Funny thing about a sailboat, it can be rigged with a motor and with a sail simultaneously. In this fashion the captain of the ship has two options. A) decide personally where he wants the boat to go and fire up that engine to go straight there as quickly as those horses can roam, or B) Put the sail up and trust the wind and the waves to direct and guide the ship in the direction it needs to head.
If I remember correctly , Nephi, Noah and Mahonri all trusted the sail or the waves. They hits speed bumps and rocky points along the way but eventually all found promised land.
However, today the boat is being navigated by a captain who has set goals in mind of where and how to guide the ship. He has decided the safest and fastest route to accomplishment before hand and thus preempted the hand of fate in the boats direction. In fact, the direction and goals have been defined by the same people who sold that confounded motor in the first place.
For awhile I have struggled with whether or not to point fingers. To be that guy, that guy who names names and looks like the sore-thumb tattle-tale holier-than-thou.
However, I have spent a good bit of time in meditation and prayer on this subject; “What can I do, what can we do, to bring about Zoin”. And the Lord has answered resoundingly, “preach repentance to those around you.”
Having come to the realization that indeed IT (zion) will not come without a remnant being preserved; Having come to the realization that we need an authority, one endowed with power to redeem Zion by power; Having come to realize that Zion is not possible as a community without a community and the Lords refuge, I know that I must have patience and live in accordance with the jewels of Isaiah who wait on the Lord. In thinking this and pondering this catch-22, wherein we are commanded to bring forth the kingdom of God and establish Zion while coping within a broken paradigm, I have been shown an answer to the original question, in words as plain as day. The time is now to preach repentance. And that goes for everyone, rich or poor as to spirit or position.
That is what we can do, and all we can do, point out errors and give direction for fixing them. The Lord gives one caveat to this action and even points out to whom we must go. Turning to Matthew 7 you’ll read;
3
aAnd why beholdest thou the
bmote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the
cbeam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou
ahypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
This is great teaching, incredibly thought provoking. The wisdom of a few words found in depth here. Most often focused on in these verses is the plight of the hypocrite. Namely, that he tells someone to do better when he himself is on a lower plane of life too. However, the other view of this teaching is just as insightful. That is the final line; “and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” The point then comes into focus. Repent brothers and sisters, shake yourselves clean. Then however, your work is not done. Why did you repent? You now know, you have seen and see clearly. Do the same for your brother, call repentance and love to those who cannot see clearly. To take this a bit further, Joseph felt the need to correct these versus and add to them. His version reads thus;
4 And again, ye shall say unto them, Why is it that thou beholdest the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
5 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and canst not behold a beam in thine own eye
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 Say unto them, Ye hypocrites, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
verse six, seven and eight here are peculiar to Josephs Translation. HE drew particular attention to a group of people who the masses were relying on for instruction. This is the sermon on the mount, all classes of men were invited and attending. HE thought openly that they needed to know to whom he is speaking, and to whom they to should be speaking! and about whom was he speaking about? Namely, the teachers of the Law, the leadership of the ‘church’.
“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.”
This is no mincing of words. Here they are, pretending to know and to do the law, the covenants, of God. But they do not! They are leading a people astray! Because of it, Zion is not their aim, it is self interest. And ALL are gone out of the way. and what are the people to do about it? Should they shrink and allow their priesthood leaders to walk over them? Should they continue to allow the cause of the Lord to be profaned, misunderstood, etc? The Lord told them, the common people, to “Go thou and say unto them, Why teach ye men the law and the commandments, when ye yourselves are the children of corruption? Say unto them, Ye hypocrites, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
This flies in the face of all the pacifists who believe that now is not the time, those who believe that a people being misdirected should just submit to misdirection and be led as the blind by the blind. That to do so is to submit to the will of God.
AS Christ tells us here, in Josephs words, if the cause of Zion is fallen, forgotten and profaned, it is up to those who have heard the sermon on the mount to go to THEM, the rulers of our synagogues, and demand that the truth be told. IT also gives us insight that we should first put ourselves, as individuals, in a place personally that we are one with the cause of Zion and of God. We must first, personally, remove the beam from our own eyes. If we then do so, repent and turn to Christ and his cause, we will see clearly to go to those who steer this ship, openly in writing or verse or by mouth, and demand that the sails be put to good use in steering the ship! And of course, perhaps even easier, incite change for the better with your neighbor right there in your hometown. Amulek and Samuel both taught the same gospel, one had to travel across land and racial divides, the other merely had to speak up to those all around him. Having been warned…
Sticking with the subject of eyes the Lord also declared in the KJV;
45 And if thy foot
aoffend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
When Joseph read this verse, he added a little bit of light and a key for us to understand our place;
44 Therefore, let every man stand or fall, by himself, and not for another; or not trusting another.
45 Seek unto my Father, and it shall be done in that very moment what ye shall ask, if ye ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive.
46 And if thine eye which seeth for thee, him that is appointed to watch over thee to show thee light, become a transgressor and offend thee, pluck him out.
I wonder why the leaders who filtered the bible removed that (sarcasm intended)? It’s amazing that Joseph had the fortitude to add it and give it to his own fledgling and tattered bunch of saints!
So now is the time for us, the children of Zion, to stand or fall by ourselves. We are not here to trust in the arm of another man as Zion is covered in the mud. Come unto the father yourselves, become prophets with your own witness of truth. And when the man who is set in front of you, who is called a seer, transgresses that same trust it is your job, son or daughter of Zion, to remove that influence and replace it with light. IT is our job to seek and establish Zion. IT is our duty, indiviudally, to become citizens of the pure in heart. And once there, with that beam removed, ” it shall come to pass that the inhabitants of Zion shall
ajudge all things pertaining to Zion. And
aliars and hypocrites shall be proved by them, and they who are
bnot capostles and prophets shall be
dknown.”
Repent, turn around, seek your lord and God. And when you find him, find redemption, open your eyes and your mouths. Otherwise we will attempt to enter Zion with one good eye and one bad. But, “It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God, with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire”.
REly on YOUR eye and seek to remove the dirtiness of Babylon staining the eye set to see for you.
“and it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were
adriven forth before the wind.”
Let go of the sail, cut the motor, and rely on providence for your course and direction. Demand the same from all those who too would sail toward that land which Isaiah foretold.
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