AND THEY WERE MARRYING AND GIVING IN MARRIAGE - A PRELUDE TO DESTRUCTION

My daughter found this and I thought it was instantly recognizable as something we should all be aware of:

BY JANET PORTER

How same-sex marriage points to end of the world
Posted: May 20, 2008
1:00 am Eastern

© 2010

What do May 17, 2004, and May 15, 2008, have in common? One judge and a redefinition of marriage against the will of the people.

Both the Massachusetts Superior Court and the California Supreme Court by a one-judge margin redefined what marriage has always been in every culture and every religion for more than 5,000 years of recorded history.

Why does this matter?

As I wrote about in my book, "The Criminalization of Christianity," Jeffrey Satinover, who holds an M.D. from Princeton and doctorates from Yale, MIT and Harvard, was on my radio program one day and I asked him about where we are in history. He explained that according to the "Babylonian Talmud" – the book of rabbis' interpretation of the scriptures 1,000 years before Christ, there was only one time in history that reflects where we are right now. There was only one time in history, according to these writings, where men were given in marriage to men, and women given in marriage to women.


Want to venture a guess as to when? No, it wasn't in Sodom and Gomorrah, although that was my guess. Homosexuality was rampant there, of course, but according to the Talmud, not homosexual "marriage." What about ancient Greece? Rome? No. Babylon? No again. The one time in history when homosexual "marriage" was practiced was … during the days of Noah. And according to Satinover, that's what the "Babylonian Talmud" attributes as the final straw that led to the Flood.

On my Faith2Action radio program on Thursday, Rabbi Aryeh Spero verified this to be true.

Rabbi Spero spoke of God's compassion before the Flood, in hopes people would repent and turn back to His ways. He showed patience for hundreds of years.

But, he said, the Talmud's writings reveal that "before the Flood people started to write marriage contracts between men, in other words, homosexual 'marriage,' which is more than homosexual activity – it's giving an official state stamp of approval, a sanctification … of homosexual partnership."

In fact, he said, "the writings indicated that it wasn't even so much the 'straw that broke the camel's back,' but that the sin in and of itself is so contrary to why God created the world, so contrary to the order of God's nature, that God said then and there 'I have to start all over … to annihilate the world and start from the beginning. …'"

Rabbi Spero went on to say, "Even in ancient Greece they did not write marriage contracts between men. There was homosexuality, and it was wrong, but there was not an official 'blessed' policy. … Marriage is 'sanctification' (not simply a partnership)." He said to confer the title of sanctification and holiness upon this behavior is "probably one of the greatest sins of all that one does against God's plan for this world."

The one time it happened was: "During the days of Noah." When I first heard this, my mind immediately went to a verse I've heard many times but never with such relevance. The verse is found in Matthew 24:37. It reads:

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. – Mathew 24:37 (NIV)

I used to read this verse and think: It was bad at lots of points in history; it doesn't necessarily mean now, but if these Jewish writings are true, we are uniquely like the "days of Noah" right now – and only right now.

But it can't be yet, you say. You have a lot going on in your life? You're getting married? Here's how the New Living Translation describes that very sentiment in Luke:

When the Son of Man returns, the world will be like the people were in Noah's day. In those days before the Flood, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat, and the flood came to destroy them all. – Luke 17:26-27

Happily going about as if everything was fine was what they did, too.

You don't like this possibility? Don't even believe in the Flood? Doesn't matter. Some things are true whether you believe them or not. How can you be sure? There's a way. Did you know that about one-fourth of the Bible is prophecy? A quarter of the Bible is a lot – it's a big book. And did you know God's standard? Perfection. That means that if even one of those prophecies is wrong, you can discount the whole thing. Kind of like a prophet who makes a false prediction – that made him a false prophet and a candidate for stoning. Did you know that 4,000 prophecies in that Bible have already come true down to the last detail? That leaves about 1,000 left to be fulfilled – those are the ones regarding the last days before the return of Christ, which are being checked off the list right now.

If 4,000 out of 5,000 prophecies have already occurred exactly as the Bible predicted they would, you might want to pay attention to the rest.

The good news is that 1.1 million people across California have signed a petition to bring marriage to a vote of the people through a state constitutional amendment (just like 27 other states have done). And guess what? An amendment to a state constitution trumps even the most out-of-control state judiciary. We'll likely know if these signatures are validated before this tyrannical ruling goes into effect, and I predict they will be since they gathered 400,000 more signatures more than they needed to qualify. Besides, they already voted – eight years ago where more than 61 percent of Californians declared marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Now they just need to turn that same language into a constitutional amendment.

I don't live in California, so why am I sounding the alarm? Here's why:

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand. – Ezekiel 33:6

I'm praying and working to protect marriage in California (and the rest of the country) not only because I care about marriage, but because I care about civilization. And, if we obey God, he just may spare us from the judgment we deserve.

May heaven help this nation....

NOAH AND ENOCH AND DOUBLE-TEAMING THE WICKED

I get a majority of my blog topics (the ones that aren't just newsfeed dumps) I think, in the night.  When I wake up, if I am not distracted by my beautiful wife or by a pressing appointment (I love working second shift because it makes for lazy mornings), I just lay there and remember dream threads, if I can still at that point and ponder and pray and just let my mind wander over things that have been on my mind.  Sometimes I will read and then I usually fall back asleep and then lather, rinse, repeat.

The mind, when it is tightly wound, needs to rest and decompress.  We are on an unhealthy treadmill in this life driven by alarm clocks, deadlines and pressures that most previous generations did not have to deal with.  Don't get me wrong - they had other pressures than we have today, but they were different and often more tied to the land and making sure enough food was put up for the winter.  Work or die.  Little was done under the influence of adrenaline - whereas today a majority of it is.  When I am working the farm, there is much time to ponder and think mowing a field or digging at potatoes or weeding the berry patch.  So it was back then.  Today, our lives are so frenetic that little time is left for deep pondering and thinking and it is causing a "reflexive" people instead of a "reflective" people.  Not having "put it all together" in their heads before they are faced with a major challenge, they cannot stand when sudden "make or break" decisions have to be made.  Many within the Church are falling and crashing and burning doctrinally for this reason.

I am very excited about being able to teach the GD lesson about Noah and the ark in the next couple of weeks.  That is a topic I love to ponder on - precisely because it was the "end of the world" back in those times and there is much foreshadowing to our day and our circumstances.  Many of the "koombiah"-types (including many who are close to me) cannot fathom a God who would "arbitrarily" wipe out a majority of His posterity in one cataclysmic act (or so they think it is so - in their minds).  They seek to blame God as the horrible, psychotic freak who just drowned all his own children.  As if.  So many members of the Church - when faced with this question, simply cannot answer their detractors (such as many on LDSFF, like l'Aussie bOi) and shrink from the argument - giving the victory in the war of words to the d'evil and his earthly minions.  What they fail to point out is that God gave the unholy pre-flood inhabitants every possible chance to repent and change.  He even provided something WAY better than the ark of liquid as a means of escape from this blue space marble, that was about to become a whole lot more blue and liquidy....  That was Enoch's escape pod - or ark that floated on a sea of gas.  Enoch was a contemporary of Noah - probably not next door neighbors, but on the same land mass in those days before the "days of Peleg".  The fame of Enoch had spread throughout all the land and to all people and many either sought him and his people out to become a part of them - or to fight them to attempt to exterminate them and to rid the earth of the "reminder" of what and how they should have been living (this is that seething hatred for what is good and right that I speak of).  I picture Enoch every bit the military general that Moroni was and would love to have a vision of that epoch to see all of the details of how that history evolved.  Much could be gleaned from that information to be applied in our day of coming near utter destruction.

So, the people had around 200 hundred years of Enoch blathering til he was blue in the face, speech impediment and all, followed by around 200 more years of Enoch, now successfully living the Law of Consecration (still blathering away) along side another "freak" that was building a massive boat and warning of a flood that would utterly cover the utmost top of the utmost hill (the earth was mostly flat in those days - picture a just-cooled crust, devoid of massive "wrinkles" created by whatever the heck it is that keeps perturbing our planet, with mostly rolling hills as it is in Western Missouri in the land of Adam-Ondi-Ahman).  So no, it did not take water, 30,000 feet deep to cover this baby - it was probably in the order of 500-1,000 feet, if that.  The BAC biblical apologetics attempt to use a local flooding theory (Black Sea area) for their model to explain it away - not having all revealed truth at their finger-tips, and forgetting that the really wild geological disturbances happened during the flood and shortly after the Tower of Babel when the "earth was divided".

So, with these two contemporaries warning the people, they had two hundred years to hear the message and either heed it, or not; and perish.  About as much as we have had since Joseph Smith started laying it down (with the people having largely ignored him; and so we will perish mostly, as a group).  All of the same stuff was presented (albeit, two-thirds of the message with the most precious of the jewels, is still sealed awaiting the repentance of the people who are "a whoring after Babylon").  No, all is not well in Zion - in fact, there is little that resembles Zion that is truly alive on the face of the earth.  Sadly, one must look around outside of the Church for pieces of it in groups like the Hutterites, the Amish and even places like Seattle where people have formed not-for-profit gardening and woodworking co-ops in order to "get it done".  Many people have a spark of desire to make it happen, but do not have the working tools of knowledge because they either know not where to find it (non-members), or have potential access to it but are not willing to work hard enough in order to qualify for it.  I lay much blame on the collective people of Joseph's day and the folks in the 1870's who did not just suck it up and show the people of the world God's true power.  The majority of the battle was lost back then - making it nearly impossible to recover from it and we have been limping along for the last 150 years.  I would give a lot to see what would have happened had the people of the early Church been righteous enough - and the people of this nation had been righteous enough - that Joseph would have been allowed to remain alive to a full measure of 85 years.  I think 1890 might well have been radically different in our historical timeline from what it turned out to be.  So, I think about what might have been and look hopefully forward to the purging where we can all be tried and tested to the limit (those who have not been pruned and burned) so that we will be humble enough to be entrusted with the sealed portion; and thereby have the keys of knowledge of living truly consecrated lives.  A terrestrial existence.  One that will prepare us to receive the Bridegroom who will come in His glory for the final fiery cleansing of the earth (the one that comes at a time that "no man knoweth").

So, we DO have a God who is merciful in the case of Noah.  I imagine the population of earth in Enoch/Noah's day to be multi-billions and the inhabitants of Enoch's city to be in the millions.  All, who qualified, were welcome there (just as in our temples).  There was no exclusivism (I am sure the repentant homosexuals were never turned away); and never was there a happier people.  God saved as many as would listen.  Just before the flood, this city was taken up to the bosom of God (one of His few victories from this wicked world) leaving Noah and "the rest" - who simply refused to recognize goodness when they saw it and who were (yep, I have to say it) "marrying and giving in marriage" as they lived lives of unrepentant homosexuality and lesbianism in a "state-sanctioned" environment (previous blog piece on Talmudic definition of marrying and giving in marriage).  To these, I am sure Noah was eventually commanded to shut his mouth, as so many prophets were including Mormon and Ezra Taft Benson, and then commanded to separate himself from them as the Lord "shut up" the ark and the destruction began.

So the next time one of the apologists with their twisted logic from realm of "devil logic" or liberal logic, or whatever you want to call it, tries to tell you that God is the one who is twisted and sick or backwards in His thinking or actions towards His children, just give them the facts and send them on their way.  Set them free with logic, if they will have it.  God sent two escape pods to take those who would go onto better things, leaving the rebellious trash to be taken to the curb.  It is an iterative process designed to give as many of God's children as will have it, the chance to get above satan and his minions after the reset button is hit.  And I am quite sure God is pretty tired of hitting the reset button.

The first one - where a third of our "less brilliant" siblings got tossed for rebellion - did not elicit a response from God (so far as we have it in scripture).  It is sort of like the dean of a college mourning over the kids who were skipping class and shooting spit-wads from the back of the class during the sophomore year of their high school experience....  Probably not college material anyway.....
What was done simply was done for administrative purposes - in order to give the rest of God's posterity the best shot at perpetuating what has been perpetuated since the beginning of time.  We have chickens on the farm, and last fall, I was pretty sure we were having some kind of epidemic go thru the flock judging on die-off, etc.  I set my criteria for those that should be culled and was about to embark on a cleansing of sorts.  I was rather mechanical about it - and pointed out to my emotional daughters that it was better that a few perish (in the culling), than the entire flock perish due to inaction on my part.  They got that.  A few endangering the whole did not make sense - and especially if you were the other chickens who were not ready to move on to the freezer phase of life....

Now, we DO have a scriptural response to those who did make it as far as getting tabernacles of clay - but yet who still rebelled in that state and were cut short in their wickedness.  God wept over that event.  Life had been created - well beyond the organizing of spiritual matter into spirit bodies - and some skin was in the game, so to speak.  We also are given the solution in the NT narrative where these rebellious ones will eventually be sent emissaries from Paradise to Spirit Prison where they are holed up in order to set things straight.  These - because they were given the word thru Noah and Enoch - will never amount to more than citizens of a Telestial glory (if you are angry, read your doctrine in Section 76 and either get aboard or jump off the boat).  Unrepented rebellion is NEVER rewarded, so a place has been prepared for them to inhabit the eternities, while still not being able to spoil the finer things attained to by those who have striven and been in a state of repentance through their lives.  It truly is about survival of the spiritual fittest - and the Plan of Salvation shows it.  However, in the latest cultural war within the walls of the Church, we have a koombiah-fest going on where everyone is going to be saved (at least in the minds of many members).  I have even heard it from some bleeding hearts that the "tender mercies" will extend to satan and his minions among the third of those who originally rebelled.  Sorry - it simply never will be that way - it was a "DO NOT PASS GO, DO NOT COLLECT $200.  No body, nor forward progression.  I have even heard some bleeding hearts say that those from the Telestial sphere will be able to eventually work their way up to Celestial felicity at some point.  To you, I again say, "SORRY!".  Each step of the plan is a culling maneuver where God gives every one of his kids the chance shoot for the top spot.  God loves all of His children and would most likely hope that all would waltz their way back to His presence out of our love of truth and for Him and our Elder Brother, but it cannot be that way as statistics show the delusional improbability of it.  We have to want it for ourselves, or it is meaningless.  In every instance where agency is involved, you will always find a bell-curve in the data.  I have not seen an exception yet.  God has a perfect plan for the non-six sigma folks who just don't care.  The matter that our spirits were created from was not perfect (I would presume) and the matter that our tabernacles of clay were created from definitely was not - so there will be loss in that equation.  Or risk, if you will.

There is no better way to put it - and no better way to think about it.  Agency has to account for loss.  Satan's plan did not - and it was rejected as the declaration was made that not one soul shall be lost.  So for the koobiahers out there, I suggest you readjust your lens you are looking at the world through.  It is off - and you might find that you are indeed fighting on the devil's side of the equation - and not on God's.  If this is the case, you will most likely find yourself short in the final judgment.

THE REASON FOR CLEANSING THE EARTH

I am putting together research for my end of  the world ppt presentation.  When you discuss an overt act by someone, you always have to have a motive for them to complete this act.  Rarely is anything just random.  These are the two reasons the earth will be cleansed again:

 5 ¶And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

 6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

 7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

 9 ¶These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

The earth had become corrupted by violence (spilled blood by murderous combinations, such as with Cain and Abel).

 The other reason is homosexuality; that is fully supported by the people (who do not forcefully, if not legally remove these corrupt sacks from office) and codified into law as has happened today (even in Utah):

    MARRYING AND GIVING IN MARRIAGE - STATE SANCTIONING OF HOMOSEXUALITY


Click the link above......   So the people had set about to do the bidding of the adversary in attempting to twist and defile two God-given powers that are only to be used with permission under very strict protocols, if used at all.  The giving of life - and the taking of life.  Remember, the first commandment given to man was to multiply and replenish the earth.  If you are homosexual, it is not possible to fulfill the measure of the creation of this earth.  If you are committing random acts of violence and the Spirit of the Lord no longer strives with man, then you will eventually end up as the Nephites, the Jaredites and who knows how many other cultures of the earth, whose buildings lie in decay and ruin and whose disappearance is the subject of speculation, because their conquerors left no record of their demise.

There is a third reason for utter destruction, that is apparently an outgrowth of homosexuality and sexual promiscuity in general, and is what causes violence - in the absence of charity.  It is gleaned from the account of Sodom and Gomorrah and the commentary on it:

Uncontrolled lust:

4 ¶But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:

 5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

When you take what is most precious from someone (even with their consent), you are committing an act of violence against their spirit.

And lack of charity in the face of abundance: 

Ezekiel 16:49
49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

This is the test of abundance that Brother Brigham worried that the Saints would not be able to pass..... I am worried that his worry was not without justification.....  When we quit looking out for our brothers and sisters and our charity becomes weak or non-existent, the vacuum that is created within our souls is filled with violence.  The greatest thing we can teach our children is to serve each other and then their fellow-man.  It keeps the ravenous wolf of violence from the door, and as armies bear down upon this nation and the righteous are gathered together for protection, it will be only those who have learned to be charitable who will survive, or who will merit Father's protection in order that they will make it into the portal of the Millennium to carry on the work that will exist on the other side.

In the world in general and in this nation (more and more as the middle class evaporates), we have the governing elite and the working poor.  If we are among the governing elite, spending time in our practicing paganism in our groves and grinding upon the face of the poor, then we fit the model for destruction.

Folks, this nation's goose is officially cooked.....  I give it no more than 18 months til the curtain falls.  A generation of vipers shall not escape the damnations of hell.

SUPPORT OUR GOD-LOVING, FREE-THINKING BROTHERS FROM THE BAYOU!

Folks, if you love what is left of our ability to freely think and speak in this country (and hate the smell of fecal matter during intimate moments.....), go here and throw your support behind this guy.

He is right, you know......

Something I wrote on FB the other day that got ZERO likes and a very weak comment trying to back the fudge-pack crowd up....  I mean, we all love sweets this time of year, but no thanks on the fudge if it does not have plenty of brown sugar in it..... ewwwww.  Either I am a loser with no friends or people need to grow a pair.  I wrote it on my work computer to boot.....  If people do not stand up now and be counted, there is no going back from the edge of the Constitutional cliff we are about to plunge over:

This guy is someone I can respect..... And his comments on the logicality of homosexuality? Honestly - put two bulls together and two cows together in two separate pastures and in 20 years you will have four carcasses rotting in the the grass. Put a set of bulls mixed in with a pair of cows together in a field and twenty years later you will have a massive herd of beautiful animals. Its a "no duh" kind of thing.... The first commandment given in the Garden of Eden was for mankind and beast and fowl to multiply and replenish the earth. Why? Because God's creations would be void and frustrated without this essential element. As a heterosexual male, I am not even going to comment on the duck-dudes feelings about natural orificial lubrication. Another "no-duh" kind of statement. May we have more "duck-dude" kinds of guys with the gonadinal fortitude to say what is plainly obvious and morally correct instead of cowering in the face of the homosexual bullying and BS we currently have in our culture.....

http://nypost.com/2013/12/18/duck-dynasty-member-slammed-for-comments-on-homosexuality/

‘Duck Dynasty’ star slammed over anti-gay rant

nypost.com

Phil Robertson, patriarch of the “Duck Dynasty” clan, is being slammed for controversial comments he made about homosexuality in an interview in the January issue of GQ. “It seems like,…

         Ron, you think too much... lol The short answer is, humans are not animals and we have intellect. I love women (have always been very attracted to them), but I exercise self-control and have only mated with one of them, my wife. So, as a human who has urges and attractions for women, I have exhibited self-control and only mated with one. The dirty secret of homosexuality is similar to that of the vodka drinking males in Russia - life expectancy is under 60 years old because they live very self-destructive lives (many - not all of them) and, due to the drug use and promiscuous sex, they die on average quite a bit earlier than their heterosexual males (myself, and you I presume?). But, due to a culture of fear and intimidation where facts cannot be discussed without getting fired from your job and lose everything you have for being a hater, these things cannot be openly discussed. Its like being anti-nazi in 1942 Germany dictatorship. We have that much latitude to discuss the facts - such as whether there is natural lubrication in the anus versus the vagina and whether there is anything "natural" at all about two guys getting it on in a bathhouse setting and then moving on to another 10 guys before the night is out.....

Why do I know so much about this stuff?  Because I grew up with a lovely young lady named Marissa who I put in a list of 10 potential people I would like to pursue as potential marriage partners when I was in high school.  She was/is my little sis's best friend.  Though not LDS, she held great values, etc.  I kept my eye on her.  Then around her freshman year her daddy ran off and left five little girls and a confused wife and headed for the bath houses of Seattle to copulate like a dog with other males.  Yep - it must be a mental disorder.  He had EVERYTHING to lose.  I mean everything.....  He was dead within 5 years from AIDS.  While tragic for Marissa, he had to have his agency to lead his life how he saw fit - regardless of the damage it did to others who desperately needed him.  I think it kind of ruined Marissa.  She married a guy who was far beneath her and she was divorced probably within 5-8 years and is kind of a lush from what I gather, and has not re-married since.  She was getting training in Seattle while her dad slowly succombed to AIDS so she probably was most impacted while she cared for him til he was dead of natural consequences of his ridiculous actions.  I feel nothing but sadness for her and her family and little more than contempt for the selfishness of the man she mourns as her "father".  Marissa is still lovely on the inside and the outside, but she carries a deep wound from that phase of her life.

Bottom line (no pun intended), the gay (lesbians, too) lifestyle is highly self-destructive and is a tool of the evil one to destroy and sap mankind's happiness and the public support of it will bring the prophesied destructions foretold by ancient and modern Prophets.  Plain and simple.  If you do not believe me, look up my post on the statement of "marrying and giving in marriage".  If you hold any sympathy for it, you are on a path that will lead to death - both spiritual and physical and will perish with the wicked.

S. KENT BROWN - MATTHEW 24 DISCOURSE

I have this on my i-Pod and listen to it when I am on long drives.

Here is the gem (in blue) of what I got from this on a recent drive from Utah:

As it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be also at the coming of the Son of Man;. . . for until the day that Noah entered into the ark they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage;  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. [JS—M 1:41–43]

We notice that, as the scriptures say here and elsewhere, wickedness was more or less the norm in the days of Noah, and everyone evidently assumed that life would continue as it had. Then came the flood, and it changed everything. The warning to those of the last days, of course, is not to assume that all is well and will remain so.

There is much excellent information in it to give clues to what is coming, per the words of our  Savior while He was alive.

You can read it below, or go to the link and click on the audio on the left of the screen.  I love to listen to this kind of thing while I am cooking or working in the garage and the laptop is available.

Here is the link for the audio:

  http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=343

Here is the body of text - but before I post it, I want to say that I feel that the physical voice of our Savior will be very similar to the voice of Kent Brown.  Don't ask why I feel that - because I do not know why - but I just do..... ????

Here is the body of the text:

Jesus' Sermon on the Last
Days: Matthew 24

S. Kent Brown

S. Kent Brown was a BYU professor of ancient scripture and director of Ancient Studies when this devotional address was given on 2 November 1999. More than 11 years ago I visited the remains of an ancient church that sits on the crest of the Mount of Olives. That visit piqued my interest in Jesus’ sermon that Matthew has recorded in chapter 24 of his Gospel. The building itself commemorated Jesus’ sermon, as well as the place of His ascension and His Second Coming. The remains stand atop the site where early Christian tradition recalled that Jesus had prophesied the fall of Jerusalem, the difficulties that His disciples would face, and events of the last days.
The Setting
It was probably on Tuesday of the last week of His life that Jesus climbed the Mount of Olives after leaving Jerusalem. He had spent His day teaching at the temple. As the sun began to sink toward the western horizon at day’s end, Jesus paused high on the slope of the mountain with four of His apostles. They had evidently exited the city by leaving directly from the temple grounds through the so-called Golden Gate, which pierced the eastern wall. They then descended into the Kidron Valley before beginning their ascent.¹ The Gospel of Mark names the apostles who were with Jesus. They were the two pairs of brothers from Galilee: Peter and Andrew, James and John. Thus Jesus spoke the words of His sermon in the presence of the most trustworthy witnesses of that age. I wish to emphasize that this point is not minor. This discourse, detailed in Matthew 24, was to be one of the most significant of Jesus’ mortal ministry.
The place where tradition says that they halted that afternoon cannot be far from where they actually stopped to rest themselves. In fact, it may be the very place. In the area of Gethsemane three paths led from the bottom of the Mount of Olives to the top, and they all converged near the crest where a single path continued eastward to Bethany.
Nowadays there are walls and buildings that block one’s view. But in that era, the view of the city and its temple must have been spectacular. This party of five may have gazed westward across the Kidron Valley to the walls that surrounded the temple Court of the Gentiles. Raising their eyes slightly, they would have seen the sanctuary itself, an imposing edifice built of solid marble and decorated with gold leaf. King Herod had refurbished it handsomely and thereby created an enduring monument, perhaps the most impressive in the entire Roman world.² Looking above and beyond the temple enclosure, these men would have seen the upper city on the west ridge. Now largely in shadow because of the angle of the slanting sunlight, only the tops of buildings and homes would have been clear to their vision. Jesus knew, though the other four did not, that their last evening together would be spent in that part of town. The Last Supper was now only 48 hours away.
Tradition holds that Jesus and His four apostles sat together in a small cave near the crest of the mountain while He spoke the words of His now-famous sermon. Tradition has also associated this spot with other very important events, as we have noted. As a result, Queen Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, founded on this spot a church that was built at the same time as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.³
Effects
This sermon about the looming fate of Jerusalem and about events of the last days had two notable effects. First, Christians left the city long before it fell to Roman legionnaires in late summer a.d. 70.⁴ In a word, Jesus’ prophecy saved their lives. Second, at least as early as the fourth century, Christian pilgrims would climb the slopes of the Mount of Olives on the Tuesday before Easter to the traditional spot where Jesus delivered His sermon. There they would read together the words of Matthew in chapters 24 and 25.⁵ By then they knew what had happened long ago to Jerusalem in fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecies. After all, they had the account of Josephus, who was an eyewitness to much of the carnage. What they did not know, of course, was how Jesus’ predictions about the last days would be fulfilled.
Records
Latter-day Saints stand in a unique position among Christians when it comes to appreciating this sermon. We possess no fewer than seven accounts. There are the three records of the sermon written by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Then there are the revised versions of these chapters in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. One of these latter, the one from Matthew, chapter 24, appears in the Pearl of Great Price as Joseph Smith—Matthew. We find the seventh account in section 45 of the Doctrine and Covenants. This last consists of only a part of the sermon. But the Risen Savior thought it important enough that He repeated at some length what He had shared with His apostles that evening on the Mount of Olives (D&C 45:16–59). There must be reasons for these added records, all coming through the inspired work of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I shall mention one that is obvious.
The added accounts now available through the Joseph Smith Translation and section 45 underline the significance of the sermon. To be sure, early Christians sensed the value of Jesus’ discourse as a definitive statement about the fate of Jerusalem and the events of the last days. But the fact that the Lord inspired the Prophet Joseph to provide additional records to us in our day emphasizes its importance as the Savior’s statement to us in our circumstances.
Apocalyptic
In this connection it is worthwhile observing that Jesus’ prophecy fits comfortably within a type of discourse that students of ancient literatures call apocalyptic. This term derives from a Greek verb that means “to take off a covering”; that is, “to reveal.” The best-known representative of this kind of religious expression is the book of Revelation in the New Testament. One of the chief features of this type of prophecy of the future is the very strong reassurance that God is in charge of events and that He will bring them to proper conclusion. A person does not read far in the accounts of Jesus’ sermon before meeting this kind of assurance. For instance, Jesus predicted that in the last days “you . . . shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars.” Joseph Smith then added, “see that ye be not troubled, . . . Behold, I have told you before” (JS—M 1:23–24). Here, according to inspired words received by Joseph Smith, Jesus reassured the apostles—and ourselves—that we are not to be troubled. In order to lower our anxiety about the way that events might go, He had informed us beforehand.
Here is another example: Jesus soothed believers by saying that, “Although, the days will come, that heaven and earth shall pass away; yet my words shall not pass away, but all shall be fulfilled” (JS—M 1:35). We note the force of Jesus’ prophecy, even in the face terrible calamity: “My words shall not pass away.” And who will guarantee that His words will not pass away? It is my testimony that the guarantor is Christ Himself.
Early Prophecies
One intriguing question, because of where it will eventually lead us, has to do with whether Jesus’ discourse on the Mount of Olives was the first occasion that His disciples had heard such prophecies.
As a matter of fact, Jesus had already given expression to many of these teachings during His ministry. For example, Jesus had spoken directly about His Second Coming long before He arrived in Jerusalem the last time. In Luke, chapter 12, Jesus said, “The Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” The JST version of the same chapter adds, “The coming of the Lord is as a thief in the night.”⁶ Moreover, according to this very chapter in Luke, Jesus had addressed the unexpected character of His Second Coming. He related a story about a steward who does not know when his master will return home. In it, Jesus warned that the “lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware.” The sense of the final judgment also permeates this passage, thus tying it to the last days and the Second Coming. For Jesus said that the lord who finds the servant to have been unfaithful “will cut him in sunder”—that is, dismiss him—“and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers” (Luke 12:46).
These passages, and others,⁷ make it plain that Jesus had already spoken about the last days and His Second Coming before His discourse to His four trusted apostles. Hence, we are justified in viewing Jesus’ Mount of Olives sermon—at least in some of its parts—as a gathering of several strands of His prior preaching into a unified prophecy of the future.
Pattern
In this light there seems to be an interesting pattern in the discourse. In the parts about the future of the city of Jerusalem and the future of His followers, Jesus was rather specific. For instance, He spoke of the impressive buildings in the city lying in ruins, especially the temple. Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies and overrun by “the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet” (Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14; see also Luke 21:20). In addition, the disciples would be hailed before authorities in “the synagogues” and be delivered “into prisons” (Luke 21:12; see also Mark 13:9). Moreover, those in Judea who saw that these evil days were approaching were to flee to “the mountains,” not stopping even to pick up a few clothes (Matthew 24:16–18, Mark 13:14–16, Luke 21:21).
However, when Jesus began to address the situation in the last days, His words became more general, less precise. Was it because His view of the future was somehow dim? Not at all. The records let us know that His view was very clear. But He was evidently unwilling to let the whole view out of the bag, so to speak. He offered enough to warn us in our day about difficulties that we will face. But He spoke in more or less general terms. For instance, when the Lord rehearsed to Joseph Smith what He had said about circumstances that are traceable to people, He said, “In that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion.” Furthermore, “the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound” (D&C 45:26–27). Sound familiar? Yes. And we can tie Jesus’ words to many events and currents in the modern world.
Jesus also spoke about unusual events in nature. For example, He spoke of “signs and wonders” that “shall be shown forth in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath.” Presumably it would be in the earth that witnesses would “behold blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke.” In the celestial realm, too, “before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven” (D&C 45:40–42). What are these signs and wonders? They could be any number of natural phenomena. We can recall photographs of natural disasters on television that generally match these expressions. One also thinks of modern warfare producing such scenes. So what do these images mean in Jesus’ prophecy? The answer is that we do not know precisely. It could be any such phenomena. Or it could be none of them. We shall know only if, as the Lord says through Joseph Smith, we “shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved” and “have taken the Holy Spirit for [our] guide” (D&C 45:32, 57).
Fulfillment
At this point we might ask whether we can somehow know the meaning of any of the images that the Savior appealed to. To answer, we turn back to the sermon. When Jesus chose to be clear, we sense a very literal fulfillment of His words. For instance, the prophecy that “there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2) was fulfilled to the letter, so to speak. Below what were the temple walls on the west side one can see the fallen, fractured stones of the royal porch named in honor of Solomon. Romans pushed these stones down from their lofty perches after the temple fell into their hands. In addition, one can find evidence here and there that legionnaires hooked their horses to pillars and decorative stones and dragged them off in order to pulverize them with sledge hammers. Not a piece of the temple superstructure remained standing after the Romans finished their devastating work. This fact alone leads me to believe that Jesus’ prophecy of events of the last days will also be fulfilled to the final detail, even though we may not understand certain aspects of His imagery.
The Question
I want now to turn to other parts of the sermon. One of the immediate benefits of the Joseph Smith Translation has been to offer a more correct version of the disciple’s question that coaxed the sermon from Jesus. The Gospel of Mark reports that “one of his disciples saith unto him; Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!” (Mark 13:1). But according to JST Matthew 24:1, the request was, “Master, show us concerning the buildings of the temple; as thou hast said; They shall be thrown down and left unto you desolate.” Then, after the party had reached the top of the Mount of Olives, the disciples begged, “Tell us, when shall these things be which thou hast said concerning the destruction of the temple, and the Jews; and what is the sign of thy coming; and of the end of the world?” (JST Matthew 24:4). From these passages, parts of which go back to inspiration received by Joseph Smith, we learn that Jesus had spoken about both the desolation of the temple and the last days on earlier occasions. This observation agrees with our prior point that Jesus had already made parts of the sermon public. The disciples simply wanted a fuller explanation, which Jesus then unfolded to their view.
“Take Heed”
Most of the sources agree that Jesus’ first words in the sermon were: “Take heed that no man deceive you.”⁸ Jesus intended, I believe, that the disciples keep this warning in mind throughout the entire discourse. Jesus’ first point, of course, was that His followers not think that any who came in His name, “saying—I am Christ,” really bore His authority (JS—M 1:6, Matthew 24:5; cf. Mark 13:6, Luke 21:8). Furthermore, they were not to believe that the end had come with the fall of the city and its temple. For “after the tribulation of those days which shall come upon Jerusalem,” He declared, there would “arise false Christs, and false prophets, and [would] show great signs and wonders” (JS—M 1:21–24; cf. Matthew 24:23–25, Mark 13:21–23).
In addition to these possible deceptions that would occur within or soon after the days of the apostles, there was a specific falsehood connected to the last days. It is the deception that “all is well.” This statement, which I have borrowed from 2 Nephi 28:21 and 25, underlies the following in Jesus’ prophecy:
As it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be also at the coming of the Son of Man;
. . . for until the day that Noah entered into the ark they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage;
And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. [JS—M 1:41–43]
We notice that, as the scriptures say here and elsewhere, wickedness was more or less the norm in the days of Noah, and everyone evidently assumed that life would continue as it had. Then came the flood, and it changed everything. The warning to those of the last days, of course, is not to assume that all is well and will remain so.
How does one avoid such a pitfall? Are there protections? The Lord offers a few clear hints, all tied to Joseph Smith’s work on this sermon. The first represents a modification of a statement by Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew quoted Jesus as saying, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” The JST version very much intensifies the sense of enduring: “He that remaineth steadfast and is not overcome, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13, JS—M 1:11). It is this set of qualities, then, that is to characterize the faithful. A second virtue appears in a passage that also modifies what we find in Matthew’s Gospel. But the modification is very noticeable and appears this time in D&C 45. In Matthew 24:15 we read, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place.” The JST version of Matthew changes this passage but little. However, the Lord’s words in section 45 make major alterations, pointing the statement to the last days. There we read:
There shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land.
But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die. [D&C 45:31–32]
The activity that permits disciples to survive without finding themselves among the wicked is standing in holy places. Such holy places, of course, include temples. Is there something that we can attach to temple worthiness in Jesus’ words? In my view, yes.
A third spiritual security consists in treasuring up God’s word. The relevant saying stands only in JST Matthew. In it Jesus assured His followers, “Whoso treasureth up my words, shall not be deceived. For the Son of Man shall come” (JST Matthew 24:39–40; also JS—M 1:37). Evidently, those who take the Lord’s word seriously hold off a certain kind of deception that otherwise might engulf them.
The fourth promised protection also derives from the Prophet Joseph Smith. In D&C 45, the Savior said:
At that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins.
For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day. [D&C 45:56–57]
We note that in order to avoid deception we must take the Holy Spirit as our guide. It is a most important means of safety.
The Last Days
We now turn to descriptions of events in the last days. As we have seen, Jesus addressed the issue of natural disasters. We recall His words: “There shall be earthquakes . . . in divers places, and many desolations” (D&C 45:33). One thinks back across the past few months to recall some terrible earthquakes that have led to the loss of thousands of lives. We need mention only Turkey and Taiwan, to name two. Although severe earthquakes have characterized other ages, such phenomena are indicators of the last days, indicators that Jesus underlined in bright colors. What interests me more here, however, is the ultimate purpose that natural disasters might be playing in the divine drama of our day. What might lie behind such frightening events? I shall hazard an answer, but only by appealing to scripture.
At the opening of the seventh seal in the book of Revelation, we read that “there was silence in heaven.” Following the silence, seven angels in turn blew their trumpets, each musical sound heralding a disaster. After the sixth angel had winded the trumpet and disaster had followed, John wrote:
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver . . . :
Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. [Revelation 9:20–21]
How shall we understand this passage? On the surface at least, it seems plain that God expected people to repent in the face of disaster. They did not. Instead, they continued to rely on things for security and to pursue their normal lives of indulgence. Jesus said as much to His disciples on the Mount of Olives. Before His coming, He assured them, it shall be “as it was in the days of Noah” (JS—M 1:41). That is, life as people were living it seemed more or less normal. But what God wanted in Noah’s day and—according to scripture—will want in our day is repentance.
In this light we note the very suggestive language of section 43 of the Doctrine and Covenants. In a passage wherein the Lord spoke of calling on the “nations of the earth” to repent, He intoned:
How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind. [D&C 43:25]
From such passages—and there are others⁹—it seems plain to me that in the divine scheme such painful, disrupting occurrences come as a shrill, heavenly voice that begs us to repent. Another voice will be that of missionaries.
Our Place
In this connection, do any of us figure in the scenes of the last days painted by Jesus for His apostles on that spring evening? As we might expect, the answer is yes. How so? Each of us in this room who has served a mission or who will serve a mission, or has or will lead another to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, is a part of that painting. In Joseph Smith—Matthew, the Savior pointedly said, “Again, this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations” (JS—M 1:31). It is we who appear in this part of the painting—as missionaries. For only after we do our part “shall the end come, or the destruction of the wicked” (JS—M 1:31).
Jerusalem, Again
From this point on we note a certain vividness returning to Jesus’ words. For He came to speak again of Jerusalem, this time in the last days. He prophesied in D&C 45:47, “Then shall the arm of the Lord fall upon the nations” of the Gentiles.¹⁰ “And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble” (D&C 45:48). Moreover, as the prophet Zechariah had once declared:
Then shall the Jews look upon me and say: What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet?
Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.
And then shall they weep. [D&C 45:51–53]
We should add parenthetically that the expression “I am” in this passage pointedly recalls the divine name revealed to Moses on the holy mount (Exodus 3:14). Significantly, Jesus applied this expression to Himself both in His mortal ministry and in postmortal appearances.¹¹ Thus, part of the reason that Jews will recognize Jesus will have to do with His identification of Himself as their God.
Jesus as Servant
In this context of Jesus’ acts in the last days, I want to turn to an important promise that He offered to His faithful followers. Technically, this promise was not a part of His discourse on the Mount of Olives. But I would like to suggest that it was plainly associated with the sermon, at least in the minds of those who heard it. We read the promise in Luke, chapter 12. Let me sketch some background.
All the accounts of Jesus’ discourse report His very strong caution to followers that they be watchful because, as He said, “In such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh” (JS—M 1:48; also Matthew 24:44, Luke 12:40, JS—M 1:46). Matthew and Luke record that Jesus then brought forward several illustrations to emphasize this point. Two invite our attention. In one, He said:
Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. [JS—M 1:49–50; also Matthew 24:45–46, Luke 12:42–43]
For emphasis, Jesus next presented a contrasting case:
But if that evil servant shall say in his heart: My lord delayeth his coming, . . .
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of. [JS—M 1:51, 53; also Matthew 24:48, 50; Luke 12:45–46]
There is a further point to make about this contrasting pair. In Matthew’s account, these two illustrations appear as part of Jesus’ discourse on the Mount of Olives. According to Luke, however, Jesus had featured these examples on an earlier occasion, specifically in connection with His Second Coming (Luke 12:40; JST Luke 12:44, 49–56). In that episode, Jesus spoke these words to His followers:
Ye yourselves [are] like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. [Luke 12:36–37]
I draw attention to the promise that rests within Jesus’ words. In what can only be considered a major reversal of ancient custom, it is the lord who will serve his servants, even after the late hour of his arrival. Jesus, of course, had made the points elsewhere that, even though He was Lord, He had come as a servant and that His disciples were to follow His example. But this is one of the few passages that I can think of wherein Jesus effectively promised that He would continue His role as servant at His Second Coming.¹² And His words here are vivid with meaning: “I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them” (Luke 12:37). Will such a scene transpire at Jesus’ coming? I believe so. The JST version of Luke makes the case, as it were, by adding the following words directly after this promise: “And now, verily I say these things unto you, that ye may know this, that the coming of the Lord is as a thief in the night” (JST Luke 12:44).¹³
These words make firm the connection between Jesus’ unusual promise and His Second Coming. Jesus, of course, did not repeat this promise on the Mount of Olives. But His contrasting illustrations spoken there about the faithful and unfaithful servants, it seems to me, would have recalled to the minds of the four apostles the earlier occasion when Jesus rehearsed these same illustrations and tied them to this unusually vivid promise of His continuing service in the last days.
Conclusion
As we all know, the topic of the last days invites speculation as no other. And speculation leads one onto unsettled ground. For myself, I have appealed to Jesus’ sermon not only because it stands so prominently within our scriptures but because we have assurance that it will be fulfilled. Why? Because the part about the fall of the temple was fulfilled to the last measure. And if that part came to pass as Jesus had prophesied, there can be little doubt—at least in my mind—that the other parts having to do with our day will also come to pass.
How shall we know about the approach of the end? Jesus offered one clue that is recorded in all of the sources, that of the budding fig tree. He declared:
Now learn a parable of the fig-tree—When its branches are yet tender, and it begins to put forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh at hand;
So likewise, mine elect, when they shall see all these things, they shall know that he is near, even at the doors;
But of that day, and hour, no man knoweth. [JS—M 1:38–40]¹⁴
We note with interest the image of the budding fig tree. It is an image of hope, of the promise of new growth, of renewed life after winter. Jesus’ caution, as we can also see in other passages, is that we do not know the hour of His arrival.
The uniform picture that Jesus sketched for our era was dark and troubling. But throughout there run bright threads of hope, of expectations fulfilled, if we ourselves are true and faithful. And those threads are illumined particularly in parts of the discourse revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, an observation underscoring that this sermon is for our day. Will our faith be tested? I believe so. Might we see disappointment and heartache and calamity? Again, I believe so. But we live with the ringing reassurance from the Savior both in this sermon and elsewhere that He is in charge. It is that reassurance which allows us to face an uncertain future and to know that He will see us through.
It is my testimony that He is in charge and that He will indeed see us through events ahead, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
1. To be sure, the Mishnah records that a causeway crossed the Kidron Valley, allowing the priests to perform the rite associated with the red heifer as outlined in Numbers, chapter 19 (Mishnah Parah 3.6). But there has been no archaeological confirmation of such a structure. Moreover, this written source speaks of events more than 150 years in the past and may therefore be inaccurate.
2. Josephus, Antiquities 15.11.1–6 (§§ 380–425), and Jewish War 5.5.1–8 (§§ 184–247); see Alfred Edersheim, The Temple (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1983 reprint), 39, 57.
3. Socrates, Ecclesiastical History, 1.17; Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History, 2.2. See also John Wilkinson, Jerusalem as Jesus Knew It (London: Thames and Hudson, 1978), 118–22, 173–75; Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, The Holy Land: An Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700, 3d ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992), 128–30.
4. F. F. Bruce, New Testament History (New York: Doubleday, 1971), 376–77. Eusebius repeated a story that, before the attack on Jerusalem, church leaders received a revelation that members were to flee (Ecclesiastical History 3.5.3).
5. Murphy-O’Connor, The Holy Land, 129.
6. Luke 12:40, JST Luke 12:44. This latter statement also appears in 1 Thessalonians 5:2.
7. Luke 12 and 17 both record prophecies of Jesus about the end of time, at times focusing on events and at others dealing with resurrection or judgment. See Luke 12:4–5, 8–9, 21, 33–34, 40, 44, 46–48; 17:20–24, 30; cf. Luke 12:54–56, JST Luke 12:41–44, and JST Luke 17:24, 37–40.
8. Matthew 24:4, Mark 13:5, JST Matthew 24:5, JST Mark 13:10; cf. Luke 21:8, JST Luke 21:8. D&C 45 does not have an equivalent expression.
9. Other passages include Moses 8:4, 22; 1 Nephi 18:20, 19:11; D&C 45:33.
10. Reference to “the nations” in scripture almost always points to Gentiles; see Genesis 10:32, where the term nations translates the Hebrew gôyž¯m. Cf. D&C 43:23–24, etc.
11. See, for instance, John 4:26 (Greek text); 6:35, 48, 51; 8:12, 18, 23–24, 28, 58; 3 Ne. 11:10–11, 14; 15:5, 9; 27:27.
12. There is a hint that Jesus will be the host and, possibly, servant in His promise to drink with His apostles in the coming kingdom (Matthew 26:29, Mark 14:25, Luke 22:18). Cf. also John 6:53–58 and Isaiah 58:8–9.
13. Cf. “the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not” (JST Luke 12:47).
14. Also Matthew 24:32–33, Mark 13:28–29, Luke 21:29–31, JST Matthew 24:41–42, JST Mark 13:45–46, JST Luke 21:29, D&C 45:36–38.
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PRIDE AND THE GENTILES - THE BOOK OF MORMON WAS WRITTEN FOR US

I think the greatest thing I have learned in the last 20 years of my life (besides the composite lessons of having been married), is that we are the Gentiles that the writers of the Book of Mormon were talking about.  We are the ones who would eventually go astray as a body (see my previous post about Joseph's dream about the Kirkland farm) - and who would then need to be cleansed and then purged as a people; as a body.  The greatest thing we can learn in this life - is that we are nothing before the Lord.  Humility can be learned and self-implemented into our lives as a form of Consecration; the giving of our spirits/wills completely to Him - or it can be taught to us by a school-master with an all piercing eye to root out the cancer of pride from the very recesses of our souls until we are clean every whit.  That is a hard road that President Benson warned about when he said that we can choose to be humbled, or we will be externally humbled (paraphrased).

When it hit me about 5 years ago that we (I) am the one who has gone astray and that the last few chapters of 2 Nephi were written specifically to me, I was floored; and I began to have my eyes opened to further light and knowledge - and therefore, growth.  No more arrogant denials, smugly pointing out how the Catholics or the Protestants were the ones in the divine cross-hairs - it is me who is slated for everlasting destruction unless I come to a true knowledge of my Redeemer.  Denver Snuffer - although he has taken much heat for his opinions, was my first witness that I was on the right path when it comes to 2 Nephi 28-31.

Here is an excerpt from a book or compilation written by a reader's former Mission President that denotes the same concepts - and calls for repentance; and who talks about the coming divisions within the Church as the "fluffies" or luke-warmers are spewed out in the purge:

Chapter 13
THE POLLUTION OF THE CHURCH OF GOD

Mormon scathingly rebukes the latter-day Gentile church— that’s us, for
transfiguring the word of God and pollut[ing] the holy church of God.
Mormon 8:33
33 O ye wicked and perverse and stiffnecked people, why have ye
built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? Why have ye
transfigured the holy word of God, that ye might bring damnation
upon your souls? Behold, look ye unto the revelations of God; for
behold, the time cometh at that day when all these things must be
fulfilled.
Mormon 8:34
34 Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things
concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these
things shall come forth among you.
Mormon 8:35
35 Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are
not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know
your doing.
Mormon 8:36
36 And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there
are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of
their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and
strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities;
and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted
because of the pride of your hearts.
Mormon 8:37
37 For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your
fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love
the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.
Mormon 8:38
267
38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves
for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of
God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why
do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than
that misery which never dies--because of the praise of the world?
Mormon 8:39
39 Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and
yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick
and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?
It ends up that virtually the entire Book of Mormon is a record about the second
church of the vision of the tree of life, the Nephites, polluting the church by their
pride and greed, just as the first church, the early Christian’s of John’s day, polluted
the church, for the very same reasons, by removing many of the plain and precious
parts of the gospel. And that the record of these pollutions has been preserved to be
handed down to the third church as a prophetic type and shadow of the Gentile
church of the latter days (us), doing the very same thing— changing the true gospel
of personal sacrifice to a false gospel of personal success to justify our love of the
world. The vision of the tree of life shows that these pollutions have destroyed the
saints and brought them into bondage to the adversary in virtually every dispensation.
In our day the pollutions are becoming increasingly subtle. And their insidious
stealth appears to be making them more destructive than ever. We must remember
that God has restored the plain and precious parts of the gospel again. He has
revealed to us anew the priesthood and plain and precious things of faith, repentance,
baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and the laying on of hands for the
Gift of the Holy Ghost. Additionally, he has revealed the plain truths of the temple:
the laws of obedience, sacrifice, the gospel, chastity and consecration as well as
revealing the precious principles of eternal marriage and families and the central
place of marriage and family in the kingdom both now and in the eternities to come.
Tragically, the prophecies are indeed coming to pass. There are now some among
us, professing to belong to the church (see Hel. 3:33), who are polluting the church
today just as in the early Christian and Nephite churches of the past. It is imperative
that we recognize and understand these modern pollutions of our church that their
prophetic writings so passionately warn us would come.
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We have already discussed at length the cause of the pollutions, the pride of setting
our heart upon riches and the vain/fine things of the world and aspiring unto the
honors of men. The first form of the pollutions of the holy church which Mormon
says pertains to this prideful condition of most of the saints has to do with breaking
our covenants by turning our backs on the poor and needy in the spirit of greed and
self aggrandizement. As we have seen, this prideful sin is clearly among us today.
Along with this first form of transgression that always destroys the church of God,
we discover that there is an additional modern strain of this greed and vanity, this
covenant breaking, that has stealthfully crept into the church as well. It appears the
cancer of pride is like any other virulent disease. It can mutate into new strains over
time.
The prophets have taught and re-taught the importance of:
C marriage
C marrying early
C temple marriage
C marital fidelity
C not postponing children
C not arbitrarily limiting the size of our families
C mothers remaining in the home full-time
C and couples and families living within their means
These have not been casual suggestions, infrequent observations or the opinions of
individuals. This counsel has been trumpeted by the prophets of God in resounding
consistent unified warning and testimony. Every single prophet, since antichrist
worldly trends began attacking the traditional family gained momentum in the 60's,
has so warned and counseled the saints. (See author’s book, Power and Covenants:
Men, Women and Priesthood or Womanhood, Priesthood, Godhood). They have
made it clear that these issues are not on the sidelines but at the very core of the
restored gospel and God’s great plan of eternal happiness for his children:
No success will ever compensate for failure in the homes of the
Latter-day Saints. (President David O. McKay).
The most important of the Lord’s work we will ever do will be the
work we do within the four walls of our own homes. (President
Harold B. Lee).
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It is no secret that the trends of Babylon (the world) are directly counter to all this
counsel. It is no secret that this counsel is unpopular with the worldly and considered
foolish and impractical by the educated of the world. It should also be no secret that
a significant portion of the church has chosen to listen to the world instead of the
prophets regarding these important things. Not only do many members listen to the
wisdom of the world (the great and spacious building) but they even seek to establish
this wisdom and learning of men in the church in direct opposition to the counsel of
the Lord’s prophets and revelators. And they do it for the exact same reasons as
those of old— to justify themselves in aspiring to the honors of men and getting gain
and grinding the faces of the poor.
Covetous, foolish and/or lazy men who have either forced their wives to work by
deserting their families (divorce) or want their wives to work for the sake of more
material blessings, and vain and aspiring women who have succumbed to the
mockings and alluring wisdom of the great and spacious building, desiring the
supposedly more glamourous, prestigious (honors of men) and beneficial life styles
of degrees and careers, are seeking to justify themselves in going contrary to the strait
and narrow path laid out by the prophets by teaching these things in the
congregations of the saints, claiming these alternate life-style choices are good and
that they in no way compromise our walk on the strait and narrow path to the Tree
of Life.
It has been a most amazing few decades to watch Lehi’s, Nephi’s and John’s vision
of life unfold right before our very eyes. Some members of the church have humbly
trusted the inspiration of heaven, held to the rod and, in spite of the mockings and
wisdom of the world coming from the way of the great and spacious building, stayed
the course laid out by the Lord’s anointed. In doing so, many have foregone what
President Benson called “fast paced living and securing career success in the single
lane,” as well as opulent homes and the fine clothing, automobiles, cruises and
creature comforts that money can buy, choosing instead to bring many children into
the world according to the commandments of God and in keeping with sacred
covenants made in solemnity at the altars of the temple. These have spent their time,
talents, money and everything with which the Lord has blessed them serving his spirit
children— bearing them, caring for them when sick, feeding them when hungry,
comforting them in sorrow, clothing their nakedness, teaching them to walk uprightly
before the Lord and providing for their every need at great personal sacrifice. In
doing so, these have come to appreciate for themselves the connotations of the Lord’s
inspired counsel, that this is indeed full time work, and coming to see for themselves
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the wisdom of heaven— that this, rather than the glamorous forbidden paths of the
world, is truly the way to the tree with the fruit of eternal happiness.
At the very same time, other professing members of the church have rejected this
counsel of heaven and embraced the pride of the world and the life styles of the great
and spacious building. They have, in the tradition of today’s wisdom, chosen not to
marry or at the least, to postpone marriage, so that they might pursue the finer things
of life, education, travel, careers and the pleasures of this present world called
Babylon. These that do eventually marry for companionship and sexual gratification,
have chosen either not to have children or to postpone children for the very same
reasons, as children would inhibit them pursuing the forbidden paths of selfishness
they prefer to travel. How could they pursue higher degrees, careers, world travel
and their worldly leisure with children tying them down and draining their resources?
These that do eventually have a few “trophy children” selfishly limit their posterity
for the same reasons. How could they possibly retain their figures, their demanding
careers, their healthy bank accounts and pursue the alluring paths of Babylon with
eight greedy and needy kids to cramp their style? And these are the same who chose
to be two income families in spite of the children’s needs, in spite of the counsel of
the prophets, in spite of the now obvious, if it wasn’t before, toll these things take on
marriage and home.
There are no mysteries here. We can serve God or we can serve mammon. And we
can do either one as ostensible members of the Church. But, what many fail to see
is that when we chose Babylon’s course, we are not only guilty of personally
rejecting the prophets, but of polluting the holy church of God as well. Our contrary
lives and philosophies teach our families and neighbors different lessons than those
coming from heaven. Our priorities and justifications serve and defend the selfserving
kingdom of the devil not the selfless family of God. Our lives become the
adversaries lies, his false advertising, saying to the other members of the holy church
that they too can have it all. Our sophisticated justifications seem so alluring and
cogent, especially to the youth of the church. As we work with the youth we tarnish
them with our exciting Babylonian precepts and examples. It’s all so logical to seek
the things of the world in the wisdom of the world when we are all so much of the
world.
With great agility and acumen these whores justify the forbidden paths with the logic
and wisdom of the world. They preach to us that we can better serve the church by
being successful in the pursuits of the Gentiles— higher learning, successful careers,
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prominence and wealth. These pursuits, they submit, will build the kingdom of God
so much better than staying home and having a bunch of underprivileged kids. They
tell us that some members, contrary to the prophets teachings, are better suited for
professional careers than for domestic duties.
No matter that the covenants at the altars of the temple pertain to multiplying and
replenishing the earth, the wisdom of the great and spacious building says, “Why yes,
but mingle it with our wisdom and it will be better. Postpone and limit your family
that you may seek first the things of this world and aspire to the honors of men, then
you can serve the kingdom so much better, then you can give your three children the
fine things of the world— to say nothing of yourself. Being well educated, a woman
can do so much more. Not being bound down by a brewed of children you will be
able to serve so much more effectively. You will not only realize your full potential
but serve the kingdom so much more effectively. There are more paths to the Tree
of Life than one. Each much choose his own path and find his own course. It is
different for everyone of us.”
But with time, many of the saints come to see that these pluralistic justifications for
going contrary to the prophets are empty attempts to hide what eventually becomes
obvious. The truth is we who make such choices do not really want to serve God and
our fellow man in God’s way with personal sacrifice at all. We have opted to serve
ourselves with personal success instead. We will become great educators with high
degrees, famous athletes who become very popular with the world by breaking the
Sabbath, great businessmen who love and make and ostensibly give much money—
great men and women of the world who the world will respect and admire. And with
these honors of men and the things of the world (D&C 121:35), we then purport we
will serve God and his children. We will be his greatest servants and we will do it
our way, rising to the heights of worldly prosperity and success— having our cake
and eating it too. This thinking may not always even be a conscious thing, yet this
exactly mirrors Satan’s philosophy. He wanted to be the Messiah, but not with any
personal sacrifice. He too wanted to serve his way, in power and glory, not God’s
way, in abasing himself in personal sacrifice. He could not and would not give
himself a sacrifice for all so he proposed another self aggrandizing plan, but our
meek Lord who came into the world not to do his own will but the will of the Father
(Jn. 6:38), both could and did. He sought not the honors of men or the things of this
world. He suffered the will of the Father in all things.
These pseudo-members play havoc with the church. Their pollutions, seeking to
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justify their desires for the vain things of the world literally persecute and destroy the
church and the people of God from within.
2 Nephi 26:29
29 He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold,
priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto
the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they
[don’t really] seek...the welfare of Zion.
Alma 1:12
12 But Alma said unto him: Behold, this is the first time that
priestcraft has been introduced among this people. And behold, thou
art not only guilty of priestcraft, but hast endeavored to enforce it by
the sword; and were priestcraft to be enforced among this people it
would prove their entire destruction.
[The angel of the Lord] cried again, saying: Alma [a rebellious
member of the church], arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou
the church of God? For the Lord hath said: This is my church, and I
will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the
transgression of MY PEOPLE. (Mosiah 27:13).
Priestcraft is the magical art of turning the vain priorities of Babylon into the
priorities of the saints. Mingling the philosophies of men with scripture the saints
justify themselves with their own learning in going a whoring after other priorities
than those the Lord has set. The craft is in showing that in seeking the wealth and
popularity of the world the saints are only doing the work and will of God. But it’s
all smoke and mirrors. When the saints love the vain things of the world more than
heaven’s plan of happiness they cease to be the church of God— they become the
other church. Remember, there are only two, and it all comes down to the heart.
The revealed key of happiness is that mankind will only fill the measure of his
creation and find joy and happiness therein by marrying and multiplying and
replenishing the earth:
Man is not complete without the woman. Neither can fill the
measure of their creation without the other. (President Howard W.
Hunter, Ensign, November 1994, p. 49, emphasis mine).
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We seriously regret that there should exist a sentiment or feeling
among any members of the Church to curtail the birth of their
children. We have been commanded to multiply and replenish the
earth that we may have joy and rejoicing in our posterity. (First
Presidency letter to bishops, stake presidents and mission presidents,
14 April 1969, emphasis mine).
Anything that detracts from this plan is the lie. The fundamental unit of both society
and the church is the family. The prophets have fervently and unanimously testified
that no worldly success will ever compensate for failure in our homes. They have
counseled and even plead with the saints not to compromise these marital and
familial values, vouchsafed from heaven, for any other supposed treasures that earth
may have to offer.
I can assure you that the greatest responsibility and the greatest joys
in life are centered in the family, honorable marriage, and rearing a
righteous posterity. (Ensign, May 1988, p. 52, emphasis mine.)
There can be no genuine happiness separate and apart from the
home. The sweetest influences and associations of life are there. We
cannot be successful no matter what goals we attain in the material
world, no matter what honors of men come to us; we will not be
successful in our lives if we fail as fathers and mothers. (C.R. Oct.
1947, p.27, emphasis mine.)
But too many have not listened, both in our society and in our church. The adoption
of these perverted, pluralistic priorities and practices of Babylon (higher learning,
career success, double incomes, limited families, day care and nanny mothersubstitutes,
deficit spending) have brought the family to crisis in our society and in
our church. Just as the prophecies have warned, these things are and will bring the
calamities and judgments of destruction upon us. Our sacred marriages cannot be
merely shared priorities with the educations, careers, pleasures and interests of the
world. The precious children entrusted to us from heaven cannot be part time
priorities in the lives of their preoccupied and overly busy parents who greedily want
it all, and pridefully think or, at least hope, they can have it all.
These deceitfully justify themselves with arguments of the importance of education,
the value of career success and supposedly “being all that they can be” in the cause
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of building Zion. Their erudite rhetoric deceives many, often including themselves,
and tragically pollutes the holy church of God.
But this deceit is far more obvious to some than many know. Some of us come to see
all of this for what it really is— the mockings and vain imagination and wisdom of
Babylon the great, the great and spacious building, the great and abominable church,
even the whore of all the earth.
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I will post the rest of it here in .pdf format once I figure out how to do it.  I have only skimmed at this point - but I found this chapter which gives me assurance that the rest of it is on the mark.

I see my daughter struggling to find her way in a world where Babylon is held up as the standard - and then I see her seminary teacher, a former Bishop whose wife is our RS President who was able to make it on one income, who homeschooled all 8 of their children, who is putting the last one through his mission, and who has all the other 7 kids endowed and sealed in the temple to their companions.  I am blessed to be surrounded by faithful members who understand and have heeded God's counsels with exactness and am able to point to them as examples of faith, courage, and perseverance that back up what my wife and I are trying to pass on to our kids.

PROPHETIC MARKERS OF OUR IMPENDING DESTRUCTION

Wow, when I read the news, I simply cannot help but think of the two things that are recorded in the Old Testament that preceded God hitting the reset button the first time when he took the wicked from the earth by water:
1. "THE EARTH WAS FILLED WITH VIOLENCE"  Self explanatory: Patrons of a violent/dark movie are gunned down by a dark/violent person who does not appear to be nuts; just mad at life because he had to work at McDs after graduation with a bachelor's degree and was powering out of grad school.
2. "THEY WERE MARRYING AND GIVING IN MARRIAGE".  I always wondered after that phrase that Jesus repeated would be occurring in the days right before he came again and the earth was once again cleansed of the wicked; this time by fire.  I thought at the time I first read it, "Duh, of course people will always be marrying - that tells me nothing of substance." 

What I did not realize is that the phrase, "Marrying and Giving in Marriage" is a code somewhat that delicately describes the process of society slowly descending into depraved behaviors until it becomes the norm that there is state-sanctioned marriage by people of the same sex.  Now, don't shoot me if you have chosen which side of the fence you now sit, I am simply gutsy enough to pass along the information as its exists in the historical record.  The Talmudic record is clear.  When I learned of the interpretation of this phrase a few years ago, I was floored.  We, with the national push to destroy the sacred union of man and woman, now possess both markers of signs of our impending destruction.  If we choose to remain silent or, worse, participate in it, we will ultimately pay the price.  We, alone can choose our destiny.  With recent statements by our POTUS, November becomes one of our last chances to say that we as a nation, do not put our stamp on this practice that undermines and nullifies the very first commandment given in the Garden of Eden to our common ancestors to "Multiply and replenish the earth."  God help us all!  The time is short.  If you can cannot sense it, I feel sorry for you.

Thanks for listening!

MARRYING AND GIVING IN MARRIAGE - REVISITED FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME.... :)

Wow - I am going to look further into this.  I have not gone over those verses with a fine tooth comb for decades.  Without knowing about this whole gay marriage thing, I would have missed the significance of it anyway, all those years back.

I am seeing much more in a whole new light as of late.  I read the first 5 chapters of Matthew this morning and it was startling what I learned.....

Here the comment from a poster that I thought was significant.  Thanks "M"!

Hi Iraq, have you noticed the D & C index on marriage? It refers to JS Matthew, verse 42, and adds a clarification. It states that MEN were marrying and giving in marriage. When you look at the original verse it appears to convey the idea that life was normal until the flood, but with this added index definition it clearly says it was marriage between men that was taking place just before the flood.

M______.  And thanks for your blog, I really enjoy it.

We are so close to destruction, I can taste it......  Must be the dust from the volcanoes, the red dust from the comet, and the smell from all those piled corpses rotting away.  Bleche......  The poor bloke from China that gets that job!

CROSSING OVER THE THRESHHOLD OF NO RETURN

Boy, after a while, I start to sound (and feel like a broken record).  Yesterday, I was watching some vids from my old mission comp, Elder Christensen who lives on the East bench areas of SLC and I worry about him in light of what Spencer and others have had to say.  I think he is in Holliday, UT which is a massive rock fall off the east cliffs.  The nice part of that is that the effects of liquefaction are minimized with larger media below you.  Once the boulders become dog sized, the effects are largely minimized with a relatively light structure.  Those with "slab on grade" foundations will literally float like a boat and ride it out.  Others with standard "T" wall foundations will have to rely on the square footage of the footing divided by the mass of the building above it compared against the soil's ability to handle compressive loads (moisture content figures in as well at the time of the shaker) in order to get thru the event.  Some boulders in that Holliday area are the size of houses.  I will now go down a bunny trail about that topic on building for seismicity I had talked about in a previous post.  The best structure you can have in a shaker is not what we now have for our homes, but is actually what your horse is living in and what your TV came in from China.  Yup, I would much rather live in that than what I am currently in - if I knew when a shaker was coming, that is.  I think my bags would be packed and on the porch if I were to propose that to the family (other than my oldest daughter - she has been probing me for info on it and wants to build completely debt-free in a southwest adobe style using shipping containers).  I am pretty impressed with her resourcefulness and creativity.  She is going to be an engineer, but she peppered me with alot of engineering questions about reducing wall strength for cutouts for doors and walls as we were working inside my 20' container, and then announced her plans to me.  The beauty of them is not so much living in them, as it is using them as a "life boat" for food storage and as a backup shelter in case your principle structure is in a disorganized jumble on its former foundation.  The problem with the container is that it is subjected to the extremes of heat and cold which is bad for food storage - and not so great for living.  The best one you can get is the cold storage container which is made from stainless steel and is very well insulated.  They are hard to find because corrosion is minimal (which is what kills the standard Cor-10 steel units), so their problems are that they are punctured or badly dented (dropped during shipping transfer).  When you do find one that is "timed out" and in good shape, you will pay a premium for it.  I have owned three or four of them now and I have never stepped up and gotten the more expensive stainless units.  I kind of wish I had - knowing what I know now.  Color is a big deal - the white one we have is about 20-30 degrees cooler on a sunny summer day compared to the white one.  Unless you can afford to have one for each season, you will struggle with HVAC issues on each account.  The other nice thing about the stainless units is that they make MUCH BETTER underground shelters - if you are thinking along those lines.  If you choose to bury one, face the doors east or west in the hillside you put it in.  I have my reasons for that - but I am still waiting for a Spencer to come along and confirm what those reasons are.  There will be very high winds at some point (I have not seen Spencer confirm it) although, Mother Mary Shipton and Gayle have mentioned it in their descriptions.  Every one should have a place to get into a basement or underground shelter at the very least - as I see that as a distinct possibility and I have no clue how or when that will be in the narrative, so I cannot answer that other than to say to go look up what Shipton had to say on the matter (may be a pole shift or large planetary fly-by or??).  When you understand what wind can do to structures, you never think the same about buildings again.  A large wind creates enormous pressure differentials (inside to outside) on the structure and when you watch the slo-mo footage of structures subjected to those forces, its disheartening.  They simply explode.  In our airplane designs, great pains are taken to ensure that sudden pressure differentials are contained and arrested before a catastrophic event can occur.  We have things you cannot even begin to imagine to keep the unimaginable from happening.  The recent 737 Southwest decompression event high-lighted how well those features worked.  Entire lives have been devoted just to those details so the flying public is safe.  Companies have gone under (early on - the BAC Comet disasters) when they did not fully understand materials properties and decompression failure modes.  Soooo.....the absolute best living space for disasters is a properly buried or berm-earthed stainless container with alot of details I simply do not have time to go into here.  The next best thing is one above ground out back of the house and the third one is a simple pole building.  Pole buildings are extremely low mass buildings (not necessarily good in wind), but cheap to build and, when combined with a reinforced concrete slab on grade, provide great protection from basic elements and EQs.   They simply will not disappear up to their eaves if you live in a bad liquefaction area.  The thing I like about the containers is that they float.  After the Japanese tsunami, there was a container complete with a rusted out Harley that made it to our shores with very little water having been taken on.  I think its only because the motorbike and other stuff were pushed to the back of the contain and it mostly floated here with the doors above the water line.  But those things float - making them a de-facto boat.  So, EQ/wind/water resistance give those things high marks in my book.  Buried properly (there are you-tubes out there where people have followed proper engineering principle so there is some longevity in your endeavor), those things are great for all scenarios including storing root crops and many veggies after the fall freeze, as well as long-term food storage.

So, back to David Christensen - he made a great vid talking about destruction in the days of Noah that I talked about in a previous piece:

http://woodyoubelieveit.blogspot.com/search?q=marrying+and+giving+in+marriage

Here is David's video - and I hope you enjoy the excellence of it as much as I did:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTt4YYN-jtQ&playnext=1&list=PL9BDC08FF9B8F27C8&feature=results_main