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CHAPTER 28Many false churches shall be built up in the last days—They shall teach false and vain and foolish doctrines—Apostasy shall abound because of false teachers—The devil shall rage in the hearts of men—He shall teach all manner of false doctrines. [Between 559 and 545 B.C.] |
Nephi, speaks from his visionary experiences of seeing the future [tree of life vision of all] and gives warning there will be 'Many false churches built up in the last days—These false churches will teach many false, vain, and foolish doctrines that appeal to carnal man—Thus 'Apostasy' will abound because of false teachers and Satan will rage in the hearts of men to do much wickedness—Lucifer will teach by way of these false preachers all manner of false doctrines. |
All churches taught false doctrines of the precepts
of men prior to the restoration of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Today many teach what is popular and not God's truth. There are
even wolves in sheep's clothing who linger amongst ourselves.
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1 AND now, behold, my brethren, I have
spoken unto you, according as the Spirit hath constrained
mea; wherefore, I know that
they must surely come to passb.
2 And the things which shall be written out of the abook shall be of great bworth unto the children of men, and especially unto our seed, which is a cremnant of the house of Israel.
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1a the Spirit hath constrained
me There seems to be differing levels of speaking by the spirit
and for different purposes. From speak the truth of the gospel for the
edification of the listeners to being commanded and moved upon by the spirit
to such an extent that one is 'constrained' as to what to say and what to
speak either against or by way of commandment to those who are the object of
such a delivery, there seems to be a multitude of degrees, levels and purposes
of speaking by the spirit of the Holy Ghost.
1b I know that they must surely come to pass The witness of the Holy Ghost to the inner soul and being of a person conveys a sure knowledge. When so prophesying as moved upon by the spirit of the Holy Ghost, one can come to know of an asurity that the events so prophesied will happen. One can come to know this just as sure as the sun rose in the sky yesterday as that the sun will raise in the sky tomorrow. And just as sure as one is fact in the present state of being, that what was so prophesied by the power of the Holy Ghost will be the fact of the matter in the prophetic future. |
2a
TG
Book of Mormon; TG Restoration of the Gospel b 1 Ne. 13:39 (34-42); 1 Ne. 14:1-5; 1 Ne. 22:9; 1 Ne. 30:3; 3 Ne. 21:6 c TG Israel, Remnant of
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3 For it shall come to pass in that day that the
achurches which are built up, and not unto the
Lorda, when
the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I am the Lord's; and the others
shall say: I, I am the Lord's; and thus shall every one say that hath built
up bchurches, and not unto the Lord—
4 And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their alearning, and deny the bHoly Ghost, which giveth utterance.
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3a the churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord Now these 'churches' are both those which to falsely claim to be Christain to those which are nor recognizable to be 'religious' as all, such as the institutions of the learning and the precepts of men, that false church and priesthood of the Devil, which is the learning of men and their own contrivances upon the truths of the earth and of the world. |
3a
1 Cor. 1:13 (10-13);
1 Ne. 22:23; 4 Ne. 1:26 (25-29); Morm. 8:28, 32-38 b TG Churches, False 4a 2 Ne. 9:28; 2 Ne. 26:20 b 1 Cor. 2:4 (1-9)
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5 And they adeny the bpower of
God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us,
and hear ye our precept; for behold there is cno God today,
for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power
unto men;
6 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of amiracles; he hath done his work.
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5a
2 Ne. 26:20;
Morm. 9:26 (7-26) b 2 Tim. 3:5 c Alma 30:28 6a 3 Ne. 29:7; Morm. 8:26; Morm. 9:15-26
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7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say:
aEat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it
shall be well with us.
8 And there shall also be many which shall say: aEat, drink, and be bmerry; nevertheless, fear God—he will cjustify in committing a little dsin; yea, elie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a fpit for thy neighbor; there is gno 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. 9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, afalse and vain and bfoolish cdoctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark.
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7a
Prov. 16:25;
1 Cor. 15:32;
Alma 30:17-18 8a Isa. 22:13 b TG Worldliness c Morm. 8:31 d Mal. 2:17 e D&C 10:25; Moses 4:4; TG Lying f Job 6:27; Prov. 26:27; 1 Ne. 14:3; 1 Ne. 22:14; D&C 109:25 g Alma 30:17 9a TG False Doctrine b Ezek. 13:3; Hel. 13:29 c Matt. 15:9; Col. 2:22 (18-22)
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10 And the ablood of the saints shall cry from the
ground against them.
11 Yea, they have all gone out of the awaya; they have become bcorrupted. 12 Because of apride, and because of bfalse teachers, and cfalse doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up. 13 They arob the bpoor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their cpride they are puffed up.
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11a they have all gone out of the way Christ is the truth, the light and the way. And the way is that staight and narrow path or way which leads unto eternal life. None of the traditional Christian religions so formed by man is to be found in that way of life. They are all lost, except they come unto Christ and his one true Church and Gospel. There is NO OTHER WAY. |
10a
Gen. 4:10;
Rev. 6:10 (9-11); Rev. 18:24 (22-24); Rev. 19:2; 2 Ne. 26:3; Morm. 8:27; Ether 8:22-24; D&C 87:7 11a Hel. 6:31; D&C 132:25 (22-25) b Morm. 8:28-41; D&C 33:4 12a Prov. 28:25; TG Pride b Jer. 23:21-32; Jer. 50:6; 3 Ne. 14:15; TG False Prophets c TG False Doctrine 13a Ezek. 34:8; Morm. 8:37-41 b Ezek. 18:12; 2 Ne. 13:14-15; Hel. 4:12 (11-13) c Alma 5:53; Morm. 8:36-39
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14 They wear astiff necks and high heads; yea, and
because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and
bwhoredoms, they have all cgone astray
save it be a dfew, who are the humble followers of Christ;
nevertheless, they are eled, that in many instances they
do ferr because they are taught by the precepts of men.
15 O the awise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the bpride of their chearts, and all those who preach dfalse doctrines, and all those who commit ewhoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, fwo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell! 16 Wo unto them that aturn aside the just for a thing of naught and brevile against that which is good, and say that is of no worth! For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are cfully ripe in iniquity they shall perish.
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14a
Prov. 21:4;
TG
Stiffneckedness b TG Whoredom c 2 Ne. 12:5; Morsiah 14:6; Alma 5:37 d Morm. 8:36 e 2 Pet. 3:17 f Matt. 22:29; 2 Ne. 27:35 (34-35); D&C 33:4 15a Prov. 3:7 (5-7); 2 Ne. 15:21 b TG Pride c TG Hardheartedness d Matt. 5:19 e Mosiah 11:2 f 3 Ne. 29:5 (4-7); Morm. 9:26 16a 2 Ne. 27:32 b Mal. 2:17; TG Reviling c Ether 2:10 (8-11)
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17 But behold, if the inhabitants of the earth shall repent of
their wickedness and abominations they shall not be destroyed,
saith the Lord of Hosts.
18 But behold, that great and aabominable church, the bwhore of all the earth, must ctumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof. 19 For the kingdom of the devil must ashake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the bdevil will grasp them with his everlasting cchains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish;
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18a
TG
Devil, Church of b Rev. 19:2 c 1 Ne. 14:3, 17 19a 1 Ne. 22:23 (22-23) b Alma 34:35 c Mosiah 23:12; Alma 12:11; TG Chain
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20 For behold, at that day shall he arage in the
bhearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger
against that which is good.
21 And others will he apacify, and lull them away into carnal bsecurity, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the cdevil dcheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell. 22 And behold, others he aflattereth away, and telleth them there is no bhell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful cchains, from whence there is no deliverance. 23 Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be ajudged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a blake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.
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20a
Rev. 13:7;
2 Ne. 2:18;
D&C 10:27; D&C 76:29 b Alma 8:9; D&C 10:20 21a Jacob 3:11; Alma 5:7 (6-7); Morm. 8:31 b TG Apathy c 2 Ne. 9:39; 2 Ne. 32:8; Alma 30:42, 53 d Rev. 13:14 (11-18) 22a TG Flattery b Mal. 2:17 c 2 Ne. 9:45; Alma 36:18; TG Bondage, Spiritual 23a TG Jesus Christ, Judge b Rev. 19:20; Rev. 21:8; 2 Ne. 9:16 (8-19, 26); Jacob 6:10
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24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at aease in
Zion!
25 Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well! 26 Yea, wo be unto him that ahearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghosta!
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26a denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost When Christ knew that he would leave the Apostles at his death, he promised them a new comforter and source of divine guidance in their life. And at the day of pentecost the Holy Ghost was given unto them which would lead and guide them in the building up of the kingdom of God as they did go forth unto every nation and kindred and tongue and people. By the guidance and power of the Holy Ghost did they direct the affairs of the kingdom as the Holy Ghost was that Spirit of Revelation whereby the word of God did continue with the Church. It is by the power of the Holy Ghost that angels do speak and minister unto man. It is by the power of the Holy Ghost that God doth speak to and direct his Apostles and Prophets. It is by and through the power of the Holy Ghost that the Word of God is preached, spoken and written, even unto the becoming of scripture when one is so moved upon by the power of the Holy Ghost. When one comes to deny to power of the Holy Ghost they will begin to say that there is no more 'scripture', that is the cannon is closed. They will say there is no more the ministery of angels unto men. They will say there is no more Apostles and Prophets of God. And thus their Doctrine of Christ is ended and unfulfilled, for they may fain faith in Christ, they may fain repentance of sin, they may fain being baptised into a new life in the Lord, but except they receive of the Holy Ghost, which is the very Spirit of Revelation to men from God and accept it as that governing principle which open to men the rest of all things and truth pertaining unto the Kingdom of God, they have but damned themselves in their course unto God. They have STOPPED themselves from receiving the further fulness of the gospel of the Lord which the Holy Ghost from that point on would reveal unto them that is the path, the way unto eternal life. They have fained entering in the gate and have espoused being on the strait and narrow path which then leads to the Kingdom of God; but the have placed upon their eyes blindness from receiving of the Holy Ghost. They state that the Cannon of the word of God is CLOSED and there can be not more of the Word of God given, thus they have stopped their process to receive any further Word of God unto exaltation. They have denied the power of the Holy Ghost in the administration of angels stating that angels no more visit the earth and commun with man the messages of God. They have shut themselves off from the living oracals of God, His Apostles and Prophets, which do lead the people of God along the path day by day, from week to week, on along that path to God. And they have most of all denied to themselves access to God's influence in their lives, to feel of his presence, they have stopped God's word and influence applied in their own daily life, that the Holy Ghost may so commun unto them, each man, They have stopped the avenue whereby God answers the prayers of men. They have made prayer but a vain oneway street where men speak their minds to God, but denying that God can speak to men. They have blocked that communication link from God to man whereby God might speak to man pertaining to that man's individual needs and as to that direction as pertaining unto the Kingdom of Heaven that God would have him follow. When men so turn their backs upon new and future living scripture, when they turn their back upon the administration of angels from God unto every dispensation down to and including the current and on into the furture, when they have denied the living Apostles and Prophets of God; so have they turned their back upon and closed that door upon God as though he were dead and they have blocked their own way unto salvation and exaltation, for they do not know where to currently turn to receive that which the do need from the Lord in their daily living and lifes unto He Whom they fain to call their God as they deny the power thereof, the power of perpetual revelation, the power of the Holy Ghost, the guidance whereby they might walk according to the path before them even unto the presence and kingdom of God. Yet God does stand at that door and knocks to be let back in, into the hearts, minds and souls of men unto the acceptance of that power of the Holy Ghost whereby men might receive of the things of God; if but each man might so let him back in and not continue to close him out. |
24a
Amos 6:1 26a 2 Ne. 9:29
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27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we
aneed no more!
28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are aangry because of bthe truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the crock dreceiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall. 29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we aneed bno more of the word of God, for we have enough!
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27a
Alma 12:10-11;
3 Ne. 26:10 (9-10);
Ether 4:8 28a 2 Ne. 9:40; 2 Ne. 33:5; TG Rebellion, Rebel b Matt. 7:25 c TG Rock d TG Teachable 29a 2 Ne. 29:10 (3-10) b 2 Ne. 27:14; Ether 4:8
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30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children
of men line upon line, precept upon aprecept, here a little
and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and
lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn bwisdom;
for unto him that creceiveth I will give
dmore; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from
them shall be taken away even that which they have.
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30a
Prov. 2:9-11;
Isa. 28:13 (9-13);
D&C 98:12 b Prov. 14:8; TG Wisdom c Luke 8:18 c Alma 12:10; D&C 50:24
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31 Cursed is he that putteth his atrust in man, or
maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the bprecepts
of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.
32 aWo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and bcome unto me; for mine carm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts.
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31a
D&C 1:19-20; TG Trust Not in the Arm of Flesh b 2 Ne. 27:25 32a 1 Ne. 14:6; 3 Ne. 16:8 b TG God, Access to c 2 Ne. 19:17-21; Jacob 5:47; Jacob 6:4; D&C 133:67
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