LDS Last Days Prophecy and Gospel Discussions

  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. (I Cor. 5:7) On the night previous to His crucifixion, Jesus gave bread and wine to His disciples during His last supper. It was on this occasion that He introduced a new ordinance. There in that upper room He passed bread and wine to introduce the sacrament of...

Blood is frequently spoken of in the scriptures as being synonymous with life. In the Old Testament it is referred to 203 times in connection with death, and 103 times in regard to sacrifices. Hence, the term blood is religiously regarded as the means of life or death–an atonement or punishment. From Old Testament usage the predominant association of blood is with death rather than life, and the “...

Blood, in the scriptures, is ascribed with a sacredness which belongs to life itself. It is, therefore, the essence, or the life of the body. When blood is shed, it often represents the sacrifice of life. Blood has also become a mystical part of many religious ordinances among Hebrew, Christian, and some Pagan religions. Because sacrificial blood has been incorporated into both sacred and vile pra...

  Conclusion Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecc. 12:13) The principles of both life and death are presented to man so that by his choice he may form his own character and circumstances. Like water that always seeks its own level, so man will rise or fall by his own volition. Nevertheless, only a few men will...

Judas as a Son of Perdition Some believe that the number of the Sons of Perdition are so few that they can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Some do not think that even Judas could have been a Son of Perdition–as Joseph F. Smith expressed: To my mind it strongly appears that not one of the disciples possessed sufficient light, knowledge nor wisdom, at the time of the crucifixion, for either e...

Many Sons of Perdition, Chapter 10 of Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut. Page 102 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6)  How do men bec...

Latter-day Judases, Part 2 of Chapter 9 of Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut.  George Q. Cannon wrote an interesting historical item concerning the spirit of Cain, and Judas, which was manifest in the apostates who brought about the death of Joseph Smith.   [93]         During the days of which we write, it seemed as though the evil one and his hosts were making every effort to bring trouble upon Jose...

Latter-day Judases, Part 1 of Chapter 9 of Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut.  Page 85 Judas, when he lost the faith, received the power of the devil, and betrayed the Son of God into the hands of murderers. Joseph Smith in like manner was betrayed into the hands of wicked men, who took his life. He was betrayed by the apostates, by men whom he once loved when they were in our midst, and had the Spiri...

The Unpardonable Sin, part 2 of Chapter 8 of Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut.  The punishment of being cast into outer darkness will only be known by those who suffer that condemnation. It is the most severe punishment that God can inflict upon any of his children. Some have indicated that a part of that penalty is to be gradually decomposed into native element. Man is the most independent being upo...

The Unpardonable Sin, Chapter 8, part 1 of Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut.     Pages 72-85 Cursed be the man whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heathen in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. (Jer. 17:5) Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written...

Sin and Penalty of Murder part 1 of Chapter 7 of Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut.   [67]                              Chapter 7   Sin and Penalty of Murder …and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. (I John 3:15) Murder stands next to the crime of sinning against the Holy Ghost. Murder is an unforgiveable sin, but sinning against the Holy Ghost is unforgiveable and unpardonable....

 The Holy Ghost before Pentecost part 3 of Chapter 6 of Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut.   The Holy Ghost Must Attend the Ministry.   Did the apostles of Christ have the Holy Ghost to direct them in their ministry? The Prophet Joseph Smith declared: All are to preach the Gospel by the power and influence of the Holy Ghost; and no man can preach the Gospel without the Holy Ghost. (TPJS, p. 112) The H...

The Holy Ghost before Pentecost part 2 of Chapter 6 of Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut     The Gift of the Holy Ghost There is a considerable difference between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Prophet Joseph explained this by saying: There is a difference between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Cornelius received the Holy Ghost before he was baptized, which was the...

Holy Ghost Before Pentecost Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto me. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. (Mat...

The Devil’s Disciples, part 2 of Chapter 5 of Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut.   [40]     The apostleship is one of the highest callings ever given to man. From such exalted callings can come the deepest falls. With such great privileges and blessings, come the greater responsibilities; and it is only predicated upon strict obedience that exaltation is assured. If those with such responsibilities re...

The Devil’s Disciples, part 1 of Chapter 5 of Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut.   Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! (Matt. 18:7) Men come to earth to be proven. They must become acquainted with good and evil, truth and error; and pass through the fires of temptation. Without this experience, they can never...

        Peters Denial, Part 1 of Chapter 4 of Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut            Chapter 4   Peter’s Denial And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. (Luke 22:34) Too often the betrayal of Judas and the denial of Peter are linked together, as though they were similar crimes. But a close examination will clearly...

Traitors to Men and God Chapter 3 of Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut       I testify again, as the Lord lives, God NEVER WILL acknowledge any traitors or apostates. (T.P.J.S., p. 375) …if thou seek him he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. (I Chron. 28:9) There is no hurt, no grief, nor any suffering quite as painful as that which can be caused by someone...

The Betrayal, Chapter 2 of Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut   Judas was filled with hate and murder when his sins had become exposed. He was moved with the spirit of vengeance. Judas went to expose the place where Jesus was and to also betray His identity. He would, of course, reveal the inner secrets, the counsels and the doctrines which would bring down the furor of the Jewish and Roman authorities...

Judas Iscariot by Ogden Kraut 1980 PREFACE Judas Iscariot left one of the most significant, if not notorious, names ever known among men. His was not only a famous name, but a name that carried a meaning. To the generations that have followed, his name has been spoken of with contempt; it is used as an adjective to describe treason, treachery, or betrayal. From among the ranks of the humble and me...

Joseph’s Inspired Translation Part 4 of Chapter 10 of As It is Translated Correctly by Ogden Kraut.      Robert Matthews gives an excellent clarification of texts from the Inspired Translation in regard to the status of little children: That little children are innocent before God is clearly established by the Inspired Translation. In explanation of the covenant of circumcision, the Lord said to A...

Joseph’s Inspired Translation Part 3 of Chapter 10 of As It is Translated Correctly by Ogden Kraut.    It is also interesting to note that in 1979 the Mormon Church published its own edition of the Bible, this being the first Bible the Church has ever published. It contains many cross references to the other standard works, a Topical Guide listing passages from the four standard works, a Bible Dic...

Joseph’s Inspired Translation Part 2 of Chapter 10.  The spirit and power of “the revelations which God” had given him were greater than most people can comprehend. There is no doubt that the Prophet Joseph saw and understood much more in the Bible than he ever revealed. Use of the Urim and Thummim enabled him to absorb great amounts of information in a few moments. This he was able to do with the...

JOSEPH’S INSPIRED TRANSLATION part 1 of Chapter 10 of As It Is Translated Correctly by Ogden Kraut. I resumed the translation of the Scriptures, and continued to labor in this branch of my calling…. (D.H.C. 1:238) For many centuries uninspired men have fractured Christianity into a thousand different, contending sects; and, from out of all these have come many different versions of the Bible. Beca...

  Bible Errors part 3 of Chapter 9 of As It Is Translated Correctly by Ogden Kraut.        Furthermore, there are two different genealogies of Jesus given to us by Matthew and by Luke. (Compare Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38.) Among the many different types of errors that have crept into the Bible are those passages which seem to contradict each other. The transmission of words do not always expr...