Prophecy Calculations? “A man among the Gentiles”

“a man among
the Gentiles”*

He calls his wife Mrs. Watcher, so I shall refer to him herein as Mr. Watcher.¹ As an avid reader of the pros and cons of many things, I recently came across the writings of Mr. Watcher. His take² on “a man among the Gentiles”³ who has, traditionally, been (mis-?)identified as Christopher Columbus is fascinating — as is the perspective of Adrian Larsen (of To The Remnant⁴) that prompted Mr. Watcher's own research. They both consider the “man among the Gentiles” to potentially mark previously unconsidered possibilities for prophecy calculation and understanding.

The one question, however, that hangs over my perspective is the verse that precedes “a man among the Gentiles” — the one that says: “Behold the wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren.”

11 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me: Behold the wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren.
12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.⁵

Is verse 11 intended to reveal the nature of the man in verse 12 (behold | beheld)? I don't know, but I ask: Who brought more wrath upon the West Indies / Caribbean islands than Columbus (1492+)? Who set the pattern for violence that Cortés (1521+), Pizarro (1532+), and others carried on against the Aztec (Mexico / Mesoamerica), the Maya (Mesoamerica), the Inca (Peru) and other “new world” indigenous peoples⁶? (Even perhaps “the man” Nephi saw was Cortés?)

Except, some will protest that the Spirit of God would never “come down and work upon” a person whose disposition was to destroy and do evil? So again, I ask: Does God ever use unwitting “servants” to mete out Justice and Judgment⁷? What about this account in Isaiah? (JST in black bold; my emphasis in red bold.)

5 ¶ O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart it is to destroy and cut off nations not a few.
8 For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?
9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?
10 As my hand hath found founded the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;
11 Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and to her idols?
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.⁸

Also consider several other verses about God moving, or standing back to allow, evil to destroy evil.⁹

But why was the wrath of God upon the seed of Nephi's brethren? Despite some tendency to romanticize indigenous history, there were in the “Americas” perpetual raids, wars, murders, theft, enslavement, human sacrifice, and elitist tyranny amongst many tribes and factions, not unlike what has been found throughout the world in all ages. God waited until the cup of iniquity was full and then the reaping began, just as it will, within short years, if not months or weeks, for our own nations in these Americas (and elsewhere).

For those who believe that the fruit of constitutional North America was not targeted for corruption¹⁰ and destruction from the beginning, and is not now overflowing, it is not too late to awaken from the seeing we-see-not and hearing we-hear-not dream-state. In déjà vu of every age, many, who insist on ignoring the prolific witness of mankind's dark-side, will be caught in a sudden flood of devastation as unaware as those in Noah's day. (Both red bold and black bold are JST):

43 36 But of that day and hour no one knoweth no man; no, not the angels of God in heaven, but my Father only.
44 37 But as it was in the days of Noe were Noah, so it shall be also at the coming of the Son of Man be.
45 38– 39 For it shall be with them as it was in the days that which were before the flood; for until the day that Noah entered into the ark, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark and knew not until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
46 Then shall be fulfilled that which is written, that, In the last days,
47 40 Then Two shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left.
48 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken and the other left.
49 42 And what I say unto one, I say unto all men; Watch, therefore, for ye you know not at what hour your Lord doth come.
50 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be have been broken up; but would have been ready.
51 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.¹¹

But back to prophecy calculations. This post is not to say that other's impressions are mistaken for God seems to use multi-dimensional layers of fulfillment and types and shadows. Nephi was given both words and images, but what if the same words (“a man among the Gentiles”) could be paired with a different image to another seeker at some later date to convey new information? Divine communication is all about words and images as I pondered in a 2014 post.¹²  However, as seems the usual course of things, we may not know till the time of prophetic fulfillment which or how many prophecy calculations proved true; but keeping watch hopefully promotes thinking, preparing, repenting, and persistently seeking God and His Truth.

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1. https://threewatches.blogspot.com/
https://onewhoiswatching.wordpress.com/
2. https://onewhoiswatching.wordpress.com/2022/04/11/a-man-among-the-gentiles/
https://onewhoiswatching.wordpress.com/2022/04/13/a-man-among-the-gentiles-2/
https://onewhoiswatching.wordpress.com/2022/04/15/man-among-the-gentiles-final/
3. Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 13:12
   12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.
4. https://www.totheremnant.com/2022/03/destruction-part-1-man-among-gentiles.html
https://www.totheremnant.com/2022/03/destruction-part-2-most-sacred-privilege.html
(plus 5 more parts)
5. Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 13:11-12  (Bold emphasis added.)
See also: Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 13:13-14 (Bold emphasis added.)
   13 And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.
   14 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten.
6. ● "The pitiless destruction he [Columbus] and his men wrought upon the indigenous peoples of the West Indies, whom he encountered when he first arrived in the Americas, also began a process of decimation of American Indian populations that would continue for a century."
DK. The History Book (Big Ideas) (p. 268). DK Publishing. Kindle Edition.
● "Such inhumanities and Barbarisms were committed... acts so foreign to human nature that I now tremble as I write." Bartolome De Las Casas Spanish historian (c. 1527) | Ibid., (p. 266).
● "I and my companions suffer from a disease of the heart that can be cured only with gold." Hernán Cortés, 1519 | Ibid., (p. 274). (Bold emphasis added.)
● Consider also whether the West Indies and Caribbean indigenous were brethren of the Nephites through the account of Hagoth and his ships in Alma 63; or from these words from Helaman 3:14: “But behold, a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, yea, the account of the Lamanites and of the Nephites, and their wars, and contentions, and dissensions, and their preaching, and their prophecies, and their shipping and their building of ships, and their building of temples, and of synagogues and their sanctuaries, and their righteousness, and their wickedness, and their murders, and their robbings, and their plundering, and all manner of abominations and whoredoms, cannot be contained in this work.” (Bold emphasis added.)
7. Being the law of the harvest: what one sows is what one reaps: as in
Old Testament | Jeremiah 6:19 | unchanged in JST
   19 Hear, O earth: behold, I [the LORD] will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.
New Testament | Galatians 6:7
   7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Book of Mormon | Mosiah 7:28-33
   28 And now, because he said this, they did put him to death; and many more things did they do which brought down the wrath of God upon them. Therefore, who wondereth that they are in bondage, and that they are smitten with sore afflictions?
   29 For behold, the Lord hath said: I will not succor my people in the day of their transgression; but I will hedge up their ways that they prosper not; and their doings shall be as a stumbling block before them.
   30 And again, he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the chaff thereof in the whirlwind; and the effect thereof is poison.
   31 And again he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the east wind, which bringeth immediate destruction.
   32 And now, behold, the promise of the Lord is fulfilled, and ye are smitten and afflicted.
   33 But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.
8. Old Testament | Isaiah 10:5-12 | JST in black bold; my emphasis in red bold,
9. Old Testament | Isaiah 45:7 | unchanged in JST
   7 I [the LORD] form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Old Testament | Jeremiah 4:6 | unchanged in JST
   6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I [the LORD] will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
JST Old Testament | Jeremiah 18:8-10
   8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of withhold the evil that I thought to do unto them.
   9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
   10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of withold the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
Old Testament | Jeremiah 23:2 | unchanged in JST
   2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.
Old Testament | Jeremiah 44:2 | unchanged in JST
   2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein,
Old Testament | Jeremiah 44:11 | unchanged in JST
   11 ¶ Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.
Old Testament | Jeremiah 39:15-17 | unchanged in JST
   15 ¶ Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,
   16 Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.
   17 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid.
10. The witnesses are everywhere and prolific in prophetic scripture and secular exposés:
See also: https://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/2020/01/lost-soul-of-america.html
https://dejavu-times.blogspot.com/2008/06/memo-to-cindy-mccain-et-al.html
11. Lutes, Kenneth and Lyndell. Joseph Smith Translation (pp. 2175-2176 | New Testament | Matthew 24:43-51). Lutes Publishing. Kindle Edition. 

See also: Pearl of Great Price | Moses 8
Compare: Pearl of Great Price | JS-Matthew 1:43
12. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2014/02/here-and-there.html

*Image Source:
Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silhouette_of_man_facing_left,_no._9_LCCN2004662038.tif
File URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Silhouette_of_man_facing_left%2C_no._9_LCCN2004662038.tif
Attribution: Peale, Charles Willson, 1741-1827, artist, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Description: Title: Silhouette of man facing left, no. 9 Abstract/medium: 1 picture : hollow-cut white paper silhouette, mounted on black paper ; irregular image 8 x 4 cm, cut from sheet 13 x 11 cm.
Date: 1761
Permission: Public Domain

God's Prophetic Day: Evening to Evening?

(Historical Equinox and Solstice List*)
(Historical day of week calculator**)

Just wondering if we should be calculating prophetic fulfillment according to God's “evening and morning” day?¹

Some² have observed how the equinoxes, solstices,³ and holy days (including start-of-the-week Sundays: being resurrection day, being the beginning of something new) seem to play a pivotal role in restoration and prophetic timing, so would we achieve more accuracy by using “and the evening and the morning were the [new] day” instead of our 12 AM to 11:59 PM secular standard?

Undoubtedly, others have noted this “time-jog,” but I have not come across anyone yet discussing it, so I present three related examples here and encourage deeper researchers to pursue further proofs, if any can be observed.

● If Joseph Smith, Jun. reported five visits⁴ of the angel Moroni on the evening of Sunday, September 21 and Monday September 22, 1823 per the 12 AM to 11:59 PM standard, might that not place Joseph squarely on the autumnal equinox of September 23, 1823 (in New York state) when he first viewed the Book of Mormon records, if that equinox day had begun the prior evening pursuant to God's time?

I propose that it works like this: considering the amount of time on September 22, 1823 for Joseph to proceed to his daily morning labors; for his exhaustion to be noted by his father; to lay unconscious “for a time”; to listen to another full repeat of Moroni's instructions; to return to his father and repeat the “whole matter”; to travel to the hill; to scrape earth from the edges of a large, partially visible stone, and to find a lever⁵; thus, sufficient time might have passed such that early evening had come, putting Joseph's first view of the plates on the autumnal equinox of September 23, 1823?

● Apparently Joseph's subsequent annual September 22 visits to the hill were done just after midnight on each September 22 of 1824, 1825, 1826, and 1827 because:

“The angel had commanded Joseph to come to the hill on September 22. To be precise in his compliance and still to throw off meddlers who knew of the date, Joseph chose to go to Cumorah in the dead of night, almost the minute September 22 arrived.”⁶

Since the autumnal equinoxes for these years were 1824 - 22 Sept.; 1825 - 23 Sept.; 1826 -  23 Sept.; 1827 - 23 Sept., then 1824 was the only year to appear⁷ to fall on the precise autumnal equinox.  But does any of this matter? Was there something special about the 22nd — the day before the autumnal equinox? I don't know, except God is the Great Mathematician (amongst His other attributes) Who has counselled us to study, pay attention, and watch.

● If the records of Joseph's mother, Lucy Mack Smith⁸ and a few others are accurate, Joseph received the Book of Mormon plates (in New York state) sometime between midnight and early morning of 22 September 1827. JS hid the plates in the hollow of a log near the hill, then rejoined his wife Emma who was waiting nearby. They returned home early AM to begin making arrangements for the security of the plates. Apparently the next morning⁹ (September 23 - equinox), Joseph was taken off to an unexpected job. Either that day or the next (it's unclear to me in the records), he was called from his well digging to retrieve the plates in order to find greater security for them and was assaulted three times before safely reaching his parent's home. Again, an autumnal equinox coincidence?

As to Joseph's birth:

● I'm not aware of any records setting the exact time of Joseph Smith's birth on December 23, 1805 in Sharon Vermont. From the historical charts (Eastern USA), the December solstice for 1805 had occurred the previous day, December 22, when the sun paused in its southern track and turned once again northward, thus December 23 would have been the day after the solstice and the first full day of return motion. Does God want us to observe and care about such possible “bread crumbs”?

I have not researched when the day shift happened from evening to 12 AM midnight, but as history proves, men have frequently sought to “improve” on God. Daniel warned us millennia ago:

24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.¹⁰

And as we see, even in 2022, time is still being manipulated:

After Senate Passes Permanent Daylight Saving Time Bill, Where Does House Stand? Nearly a dozen states across the U.S. have already standardized daylight saving time.¹¹

When studying prophecy, what might we discover if we used the evening to evening model set out at creation? Over time, it will prove itself, or not.

ASIDE: Has this fiddling with time effected our own birthdates and birth times? Does it make any difference? So many mysteries¹² and "bread crumbs"!
 
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Assuming the historical Equinox / Solstice charts have escaped the corruptions and obfuscations that the adversary of all Good has spent his existence conniving and dreaming up:
* Historical chart for Eastern US | New York: https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/seasons.html?year=1800&n=179 | Question: Do the official AM / PM times of the equinoxes impact dates and times?
https://www.weather.gov/cle/seasons
https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-a-solstice-and-an-equinox
**https://www.dayoftheweek.org/

1. Old Testament | Genesis 1:5
And the evening and the morning were the first day. (etc. KJV Genesis 1: 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31; JST Genesis 1: 8, 11, 17, 21, 24, 33; PGP Moses 2: 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31; PGP Abraham 4: 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/526873/jewish/The-Jewish-Day.htm
https://www.yeshiva.co/ask/7469
https://www.jtsa.edu/torah/the-day-begins-with-night/
Other view: https://www.andrews.edu/library/car/cardigital/Periodicals/AUSS/2008/2008-2/2008-2-03.pdf
2. https://latterdaysaintmag.com/why-did-so-many-key-events-of-the-restoration-happen-on-the-equinox/
3. Historical chart for New York: https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/seasons.html?year=1800&n=179
Others:
http://neoprogrammics.com/equinoxes_and_solstices/Equinoxes_and_Solstices_Calculator.php
https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/seasons.html?year=1800&n=179
https://www.weather.gov/dvn/Climate_Astronomical_Seasons
4. Five Visits per Pearl of Great Price | JS-History 1:30, 44, 46, 49, 53
1st Visit: Pearl of Great Price | JS-History 1:29-30
   29 In consequence of these things, I often felt condemned for my weakness and imperfections; when, on the evening of the above-mentioned twenty-first of September [1823, v. 27], after I had retired to my bed for the night, I betook myself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God for forgiveness of all my sins and follies, and also for a manifestation to me, that I might know of my state and standing before him; for I had full confidence in obtaining a divine manifestation, as I previously had one.
   30 While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor.
5. Pearl of Great Price | JS-History 1:47-52
   47 After this third visit, he again ascended into heaven as before, and I was again left to ponder on the strangeness of what I had just experienced; when almost immediately after the heavenly messenger had ascended from me for the third time, the cock crowed, and I found that day was approaching, so that our interviews must have occupied the whole of that night.
   48 I shortly after arose from my bed, and, as usual, went to the necessary labors of the day; but, in attempting to work as at other times, I found my strength so exhausted as to render me entirely unable. My father, who was laboring along with me, discovered something to be wrong with me, and told me to go home. I started with the intention of going to the house; but, in attempting to cross the fence out of the field where we were, my strength entirely failed me, and I fell helpless on the ground, and for a time was quite unconscious of anything.
   49 The first thing that I can recollect was a voice speaking unto me, calling me by name. I looked up, and beheld the same messenger standing over my head, surrounded by light as before. He then again related unto me all that he had related to me the previous night, and commanded me to go to my father and tell him of the vision and commandments which I had received.
   50 I obeyed; I returned to my father in the field, and rehearsed the whole matter to him. He replied to me that it was of God, and told me to go and do as commanded by the messenger. I left the field, and went to the place where the messenger had told me the plates were deposited; and owing to the distinctness of the vision which I had had concerning it, I knew the place the instant that I arrived there.
   51 Convenient to the village of Manchester, Ontario county, New York, stands a hill of considerable size, and the most elevated of any in the neighborhood. On the west side of this hill, not far from the top, under a stone of considerable size, lay the plates, deposited in a stone box. This stone was thick and rounding in the middle on the upper side, and thinner towards the edges, so that the middle part of it was visible above the ground, but the edge all around was covered with earth.
   52 Having removed the earth, I obtained a lever, which I got fixed under the edge of the stone, and with a little exertion raised it up. I looked in, and there indeed did I behold the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate, as stated by the messenger.
6. See Bushman footnote 4 at  https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/knowhy/how-did-emma-smith-help-bring-forth-the-book-of-mormon | Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (New York, NY: Knopf, 2005), 59:
7. But since the September 22, 1824 equinox for New York state has a time-stamp of 9:50 PM, a new day, Sept 23 would have started at circa 6 PM, so all Joseph's September 22 midnight visits would have been on the day before the equinox days. (Presuming I am understanding and calculating all this correctly, which may not be the case. Always check things out.)

8. https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/69
https://www.ldsliving.com/8-things-you-may-not-have-known-about-joseph-smith-obtaining-the-gold-plates/s/89082
Pearl of Great Price | JS-History 1:59
   59 At length the time arrived for obtaining the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate. On the twenty-second day of September, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven, having gone as usual at the end of another year to the place where they were deposited, the same heavenly messenger delivered them  up to me with this charge: that I should be responsible for them; that if I should let them go carelessly, or through any neglect of mine, I should be cut off; but that if I would use all my endeavors to preserve them, until he, the messenger, should call for them, they should be protected.

9. https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/62
10. Old Testament | Daniel 7:24-25
11. https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/after-senate-passes-permanent-daylight-saving-time-bill-where-does-house-stand/2804188/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_time_observation_in_the_United_States
https://kdvr.com/news/local/permanent-daylight-saving-time-possible/
12. For those who object to mysteries:

Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 10:19
   19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.
Book of Mormon | Mosiah 1:5
   5 I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief, and we should have been like unto our brethren, the Lamanites, who know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are taught them, because of the traditions of their fathers, which are not correct.
● In addition to the above two references, review the 44 references to mysteries in a scripture word search.

Testimonies of Descendants of Joseph & Emma

Joseph Smith, Jr.
Image info below

Further to my two previous posts:
      Conflation of Testimony?¹
      Staying? or Leaving?²

In these latter-days, as we process our own testimonies and witness of what is true, perhaps these experiences, testimonies, and witness of descendants of Joseph and Emma Smith might be of help:

      Gracia Jones Full Interview 1st part³
      Gracia Jones Full Interview 2nd Part⁴ 

      Joseph Smith Descendant Testimonies Kimberly Smith 6 27⁵

See additional resources below.⁶

Emma Hale Smith
Image info below

In light of these testimonies and witnesses,⁷ what should we make of the belief or claims that the Church was rejected years ago, along with its dead? Aren't we all under varying degrees of condemnation because of our propensity to go our own way, to think thoughts that oppose the Spirit of Truth; to confuse, assume, presume, fear, retaliate, mis-perceive, treat lightly, and on and on? The scriptures are full of stories of chosen leaders and followers who made mistakes or sinned, repeatedly — some repented, some did not; thus the continual necessity for the witness of the Holy Ghost in all things  — to be watchmen, not just of the course and claims of things and people, but of our own predispositions.

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1. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/04/conflation-of-testimony.html
2. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/03/staying-or-leaving.html
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGGw8lgh__0&t=954s
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkOJTQaRCe0&t=1199s
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAqW2AFUV4A&t=316s
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwezWHpMhrs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv25pFpKw9c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJFOV3Y39H8
Short Version of Descendant Joseph Smith Testimonies (Michael Kennedy | Feb 20, 2022 | Time 20:41 min.) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdUqumrgAJs
The Joseph Smith and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society: https://www.josephsmithjr.org/
Michael kennedy's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/RogerAllanKennedy/videos
7. (and thousands of others throughout Church history by Temple workers, family history enthusiasts, and faith-filled saints receiving or acting upon similar dreams and visions)

Image Sources:
Joseph Smith Jr.
Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_smith.jpg
File URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Joseph_smith.jpg
Attribution: unknown painter, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Discretion: Joseph Smith, Jr.
Source: http://www.helpingmormons.org/The_Prophets_Have_Spoken.htm
Permision: This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer.

Emma Hale Smith:
Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EmmaSmith.jpg
File URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/EmmaSmith.jpg
Attribution: Lee Greene Richards (July 27, 1878 – February 20, 1950) Original Publisher and Copyright holder: LDS Church Archives (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Description: English: Emma Smith, wife married of Joseph Smith, Jr.. An early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, during Joseph Smith's lifetime and afterward as a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS, now the Community of Christ).
Date: before 1950
Source: Harold B. Lee Library, Digital Collections, Religious Education Image Archive: here. Courtesy of LDS Church Archives | Can also be viewed here including reference to authorship by Lee Greene Richards.
Author: Lee Greene Richards (July 27, 1878 – February 20, 1950)
Original Publisher and Copyright holder: LDS Church Archives (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
Permission: See "Copyright Status/Owner" on page. Reads "Public Domain, Courtesy of LDS Church Archives".
This work has been released into the public domain by its copyright holder, LDS Church Archives. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: LDS Church Archives grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

Conflation of Testimony ?

First: What is conflation?

Conflation is the merging of two or more sets of information, texts, ideas, opinions, etc., into one, often in error.
In logic, it is the practice of treating two distinct concepts as if they were one, which produces errors or misunderstandings as a fusion of distinct subjects tends to obscure analysis of relationships which are emphasized by contrasts.¹

Second: What is conflation of testimony?

Over the years, I have heard testimony conflation so many times. Sometimes, it goes like this: 1) God has given me an undeniable witness that the Book of Mormon is true; THEREFORE: 2) I can assume without further question that Joseph Smith is / was / remained a true prophet; 3) that every prophet since Joseph was / is / remained a true prophet; and 4) that the present latter-day Church is / was / remains the only true and living Church² being administered according to God's true direction by true prophets, seers, and revelators. In my view, a classic conflation of testimony of 1, 2, & 4 can be found here³ by LDSPrepper. BUT does an undeniable witness of the Book of Mormon or of Joseph Smith mean we can make truth assumptions about related or subsequent matters without a further undeniable witness of those related or subsequent matters?

What do we think scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Priests, and Levites thought of their policies and practices in the days of Jesus? If one of them had asked God whether the Torah (the Law? the Ten Commandments?) were true and whether Moses was a true prophet, would they not have received undeniable witness? BUT would they have been safe to assume that related and subsequent matters were necessarily true also? History witnesses over and over how the things of God get changed and encumbered by man's interpolations and hubris. JST Jesus himself warned His disciples (black and red bold is JST):

   6 And Jesus said unto his disciples, Beholdest thou the scribes,* and the Pharisees, and the Priests, and the Levites? They teach in their synagogues, but do not observe the law, nor the commandments; and all have gone out of the way, and are under sin.
   7 Go thou and say unto them, Why teach ye men the law and the commandments, when ye yourselves are the children of corruption?
   8 5 Say unto them, Thou hypocrite Ye hypocrites, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye eyes; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
   9 Go ye into the world, saying unto all, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come nigh unto you.⁴

Might Joseph Smith's dream⁵ related on the morning of his martyrdom give us warning to keep watch? How about the D&C parable repeat of the wheat and tares⁶? If the last-days' blade was yet tender when the tares manifest, what have the tares done in 192 years? And if wheat and tares are growing together, how can we make assumptions about what God approves as true unless we ask God himself and cease making continual assumptions of continuity based upon a narrow witness? And if one witness differs from another, who are we to impose our belief or to claim ours is the one true witness? We are to witness as directed by God, and leave it up to God thereafter, each being accountable to Him alone for what we do with our witness or lack thereof. And according to the law of witnesses, every soul that is asked to serve, receive, or act in any capacity is entitled to seek and receive one of those witnesses of God's will for them.

As to LDSPrepper's “it-does-not-mean” litany, he did not mention the things that it did mean like: a COVID experimental vaccine mandate for missionary service; for BYU athletes, students, employees, and event guests; for Tabernacle Choir participation; for JRCLS fireside invitees⁷; etc., etc. It did mean a mystery vaccine concocted by Pharma companies who have been fined billions for fraud.⁸ He did not mention that “safe and effective” could not possibly have been known when people were assured it was (and when censored data soon began proving it was known to trigger severe adverse reactions⁹). He did not mention how everyone has opted out of accountability for the thousands of adverse effects and deaths when giving “expert” advice. He did not mention God's council to not trust in the “arm of flesh.” He did not mention Ether 8.¹⁰ He did not mention the tens of thousands of doctors and other medical professionals who have spoken out against the COVID / vaccine narrative and been censored.¹¹ He did not mention the discrimination, denial of service, and suspension of inalienable rights for those who resist the Pharma narrative. And on and on.

Third: So what is the danger of testimony conflation?

With the amount of deception, corruption, and power abuse in this world, plus the déjà vus of history, how safe is it to make assumptions about what is true without seeking specific witness? Doesn't each element and increment of a testimony need to be proven or witnessed by the Spirit? Are there things that feel wrong that we can't reconcile with our understandings of the gospel? Do we believe that faith means we don't have to think or ask questions? that we are to ignore dissonance¹²? On the other hand, do we reject some truths because we conflate truth with error? Or do we study things out and take our dilemmas to God? Every one of us is susceptible of conflating error with truth and truth with error.¹³ In the words of Søren Kierkegaard:

“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”¹⁴ 

As to reliance on “the very elect” instead of the Spirit to determine what is true, perhaps we should consider this post from 10 years ago.

https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2012/09/if-it-were-possible.html

This is not to say that people in positions of perceived power and authority, even if engaged in error, do not sometimes speak or work aspects of God's truth. Remember JST Solomon (bold is JST):

1 And the Lord was not pleased with Solomon, for he made affinity with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter to wife, and brought her into the city house of David until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. And the Lord blessed Solomon for the people’s sake only.¹⁵

Remember the high priest Caiaphas:

49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.¹⁶

We are in a time of testing beyond our wildest imagination. If we are to overcome, we must be aware of our tendency to conflate beliefs or witness. We have to seek undeniable witness of all elements of our testimony and be humbly open to whatever that witness is.

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1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflation
2. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 1:30-33
   30 And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually—
   31 For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;
   32 Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven;
   33 And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received; for my Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts.
3. LDS Church Position on Vaccine - What It Does NOT Mean (Start at min. 3:26) (LDSPrepper | April 14, 2021 | 10:52 min.) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJkZTD5X1NM
4. JST New Testament | Matthew 7:6–9 from Lutes, Kenneth and Lyndell. Joseph Smith Translation (p. 2124). Lutes Publishing. Kindle Edition.

See also: Speaking Truth to Power | New Testament at https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/03/speaking-truth-to-power-new-testament.html  
5. Joseph related the following dream which he had last night [June 26-27, 1844]:
“I was back in Kirtland, Ohio, and thought I would take a walk out by myself, and view my old farm, which I found grown up with weeds and brambles, and altogether bearing evidence of neglect and want of culture. I went into the barn which I found without floor or doors, with the weather boarding off, and was altogether in keeping with the farm. While I viewed the desolation around me, and was contemplating how it might be recovered from the curse upon it, there came rushing into the barn a company of furious men, who commenced to pick a quarrel with me. The leader of the party ordered me to leave the barn and the farm, stating it was none of mine, and that I must give up all hope of ever possessing it. I told him the farm was given me by the Church, and [HC 6:609] although I had not had any use of it for some time back, still I had not sold it, and according to [p. 177] <​June 27​> righteous principles it belonged to me or the Church. He then grew furious, and began to rail upon me and threaten me, and said it never did belong to me nor the Church. I then told him that I did not think it worth contending about; that I had no desire to live upon it in its present state, and if he thought he had a better right I would not quarrel with him about it, but leave; but my assurance that I would not trouble him at present did not seem to satisfy him, as he seemed determined to quarrel with me, and threatened me with the destruction of my body. While he was thus engaged, pouring out his bitter words upon me, a rabble rushed in and nearly filled the barn, drew out their knives, and began to quarrel among themselves for the premises; and for a moment forgot me, at which time I took the opportunity to walk out of the barn about up to my ankles in mud. When I was a little distance from the barn I heard them screeching and screaming in a very distressed manner, as it appeared they had engaged in a general fight with their knives. While they were thus engaged the dream or vision ended”
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-f-1-1-may-1844-8-august-1844/183
6. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 86:4-11 (bold emphasis added)
   4 But behold, in the last days, even now while the Lord is beginning to bring forth the word, and the blade is springing up and is yet tender—
   5 Behold, verily I say unto you, the angels are crying unto the Lord day and night, who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap down the fields;
   6 But the Lord saith unto them, pluck not up the tares while the blade is yet tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also.
   7 Therefore, let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe; then ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the tares, and after the gathering of the wheat [into my barn | Matthew 13:30], behold and lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the field remaineth to be burned.
   8 Therefore, thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers—
   9 For ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God—
   10 Therefore your life and the priesthood have remained, and must needs remain through you and your lineage until the restoration of all things spoken by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began.
   11 Therefore, blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness, a light unto the Gentiles, and through this priesthood, a savior unto my people Israel. The Lord hath said it. Amen. (Bold emphasis added)
7. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/02/letter-to-jrc-law-school.html
8. https://moc-n-dox.blogspot.com/2021/11/trust-us-honest.html
9. Websearch latest updates on VAERS; 
COVID-19 RNA Based Vaccines and the Risk of Prion Disease J. Bart Classen, MD*
https://scivisionpub.com/pdfs/covid19-rna-based-vaccines-and-the-risk-of-prion-disease-1503.pdf
Recent example: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/exclusive-interview-woman-dies-rare-brain-disorder-after-pfizer-shot/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=4776dc24-2ef9-479a-9b4b-16eeed4239c6
10. Book of Mormon | Ether 8:23-25
   23 Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.
   24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.
   25 For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.
11. Only a few of the counter-narrative voices out of many possible:
▪ Canadian Government Delays Mandatory Traveler Quarantine – #SolutionsWatch (James Corbett | 02/09/2021 | Time 36:25) at https://www.corbettreport.com/canadian-government-delays-mandatory-traveler-quarantine-solutionswatch/
▪ Canadian public health officials have no record of SARS-COV-2 isolation/purification performed anywhere, ever by Christine Massey, M.Sc., (exclusively for People for Justice Canada) at https://peopleforjusticecanada.com/2021/01/05/canadian-public-health-officials-have-no-record-of-sars-cov-2-isolation-purification-performed-anywhere-ever/
▪ PCR Pandemic: Interview with Virus Mania's Dr Claus Köhnlein (Sr. Sam Bailey | October 27, 2020 | Time: 35:45) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LToSnpz8A4
▪ COVID-19 panic more dangerous than the disease, say Catholic philosopher, doctor at https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/covid-19-panic-more-dangerous-than-the-disease-say-catholic-philosopher-doctor (PDF link to full article found in this link)
▪ Masks: The Science & The Myths (Dr. Lee Merritt) (Dr. Simone Gold | October 18, 2020 | Time 23:25) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RaBLKKXJt4
▪ The Truth About PCR Tests (Dr. Sam Bailey | Jan 12, 2021 | Time 17:42) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWNkJUDctdk
▪ Excess Mortality - What You Aren't Being Told (Dr. Sam Bailey | December 22, 2020 | Time 12:25) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw5ldWr9QD0
▪ Dr. Simone Gold : America's Frontline Doctors (several videos) at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcnTNQG1_WkZ5h7go3B0Ntw/video
▪ Dr. Simone Gold 2020 Book: I Do Not Consent: My Fight Against Medical Cancel Culture
▪ Making face masks mandatory is not backed by science or law: Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms at https://www.jccf.ca/making-face-masks-mandatory-is-not-backed-by-science-or-law/
▪ Dr. Roger Hodkinson CEO & Medical Director – MA, MB, FRCPC, FCAP (Dr. Marco Caravaggio |November 17,2020 | Time 5:02) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvYzf0MqObg
▪ World Freedom Alliance Stockholm Part 2 (Street Trooth | November 24, 2020 | Time 24:01) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nwtHWaHYoU
▪ Huge Lawsuits Coming Against COVID Totalitarians and Con-Artists at https://thenewamerican.com/huge-lawsuits-coming-against-covid-totalitarians-and-con-artists/?fbclid=IwAR0dzvQxcJbaogNTRoJ15DA2LgAcY49P6OWUqNfdFU0kGotagYjfm64QG34
▪ Coronavirus Fraud Scandal — The Biggest Fight Has Just Begun at https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/10/17/coronavirus-fraud-biggest-crime-against-humanity.aspx?cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1ReadMore&cid=20201017Z1&mid=DM679632&rid=989570834
▪ https://childrenshealthdefense.org/
▪ What NO ONE is Saying About the Lockdowns (corbettreport.com | November 24, 2020 | Time: 9:08) at https://www.corbettreport.com/lockdowns/
▪ THIS IS WHERE WE ARE NOW (February 4, 2021 | Dave Cullen | Time 28:00) at https://computingforever.com/2021/02/04/this-is-where-we-are-now/
▪ GASLIGHTING, UNENDING LOCKDOWNS AND CLIMATE CHANGE (February 12, 2021 | Dave Cullen | Time 29:24) at https://www.bitchute.com/channel/hybM74uIHJKf/
12. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/03/staying-or-leaving.html
13. Old Testament | Isaiah 5:20
   20 ¶ Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Book of Mormon | Moroni 7:14-16
   14 Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.
   15 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
   16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
14. Søren Kierkegaard ~ (1813-1855); https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/35782-there-are-two-ways-to-be-fooled-one-is-to
15. Old Testament | JST 1 Kings 3:1 from Lutes, Kenneth and Lyndell. Joseph Smith Translation (p. 817). Lutes Publishing. Kindle Edition.

16. New Testament | John 11:49-52 (italic emphasis added)

Staying? or Leaving?

In a previous post titled: “Speaking Truth to Power | New Testament,”¹ I quoted numerous words spoken by Jesus, including words He counselled His disciples to also use (see JST)² — words highly critical of the religious authorities of His day — words that would surely have been considered “evil speaking” had the phrase been known to the criticized authorities.

In our day, we are also witnessing more and more questions and criticisms levelled at religious authorities of numerous faith traditions by their congregants. Many are choosing to leave their affiliations because the dissonance between what they believe and what they witness has become too great, BUT perhaps we should first ask: “What did Jesus and His disciples do with Their dissonance? Were They able to distinguish the core from the encumbrance?

As we review history, almost every creation of God or man, whether scripture, revelation, Constitution,  empire, agency, corporation, foundation, technology, building, work of art/drama/literature, etc., etc., has fallen victim to decay, revision, or corruption in process of time, re-imagination, or hubris. That is the nature of man and this fallen world. Thus, the dissonance between blueprint and manifestation seems ever present.

So what did Jesus and His disciples do with Their dissonance?

1. They knew the house and the gospel were God's, not man's:

45 And [Jesus] went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;
46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
47 And he taught daily in the temple.
(New Testament | Luke 19:45–47, bold emphasis added.; Also: Matthew 21:12–14; Mark 11:17)

2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. ...
20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.
(New Testament | John 8:2, 20, bold emphasis added.)

19 ¶ The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.
20 Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.
(New Testament | John 18:19–20, bold emphasis added.)

19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them [Peter and John] forth, and said,
20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
21 And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
22 But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told,
23 Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.
24 Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.
25 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.
(New Testament | Acts 5:19–25, bold emphasis added.)

2. They recognized and honored the honorable feasts and traditions:

3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
(New Testament | Matthew 8:3–4, bold emphasis added.; Mark 1:44; Luke 5:14)

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests.
(New Testament | Luke 17:12–14, bold emphasis added.)

18 And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
(New Testament | Matthew 26:18–19, bold emphasis added.; Mark 14:12–16; Luke 22:7–15)

23 ¶ Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
(New Testament | John 2:23, bold emphasis added.)

14 ¶ Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
(New Testament | John 7:14, bold emphasis added. (also v. 28)

3. They rejected incorrect or onerous traditions and directives:

16 ¶ Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
(New Testament | Matthew 6:16–18, bold emphasis added.)

1 THEN came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
(New Testament | Matthew 15:1–2, bold emphasis added.)

1 THEN came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
2 And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
4 And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
(New Testament | Mark 7:1–5, bold emphasis added.)

1 AND it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.
2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?
3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him;
4 How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone?
5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
6 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.
7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.
8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.
9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?
10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
(New Testament | Luke 6:1–10 | bold emphasis added; also New Testament | Mark 2:23–28)

5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
10 ¶ The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
(New Testament | John 5:5–11, bold emphasis added.)

18 And [the authorities] called [Peter & John], and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
(New Testament | Acts 4:18–20, bold emphasis added.)

10 Commandments vs. modern law
Artist: Daniel R. Fitzpatrick | 1925
Image Info below footnotes

As we see from this insightful image from 1925 many things can be added to, misinterpreted, reinterpreted, suppressed, covered-up, and so forth, such that each person must be individually responsible to discern what is core and what is encumbrance — what is of God and what is of man — what is more or what is less than what God has ordained. There are other examples of Jesus breaking with tradition as well, such as extending the gospel to Samaritans and Gentiles, and being more inclusive of women.

As for our time, there is so much good in what the Prophet Joseph restored, so let us hold on to that good even if various powers may seek at times to sever some from that good. Let us be honest and forthright in our conscience and convictions, not insisting that others see as we see, nor alleging authority we do not have, but living our lives and testimonies with integrity, as the Spirit directs, come what may.

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1. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/03/speaking-truth-to-power-new-testament.html
2. JST Jesus to His disciples (Black and red bold is JST):
   6 And Jesus said unto his disciples, Beholdest thou the scribes,* and the Pharisees, and the Priests, and the Levites? They teach in their synagogues, but do not observe the law, nor the commandments; and all have gone out of the way, and are under sin.
   7 Go thou and say unto them, Why teach ye men the law and the commandments, when ye yourselves are the children of corruption?
   8 5 Say unto them, Thou hypocrite Ye hypocrites, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye eyes; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
   9 Go ye into the world, saying unto all, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come nigh unto you.
JST New Testament | Matthew 7:6–9 from Lutes, Kenneth and Lyndell. Joseph Smith Translation (p. 2124). Lutes Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Additional under #1:

  35 ¶ And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple,
(New Testament | Mark 12:35)
  1 AND it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders,
(New Testament | Luke 20:1)

Image info.
Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Laws_of_Moses_and_the_Laws_of_Today.jpg
File URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/The_Laws_of_Moses_and_the_Laws_of_Today.jpg
Attribution: Daniel R. Fitzpatrick, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Description: An editorial cartoon contrasting the proliferation of modern laws to the brevity of the Ten Commandments. Winner of the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning.
Date: 12 April 1925
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 12, 1925. Reprinted in Caricatures on American Historical Phases 1918-2018 (ed. Heinz Dietrich Fischer), via Google Books
Permission: Public Domain
Author: Daniel R. Fitzpatrick 1891 - 1969

Speaking Truth to Power | New Testament

Seeing we see not;
hearing we hear not

Those in power seldom favor free speech. History and human nature prove this over and over. Even many of us without much power aren't that keen on free speech if it challenges deeply-held beliefs or narrative commitments (which seems the reason for avoiding religion and politics in social situations — though now recently expanded to include freedom and public health mandates).

As we daily witness, free speech has become so offensive to the powers and their believers, they have taken to labelling all speech that challenges their character or narratives as mis- and disinformation — being for them egregious forms of evil speaking that cannot be tolerated no matter how true the “evil speaking” may prove. So let's review some of the “evil speaking” preserved in Holy Writ. To keep this post manageable, we will first sample from the New Testament.

Jesus to scribes and Pharisees:

3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? ...
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.¹

[Count the woes and hypocrites!]
13 ¶ But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? ...
19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? ...
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
34 ¶ Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.²

6 He [Jesus] answered and said unto them [Pharisees and scribes] , Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.³

Jesus to Pharisees and Sadducces:

3 O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign;⁴

Jesus to Pharisees, disciples of Pharisees, Herodians, lawyers:

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?⁵

37 ¶ And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.
42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
45 ¶ Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.⁶

Jesus to the chief priests and elders

31 ... Jesus saith unto them [the chief priests and the elders of the people – v. 23], Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.⁷

John the Baptist to Pharisees and Sadducees

7 ¶ But when [John the Baptist] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.⁸

John the Baptist to Herod

17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John [the Baptist], and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.
18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.⁹

Apostles Peter and John to the rulers, elders, scribes, et al. including Annas (v. 6) the high priest,  and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest,

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
13 ¶ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
14 And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
16 Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.
17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.
18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.¹⁰

Stephen to the synagogue of the Libertines, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, them of Cilicia and of Asia, and the people, the elders, the scribes, and the council (6:9, 12) circa 30s AD:

51 ¶ Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
54 ¶ When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.¹¹

Apostle Paul to high priest Ananias:

1 AND Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.
2 And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.
3 Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?
4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest?
5 Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.¹²

For those who think only powers should speak truth to other powers, consider:

JST Jesus to His disciples (black and red bold is JST):

6 And Jesus said unto his disciples, Beholdest thou the scribes,* and the Pharisees, and the Priests, and the Levites? They teach in their synagogues, but do not observe the law, nor the commandments; and all have gone out of the way, and are under sin.
7 Go thou and say unto them, Why teach ye men the law and the commandments, when ye yourselves are the children of corruption?
8 5 Say unto them, Thou hypocrite Ye hypocrites, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye eyes; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
9 Go ye into the world, saying unto all, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come nigh unto you.¹³
[See the disciples response in JST vs. 14-15.¹⁴]

For a broader previous discussion, see https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2016/01/part-two-evil-speaking-discernment.html

Coming soon: samples of speaking truth to power from the Old Testament.

-----------------------------------------------/
1. New Testament | Matthew 15:3–9
2. New Testament | Matthew 23:13–36
3. New Testament | Mark 7:6
4. New Testament | Matthew 16:3–4
5. New Testament | Matthew 22:18
6. New Testament | Luke 11:37–52
7. New Testament | Matthew 21:31, 23
8. New Testament | Matthew 3:7–9
9. New Testament | Mark 6:17-18; see also Matthew 14:4)
10. New Testament | Acts 4:8–20
11. New Testament | Acts 7:51–54
12. New Testament | Acts 23:1–5
13. JST New Testament | Matthew 7:6–9 from Lutes, Kenneth and Lyndell. Joseph Smith Translation (p. 2124). Lutes Publishing. Kindle Edition.
14. JST New Testament | Matthew 7:14-15 from Lutes, Kenneth and Lyndell. Joseph Smith Translation (pp. 2124-2125). Lutes Publishing. Kindle Edition
   14 And then said his disciples unto him, They will say unto us, We ourselves are righteous, and need not that any man should teach us. God, we know, heard Moses and some of the prophets; but us he will not hear.
   15 And they will say, We have the law for our salvation, and that is sufficient for us.