I think we can liken verse 18 onto our day right now.FrankOne wrote: ↑March 29th, 2023, 11:07 amV 18 is very interesting.Reluctant Watchman wrote: ↑March 29th, 2023, 8:05 am I feel this to be a very important topic and prophecy in the Nemenhah Record. These writings (speaking generally) are a blueprint for Zion and share in great detail the economy of God and how a Zion-like people should live. The quote below is a very specific prophecy for our day and what happened during the Restoration. The Saints failed to live the law of Consecration w/in the first generation, and it will continue until the sixth, or until the Lord's people cast out Babylon. Given the distortion of the law of the tithe and the recent SEC filing, the modern LDS leaders are called out for their corruption and lack of understanding of the true principle of Consecration:
10) Above all, I believe we owe our success as a nation and a community of nations to the Pillar of Consecration. For, it is by observance of this principle that this nation and its neighbors do come out of Babylon .
11) Yea, we do forsake the world and adhere to the Peacemaker’s Law of Economy, having not a desire to get gain unto our own holding and dominion, but rather, only a desire to gain abundance both for ourselves and for our neighbors.
12) Behold, we would not have riches, fine apparel and costly things, and also see our brothers and our sisters languish in want and necessity. But, if it becomes the fashion to have such things, it is only because all may have them together. And this has become a law unto us and to all the villages and settlements round about us.
13) And this shall be a sign unto whom the Earth might yield up this record: In the latter days the Peacemaker will raise up His Church once again unto the people. Yea, through a Prophet He will begin to restore that which had lain seemingly dormant for many lives of men. And through His Church He will cause the Gifts of the Haymehnay once again to pour out upon the earth to heal her.
14) But behold, before this little church shall have had but one generation in which to grow, and the believers begin to enjoy once again great blessings from Heaven, they shall reject even such things as the Peacemaker shall provide with His own mighty hand.
15) Yea, before one generation has passed, the Peacemaker shall declare the very most honored of God under His mighty condemnation, and this condemnation shall not be lifted to the sixth generation.
16) Yea, this condemnation shall stand in effect until the children of the restoration shall finally begin to turn their hearts away from the world and from Babylon.
17) And this shall be a sore vexation for them. For, they shall have the great gifts which the Peacemaker shall have given them before they turned from His paths, and they shall remember still the Gifts of the Holy Ghost which He did cause to be poured out upon their forefathers.
18) Yet behold, they shall have been led by shepherds whose concerns are for the getting of gain and of great wealth, and even their attempts to live the Law of Consecration shall be muddied and polluted by the principles of the world that their leading men shall introduce into their experiments.
19) Yea, and they shall fail utterly to live the law that contains and controls the abundance. In the end, yea, and by the time the Peacemaker shall wax in His impatience with them, they shall have cast aside the Law of Consecration almost entirely.
I would guess that most would think that V 18 applies to the failed "united order" attempts made by the church.
I'm wondering if it is still futuristic. My reasoning is that the first portion of 18 mentions how the shepherds concern at the time were to get gain and great wealth and then.... the attempt to live the law of consecration.... which will be muddled and polluted by the principles of the world.
One possibility: The LDS leadership greatest focus today is to be integrated into the whirled citizenry and to make 'great wealth'. I have postulated in the past, that when the economy gets extremely bad, the whirled govt will ask the LDS church to step up with their vast resources of food , ie, ranches, farms, and STORAGE. The church then tells members that it is their duty to help the whirled as an act of consecration to give their food storage...or a portion of it.... to the starving whirled.
The food then goes to the UN and the UN laughs and throws it in a hole in the ground.
Reading it again with V 19 , I'm not sure my theory works but I don't think that the church was hell bent on "great wealth" during the time of the United Order.
18) Yet behold, they shall have been led by shepherds whose concerns are for the getting of gain and of great wealth, and even their attempts to live the Law of Consecration shall be muddied and polluted by the principles of the world that their leading men shall introduce into their experiments.[I/]
We are led by shepherds, whose concerns are for getting gain and great wealth. Think about the just recently exposed 13 shell corporations to hide money. To hide money so the members (us the sheep) don’t know how wealthy the shepherds are.
The meaning of the law of consecration has been muddied and polluted could be easily represented by the teaching of “ if you have a choice to either pay your rent or pay tithing, pay tithing.” it’s about the money and it’s only about the money. Any type of teaching about Consecrating your time talents, and everything the Lord has blessed you or will bless you to the church of LDS Inc. means it’s about the money. So any teaching about money could fall into the category talked about v18.