At the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, Joseph Smith offered a prayer he received by revelation, “Now these words, O Lord, we have spoken before thee, concerning the revelations and commandments which thou hast given unto us, who are identified with the Gentiles.” (D&C 109:60) The Latter-day Saints are identified with the Gentiles.
In order for the Gentiles to be saved the must do three things:
- Repent
- Fight not against Zion
- Do not unite themselves to that great and abominable church.
“…for the Lord God will fulfil his covenants which he has made unto his children; and for this cause the prophet has written these things.” – 2 Nephi 6:12
Repent
“The Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world. Since we are born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. Without this there can be no progress in the things of the soul’s salvation, for all accountable persons are stained by sin and must be cleansed in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Repentance is not optional for salvation; it is a commandment of God…” LDS Bible Dictionary
Q: How do we as Latter-day Saints unintentionally miss out on true repentance?
Zion
“Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion—the pure in heart; therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all the wicked shall mourn.” (D&C 97:21)
Q: How could we as Latter-day Saints fight against the pure in heart whether they are among us or not?
The Great and Abominable Church
“And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold
the gold,
and the silver,
and the silks,
and the scarlets,
and the fine-twined linen,
and the precious clothing,
and the harlots,
are the desires of this great and abominable church. And also
for the praise of the world
do they destroy the saints of God,
and bring them down into captivity.” (1 Nephi 13:8-9)
Q: If Zion is the pure in heart? Can one have a pure heart if that heart desires the things of the great and abominable church?
Q: Why are over half of the desires of the great and abominable church related to clothing and outward appearance?
Q: A harlot is a “woman who prostitutes her body for hire” and to prostitute means to “offer freely to a lewd use” and lewd means “given to the unlawful indulgence of lust; addicted to fornication or adultery.” How widespread are these desires among the saints or in our own hearts?
Q: Do we join in criticizing the saints so that we can be seen as free-thinking, trendy, progressive, open-minded, or any other badge of virtue offered by world in exchange for our alignment with their views?
Q: If the adversary would have us commit any number of these three offenses, which one do we personally find the easiest to embrace?
