Where Is My Family — Part 1

One member is examining the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective 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 welcome this additional viewpoint on Mormonism. I'm your host Bill McKeever Felder director Mormonism research ministry with me today is Eric Johnson.

My colleague at MRM 17th president Russell M. Nelson gave a talk at the end of the Sunday morning session of Gen. conference. This would be April 7, 2019.

It was a talk titled come follow me not really an original title like there's been other talks given that that were titled the same way that he had an interesting story to tell and an interesting segue regarding a very important teaching that is found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and that is this idea of being with your family for eternity.

He starts off by telling his listeners that his wife and he had visited Paradise, California. Paradise was the scene of a terrible fire and he mentions the date in one of the paragraphs that Eric is about to read. He uses this story. This terrible tragic event in California to bring out this doctrine that I just mentioned, and that is this idea of being sealed to your family forever and ever so Eric, what you start with the bottom of column three, where he talks about this young police officer named John who was involved in evacuating people during this terrible fire and I'm reading out of the May 2019 & on page 88 at the bottom corner and it says while there we spoke at length with the young police officer John who was one of the many brave first responders. He recalled the thick darkness that descended upon Paradise on November 8, 2018 as flames and embers raced through the town to varying property and possessions like a scourge and leaving nothing but piles of ash and stark brick chimneys for 15 hours.

John drove through an impenetrable darkness that was streaked with javelins of threatening embers as he help person after person, family after family escaped to safety all at the peril of his own life. Yet during that strenuous ordeal. What terrified John most was his all-consuming question, where is my family.

After many long, terrifying hours of anguish. He finally learned of their safe evacuation.

So he's telling the story about What Took Pl. in November of 2018 with the Paradise fire and it certainly did level the entire town. There was nothing left affect your grandparents had a home.

Yes, I visited Paradise a number of different times over my early childhood years and so when that fire took place.

I was devastated because I actually saw pictures of where my grandparents lived there now passed away, but completely devastated, but when he talks about for 15 hours. This man, this police officer John was driving through this devastation and it certainly was. It was a horrible horrible fire and he's wondering while he's saving and rescuing all these other individuals and getting them out of harm's way. He's asking himself what where is my family. He's he's not finding his own family. You can only imagine what a horrible feeling that would be sold. No doubt Russell M.

Nelson is certainly playing on the emotions of his audience because certainly anybody put in a situation like that would no doubt be very, very concerned about where their family would be.

And now he's going to turn it around and he's gonna use that story as a segue asking that question again in the The account of John's concern for his family has prompted me to speak today with those of you who may ask when approaching the end of your mortal life. Where is my family in that coming day when you will complete your mortal probation and enter the spirit world. You will be brought face-to-face with that heart wrenching question, where is my family.

I think we should go back and let's look at some terms that Mr. Nelson gives in this paragraph just for the sake of our listeners who may not quite understand what some of these things are in the context of Mormonism.

He uses the phrase mortal probation mortal probation is a very important doctrine Mormonism because as Mormonism teaches. We all existed in what they call the preexistence as one of heavenly father's spirit children. They believe that God the father is married to heavenly mother and we are the literal offspring of that relationship existing in the preexistence as a spirit son or daughter of God the father and heavenly mother because we can only progress so far we come down to in order to prove ourselves worthy to get back into the presence of heavenly father.

After our mortal probation. That's where the term comes from I'm siting from Joseph Fielding Smith who was the 10th president of the Mormon church. He wrote a book called man his origin and destiny.

And on page 272.

He says this mortal life is a probationary state where we are to be tried proved as gold is tried in the crucible to see if we will keep all of the Commandments of God.

That's why Mormons believe we all as human beings are here on this earth, we are being given this opportunity to prove ourselves worthy and as Joseph Fielding Smith says to see if we will keep all of the commandments of God.

Now, in my experience, Eric, and I'm sure your experience is the same when we ask any Latter Day Saints if they are keeping all of the commandments of God. How many Latter Day Saints have told you that they are doing that all sometimes I'll say it that they are doing everything and then you'd start to come back with a response asking them if they repent and they still repent.

So then how can you say you're doing everything, but most of the time. I'm an essay must Latter Day Saints are very honest and they admit they're not doing it so they come up with excuses such as I'm doing my best more.

I'm trying and I'm only human. And so those are the kinds of responses that you'll get but the scriptures are very clear. We talked about that many times on this show that the requirement is to do everything that God has commanded because he doesn't give any commandments that can't be kept.

According to the book of Mormon first Nephi, three, seven, and he does not look upon sin with the least degree of allowance I according to section 1 in the doctrine and covenants not only read one more explanation about this mortal probation by the same man, Joseph Fielding Smith was the 10th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This is from his book, doctrines of salvation volume 1, page 69. He says importance of this mortal probation. This mortal probation was to be a brief.

Just a short span leaking the eternity past with the eternity future. Yet it was to be a period of tremendous importance, it would either give to those who received it.

The blessing of eternal life, which is the greatest gift of God and thus qualify them for godhood as sons and daughters of our eternal father or if they rebelled and refused to comply with the laws and ordinances which were provided for their salvation. It would deny them the great gift and they would be assigned after the resurrection to some inferior sphere. According to their works. This life is the most vital. In our eternal existence. Joseph Fielding Smith said that's doctrines of salvation volume 1, page 69 notice carefully. Folks what he saying here.

This time, this mortal probation is so important that if the Latter Day Saints does not comply with all that is required of them. They can only look forward to forfeiting probably everything they originally hoped for after the resurrection and be assigned as he says to some inferior sphere. According to their works, that inferior sphere in this context would be something like either the terrestrial or tea less fuel kingdoms because in Mormonism.

There are three levels of glory, and depending on what you believe and what you do in this mortal probation. It will determine where you wind up after you die now.

Most Latter Day Saints don't want to end up in anything inferior to the celestial kingdom because that's where all the perks of Mormonism are found that's where the individual. Latter Day Saints will be united with his family. Of course all his other family members have met the similar requirements that they needed to meet if you have a son or a daughter who does not meet those requirements that son or daughter will not be with you in eternity. Hence, the question being asked here where is my family. If you ask most Latter Day Saints.

What they are looking forward to in the next life that will be the answer.

They want to be with their family, but that does not come merely because they been baptized as a member in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There are things that they must do and they must do successfully if they hope to meet the requirements for celestial exultation and Nelson is going to talk about this and the reason why I think this is important is Nelson is spelling out for his members for his followers exactly what is required. If they hope to be with their family and the next life, and how many times Eric if we talk with Latter Day Saints and they'll tell us that everybody's going to be with their family. It doesn't matter whether you're Mormon or not. Now that is not Mormonism that you had that happen not long ago when you were talking to a couple of Mormon missionaries certainly to missionaries who, at the end of the two hour conversation.

When asked where they scared about not being able to be with her family because by their own admission they were not doing everything they knew they were supposed to do.

They said well it didn't matter that they could be with her family in the terrestrial or tea less joking them and both of them agreed to that but as were going to read this what we call a kick in the tail. Talk by Russell and Nelson come, follow me. This is a reminder to Latter Day Saints.

It's not just about grace. It's about works is about repentance and actually doing everything that the commandments tell us in the Scriptures and what these leaders have said so I think for Latter Day Saints who like to emphasize grace.

We hear more and more of that bill out there in the evangelism world because Latter Day Saints they will.

We believe in grace but this is really right down to the very point that you must as a Latter Day Saints keep the commandments. How many of them, all of them.

Well, that's exactly what Joseph Fielding Smith said in his book man his origin and destiny.

You have to keep all of the commandments. So tomorrow will continue looking at this talk that was given by Russell M. Nelson in the April 2019 Gen. conference title. Come follow me. Thank you for listening you would like more information regarding his research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website at www.mrm.org you can request our free newsletter Mormonism research. We hope you join us again as we look at another viewpoint is did you know that this year marks the 40th anniversary of Mormonism research ministry.

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