This is the second article discussing The Foundations of Truth. For Part 1, click here.
PART 2
In these chaotic, confusing and dark times, approaching the great and dreadful day of the Lord, it is vital that faithful Saints withstand Satan and his deceptions. We must be able to live all of God’s laws, to discern between truth and error, virtue from vice. Do you desire and understand the voice and promptings of the Holy Spirit? Not to merely “endure to the end” but to properly build Zion and the Kingdom of God (which are two separate entities, as we will discuss further in future articles) here and now. It’s not enough to simply hole up in an underground bunker somewhere in the deserts of Utah, praying we survive until Jesus saves and fixes everything for us. We are also not here to lazily maintain the status quo, expecting the one mighty and strong to set all in order. No, we—each one of us—have a great work to do while we are yet breathing. We are the instruments of the Lord; He works through us. Do we desire mere salvation or exaltation and joint heirship with Christ? Do we show that we love the Lord with all our heart, might, mind and strength? To be faithful servants in the last days, we must acquire and live as much truth as we can, to do all that our Father requires of us. (See D&C 130:19)
Even after one gains a testimony on how to find truth, it’s clear that lies and deceptions abound. Satan will use everything in his arsenal to enslave, distract, delay, and block those exercising the power of God. All he has to do is run out the clock in the hopes that we fall short of our duties—in binding him up and destroying his wicked kingdom. (Sometimes I wonder if sports leagues, music videos and television, in general, weren’t solely designed for this purpose.) In the Pearl of Great Price we learn that almost from the get-go Adam’s posterity were, like us today, easily ensnared by Satan to reject God’s laws,
And Satan came among them, saying: I am also a son of God; and he commanded them, saying: Believe it not; and they believed it not, and they loved Satan more than God. And men began from that time forth to be carnal, sensual, and devilish.
And the Lord God called upon men by the Holy Ghost everywhere and commanded them that they should repent;
And as many as believed in the Son, and repented of their sins, should be saved; and as many as believed not and repented not, should be damned… (Moses 5:13-15)
What do you choose: to act as the Son of God did or be captive to the devil? There is no middle ground. Yet so many want to falsely live life “in the gray,” ignorant of false teachings and traditions, safe and secure in Babylon, and compromising standards for the sake of a counterfeit mirage of peace. We should clearly KNOW we are true and faithful in promoting the Kingdom of God and its true principles. Ignorantly wishing for it to be so just isn’t enough. With our foundation firmly in Christ, Satan will never cease tempting us to halt our advancement towards exaltation and eternal life.
Warnings
We should avoid those incorrect mindsets or methods that can lead us to seriously squander our time here on earth. Let us now address some specific warnings in the scriptures regarding the attainment of truth. Paul teaches about those who lack self-control as being, “ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7) This is a common trap known to those we call info junkies—addicted consumers of information, who insatiably bounce from trending topic to topic but are rarely spurred to serious reflection or change in their own behavior to institute lasting, correct solutions. 
For them, truth becomes a form of vanity. Like trophies for their wall or collectible, trading cards—many seek a useless trove of information, controversial memes, data links, and the latest-greatest “juicy” intel that they can perpetually trade with other info junkies. Like an addict, many people acquire, consume and share—yet never advance towards a more principled Christlike life. They are, sadly, “ever learning” but never able to come to a true knowledge. If all your vast data consumption and research isn’t inducing humble changes of habits, a rejection of Satan’s counterfeits, and sincere reformation to better follow God—you are likely falling for this prevalent trap in our present (anti-)social media driven world.
Another problem is that many naively or knowingly help Satan and build up his kingdom when they seek to acquire newfound knowledge. Rather than championing Godly teachings, they use their influence to gain worldly validation, control, or “followers,” which is wildly fashionable, encouraged, and even lucrative because of capitalism today. You cannot expect to gain eternal truths when you are trying to capitalize in Babylon. Most actual truths are not popular in the world today. If you’re on the wrong side of the battle—building up Satan’s kingdom in any way— the Lord will severely limit your ability to acquire true light and understanding. We see this pitfall illustrated time and again in the scriptures. There is a correct pattern set forth, and it always requires strict obedience to the Lord alone.
More obstacles
A major obstacle sent to those seeking to know God are false angels or evil spirits that trick us into following them. What they say will undoubtedly be contradictory to true principles revealed by God. Joseph Smith teaches of a sister Church member from New York who was deceived:
“There have also been ministering angels in the Church which were of Satan appearing as an angel of light…
Many true things were spoken by this personage, and many things that were false. How, it may be asked, was this known to be a bad angel? By the color of his hair; that is one of the signs that he can be known by, and by his contradicting a former revelation.” (Joseph Smith, TPJS pp. 214-215)
A true messenger or message from God would not and will never contradict God. As we know, the Lord is not changeable, nor fickle, nor would an angel of His (or any righteous medium for that matter) ever reveal something that would be at odds with what He had previously declared. It’s that simple. Why would a loving Father send someone—in His name—to come down to contradict Him? How could we follow Him if His Word is changing, chaotic or confusing in any way? Only terrible parents change the rules on their children midstream. Our Heavenly Father is a wonderful, perfect Parent and He does not trick or confuse us. He is clear and unfailing—so that we can be perfectly obedient and unfailing to Him. We can always know, at any time, if we are being obedient and pleasing to Him. The onus is on us to know His scripture and what is true—that way we are wise to anyone trying to mimic or contradict Him. Satan would prefer we remain ignorant and easily manipulated by his wicked messengers.
Another important portion of wisdom found within Joseph’s story that is often overlooked is his revealing that angels of God cannot have just any hair color. The angel that visited the sister from New York was related as having sandy hair. Satanic messengers have a hair color which is impossible for true ministering angels of God to have. Notice how plainly Joseph says it, “ How… was this known to be a bad angel? By the color of his hair.” I ask you, our reader: Do you know what color hair an angel of light may have? This is another vital clue, a visual fact or plain truth, here given that cannot be altered and is indisputably clear. Angels of God cannot have any hair color. Yet, how many LDS artists erroneously paint angels or resurrected beings with the wrong hair color? It is regrettably often and therefore very misleading to those ignorant of important facts. Many LDS paintings actually depict, intentionally or otherwise, what in reality could only be angels of Satan!
There is one last valuable idea from this false ministering angel example: just because you count yourself a worthy Latter-day Saint does not make you immune from deception. This was not an instance of a woman outside the gospel who was being misled by a Satanic messenger. These kinds of serious problems were happening and do within LDS congregations, and the Prophet was purposefully instructing us of the real spiritual obstacles in our midst. We need to lose our pride in thinking false traditions and erroneous beliefs only happen in other people’s churches.
This leads our discussion to the next obstacle that limits the ability of faithful saints to gather truth. How often do we blindly delegate or relegate to others? We hear someone—a governmental authority, tv pundit, popular personality or religious leader—and swallow what they propose without any serious critical thinking on our part.
“What a pity it would be if we were led by one man to utter destruction! Are you afraid of this? I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken that influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not. This has been my exhortation continually.” (Brigham Young, JD 9:151.)
First of all, can we acknowledge how wonderful this quote is, especially coming from Brigham Young, whom many apostates accuse of being a tyrant and constantly trying to throw him under the bus for this or that wrong in the Church? Yet, the alleged “tyrant” is here saying, in essence, “Don’t do what I say just because I said it!” The Lord doesn’t want Yes Men. He wants us to know for ourselves—through the Holy Spirit and His revelations—if a leader is led by Him or not. Too many in the churches, hitch their wagon to what they deem as holier, wiser wagons of so-called experts. Instead, we should follow this righteous counsel: Go find out for yourself what is true. Don’t trust anyone blindly, but go to the Lord and let Him tell you if what a man says is right or not. Brigham was such an example of a man of humility and what a true prophet would say, what a true prophet would do.
It segues perfectly with what Joseph says earlier, to go find out for yourself what is of God. Don’t blindly trust; go to the Lord and let him tell you if what someone is saying is right or not. Ever since the fake pandemic of 2020, members of the Church, and the people of the world at large, have been barraged with a relentless wave of edicts, mandates, and pretended legislation (that’s what the Founding Fathers called it) that violate their personal health codes and moral consciences. One should never simply obey anything that violates God-given wisdom and agency. That modus operandi is the way of Lucifer, who in the premortal existence would demand that all should follow him and be strictly compelled back to heaven; Agency be damned. We should never allow unrighteous dominion. Relying on the so-called expertise of government, religious, or celebrity “leaders” without consulting the scriptures and revelations, the Spirit, and the Lord’s will for you today is what Satan would have you do. No, we should always consult our all-knowing Godhead in every weighty matter—great or small, especially those that could result in spiritual or physical harm and death. Ignorance is no excuse. The Doctrine in Covenants in 131, verse 6 says, “It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.” We must become teachable as little children, through the Spirit, to know what is of God in the areas of health, proper government, education, and so forth. Relying on the fallible, fickle, self-serving, and too often tyrannical arm of the flesh is stupid and dangerous. It is unfitting for a people desiring the celestial kingdom and the perfectly wise self-government that that sphere requires.
Many today still follow the precepts of men, thinking they are safe from having to work out their own salvation. They think they are protected following the traditions of their fathers, societal norms, or “good global citizen” mandates. Christ spoke out against these errors that lead us to reject him and his higher and holier ways. He teaches in Mark 7:
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. (Mark 7:7-9)
The Savior’s “strait and narrow way” will never be popular and followed by the majority. Yet, to be perfect, even as he is perfect, we have to reject the world and what is mandated by its wicked governments and gadianton leaders. We as faithful Saints must separate ourselves and live the higher standard given to us through the Priesthood and Joseph Smith the Prophet. Why would we ever model ourselves after those with lesser light and no power or authority from God in these last days?
Not all people choose unwisely due to ignorance. We often ascribe the “they don’t know any better” flaw to politicians, influencers, or leaders who consistently make regrettable choices, use doublespeak, or contradict sound principles. We assume, They must not understand what they are saying or doing. However, as the scriptures well point out, there can be an even worse personal motivations at work.
In John 3:19 it states (with text updated to be present tense),
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men [love] darkness rather than light, because their deeds [are] evil.”
Sometimes people just love doing what is evil. It seems safer. It feels pleasurable. It brings praise, wealth, and power from Satan and those in the world they admire. For this reason, these individuals disqualify themselves from access to the light and knowledge that only God the Father can bring. Those “learned who think they are wise” believe they are superior to those that humbly learn through the gifts of the Spirit. They favor the philosophies of men to enjoy temporal success and risk eternal damnation in their Faustian bargains, their deals with the devil. Such evil thinking cuts one off from the priesthood of God and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. That individual is left to their own, as the blind follow the blind—yet seeing not his or her demise. This kind of prideful confirmation bias—”I want it, therefore, it is right”— is epitomized by those in the great and spacious building spoken of in Lehi’s dream. Only it will carefully lead down to hell and destruction. We must repent of evil thinking and evil deeds to enjoy the fullness of God’s understanding and blessings in our lives.
Warnings from the Lord
Just because we offer sacraments and offerings to the Lord, it doesn’t mean they are acceptable to Him. In Jeremiah Chapter 6, we are given poignant prophecy for our day:
Hear, O earth: behold, I 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… your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.
Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish. (Jeremiah 6:19-21)
The Lord himself will lay before us stumbling blocks if we disobey his teachings. A stumbling block, while mercifully keeping us from further damnation, also seriously limits our progression. Think of it like those child-proof door guards or baby-gates that keep little children from mischievously escaping outside or going into rooms they shouldn’t be in yet. While God’s stumbling blocks prevent us from committing greater sins, they are a curse if we don’t overcome the reason they were put there in the first place. (Sometimes, they are generationally passed down to us, as in from fathers to sons, etc.) We are not as Saints immune from stumbling blocks. There is no free pass we can expect because this evil resides with us in the Church, as the Lord states specifically to they that “have not hearkened unto my laws, nor to my law, but rejected it.” That’s us, folks—in the Church. It’s OUR offerings and sacrifices that are unacceptable. The Lord has given US stumbling blocks as a “people” that will cause us to perish. Unless we repent.
Blessings from the Lord
We are nothing compared to God. Even the dust of the earth is more obedient to Him than we are. Yet the Lord, in His perfect condescension and mercy, works with us where we are to offer us higher truths and greater blessings. He wants us to choose to be like Him and enjoy all that He has. If we sincerely desire to know the teachings of God, and are willing to exercise faith and pay the price, we WILL be given greater light and knowledge. We are promised this.
Joseph Smith taught,
“And now, brethren, after your tribulations, if you do these things [meaning, become as little children], and exercise fervent prayer and faith in the sight of God always. He shall give unto you knowledge by His Holy Spirit, yea by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the world was until now; which our forefathers have waited with anxious expectation to be revealed in the last times…
But I beg leave to say unto you, brethren, that ignorance, superstition and bigotry [including false traditions and biases] placing itself where it ought not, is oftentimes in the way of the prosperity of this Church; like the torrent of rain from the mountains, that floods the most pure and crystal stream with mire, and dirt, and filthiness, and obscures everything that was clear before…
How long can rolling water remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens?1 As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven, upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints…
Hell may pour forth its rage like the burning lava of Mount Vesuvius, or of Etna, or of the most terrible of the burning mountains; and yet shall Mormonism stand. Water, fire, truth and God are all realities. Truth is Mormonism. God is the author of it. He is our shield. It is by Him we received our birth. It was by His voice that we were called to a dispensation of His Gospel in the beginning of the fullness of times. It was by Him we received the Book of Mormon; and it is by Him that we remain unto this day; and by Him we shall remain, if it shall be for our glory; and in His Almighty name we are determined to endure tribulation as good soldiers unto the end.” (Joseph Smith, TPJS, pp. 138-139.)
God has given us so much knowledge already! But there is so much more. If we seek the truth of all things, we must be willing to endure tribulation. To what end? Until we have proven ourselves worthy to become exalted and reunited with our Father in Heaven, sealed up unto Him as joint-heirs with His Perfect Son, Jesus Christ. First, we must be clean of the sins of this world and forsake the great deceiver Satan. Few will choose the narrow path. May we follow Our Savior’s perfect way and teachings through His Holy Spirit; let us be ever steadfast to him to the end.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
Our Eternal Father is generous to those that humbly seek and desire to be with Him again. He offered His Only Begotten Son, who overcame painful sin and permanent death, as a living ransom for us to have this opportunity. He desires to guide us and lead us as only a loving Father would, teaching us truth: line upon line, precept upon precept. If you knock, He will open the door unto you. Experiment on the Words of Christ; let them grow delicious and overfill you. Have the courage to seek and follow all His ways, always. As you receive testimony by His Spirit on the strait and narrow path, hold fast to His sure Word. Continue to repent that you may be clean, sanctified, and found worthy to know the mysteries of Godliness. When we build up the Kingdom of God together, it will be our rock solid foundation through the stormy days ahead. We know they are coming—in fact, they are already here. As we work in righteousness, proving ourselves ever faithful, our Father will watch over, protect, and lift us up at the last day. Satan will be bound and the wicked destroyed. Then we can receive our reward, the fullness of His glory, and perfect love and unity through Christ, our Savior and King.
This is the truth we seek.
Do the words of the prophets “expire”?