Purifying vision, departing Babylon

Here are some scriptures about good vision and understanding:

[King James Version]
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
[The commandments help people see right from wrong]

Proverbs 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall; but in the multitude of counsellors, there is safety.  [Have your counsel and checks and balances, to make sure that things are right, are proper, inspired, and not done in foolish haste]

Hosea 4:6    My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge   [This is similar to where there's no knowledge, the people perish]

(The full verse is good too:    6 ¶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.) 

Proverbs 4:7  Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting, get understanding.

Society is full of corrupted systems and people who are just living day to day.  Wise people are those who are becoming un-blinded from the deceptions in their own lives and in society.  The wise see the need to prepare for hard times, to purify themselves, and also to unite with like-minded people, rather than follow the blind crowds.  The wise might also be fighting to retain our freedoms and good values.

Eventually a person might find a metaphorical line drawn in the sand, in their lives, and say, "Enough is enough, we're not going to keep doing this corrupted system that the powers swirling around us are trying to force us into."

Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her [Babylon], my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 

Similarly expressed, in Isaiah 52:11 
Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.

So, what are we to learn by these scriptures?  We have to continue to remove the blinders off of our eyes, as there are layers and layers of things in society which contradict the Lord's will for our personal lives and the lives of our communities and nation.  We need wisdom, and careful understanding.  We need to be with like-minded people.  As we draw nearer to God, we will draw further from the ways of the world.

Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) 88:63:
Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

There's a video that I watched recently, about King Solomon's temple.  I liked how the narrator talked about how the temple was a representation of the reversal of Adam's Fall, and exit from Eden.  One must reverse their steps.  To me, this seems similar to departing from Spiritual Babylon.  Enjoy the video!

A Pure people -- Part 2

So how will pure people be found for a Zion community?  

You could find people who are already pure, but more likely you will come across people who are gems in the rough and are just having some corners knocked off and polished in the process.  It's Boot camp, a toughening and purifying process in preparation for Zion.  This is because, Zion will not particularly be a cake walk.  It might be hard, with continuing challenges.  Building the temple of God in our personal lives, can be similar to building the pyramids of Egypt -- a lot of hard work with blood, sweat, and tears along the way, and prayers for deliverance.

So, how can you judge a person's character?  A character is understood by time in getting to know a person, as well as what the Holy Spirit confirms to you.  The Lord said, to be wise as a serpent, but harmless as a dove, Matthew 10:16.  Verse 19 also says to speak by the Holy Spirit, and so I will add, discern by the Spirit also.

Most people tend to judge on outward appearances and outward words.  1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him:  for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

This is a cautionary and teaching statement from the Lord to the prophet Samuel.  Yes, a prophet still needed to be reminded to see how the Lord sees in relation to the heart and the inner man.  This applies to all human beings because we  live in a fallen world and are subject to error until the last day of our mortal lives.

People have a strong tendency to judge based upon looks and clothing, talents, titles, reputation, possessions, jobs, achievements, affiliations, place of residence, education, and the list goes on.  Although these things can tell you something about a person, they are not the final determination in how good a person is, how Zion-worthy he or she is.  A person may have a lot of "outward" polish in their lives, and serve others, but that service might be motivated by a deep character flaw in their heart or mind-- a desire to be lifted up in the eyes of others, salvation "points" with God (rather than a sincere and loving concern for others) and to have wealth, or to hide something much more wrong.  Jesus Christ indicated in Matthew 10, that even some of the religious people, the congregations themselves, would persecute and kill the believers.  Look at history and you will know that not all religious people have passed the heavenly test. 

The scriptures say that Jesus was a sinless lamb.  Without guile.  How many people over the centuries have praised his name and yet if they had lived back in the early years of the first Century A.D. would've rejected him had they known him at the time?    Luke 9:58 (or Matthew 8:20) Jesus said that animals had a place to go, but he had no place to lay his head.  Yes, Jesus was homeless at the time.   Luke 7:34 said, The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber [drunkard], a friend of publicans [tax collectors] and sinners!

So yes, probably there were lots of days when Jesus had any of the following: Dirty feet, dirty clothes, unkempt hair, some body odor from travelling in the sun and sweating, and he just wasn't stylish, or seemed tired.  He was the King of the Jews by birth, a royal heir, but didn't have the life of a prince.  He also suffered from the gossip of others and the intrigues of evil men who finally killed him.  

Isaiah 53: 2-3 says, For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; he hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

John 4:44  For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.

Another blog post could be just about how the poor are treated.  In this instance, I want to highlight that Jesus suffered a reputation problem -- some dearly loved him and others despised him because he had a controversial message for his day, he spoke wherever he felt called, whether it was the temple or the local pub, and although he was a Rabbi, Jesus didn't look stylish and for the most part didn't have friends in high places.

When you have time, compare Luke 14, Matthew 22, and Matthew 25.  It references a great Supper, and a wedding.  Who will come?
Those who are willing and those who are prepared.  

Learn how to judge righteous judgment when it comes to people, their character and their motives.
Appearances can say a lot -- appearances can be a true indicator, but they can mislead too.   Some down and out people have hearts of gold, others are drug [substance] abusers or abusers of whatever their vice or crutch is.   Some polished and well-off people are wonderful, and others are not wonderful.  You have to learn how to judge people.  It takes wisdom (learned by experience) and an ear keen to the Holy Spirit.

Finding a Pure People

Finding a Pure People, or rather, Making a Pure People through Repentance. 

1/2/2019   I will write of my life experiences.  I woke today, still in turmoil over a situation with people.  Not as yet being able to find peace in the matter, I realized, that God was giving me subject matter of which to write about, so that myself as well as others might learn.

2/5/2019   God is still calling me to "subject matter."   The wheels of change have moved too slowly in mainstreams.  The opportunity to do more, with scriptures and revelation that are already out there, have been ignored by most for too long.   Our society is becoming unraveled-- not just morally and in how people live day to day, but our country is losing it's unity and is a war of words, big time!  Time to do something.  So I am.  I have a book in the works (I anticipate it will be done sometime this year).  I have a plan for a community along with a gofundme for a trip to Israel where small, mostly self sufficient communities have been successful.  I have another blog I am starting, and it might have a sister blog in Spanish.  I am considering a Facebook page.  These are all designed to bring good people together who are tired of being stuck in spiritual Babylon (too controlled, or too soft on some issues, or not progressing enough), and social and financial Babylon (overworked, overworried, and rejected by others for more valiant views).

More details to follow when these other "social media" sites are developed.  Etcetera.

In the Hebrew faith, they had a whole 40 days each year devoted just to repentance.  Think about that.  Start looking inward and see where you need to make things right with self, God, others.  Purge out the negativity and light-mindedness too.  Prepare for hard times in our Country.

Today's post will be short, so I leave you with a scripture:
D&C 97:21

21 Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is ^aZion—the pure in heart; therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all the wicked shall mourn.

Source:  https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/97.21?lang=eng&clang=eng#p20 

Español:  
D y C 97:21

21 Por tanto, de cierto, así dice el Señor: Regocíjese Sion, porque esta es Sion: los puros de corazón; por consiguiente, regocíjese Sion mientras se lamentan todos los inicuos.

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/97.21?lang=spa&clang=spa#p20  

Seek to Establish the Cause of Zion

 ציון

What is in your heart today?