The Necessity Of Knowing Satan’s Plan As Well As The Lord’s

For discussion of secret combinations (political, economic, spiritual, religious, etc.) (Ether 8:18-25.)
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LdsMarco
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The Necessity Of Knowing Satan’s Plan As Well As The Lord’s

Post by LdsMarco »

The scriptures contain numerous statements concerning Satan and evil which we are under obligation to study and learn if we obey the commandment to “live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God.” (D&C 98:11) Since God is omniscient, He knows evil as well as good, and if we are going to become “as gods knowing good and evil,” we must be instructed in both.

A failure to learn about Satan’s plan for man here on earth would be fatal to the full exercise of free agency. The reason for this lies in the fact that in the final analysis free agency is the opportunity to choose between good and evil. To intelligently make such a choice one must understand the alternatives—both of them. To the extent one is ignorant of these alternatives, to that same extent he has not made a complete choice. Until a person understands Satan’s plan, he can never be certain he does not believe in it and is not helping to carry it out.

Read more: http://www.inspiredconstitution.org/hva ... ter_3.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Matchmaker
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Re: The Necessity Of Knowing Satan’s Plan As Well As The Lord’s

Post by Matchmaker »

It would be impossible to defeat an enemy that we know nothing about. That's probably why countries use a network of spies, especially during war times, so they can know what their enemies' strategies are going to be against them.

lundbaek
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Re: The Necessity Of Knowing Satan’s Plan As Well As The Lord’s

Post by lundbaek »

It is important that we also discover what evil people are doing and striving to do to execute Satan's plan. We are commanded by the Lord thru Motoni to awake to our "awful situation" and "suffer not that those murderous combinations shall get above you", and we were reminded of that by President Packer in the August 2010 Ensign (Pg. 23). The Book of Mormon especially gives is good guidance on identifying the secret combinations, and in the D&C we are commanded to make ourselves aware of them thru learning of history and current events, which is no small task, considering the constant falsification of history and current events.

Juliet
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Re: The Necessity Of Knowing Satan’s Plan As Well As The Lord’s

Post by Juliet »

In our situation, we are born into a world already chained up by Satan. So it is very hard for us because he has already won by default. We have to wake up and realize it, and take our power back. It is hard to realize you are a slave if you were born into it. We need to be delivered from the spiritual Egypt and let's hope we do it in under 40 years!

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Rumpelstiltskin
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Re: The Necessity Of Knowing Satan’s Plan As Well As The Lord’s

Post by Rumpelstiltskin »

LdsMarco wrote:The scriptures contain numerous statements concerning Satan and evil which we are under obligation to study and learn if we obey the commandment to “live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God.” (D&C 98:11) Since God is omniscient, He knows evil as well as good, and if we are going to become “as gods knowing good and evil,” we must be instructed in both.

A failure to learn about Satan’s plan for man here on earth would be fatal to the full exercise of free agency. The reason for this lies in the fact that in the final analysis free agency is the opportunity to choose between good and evil. To intelligently make such a choice one must understand the alternatives—both of them. To the extent one is ignorant of these alternatives, to that same extent he has not made a complete choice. Until a person understands Satan’s plan, he can never be certain he does not believe in it and is not helping to carry it out.

Read more: http://www.inspiredconstitution.org/hva ... ter_3.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It's nice to see someone realize that we need to study evil. Brigham Young said exactly this when he said we have a "duty" to "study evil...and it's consequences." Elder James E. Faust repeated this statement and so did Elder Larry R. Lawrence when he stated: “President Young...taught that we need to study the enemy’s (Satan's) tactics in order to defeat him.” Joseph Smith also said we needed to "contemplate the darkest abyss." You can't fight something you don't know or understand.

Matchmaker
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Re: The Necessity Of Knowing Satan’s Plan As Well As The Lord’s

Post by Matchmaker »

Sometimes I think it's a fine line we walk in this world between doing what is right and doing what is wrong. While I think it is important to be somewhat familiar with satan's plan and the methods he uses to tempt and corrupt man, I think it is equally important to recognize that, in the beginning, sin is seductive and pleasurable, and if a righteous person is exposed to it long enough, he or she can get sucked right into it without knowing it's even happening.

Some cops or politicians who are exposed to violence, pornography, and other vices long enough succumb. Some Bishops who counsel single or divorced women for a long time with the door shut are tempted and fall. Some women who view pornography so they can better understand the attraction it has for their husbands end up getting involved with it themselves. Most of us have all known someone who decided to try cigarettes, alcohol, cocaine, or gambling just to see what he or she was missing and ended up getting hooked for life. What about some of the teachers in the news who probably started out with the good intentions of befriending and helping a troubled youth only to end up getting sucked into something more sinister?

lundbaek
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Re: The Necessity Of Knowing Satan’s Plan As Well As The Lord’s

Post by lundbaek »

The following verses were put in the Book of Mormon and the D&C for a reason:
2 Nephi 26: 14 & 22
Helaman 2: 4 & 112-13
Helaman 6: 15-30
Helaman 7: 4-5
Helaman 8: 1-4
3 Nephi 6: 25-30
3 Nephi 7: 1-10
Ether 8: 20-26
D&C 88: 79
D&C 93: 53

Ezra Taft Benson, speaking as President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Church General Conference in October 1988: "I testify that wickedness is rapidly expanding in every segment of our society. It is more highly organized, more cleverly disguised, and more powerfully promoted than ever before. Secret combinations lusting for power, gain and glory are flourishing. A secret combination that seeks to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations and countries is increasing its evil influence and control over America and the entire world."

As an Apostle, Joseph Fielding Smith wrote in "Doctrines of Salvation", Vol.3, pp. 314-315: "Satan has control now. No matter where you look, he is in control, even in our own land. He is guiding the governments as far as the Lord will permit him. That is why there is so much strife, turmoil, confusion all over the earth. One master mind is governing the nations. It is not the President of the United States...it is not the king or government of England or any other land; it is Satan himself." (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 3, pp. 314-315)

President J. Ruben Clark, speaking in the October 1949 General Conference, said: "Do not think that all these usurpations, intimidations, and impositions are being done to us through inadvertancy or mistake, the whole course is deliberately planned and carried out; its purpose is to destroy the Constitution and our Constitutional government."

Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, speaking in the April 1980 General Conference, stated: "Gadianton robbers fill the judgement seats in many nations. An evil power seeks to overthrow the freedom of all nations and countries."

President Boyd K. Packer, in the August 2010 Ensign, Pg. 23 : "We live in a time of war, that spiritual war that will never end. Moroni warned us that the secret combinations begun by Gadianton ‘are had among all people. . . . Wherefore, O ye Gentiles [and the term gentile in that place in the Book of Mormon refers to us in our generation], it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you. . . . Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you. [Ether 8:20, 23–24]

Because I believe then President Benson, President Clark, Apostle Smith, Apostle McConkie, and Apostle Packer were correct, and I have good reason to believe they were correct, I have to conclude that at least there has been and continues to exist a satanically driven conspiracy to overthrow the freedom of and gain control of all nations. I think that’s a safe bet.

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Different
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Re: The Necessity Of Knowing Satan’s Plan As Well As The Lord’s

Post by Different »

Juliet wrote:In our situation, we are born into a world already chained up by Satan. So it is very hard for us because he has already won by default. We have to wake up and realize it, and take our power back. It is hard to realize you are a slave if you were born into it. We need to be delivered from the spiritual Egypt and let's hope we do it in under 40 years!
Yeah its like they say we are in spiritual babylon

lundbaek
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Re: The Necessity Of Knowing Satan’s Plan As Well As The Lord’s

Post by lundbaek »

We had a good opportunity last year during our SS study of The Book of Mormon to learn a great deal about Satan's plan. I was largely ignored in our ward, while it was given attention in some other wards that I heard about.

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Rose Garden
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Re: The Necessity Of Knowing Satan’s Plan As Well As The Lord’s

Post by Rose Garden »

All of us who live as fallen beings in this world are instructed in Satan's plan from our infancy. We learn Satan's plan when we learn to stop living it.

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