I Am Someones's Savior

Choice 3: Obadiah. Saviors “up on Mount Zion”

Obadiah 1: 17 and 21, D&C 128: 5 and 15 are about doing the work for those who have come before us. We are the Saviors for our ancestors. Through us they can be brought forth in the first resurrection, clothed in glory! It is our duty and responsibility to serve them and do their work in the temple. This was the plan from the beginning. The Lord prepared this church to do this work in the Latter-days. 

The temple is where we are able to help other become holy and for us too, to become more like the Father. Through the covenants we make in the temple we are blessed and made better. This opportunity to draw closer to our Heavenly Father should not be passed by. I need to be better about serving the Lord and my ancestors, to be able to do their work for them. In the temple we are brought closer to the Lord and our forefathers. The temple is a house of God, a place of calm and clarity. When we are able to sacrifice our time to attend we are being delivered. 

The Scriptures: 
Obadiah 1:17 ¶But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

1:21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

Doctrine and Covenants 128:5 You may think this order of things to be very particular; but let me tell you that it is only to answer the will of God, by conforming to the ordinance and preparation that the Lord ordained and prepared before the foundation of the world, for the salvation of the dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel.

128:15 And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect.

Bible Dictionary 
Student Manual

 The Battle of Gog and Magog

Are we ready?

In Ezekiel 38 and 39 the Lord talks about a battle, Armageddon, that is to take place during the gathering of Israel. As the people gather the lands around them will be frightened of them and think they are there to take their land and precious things. The people of Gog, those against Israel, will come upon them with a very strong army, one with all of the best weaponry and with many men. The Lord describes this army as a "cloud to cover the land" (Ezekiel 38:16). 

The Lord will defend Israel in his wrath toward Gog and the land will shake, and the people of the Lord will be called to fight. When the people of Gog come to battle they will be smitten by the Lord as well as his people, they will not prevail over Israel. Ezekiel said that among those who side with Gog with be Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, and Togarmah - he gives specific people but these lands are based on the ancient world and so we can't say exactly what nations or people will side with them when the war comes. What we do know is that it will happen. Satan will be leading people against those who follow the Lord and his Prophets. 

We need to prepare ourselves and our children for a day when our faith will be assaulted. Our job is to cling unto the Lord and become more like him so when we are faced with hardships we are able to be strong in our faith and the Lord will be able to intercede for his people.

Jeremiah's Lamentations

In Lamentations 1:1-11 Jeremiah is grieving for Jerusalem. He explains in different ways what it is that has happened to cause Jerusalem's down fall. He says, "How is she become tributary" in verse one. Jerusalem was once an important place with power under the Lord and now, it is trivial. "Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction" he says in verse three. He continues in verse four saying, "All her gates are desolate." The people are reduced to nothing now and the city is in ruins. "Her adversaries are chief, her enemies prosper." When the Lord was present within the walls, Jerusalem reigned, now that the people have succumbed to iniquity Jerusalem has lost her power. 

If we continue in Lamentations 1:12-22 we see similarities in these and the verses found in Mormon 6:17-22. In 12-22 Jeremiah is mourning the wickedness of Jerusalem and their destruction. In Mormon 6, Mormon is mourning the wickedness of the Nephites who have all been destroyed! The destruction of each people only come after their iniquity and many warnings to repent of them. 

Lamentations 2–5 explain the reason for the suffering and destruction of the kingdom of Judah. As they are suffering there is misery, sorrow, and destruction. They then try to trust in the Lord and repent. All of the suffering they endured was due to their iniquities. In Alma 41:10 it says, "Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness." This certainly applies to Jerusalem at this time. Their wickedness was only follow by misery and pain.

In Lamentations 5:15–22 we see a few things that it takes to be humble: we mourn our sins, we are broken-hearted, we recognize that the Lord is omnipotent and that we should trust in him always.  It is also important that we remember that the Lord has his own time table. We must diligently work to correct our mistakes.

Old Testament Destruction and Latter Day Hope

In Jeremiah 16:10-13 Jeremiah foretold that Jerusalem would be destroyed and Judah taken captive. As he prophesied of this he gave five reasons for their destruction, the people had forsaken the Lord, have created false idols, have worshiped those false idols, haven't kept the commandments, they put their faith in themselves, and do not listen to the Lord. 

Jeremiah also testifies what will happen as we prepare for the second coming. In 16:15-21 he tells us that the Lord will gather all of his people and there will be many that will preach the word of the Lord. He will also punish those who defiled his land. The preachers of the Lord will take his word to all the earth. They will find those who have not heard and tell them of his name and proclaim it unto them. These missionaries were described as fishers and hunters by the Lord because they are going to patiently and diligently search for those who need to hear the word of the Lord. They will testify of the Lord and his sacrifice for us. With the Lord we are able to have victory over the grave and be able to live with him for eternity. 

The Gathering of Israel

The gathering of Israel

In Isaiah 49:1-3 The Lord testifies of the Restoration of his gospel and of Joseph Smith. The Lord talks about a shaft that he has polished that has been prepared for the world and that shaft is the prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph will spread the word of the Lord to all those that he comes in contact with. He will not deny the Lord's teachings. 

When reading Isaiah 49:18-26 we read about how Israel will be gathered. The student manual says that the gathering of Israel will be so great that people will say that the way is "too strait for me," as said by Isaiah in the previous scriptures. For the past 100 years the church has grown exponentially and this is the cause for the crowding. Our number is growing and we need to prepare. 

Isaiah 49, 51, 54, 62 all focus on the gathering of Israel to prepare for the second coming of the Lord. We have ample knowledge to see that we will need to be gathered together for Jesus Christ's coming. 

The Second Coming

As I think about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ I'm both nervous and excited. I hope that I will be one that is about to survive the everlasting burnings and that I've been able to apply the atoning blood of Christ to my life. I'm never going to be perfect but I hope that I live in such a way that I'm able to please the Lord. In my mind the Lord will come to earth and cleanse it of those who have hardened their hearts. It's hard to imagine. But, Isaiah 33: 14-16 gives us hope. These verses teach us what it takes to survive the everlasting burnings. We need to be disciples of Christ, becoming more like him. We need to "walk righteously and speak uprightly." If we are following the commandments of the Lord we will be able to survive the Second Coming and enjoy exaltation after the resurrection. In these verses Isaiah tells us the steps to take. He says, “Walketh righteously,” which means we need to be following the commandments of the Lord. To “Speaketh uprightly" we should speak the truth and be honest in our dealings. Isaiah tells us “Despiseth the gain of oppressions." We need to be a just people toward our fellow man. We also must “Shaketh his hands from holding of bribes” which means to deal fairly with those around us. We should fall prey to those who want to persuade us to do otherwise. As a righteous people we need to shut out the evil in the wolrd around us and not dwell on it. In Isaiah's words, “Stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood.” Finally, he tells us to “Shutteth his eyes from seeing evil.” This goes along with the previous line. Our job is to be optimistic and not focus on the negatives of the world. 

The Book of Isaiah

As I study Isaiah I find things that I don't understand all of the time. Sometimes I'm confused and what the prophet said goes way over my head. While reading in the institute manual about the Book of Isaiah I've found a few helpful things to keep in mind while I read. First, I need to remember this, "Those who desire to understand Isaiah should learn of Christ and seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost." Sometimes when I read I forget to say a prayer to invite the spirit to teach to me and reveal some knowledge. If I want to understand what it is that Isaiah prophesied by the spirit I need to have the spirit with me as I study his words. Next, having the spirit with us in studying is a circular thing. If I want the spirit as I study, I need to study more. The more I know of the Lord's words and his life, the more I can have the spirit with me at all times. Studying takes the spirit to understand and the spirit comes through study! Lastly, In 3 Nephi 25:1 it says that Isaiah is hard to understand because Isaiah prophesies in the manner of the Jews. The institute manual gave great insight into what this meant. Isaiah preaches to his people using the Law of Moses as a reference. His goal is to get them to remember the covenants they made with the Lord according to that law. At the beginning of the Book of Isaiah he quotes the song of Moses. This so was instantly recognized by the people he was teaching at that time. We have to study the Law of Moses in order to better comprehend what it is that Isaiah is trying to teach us. It is so hard to put everything together when studying but if we ask for the spirit to guide us we can be led in the right directions and knowledge will flow through our minds. I know that the Lord allows us the spirit so that He can reveal His truths unto us. We have to be ready and willing to learn of our Heavenly Father and his teaching. 

The Book of Isaiah goes through several different important themes. These themes are highlighted in the Book of Mormon as well as the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah stesses the importance of being righteous. The Lord can accept no unclean thing. We need to be perfected through our Savior. Because of Israel wickedness, they were scatted but Isaiah emphasizes that Israel will be reunited. Isaiah also focuses on the importance of having faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. Christ is going to be the one who leads us to eternal life. When we know more of Him we are able to believe in His words and His ministry. The power of the Lord is astounding. We are able to see that His coming was prophesied and that He is just and merciful. The Lord lived and still lives. Isaiah also emphasizes that prophesies are made to be fulfilled. Every word spoken by the Lord will come to pass just as the prophets have said. Isaiah can be difficult but if we diligently study we can find the themes and central ideas of the book and apply them to our lives. I'm so grateful to know that I can be taught by the spirit when I invite the spirit into my heart.