"RetroProphet" <RetroProphet_member@newsguy.com> wrote in message
news:ekoqgq027a7@drn.newsguy.com...
On the Usenet, I engage in debates with an avowed Evolutionist-atheist,
RetroProphet, which is a moniker of dark sarcasm, and in reply to
my quoting the Book of Matthew concerning resurrections of the ancient
Saints that had preceded Jesus of Nazareth, he quoted out of Thomas
Paine's
The Age of Reason, and I am now responding with Gentile historical
records
and additional Scriptures:
Let's see if Jong can come up with "Gentile historical records"
to rebut Paine's case that Matthew's account of many resurrected
people wandering through Roman-occupied Jerusalem was a fantasy
embellishment...
There are many other Testimonies of the Lord's disciples, besides those
of
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, not included in the New Testament canon as
we
know it. Disregarding the possibility of tampering by wicked men, the
Records of Mark and Luke passed on to the world do state the "darkness
over
the whole land" and the miraculous renting of the veil of the temple.
Nope, nothing here...
You say the Records of the Lord's disciples are not true histories?
John the Revelator, by the way, did not even mention the darkness
over the whole land nor the renting of the veil of the temple.
That doesn't mean that the marvelous signs recorded in Matthew's
Testimony
did not happen. Let's examine what Gentile historical records say:
http://www.textexcavation.com/phlegontestimonium.html
Jerome, Chronicle (a translation of the work of that same name by
Eusebius),
olympiad 202 (Latin text from Felix Jacoby, Die Fragmente der
griechischen
Historiker, page 1165, Phlegon history 16a; English translation based on
the
online edition at the Tertullian Project):
Jesus Christ, according to the prophecies which had been foretold about
him
beforehand, came to his passion in the eighteenth year of Tiberius, at
which
time also we find these things written verbatim in other commentaries of
the
gentiles, that an eclipse of the sun happened, Bithynia was shaken by
earthquake, and in the city of Nicaea many buildings collapsed, all of
which
agree with what occurred in the passion of the savior. Indeed Phlegon,
who
is an excellent calculator of olympiads, also writes about these things,
writing thus in his thirteenth book:
<Phlegon's Latin text snipped>
In the fourth year, however, of olympiad 202,* an eclipse of the sun
happened, greater and more excellent than any that had happened before
it;
at the sixth hour, day turned into dark night, so that the stars were
seen
in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the
city
of Nicaea.
* Id est, year 32/33.
Haec supra dictus vir.
These things [are according to] the aforementioned man.
George Syncellus, century IX, Chronography chapter 391, citing Julius
Africanus, early century III (Greek text from Felix Jacoby, Die Fragmente
der griechischen Historiker, page 1157, Thallus history 1, and page 1165,
Phlegon history 16b; English translation based on the online excerpt at
the
Tertullian Project):
<Greek text snipped>
A most terrible darkness fell over all the world, the rocks were torn
apart
by an earthquake, and many places both in Judaea and the rest of the
world
were thrown down. In the third book of his Histories Thallus dismisses
this
darkness as a solar eclipse, unreasonably, as it seems to me. For the
Hebrews celebrate the Passover on Luna 14, and what happened to the
Saviour
occurred one day before the Passover. But an eclipse of the sun takes
place
when the moon passes under the sun. The only time when this can happen is
in
the interval between the first day of the new moon and the last day of
the
old moon, when they are in conjunction. How then could one believe an
eclipse took place when the moon was almost in opposition to the sun? So
be
it. Let what had happened beguile the masses, and let this wonderful sign
to
the world be considered a solar eclipse through an optical [illusion].
Phlegon records that during the reign of Tiberius Caesar there was a
complete solar eclipse at full moon from the sixth to the ninth hour; it
is
clear that this is the one. But what have eclipses to do with an
earthquake,
rocks breaking apart, resurrection of the dead, and a universal
disturbance
of this nature
http://www.ichthus.info/CaseForChrist/Archeology/intro.html
Evidence from the Greek historian Thallus:
The historian Thallus in 52 A.D. wrote about a darkness.... however, his
writing did not survive to us.... But.... his work was cited by Julius
Africanus' (160-240 AD) work, "Chronography":
On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks
were
rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were
thrown down.
This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as
appears
to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun. For the Hebrews celebrate
the
passover on the 14th day according to the moon, and the passion of our
Saviour fails on the day before the passover; but an eclipse of the sun
takes place only when the moon comes under the sun. And it cannot happen
at
any other time but in the interval between the first day of the new moon
and
the last of the old, that is, at their junction: how then should an
eclipse
be supposed to happen when the moon is almost diametrically opposite the
sun?
In: Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18:1.
http://www.ichthus.info/CaseForChrist/Archeology/intro.html
Evidence from the Roman historian Phlegon:
* The Roman historian Phlegon apparently has also written about a
darkness
around Jesus' crucifixion
* Phlegon's writing on history is known as "OLYMPIADES". The reference
may
be found in "Fragmenta Historicum Graecorum" (C. Muller) 1841- 1870,
Volume
3, pages 603 - 624:
"In the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was a great eclipse [Greek
=
EKLEIPSIS] of the Sun, greater than had ever been known before, for at
the
6th hour the day was changed into night and the stars were seen in the
heavens. An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of
the city of Nicaea"
* The first olympiad was held in 776 BC
* Each Olympiad is 4 years
* The forth year of the 202 Olympiad is 32 AD - around the time that
Jesus
was crucified !!!
* (We don't know the precise year that Jesus was crucified, only that
it's
around 30 A.D.)
Julius Africanus' reference to Phlegon:
Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Caesar, at full moon, there
was a full eclipse of the sun from the sixth hour to the ninth-manifestly
that one of which we speak. But what has an eclipse in common with an
earthquake, the rending rocks, and the resurrection of the dead, and so
great a perturbation throughout the universe? Surely no such event as
this
is recorded for a long period. But it was a darkness induced by God,
because
the Lord happened then to suffer. And calculation makes out that the
period
of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time.
In: Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18:1.
Phew...man, that was a lot to slog through,
but, again, nothing there...
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if
they
should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could
not
contain the books that should be written. Amen.
(New Testament | John 21:25)
Nope, nothing here...
7 And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord,
even
as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then
will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even
to
the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son
of
God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in
them
are.
8 And he that will contend against the word of the Lord, let him be
accursed; and he that shall deny these things, let him be accursed; for
unto
them will I show no greater things, saith Jesus Christ; for I am he who
speaketh.
(Book of Mormon | Ether 4:7 - 8)
Ho hum...nothing here...this is really getting tedious.
9 And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they
should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they
shall
believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto
them.
10 And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall
the
greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation.
(Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 26:9 - 10)
10 For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon
line,
line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little:
(Old Testament | Isaiah 28:10)
Zzzzzzzz....nothing....zzzzzzzzz
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for
out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good
things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil
things.
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they
shall
give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt
be
condemned.
38 ¶ Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying,
Master, we would see a sign from thee.
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation
seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the
sign
of the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so
shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the
earth.
41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and
shall
condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold,
a
greater than Jonas [is] here.
(New Testament | Matthew 12:34 - 41)
19 ¶ There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine
linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his
gate,
full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's
table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the
angels
into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham
afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my
tongue;
for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst
thy
good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted,
and
thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed:
so
that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they
pass
to us, that [would come] from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send
him
to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they
also
come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them
hear
them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the
dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither
will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
(New Testament | Luke 16:19 - 31)
14 Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness,
and a
state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of
God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous
in
paradise, until the time of their resurrection.
(Book of Mormon | Alma 40:14)
Nope. Nada. Zilch.
Dire Straits:
Doctor Parkinson declared I'm not surprised to see you here
You've got smokers cough from smoking, brewers droop from drinking beer
I don't know how you came to get the Betty Davis knees
But worst of all young man you've got industrial disease
He wrote me a prescription he said you are depressed
But I'm glad you came to see me to get this off your chest
Come back and see me later - next patient please
Send in another victim of industrial disease
I go down to speakers corner I'm thunderstruck
They got free speech, tourists, police in trucks
Two men say they're Jesus one of them must be wrong
...
Meanwhile the first Jesus says I'd cure it soon
Abolish Monday mornings and Friday afternoons
The other one's on a hunger strike he's dying by degrees
How come Jesus gets industrial disease
I wasn't aware that Dire Straits was scripture
or a First Century Gentile account...
Finger pickin' good, and a work of art, no?
78 And this key, saith the Lord, I give unto thee, O man, that ye may be
able to discern any influence, whether it be from that Evil One, or from
my
Spirit, saith the Lord.
79 That which causeth your souls to expand and to believe in the Sons of
God, ye may know with a perfect knowledge that it is sent by the gift
and power of God for the salvation of the sons and daughters of men, and
on the contrariwise, that which doth cause pain and distress of soul and
despair and that which causeth you, O man, to turn away from the God that
made you is not of me, saith the Lord, but is of that Evil One.
80 For he desireth your destruction O man, and if ye are ensnared by him,
ye
must perish, saith the Lord.
81 And this despair and lack of hope cometh because of iniquity and
unbelief, and doth produce death, both spiritually and physically, saith
the
Lord.
82 Therefore if the words of a man edify and give hope and light and
life,
then ye may know it is of God, but if a man's words cause despair and
take
away hope and faith in God, then ye may know it is not of me, saith the
Lord.
83 And that light which filleth the immensity of space is the same light
which quickeneth your understandings, saith the Lord, and proceedeth from
me, even the author thereof.
Revelations of Jesus Christ 2:78-83
Didn't think it'd be here either...
Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Brothers Karamazov):
God took seeds from different worlds and sowed them on this earth, and
His
garden grew up and everything came up that could come up, but what grows
lives and is alive only through the feeling of its contact with other
mysterious worlds. If that feeling grows weak or is destroyed in you, the
heavenly growth will die away in you. Then you will be indifferent to
life
and even grow to hate it. That's what I think.
Dostoevsky. Sheesh...
Art Bulla's inspired work, The Revelations of Jesus Christ, being Scripture,
is far greater in scope and depth and importance than Dostoevsky's inspired
work, The Brothers Karamazov, which was written for this purpose, the Father
being the true author thereof:
118 And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another
words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek
learning, even by study and also by faith.
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 88:118)
Unto the Lord Jesus at the end, every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall
confess that He is the Christ and that His brother and descendant Art Bulla
is
the One Mighty and Strong, which title signifies the office of Messiah to
Ephraim and
Manasseh, yea a second Messiah-Eyewitness sent of the Father. The Apostle
Paul
wrote to the Corinthians:
1 This [is] the third [time] I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or
three witnesses shall every word be established.
(New Testament | 2 Corinthians 13:1)
Well, the spirit of Joseph Smith held the office of the Holy Ghost of this
earth before he was manifested in the flesh, and he once again officiates in
the same calling as the revelator of the Father and of the Son, and he while
in the flesh also was an Eyewitness of the Father and the Son, was he not?
So we have these three Davidic servants of God, stem of Jesse and rod of
Jesse and root of Jesse, sent to Israel, that the truth of God and His
righteousness may be established for Israel's deliverance from bondage.
SECTION 13
Ordination of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to the Aaronic Priesthood
along the bank of the Susquehanna River, near Harmony, Pennsylvania, May 15,
1829. HC 1:39–42. The ordination was done by the hands of an angel, who
announced himself as John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the
New Testament. The angel explained that he was acting under the direction of
Peter, James, and John, the ancient apostles, who held the keys of the
higher priesthood, which was called the Priesthood of Melchizedek. The
promise was given to Joseph and Oliver that in due time the Priesthood of
Melchizedek would be conferred upon them. See also Section 27:7, 8, 12.
Keys and powers of Aaronic Priesthood are set forth.
1 Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the
Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and
of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission
of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons
of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 13:1)
19 And my servant, doth he not hold the keys of the Priesthood independent
of thy church, for he, even he hath the right from the Fathers, even David,
and his lineage hath been hid from the world and from the church that ye
might be tried as the Jews, saith the Lord.
20 For he is thy messiah, to Ephraim, as Jesus the Jews, saith the Father.
21 For he is that One Mighty and Strong saith the mighty God, even of Jacob
and Isaiah.
22 And there was none greater saith the Lord, from before the foundation of
the world, and therefore he is my friend forever.
23 For we are one.
Revelations of Jesus Christ 70:19-23
35 For I the Lord God have spoken also unto Him, as I did Moses, even face
to face in that day in the which he wast removed from his body and was
caught up that he did stare and behold even my glory, saith the Lord God of
Israel; For I, the Lord God am the same yesterday, today, and forever, and I
the Lord God reveal myself unto my servants the same today as in days that
have gone by that ye may know that I am, saith the Lord.
42 Thus saith the Lord, there is one greater than even Abraham, as
Melchizedec, who it is that standest among you and ye know him not, even he
who wast with me from the beginning, even he who wast mine anointed from
before the foundation of the world, who it is that should come unto thee, O
Ephraim, Ephraim, my beloved from before the foundation of the world!
43 Yea, O Ephraim, Ephraim, how great are the promises unto thee, and how
great are the things laid up for thee my daughter, were they laid up for
thee, if it should be that ye receive him whom I the Lord God have ordained
and have given unto him the keys of the authority of the Priesthood which is
after the Order of Melchizedec, even now upon the earth.
44 And if ye receive him, saith the Lord, and again, I the Lord God say unto
thee, if ye receive him, then ye shall receive me, and see me, and touch
with your hands the holes in mine hands and in my feet, the wounds with
which I the Lord God was wounded in the House of my Friends, even Judah.
45 And ye shall never taste of death, saith the Lord, if it be that ye are
obedient unto me through him whom I the Lord God have appointed even in
these things, saith the Lord God of Israel.
Revelations of Jesus Christ 50:35,42-45
The Revelations of Jesus Christ, a magnificent work of art (non-fictional),
for it is about the truth of God.
3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I
will make an everlasting covenant with you, [even] the sure mercies of
David.
4 Behold, I have given him [for] a witness to the people, a leader and
commander to the people.
(Old Testament | Isaiah 55:3 - 4)
<Handel's Messiah>
Delightsome!
115 And He, is the Ancient of Days, even Father Adam, and his Kingdom is
an
everlasting Kingdom, and he shall rule over his posterity forever and
ever,
and behold He is also the Father of Jesus Christ in the flesh, for He,
even
He did begat Him in that day, saith the Lord, in the which he left Enoch
and
Zion which had been taken up off the earth, and did come down,
translated,
to begat His Only Begotten Son in the flesh.
116 And behold, this hath been done on other worlds which have been
created
by the Power of the Most High and organized from the chaotic element.
117 And thus when His children which were spirits before the world was
made,
beheld the foundation of this world being laid for them, behold it is
written by the hand of my servant Job, that the Morning Stars—for thus
are
they compared—sang together, and the Sons of God shouted for joy, and I
the
Lord God did inquire of my servant Job, and where wast thou, O Job,
before
thy suffering in the flesh, Yea where wast thou, when the Morning Stars
sang
together and the Sons of God shouted for joy?
118 For behold he did shout for joy above in might, even than the rest,
and
thus is his joy, even now full, for behold he was resurrected and did
walk
about among the people at the resurrection of mine Only Begotten, saith
the
Lord.
119 For Job was a Priest after the Order of Melchizedec also, even as my
servant, as he is known among men, Art Bulla.
Revelations of Jesus Christ 5:115-119
Back to Art...and, oh wait, here it comes,
here comes Jong's big rebuttal...
In the above written revelation (of which the Holy Ghost has witnessed
to me), the world has another Scriptural evidence that the Apostle
Matthew's
account of ancient Saints being resurrected from the dead and appearing
unto many in Jerusalem is true. The notorious deist Thomas Paine
didn't know what he was talking about.
LOL!
So where's the "Gentile historical records" you promised
us that supported that the Apostle Matthew's account of
ancient Saints being resurrected from the dead and
appearing unto many in Jerusalem is true?
Journal of Discourses, Vol.1, Pg.344 - Pg.346, Jedediah M. Grant, August 7,
1853:
If you pass on to the time when Jesus Christ the Son of God was put to
death, when they mocked him, spit upon him, placed a crown of thorns upon
his head, and smote him upon the cheek, saying, "Prophesy." Is that the
time for us to look for uniformity? If you wait until they arraign him
before an earthly tribunal, condemn, and put him to death, and place him in
the tomb, do you there look for beauty and uniformity? What do you see? A
host of soldiers guarding the mouth of the tomb to keep his disciples from
stealing his dead body; they did not only think they would steal his dead
body, but that they would lie about it afterwards, and say he had risen from
the dead, and palm an imposition upon that age of the world. These are some
of the sublimities of the Christian religion in the days of its Founder; and
the confidence the multitude had in the advocates of that religion.
But if you still wait until he who was once the babe in Bethlehem, bursts
the barriers of the tomb, and approaches and speaks to his disciples, and
commissions them to preach his Gospel, beginning at Jerusalem, what do you
see? Watch the movements of the disciples. The Son of God told them to
wait the appointed time at Jerusalem. And when the Holy Ghost came upon
them, and they began to speak by the inspiration and power thereof, the
multitude cried out, "These men are full of new wine." This was the uniform
testimony of the multitude. But if you will notice the assembly preached to
on that occasion, there were some few who gave a contrary testimony. But
what were a few thousands, compared to the vast number then assembled? In
some small hamlet a few thousands of people might be a decided majority, and
perhaps take in all to baptize so many. But a few thousands in comparison
with the great multitude that dwelt in Jerusalem, was only like one grain of
sand in comparison to a handful. The grand majority of the mass governs;
the uniform testimony of the million was, that they were drunk, and of
course you are to believe according to the greatest amount of testimony, are
you not? Then if you arraign those disciples before the grand tribunals of
the nations, the great majority of the multitude would say they were drunk;
but if only a few thousands say they were not, which are you to believe?
Where then is the uniformity in this testimony? Look at the discrepancy, and
the army of testimony against the disciples. It is certainly overwhelming
in its nature.
But if you look still further, and seek to find uniformity in that age of
the world, follow the disciples when they left Jerusalem to go forth with
the proclamation of the Gospel, and we find wherever they went, they were
considered insane, mad, and possessed of devils. It was said of Jesus their
master, he was leagued with Beelzebub, the prince of the devils. And, said
the Saviour, "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how
much more shall they call them of his household?" Wherever they went, then,
they were called Nazarites, and Christians was an odious name in that age.
They were hooted at by the Jews, pointed at by the Gentiles, and scoffed at
by the world; if you seek for testimony in that age of the world, was it for
or against them?
[end of Scripture quote]
Alas, if only the references to Phlegon and Thallus had not survived! saith
Dathan 'redtroll' McKorihor. Nevertheless, I shall demand, Where's the beef?
saith Dathan 'redtroll' McKorihor, Smokin'!
31 ... as sheep dumb before the shearers, whose mouths were shut by thy
ignorance and wickedness, that their spirits were grieved almost unto death,
and their hearts within them were continually heavy within them for
beholding thy wickedness, and sloth and unbelief, O man, even as I, the
greatest and mightiest of all, even Jesus of Nazareth, and this upon the
earth by them who called themselves righteous, as the Pharisees, even as ye,
O man.
34 And it was that I, the Lord God, did cause it to be written concerning
Korihor, that the Gentiles may turn away from their false teachers, even
Mead, and anthropologists, biologists, sociologists, and all who pervert
the right way of the Lord of hosts, and who mock and point and scourge and
crucify mine Only Begotten anew and put Him unto an open shame anew, even in
this generation, saith the Lord, for do they not teach that I am not, O man?
Revelations of Jesus Christ 32:31,34
Dr. Francis 'Baconian freak' Crick, Nobel Prize Winner (1962) in Physiology
or Medicine:
Had I been living 150 years ago I feel sure I would have been compelled to
agree with this Argument from Design. Its most thorough and eloquent
protagonist was the Reverend William Paley whose book, Natural theology --
or Evidence of the Existences and Attributes of the Deity collected from the
Appearances of nature, was published in 1802. Imagine, he said, that
crossing a heath one found on the ground a watch in good working condition.
Its design and its behaviour could only be explained by invoking a maker. In
the same way, he argued, the intricate design of living organisms forces us
to recognize that they too must have had a Designer.
This compelling argument was shattered by Charles Darwin, who believed that
the appearance of design is due to the process of natural selection. This
idea was put forward both by Darwin and by Alfred Wallace, essentially
independently. Their two papers were read before the Linnean Society on July
1, 1858, but did not immediately produce much reaction. In fact, the
president of the society, in his annual review, remarked that the year that
had passed had not been marked by any striking discoveries. Darwin wrote up
a "short" version of his ideas (he had planned a much longer work) as The
Origin of species. When this was published in 1859, it immediately ran
through several reprintings and did indeed produce a sensation. As well it
might, because it is plain today that it outlined the essential feature of
the "Secret of Life". It needed only the discovery of genetics, originally
made by Gregor Mendel in the 1860s, and, in this century, of the molecular
basis of genetics, for the secret to stand before us in all its naked glory.
It is all the more astonishing that today the majority of human beings are
not aware of all this. Of those who are aware of it, many feel (with Ronald
Reagan) that there must be a catch in it somewhere. A surprising number of
highly educated people are indifferent to these discoveries, and in western
society a rather vocal minority are actively hostile to evolutionary ideas.
14 Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a
state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of
God upon them; ...
(Book of Mormon | Alma 40:14)
Dr. Steven 'quantumlove' Weinberg, Nobel Prize Winner (1979) in Physics:
The 'argument from design' made by the English theologian William Paley is
not on most peoples' minds these days. The prestige of religion seems today
to derive from what people take to be its moral influence, rather than from
what they may think has been its success in accounting for what we see in
nature. Conversely, I have to admit that, although I really don't believe in
a cosmic designer, the reason that I am taking the trouble to argue about it
is that I think that on balance the moral influence of religion has been
awful. ... In an e-mail message from the American Association for the
Advancement of Science I learned that the aim of this conference is to have
a constructive dialogue between science and religion. I am all in favor of a
dialogue between science and religion, but not a constructive dialogue. One
of the great achievements of science has been, if not to make it impossible
for intelligent people to be religious, then at least to make it possible
for them not to be religious. We should not retreat from this
accomplishment.
[end of quote]
37 ... my servant Malachi; who is now resurrected and did, yea, even he did
walk about the streets of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, my beloved, and they did
touch and handle him, as did Thomas, me.
38 And the Jews of that day did see him in the day that I, the Lord of the
resurrection did also rise from the tomb.
Revelations of Jesus Christ 50:37-38
29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast
believed: blessed [are] they that have not seen, and [yet] have believed.
(New Testament | John 20:29)
16 And behold, whosoever believeth on my words, them will I visit with the
manifestation of my Spirit; and they shall be born of me, even of water and
of the Spirit—
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 5:16)
4 But behold, in the last days, even now while the Lord is beginning to
bring forth the word, and the blade is springing up and is yet tender—
5 Behold, verily I say unto you, the angels are crying unto the Lord day and
night, who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap down the fields;
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 86:4 - 5)
67 Ye shall not escape my wrath, which is terrible, for thy provocation
against me, saith the Lord, as before the flood, have ye provoked me, and ye
shall not escape my wrath in this world nor in the world to come, O man, who
liftest up thy head in rebellion against me.
68 For ye, even ye, are loathed by them who be my warriors (h), my little
ones, and it is by my mercy and longsuffering toward them in the flesh, that
they are withheld by me, that ye may space to repent and come out of her,
even Babylon which falleth (i), and receive baptism for a remission of sins
at the hands of mine anointed and those who are ordained by him unto this
power as of old.
69 And it is that because of the teachings of these anti-Christs, that the
world must repent, or it shall be consumed by fire, as spoken by Malachi
(j), and all who follow O'Hares, and Meads, and Freuds which abound who
be anti-Christs, shall not escape, for I the Lord God am a God of battles
and they, even they, shall answer these things with their own blood, for I
will not be mocked.
Revelations of Jesus Christ 32:67-69
13 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
14 Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard
[him] lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
15 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever
curseth his God shall bear his sin.
16 And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to
death, [and] all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the
stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name [of
the LORD], shall be put to death.
(Old Testament | Leviticus 24:13 - 16)
Journal of Discourses, Vol.4, Pg.53 - Pg.55, Brigham Young, September 21,
1856:
There are sins that men commit for which they cannot receive forgiveness in
this world, or in that which is to come, and if they had their eyes open to
see their true condition, they would be perfectly willing to have their
blood spilt upon the ground, that the smoke thereof might ascend to heaven
as an offering for their sins; and the smoking incense would atone for their
sins, whereas, if such is not the case, they will stick to them and remain
upon them in the spirit world.
I know, when you hear my brethren telling about cutting people off from the
earth, that you consider it is strong doctrine; but it is to save them, not
to destroy them.
Of all the children of Israel that started to pass through the wilderness,
none inherited the land which had been promised, except Caleb and Joshua,
and what was the reason? It was because of their rebellion and wickedness;
and because the Lord had promised Abraham that he would save his seed.
They had to travel to and fro to every point to the compass, and were wasted
away, because God was determined to save their spirits. But they could not
enter into His rest in the flesh, because of their transgressions,
consequently He destroyed them in the wilderness.
I do know that there are sins committed, of such a nature that if the people
did understand the doctrine of salvation, they would tremble because of
their situation. And furthermore, I know that there are transgressors, who,
if they knew themselves, and the only condition upon which they can obtain
forgiveness, would beg of their brethren to shed their blood, that the smoke
thereof might ascend to God as an offering to appease the wrath that is
kindled against them, and that the law might have its course. I will say
further; I have had men come to me and offer their lives to atone for their
sins.
It is true that the blood of the Son of God was shed for sins through the
fall and those committed by men, yet men can commit sins which it can never
remit. As it was in ancient days, so it is in our day; and though the
principles are taught publicly from this stand, still the people do not
understand them; yet the law is precisely the same. There are sins that can
be atoned for by an offering upon an altar, as in ancient days; and there
are sins that the blood of a lamb, of a calf, or of turtle doves, cannot
remit, but they must be atoned for by the blood of the man. That is the
reason why men talk to you as they do from this stand; they understand the
doctrine and throw out a few words about it. You have been taught that
doctrine, but you do not understand it.
It is our desire to be prepared for a celestial seat with our Father in
heaven. It was observed by brother Grant that we have not seen God, that we
cannot converse with Him; and it is true that men in their sins do not know
much about God. When you hear a man pour out eternal things, how well you
feel, to what a nearness you seem to be brought with God. What a delight it
was to hear brother Joseph talk upon the great principles of eternity; he
would bring them down to the capacity of a child, and he would unite heaven
with earth, this is the beauty of our religion.
When it was mentioned this morning about seeing God, about what kind of a
being He was, and how we could see and measurably understand Him, I thought
I would tell you. If we could see our heavenly Father, we should see a
being similar to our earthly parent, with this difference, our Father in
heaven is exalted and glorified. He has received His thrones, His
principalities and powers, and He sits as a governor, as a monarch, and
overrules kingdoms, thrones, and dominions that have been bequeathed to Him,
and such as we anticipate receiving. While He was in the flesh, as we are,
He was as we are. But it is now written of Him that our God is as a
consuming fire, that He dwells in everlasting burnings, and this is why sin
cannot be where He is.
There are principles that will endure through all eternity, and no fire can
obliterate them from existence. They are those principles that are pure,
and fire is made typical use of to show the glory and purity of the gods,
and of all perfect beings. God is the Father of our spirits; He begat them,
and has sent them here to receive tabernacles, and to prove whether we will
honour them. If we do, then our tabernacles will be exalted; but if we do
not, we shall be destroyed; one of the two--dissolution or life. The second
death will decompose all tabernacles over whom it gains the ascendancy; and
this is the effect of the second death, the tabernacles go back to their
native element.
We are of the earth, earthy; and our Father is heavenly and pure. But we
will be glorified and purified, if we obey our brethren and the teachings
which are given.
When you see celestial beings, you will see men and women, but you will see
those beings clothed upon with robes of celestial purity. We cannot bear
the presence of our Father now; and we are placed at a distance to prove
whether we will honor these tabernacles, whether we will be obedient and
prepare ourselves to live in the glory of the light, privileges, and
blessings of celestial beings. We could not have the glory and the light
without first knowing the contrast. Do you comprehend that we could have no
exaltation, without first learning by contrast?
When you are prepared to see our Father, you will see a being with whom you
have long been acquainted, and He will receive you into His arms, and you
will be ready to fall into His embrace and kiss Him, as you would your
fathers and friends that have been dead for a score of years, you will be so
glad and joyful. Would you not rejoice? When you are qualified and
purified, so that you can endure the glory of eternity, so that you can see
your Father, and your friends who have gone behind the vail, you will fall
upon their necks and kiss them, as we do an earthly friend that has been
long absent from us, and that we have been anxiously desiring to see. This
is the people that are and will be permitted to enjoy the society of those
happy and exalted beings.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against
himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto
children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint
when thou art rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he
receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son
is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye
bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected [us], and we
gave [them] reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the
Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened [us] after their own pleasure;
but he for [our] profit, that [we] might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby.
(New Testament | Hebrews 12:3 - 11)
12 And this Anti–Christ, whose name was Korihor, (and the law could have no
hold upon him) began to preach unto the people that there should be no
Christ. And after this manner did he preach, saying:
13 O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke
yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man
can know of anything which is to come.
14 Behold, these things which ye call prophecies, which ye say are handed
down by holy prophets, behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers.
15 How do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye
do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ.
16 Ye look forward and say that ye see a remission of your sins. But behold,
it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds
comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a
belief of things which are not so.
17 And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there
could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this
life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man
prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to
his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime.
(Book of Mormon | Alma 30:12 - 17)
11 Let our strength be the Law of justice: for that which is feeble is found
to be nothing worth.
Wisdom of Solomon 2:11 (Apocrypha, 1611 King James Bible)
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one
may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done,
whether [it be] good or bad.
11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are
made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your
consciences.
(New Testament | 2 Corinthians 5:10 - 11)
115 And He, is the Ancient of Days, even Father Adam, and his Kingdom is an
everlasting Kingdom, and he shall rule over his posterity forever and ever,
and behold He is also the Father of Jesus Christ in the flesh, for He, even
He did begat Him in that day, saith the Lord, in the which he left Enoch and
Zion which had been taken up off the earth, and did come down, translated,
to begat His Only Begotten Son in the flesh.
116 And behold, this hath been done on other worlds which have been created
by the Power of the Most High and organized from the chaotic element.
117 And thus when His children which were spirits before the world was made,
beheld the foundation of this world being laid for them, behold it is
written by the hand of my servant Job, that the Morning Stars—for thus are
they compared—sang together, and the Sons of God shouted for joy, and I the
Lord God did inquire of my servant Job, and where wast thou, O Job, before
thy suffering in the flesh, Yea where wast thou, when the Morning Stars sang
together and the Sons of God shouted for joy?
118 For behold he did shout for joy above in might, even than the rest, and
thus is his joy, even now full, for behold he was resurrected and did walk
about among the people at the resurrection of mine Only Begotten, saith the
Lord.
119 For Job was a Priest after the Order of Melchizedec also, even as my
servant, as he is known among men, Art Bulla.
Revelations of Jesus Christ 5:115-119
Yea, the Almighty Eloheim did organize, all that which are perceived by the
naked eye or by man's various scientific instruments, "from the chaotic
element", the true "God particle" (as dubbed by Leon Lederman), but it isn't
Higgs boson nor quantum foam nor dark matter nonetheless. For one thing, any
number of bosons can share the same quantum state, but thanks to the
experimental findings of Dayton Miller and Maurice Allais and NASA's COBE
satellite, we now know that the aggregate of chaotic native elements is
anisotropic in nature, so that there is non-uniformity over space of the
properties of true "God particles". Anisotropic aether.
Maurice Allais (About the Aether Concept, 2003):
Atoms, particles, photons are but (local) singularities of the aether
which remain to be explained by differential equations.
[end of quote]
Besides, if aether were isotropic in nature, true vacuum would be possible
and therefore absolute zero temperature would be possible also -- nonsense.
17 For thy Almighty hand that made the world of matter without form, ...
Wisdom of Solomon 11:17 (Apocrypha, 1611 King James Bible)
3 ... things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
(New Testament | Hebrews 11:3)
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Six 1843-44 Pg.301:
Eternal Duration of Matter
Speaking of eternal duration of matter, I said: There is no such thing as
immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but is more fine or pure, and can
only be discerned by purer eyes. We cannot see it, but when our bodies are
purified, we shall see that it is all matter. (May 17, 1843.) DHC 5:392-3.
[end of Scripture quote]
Non-uniformity of nature was understood, through the revelations of Jesus
Christ, by the Apostle Jedediah Grant:
Journal of Discourses, Vol.1, Pg.346 - Pg.347, Jedediah M. Grant, August 7,
1853:
But are the inhabitants of the earth the only portion of nature that is not
uniform? No.
Look at the bellowing earthquake, uprooting the mountains and precipitating
them from their beds, and rending the rocks with violence, leaving the
trembling earth in a state of horrible devastation; and then for men to
teach me about the uniformity of nature's course, and that man is the only
being in nature that is uniform, is folly. Talk not to me about the
uniformity of nature; where is it to be found upon this earth, among men, in
the mountains, among the valleys, in the ocean, or among the streams that
water the land.
Before you censure my views upon this subject, look at mother earth, at the
ocean, at the rocks, at the planets that bespangle the blue vault of heaven;
in short, at nature in all her works, which you will find stamped with the
insignia of continual change.
[end of Scripture quote]
91 For true science and true religion, are they not the same things, O man?
92 For I the Lord God am the author of all truth, which cometh from me.
Revelations of Jesus Christ 3:91-92
Christ's aim is to unite all who love the truth in one, under the rule of
His Gospel, yea peace and knowledge and freedom. Satan's aim, on the other
hand, is to achieve the uniformity of mankind (everyone is to be molded into
"a clockwork orange" mentally, and physically by mingling all the nations of
the earth into a trilateral, latter-day Babylon) by means of confusion and
upheavals and comfortably numb coercion, yea Artificial Paradise or bondage
in disguise. Welcome to my brave new world, saith Sir Francis 'shakespeare'
Bacon, yea welcome to the Machine.
3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy
the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I
should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I
caused that he should be cast down;
4 And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to
deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many
as would not hearken unto my voice.
(Pearl of Great Price | Moses 4:3 - 4)
24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!
25 Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!
26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth
the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!
(Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 28:24 - 27)
http://www.textexcavation.com/phlegontestimonium.html
Jerome, Chronicle (a translation of the work of that same name by Eusebius),
olympiad 202 (Latin text from Felix Jacoby, Die Fragmente der griechischen
Historiker, page 1165, Phlegon history 16a; English translation based on the
online edition at the Tertullian Project):
Iesus Christus, secundum prophetias quae de eo fuerant praelocutae, ad
passionem venit anno Tiberii XVIII, quo tempore etiam in aliis ethnicorum
commentariis haec ad verbum scripta repperimus: Solis facta defectio,
Bithynia terrae motum concussa, et in urbe Nicaea aedes plurimae corruerunt,
quae omnia his congruunt quae in passione salvatoris acciderant. scribit
vero super his et Flego, qui olympiadarum egregius supputator est, in XIII
libro ita dicens:
Jesus Christ, according to the prophecies which had been foretold about him
beforehand, came to his passion in the eighteenth year of Tiberius, at which
time also we find these things written verbatim in other commentaries of the
gentiles, that an eclipse of the sun happened, Bithynia was shaken by
earthquake, and in the city of Nicaea many buildings collapsed, all of which
agree with what occurred in the passion of the savior. Indeed Phlegon, who
is an excellent calculator of olympiads, also writes about these things,
writing thus in his thirteenth book:
<Phlegon's Latin text snipped>
In the fourth year, however, of olympiad 202,* an eclipse of the sun
happened, greater and more excellent than any that had happened before it;
at the sixth hour, day turned into dark night, so that the stars were seen
in the sky, and an earthquake in Bithynia toppled many buildings of the city
of Nicaea.
* Id est, year 32/33.
Haec supra dictus vir.
These things [are according to] the aforementioned man.
George Syncellus, century IX, Chronography chapter 391, citing Julius
Africanus, early century III (Greek text from Felix Jacoby, Die Fragmente
der griechischen Historiker, page 1157, Thallus history 1, and page 1165,
Phlegon history 16b; English translation based on the online excerpt at the
Tertullian Project):
<Greek text snipped>
A most terrible darkness fell over all the world, the rocks were torn apart
by an earthquake, and many places both in Judaea and the rest of the world
were thrown down. In the third book of his Histories Thallus dismisses this
darkness as a solar eclipse, unreasonably, as it seems to me. For the
Hebrews celebrate the Passover on Luna 14, and what happened to the Saviour
occurred one day before the Passover. But an eclipse of the sun takes place
when the moon passes under the sun. The only time when this can happen is in
the interval between the first day of the new moon and the last day of the
old moon, when they are in conjunction. How then could one believe an
eclipse took place when the moon was almost in opposition to the sun? So be
it. Let what had happened beguile the masses, and let this wonderful sign to
the world be considered a solar eclipse through an optical [illusion].
Phlegon records that during the reign of Tiberius Caesar there was a
complete solar eclipse at full moon from the sixth to the ninth hour; it is
clear that this is the one. But what have eclipses to do with an earthquake,
rocks breaking apart, resurrection of the dead, and a universal disturbance
of this nature
http://www.ichthus.info/CaseForChrist/Archeology/intro.html
Evidence from the Greek historian Thallus:
The historian Thallus in 52 A.D. wrote about a darkness.... however, his
writing did not survive to us.... But.... his work was cited by Julius
Africanus' (160-240 AD) work, "Chronography":
On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were
rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were
thrown down.
This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears
to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun. For the Hebrews celebrate the
passover on the 14th day according to the moon, and the passion of our
Saviour fails on the day before the passover; but an eclipse of the sun
takes place only when the moon comes under the sun. And it cannot happen at
any other time but in the interval between the first day of the new moon and
the last of the old, that is, at their junction: how then should an eclipse
be supposed to happen when the moon is almost diametrically opposite the
sun?
In: Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18:1.
http://www.ichthus.info/CaseForChrist/Archeology/intro.html
Evidence from the Roman historian Phlegon:
* The Roman historian Phlegon apparently has also written about a darkness
around Jesus' crucifixion
* Phlegon's writing on history is known as "OLYMPIADES". The reference may
be found in "Fragmenta Historicum Graecorum" (C. Muller) 1841- 1870, Volume
3, pages 603 - 624:
"In the 4th year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was a great eclipse [Greek =
EKLEIPSIS] of the Sun, greater than had ever been known before, for at the
6th hour the day was changed into night and the stars were seen in the
heavens. An earthquake occurred in Bythinia and overthrew a great part of
the city of Nicaea"
* The first olympiad was held in 776 BC
* Each Olympiad is 4 years
* The forth year of the 202 Olympiad is 32 AD - around the time that Jesus
was crucified !!!
* (We don't know the precise year that Jesus was crucified, only that it's
around 30 A.D.)
Julius Africanus' reference to Phlegon:
Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Caesar, at full moon, there
was a full eclipse of the sun from the sixth hour to the ninth-manifestly
that one of which we speak. But what has an eclipse in common with an
earthquake, the rending rocks, and the resurrection of the dead, and so
great a perturbation throughout the universe? Surely no such event as this
is recorded for a long period. But it was a darkness induced by God, because
the Lord happened then to suffer. And calculation makes out that the period
of 70 weeks, as noted in Daniel, is completed at this time.
In: Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18:1.
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the
ninth hour.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli,
lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard [that], said, This [man]
calleth for Elias.
48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled [it] with
vinegar, and put [it] on a reed, and gave him to drink.
49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
50 ¶ Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the
bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept
arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy
city, and appeared unto many.
(New Testament | Matthew 27:45 - 53)
13 ¶ And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus,
which was from Jerusalem [about] threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed [together] and reasoned,
Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications [are] these that ye
have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art
thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are
come to pass therein these days?
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning
Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God
and all the people:
20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to
death, and have crucified him.
21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and
beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were
early at the sepulchre;
23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also
seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found
[it] even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that
the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his
glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in
all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as
though he would have gone further.
29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward
evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and
blessed [it], and brake, and gave to them.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of
their sight.
32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he
talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the
eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
35 And they told what things [were done] in the way, and how he was known of
them in breaking of bread.
36 ¶ And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and
saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you.
37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a
spirit.
38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in
your hearts?
39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for
a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them [his] hands and [his] feet.
41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them,
Have ye here any meat?
42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
43 And he took [it], and did eat before them.
44 And he said unto them, These [are] the words which I spake unto you,
while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were
written in the law of Moses, and [in] the prophets, and [in] the psalms,
concerning me.
45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the
scriptures,
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to
suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
49 ¶ And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in
the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
50 ¶ And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands,
and blessed them.
51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and
carried up into heaven.
(New Testament | Luke 24:13 - 51)
Remember that *Luke* and *Acts of the Apostles* are historical and mostly
eyewitness accounts of the Lord and His disciples given by Luke, originally
a Gentile who became an Apostle, to a fellow Greek named Theophilus. There
were many other eyewitness accounts of the Lord given by other disciples
concerning these things, and the Mediterranean world had abounded with many
such writings, no doubt many of them still surviving and locked inside the
vaults of the Roman Catholic Church, besides the ones found in the canonized
New Testament collection. As Jedediah Grant lucidly discoursed on this
matter, the anti and false position of the combined ignorant, traditionated
Gentile and apostate worlds overwhelmed the pro and true position of the
Lord's disciples, who were much less in number, but aided by the Lord's
unseen hand working through the faithful, we have just enough written
records of the truth of the resurrections of the Lord and of His ancient
Saints in the books of the New Testament, and also circumstantial evidence
in the surviving accounts of the Gentile historians Phlegon and Thallus
(that at least the marvelous changes all over the planet during the hours of
the Lord's terrible agony did happen), and the Holy Ghost witnessed to me
several days ago that the accounts given by Phlegon and Thallus are true,
and previously the same Spirit of the Lord had borne record to me of Job
being resurrected at the time of the Lord's resurrection, as declared in The
Revelations of Jesus Christ received by Art Bulla. For good measure, The
Revelatons of Jesus Christ also declares that Malachi was resurrected at the
same time.
George Orwell (1984):
'There is a Party slogan dealing with the control of the past,' he said.
'Repeat it, if you please.'
'"Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present
controls the past,"' repeated Winston obediently.
'"Who controls the present controls the past,"' said O'Brien, nodding his
head with slow approval. 'Is it your opinion, Winston, that the past has
real existence?'
Again the feeling of helplessness descended upon Winston. His eyes flitted
towards the dial. He not only did not know whether 'yes' or 'no' was the
answer that would save him from pain; he did not even know which answer he
believed to be the true one.
O'Brien smiled faintly. 'You are no metaphysician, Winston,' he said. 'Until
this moment you had never considered what is meant by existence. I will put
it more precisely. Does the past exist concretely, in space? Is there
somewhere or other a place, a world of solid objects, where the past is
still happening?'
'No.'
'Then where does the past exist, if at all?'
'In records. It is written down.'
'In records. And --?'
'In the mind. In human memories.'
'In memory. Very well, then. We, the Party, control all records, and we
control all memories. Then we control the past, do we not?'
'But how can you stop people remembering things?' cried Winston again
momentarily forgetting the dial. 'It is involuntary. It is outside oneself.
How can you control memory? You have not controlled mine!'
O'Brien's manner grew stern again. He laid his hand on the dial.
'On the contrary,' he said, 'you have not controlled it. That is what has
brought you here. You are here because you have failed in humility, in
self-discipline. You would not make the act of submission which is the price
of sanity. You preferred to be a lunatic, a minority of one. Only the
disciplined mind can see reality, Winston. You believe that reality is
something objective, external, existing in its own right. You also believe
that the nature of reality is self-evident. When you delude yourself into
thinking that you see something, you assume that everyone else sees the same
thing as you. But I tell you, Winston, that reality is not external. Reality
exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. Not in the individual mind,
which can make mistakes, and in any case soon perishes: only in the mind of
the Party, which is collective and immortal. Whatever the Party holds to be
the truth, is truth. It is impossible to see reality except by looking
through the eyes of the Party. That is the fact that you have got to
relearn, Winston. It needs an act of self-destruction, an effort of the
will. You must humble yourself before you can become sane.'
He paused for a few moments, as though to allow what he had been saying to
sink in.
'Do you remember,' he went on, 'writing in your diary, "Freedom is the
freedom to say that two plus two make four"?'
'Yes,' said Winston.
O'Brien held up his left hand, its back towards Winston, with the thumb
hidden and the four fingers extended.
'How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?'
'Four.'
'And if the party says that it is not four but five -- then how many?'
'Four.'
The word ended in a gasp of pain. The needle of the dial had shot up to
fifty-five. The sweat had sprung out all over Winston's body. The air tore
into his lungs and issued again in deep groans which even by clenching his
teeth he could not stop. O'Brien watched him, the four fingers still
extended. He drew back the lever. This time the pain was only slightly
eased.
'How many fingers, Winston?'
'Four.'
The needle went up to sixty.
'How many fingers, Winston?'
'Four! Four! What else can I say? Four!'
The needle must have risen again, but he did not look at it. The heavy,
stern face and the four fingers filled his vision. The fingers stood up
before his eyes like pillars, enormous, blurry, and seeming to vibrate, but
unmistakably four.
'How many fingers, Winston?'
'Four! Stop it, stop it! How can you go on? Four! Four!'
'How many fingers, Winston?'
'Five! Five! Five!'
'No, Winston, that is no use. You are lying. You still think there are four.
How many fingers, please?'
'Four! five! Four! Anything you like. Only stop it, stop the pain!'
Abruptly he was sitting up with O'Brien's arm round his shoulders. He had
perhaps lost consciousness for a few seconds. The bonds that had held his
body down were loosened. He felt very cold, he was shaking uncontrollably,
his teeth were chattering, the tears were rolling down his cheeks. For a
moment he clung to O'Brien like a baby, curiously comforted by the heavy arm
round his shoulders. He had the feeling that O'Brien was his protector, that
the pain was something that came from outside, from some other source, and
that it was O'Brien who would save him from it.
'You are a slow learner, Winston,' said O'Brien gently.
'How can I help it?' he blubbered. 'How can I help seeing what is in front
of my eyes? Two and two are four.'
'Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three.
Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy
to become sane.'
[end of excerpt]
Again, the goal of the devil is a-clockwork-orange-styled uniformity of
society, both individually and collectively, founded upon the fear of Nimrud
and the adoration of Shakespeare, therefore fear not God and Christ, for
there are no such characters, the Bible having been demonstrated to be
fiction, and just enjoy your comfortably numb existence inside the
artificially generated bubble of the Machine, for phallus worship real
horrorshow is what life is all about.
Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451):
Somewhere the saving and putting away had to begin again and someone had to
do the saving and the keeping, one way or another, in books, in records, in
people's heads, any way at all so long as it was safe, free from moths,
silverfish, rust and dry-rot, and men with matches.
30 ¶ And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples,
which are not written in this book:
31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
(New Testament | John 20:30 - 31)
24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these
things: and we know that his testimony is true.
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they
should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not
contain the books that should be written. Amen.
(New Testament | John 21:24 - 25)
44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the
earth until the ninth hour.
45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the
midst.
46 ¶ And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy
hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying,
Certainly this was a righteous man.
48 And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things
which were done, smote their breasts, and returned.
49 And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee,
stood afar off, beholding these things.
(New Testament | Luke 23:44 - 49)
54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw
the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly,
saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
(New Testament | Matthew 27:54)
True historical accounts, all.
May God and Christ be glorified forever and ever. Save thy people Israel, O
Lord God of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and Art Bulla. Amen and Amen.
--
Jong Kim
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