Christmas Book Citations Obedience Part 5

Point is to examine the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints viewpoint when Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism will Latter Day Saints escape the effect of a plague if they are obedient welcome to this addition of viewpoint on Mormonism. I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at MRM we continue to look at several books that were given away as Christmas gifts by the first presidency between the years 1981 in 2017 we been looking at the topic of obedience and today we are going to examine that topic by going to a book that was given away in 2001 selections from doctrines of salvation, sermons and writings of Joseph Fielding Smith now doctrines of salvation was a three volume set. And so what they did is they went through this three volume set whoever the editor is not even sure who that is. And they took from doctrines of salvation. Statements by the 10th president of the church that they must've felt were very pertinent and something that Latter Day Saints should follow as we been saying throughout this series. These books being given away by the first presidency.

We have to assume that the first presidency agreed with what was in these books and obviously wanted members who receive them to believe what's in these books as well. As I said were looking at selections from doctrines of salvation and were looking at page 422 and the subheading says that Saints may escape plagues by oh deviance. What does the 10th president say about that and just a reminder this is coming from doctrines of salvation, volume 3, page 34. But for this series. The church decided to compile different quotations from the doctrines of salvation, and call it the selections from doctrines of salvation. So this is a unique book and it says now my brother and sisters in this time of peace. I do not know how long it will last. In this day of prosperity. Let us be humble and remember the Lord and keep his commandments, and feel that the dangers before us are far greater than they are the days of trial and tribulation do not think for a moment that the days of trial are over. They are not, and then in italics. He writes if we keep the commandments of the Lord. We shall prosper. We shall be blessed in any returns. The regular type and says the plagues and the calamities that have been promised will be poured out upon the peoples of the earth, and we shall escape them. Yay they shall pass us by. Here were going to find what I feel is a lot of equivocation you hear language that sounds like it's a definite promise that if a latter-day St. is keeping the commandments are being obedient that any such plague will pass over them.

First of all we need to define what a plague is and there's a broad definition of the word plague.

Basically what you find is it's an epidemic disease that causes high mortality can also be described as a pestilence.

Also, it can be any widespread affliction, calamity or evil especially one regarded as direct punishment by God and we find this on dictionary.com those of the two definitions that seem to fit the context that Joseph Fielding Smith is giving us here but notice it says in the heading Saints may escape plagues by obedience. But in that same paragraph if we keep the commandments of the Lord. We shall prosper. We shall be blessed.

The plagues the calamities that have been promised will be poured out upon the peoples of the earth, and we shall escape them.

Yay they shall pass us by to the question I'm asking Eric is what is a Latter Day Saints supposed to take away from this paragraph because it sounds like one minute. Well it you may escape it. But then in the same paragraph it says you will escape it.

So what is a Mormon supposed to believe all it and if you go to page 420 that previous page under the section is titled how to escape calamities.

Smith cites doctrine and covenants section 97 verses 25 to 27 and this is what it says. Nevertheless, science shall escape if she observe to do all things whatsoever I have commanded her but if she observed not to do whatever I've commanded her I will visit her, according to all her works with sore flexion with pestilence, with plague which soared with vengeance with devouring fire. Nevertheless, B read this wants to her ears that I the Lord have accepted of her offering and if she sin no more. None of these things shall come upon her. That seems pretty definitive.

It does seem to be pretty definitive, but at the same time on the very next page and asked the question or the saints keeping the commandments and of course when you ask any Latter Day Saints.

Personally, if there keeping all the commandments. They're obviously reluctant to say yes and if were going to believe the Bible and all, especially the New Testament, in Romans 323 all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

So how can a Mormon say well I'm keeping all the commandments when obviously they're not. If they were keeping all the commandments there would be no need for the Latter Day Saints to repent but yet every morning we talk to tells us that they repent, and oftentimes on a pretty regular basis, which means that they are violating revealed law, but let's go back to page 422 in the second paragraph under that heading Saints may escape plagues by obedience, Smith writes, but remember the Lord says if we failed to keep his word. If we walk in the ways of the world they will not pass us by, but we shall be visited with floods and with fire which soared in with plague and destruction and then in italics a sentence we may escape these things through faithfulness Israel of old might have escape through faithfulness, but they refuse to keep the commandments of the Lord and they were not saved. See Deuteronomy chapters 28, 29 and 30. Therefore, I plead with you pay your tithing. See Malachi 373 12 keep the word of wisdom. See doctrine and covenants section 89 verses 18 to 21. Pray unto the Lord.

Honor him in all things by keeping his commandments that his blessings may be poured out, and that we may receive them in abundance. See doctrine and covenants section 59 verses seven through 24, and in humility. We may walk before him and be entitled not only to the blessings that come to us in this mortal life but to the blessings of eternal life. The greatest gift of God and then it goes on page 423 at the very top it says Saints can escape scourges if righteous.

So again the emphasis is always on the obedience of the individual Latter Day Saints. But listen to what he says in this paragraph is well and I should point out though that this was actually a doctrine of salvation, volume 3, pages 34 and 35 but it was originally said in a conference and Gen. conference April 1940, and this is what Smith writes we have the means of escape through obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Will we escape when I see even among the Latter Day Saints of violation of the laws of the Lord, I fear. And I tremble, I have been crying repentance among the stakes of Zion for 30 years, calling upon the people to turn to the Lord keep his commandments observe the Sabbath day pay their honest tithing do everything the Lord has commanded them to do to live by every word that proceeded forth from the mouth of God.

And then in italics a sentence. By doing this we shall escape the calamities that sounds again.

Very definitive. The word may is not use. We shall may can be understood to mean possibly, but it also can be a word that describes a condition that if you meet the condition something positive in this case is going to happen for the Latter Day Saints meaning that they will escape this particular calamity I what's interesting is we don't even see this in Mormon history. For instance in the book Saints.

The standard of truth which is the history book that came out in 2018.

It speaks of Zion's Camp or the camp of Israel in chapter 18 the Latter Day Saints were driven out of Independence, Missouri and Joseph Smith claimed that he had a revelation to gather a small army to go and reclaim Independence, Missouri, for the Lord. But here's what's interesting in and on page 207 beginning of chapter 19 titled stewards over the ministry. It says as the camp of Israel disbanded. Well, the camp of Israel or Zion's Camp disbanded in July 1834 and it says that as the camp of Israel disbanded a devastating outbreak of cholera attacked its ranks saints who had been healthy.

Only hours before collapsed, unable to move the cries of the sick filled the camp and many men were too weak for guard duty. Joseph and the elders in camp gave blessings to the sick, but the disease soon struck many of them as well.

Joseph fell ill after a few days, and languished in his tent, unsure if he would survive when people began to die.

Heber Kimball Brigham Young and others wrapped the bodies in blankets and buried them along a nearby stream.

First of all I would question the wisdom of burying the dead by a stream. If that's your drinking water, but that's a whole another issue. The point being made here is even though Saints are supposed to escape plagues by obedience Joseph Smith himself fell victim to the cholera epidemic that took place in the United States in 1834. He obviously was not righteous enough to escape it or is this, again, the equivocation that Joseph Fielding Smith is trying to give us here that escape clause that sadly folks, a lot of false prophets like to include in order to get them off the hook if what they say doesn't happen the way they said it well, here we have a case of Joseph Smith himself becoming victim to this cholera epidemic bill. I want to go back to Joseph Fielding Smith excitation. I gave earlier and let me finish what this book has on page 423 and it says I'm going to repeat what I have said before, for which I have been severely criticized from certain quarters that even in this country United States. We have no grounds by which we may escape no sure foundation upon which we can stand and by which we may escape from the calamities and destruction, and the plagues and the pestilences, and even the devouring of fire by sword and by war World War II was going on at this time unless we repent and we keep the commandments of the Lord, for it is written here in these Revelation, so I cry repentance to the Latter Day Saints and I cry repentance to the people of the United States as well as to the people of all the world that bill. My question is a Latter Day Saints reading this in the 21st century because remember this is given away as a present to the general authorities and other employees how are they going to take what Joseph Fielding Smith is talking about. I think they're getting the impression that if they keep the commandments that they shall escape the calamities and perhaps putting it into their modern-day situation.

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