Treasure in Heaven

[Yod]

To the Nephites at Bountiful and to the Jews at Jerusalem, the Lord commanded thus.

3 Nephi 13
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Matthew 6
19 ¶ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

These words apply to all mankind, and are a condition of salvation.

1 Nephi 13
40 And the angel spake unto me, saying: These last records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first, which are of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.
41 And they must come according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb; wherefore they both shall be established in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth.

The words established by the mouth of the Lamb and made known in the records of the seed of Nephi as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, by which all mankind must come unto the Lamb, are the Sermon on the Mount, wherein this commandment is found.

The Lord has commanded that we not lay up for ourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust do corrupt and where thieves break through and steal. Treasures are precisely those things which moth or rust can corrupt or thieves can steal. Food can be corrupted or stolen. Money can be corrupted or stolen. Goods of any kind can be corrupted or stolen. Food, money, or goods, and anything else which can be corrupted or stolen, are what we are not to lay up for ourselves upon earth: in other words, we are not to build up for ourselves storages in this world of anything that can be corrupted or stolen.

The commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ to not lay up for ourselves treasures upon earth includes not laying up for ourselves storages of funds or goods or food for retirement, because that is a specific instance of laying up for ourselves treasures upon earth.

Luke 12
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Covetousness means the desire to possess stuff for one's own benefit. Notice that the rich man did not give to others, but that he stored up all his stuff for himself in preparation for his retirement; therefore he had no treasure in heaven.

So how does one lay up for himself treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupts, neither do thieves break through and steal? The Lord answers:

Luke 12
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Sell what you have, and distribute the proceeds of the sale to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven. By doing this, you exchange your earthly treasures for heavenly treasure. The poor, then, are the exchangers.

This commandment, to sell what one has and to distribute the proceeds of the sale to the poor, was not only given to those who followed him.

Matthew 19
16 ¶ And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Remember: we are commanded to be perfect; it is a requirement of salvation. Therefore, this is of supreme importance, for the LORD God is not a respecter of men. Notice again, this is how we lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven: the poor are the exchangers.

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23 ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Hearken again unto the Lord:

Luke 11
37 ¶ And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.

If the Pharisees would give to the poor whatsoever they had as alms, then the Pharisees would be inwardly clean, and be no longer full of ravening and wickedness. The JST helps clarify this.

JST Luke 11:42 But if ye would rather give alms of such things as ye have and observe to do all things which I have commanded you, then would your inward parts be clean also.

"All things which I have commanded you" would be the Sermon on the Mount. Of interest is the accusation of the Lord against the Pharisees, that they were inwardly full of ravening and wickedness, the solution to which inward ravening and wickedness was to sell what they had and give the proceeds of the sale to the poor. We have seen that before.

3 Nephi 14
15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.

We know that "good fruit" is "the works of righteousness" (Alma 5:36), that is, doing all things whatsoever the Lord has commanded. The Pharisees were full of ravening and wickedness because they would not give what they had to the poor as alms, nor would they keep the commandments of the Lord. It sure looks to me like the Pharisees, who were the leaders and teachers of the Church, are examples of false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves.

What were the Pharisees doing, if they weren't keeping the commandments of the Lord?

Luke 11:42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Ah. They were paying their tithing while passing up the poor, thus they had no love of God. "Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye did it not unto me."

Remember, "with the same measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you again." The same standard by which we measure out what we will give to others when they ask will be the same standard by which God measures out what we will receive of him when we ask. If you give all, you receive all. If you give little, you receive little. If you give not, you receive not.

If men - any men - come to us and say, pertaining to the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ which all of us have before us in the word of God, "believe it not; do it not," then we know from whence they come (Moroni 7). Of course, there are many ways to phrase "believe it not; do it not." The most common ways to phrase "believe it not; do it not" are "that's not what that means; that's not to be taken literally; he didn't mean that that way."

For those who may have been innocently led astray by men who have taught you to break the commandments of Jesus Christ as found in the word of God, you have a choice: follow the men, or obey the Lord. You cannot do both, for such men oppose the Lord.

And if anyone disputes or contends against these things, fighting against the word of God in defense of their treasures, that is because their hearts are upon their treasures, wherefore their treasure is their God, and their treasure shall perish with them, as it is written.

2 Nephi 9:30 But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their god. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also.

For you have sold Jesus Christ for silver and for gold and for that which moth or rust corrupts or thieves break through and steal: you have broken the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ for money.

However, you can repent and be saved: cry mightily unto God for forgiveness of your sins, and from thence do all things whatsoever the Lord has commanded.

JST Matthew 5
21 Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so to do, he shall in no wise be saved in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach these commandments of the law until it be fulfilled, the same shall be called great and shall be saved in the kingdom of heaven.
22 For I say unto you, except your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

3 Nephi 14
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them: I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24 Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock—
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand—
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

[Yod]

Luke 14
25 ¶ And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
34 ¶ Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

[True]

Yod,
What about Joseph laying up in store 7 years worth of food for all of Egypt and the lands round about. What about Noah making food and other preparations for the flood. What about Nephi making food storage preparations for his boat? Are there not types in these things?

In speaking about the last days and the calamities to come Jesus talked about a wise steward who would prepare for himself and his household....

Matthew 24
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

[Yod]

Yod,
What about Joseph laying up in store 7 years worth of food for all of Egypt and the lands round about. What about Noah making food and other preparations for the flood. What about Nephi making food storage preparations for his boat? Are there not types in these things?

I think the attempt to overturn the Lord's commandments to all mankind by appealing to specific directions given to specific individuals is misguided, at best. I haven't seen anyone sincerely claim that because Noah was commanded by God to build an ark, therefore we all should be building arks; nor have I seen anyone sincerely claim that because Nephi was commanded to build a boat, we should all be building boats. Why is it that these attempts always go in the same direction - in the direction of overturning the Lord's commandments pertaining to our temporal substance?

In speaking about the last days and the calamities to come Jesus talked about a wise steward who would prepare for himself and his household....

Matthew 24
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

*Whose* household was this speaking of, exactly?

[drtanner]

The interpretations of these scriptures are false. They do not mean to not save or prepare for the future.

Did Christ mean to take these scriptures literally or was he talking about something different, was he trying to teach a principle?

MARK 9
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

JOHN 6
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

[eddie]

" Most Latter-day Saints do not succumb to materialism. There is ample evidence that they adhere to eternal values to a greater extent than any other people. They make the financial sacrifices necessary to "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Moses 2:28) by large families. They pay tithing. They serve missions at their own expense. They cheerfully donate their professional skills in service to their church and their fellowmen. They accept and fulfill the responsibilities of Church callings. To an impressive extent, Latter day Saints obey God's command: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3).
Dallin H. Oaks, " Materialism"

[Yod]

JST Luke 16
Luke 16:1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.

A steward, who is a paid administrator over the Lord's goods, wastes the Lord's goods by not doing as commanded, and doing what was not commanded.

Luke 16:2 And he called him and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest be no longer steward.

"Turn over the books. You're fired."

Luke 16:3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? For my lord taketh away from me the stewardship. I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

He's good for nothing.

Luke 16:4 I am resolved what to do--that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

He's looking to assure himself some friendliness where he's heading.

Luke 16:5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?

Who are the Lord's debtors? Who has entered into an agreement, or covenant, with the Lord to render unto the Lord his due? What paid steward over the Lord's goods has got actual power to call every one of the Lord's debtors to confer with him - that is, power to call a conference of the Lord's covenant people?

Luke 16:6 And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

Does not oil represent the Spirit? Do we not receive the Spirit by doing what we are commanded, what we agreed with the Lord to do? Might therefore this mean "do only half of the stuff you agreed to do?"

Luke 16:7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, A hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill and write fourscore.

Wheat normally represents the words of God in the scriptures, no? Might this mean "teach only 80% of what you agreed to teach?"

Luke 16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely; for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.

"Smart move." For he had diligently prepared for the future he truly worried about. For the disobedient are more diligent in preparing for the future they truly fear than the children of God are.

Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

"Be diligent servants to your unrighteous bosses in business, so that when you fail in the course of your discipleship to me, your unrighteous bosses may receive you in their everlasting homes." Where do the unrighteous dwell eternally?

Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in the least is also unjust in much.

"Unjust" means "not doing that which is agreed upon."

Luke 16:11 If, therefore, ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

If you are untrustworthy and disobedient in your employment to your unrighteous bosses, who will entrust you with the power of heaven and eternal life?

Luke 16:12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give unto you that which is your own?

If you are dishonest in the slightest in your employment to your unrighteous bosses, who would make you a God?

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Mammon is business, finances, temporal substance, and so on. And yes, they understood him.

Luke 16:14 And the Pharisees also who were covetous heard all these things; and they derided him.

Covetous = wanting to possess things for themselves, ie, wanting to be rich. They mocked and scorned him for these sayings.

Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they who justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

"Justify yourselves before men" means "falsely make out unto men like you are doing what God commands." And isn't planning for the future highly esteemed among men?

Who, then, are the unrighteous stewards? Who, then, are the Lord's debtors? Who defrauds the Lord, and how?

[eddie]

Teaching in a manner of scolding is not effective;

The Apostle Paul wrote: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1–2). In this dispensation the Lord has said that “no one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love, having faith, hope, and charity” (D&C 12:8).

[Yod]

Romans 14:4; Romans 2:1; 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

[Yod]

2 Nephi 9
40 O, my beloved brethren, give ear to my words. Remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel. Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will revile against the truth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken.

41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.

43 But the things of the wise and the prudent shall be hid from them forever—yea, that happiness which is prepared for the saints.

[True]

You admit that God tells different people to do different things to fulfill his purposes yet all MUST comply with your interpretation of scripture or that's it for them. I have been following the whisperings of the Spirit for a while and he has never directed me in this way. Maybe he has for you. The beauty of obedience to the Lord is you never know where he's taking you. It's always somewhere exciting. He is not just playing one note, but a symphony.


If you give God the right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment out of you. God's experiments always succeed. (Like Joseph, Noah, Me!)
Oswald Chambers

[Yod]

You admit that God tells different people to do different things to fulfill his purposes yet all MUST comply with your interpretation of scripture or that's it for them. I have been following the whisperings of the Spirit for a while and he has never directed me in this way.

You follow a spirit which whispers to you about the Lord's commandments in the scriptures: "believe it not; do it not?"

[drtanner]

If Martin Harris had sold everything he had and gave it to the poor, taking no thought for the morrow would we have those precious truths you just quoted in 2nd Nephi?

[Yod]

This Martin Harris?

D&C 58
35 It is wisdom in me that my servant Martin Harris should be an example unto the church, in laying his moneys before the bishop of the church.

36 And also, this is a law unto every man that cometh unto this land to receive an inheritance; and he shall do with his moneys according as the law directs.

[Finrock]

" Most Latter-day Saints do not succumb to materialism. There is ample evidence that they adhere to eternal values to a greater extent than any other people. They make the financial sacrifices necessary to "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Moses 2:28) by large families. They pay tithing. They serve missions at their own expense. They cheerfully donate their professional skills in service to their church and their fellowmen. They accept and fulfill the responsibilities of Church callings. To an impressive extent, Latter day Saints obey God's command: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3).
Dallin H. Oaks, " Materialism"

25 And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets; we would not have stoned them, and cast them out.

26 Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; yea, you will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are evil.

27 But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer; yea, he will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth—and if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive him, and say that he is a prophet.

28 Yea, ye will lift him up, and ye will give unto him of your substance; ye will give unto him of your gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe him with costly apparel; and because he speaketh flattering words unto you, and he saith that all is well, then ye will not find fault with him.

-Finrock

[eddie]

" Most Latter-day Saints do not succumb to materialism. There is ample evidence that they adhere to eternal values to a greater extent than any other people. They make the financial sacrifices necessary to "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Moses 2:28) by large families. They pay tithing. They serve missions at their own expense. They cheerfully donate their professional skills in service to their church and their fellowmen. They accept and fulfill the responsibilities of Church callings. To an impressive extent, Latter day Saints obey God's command: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3).
Dallin H. Oaks, " Materialism"

25 And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets; we would not have stoned them, and cast them out.

26 Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; yea, you will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are evil. I thank Thee Oh God For A Prophet, Thomas S. Monson.

27 But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer; yea, he will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth—and if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive him, and say that he is a prophet. Never would buy it, I have discernment!

28 Yea, ye will lift him up, and ye will give unto him of your substance; ye will give unto him of your gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe him with costly apparel; and because he speaketh flattering words unto you, and he saith that all is well, then ye will not find fault with him.

Wrong again.

-Finrock

[True]

You are not hard to discern, Yod.

[Yod]

You are not hard to discern, Yod.

I hope that I am not hard to discern. That would defeat the purpose of talking. I try to be so plain and clear that no man can err in discerning the truth.

[True]

Being understood is communicating clearly and you definitely do that. What I am talking about is the discerning of spirits. That is why I am not too worried about anyone falling away from you because you are not hard to discern. I think even Finrock can tell. (Finrock, you're not allowed to get offended bc l love you.)

[Yod]

Being understood is communicating clearly and you definitely do that. What I am talking about is the discerning of spirits. That is why I am not too worried about anyone falling away from you because you are not hard to discern. I think even Finrock can tell. (Finrock, you're not allowed to get offended bc l love you.)

I'm not overly concerned about anyone falling away from me, either; every man is an agent unto himself, to discern and choose which society he prefers to participate in.

I preached in the grove on the keys of the Kingdom, Charity &c The keys are certain signs and words by which false spirits and personages may be detected from true, which cannot be revealed to the Elders till the Temple is completed —The rich can only get them in the Temple—the poor may get them on the Mountain top as did Moses. The rich cannot be saved without Charity, giving to feed the poor when and how God requires as well as building. There are signs in heaven, earth, and hell, the Elders must know them all to be endowed with power, to finish their work and prevent imposition. The devil knows many signs but does not know the sign of the Son of Man, or Jesus. No one can truly say he knows God until he has handled something, and this can only be in the Holiest of Holies. (Manuscript History of the Church, Ehat and Cook, Words of Joseph Smith, 119-120; 1 May 1841)

That is the point of the endowments - to communicate the keys so that we may discern and avoid imposition - that is, impostors, pretenders, hypocrites, and the philosophies of men mingled with scripture we are so diligently fed by such characters, and so on, so that we may ultimately handle something, which can only be done in the Holiest of Holies, and truly know God, and thus obtain eternal life.

Moroni 7
12 Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.

13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.

14 Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.

15 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.

16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.

18 And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.

19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.

[drtanner]

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1999/08/judg ... g?lang=eng

[Yod]

Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.

[cyclOps]

If the treasure is in heaven then why are rainbows not upside down?

[Finrock]

The following are factual summary statements regarding Lehi in the Book of Mormon as it has been recorded in 1 Nephi. If I have made mistakes, please point out my error so that I can correct it. Although I may be mistaken in this summary, please know that it is my desire to make a summary that is scripturally accurate and true.

If we look at Lehi, as it is written in scripture, Lehi, was a wealthy man. We know he was wealthy because Laban envied Lehi's possessions which were "exceedingly great". The scriptures attest that Lehi was a prophet of God. He attained this "status" prior to him leaving his possessions in Jerusalem and while he had wealth that was exceedingly great. Based on the record, Lehi beheld numerous visions prior to him leaving his possessions. In the visions and dreams he was visited by Christ and saw Christ. While he was still in Jerusalem and while he still had his exceedingly great possessions, Lehi prophecied and warned the inhabitants of Jerusalem as an authorized agent of God.

Further, it is never recorded in scripture that Lehi sold his possessions and gave them to the poor. It is written that he left them in Jerusalem and had every intent to just leave his possessions. Perhaps he left the wealth to the poor but we don't know. However, the fact that his wealth was later used in an attempt to obtain the Brass Plates, we can safely assume that he did not sell all that he had and did not give it to the poor. The wealth was stolen by Laban and presumably Laban's household and the plates were obtained by killing Laban and then Nephi took the Brass Plates from Laban against Laban's will, at the behest of God or by following the direction of the Holy Spirit. It is assumed that the wealth stayed with the household of Laban after Nephi obtained the plates and left Jerusalem, but we don't know for sure. Lehi was eventually commanded by the Lord in a dream to leave Jerusalem and when Lehi left he "...took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness."

Based strictly on what is recorded in the scriptures we can make the following conclusions. First, Lehi was an exceedinly wealthy man who was visited by Christ, at least in a dream or in a vision, and saw visions. Lehi, being an exceedingly wealthy man, was a prophet of God in good standing with God. Lehi, being a an exceedingly wealthy man, was a disciple of Jesus Christ. Lehi, an exceedingly wealthy man, did not need to sell all of his possessions and give them to the poor in order for God to be pleased with him, in order for God to continue to visit him, to be a prophet, to have visions, and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. When Lehi was commanded to go in to the wilderness, Lehi did prepare for his future journey in the wilderness by taken with him provisions and tents.

How does this account of Lehi square with the Sermons? I don't know for sure. Perhaps if Lehi would not have been willing to leave his possessions, or would not have left them, he would have been forsaken of the Lord. Yet, Lehi, as far as we can see, never sold all that he had and gave the proceeds to the poor. Perhaps the Sermon at the time didn't apply to disciples of Jesus Christ because Jesus had not yet taught the Sermons. Or, perhaps there is something else that I am missing and don't understand.

I am willing to seek after these answers from God. Perhaps nothing that I've written applies to the Sermons. Perhaps my summary is incorrect and I've missed some fact. I know that I don't want to make excuses or reasons not to follow God's commandments, but, perhaps I'm just a wimp and subconsciously I am trying to make excuses because I don't have enough faith and trust in God. Perhaps there is a way to square the accounts and examples from scripture of other prophets of God who were able to obtain great blessings even though they did not literally and at face value do the things that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the mount. Perhaps that is my test, to ignore what others may have obtained and to do what Jesus has said to do in the Sermon. But, that doesn't make sense to me since God is not a respecter of persons. In any case, I feel like there is something missing either in what is being said or in my understanding of things at the moment, or I'm just a coward and afraid to commit to the Lord with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. I hope that last option isn't it.

-Finrock

[Yod]

Lehi was under the Law of Moses. Those laws, commandments, and the associated covenant was fulfilled by Christ and done away in him (2 Nephi 25:27; Alma 13:24; Alma 16:16-17; 3 Nephi 15:1-10). The current law and commandments unto the whole world is the Sermon (D&C 22:2; 1 Nephi 13:40-41).