 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough! For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

14 Therefore hear the word of Jehovah, you scoffers who preside over these people in Jerusalem. [The leaders of the church]

15 You have supposed, by taking refuge in deception and hiding behind falsehoods, to have covenanted with Death [Any covenant not made through the Holy Spirit of Promise is a covenant with death.], or reached an agreement with Sheol [the world], that, should a flooding scourge sweep through the earth, it shall not reach you. [You think you will be safe.]

16 Therefore, thus says my Lord Jehovah: I establish in Zion a stone, a tried and tested stone, a glorious cornerstone, a sure foundation. Whoever is faithful to it will not act hastily.

17 I will make justice the standard of measure, righteousness the standard of weight; a hail shall sweep away your shelter of lies and the judgments of God shall overflow your hiding place.

18 Your covenant with Death shall prove null and void, your agreements with Sheol [the world] have no effect: when the flooding scourge sweeps through, you shall be overrun by it.

19 As often as it sweeps through, you shall be seized by it: morning after morning it shall sweep through, by day and by night it shall seize you; it shall cause terror merely to hear news of it.

20 Then shall come to pass the proverb: The couch is too short to stretch out on, the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in. [The doctrine that is offered is not enough to cover the spiritual needs of the seeker. The fullness of the Gospel is not taught. People are leaving the church and going elsewhere because they “want more”.]

21 For Jehovah will rise up as he did on Mount Perazim [A battle where the Lord led King David into battle where he defeated the Philistines and burned their idols.], and be stirred to anger, as in the Valley of Gibeon [Another battle where the Lord and his hidden army of heaven assisted King David to defeat the Philistines.] — to perform his act, his unusual act, and do his work, his awesome work.

22 Now therefore do not scoff, lest your bonds be made stronger, for I have heard utter destruction decreed by my Lord, the Lord of Hosts, upon the whole earth.

23 Give heed, and hear my voice! Be attentive, and listen to what I say!

24 Will the plowman be forever plowing to sow seed, disking and harrowing the same ground? [Does the farmer do nothing except plow all day and yet expect a harvest?]

25 When he has smoothed its surface, does he not sprinkle fennel and scatter cumin? Does he not demarcate wheat from barley and plant buckwheat in its own plot? [Rightly dividing the word of God with discernment.]

26 His God instructs him, directing him in the proper procedure. [God is giving a simple lesson of a farmer.]

27 Fennel is not threshed with a sharp-toothed sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cumin: fennel is beaten out with a stick and cumin with a rod.

28 Domestic grain is ground; one does not go on endlessly threshing it. It cannot be ground by driving horse and threshing cart over it. [Teach all of the Gospel, so that people learn the complete path to salvation. Do not damn them by just repeating the same basic lessons over and over again. Precept must be added upon precept.]

29 This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

Update to “The Scripture Chaser”

This is version 1.0.3.0. Here is a list of changes

  • Included Book of Commandments
  • Access Strong’s words without having to generate a web page
  • Ability to back up and restore comments and history
  • “Word Tools” – including Soundex (Words that sound alike.)

Here is a link to my original blog with all the links to download the program, help PDF, and a link to how-to-use videos on You Tube.

Two Kinds of Peace

There are at least two different kinds of peace. There is the peace that the world offers, and there is the peace Christ offers (“not as the world giveth”). The Hebrew word Shalom implies not only peace for wholeness.

What is the true meaning of shalom?

According to Strong’s Concordance (7965), shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, and the absence of agitation or discord. Shalom comes from the root verb shalom meaning to be complete, perfect and full.


You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You. Isa 26:3


If you look up the Hebrew for “perfect peace”, this is the translation for “shalom shalom”.