No Coincidences

Tag: God’s Kingdom

  • Christ’s Church in the Wilderness

    Christ’s Church in the Wilderness

    I’d like to discuss an interesting pattern. That pattern is that Christ’s Church is always established in the wilderness. Let’s explore: 

    Adam was cast out of Eden into the lone and dreary world. He ventured into a world that was essentially a wilderness. It was here that he received gospel teachings and likely would have established Christ’s Church. 

    Noah established Christ’s Church when the world became so wicked that all the people save Noah’s family were destroyed by the flood. Noah re-established Christ’s Church in a world that had literally become a wilderness.  

    Abraham seemed to steer away from civilization and established his covenant family in the wilderness. 

    Moses removed the Israelites from a life of slavery, in so doing, removing them from Egypt. They ventured into the wilderness. Moses re-established the covenant with Jehovah, and established Christ’s church. 

    Christ was from Nazareth, not Jerusalem. He taught and preached mostly on the outskirts of cities. It could be said that He established His Church from the wilderness.  

    Let’s venture to a different branch of the tree, other children of Israel, to continue to establish this pattern: 

    600 years before Christ came to Earth to re-establish His Church on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Lehi was commanded to leave Jerusalem. Why? To find a promised land. A promised land that was essentially a wilderness. This is where Lehi was to establish Christ’s Church. 

    In ~147-145 B.C. Alma the elder re-established Christ’s Church in the wilderness when he escapes from wicked King Noah and baptizes 204 souls in the waters of Mormon. Read Mosiah 18 for more on this.

    And finally, in 1830 Joseph Smith restored Christ’s Church to the Earth. What happened? Given this pattern, could the Church be established in New York? Boston? Even Ohio or Illinois? Even those cities and states were too “civilized” for God’s Kingdom to be fully established there. So the Church had to move to the wilderness. As God’s pattern always dictated. Fresh ground for His Kingdom, for His Saints. For new wine does not belong in old bottles (Matthew 9:17).

    I love finding patterns that re-affirm the truth of Christ’s restored Church today. God works through patterns. Here is an obvious pattern. God has never been able to establish His church amongst “civilized folks.” It has almost always seemed to take a wilderness. It was in the wilderness of the Salt Lake Valley, among the mountain tops (Isaiah 2:2)  that God allowed the wilderness to blossom as the rose (Isaiah 35:1) for His chosen people. 

    Oh look, more prophesies fulfilled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. More patterns continued, more completed. Funny how that works. 

  • A House Divided

    A House Divided

    Mark 3:11:

    “And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.”

    The first testimony of Christ’s divinity in the gospels is given by those that had rejected Him already, in the premortal council before coming to earth. Does this show remorse? Do these spirits now realize they shouldn’t have rebelled? Are they just stating the obvious? Why did Christ tell the unclean spirits “that they should not make him known” (verse 12)?

    Verse 22 –

    The scribes stated, “and by the prince of devils casteth he out devils…”

    Verses 23 and 24 –

    Christ responded, “How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”

    Let’s consider unity and division. God is who He is because He possesses perfect love. Christ is who he is because He possesses perfect love. The Holy Ghost is who he is because of perfect love. We are here to learn that same love. The celestial kingdom is celestial because it is a place of perfect love. Satan, when he rebelled against God and asked for God’s glory to be his, rejected that perfect, selfless love. It’s why he ended up where he is. Satan brought division. A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. It’s why no imperfect person can enter the kingdom of heaven (celestial kingdom).

    Verse 26 Christ continued – “And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.”

    This is a reminder that Satan, like us, has no end. He and His followers will live in torment for eternity because you can’t destroy intelligence (King Follet Sermon). If you can destroy something, it means it isn’t eternal, for, if it has an end, it must have a beginning. That’s what is being said here. If Satan is divided, his kingdom would end. If he fights against himself, he cannot stand. Satan doesn’t fight against himself. He is true to his obsessions which are to topple God’s Kingdom and make others as miserable as himself.

    Another interesting thing to consider – maybe Satan has an “end” if he were to rise up against himself because if he rose up against himself, he would stop opposing God. That would be an “end” to Satan. He would no longer be Satan because he would be a new being. Will Satan ever do that? I find it unlikely.

    Verse 27 Christ continues (my insertions in parentheses) – “No man can enter into a strong man’s (in this case Satan’s) house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.”

    This is such cool imagery and so obvious when you think about it. You must bind the strong man in his house before you can spoil his house or “kingdom.” Earth is currently Satan’s domain, kind of. It’s at least his domain when his demons are taking bodies and he is causing so much havoc, hate, and chaos here. Christ had to bind him before spoiling him. Christ had to bind him before he could banish his minions.

    Humans are able to put forth two faces or deceive. A human can say one thing and mean another in their heart. Satan can deceive us here. But he can’t deceive God. And he can’t promote Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. If he did so, he would be divided against himself. Satan can’t do Godly works in an attempt to trick us. In doing Godly works, Satan would cease to be Satan. When a demon is cast out in the name of God, it can’t be Satan trying to trick others. That is what Christ is telling us in these verses.

    What if Satan was doing that – lifting up a false prophet by dispersing demons and pretending this man was the Messiah. Well then how could that man have healed and done good and promote God? And ultimately, when that man is crucified, came back from the dead, told us he died to atone for our sins, all the while promoting God the Father, can Satan promote that? Can he falsely promote God and the Christ? He can’t. That would make him divided against himself.

    This logic applies to the Book of Mormon. Is the Book of Mormon about Christ? Yes, undeniably. Does it promote Christ? Yes, undoubtably. Does it prophesy of Christ? Yes, irrefutably. Does it support Christ and His mission? Yes. Then it can’t come from the devil. It just can’t. The Book of Mormon is a miraculous and unexplainable book. It is a miracle. It came about by some power not of this earth. It must be read and then the reader must decide: is it a promotion of Christ or an opposition to Him? Once you answer that question, you know from whence it came.

    That’s what Christ is saying here. Am I banishing demons? Am I opposing the devil? Then I can’t be of the devil. A kingdom divided against itself must fall.

    Does something promote God? Does it promote love? Does it promote Jesus Christ and His mission to save us all? Then it can’t be from the devil.

    I also like the way this is said in the New Testament Student Manual: “The Savior explained that a man who can overcome and bind a strong man must be even stronger than him…The fact that the Savior was casting out devils should have made it plain to His accusers that He had power over Satan. Elder James E. Talmage (1862-1933) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained: ‘Christ had attacked the stronghold of Satan, had driven his evil spirits from the human tabernacles of which they had unwarrantably taken possession; how could Christ have done this had He not first subdued the ‘strong man, the master of devils, Satan himself?’”

    I love the reminder that Christ is stronger than Satan. Plain and simple. Satan may reign with blood and terror on this earth. But the devils recognize Christ and His authority. When Christ says to leave, the devils leave. This is a powerful reminder of who’s team we want to be on. Do we want to be on the team of the strong, hateful man, bound by his own hatred? Or do we want to be on the team of the Christ, who binds the strong man, setting us free from evil and temptation, allowing us to live in love and peace forever?

    The answer seems obvious when put that way.

  • Morning Commute, Family, Purpose, and Eternity

    Morning Commute, Family, Purpose, and Eternity

    Today I was driving into work and a thought occurred to me.

    This wasn’t the first time this thought has come to me, but seldom has it hit me so clearly and with such impact.

    The thought was this:

    “I’m driving down the freeway and I’m surrounded by people also on the freeway. Most of us on our way to work. A seemingly innumerable number of us. In Phoenix, this is not too far from the truth. A million of us on our way to work. What is the point of all this? I know the point of all this. So few of these people around me know why they’re here or what they’re doing.”

    This is a common theme I write about. The importance of knowing where we come from, why we’re here, and where we’re going. The three ultimate questions that so few seem to care about nowadays.

    A world of billions and how many know their purpose?

    I know my purpose. I know what’s more important than anything. Two things:

    1. My family.
    2. Assisting, however I can, in the building of God’s Kingdom, or sharing the great and important truths with as many people as I can, the truths that no one seems to seek anymore.

    Sometimes I feel like I fall quite short on that second item. Sometimes I feel like I fall quite short on that first item.

    I feel better about the first item every time I see Ivy, Sage, or Beth smile.

    Sometimes I feel like no one around me cares about eternity and that makes item two difficult.

    But we go on caring for, teaching, taking care of, and loving our families (item one) no matter how hard it gets.

    And we go on caring for, teaching, taking care of, loving, and sharing with our eternal family (item two) no matter how much apathy seems to have set in.

    This is eternity.