Today's Favorite Verse: Romans 5:17

Today's Favorite Verse: Romans 5:17
"For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)"

From Adam's fall all men would suffer death. It took one man to give the gift of resurrection to all mankind. That was Jesus Christ. He covered spiritual and physical death through his atonement, sacrifice and resurrection. I had never thought of it starting with one and ending with one.

Day 4175

Today's Favorite Verse: Matthew 16:28

Today's Favorite Verse: Matthew 16:28
"Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."

I wonder if this is when John the Beloved formed the desire to never taste of death? To remain on the earth until the Savior would come again. Was a seed planted and then John desired it? Jesus mentioned John's desire when he visited the Nephites. Three of His disciples desired the same thing.

"And he said unto them: Behold, I know your thoughts, and ye have desired the thing which John, my beloved, who was with me in my ministry, before that I was lifted up by the Jews, desired of me.
Therefore, more blessed are ye, for ye shall never taste of death; but ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in my glory with the powers of heaven."
(3 Nephi 28:6-7)

Day 4069

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 23:4

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 23:4
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

The older I get the more this verse means to me. I don't need to be dying to have felt the shadow of death surrounding me. It is wherever there has been darkness of sorrow around me. I know that I do not walk alone, for the Lord is with me.

Day 3910

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Samuel 6:3, 6-7

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Samuel 6:3, 6-7
" And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.
And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.
And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God."

Its hard to understand at first why steading the ark so it wouldn't fall was worthy of death. Then I thought of Adam and Eve being told to not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Who would think eating something was worthy of being banished from the garden, and have to one day face mortal death. There are strict commands that God has given man, and with them consequences. Adam and Eve were warned about what would happen if they ate the fruit. This made me go back to find when God warned about touching the ark.

"And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation."
(Numbers 4:15)

God doesn't lie. He commandments are clear. There are times we need to just stand aside and let God do His work and not get in the way. The Lord or His angels could have come to steady the ark.

Day 3835

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 16:3, 28, 41

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 16:3, 28, 41
"And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?
And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.
But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD."

There is a lot of death happening in this chapter. The earth opened and swallowed three families up, fire consumed 250 men, and then plague killed 14,700. I looked for what offense was given that caused God to do this. It appears it started with some that thought they should have the priesthood and leadership roles and were against Moses and Aaron because of it. They also took it upon themselves to perform these priestly roles. They didn't understand it was God's will and not Moses and Aaron. Then the congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron and said they killed the people. Which is again not recognizing the life, death and callings are of God and not that Moses and Aaron could do of their own will. It made me ponder on how I have seen application of this in my day and where spiritual death has happened.

Day 3790

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 118:1

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 118:1
"Verily, thus saith the Lord: Let a conference be held immediately; let the Twelve be organized; and let men be appointed to supply the place of those who are fallen."

I pondered on one of causes of the great apostasy with the primitive church. As the apostles were scattered and died the organization and authority eventually was lost. The apostles could not gather quick enough to replace those that were taken. We are blessed to know that Satan now cannot tear the organization of the church down faster then we can build it up.

"Four of the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles had been excommunicated or otherwise removed from office by July 1838 for transgression or apostasy: John F. Boynton, Luke Johnson, Lyman Johnson, and William E. McLellin. This caused great sorrow among Church members. On Sunday, July 8, 1838, during a leadership meeting, the Prophet Joseph Smith received the revelation recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 118 in response to the plea to “show unto us thy will O, Lord concerning the Twelve.” (See The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents, Volume 6: February 1838–August 1839, 176–78.) John Taylor, John E. Page, Wilford Woodruff, and Willard Richards were appointed to fill the vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles."
(Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, "Chapter 45: Doctrine and Covenants 115-120")

"Today I speak of keys other than those of metal. The keys I speak of never rust. These are the keys of life and salvation in the kingdom of God. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “I will give you a key that will never rust, if you will stay with the majority of the Twelve Apostles, and the records of the Church, you will never be led astray.”
...Prior to the martyrdom, no doubt with a sense of foreboding, the Prophet Joseph prepared for his death. President Joseph Fielding Smith states:“The Prophet declared that he knew not why, but the Lord commanded him to endow the Twelve with these keys and priesthood, and after it was done, he rejoiced very much, saying in substance, ‘Now, if they kill me, you have all the keys and all the ordinances and you can confer them upon others, and the powers of Satan will not be able to tear down the kingdom as fast as you will be able to build it up, and upon your shoulders will the responsibility of leading this people rest."
(James E. Faust, "The Keys That Never Rust", Oct 1994 General Conference)

Day 3707

Today's Favorite Verse: John 21:22-23

Today's Favorite Verse: John 21:22-23

"Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?"

There is confusion in the world on if John "The Beloved", or "Revelator" has died. The answer was given to the prophet Joseph Smith. I feel impressed to record it in its entirety.

"During the month of April I continued to translate, and he to write, with little cessation, during which time we received several revelations. A difference of opinion arising between us about the account of John the Apostle, mentioned in the New Testament, as to whether he died or continued to live, we mutually agreed to settle it by the Urim and Thummim and the following is the word which we received:"

(HC 1:35-36)

Doctrine and Covenants 7

"Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, when they inquired through the Urim and Thummim as to whether John, the beloved disciple, tarried in the flesh or had died. The revelation is a translated version of the record made on parchment by John and hidden up by himself. HC 1:35–36.

1 And the Lord said unto me: John, my beloved, what desirest thou? For if you shall ask what you will, it shall be granted unto you.

2 And I said unto him: Lord, give unto me power over death, that I may live and bring souls unto thee.

3 And the Lord said unto me: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, because thou desirest this thou shalt tarry until I come in my glory, and shalt prophesy before nations, kindreds, tongues and people.

4 And for this cause the Lord said unto Peter: If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? For he desired of me that he might bring souls unto me, but thou desiredst that thou mightest speedily come unto me in my kingdom.

5 I say unto thee, Peter, this was a good desire; but my beloved has desired that he might do more, or a greater work yet among men than what he has before done.

6 Yea, he has undertaken a greater work; therefore I will make him as flaming fire and a ministering angel; he shall minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation who dwell on the earth.

7 And I will make thee to minister for him and for thy brother James; and unto you three I will give this power and the keys of this ministry until I come.

8 Verily I say unto you, ye shall both have according to your desires, for ye both joy in that which ye have desired."

Day 3177

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 24:14, 16

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 24:14, 16

"I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.

Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. "

That's an absolute promise. In this chapter Ezekiel is given the parable of the boiling pot. It's not a pretty sight. It's another descriptive way to warn the people of what is coming for their wickedness. Then Ezekiel is told that the desire of his eye, his wife will die. He was not to mourn or weep. This lack of ability to mourn would be like the people when their dearest object, the temple is destroyed. They will just pine away. From the description it sounds like they are deeply depressed and unable to mourn. It's a very sad chapter. In a way I wondered if one of the reasons Ezekiel's wife is taken is so she wouldn't have to witness the absolute destruction of Jerusalem and its people. In a small way that is a tender mercy.

Day 2985

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 22:13

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 22:13

"And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die."

It made me curious on how many times in the scriptures the phrase "eat, drink and be merry, and tomorrow we die" is found. I could only find three additional references. I thought there were more, besides Shakespeare's use of it. Maybe I thought there was more because that is the mentality we are seeing around us. Truly, if I thought tomorrow I would die, I would make sure I was prepared to meet my maker.

"If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die."

(1 Corinthians 15:32)

"Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun."

(Ecclesiastes 8:15) (*earlier verses show this is vanity)

"And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?'

(Luke 12:19-20)

"Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.

And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God."

(2 Nephi 28:7-8

Day 2860

Today's Favorite Verse: Ecclesiastes 9:2

Today's Favorite Verse: Ecclesiastes 9:2

"All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath."

What is universal among all men? That we were born and that we will all die. We will all be brought before God and judged. No man can escape these things. Even though the verdict may not be the same in all cases, the judgment will be just.

"Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God; then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye."

(Mosiah 27:31)

"And this shall be the sound of his trump, saying to all people, both in heaven and in earth, and that are under the earth—for every ear shall hear it, and every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess, while they hear the sound of the trump, saying: Fear God, and give glory to him who sitteth upon the throne, forever and ever; for the hour of his judgment is come."

(Doctrine and Covenants 88:104)

Day 2827

Today's Favorite Verse: Ecclesiastes 8:8

Today's Favorite Verse: Ecclesiastes 8:8

"There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it."

Do I really not have power to retain the spirit? I thought I could have the spirit always to be with me if I kept from sin. Then I thought of places where the spirit cannot be. I have felt the spirit leave in such cases. I have been in the presence of people that make the spirit leave from the room. I cannot say I've been left alone and to my own devices in such times. For I have been guided in what needed to be done. But, that feeling that you have when the spirit is gone is still there. Not really sure what this all entails but it seems the spirit is never forced to stay because of anything I do. It must be why this verse also connects the spirit leaving a person at death. You cannot force it to stay when it has been commanded to leave.

Day 2826

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 79:1-2

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 79:1-2

"O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.

The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth"

I read of the destruction of the temple, city and people by the heathens right after reading this in the Book of Mormon.

"And now it came to pass that after the people of Ammon were established in the land of Jershon, and a church also established in the land of Jershon, and the armies of the Nephites were set round about the land of Jershon, yea, in all the borders round about the land of Zarahemla; behold the armies of the Lamanites had followed their brethren into the wilderness.

And thus there was a tremendous battle; yea, even such an one as never had been known among all the people in the land from the time Lehi left Jerusalem; yea, and tens of thousands of the Lamanites were slain and scattered abroad.

Yea, and also there was a tremendous slaughter among the people of Nephi; nevertheless, the Lamanites were driven and scattered, and the people of Nephi returned again to their land."

(Alma 28:1-3)

The thoughts of both made me cry and mourn for them. I don't like to think how it applies to my day, because it's to real that our world is ever darkening. What is the light or hope of these things? The true sorrow is the state of the people when they died. Where were their hearts and how are they greeted by the Lord. Those that are left to mourn can be comforted when they know their loved ones are in the arms of their Savior, Jesus Christ.

"And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life."

(Alma 28:14)

Day 2716

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 49:17

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 49:17

"For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him."

In family scriptures tonight we finished the book of Job. I had the family compare what Job started with and what his increase was at the end. He received double the number of everything, but his children. This was because none of the things that were doubled could he take with him. Yet, his children that were lost previously were still his children. So in the next life he would have twice as many children around him. What we learn and the relationships sealed here on earth are all that we can take with us.

Day 2686

Today's Favorite Verse: Job 21:7, 9, 13-14, 19

Today's Favorite Verse: Job 21:7, 9, 13-14, 19

"Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?

Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.

They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

God layeth up his iniquity for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall know it.

Job acknowledges the wicked sometimes prosper in this life. It isn't until final judgment that they face God's wrath and receive their reward. I also found it interesting how this chapter also acknowledges there is a chance to know God after death and before resurrection and judgment. The gospel will be preached to them on the other side, but there are those that will still reject it.

Day 2616

Today's Favorite Verse: Job 7:1, 20

Today's Favorite Verse: Job 7:1, 20

"Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?

I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be."

Job is absolutely in a depressed state. Yet, I see hope in this because he knows there is an appointed time for man to be on the earth. For all that Job has been through he has no idea if death will come quickly to him now. All he can do is turn to God and ask forgiveness for where he may have sinned in all this. If his sins are not pardoned quickly he fears he will not be. There will be no place for him in the kingdom of God.

Day 2602

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Kings 20:1, 6

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Kings 20:1, 6

"In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.

And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake."

Hezekiah is sick and the prophet Isaiah comes to tell him to set his house in order for he's not going to die. Hezekiah pleads with the Lord and weeps. Isaiah is sent back and tells him he will live another 15 years. That is such a blessing to be given an extension to put your house in order. But, I thought about what would come in those 15 years. One would be the son that rules after him, that does evil. Was it a blessing for Hezekiah not to see that son as an adult? Or would it have been more blessed that the son was never born? I don't know, but one thing is sure God is in command.

Day 2492

Today's Favorite Verse: Genesis 5:21-24

Today's Favorite Verse: Genesis 5:21-24

"And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:

And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him."

As I was reading the generations of Adam and his descendants it shows how old someone was when their child was born. Then how old they were when they died, or in the case of Enoch translated.

These verses made me think of something I mentioned during family scriptures tonight. I related how baptism and final judgment are like the dash on the gravestone between the birth and death date. The dash gives the life story, it's the best part. For us the dash between baptism and final judgment is called enduring to the end. That dash makes up the sum of our existence and what we became, and how we will be judged. When we endure it's also the best part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For, this is how we come to know Him. This is where we learn to walk with God.

Day 2164