The Things of Old

2007-11-28 04:41:00

Larry writes:

"I see nothing in modern America to lead me to believe that a sufficient number of people will heed these warnings."

JJ:

It may seem that way but there have been times that a partial fixing of the country has occurred. The latest one occurred through the Reagan administration.

Through his tax breaks, deregulation and forcing the Soviet Union into bankruptcy he bought us an extra thirty or more years of reasonable freedom. This fifty years was extremely necessary for the lights and disciples, for many of them have drifted from their purpose and preparations for the future gathering have not been made as they should. Many disciples are still caught up in the Piscean energies and have not shifted focus to the Aquarian.

It's beginning to look like we could use an extra thirty years again for the progression of light is still sluggish. There needs to be a breakthrough in the near future where the teachings of light capture national and world attention. Big national sellers like the "Celestine Prophecy,"  "Conversations with God," and " The Secret" show us there is a thirst for higher knowledge but these have not succeeded in giving purpose or higher principles to the seekers among humanity.

The rest of my post is responses I made on Sterling's forum.

A reader writes:

"Isa 43:14:   'Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, your Redeemer: For your sake I launch an attack on Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Chaldeans, they who sing the praises of shipping.'

"The LDS must be careful to not praise shipping and the works of MANS hand,

"If you sing the praises of shipping you will be singing the praises of IDOLS."

JJ:

Avraham has taken quite a bit of license in his translation here. First, "For your sake I launch an attack on Babylon" is more interpretive than a translation. "Shipping" comes from the noun ONIYAH. All other translators I have seen translate it as a noun -- usually "ships" as rendered by the King James.

Here is my translation as literally as I can make it:

"Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy one of Israel. I will strike Babylon and bring down the fugitives, the Chaldeans, who praise themselves because of their ships."

Isaiah was not saying that shipping is bad or leads to the worship of idols but he did take note that the Chaldeans thought they were a great people because of their ships. It is possible that their ships were like an idol to them. In other words, they sensed greatness in things such as ships rather than God, but this does not make either ships or shipping evil -- after all Jesus used a ship.

If a nation either, past or present, takes their glory from the visible works of their hands and ignores the invisible God then he worships idols. They key is not to cease from visible creation, but to achieve the balance and see the value in the internal as well as the external. After all, Solomon built the great temple which was a work of human creation just as were the ships of the Chaldeans, but in theory he was supposed to glorify God with such a creation.

Reader:

"Zion will be a rural agriculture based society. It will not be based on the works of mans hands. Nor will we praise how great the IPOD is or my car is. Or my 42 inch LDC. Each family will all have land, and they will raise the food that the family needs. No one will horde food for prophet or speculate on oil prices, or dump products a cheap price to undercut someone else. It will be a life much closer to how the Amish live than how we now live. Families for the most part will be home schooled."

JJ:

I have no idea where you get such a concept, certainly not from the scriptures and most certainly not from Isaiah 43. Listen and learn:

"Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?" (Isa 43:18-19)

The former ways are the ways of the ancient Israelites, the Amish, the Hutterites, and others. God says here and in Revelations that he does all things new. Those who want to go back and live in the past like the Taliban are going to miss the mark.

We are entering the Aquarian Age which is an air sign and ruled by mind. A natural product of this age is air travel, electronics, computers, the ipod, and others. These are not idols, but reveal the glory of God expressing itself in his reflected image -- humankind.

If one gains his value in life through possession of outward things then he is worshipping idols, but if he follows the spirit within and uses the outward things for service and benefit of all, while placing the greatest value on the internal connection, then he is on the Path.

Another reader writes:

"So I am saying, if these communities exist now, why do we have to have the Lord come and lead us to new ones, just like these ones that already exist. Not why Babylon vs Zion. Rather, why Zion vs Hutterite colonies, or Amish, etc.? What is so special about Zion?"

JJ:

You have a good point. Why would we even be motivated to build Zion just to live in the past as do the Amish and the Taliban? Zion is not the gathering together to farm, live in straw huts or to live in the past, but Zion is the "pure in heart," or more precisely, the gathering of the pure in heart.

When Israel gathered through Moses they were not told that their current technology were idols. They were not told to cease manufacturing swords, plows, wheat grinders, buildings etc. Neither did Jesus condemn the disciples for the technology they used to fish. Then in the days of Joseph Smith the gathered saints did not attempt to live in the past but took advantage of new technology as it came along.

Why on earth would we want to take away from ourselves many items that aid in life's enjoyments and progression?

For instance I have little time for reading because of my work schedule. About all the time I get for reading is through listening to books on my ipod. This is a great tool for me to gain knowledge and since the scriptures encourage us to gain knowledge then obviously I am using my ipod for good. It certainly is not an idol or an engraved image to me.

When Zion is built it will not just be another Amish community, but a gathering of the pure in heart who will have power to do greater things in the service of humanity than has ever been done before. They will embrace positive technology and all things that will serve to make the earth into a paradise.