Vision of Zion

Welcome to an Extra episode, Episode 2. The first Extra was a four-minute introduction on why I felt these extras were needed.In this podcast we discuss how the cleansing, prior to the second coming, will begin. And it begins with cleansing the inner vessel....Learn about the only two things that angels envy us for...

The Lord has always provided witnesses of His work. Although the most recognized compilation of His witnesses is contained in the Bible, there are many others, even living witnesses.In this episode, we will discuss the importance of witnesses, in and outside of the Bible, that are entirely consistent with what is contained in the Bible concerning the last days. By using two or more verifiable witnesses of the same events, we can weave a clear picture of future events.There is no greater source of understanding about last days than the gift of the Holy Ghost. Through the Holy Ghost, we can know how to use the knowledge of the last days to make important decisions for ourselves and our families. Knowing the prophecies of the last days is not supposed to be merely a mental exercise--this knowledge, combined with the Holy Ghose, will help prepare us, help guide our lives, such as where to live, how to prepare, how to spend our time, how to warn others, etc.

Heavenly signs of future events were first mentioned in Genesis 1:14. The word appears frequently in both the Old and New Testament several times in both the Hebrew and the Greek, respectively. Not ony are there heavenly signs about the end of the world (or destruction of the wicked) but also signs of the second coming of Jesus Christ, or the "coming of the Son of Man" on earth. Jesus describes a number of them privately to his disciples in Matthew 24. In this podcast we discuss broadly the importance of signs--are they for the believing, the unbelieving, or both? I also provide a general summary of the types of events foretold by the prophets, namely various phases of latter-day events, and the signs that that end times are near: apostasy and restoration, a period of tribulations, the judgments of God, and the second coming, followed by the Millennium. Each topic will be dealt with in more detail in later podcasts.

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." The objective of Vision of Zion is not merely to share insights and information about prophecies concerning the last days, but to teach and encourage you to develop your own ability to understand them through personal effort, guided by the Holy Ghost. In this podcast, I suggest some of the things that I have done to help me better understand prophecies concerning the last days, in the hopes that they will inspire you to do the same.

We are about to embark on a study of the prophecies concerning the Last Days, as contained in the Tanakh (Old Testament), the New Testament, and more. In this podcast I explain what we are going to be studying, and why.

One of the valuable lessons we can learn is how to apply the art of reason. There are two kinds of reasoning: deductive and inductive. Deductive is drawing conclusions from axioms--it works great with math--but not so good with the natural sciences. It took humankind centuries to go from a geocentric solar system to a correct, heliocentric understanding. Inductive reasoning gathers data and facts first (i.e., the empirical method) before trying to draw conclusions. This method has its own set of problems but is generally a better approach.You can read about God and religion and then try and draw your own conclusions, using deductive reasoning, but if your assumptions are wrong, so will be your conclusions. The Gospel is meant to be lived and experienced, In this way, we can better understand eternal truths.God will sometimes reason with us as one person reasons with another. But the gold standard for learning truth is feeling His spirit and letting it edify us. We might make mistakes, but the Spirit of God will lead us to light and rejoicing. If something is not from God, it leads to darkness and confusion. God is merciful and forgiving as He leads us along, teaching us the difference--if we remain humble and teachable.

While preparing to review lessons from the book, "Evolution Under the Microscope," by David W. Swift, I found some thoughts that came to me when I read this book a few years ago. I thought I'd share some of them with you. They are kind of random.My notes deal with the best of things is yet to come, some truths about truth, and one of the limits of evolution. Spoiler on the last one: evolution has not explained how life began; it can only (partially) attempt to explain what happens to life after it shows up.I kept this one short and sweet in case you wanted to replay it consider each point. I hope it's thought-provoking.

God taught Adam and Eve they had the power to crush the head of the serpent, or Lucifer, even though he could bruise their heal. By calling upon the name of Jesus Christ, we can cast the devil out from our midst, out of our lives, as often as is needed. Casting out Satan is as fundamental to Christianity as any other principal Jesus exemplified. We should be well-versed in recognizing the power we have been given to command him, "Get thee behind me, Satan!"In this podcast, the author describes his learning about this principle, which is not only taught in the scriptures, but also in the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is one of the most overlooked and underutilized aspects of Christian theology.

I've attended Church my entire life! Have I ever been tempted to drop out? Only on rare occasions when I felt like a social outsider. Let me share with you why I've seen people choose not to go to church, and why I have decided to keep going. I've never regretted my decision! If you're thinking about leaving? Please reconsider. I'll give you a few reasons why you should stay, based upon personal experience.

When someone wrongs you, is it easy for you to forgive? In this podcast, the presenter shares an experience in real time about the importance, in fact the requirement, that we forgive one another.We need look no further about the power and necessity of forgiving others than the example of Jesus Christ.

The prophets spoke to God, and they describe how powerful yet friendly the exchange was! They testified that they spoke to God face to face, the same way we speak to each other. These prophets encourage us to do the same.No one brought God down to our level than Jesus Christ. The Son of God walked among us, and taught that us we knew him, we would know the Father. (John 14:7). He let us know we can have the same quality of relationship with God that He has. (Romans 8:17).The notion that God has said all is going to say or will ever say to us does not square with His open-ended invitation to ask, seek and knock--in any generation.We are created in God's image, male and female. He is our Father. And He is anxious for you to renew your fellowship with Him. He can do the same things in our day that He did in days of old. He lives, and does His Son, Jesus Christ!

God wants to bless you. Jesus has encouraged us to ask, seek, and knock. God is not stuck in the past, he is as able to answer you today as he was in days of old. God has spoken in the past, he is speaking, and he will speak to you if you approach him. He is liberal in his answers, as a father treats his child.In this podcast, the presenter describes recent blessing given to his brother, and shares some of the specifics of that experience, to illustrate and help you understand how much love God has for you, too.One of the ways our Heavenly Father speaks to us is through prayer. Learn how to pray and approach him. Finally, as God's boots on the ground, we need to pray that Heavenly Father will protect our children and those around us from abuse, that we can be God's eyes and ears and help those who are praying to be rescued.

Many people have seen God and Jesus Christ in their spiritual glory. Visions, out-of-body and near-death experiences can be found in scripture, journals, books, and other recorded accounts. While such spiritual events occur, Satan is raging to suppress knowledge of the very existence of God--deceiving many. From the time that old serpent, the Devil, appeared in the Garden of Eden, God has promised Adam and Eve--and their posterity--that through Christ, we have had the power to crush his head. With any spiritual experience or insight, we should expect that the Devil is given the opportunity to test and to try us, to see if we are true and faithful to those experiences and the abilities we acquire to bless others. Satan is trying to stop our effectiveness in blessing our families and others.The power of the Devil is real. He wanted to force righteousness on all of God's children who inherently have the power of free will. Because Satan's plans of "exaltation for all" was rejected in favor of the eternal plan of agency and accountability, he became our bitter enemy, and we are at war. In the end, Satan can only offer hopelessness, fear, despair and suffering. However, we can reach out to Jesus Christ and his redeeming power for our salvation, his arms always remain stretched out to embrace and receive us.In this episode, the presenter reviews portions of the visions of Alfred Douglas Young, a Mormon Pioneer, Joseph Smith, Jr., and Moses--to establish a pattern of the Devil, who tries to prevent these individuals or persuade them to deny their spiritual encounters with Deity. Through these experiences, we learn that spiritual warfare is going on, and that we can and will win. But we must prepare to endure the buffetings of Satan and cast him out of our lives, as often as necessary. While we may not have the same lofty spiritual experiences of others, we can expect to be tried and tested to the degree that we advance spiritually. We have all the spiritual armor and weapons that we need to overcome and defeat Satan, finding light, peace, and joy.

The last three episodes described Zion or Heaven on Earth, and the power that can be generated by a group or city of righteous people, and the power, protection and the joy that comes from this collective righteousness: God protects his people. In this episode, return to the fundamental principles and ordinances that are central to how we, individually, get to that point. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, and consists of faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost--nothing more, nothing less. Faith is the moving cause of all temporal and spiritual action. Through repentance, we can get rid of the effects of sin and become truly free to act in accordance with God's will. Baptism is how we demonstrate our commitment to Jesus Christ, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost, we can know the truth of all things (John 14:26; John 15:26). Personal examples of these principles in practice are shared.

According to Methodist Scholar Margaret Barker, and others, the accounts of Enoch and Melchizedek were scrubbed from the post-exilic Jewish scriptural compilations. Why? Were their miraculous stories and incredible successes too fantastic to believe in a modern world? 1 Enoch also speaks about an end-times Messiah--was it too much to believe? Although today's Bible barely mentions them, Enoch and Melchizedek were known to the ancients, and there is clear evidence that the book of 1 Enoch was read and quoted by the apostles and familiar to Jewish society. In this podcast, we learn that similar acts of protection may be necessary to protect the righteous, give Mother Earth a rest, and reestablish Zion once again upon the earth, a place or places where the righteous can dwell in peace and safety while the world rages against them and against one another.

Are the Church and Kingdom of God the same thing? Initially the two enjoy a symbiotic relationship, as a mother and child. But they become separate entities with separate functions. The Kingdom of God is destined to become a secular organization. Within its structure, a plurality of religions and religious beliefs will be protected and permitted to exercise freedom of conscience. Has the Kingdom of God been born yet, as described in Revelation 12, or is it still waiting to be born?

The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream that only the exiled Jewish prophet, Daniel, could interpret: the stone cut out of a mountain, without hands, filling the whole earth, crushing every remaining kingdom set up by man. This was the kingdom of heaven, and it's still coming. Flashes of this kingdom have been set up upon the earth in the past. We'll explore in some detail the church and kingdom that Peter and the apostles established following 40 days of instruction from the resurrected Lord (Acts 1:1-3). The love of God is what makes heaven on earth possible. Meanwhile, Satan attempts to set up his coercive plans of external force, threats and economic control to try and establish his kingdom. The kingdom of God leads to unconditional sharing, crimeless, and classless societies where miracles, knowledge and riches abound, while the latter leads to misery, crime, poverty, and destruction. Which kingdom will we choose?

Trials of faith are more valuable than gold. 1 Peter 1:7. We won't receive an affirmation of our faith, or witness, until we are tried first. In this life, we face opposition in all things. For every good thing we receive, we can expect opposition from the adversary. Expect it and be aware of it. But there is no comparison to the joy we can feel versus the opposition we will have to endure. Instead of focusing on the obstacles that the adversary is putting in our way, we need to remain focused on the Lord's plan to bring about heaven on earth--through us (boots on the ground).While we prepare for heaven on earth, we will be gathered to safe places. The Lord will watch over and protect his flock.

What does it mean to be born again? Who can be born again? In this episode, I talk briefly about my approach to Bible study before beginning an examination of the Savior's doctrine that we must be born again as set forth in John chapter 3. We study the examples of the Day of Pentecost, Saul's conversion, Alma the Younger, and personal experiences of witnessing the Holy Spirit speaking to and converting others. Also, what do we do after we have been born again? Is it a guarantee that we will stay on the path of righteousness? In the end times, we will be tried and tested for our commitment to Jesus--but that path of discipleship is a joyful path, in spite of its challenges. If we keep on the path we will participate in building the kingdom of God on the earth.

In this podcast, I explain what faith is, as I have come to understand it, through scripture, scriptural examples, personal experience, and the testimony of others. There is no greater force that will change the world than your exercise of faith in Jesus Christ.