JOSEPH SMITH SR. DREAM OF THE TREE OF LIFE

This is interesting from Lucy Mack's journal:

“In the meantime we had a son, whom we called Joseph, after his father; he was born December 23, 1805. In 1811, we moved from Royalton, Vermont, to the town of Lebanon, New Hampshire. Soon after arriving here, my husband [Joseph Smith Sr.] received another very singular vision, which I will relate:

​

“I thought, I was traveling in an open, desolate field, which appeared to be very barren. As I was thus traveling, the thought suddenly came into my mind that I had better stop and reflect upon what I was doing, before I went any further. So I asked myself, ‘What motive can I have in traveling here, and what place can this be?’ My guide, who was by my side, as before, said, ‘This is the desolate world; but travel on.’ The road was so broad and barren that I wondered why I should travel in it; for, said I to myself, ‘Broad is the road, and wide is the gate that leads to death, and many there be that walk therein; but narrow is the way, and straight is the gate that leads to everlasting’ life, and few there be that go in thereat.”

​

“Traveling a short distance farther, I came to a narrow path. This path I entered, and, when I had traveled a little way in it, I beheld a beautiful stream of water, which ran from the east to the west. Of this stream I could see neither the source nor yet the termination; but as far as my eyes could extend I could see a rope running along the bank of it, about as high as a man could reach, and beyond me was a low, but very pleasant valley, in which stood a tree such as I had never seen before. It was exceedingly handsome, insomuch that I looked upon it with wonder and admiration. Its beautiful branches spread themselves somewhat like an umbrella, and it bore a kind of fruit, in shape much like a chestnut bur, and as white as snow, or, if possible whiter. I gazed upon the same with considerable interest, and as I was doing so the burs or shells commenced opening and shedding their particles, or the fruit which they contained, which was of dazzling whiteness. I drew near and began to eat of it, and I found it delicious beyond description. As I was eating, I said in my heart, ‘I can not eat this alone, I must bring my wife and children, that they may partake with me.’ Accordingly, I went and brought my family, which consisted of a wife and seven children, and we all commenced eating, and praising God for this blessing. We were exceedingly happy, insomuch that our joy could not easily be expressed.”

​

“While thus engaged, I beheld a spacious building standing opposite the valley which we were in, and it appeared to reach to the very heavens. It was full of doors and windows, and they were filled with people, who were very finely dressed. When these people observed us in the low valley, under the tree, they pointed the finger of scorn at us, and treated us with all manner of disrespect and contempt. But their contumely we utterly disregarded. I presently turned to my guide, and inquired of him the meaning of the fruit that was so delicious. He told me it was the pure love of God, shed abroad in the hearts of all those who love him, and keep his commandments. He then commanded me to go and bring the rest of my children. I told him that we were all there. ‘No,’ he replied, ‘look yonder, you have two more, and you must bring them also.’ Upon raising my eyes, I saw two small children, standing some distance off. I immediately went to them, and brought them to the tree; upon which they commenced eating with the rest, and we all rejoiced together. The more we ate, the more we seemed to desire, until we even got down upon our knees, and scooped it up, eating it by double handfuls. After feasting in this manner a short time, I asked my guide what was the meaning of the spacious building, which I saw. He replied, ‘It is Babylon, it is Babylon, and it must fall. The people in the doors and windows are the inhabitants thereof, who scorn and despise the Saints of God because of their humility.’ I soon awoke, clapping my hands together for joy.”

Lucy Mack Smith – Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and His Progenitors

for Many Generations, Harold B. Lee Library, BYU, March 2004 

MISCARRIAGES FROM THE JAB

 Wow, this is sobering.  We know of one of these cases of a gal from the next town over:

ENOCH - POWER IN THE PRIESTHOOD

 I read this stuff prior to going on my mission when my mother (thankfully) gave me a copy of the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith.  I could have read any other book and gotten nothing from it compared to what I gained from that book.  I truly fell in love with the man and what he was about.  I could testify of him after that.  I gained a full testimony of the Book of Mormon in the MTC, even though I always had a spiritual witness of it since I was a young lad.  My intellectual testimony of it grew (and is still growing) and was cemented to the point that I could witness of the power of it in the MTC.  I remember sending copies of it to anyone who did not have a witness of it and asking them to read it.  I had fallen in love with the words between the covers of that book also.

What was the common font?  Joseph Smith.  What was his source?  Jesus Christ.  His source?  The Father.  So simple.

I have witnessed so many miracles in my life, that I fear of what would happen if I were to turn from the font of that.  Most of those miracles are a result of my wife and I being endowed with power from on high (in the temple) and through faith in Jesus Christ.  When I see people like our old Bishop friend fall, it is likely due to not having experienced miracles in life.  For whatever reason, they likely were not manifested or acknowledged, or savored.  As I get older, I become more contemplative and realize how great God has been in my life.  My wife and I are constantly recounting and giving thanks for all things.  We have witnessed so many tender mercies, though I can focus on the negatives (of any situation), at times.  I feel that the recognition of a miracle is key in having greater miracles manifested.  Having a spirit of repentance is key (always being willing to and striving to, course correct.  Humility (admission that we are NOTHING BEFORE THE LORD), is another key attribute/quality.  Being able to keep our mouths shut and keep the most sacred of things to ourselves.  Yes, there is alot that I cannot say on this blog - even though I say most things to encourage others to seek after similar things.

Actively asking for the Second Comforter - and then being willing to endure what the Lord puts before you.  You will need to buckle up - and a lap belt will not do.....

Anyway, those are some of the things that will lead to a higher path.  Studying the works of those who have gone before, such as Enoch and being the least bit curious about the path they took.  The Lord will give nothing to those who are half interested.  Here is a quote from a book on Enoch that shows that it is a life long pursuit:

THE MOVIE WITNESSES

 Here is an assessment I will have to agree with, because it goes well with all the other progressive crap floating around out there.....  I have seen Bushman in other pieces commenting on Joseph and his countenance is purely sour.  His sneer when addressing the Prophet is palpable.  I am embarrassed for the guy, really!

Yeah I saw it last week and was very disappointed.  It pushes the liberal rewrite of our history that favors historically anti sources as more valid than what the prophets like Joseph actually said.  It plants all sorts of little  seeds of doubt about josephs character.  For example they portray joseph as a petty two bit spiritual dictator giving all sorts of false prophecies here and there with a penchant for angry responses to those that disagreed with him and made it look like he gave revelations in the heat of anger to shut people up in the moment.  Super bogus nonsense.  I wanted to like the movie but over and over again it pushed an agenda to cast little seeds of doubt everywhere and it’s jumps around so much that you can hardly follow it unless you already have great familiarity with the history of these topics.  I could only feel the spirit maybe three times when they recounted something accurately for a brief moment but the negative spiritual impact of these portrayals far outweighed any good.  They also portrayed Joseph with a goofy awkward smile at insensitive times when others were in distress like he didn’t care.  Again all very subtle ways to push a new progressive rewriting of our history.  

The guys that wrote it (interpreter foundation) are heavily influenced by historians like Richard bushman that admitted he lost his testimony in college and never really got it back.  He also said that he wanted to do everything he could to pull Joseph down off his pedestal.  He wrote a book called “rough stone rolling” that has been responsible for leading many people I know out of the church.    Not because it tells truths about joseph and church history but because he literally said he pretended to be like a psychoanalyst (which he has no formal training in) where he analyzed josephs and others motivations and thoughts and then painted or portrayed things the way he saw them occurring as if that was the truth.  Problem it is isn’t and wasn’t.  It’s hard enough to understand someone’s motivations and thoughts when they are standing right in front of you.  Bushman pretended he could do it from over a hundred years ago accurately and then used his basically faithless views to downplay and suck the spirit out of every moment possible.  

Bushman once said he lived as a Latter Day Saint because he liked it or was comfortable in it and thought it made him a decent guy.  Leaving out any testimony of the gospels truthfulness of course because as he said, he lost that in college and never got it back.  

Bushman was one of the Arrington influenced scholars that held onto and defended the forged Hoffman documents (even after Hoffman was known to have murdered to conceal his attempted anti validating documents into church history, and were being proven fakes years.  They didn’t give up the Hoffman fakes until they were basically alone and looked stupid continuing to do so). Why?  because they were written to give validity to historically anti claims and cheap accusations of Joseph and his family using magic and the occult.  You can believe in bushman if you want, but I certainly don’t.  

I went to see the movie because I didn’t know if it would be a good thing or a bad thing.  I usually like to patronage lds themed stuff to help give it a market and encourage people to support the creation of good media in a sin sick world.  But I will NOT be taking the rest of my family to it or encouraging others to see something that essentially is the culmination of everything Hoffman was trying to achieve in changing our history.  - Dimitri

GREAT ARE THE WORDS OF ISAIAH - THE ISAIAH INSTITUTE HITS THIS OUT OF THE BALLPARK

 I am compelled by my wife to state that the "God hates gays" sign is not accurate - and she is right.  He does not (nor do I) hate them as individuals, but I surely HATE their agenda which is to destroy the nuclear family and anything that defines the role of men/women in society.  It is full on assault on all of this right now.  And they will attempt to crush you if you believe or act in defiance of their agenda.  Sheesh - we need more bolstering of the basic roles, not any more diminishing of those roles.  God creates, satan destroys.  God is life, the devil is death and destruction.  God builds, satan tears down (entropy).

Here is the link:

https://vimeo.com/124770306

There are apparently a ton of other links to vignettes on the Isaiah page:

https://www.isaiahexplained.com/

Check these out.  I highly recommend.

We need to bolster marriage, not tear it down.  The wicked and perverse will be swept from the face of this earth.

RAINBOWS AND NO RAINBOWS

 Well, I have to say, we are in our second year of drought according to this report:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/17/us/california-drought-oroville-power/index.html

The map in the report shows all of the SW in a severe drought zone - which is what Bishop Koyle said would happen and that it would stretch out from there (see the dark red in the drought map in the link above) to the rest of the USA.  Even here in S. Albera we recently got a hot, dry south wind which we rarely ever get.  That pushed us into the 90s early in our temp cycles for the year.

Folks, even the gad governor of Utah is asking people to pray for rain.  The problem is whether we merit it, or not.  The rains are often stayed from the wicked.  In the month of mocking rainbow flags, we could ponder on that a little bit.  There is an awful lot of support for that thing right now in Utah during rainbow month.  It is one thing to persecute those who do not fit into society - but an entirely other thing to give tacit approval by hanging a flag.  Instead of encouraging a wayward person to repent, putting up a sign of support enables/encourages the person in their behavior/act.  The best thing we can do for those we truly love, is to be firm in our stance of getting them to seek help for what is clearly an addiction or behavioral problem (look at drug use and average death age among male homosexuals vs their heterosexual counterparts).  It is more than a choice or just something that someone is born with.  It is often a self-loathing, addictive (sex addict) behavior and can be treated with good counseling, love and re-direction.

Hey, it worked (kind of) with Bathhouse Barry when he went through Revernd Wright's program in S. Chicago and hooked up with Michael!....

So, seriously, I have always wondered how there will be a year without a rainbow before the Savior comes (not sure if that prophecy was US-wide or worldwide).  You basically have to have water droplets in the atmosphere in order for that to occur.  If there is a US-wide drought that culminates in the fourth year with so little moisture that we basically have no chance of having a rainbow, then Bishop Koyle is once again proven right on the length and timing of this thing.  It would end in 2024, which would be a nice end to the whole thing when that eclipse moves across the sky.

Likely the lack of food will invoke war as people simply have to kill in order to acquire enough resources to survive.  Water and food will be the new currencies.

KEEP PRAYING THE FAUCI DECEPTION WILL BE REVEALED

This is great news along with the FOIA e-mail dump from Fauci.  He is a snake and needs to hang from a rope for his conflict of interest and gain of function entanglements with Wuhan.  We need to send a rod from God to that lab and blast it into oblivion.  Maybe something more thermonuclear so it has a sterilizing effect....  Our nuclear doctrine allows for it in the case of weaponized biologic releases like this.

Likely before any of this goes down, there will be another false flag to try and cover for it.  My wife and I agree that they will have to take Fauci down like they did Epstein, in order to cover their tracks.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/rumors-of-u-s-secretly-harboring-top-china-official-swirl/ar-AAL9Tb7

Only a divine intervention can save us from these wolves.  Pray for it.

PROPHECY FROM JOSEPH SMITH

 This is surely for our time and about to be fulfilled:

The ancient prophets declared that in the last days the God of heaven should set up a kingdom which should never be destroyed, nor left to other people;28 and the very time that was calculated on, this people were struggling to bring it out. He that arms himself with gun, sword, or pistol, except in the defense of truth, will sometime be sorry for it. I never carry any weapon with me bigger than my penknife. By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph who was sold into Egypt,5 and that the land of America is a promised land unto them,6 and unto it all the tribes of Israel will come, with as many of the Gentiles as shall comply7 with the requisitions of the new covenant.8 But the tribe of Judah will return to old Jerusalem.9 The city of Zion spoken of by David, in the one hundred and second Psalm,10 will be built upon the land of America,11 “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads.” (Isaiah 35:10);12 and then they will be delivered from the overflowing scourge13 that shall pass through the land. But Judah shall obtain deliverance at Jerusalem. See Joel 2:32; Isaiah 26:20 and 21; Jeremiah 31:12; Psalms 1:5; Ezekiel 34:11, 12 and 13.14 These are testimonies that the Good Shepherd15 will put forth His own sheep, and lead them out16 from all nations where they have been scattered in a cloudy and dark day,17 to Zion, and to Jerusalem;18 besides many more testimonies which might be brought. And now I am prepared to say by the authority of Jesus Christ, that not many years shall pass away before the United States shall present such a scene of bloodshed as has not a parallel in the history of our nation;19 pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake20 will sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land,21 to open and prepare the way for the return of the lost tribes of Israel from the north country.22 The people of the Lord, those who have complied with the requirements of the new covenant,23 have already commenced gathering together to Zion,24 which is in the state of Missouri; therefore I declare unto you the warning which the Lord has commanded me to declare unto this generation, remembering that the eyes of my Maker are upon me,25 and that to Him I am accountable for every word I say,26 wishing27 nothing worse to my fellow-men than their eternal salvation;28 therefore, “Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come.”1 Repent ye, repent ye, and embrace the everlasting covenant,2 and flee to Zion,3 before the overflowing scourge4 overtake you, for there are those now living upon the earth whose eyes shall not be closed in death until they see all these things, which I have spoken, fulfilled. Remember these things; call upon the Lord while He is near, and seek Him while He may be found,5 is the exhortation of your unworthy servant. The horn made war with the Saints and overcame them, &c., Dan. 7:21-22 until the Ancient of Days came; judgment was given to the Saints of the Most High from the Ancient of Days; the time came that the Saints possessed the kingdom. JOSEPH SMITH, JUN.,—DHC 4:162–164. REMARKS ON PRIESTHOOD At the Conference, October, 1840

GREAT DREAMS OF FUTURE TIMES

 Camps in the mountains and foreign troops.  I saw that they had come for me.  We will be required to leave all we have.  This will be part of the separation:

https://youtu.be/SfpuXjVePKM

WILL YE GO AWAY ALSO

 Here was a thoughtful comment by a regular reader, Big Matt:

So will you go away also? There are so many people that are loosing their faith. Why? Could it be a modern day Kirtland safety society? I can tell this vaccine has really gotten under your skin. Pun intended…. I have read almost all of your posts and i was afraid you might some day join the likes of Julie Row, Hector Sosa Chad Daybell, Denver Snuffer. The slide is always slight at first and then it intensifies. I recommend reading some church history especially what some of the apostates have said. “Joseph is now a fallen prophet” replace Joseph with Russel M Nelson and fast forward a few years and here we are. Will you go away also?

The answer to that is heck no!  I have two friends who have been Bishops.  Both are slip-slidin away.  One has completely gone off the cliff and no longer believes even in a God.  The thing that took him down was the lack of ability to even vent when his oldest daughter decided she is a bi-sexual (how do you decide that if you are chaste and a teen??!??  Maybe I am just naive....).  The wife who I always knew as very straight-laced, decided to follow the daughter.  The hubby decided to follow the wife.  The other is dangerously close to the precipice - but I feel he will be okay.  He is as frustrated as I am with those who appear a little too chummy with Babylon and he is openly critical of President Nelson.  He is also very Snufferesque in his beliefs about Brigham Young, but fiercely loyal to the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon (core beliefs).

Fact is this:  people will let you down.  We are all mere mortals.  No matter how you slice it or dice it, there will be mortal failings.  The secret is to not let it affect you negatively.  Please do not let anything on this blog affect you negatively.  I am likely wrong in my musings - though I really hate it when I am wrong.  My disclaimer is - and it always will be - take nothing I say at face value and find out for yourself.  I am an authority of nothing.  A few things I honestly can say and that is that God, through ministrants/angels/HG and otherwise, is intimately associated in the details of our lives.  He is a God of love.  I found that out with a surety in losing our child to SIDS.  God has an intimate dealing with His chosen people the House of Israel.  They have been carefully shepherded to where they are today.  The things that have occurred historically with them is beyond question, the most amazing story.  We are on a collision course with destiny with His Son, Jesus Christ coming to rescue a beleaguered people who will go through terrible trials in order to be perfected of Him.  We are headed towards Millennial glory, that will arrive after the entire earth has gone into commotion.  I can feel it.  I think we all can feel it.

All other details, are just the details.  They do not really matter in the bigger picture.  People tend to get lost in the details of life.  My Bishop friend who is struggling with polygamy is caught up on details about one statement by one person 150 years ago, etc.  The secret is to maintain a macro view of it all.  In the bigger picture, does it really matter?  No, probably not.  So don't sweat it, is always my response.  That is what got me past the statement by President Hinckley when he threw plural marriage under the bus on a 60 mins interview.  A definite lapse that did not lead to many being under condemnation (of physical or spiritual death).  This jab is different, as it attacks on both of those fronts.  It is pivotal both spiritually and also physically.  Time will tell.

But I will never let it affect my testimony of the truth.  I see it as a mortal making a bad decision - one that I refuse to be a part of.  One that could also come off as benign in just about any other scenario.  So, hang in there Big Matt!  I do not expect you will see me go full Snuffer or Daybell.  I never liked beach weddings anyway - and I don't have any good places to put the bodies, even if I did!