I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.

Zion, July 28, 2012

I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 38:27)

The Olympiads or hunger games have begun, Root, Hog or Die

 ONE

I'll tell you a story that happened long ago,

When the English came to America, I s'pose you all know,

They could'nt whip the Yankees, I'll tell you the reason why,'Uncle Sam made 'em sing Root Hog or Die.

What is this and what does this language means? It is a parable and it means:

"BANKRUPTCY, FAMINE, FLOODS, FIRE, CYCLONES, BLOOD, PLAGUE."

Two elders or angels came to me in a dream and pointed the following scriptures unto me before I went to the House of the LORD not many days ago. For of this it is written:

 “Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.  And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”

(New Testament | Hebrews 12:26 - 27)

Therefore give heed to him that speaketh:

See that ye refuse not him that speaketh.  For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying,

Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.

(New Testament | Hebrews 12:25 - 29)

To give you a better Idea of what we are dealing here, for due to great anxieties I am not an able pen nor do I have sufficient proprietary words to describe it, I will now quote to you all, the following: It is a kind of panoramic written excerpt from Patriarch & Bishop Charles D Evan’s Vision of the Future in case you missed it from my previous blog’s links.

http://www.reliefmine.com/component/content/article/59-dreams/95-charles-d-evans-lds-church-patriarch-sees-future

"Son, I perceive thou hast grave anxieties over the perilous state of thy country, that thy soul has felt deep sorrow for its future. I have therefore come to thy relief and to tell thee of the causes that have led to this peril.  Hear me attentively.

 "Seventy-one years ago [1823], after an awful apostasy of centuries, in which all nations were enshrouded in spiritual darkness, when the angels had withdrawn themselves, the voice of prophets hushed, and the light of Urim and Thummim shown not, and the vision of the seers closed, while heaven itself shed not a ray of gladness to lighten a dark world, when Babel ruled and Satan laughed, and Church and Priesthood had taken their upward flight, and the voice of nations, possessing the books of the Jewish prophets, had ruled against vision and against Urim, against the further visits of angels, and against the doctrine of a church of apostles and prophets, thou knowest that then appeared a mighty angel with the solemn announcement of the hour of judgment, the burden of whose instructions pointed to dire calamities upon the present generation.  This, therefore, is the cause of what thou seest and the end of the wicked hasteneth."

 My vision now became extended in a marvelous manner, and the import of the past labors of the Elders was made plain to me. I saw multitudes fleeing to the place of safety in our mountain heights. The church was established in the wilderness. Simultaneously the nation had reached an unparalleled prosperity, wealth abounded, new territory was acquired, commerce extended, finance strengthened, confidence was maintained, and peoples abroad pointed to her as the model nation--the ideal of the past realized and perfected--the embodiment of the liberty  sung by poets and sought for by sages.

"But," continued the Messenger, "thou beholdest a change.” Confidence is lost, wealth is arrayed against labor, labor against wealth, yet the land abounds with plenty of food and raiment, and silver and gold are in abundance.

Thou seest also the letters written by a Jew have wrought great confusion in the finances of the nation which, together with the policy of many wealthy ones, has produced distress and do produce further sorrow."

Factions now sprang up as if by magic; capital had entrenched itself against labor throughout the land; labor was organized against capital.

The voice of the wise sought to tranquilize these two powerful factors in vain. Excited multitudes ran wildly about; strikes increased; lawlessness sought the place of  regular government.

http://thevoiceofthewise.blogspot.com/

At this juncture I saw a banner floating in air whereupon was written the words,

"BANKRUPTCY, FAMINE, FLOODS, FIRE, CYCLONES, BLOOD, PLAGUE."

Mad with rage, men and women rushed upon each other.

Blood flowed down the streets of cities like water. The demon of bloody hate had enthroned itself on the citadel of reason; the thirst for blood was more intense than that of the parched tongue for water. Thousands of bodies lay untombed in the streets. Men and women fell dead from the terror inspired by fear. Rest was but the precursor of the bloody work of the morrow. All around lay the mournfulness of a past in ruins.  Monuments erected to perpetuate the names of the noble and brave were ruthlessly destroyed by combustibles.

A voice now sounded aloud these words,

"Yet once again I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word yet once again signifies the removing of things that are shaken, as of things that are made; that those things that cannot be shaken  may remain."

Earthquakes rent the earth in vast chasms, which engulfed multitudes; terrible groanings and wailings filled the air; the shrieks of the suffering were indescribably awful. Water wildly rushed in from the tumultuous ocean, whose very roaring under the mad rage of the fierce cyclone, was unendurable to the ear. Cities were swept away in an instant, missiles were hurled through the atmosphere at a terrible velocity, and people were carried upward only to descend an unrecognizable mass. Islands appeared where ocean waves once tossed the gigantic steamer. In other parts, voluminous flames emanating from vast fires, rolled with fearful velocity, destroying life and property in their destructive course.

The seal of the dread menace of despair was stamped on every human visage; men fell exhausted, appalled and trembling. Every element of agitated nature seemed a demon of wrathful fury. Dense clouds, blacker than midnight darkness, whose thunders reverberated with intonations which shook the earth, obscured the sunlight.  Darkness reigned unrivaled and supreme.

Again the light shone, revealing an atmosphere tinged with a leaden hue, which was the precursor of an unparalleled plague, whose first symptoms were recognized by a purple spot which appeared on the cheek or on the back of the hand, and which, invariably, enlarged until it spread over the entire surface of the body, producing certain death. Mothers, on sight of it, cast away their children as if they were poisonous reptiles. This plague, in grown persons, rotted the eyes in their sockets and consumed the tongue as would a powerful acid or an intense heat. Wicked men, suffering under its writhing agonies, cursed God and died, as they  stood on their feet, and the birds of prey feasted on their carcasses.

I saw in my dream the Messenger again appear with a vial in his right hand, who addressing me, said:

"Thou knowest somewhat of the chemistry taught in the schools of human learning, behold now a chemical sufficiently powerful to change the waters of the sea."

He then poured out his vial upon the sea and it became putrid as the blood of a dead man, and every living soul therein died. Other plagues followed which I forbear to record.

A foreign power had inroaded the nation, which, from every human indication, it appeared would seize the government and supplant it with monarchy. I stood trembling at the aspect, when, lo, a power arose in the west which declared itself in favor of the Constitution in its original form; to this suddenly rising power, every lover of constitutional rights and liberties throughout the nation gave hearty support. The struggle was fiercely contested, but the Stars and Stripes floated in the breeze, and bidding defiance to all opposition,  waved proudly over the land.

 Among the many banners I saw, was one inscribed thus: "The government based on the Constitution, now and forever"; on another, "Liberty of Conscience, Social, Religious, and Political."

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.

http://thevoiceofthewise.blogspot.com/2012/07/out-of-zion-perfection-of-beauty-god.html

As you may have seen from the blogs right above, what tasted sweet as honey to me yesterday has turned bitter in my belly today when fully digested. This is why I was inspired yesterday to write about Zion or UNITY so that some would know what to expect after the blues, if they keep the commandments of God and follow the counsel of the prophets. And I am not the only one who has spoken about these things and I truly say them with great pain and agony as that of a woman in travail to give birth and which bends me down and makes me squat even now of pain; and I lie not. For of this it is written:

And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book.  And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

(New Testament | Revelation 10:8 - 11)

Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am.  I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine. And again, I say unto you that the enemy in the secret chambers seeketh your lives. Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land. I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 38:27 - 30)

These things I say as a voice of warning by the spirit of truth; and I do it for the honor and Glory of God and to testify that I am a witness or have a testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ. And I do these things by way of knowledge and instruction; and as a timely reminder with intent to persuade you and bring you to the knowledge of things as they are, as they were and as they are to come ; and I do it with proper authority for you profit and your salvation upon obedience and faithfulness to the best of your abilities in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

You have been served by an unworthy servant it he hands of Christ

Scribed in the midnight by a herald of salvation

Miguel Angel Tinoco Rodriguez.

OUT OF ZION, THE PERFECTION OF BEAUTY, GOD SHINETH.

Zion, July 26, 2012

 

"I'll tell you a story that happened long ago,

When the English came to America, I s'pose you all know,

They could'nt whip the Yankees, I'll tell you the reason why,' Uncle Sam made 'em sing Root Hog or Die."

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.

(Old Testament | Psalms 50:2)

Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

(Book of Mormon | Alma 37:6 - 7)

The Secret of the Romney’s Family success is no mystery. It is a matter of principle and a life lesson worthy of emulation in both bountiful and distressed times. It is not about greatness but in their own words, it is merely about small and simple things.

Small and simple things.

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2010/08/small-and-simple-things?lang=eng

“Root Hog or Die”

Many people may not know this, but a BRANCH of the Romney Family were refugees from Mexico. And believe it or not, they built success here and there which is still very alive today. And they did it the American way or by hard work, effort, determination, unmovable faith in God, honor, honesty and above all they were pillars of UNITY; or in other words they learned to “root hog or die.”

In their most difficult circumstances the Romneys joined together or they would not have made it when they came back from Mexico after having lodged there for a very long time; and so should we if we desire to abide the great and dreadful day of the LORD which is nigh at hand.  In other words or as President Romney would have said it;  ROOT HOG OR DIE. My words do not do justice to Roots of the Romney Family; therefore, here is the tale as related by of a pillar of their own household.

As an anchor of truth and the voices of dust, I have personally interacted with President Romney, even last night or early this morning in paradise in the visions of the night dream. What a beautiful place I saw when I was transported there. I myself have seen it. And if it was not paradise, it must have been the earth in its renewed state or the embodiment of Zion, the everlasting dwelling place of God.   And this is how I would describe it: OUT OF ZION, THE PERFECTION OF BEAUTY, GOD SHINETH.

I saw it in my dream even as the Evangelist or Patriarch Charles D, Evans did in his vision of the future. Please pardon the redundancy, but for to me, Even, Evangelist, Patriarch and Evans pretty much means the same thing four times. And since all truth stands upon four legs as a table, what I saw in my dream  must be true. But here is an excerpt of Bishop Evans in his vision which I also partially experienced last night.

OUT OF ZION, THE PERFECTION OF BEAUTY, GOD SHINETH.

http://chapmanresearch.org/PDF/The%20Prophetic%20Vision%20of%20Charles%20D%20Evans.pdf

“The light of the Gospel which had but dimly shone because of abomination, now burst forth with a lustre that filled the earth. Cities appeared in every direction, one of which, in the center of the continent, was an embodiment of architectural science after the pattern of eternal perfections, whose towers glittered with a radiance emanating from the sparkling of emeralds, rubies, diamonds, and other precious stones set in a canopy of gold, and so elaborately and skillfully arranged as to shed forth a brilliancy which dazzled and enchanted the eye, excited admiration and developed a taste for the beautiful, beyond anything man had ever conceived.

Fountains of crystal water shot upwards their transparent jets, which, in the brilliant sunshine, formed ten thousand rainbow tints at once delightful to the eye.

Gardens, the perfection of whose arrangement confound all our present attempts at genius, were bedecked with flowers of varied hue to develop and refine the taste and strengthen a love for these nature's chastest adornments.

Schools and universities were erected, to which all had access; in the latter, Urims were placed for the study of the past, present, and future, and for obtaining a knowledge of the heavenly bodies, and of the construction of worlds and universes. The inherent properties of matter, its arrangements, laws, and mutual relations were revealed and taught and made plain as the primer lesson of a child. The conflicting theories of geologists regarding the foundation and age of the earth were settled forever. All learning was based on eternal certainty. Angels brought forth the treasures of knowledge which had laid hid in the womb of the dumb and distant past.

 The appliances for making learning easy surpass all conjecture. Chemistry was rendered extremely simple, by the power which the Urims conferred on man of looking into and through the very elements of every kind; a stone furnished no more obstruction to human vision than the air itself. Not only were the elements and all their changes and transformations plainly understood, but the construction, operations and laws of mind were thus rendered equally plain as those which governed the coarser elements.

While looking through the Urim and Thummim, I was amazed at a transformation, which even now is to me marvelous beyond description, clearly showing the manner in which particles composing the inorganic kingdom of nature are conducted upward to become a part of organic forms; another astounding revelation was a view clearly shown me of the entire circulation of the blood, both in man and animals.

After seeing these things and gazing once more upon the beautiful city, the following passage of scripture sounded in my ears: "OUT OF ZION, THE PERFECTION OF BEAUTY, GOD SHINETH."

On this I awoke to find all a dream. I have written the foregoing, which is founded on true principle, under the caption of a dream, partly to instruct and partly to check the folly of reading silly novels now so prevalent.”

CHARLES D. EVANS, Springville, Utah

I saw President Romney; and I saw many Urim and thummims as laptops over clrystal celar pools of water and I understood that he who was there was guiding me to search his own words; and so should you.

This is how this tale starts according to Elder Marion G Romney in first person according to  what is eternally written;

 “I really wonder what has gone wrong with father …

Now I bear you my testimony, brothers and sisters, that I know this matter of tithing is a true principle and that blessings come from it. My parents taught me to pay tithing, and in the words of Enos I say, to their honor,

“blessed be the name of my God for it.” (Enos 1:1.)

Perhaps you are aware that my family were refugees from Mexico. During the years that followed our arrival in the United States, Father had a difficult time getting enough food to feed his family. I remember the time about two years after we came out of Mexico (that would be about 1914) when Father got a job in Oakley, Idaho, teaching in the Cassia Academy for $80 a month.

When Father and his brother left Mexico, they both had large families. Knowing that they would have a difficult time making a living (they brought nothing out of Mexico except what they could bring in one trunk), they joined together and pooled their earnings. After a short stay in El Paso, Texas, they went together to Los Angeles, California, where they worked as carpenters. Later they moved to Oakley, Idaho, where they could raise their families in a Latter-day Saint environment. When one of them was out of work, they divided the income of the other and thus eked out an existence for both families. My uncle was out of work one winter in Idaho. That left them the $80 my father received for teaching with which to support about seventeen people. They had to pay rent; they had to buy everything they ate; and they would have had to buy fuel, except I went out on the hillside and dug the sagebrush from under the snow for fuel. I kept warm digging, and Mother kept warm poking it into the stove.

The question came up in the family council—should father pay tithing on that $80? If he didn’t he would have $40 a month to care for the family; if he did, it would be cut down by $4, and he would have $36 a month. I remember that council, and I remember that they decided they would pay their tithing; and I remember they sent me with the tithing to the bishop. It was cold, and I didn’t have warm clothes; I really wondered what had gone wrong with Father. But I learned from that—the training of my parents—I learned there is truth in the Lord’s promises.

I know that you have a great feeling if you live the law of tithing. I remember a time just after my wife and I married; I was working my way through school, and I was working at the post office eight hours a day and carrying a full course of law. We had lost a baby, and we had a large hospital bill. I decided to quit the post office and start the practice of law. I quit in September and failed to pay tithing that month because I had built up a retirement benefit with the government that was to be paid to me in November; I felt I could pay my tithing with that. But it didn’t come in November, and it didn’t come in December. I had to report that year to my bishop that I had not paid a full tithe. But I did not feel good about it, so I kept a record and paid it in installments at eight percent interest until I had paid the deficit in full. I had a good feeling after I got it paid. I knew the Lord had understood and accepted my performance.

I tell you now that I know from my own experience, and I bear you my witness as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ—a special witness that I am happy to bear to all the world under any circumstances—that there is a peace and a comfort and assurance that comes to one who will pay an honest tithing, a liberal tithing. If you ever come to a time when you don’t know how much you owe, pay a little more. It is better to pay too much than too little.”

[illustration] Illustrated by Peggy Procto

ZION IS UNION

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2010/08/unity?lang=eng

These things I humbly say as a messenger of the covenant who is endowed with the keys of salvation under the direction and counsel of the holy one who is without beginning of days or end of life. And I do it for the glory and honor of God in preparation of the way for his glorious advent; and also for your temporal and eternal profit upon obedience and faithfulness; and I do it  as one having authority in the sacred name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Attentively yours from an unworthy servant in the hands of Christ

 Miguel Angel Tinoco Rodriguez

Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

Zion, July 7, 2012

·         Isaiah 5:13

Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

Israeli draft pits secular Jews vs. ultra-Orthodox

http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-draft-pits-secular-jews-vs-ultra-orthodox-071228668.html

And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

(Isaiah 5:3)

This is a very difficult situation to resolve for secular men, but not a bit difficult or impossible for those who are endowed with power from on high and who minister unto men in behalf of God. For it is written that my people suffer because of ignorance.  They study day and night the scriptures and yet they do not understand them.  Those who refuse to work when able to do so and who forsake to provide for their own are worst than the infidel. It so appears that thos ultra orthodox jews  are from the ancient order as that of the sect of the Nehors, a sect that seeks to glut or live free under the labors of this people and who falsely believe that God saves all men in their sins and not from their sins as the scriptures make it manifest and declares.

·         Ephesians 4:18

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:

·         Hosea 4:6

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

·         Faith — Bible Dictionary

 

All true faith must be based upon correct knowledge or it cannot produce the desired results. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel and is more than belief, since true faith always moves its possessor to some kind of physical and mental action; it carries an assurance of the fulfillment of the things hoped for. A lack of faith leads one to despair, which comes because of iniquity.

Nevertheless, if those ultraorthodox Jews are direct descendants of Aaron or ordained High Priests or Levites, then they may be exempt from secular work but only as long as they are engaged in the service of God, such as Nazarenes or fully consecrated high priests. And no one takes this honor upon himself but those who were called of God as Aaron. For the laborer is worthy of his hire and it is written that thou shall not muzzle the ox while it threshes the threshing floor.  

·         Hebrews 5:4

And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

The LORD OUR RIGHTEOSUNESS is first in WAR. He is also a GOD, a KING, a PRIEST AND a PROPHET, among many other noble and great titles; and he is still working ruling upon all his creations as we speak. But that does not except anyone who is able from active duty or from military service, whether their inheritance is with the people or with the LORD.

·         Mosiah 2:14

And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day.

·         Mosiah 29:14

And even I myself have labored with all the power and faculties which I have possessed, to teach you the commandments of God, and to establish peace throughout the land, that there should be no wars nor contentions, no stealing, nor plundering, nor murdering, nor any manner of iniquity;

In fact, as you all can see quoted above, religion is a truly applied science. The Lord never commanded or prohibited anyone to study the scriptures but to search them with intent to observe them or apply them in the secular world. The scriptures are before you if you with the everlasting gospel which is the power of God unto salvation, but only if you will lift up your eyes and see or follow the links and learn knowledge and attain understanding which is freely given. All that the LORD requires is that you cease your labors when his ministers administer unto you his authoritative words.

·         Alma 1:26

And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God. And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength.

And we also know for the scripture cannot be broken that since the fall of man from grace, the Lord our God omnipotent commanded us all from the very beginning and he has not revoked that we shall eat our bread with the sweat of our brow. Priests or not, with vey few exceptions, one way or another, we all have to earn our daily bread by the sweat of our face, without which we cannot preach or instruct with power and authority from on high as I AM is now doing thru the staff which is in his hand or his unworthy servant before my sweaty labors of the day begin.  Hereafter are the scriptural references for your profit and understanding.

·         Deuteronomy 25:4

Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.

·         1 Corinthians 9:9

For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?

·         1 Timothy 5:18

For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

·         Mosiah 18:24

And he also commanded them that the priests whom he had ordained should labor with their own hands for their support.

·         Mosiah 27:5

Yea, and all their priests and teachers should labor with their own hands for their support, in all cases save it were in sickness, or in much want; and doing these things, they did abound in the grace of God.

·         Alma 1:3

And he had gone about among the people, preaching to them that which he termed to be the word of God, bearing down against the church; declaring unto the people that every priest and teacher ought to become popular; and they ought not to labor with their hands, but that they ought to be supported by the people.

·         Alma 30:32

Now Alma said unto him: Thou knowest that we do not glut ourselves upon the labors of this people; for behold I have labored even from the commencement of the reign of the judges until now, with mine own hands for my support, notwithstanding my many travels round about the land to declare the word of God unto my people.

·         Alma 32:5

And they came unto Alma; and the one who was the foremost among them said unto him: Behold, what shall these my brethren do, for they are despised of all men because of their poverty, yea, and more especially by our priests; for they have cast us out of our synagogues which we have labored abundantly to build with our own hands; and they have cast us out because of our exceeding poverty; and we have no place to worship our God; and behold, what shall we do?

·         Doctrine and Covenants 124:112

This let him do if he will have an interest; and let him hearken unto the counsel of my servant Joseph, and labor with his own hands that he may obtain the confidence of men.

·         Alma 48:17

Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.

·         Alma 53:2

And Moroni went to the city of Mulek with Lehi, and took command of the city and gave it unto Lehi. Now behold, this Lehi was a man who had been with Moroni in the more part of all his battles; and he was a man like unto Moroni, and they rejoiced in each other’s safety; yea, they were beloved by each other, and also beloved by all the people of Nephi.

·         Alma 51:21

And thus Moroni put an end to those king-men, that there were not any known by the appellation of king-men; and thus he put an end to the stubbornness and the pride of those people who professed the blood of nobility; but they were brought down to humble themselves like unto their brethren, and to fight valiantly for their freedom from bondage.

·         Mosiah 1:3

And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.

·         2 Nephi 15:13

Therefore, my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

Faith 

Faith. Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true (Heb. 11:1; Alma 32:21), and must be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation. To have faith is to have confidence in something or someone. The Lord has revealed himself and his perfect character, possessing in their fulness all the attributes of love, knowledge, justice, mercy, unchangeableness, power, and every other needful thing, so as to enable the mind of man to place confidence in him without reservation. Faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith (Rom. 10:14–17). Miracles do not produce faith, but strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ; in other words, faith comes by righteousness, although miracles often confirm one’s faith.

Faith is a principle of action and of power, and by it one can command the elements and/or heal the sick, or influence any number of circumstances when occasion warrants (Jacob 4:4–7). Even more important, by faith one obtains a remission of sins and eventually can stand in the presence of God.

All true faith must be based upon correct knowledge or it cannot produce the desired results. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel and is more than belief, since true faith always moves its possessor to some kind of physical and mental action; it carries an assurance of the fulfillment of the things hoped for. A lack of faith leads one to despair, which comes because of iniquity.

Although faith is a gift, it must be cultured and sought after until it grows from a tiny seed to a great tree. The effects of true faith in Jesus Christ include (1) an actual knowledge that the course of life one is pursuing is acceptable to the Lord (see Heb. 11:4); (2) a reception of the blessings of the Lord that are available to man in this life; and (3) an assurance of personal salvation in the world to come. These things involve individual and personal testimony, guidance, revelation, and spiritual knowledge. Where there is true faith there are miracles, visions, dreams, healings, and all the gifts of God that he gives to his saints. Jesus pointed out some obstacles to faith in John 5:44 and 12:39–42 (cf. James 1:6–8).

The most complete and systematic exposition on faith is the Lectures on Faith, prepared for and delivered in the School of the Prophets in Kirtland, Ohio, in 1832. Other references to faith include JST Gen. 14:26–36; Rom. 10:14–17; 2 Cor. 5:7; Eph. 2:8–9; Heb. 11:1–40; James 2:14–26; 1 Pet. 1:8–9; Enos 1:6–8; Alma 32; Moro. 10:11; D&C 46:13–16.

·         2 Nephi 25:20

And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved.

·         2 Nephi 32:7

And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be.

I testify that these things are true and faithful and I say them to you all as one having authority in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Attentively from an unworthy servant in the hands of Christ

Miguel Angel Tinoco Rodriguez

Prophet, Priest & Captain

 

Alma 46:12

And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.