Our Mothers Knew It with Maria Eckersley

A Creative Study of Come, Follow Me

Book of Mormon [2 NEPHI 26-300] Insights

“A Marvelous Work and a Wonder”

March 11 – March 17, 2024

WEEK 11: SUMMARY

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Lesson Summary:

Nephi saw the latter-days with clarity and power. He understood the strategies of the adversary and the incredible promises of God. This week, we’ll study the coming forth of the Book of Mormon well over 2000 years before Moroni delivers the plates to Joseph Smith. Nephi will help us understand that God’s promises are available to all of His children and that He has a plan to extend the blessings of salvation to each and every person in His time.

Week 11 Questions

2 Nephi 26:10-11 | Why did Nephi say the Spirit strives with man and what is the tipping point that causes the Spirit to leave?

2 Nephi 26:22 | What does the term “secret combinations” mean to you? What is combining?

2 Nephi 27:25 & 2 Timothy 1:7 | How does the Book of Mormon help reinforce Timothy’s words about God not giving the spirit of fear?

2 Nephi 28:28 | Why can truth cause anger? How do we guard against it?

2 Nephi 30:5-6 | What do you think ‘scales of darkness’ represents and why do they fall slowly? Is there mercy in that slow removal?

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CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST DISCLAIMER: This podcast represents my own thoughts and opinions. It is not made, approved or endorsed by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Any content or creative interpretations, implied or included are solely those of Maria Eckersley ("MeckMom LLC"), and not those of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Great care has been made to ensure this podcast is in harmony with the overall mission of the Church. Click here to visit the official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Maria: 00:00:14

Welcome back, everybody.

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This is week 11 of Our Mothers Knew It, and this week we're going

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to go from chapter 26 all the way through 30 of Second Nephi.

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And this is sort of a hybrid of what we've done the last few weeks.

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This is Nephi's taking what he read and loves about Isaiah's writings, and

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he's putting it into his own words.

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And that's what I thought was so fun about Reading Nephi is, you

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almost hear Isaiah bubble up through the surface of Nephi's words.

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They, you can tell they've become his words.

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That's how much he loves these prophecies and promises.

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Like, it almost becomes hard to distinguish when it's Nephi's writings

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and when it's Isaiah's writings, and I think that's the goal of

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every prophet, seer, and revelator.

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That when you read their words, you actually hear echoes of every other

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great prophet and the Savior himself.

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And you're gonna feel that this week.

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It actually reminded me a lot of President Irey's talk from conference.

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Remember when he was basically addressing his grandchildren and his

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great grandchildren and he can see that hard days are coming for them

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because they live in latter days when hard things are coming for all of us.

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And so his, his talk was focused on them, but it, it offered.

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ideas and understandings to all of us along the way.

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That's kind of what happens with Nephi here.

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In fact, his guidance is really similar.

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Where President Eyring spoke about the best way for you to navigate

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the latter days is to hold on to the spirit, you know, keep revelation,

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be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost at all times.

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That was his guidance to his grandchildren and his great grandchildren.

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And Honestly, that's Nephi's guidance to us as well.

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Hold on to the words of prophets, listen to the promptings that

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come through Revelation, and trust in the promises of God.

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They are big and vast and worth listening to.

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the wrestle.

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That's Nephi's words.

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This week you're going to hear a lot of commentary about the last days

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because it's, it's going to focus, well, I mean, I guess you can probably

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tell from the title of the lesson.

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This lesson is a marvelous work and a wonder.

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This is going to be a lot about what the last days will look like and how

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the Lord reaches out after his children, especially when he offers them his

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words through the Book of Mormon.

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What, what that opens up for his children and the gathering that can

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ensue because that truth is so important.

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out and available to people.

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So you're gonna read a lot about that process, but since it's so focused on

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us, it's almost as if you're hearing President Eyring speak and instead of

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speaking his Grandchildren, he speaks directly to you and your family.

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That's Nevi this week.

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He speaks to his family, but also, and honestly, predominantly to us.

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So we've got to pay attention.

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So grab your scriptures, grab your notes.

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It's gonna be a really good week, you guys.

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Let's get started.

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Time to kick off our seven sparks, you guys.

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Remember, I'm not gonna take you through chapter by chapter.

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That's what my notes are for.

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The video is gonna be just things that caught my eye, and then

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also trying to demonstrate for you a little bit how I dig in.

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When something catches my eye in the verses, what do I do next

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and where do I seek answers?

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So I'm going to show you that process.

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At the end of this video, I'll also give you five good questions.

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These are usually kind of deep, curious questions that will help you want to

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get into your scriptures and ideally help you have really good conversations

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with friends and family and Sunday school classes, wherever you are.

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And then we'll do a second video of the three object lessons.

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And my intent with those is always the same every week.

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I just hope that instead of just delighting in the scriptures yourself,

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that you can find a way to help others delight in them as well.

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So the object lessons will help give you the creative tools

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you need to pull that off.

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But let's get started with our seven sparks.

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So spark number one, I call signs and shadows.

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This is one of those revelations that's been kind of building

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line upon line for me.

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In fact, you hear that verse this week, that understanding that his

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knowledge comes a little bit at a time.

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And I've seen this one Slowly condensing for me.

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I'm sure I'm not, I don't have the full picture just yet.

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But I found myself curious as I was studying this week, why Nephi

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begins with talking about signs.

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So he's talking to his people, kind of remember that President Eyring approach.

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He's talking to his posterity that will come and he's saying don't

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forget to watch for the signs.

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There will be signs coming.

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Even though this, these signs won't come for hundreds of years, he, he's

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planting seeds in the scriptures so that generations later when they hear prophets

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like Alma or Samuel the Lamanite, they'll recognize these seeds, these plants that

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are growing as something that Nephi began.

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So he's going to teach them about signs.

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So if you look in 26, This is verse three.

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And after the Messiah shall come, there shall be signs given unto my

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people of his birth, and also of his death, and the resurrection.

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He promises that there will be these signs in the heavens, that they will see.

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What I think is fascinating about the Lord is that he offers signs at all.

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He doesn't have to do this.

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You know, he's already taught prophets that this will happen.

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He's written it, had it written down.

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I just think this is a kindness from God that he, he finds these unmissable ways.

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to trust in his promises.

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You know, these big celestial ways to see his hand.

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And it just feels like his character to me.

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This revelation that I'm coming to understand, I've started to

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apply to almost every type and shadow you see in the scriptures.

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I actually think when we see types and shadows, you know, these

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allusions to God, I think they are his way of showing himself to us.

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So those of you who were on the live this week, we had a good

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chat about this, but I just think It's a way for him to condescend.

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It's a way for him to, to make himself known to us.

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Because, frankly, you guys, he is Big.

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He is vast.

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And from our moral perspective, it is hard to comprehend God.

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So I feel like he's built this world for us so that we could

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know him in these little slivers.

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You know, like I just think that's what signs are and that's what

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shadows are and that's what types are.

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What came to mind for me this week, I was studying about the Kirtland Temple, you

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know, because there's all this big news that's happening lately and I love how

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When Joseph Smith talks about the voice of God, especially what he heard then,

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he talks about it sounding like the voice of, like the sound of rushing waters.

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And I think In my mind, when I think about the Savior as this great

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creator, I think He created this world so that we could know Him.

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So He created a world that has the sound of rushing waters, so that when

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we hear a prophet use those words, we can recognize the voice of God.

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I don't know exactly what it sounds like, and I can't pinpoint it in

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my mortal, limited scope, but I can understand it to some degree.

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Because he has made rushing waters that I can stand by and be

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simultaneously in awe of and a little scared of and, you know, like that's,

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that's the sound of God to me.

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And I think you see that over and over again in his character,

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these types and shadows that show him reaching out towards us.

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For example, I was teaching my YSAs about that, that analogy of the hen

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that stretches out its wings, right?

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To me, this is God hoping that we can know him.

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I actually think Jesus Christ created hens and the way they, you know, live and work,

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I think he made them that way on purpose.

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So that he could teach this beautiful lesson.

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This sweet mother hen that stretches out her wings and has no defensive,

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you know, maneuvers, only offers herself as a shield to protect

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all who will come under her wings.

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To me, that's, that's his way of helping us know him.

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Because we can't.

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fully grasp him in this life, but we get these little flashes of light.

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It's the same thing I see when we talk about mustard seeds and they go from

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something so small to something so big.

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This is his way of teaching us who he is.

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And for me, I just think you see that throughout this week's chapters.

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You see Nephi trying to say to us, you can trust him.

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You will see big signs.

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You will see small things.

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He is all around you.

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Let me show you his characteristics.

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That's why I love how it culminates in chapter 26 verse 13.

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He says this, and that he manifested himself unto all those who believe in

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him by the power of the Holy Ghost.

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And to every nation, kindred, and tongue, and people working mighty miracles,

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signs, and wonders among the children of men according to their faith.

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I think Our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ want us to know them.

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So they built a world that we can come to know them.

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But in order to see those flashes of light and to see those connections,

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we have to be in our scriptures.

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We have to be listening to modern prophets who recognize these things

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and help us see them more clearly.

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I think that's what Nephi is trying to offer his people and

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by extension offer us as well.

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Spark number two I call the power of contrast because honestly it reminds

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me a little bit of my drawing classes in high school where One of my favorite

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things to draw was anything metallic You know like a chrome wheel well or even

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like a fork because they had such cool Contrast in order to get something to

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look metal you had to have an area that was super dark and pigmented and next

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to an Area that was really bright and had almost no pigmentation and that's

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kind of how I think Nephi is teaching us in this chapter He's helping us

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understand the beauty and the goodness and the light of God by teaching you

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a little bit more about the adversary.

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I don't think he wants us to focus on the adversary.

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I just think it's a way to show how bright and glorious God really is.

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So you're going to see a few pairs of contrasts.

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I didn't have time to put them all in here, but I grabbed two.

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The first one comes from 21 to 24.

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This is when he starts in 21 and 22.

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He sets that dark streak of pigment when he teaches us about

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the adversary and his ways.

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He talks about false churches that are going to be built up

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and envyings and strife that's going to happen in the last days.

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And then he also talks about the strategies of the adversary.

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So he says he's the founder of murder and the works of darkness.

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Yea, he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord until he bindeth

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them with his strong cords forever.

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This is that dark streak that will help us appreciate the goodness of God.

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Because Satan's strategy is to trap and to trick.

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He secretly combines.

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He finds ways to strip you of your dignity.

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He, you know, that's his whole goal is to get you comfortable with this light, thin

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flaxen cord around your neck, thinking that at any point you could break free.

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And then, over the course of time, that thickens to the point

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where you can't break free.

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We're going to talk about this in the object lessons too, because

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I think that visual is so strong.

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But what makes it stronger is what you read about the Savior next, 23 and 24.

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For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord

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God worketh not in darkness.

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He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world.

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For he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life,

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that he may draw all men unto him.

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Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

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That's the nature of God, that he has his arms.

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open wide.

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In fact, was it Elder Holland in that talk about the cross where he

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talked about his, his arms are nailed in that position to teach us that

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all are welcome to come unto him?

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Or Satan works with secret clubs and oaths and promises and, you know,

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these, darkness behind closed doors Satan's strategies are the opposite

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of the goodness of God right that's what I think is interesting about the

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second pair of contrasts in the same chapter it sort of bleeds into it

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because now he's gonna talk about priest craft this idea of setting yourself up

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for a light in order in order to get glory or gain or you know some other

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advantage other than benefiting Zion.

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So he warns about that and then he gives us the opposite of it.

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So after teaching us about what priestcraft is, setting yourself up

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for a light, then he teaches about its opposite, which is written as

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charity, which was fascinating.

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This is why it sparked for me, you guys, because when I think of the opposite

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of priestcraft, I think of priesthood.

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You know, I, in fact, there's a McConkie quote in the notes this week that talks

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specifically about this, that this is the idea of, like, setting yourself

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up for a light without teaching truth, giving people false doctrines and

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false teachings and not having truth.

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That's priestcraft.

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And so he warns about that.

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But what was interesting to me is to see charity set as its opposite.

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And then the more I studied, and the more I searched, and the more

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talks I read about charity, the more I realized, of course, charity

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and priesthood go hand in hand.

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The pure love of God is empowered by the priesthood.

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It's what allows you to do real good among the people, right?

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Not just care for their temporal needs, although it does help with

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that as well, but also to provide ordinances and opportunities to have

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happiness that extends beyond this life.

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That's charity.

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Like the pure love of God is not just limited to your temporal needs.

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It is something much bigger.

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And I think the work of the priesthood on earth is simply to give dignity,

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invite all men to come unto him.

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with their heads held high.

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That's what the priesthood offers and I think it's powerful

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to see it in these verses.

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So I love how it's phrased in 30.

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Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing, speaking of priestcraft, wherefore

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the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity,

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which charity is love, and except they should have charity they were nothing.

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Wherefore if they should have charity they would not suffer

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the labor in Zion to perish.

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Spark number three, I call feasting on fluff because it came

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from a visual of my YSA class.

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We, uh, had a recent lesson where I, for the treat, I

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brought my cotton candy maker.

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So Jason, I think last Mother's Day, he bought me like a legit

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cotton candy maker, not a little kitchen one, but like a big one.

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So I brought it into class and I told the kids they could

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have as many as they wanted.

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And this was like, Fresh cotton candy.

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It smelled so good.

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So of course they had a lot.

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I mean they're coming from college classes or work.

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They don't have time to eat.

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So they were hungry and they came and they ate a lot of cotton candy.

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Some of them had two or three bags worth of cotton candy.

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What was interesting to me is you could tell they were eating

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because they were hungry.

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But they weren't getting filled.

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You know, I mean, you have cotton candy.

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As you put it on your tongue, it dissolves into nothing, and

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you have nothing to show for it.

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So after eating two or three bags worth of cotton candy, they had these empty

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stomachs, and also this sick feeling.

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Because, you know, all that sugar is now coursing through their

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system, and they've got no real food to work on, so they feel sick.

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It was, it was kind of a terrible, but very valuable learning moment

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for me, because I feel like that's what you see in these verses.

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Basically, in these chapters, especially in 27, you're going to

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see Nephi talk about Your choices.

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Almost like a big buffet of food.

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What he describes is that everybody's gonna be hungry in these latter days.

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People are gonna be searching for something to fill them.

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And we have to make sure that they have truth at their fingertips,

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because otherwise they're gonna pick the cotton candy.

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So if you look in three, this is how he describes it.

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This is 27 verse 3.

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And all the nations that fight against Zion, that shall distress her, shall

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be as a dream of a night vision.

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Yea, it shall be unto them even as a hungry man which dreameth,

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and behold he eateth, but he awaketh, and his soul is empty.

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Or like a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh,

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but awaketh, and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite.

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Yea, even so shall the multitude of all nations be that fight against Zion.

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I thought it was interesting, this idea of like, Everyone is

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hungry in these latter days.

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The world will cause hunger.

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What we need to do is make sure that truth is available for them to grab easily.

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That they can, they have access to it, because that's the only

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thing that will fill them.

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Everything else the world offers.

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is cotton candy.

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You know, it's, it's something that tastes good in the moment, that seems great,

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that looks big in the bag, but dissolves into nothing, and in fact, leaves you

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with a sour, sick feeling in your stomach.

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That's his warning.

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I love what we heard.

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This is from a few conferences ago by Elder Owen.

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He says, I repeat what our prophet, President Russell M.

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Nelson, has said.

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We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious.

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The constant availability of social media and a 24 hour news cycle

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bombards us with relentless messages.

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If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the

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philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation.

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President Nelson went on to warn that in coming days, It will not be possible

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to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and

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constant influence of the Holy Ghost.

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And then he talks about that President Packer talk.

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Do you remember the one where he talked about the deer?

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That people were worried because the deer couldn't get back up into the mountains

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and they didn't want the deer to starve.

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So they put out all those bales of hay and then the deer ate the bales of hay

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and then died with full stomachs because it wasn't what could sustain them.

Maria: 00:15:57

It wasn't the right nourishment for them.

Maria: 00:15:59

And I just think it's this profound warning that the reason we need Revelation

Maria: 00:16:03

is because We're going to be looking at this great big buffet, and we need to

Maria: 00:16:07

know what we can consume that will last.

Maria: 00:16:10

And I think we're already starting to see The stomach aches that come from people

Maria: 00:16:13

choosing other ways counter to God.

Maria: 00:16:16

That they thought they'd find happiness, they thought they'd find

Maria: 00:16:18

fulfillment, they thought they'd find satisfaction, and instead they end up

Maria: 00:16:23

still hungry and with a sour stomach.

Maria: 00:16:24

So I think we have to teach truth and, and point out where you can find it.

Maria: 00:16:29

And that's part of the work of this last generation.

Maria: 00:16:32

Spark number four, I call a cry from the dust, because over and over again,

Maria: 00:16:36

you're going to hear Nephi allude to voices coming from the ground.

Maria: 00:16:40

It's in several different chapters and spoken in a few different ways, but

Maria: 00:16:43

it's this idea of there are testimonies coming up from a place that you can't

Maria: 00:16:47

see, you can't prove, you have no evidence of, but there are voices.

Maria: 00:16:51

coming up from the ground.

Maria: 00:16:53

He often refers to it in regards to the plates.

Maria: 00:16:55

In fact, much of what we're going to read in chapter 27 is about these

Maria: 00:16:58

plates coming up out of the ground and that the words of the prophets now

Maria: 00:17:01

are available for people to consume and choose whether or not they're

Maria: 00:17:04

going to read them and feast on them.

Maria: 00:17:06

But I liked reading it in a more figurative way.

Maria: 00:17:10

I think God's goal is to help me find ways that I can trust him

Maria: 00:17:14

without seeing things, without having evidence in my hands.

Maria: 00:17:18

In fact, what I did through chapter 27 is I went and circled every word

Maria: 00:17:22

that said, book, meaning anytime I saw that phrase book or that word

Maria: 00:17:27

book, I put a red circle around it.

Maria: 00:17:29

And that to me meant tangible evidence that there was something

Maria: 00:17:31

I could hold or touch or prove.

Maria: 00:17:33

The words of the book to me were more of a spiritual evidence.

Maria: 00:17:36

These are the written words that I can't, I can't necessarily see their source.

Maria: 00:17:39

I just.

Maria: 00:17:40

know they're good.

Maria: 00:17:41

I can taste them somehow.

Maria: 00:17:42

And understanding that distinction helped me navigate that chapter.

Maria: 00:17:46

But what I liked about it is I feel like he teaches us his goal.

Maria: 00:17:49

His goal is to help us choose him.

Maria: 00:17:52

Whether or not we have evidence that we can see with our mortal eyes.

Maria: 00:17:56

Something that we can hold in our hands.

Maria: 00:17:57

Will we trust him otherwise?

Maria: 00:17:59

You get a taste of this in 27 verses 19 through 21.

Maria: 00:18:03

Wherefore it shall come to pass that the Lord will deliver again the book and the

Maria: 00:18:06

words thereof to him that is not learned.

Maria: 00:18:08

And the man that is not learned shall say, I'm not learned.

Maria: 00:18:10

It's.

Maria: 00:18:10

And the Lord shall say unto him, The learned shall not read them,

Maria: 00:18:13

for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work.

Maria: 00:18:16

Wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee.

Maria: 00:18:19

Touch not the things that are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due

Maria: 00:18:23

time, for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work.

Maria: 00:18:27

This is alluding to Joseph Smith when he is, you know, unlearned and

Maria: 00:18:30

he takes the words of the you know, plates to Charles Anthony, I guess

Maria: 00:18:34

Martin Harris does, and it's alluding to all that part in church history.

Maria: 00:18:38

But I also think it teaches us a lot about our ways and our understandings

Maria: 00:18:42

that we tend to rely on physical evidence.

Maria: 00:18:45

We want to be able to prove things.

Maria: 00:18:47

If you haven't listened to the Follow Him podcast, they had a scholar

Maria: 00:18:49

on this week that I thought did a beautiful job with this chapter.

Maria: 00:18:51

But I love this understanding for me personally, because there are certain

Maria: 00:18:55

things in my life that are sealed books.

Maria: 00:18:58

There are certain evidences that I would love to have.

Maria: 00:19:02

There are certain, you know, things that I would love to know for certain.

Maria: 00:19:05

That he, for whatever reason, chooses to seal up.

Maria: 00:19:09

And what he says to me is, Trust me, Maria, I can do my own work.

Maria: 00:19:12

I can help you know everything else.

Maria: 00:19:16

So the way we've talked about this in the past is me wanting to understand.

Maria: 00:19:19

Jason's future when it came to cancer.

Maria: 00:19:21

I really wanted to know if he was going to make it.

Maria: 00:19:25

Like I, those were hard years, especially those early years.

Maria: 00:19:27

And I felt like if I could just know if he was going to make it or not, then I could

Maria: 00:19:30

prepare either direction I could prepare.

Maria: 00:19:33

And the answer I got, as we've talked about before, is This is a

Maria: 00:19:36

sealed book, which to me meant he was saying, Maria, will you trust

Maria: 00:19:39

me without knowing this one thing?

Maria: 00:19:41

Will you trust in my character and the promises that I offer you?

Maria: 00:19:45

Will you trust in those without knowing this one thing that is sealed?

Maria: 00:19:50

And I love that he says it's his work to make it known.

Maria: 00:19:54

I'm able to do my own work, which to me says, Maria, I will teach you, I will help

Maria: 00:19:58

you, I will give you all the evidence you need to know about why you can trust me.

Maria: 00:20:04

You just, you don't need this one that is sealed.

Maria: 00:20:07

All things will be known in time, but this one is sealed.

Maria: 00:20:09

And for me, somehow that, Helps me, because I feel like this

Maria: 00:20:13

is his way he perfects me.

Maria: 00:20:15

He, he finds ways to draw me towards him, because I need him in those

Maria: 00:20:21

daily, everyday moments, because I don't, that book isn't open.

Maria: 00:20:25

It's sealed.

Maria: 00:20:26

And so I, I form a relationship with him.

Maria: 00:20:28

What helps me understand, I think, fundamentally, is that

Maria: 00:20:31

his work is not necessarily just to bring the gospel forth.

Maria: 00:20:34

His work is us.

Maria: 00:20:36

We are his goal.

Maria: 00:20:37

His work is to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life.

Maria: 00:20:40

And so he's going to do that in his way.

Maria: 00:20:42

And sometimes that means we have to be comfortable with

Maria: 00:20:46

hearing words from the ground.

Maria: 00:20:48

I can't see the source.

Maria: 00:20:49

I don't know who's saying it.

Maria: 00:20:50

I can just tell by the words and by following them that they must be true.

Maria: 00:20:55

That's why I love that visual of words coming from the dust

Maria: 00:20:58

or coming from the ground.

Maria: 00:20:59

I think it's all about faith.

Maria: 00:21:01

In fact, when you go to 23, this is how he phrases it.

Maria: 00:21:04

For behold, I am a God, and I am a God of miracles.

Maria: 00:21:07

And I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Maria: 00:21:11

And I work not among the children of men, save it be according to their faith.

Maria: 00:21:15

He has to keep some things buried in the ground so that we have to use faith.

Maria: 00:21:19

He has to have some books that are sealed so that we have to use faith.

Maria: 00:21:23

Otherwise, his efforts would be thwarted.

Maria: 00:21:25

So that's his goal.

Maria: 00:21:26

For me, I think The big visual that helps me understand how to get more

Maria: 00:21:30

when I really am seeking more light and more knowledge that my favorite

Maria: 00:21:33

experience from scripture is in third Nephi, when the savior comes among

Maria: 00:21:38

the children of men and he's helping them and they want him to stay.

Maria: 00:21:41

This is in chapter 17, it says, but now I go onto the Father.

Maria: 00:21:44

This is the Savior speaking, and also to show myself onto the lost

Maria: 00:21:46

tribes of Israel for they are lost.

Maria: 00:21:48

not lost unto the Father, where he knoweth whither he hath taken them.

Maria: 00:21:51

And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes

Maria: 00:21:54

round about again on the multitude.

Maria: 00:21:55

And beheld, they were in tears, and they did look steadfastly upon

Maria: 00:21:58

him, as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.

Maria: 00:22:01

And he said unto them, Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion on you.

Maria: 00:22:06

Have ye any sick among you?

Maria: 00:22:08

Bring them hither.

Maria: 00:22:09

Have ye any lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous,

Maria: 00:22:12

or them that are withered, or deaf, or afflicted in any manner?

Maria: 00:22:15

Bring them hither, and I will heal them.

Maria: 00:22:16

For I have compassion on you, my bowels are filled with mercy.

Maria: 00:22:21

I love that in this moment when they want more of him, they hope for more.

Maria: 00:22:25

It's not so much that they understood all of his words, it's

Maria: 00:22:28

that they want it desperately.

Maria: 00:22:31

I think when we want truth desperately, he finds ways to give it to us.

Maria: 00:22:37

I think it's not so much that we've mastered all the scripture that is out

Maria: 00:22:40

there, I think it's that when we, we crave his words so much that we want

Maria: 00:22:44

it the way the neophytes wanted him to say, new light and new knowledge comes.

Maria: 00:22:48

For me, I've seen that many times.

Maria: 00:22:50

When I want it desperately, it doesn't mean he opens the seals on those books

Maria: 00:22:53

that I don't understand, it means he gives me added light and knowledge in

Maria: 00:22:57

all these other areas so that I can feel confident and move forward in faith.

Maria: 00:23:03

In chapter 28, Nephi's going to warn a lot about pride and wickedness that

Maria: 00:23:07

are going to creep in, and that it's going to cause people to turn away

Maria: 00:23:10

from the truth that is available.

Maria: 00:23:11

So where they see that buffet of choices and the book of Mormon is now

Maria: 00:23:14

available, they still turn towards some other chance for sustenance.

Maria: 00:23:19

And he warns about why that happens and how we can Be careful about it.

Maria: 00:23:23

I just thought it was fascinating to see, I think this is one of

Maria: 00:23:26

the flaxen cords that Satan uses.

Maria: 00:23:28

It's this very fine, very thin, because he wants you to

Maria: 00:23:32

doubt, doubt God's intentions, I guess is my way of saying it.

Maria: 00:23:37

If you look in the verses, it becomes a little more clear.

Maria: 00:23:39

So this is in 28 verses 5 and 6.

Maria: 00:23:41

And they deny the power of God, the holy one of Israel.

Maria: 00:23:44

And they say unto the people, harken unto us.

Maria: 00:23:45

And here you are precept.

Maria: 00:23:47

But behold, there's no God today.

Maria: 00:23:49

And the Lord and the redeemer had done his work.

Maria: 00:23:51

He had given his power unto men.

Maria: 00:23:53

Behold, harken you unto my precept for if they say there is

Maria: 00:23:55

a miracle wr by the hand of God.

Maria: 00:23:57

Believe it not for this day, he is not a God of miracles.

Maria: 00:24:00

He hath done his work.

Maria: 00:24:02

Don't think it's fascinating that Satan's tactic is not to make you

Maria: 00:24:05

believe that there isn't a God.

Maria: 00:24:06

But to make you believe that there is a God that doesn't

Maria: 00:24:08

care what you do from here.

Maria: 00:24:10

That his work was to accomplish the atonement and Doesn't care

Maria: 00:24:15

how you use it, or if it's used.

Maria: 00:24:17

That was his work.

Maria: 00:24:18

I really think this is Satan's way of trying to pull covenant relationships

Maria: 00:24:23

out of our experience here on earth.

Maria: 00:24:25

If he can get you to detach from God, if he can get you to think that God has done

Maria: 00:24:29

his work and he doesn't care from here, then it's really easy for you to fall

Maria: 00:24:33

into his next traps, that flaxen cord of, oh sure, believe in God, sure, believe

Maria: 00:24:38

in the atonement, but don't believe that he cares if you use it or not.

Maria: 00:24:41

He has no His work is done.

Maria: 00:24:43

Then it's much easier for you to fall into the traps that come next.

Maria: 00:24:46

So if you look further in the verses, you'll see these invitations

Maria: 00:24:49

to eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die, right?

Maria: 00:24:52

If you don't believe that there's a covenant connection that God

Maria: 00:24:54

doesn't care about whether you make it or not, then eat, drink,

Maria: 00:24:58

and be merry makes sense to you.

Maria: 00:25:00

The next one is another twist on God's character when he says, oh

Maria: 00:25:04

yeah, God will beat us with a few stripes, but then we'll be saved.

Maria: 00:25:07

This idea that God is not a God of justice.

Maria: 00:25:10

For me, when he says, Eat, drink, and be merry, that means God doesn't

Maria: 00:25:13

care, which means He's taking away love from God's character.

Maria: 00:25:17

If He can say, God will beat you with a few stripes and then you'll be saved,

Maria: 00:25:21

then He's taking away justice, which means He removes the law from God's character.

Maria: 00:25:25

And those are the nature of God.

Maria: 00:25:27

It's this beautiful balance of mercy and justice, and He's

Maria: 00:25:31

stripping God of both of those.

Maria: 00:25:33

which is Satan's way of clearing a path so that you can stumble into his traps.

Maria: 00:25:39

If you have those misconceptions, then it's so much easier to fall.

Maria: 00:25:43

I love the way Sister Freeman talked about this at conference.

Maria: 00:25:46

She said, A covenant is not only about a contract, although that is

Maria: 00:25:49

important, it's about a relationship.

Maria: 00:25:50

President Russell M.

Maria: 00:25:51

Nelson taught, The covenant path is all about our relationship with God.

Maria: 00:25:54

Consider a marriage covenant.

Maria: 00:25:56

The wedding date is important, but equally important is the

Maria: 00:25:58

relationship forged through the life lived together afterwards.

Maria: 00:26:01

The same is true with a covenant relationship with God.

Maria: 00:26:03

Conditions have been set and there will be expectations along the way and yet

Maria: 00:26:07

he invites each of us to come as we are able with full purposeful heart to press

Maria: 00:26:10

forward with him at our side trusting that his promised blessings will come.

Maria: 00:26:15

Scriptures remind us that often these blessings come in his

Maria: 00:26:17

own time and in his own way.

Maria: 00:26:20

38 years, 12 years immediately as your trail will demand so his sucker shall be.

Maria: 00:26:26

I think this is our invitation from Nephi to set down all the traps of

Maria: 00:26:30

the adversary to believe that God is.

Maria: 00:26:32

done with his work.

Maria: 00:26:33

Because what we learn from Restoring Scripture is that we're his work and

Maria: 00:26:37

his glory and his work is not finished.

Maria: 00:26:40

Nephi will reinforce that in his words as well.

Maria: 00:26:42

He wants a relationship with us.

Maria: 00:26:44

He's, he didn't just set things in motion.

Maria: 00:26:46

He cares about you each and every day and that's all throughout these verses.

Maria: 00:26:52

Spark number six, I call it fight for the soul, because I started to

Maria: 00:26:54

picture it almost like a boxing match.

Maria: 00:26:56

So, you know, when we studied Isaiah in the Old Testament, we talked a lot about

Maria: 00:27:00

this idea of having a coach in the corner, this comforter that will guide you,

Maria: 00:27:04

that watches your opponent, and sees his weaknesses, and then helps you strategize.

Maria: 00:27:08

I've started to sort of see President Nelson as my coach in the corner,

Maria: 00:27:11

and we're in a fight for my soul.

Maria: 00:27:13

The reason this came so vividly this week is because of what

Maria: 00:27:16

I studied in Nephi's words.

Maria: 00:27:17

So from, in 28, he's going to teach a little bit about Satan's

Maria: 00:27:20

strategies in the last days.

Maria: 00:27:21

What he's going to try to do to win us, to get our, you know, to

Maria: 00:27:25

get that flaxen cord around us.

Maria: 00:27:26

So in 20 through 22, he says this, For behold, at that day he shall rage

Maria: 00:27:30

in the hearts of the children of men.

Maria: 00:27:31

He'll stir them up to anger against that which is good.

Maria: 00:27:34

And others, he will pacify, and lull them into carnal security,

Maria: 00:27:37

and they will say, All is well in Zion, Zion prospereth, all is well.

Maria: 00:27:41

And thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them

Maria: 00:27:44

away carefully down to hell.

Maria: 00:27:46

And behold, others he flattereth away, and he telleth them, There

Maria: 00:27:49

is no hell, and saith unto them, I am no devil, for there is none.

Maria: 00:27:53

And thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them

Maria: 00:27:55

with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.

Maria: 00:27:59

That's Satan's strategy.

Maria: 00:28:00

He is He plays dirty you guys that's he's going to cheat his way to hold on

Maria: 00:28:06

to our souls What I love is President Nelson and every other prophet that

Maria: 00:28:10

we have in our corner Deliberately teaches against these strategies.

Maria: 00:28:14

It was fascinating to me to look at the last three four or five talks from

Maria: 00:28:19

President Nelson And you could see these exact same themes So, when you

Maria: 00:28:23

think of things like anger welling up in the hearts of people, Satan stirs

Maria: 00:28:27

us up to anger and creates contention.

Maria: 00:28:30

How many times have we heard President Nelson teach us to set down contention,

Maria: 00:28:33

to set down prejudice, to be peacemakers?

Maria: 00:28:36

I mean, peacemakers needed is a talk that's absolutely catered against

Maria: 00:28:40

this false philosophy of Satan.

Maria: 00:28:43

Second one, this is all about complacency, right?

Maria: 00:28:45

He teaches us that we can all as well as I am.

Maria: 00:28:47

You don't need to worry.

Maria: 00:28:48

You don't have to stress.

Maria: 00:28:49

Like, that's Satan's strategy.

Maria: 00:28:51

So, President Nelson, as this awesome coach, says, no,

Maria: 00:28:54

take hold of your testimony.

Maria: 00:28:55

Like, he invites us to think celestial, to change, to look at the kind of body

Maria: 00:29:00

we want and the lifestyle we want to have in this next life and to grab hold of it.

Maria: 00:29:04

That is not complacency.

Maria: 00:29:06

It's It's a strategy against it.

Maria: 00:29:08

The third one is flattery.

Maria: 00:29:10

So he, Satan warns that he will, or at least Nephi warns us that

Maria: 00:29:13

Satan will flatter us and tell us you don't have to worry about hell.

Maria: 00:29:16

Everybody is loved and everybody is welcome and you don't have to be afraid.

Maria: 00:29:20

I love this because I think essentially what President Nelson

Maria: 00:29:23

does is he teaches us about humility.

Maria: 00:29:25

And he says, I don't want you to give in to flattery.

Maria: 00:29:27

I don't want you to give in to these ways of the world that tell you that

Maria: 00:29:30

God is love and that has no boundaries.

Maria: 00:29:32

He teaches us specifically about God's love and his law.

Maria: 00:29:36

So you can read a talk like, you know, the, what was the last one he did?

Maria: 00:29:39

The Answer is Always Jesus?

Maria: 00:29:41

Where he says that basically any question you have in this life, you

Maria: 00:29:44

can look to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ to find the answer.

Maria: 00:29:47

That is the opposite of flattery, of telling you that there is

Maria: 00:29:50

no risk and no fear, because nothing bad can happen to you.

Maria: 00:29:53

What President Nelson teaches is, you have everything you need at your fingertips.

Maria: 00:29:57

You And you have the right source.

Maria: 00:29:59

If you have this stance of humility, and you will turn to the life and

Maria: 00:30:02

teachings of Jesus Christ, you can know how to navigate this hard world.

Maria: 00:30:06

I just thought it was so fun to, every time I started to read one of

Maria: 00:30:11

the adversary strategies, not just in this chapter, but in all the

Maria: 00:30:14

chapters this week, to start seeking prophetic counsel that countered it.

Maria: 00:30:18

And every time, you guys, even in the last one to two conferences,

Maria: 00:30:23

I could find commentary that countered what Satan's strategy was.

Maria: 00:30:26

It was like having this Power packed coach in my corner, and it made me feel

Maria: 00:30:31

strong like I don't need to be afraid and I'm not gonna be caught off guard

Maria: 00:30:34

Cuz I've got somebody in my corner and he's doing a fantastic job at it I call

Maria: 00:30:40

spark number seven covenant belonging because I think that's the promise all

Maria: 00:30:44

of us seek for belonging We all want a place where we feel at home And what

Maria: 00:30:47

he promises as you come to him and as you make and keep covenants with him

Maria: 00:30:50

you belong Not just with him, but I feel like you belong with each other.

Maria: 00:30:54

We have this connection to each other.

Maria: 00:30:56

Our hearts become knit as we make and keep our covenants.

Maria: 00:31:00

And it plays out in a really beautiful way in chapters 29 and 30.

Maria: 00:31:03

This is when he's talking about the latter days, that there will

Maria: 00:31:05

be a coming together of his word.

Maria: 00:31:07

Not just of his people, but his word that he has planted

Maria: 00:31:10

in all the different places.

Maria: 00:31:11

Because essentially some were saying, a bible a bible we have a bible why do we

Maria: 00:31:15

need other things and he's saying don't you realize i've actually planted my

Maria: 00:31:18

word in lots of people's hearts so if you look in verse 7 for example this is

Maria: 00:31:22

chapter 29 know ye not that there are more nations than one know ye not that the lord

Maria: 00:31:27

your god has created all men and that i remember those who are on the isles of

Maria: 00:31:30

the sea and i rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath i bring forth

Maria: 00:31:33

my word unto the children of men yet even upon all the nations of the earth like

Maria: 00:31:37

this is his He wants us to understand, like, that he has truth planted in lots

Maria: 00:31:42

of places, and we should seek it out.

Maria: 00:31:45

We should find it in all the locations that we can.

Maria: 00:31:47

It will always harmonize with the truth that we have so far,

Maria: 00:31:50

but there is much to be revealed.

Maria: 00:31:52

In fact, there's this great talk from Elder Maxwell.

Maria: 00:31:55

It's in the notes if you want the full talk, but he kind of alluded to this

Maria: 00:31:58

idea of there are like 20 books of scripture that are referenced in the Book

Maria: 00:32:01

of Mormon alone that we don't have, you know, the records of Xenus, for example.

Maria: 00:32:05

We don't have those, but we know they exist.

Maria: 00:32:07

All those records will come forth in the last days.

Maria: 00:32:10

So we can't ever get full.

Maria: 00:32:12

You know, we can't ever say, well, I've got enough, or my testimony of

Maria: 00:32:16

the Book of Mormon is solid enough.

Maria: 00:32:17

I don't need any more.

Maria: 00:32:18

I don't want to study any more.

Maria: 00:32:19

We can't ever get to that complacency stage.

Maria: 00:32:21

What I love is, you know, What will happen when everybody comes together?

Maria: 00:32:25

If you look in 8 and 9, Wherefore murmur ye, because ye

Maria: 00:32:28

shall receive more of my word?

Maria: 00:32:30

Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness

Maria: 00:32:32

unto you that I am God?

Maria: 00:32:33

And remember one nation like unto another?

Maria: 00:32:36

Wherefore I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another.

Maria: 00:32:38

And when the two nations shall run together, the testimony of the two

Maria: 00:32:41

nations shall run together also.

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And this I do, that I might prove that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever.

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The reason we, we'll sing in concert.

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The truth that we know is because when we each sing the truth that we

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have, there will be this beautiful harmony that comes out of it.

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And we will know.

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What it reminded me of is later in the Book of Mormon.

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So remember when we talk about the people of Ammon and the people of Limhi?

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How they choose different roads, right?

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The people of Ammon are more righteous and they have a a

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gentler road to get to Zarahemla.

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People of Limhi over those eight years have a much rockier road.

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They both get there and they both deal with adversities, but different roads.

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And what I love is when they finally get back to Zarahemla, they have this chat.

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You know, it's almost alluded to in the verses that they, they both

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talk about the way they saw the hand of God over those eight years.

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And by hearing those two witnesses, The people in Zarahemla can then trust

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that God's hand does take care of his people, whether they chose well or

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chose poorly and, you know, came around.

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Either way, God loves his people and he takes care of them.

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That's what I feel like this last day will be like.

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When all his words are revealed, when we have truth that we didn't have

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before and all these books are unsealed, we will see God's hand everywhere.

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We will hear his witness spoken in many languages and in beautiful

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songs and it will harmonize.

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There will be a beauty to it that I, I can't wait for.

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And that's what I think I love about the end of verse nine.

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And because I have spoken one word, ye need not suppose that I cannot speak

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another, for my work is not yet finished.

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Neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that

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time henceforth and forever.

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Amen.

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This is his work, and he's in charge of the timing, and he

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wants us to come and belong.

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The more voices we hear speaking truth as it's revealed, the more belonging

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we'll feel, we'll be more knit with the people around this world, and I

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think it's a, it's a powerful promise.

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Ready for some good questions, you guys.

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I hope these prompt good conversations, good study, just

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get you curious about the verses.

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This first one comes from 2nd this is around 10 and 11.

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This is when Nephi is teaching about the pride that's gonna set in and how people

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are gonna sell themselves for naught.

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And then he uses this interesting phrase.

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He said that the spirit will not always strive with man.

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And I just think it's an interesting word choice.

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I think, He could have said something like the spirit won't always speak to man,

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but instead he says he strives with man.

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So I guess my question is, where do you see the spirit striving with men?

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And what's the tipping point when he stops striving?

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What does that look like?

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Second question.

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This comes from SecondEphi2622.

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This is all about secret combinations.

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You're gonna get an introduction into secret combinations this week, and

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how the devil works in darkness, and that he is the source of all of this

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wickedness, and I guess my curiosity is, Why does he use that phrase?

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What does secret combinations mean?

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What is combining?

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I mean, I know we know the source is Satan, but what is combining?

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I don't know the answer, but I would love to hear your thoughts.

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Question three.

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This comes from 2 Nephi 27 25.

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This is where you hear Nephi warning about the hypocrisy of the last days.

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It's really similar verbiage to what we heard in the sacred grove when the

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savior teaches Joseph about those who draw near unto them with their lips,

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but their hearts are far from him.

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So you hear that same language and then he uses this interesting last phrase.

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So this is in verse 25 and their fear towards me is

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taught by the precepts of men.

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This is what was intriguing to me, that this idea of fearing

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God is something that men teach.

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I think it actually balances really beautifully with what we found in the

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New Testament in Timothy, where he said, God hath not give us a, giveth us, sorry,

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God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and a sound mind.

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That's 2nd Timothy 1, 7.

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It's those two verses together that I thought were, you know, interesting.

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Powerful.

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My question is, how do you think the Book of Mormon helps reinforce

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Timothy's understanding that God does not give the spirit of fear?

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I think there's a lot of good ones, but I'm curious about your thoughts.

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Okay, fourth question.

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2 Nephi 28 28.

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This is when Nephi warns that there will be those who are angry

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because of the truth of God.

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When truth is put out, there will be some who wrestle against

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it and turn towards anger.

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And I want to know why truth causes anger sometimes.

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And how do we guard against it?

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Fifth question.

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This is 2 Nephi 30, verses 5 and 6.

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This is when Nephi teaches, after the Book of Mormon comes forth, that

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many will be restored to a knowledge of their fathers and of Jesus Christ.

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This restoration of knowledge will come forth.

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And then he uses this cool phrase, he says, Because of this knowledge that

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comes forth, the scales of darkness will begin to fall from their eyes.

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And I have to know, you guys, what do you think scales of darkness references?

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It's an interesting turn of phrase.

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I also think it's interesting that they begin to fall.

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Meaning, like, it's not all at once.

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It's not like the miracles of the New Testament, when somebody puts clay on

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their eyes and they wash and they can see.

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It's, it's this slow and steady process of letting light in.

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So, my question is, what are scales of darkness?

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And why are they let, why do they fall?

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Slowly or in, in some sort of pattern.

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I'm, I'm curious about your thoughts.

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Is there mercy in that slow removal of the scales of darkness?

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I think there might be.

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Okay, those are your questions.

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Now go study.