Our Awful Situation

For discussion of secret combinations (political, economic, spiritual, religious, etc.) (Ether 8:18-25.)
Post Reply
onefour1
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1596

Our Awful Situation

Post by onefour1 »

Ether 8:24

24 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; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.

Have we reached this point yet? This post is for listing the signs of our awful situation.

1. The republican congress proclaiming that they will not challenge the appointment by Obama for the next supreme court justice no matter who he appoints.
2. Labeling Americans as terrorists who never would have ever been suspected of such several year ago.
3. Young girl dies at birthday party days after receiving vaccine.
4. Orin Hatch and probably Mitt Romney endorsing Rubio, an establishment globalist candidate.
5. Government pushing the gay agenda.
6. No investigation into the death of a Supreme Court Justice.
7. Strong laws against terrorism and yet opening our boarders to any and all terrorists.
8. Patriot Act and its successor law taking away due process and right to trial by a jury of peers.
9. No hearings for the 911 families and high suspicion regarding a cover-up.
10. Hillary Clinton under high suspicion of crimes and yet no prosecution. Allowed to run for President of the U.S.

Please continue the list.

lundbaek
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 11123
Location: Mesa, Arizona

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by lundbaek »

I recently made a list of things that are contributing to making my life uncomfortable (to put it mildly) and frustrating.   After all, we (I and you receiving this email) are commanded to  learn "of...things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations,..." (D&C 88:79).   We have been  commanded that "when ye shall see these things come among you that  ye shall awake to a sense of our awful situation because of these things which shall be among you." (Ether 8:24), as the late President Boyd K. Packer advised us in an August 2010 Ensign article (Pg.23).   This is a work in progress, and I invite your suggestions and contributions. 

Devaluation of our money,

Legal theft/plunder of our wealth --  used for welfare, foreign aid, bailouts, and other unconstitutional expenditures,

Increasing national debt, leading toward eventual bankruptcy of America, 

Removal of American industries to other countries,

Mass migrations into America,

Endless wars, none of which were declared by the US Congress as required by the Constitution  since 1941,

Terrorism,

Loss of national sovereignty,

Defiance of rights and laws, by citizens and government

Conspiracies to gain control of wealth and governments,

FedGov “ownership” of lands within the states other than as permitted by the Constitution,

Vilification, corruption and distortion of religion,

Expulsion of God from public schools,

Murder by abortion on demand,
U.N. involvement in efforts to destroy the traditional family.

Media misinformation and disinformation,

Popularization and normalization of homosexuality,

Popularization of casual sex,

Proliferation of harmful recreational drugs,

Refusal of government to punish certain criminal actions,

Infringement of the right to control of private property, including for reasons to placate people who's principles and life-style we do not want to accommodate.

Mass blindness and apathy to most of this in spite of increasing awareness and distrust of government and media  by Americans,

Abandonment of the US Constitution by US presidents, presidential candidates, members of  Congress and members of the Supreme Court. who have broken their oaths of office in so doing has saddled Americans with an overreaching, omnipotent government, acting completely outside of constitutional restrictions which has declared war on anyone who dares oppose their illegal authority.

lundbaek
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 11123
Location: Mesa, Arizona

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by lundbaek »

President Hinkley once stated that "The Book of Mormon narrative is a chronicle of nations long since gone. But in its descriptions of the problems of today’s society, it is as current as the morning newspaper and much more definitive, inspired, and inspiring concerning the solutions of those problems." You might find the following scriptures from the Book of Mormon indicative of what has been going on in America for some time now.

In 2 Nephi 26 we read that in the "last days" “The Gentiles shall build up false churches and secret combinations.”

In Helaman 2 we read how Gadianton became the leader of a band, the object of which was to “destroy Helaman”, and “to murder, and to rob, and to gain power”. We are also told that “this Gadianton did prove the overthrow, yea, almost the entire destruction of the people of Nephi.”

In Helaman 3 we learn that “there was continual peace established in the land, all save it were the secret combinations which Gadianton the robber had established in the more settled parts of the land, which at that time were not known to those who were at the head of government;' therefore they were not destroyed out of the land.”

In Helaman 6 we are told in some detail that “Lucifer, the author of sin, guides the Gadianton robbers in their murders and wickedness – They take over the Nephite government.” It is interesting to read that “this band of robbers was utterly destroyed from among the Lamanites”, but “on the other hand, that the Nephites did build them up and support them....until they had overspread all the land of the Nephites....And thus they did obtain the sole management of the government.”

In Helaman 7 we read that Nephi, the son of Helaman, found “the people [of Nephi] in a state of such awful wickedness, and those Gadianton robbers filling the judgment-seats – having usurped the power and authority of the land; laying aside the commandments of God, and not in the least aright before him; doing no justice unto the children of men.; condemning the righteous because of their righteousness; letting the guilty and the wicked go unpunished because of their money; and moreover to be held in office at the head of government to rule and do according to their wills, that they might get gain and glory of the world, and moreover, that they might more easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their wills”.

In Helaman 8 we read how “Corrupt judges seek to incite the people against Nephi.”, and that “those judges were angry with him because he spake plainly unto them concerning their secret works of darkness”. At the end of this chapter and into Chapter 9 we read that “By inspiration Nephi announces the murderer of the chief judge, and then by inspiration identifies the murderer, and finally “is accepted by some as a prophet.

In 3 Nephi 6 we learn of further iniquities. “A complaint came up unto the land of Zarahemla, to the governor of the land, against these judges who had condemned the prophets of the Lord unto death, not according to the law.....those judges had many friends and kindreds....and they did enter into a covenant one with another,,,which covenant which was given by then of old, which covenant was given and administered by the devil, to combine against all righteousness.... And they did set at defiance the law and the rights of their country; and they did covenant one with another to destroy the governor, and to establish a king over th eland, that the land should no more be at liberty but should be subject unto kings.”

In 3 Nephi 7 we read of the murder of a chief judge and the overthrow of the Nephite government; 'the regulations of the government were destroyed, because of the secret combination of friends and kindred of those who murdered the prophets,...and did place at their head a man whom they did call Jacob; and they did call him their king.

In 4 Nephi we again read “that the wicked part of the people began again to build up the secret oaths and combinations of Gadianton”, and “the robbers of Gadianton did spread over all the face of th eland; and there were none that were righteous save it were the disciples of Jesus.”

CAN YOU SEE THESE THINGS HAPPENING IN OUR DAY NOW ?

In Ether 8 we read Moroni's warning that “whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed;”. We are told that we should “suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain. And we are told that “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 combinations which shall be among you....” and that whosoever buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil,”.

User avatar
Robin Hood
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 13112
Location: England

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by Robin Hood »

I agree the above lists are concerning.
However, I suspect that a similar list could have been compiled in the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's and so on up to the present day.
It is bad right now, but my instinct tells me this is the thin end of a very long wedge.
We ain't seen nothing yet!

lundbaek
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 11123
Location: Mesa, Arizona

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by lundbaek »

Absolutely a similar list could have been compiled in the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's and so on up to the present day. I remember those years very well and my own concerns about what was happening in those days. In the October 1961 General Conference Ezra Taft Benson, who had served 8 years as a member of President Eisenhower's Cabinet as Secretary of Agriculture, gave a powerful talk as "A Challenge To The Priesthood" on secret combinations. Additional talks by him on secret combinations are included in the book PROPHETS, PRINCIPLES, AMD NATIONAL SURVIVAL.

Writing about the controversy over the UK leaving the EU, a friend in England says "this is an issue which will make or break Britain as a united nation and more importantly whether we become part of the communist cabal known as the EU or regain a form of independence……there is a lot of debate for and against this issue with a lot of scaremongering from both sides and I suspect ‘fear’ will prevent people voting appropriately in the same way in which fear heavily influenced the Scottish vote for independence." And as I understand, it was the "Round Table" group in England that gave rise to the American Council on Foreign Relations.

User avatar
Sandinista
captain of 100
Posts: 518
Location: Ohio

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by Sandinista »

Agree with what you have said, however think about this. Everything you have pointed out is easily discernible and visible to the public eye if you are looking. What we are not seeing is the true "secret" combinations and their dealings, the things we don't or cannot see. If what we can see is troubling then what we are not seeing could be absolutely terrifying.

Just saying. :)

User avatar
Mark
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 6929

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by Mark »

Sandinista wrote:Agree with what you have said, however think about this. Everything you have pointed out is easily discernible and visible to the public eye if you are looking. What we are not seeing is the true "secret" combinations and their dealings, the things we don't or cannot see. If what we can see is troubling then what we are not seeing could be absolutely terrifying.

Just saying. :)
No doubt Sandinista. The danger here is that we can become paralyzed with fear and a sense of doom as we contemplate and dwell upon the nature of these things. That is Satans forte and he revels upon it. The Lord works in an atmosphere of light and truth. Our minds need to be caught up in such an atmosphere if we want to elevate our thoughts and actions out of the gutter of Babylon. The world is spinning out of control but that does not mean we need to get caught up in that cesspool of doom and gloom. The Lord invites us to
find a better way. Honoring our sacred covenants and seeking to build up Zion will remove us from Satans playground. He really has nothing to offer us.

lundbaek
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 11123
Location: Mesa, Arizona

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by lundbaek »

Re. secret combinations, In just the Book of Mormon alone we have, I think, been given adequate information about them to enable us to recognize at least their doings, if not the actual latter-day gadiantons themselves. We have been commanded to "awake to your awful situation" and we have been admonished to "suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you." And according to the teachings just of Ezra Taft Benson, we should not wait for the Lord's servants to give instruction for every detail once we discover our freedoms are under attack. Deciding what action one should take to oppose any given infringement on our freedom may well require consulting with the Lord. And He doesn't demand a consulting fee, just patience and obedience.

Shouone
Hi, I'm new.
Posts: 6
Location: Yamaguch Japan

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by Shouone »

I heard that past LDS church leaders, including some prophets had told us to read several books about the secret combinations.

Does anyone know about that?

lundbaek
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 11123
Location: Mesa, Arizona

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by lundbaek »

In th4 April 1972 General Conference Elder Benson recommended "None Dare Call It Conspiracy" by Gary Allen, and "Prophets, Principles, and National Survival" by Jerreld Newquist, both of which address secret combinations. The former can be read on-line.

GeeR
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1635

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by GeeR »

You know David O McKay, Marion G. Romney, J. Reuben Clark, Ezra Taft Benson and Cleon Skousen have been trying for decades to alert the saints on the severity and immediate need to act on Moroni's command to "awake to our awful situation" and it has fallen on deaf ears--Mormons and Americans are fast asleep. If these men couldn't do it, what will it take? I was thinking about this and I thought part of the answer is that there is no image to symbolize our awful situation, it has been all words. I was thinking about an image that would shock and horrify people and show people how desperate our situation is. It should be readily recognized by practically all people and that would cause a knee-jerk reaction emotionally and hopefully cause people to possibly take action. I think I've found an image that fits the bill and here it is:

http://www.sideshowcollectors.com/forum ... -1618.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't know how to embed an image so scroll down about a third of the way and see for yourself.

It's the face hugger parasite from the popular science fiction movie--Alien. I don't think there is a person alive that is not familiar with it and this image meets the Book of Mormon description of the "secret combination" which is a parasite on the peoples of all nations; the victim is comatose (unaware and asleep to what is happening to him) whilst this thing is doing damage that will when it is finished exploiting his body leave him without his family, freedom, health and his life. The only outcome is guaranteed misery and death if we continue to ignore it or wave it off with the "all is well in Zion" attitude.

Imagination this image as a poster hanging on the wall of a barber shop or other small business with the words underneath it saying: "I Moroni command you to awake to your awful situation." People won't be able to get the image out of their heads with the link of Moroni's command to awake to our awful situation. Do you think that would have an impact? I think it would start eye-opening conversation with anyone. What do you think?

lundbaek
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 11123
Location: Mesa, Arizona

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by lundbaek »

This past Sunday in testimony meeting I told that my wife and I have been following an institute class on the Old Testament, and that a while back as we discussed the Prophet Samuel, we discussed that when the Elders of Israel rejected Samuel as their judge and desired a king. Samuel warned the Israelites of the dangers/evils of having an monarchical government. And the Lord Himself said to Samuel "They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them". I told them you can read 1 Samuel 9:1-17 to see how that worked out. I then said that likewise, Latter-day prophets, especially Presidents McKay and Benson, warned us in our day of the dangers of forsaking the principles of the US Constitution, and that most Latter-day Saints who heard and/or read those admonitions rejected them, and in so doing, rejected the Lord, who established the Constitution by the hands of wise men whom He raised up unto that very purpose. Then I added that hasn't worked out very well. I cannot remember what all else I said other than I ended by saying that a latter-day prophet once said that "We must learn the principles of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers", and to me the word "must" makes that a commandment."

I think a big part of the problem is obedience, or lack thereof. Latter-day Saints have been told by President Benson:

"We must be righteous,"

"We must learn the principles of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers

"We must become involved in civic affairs to see that we are properly represented."

"We must make our influence felt by our vote, our letters, our teaching, and our advice."

"We must become accurately informed and let others know how we feel..." In this regard President Uchtdorf told us "For members of the Church, education is not merely a good idea; it is a commandment. We are to learn of..." and he quoted about 1/2 of D&C 88:79, in which we are commanded to learn about history, current events, prophecy...

And President Packer reminded us of the Lord's warning thru Moroni, in which we are told there are secret combinations among us and commanded us to awake to our awful situation.

If you were asked to give a talk in a church meeting on obedience, would include the above. And if you did, would you be taken seriously ? What do you think would change ? If you suggested to your stake president that he address these things, what do you think would be his response, and why?











.

GeeR
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1635

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by GeeR »

I'm in the stake presidency, in a remote position--stake membership clerk. As far as stake conferences go I believe stake presidents are assigned topics and given themes from headquarters in Salt Lake City? When they speak in various wards I believe they are freed-up to speak their minds but in the interest of preserving our 501c3 tax exempt status I think most stake presidents are reluctant to be whistle-blowers on secret combinations, plus I believe most are ignorant of them. I remember one of the members of our old stake presidency address secret combinations in our ward quite a few years back at the behest of the stake president, it was absolutely pathetic; I felt both angry and embarrassed for him. I also think the tares within the church have a choke-hold on the brethren's necks and they influence policy in the handbook of instructions. Under these circumstances I don't believe the institutional church will address secret combinations let alone save the constitution, that is the stewardship of the lay members of the church as Ezra Taft Benson pointed out.

lundbaek
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 11123
Location: Mesa, Arizona

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by lundbaek »

For some time now I have felt and acted very impatient (to put it mildly) with some Mormons who seem to take no interest in learning and abiding by the principles of the US Constitution, and persist in supporting in various ways actions that contribute to the alarming conditions that are advancing about us, or as Moroni put it, our "awful situation". While reading in "The Gospel Key To Our True Constitution" by Jerome Horowitz I came across the following:

"President David O. McKay tried valiantly to alert the Church to the dangers of statism. In that context he encouraged us to "study Constitutional principles" and to participate "in some type of organized self-education" concerning "the alarming conditions that are rapidly advancing about us." Many members of the Church heeded his counsel and became quite knowledgeable on these matters

"Unfortunately most members of the Church ignored President McKay's counsel and continued in their uninformed state. In some instances this has led to problems as those who heeded President McKay's counsel and became better informed were not as patient as they might have been with their less informed brothers and sisters. Sometimes they even seemed to let an element of pride enter their hearts to the extent of being critical of less informed Saints.

"It seems to me that those who have put forth the effort to be informed on these matters must exercise great care to avoid pride and be loving and respectful and patient.

"In addition to this being the proper gospel attitude, they should bear in mind that their less informed brothers and sisters are not likely to seek increased understanding if they are treated critically or are fed strong meat when they are only ready for milk.

"Being aware of the way the Constitution is being torn apart and the various anti-freedom activities going on about us can be spiritually draining and even depressing. It is therefore highly important that in performing our civic responsibilities we remember that the Lord is the ultimate ruler and to stay close to Him. We should put forth extra effort to do those things such as much scripture reading, especially in the Book of Mormon, and much prayer and other gospel oriented activities designed to increase the influence of His spirit in our lives"

Now if I could just....

Shouone
Hi, I'm new.
Posts: 6
Location: Yamaguch Japan

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by Shouone »

lundbaek wrote:In the April 1972 General Conference Elder Benson recommended "None Dare Call It Conspiracy" by Gary Allen, and "Prophets, Principles, and National Survival" by Jerreld Newquist, both of which address secret combinations. The former can be hread on-line.
I just looked at LDS library for the April 1972 General Conference, but couldn't find the sentence about "None Dare Call It Conspiracy" by Gary Allen" in Elder Benson's discourse even though other books can be found.

But he did really talk about the book as you can see below,
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pJNMcD2IY_k" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So it seems kind of weird.

lundbaek
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 11123
Location: Mesa, Arizona

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by lundbaek »

That has been noted and addressed before on this forum. I and others have noted that in the cases of some general conference talks the printed version is not exactly word for word the same as the spoken talk. I think that in this case the recommendation of NONE DARE CALL IT CONSPIRACY was added during the talk, after Elder Benson had prepared his talk in writing.

GeeR
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1635

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by GeeR »

lundbaek wrote:That has been noted and addressed before on this forum. I and others have noted that in the cases of some general conference talks the printed version is not exactly word for word the same as the spoken talk. I think that in this case the recommendation of NONE DARE CALL IT CONSPIRACY was added during the talk, after Elder Benson had prepared his talk in writing.
I’ve never heard that explanation before, about Benson adding it to his talk at the podium and not in the written transcript others were expecting him to give. Just wondering if you have a reference for that? I’ve heard the rumor that the church took out mention of None Dare Call it Conspiracy because it would supposedly endangered members of the church behind the Iron Curtain. I personally believe the tares in the Public Affairs Dept. had a hand in censoring it but I cannot prove it.
Another example of censorship I believe by the tares in the Public Affairs Dept. of the church is Boyd K. Packers talk entitled: Cleanse the Inner Vessel given in general conference Oct. 2010. The transcript doesn’t match the talk at the pulpit. He says concerning the Proclamation on the Family that it is a “revelation” but in the transcript it says that it is only a “guide.”
Then the tares totally “choked” Ronald Poleman’s talk and required him to modify the whole thing and regive it to no audience in attendance.

lundbaek
Level 34 Illuminated
Posts: 11123
Location: Mesa, Arizona

Re: Our Awful Situation

Post by lundbaek »

GeeR may be correct in saying that "the church took out mention of None Dare Call it Conspiracy because it would supposedly endangered members of the church behind the Iron Curtain". I consider that a distinct possibility. Some of you may know that H. Verlan Andersen's book MANY ARE CALLED BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN was muzzled, although a member of my acquaintance received permission from the copyright holder to republish it. It can read online now minus the appendix, which itself is an enlightening read.

Post Reply