LDS Freedom Forum

4Joshua8 wrote: ↑September 16th, 2023, 1:22 pm After studying Isaiah several times in the past few years, something has stood out to me that I find to be very helpful.

First, I am reminded that God’s way is not the preaching of the gospel of nice. …Be nice to everyone, never be negative, never say anything that could possibly be taken as an offense, etc…

I challenge you to study Isaiah while having it in mind as an ultimate example of God’s way of warning, calling to repentance, and uplifting.

Isaiah doesn’t preach the gospel of nice. The book has a clear pattern. Multiple times it rotates from warning of great destruction to the wicked to promising great blessings to the righteous.

It rotates from reproving betimes with sharpness, showing afterward an increase in love.

It helps no one to preach the gospel of nice. Be like Isaiah. Be clear and blunt in warning against wickedness, even if it offends. Call evil evil. But follow it up with promises of great covenant fulfillments and blessings for the penitent righteous. That’s how you preach the gospel of repentance. That’s what Isaiah does so well. That’s why so many people get red-pilled by Isaiah.

I challenge you to read Isaiah between now and the end of the year. Get red-pilled. Red pill others. Learn the pattern of preaching the gospel of repentance. Warn (tear down). Promise (uplift).

Ymarsakar wrote: ↑September 17th, 2023, 5:07 am Once you understand that popular ancient Hebrew colloquialism, woe unto you, means "F you" or "you will get enslaved, sexually abused, and murdered by some invader", you understand or begin to, exactly why they stoned the prophets.

Those given the role of messengers, like me, are not popular simply because we offend yall just by existing.

simpleton wrote: ↑September 16th, 2023, 5:00 pm And so does Isaiah's Master talk nicey nicey:

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?

Niemand wrote: ↑September 17th, 2023, 4:04 pm

simpleton wrote: ↑September 16th, 2023, 5:00 pm And so does Isaiah's Master talk nicey nicey:

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?

Always good to wheel this one out. I really like Robert Powell's portrayal of Jesus here.

4Joshua8 wrote: ↑September 16th, 2023, 1:22 pm After studying Isaiah several times in the past few years, something has stood out to me that I find to be very helpful.

First, I am reminded that God’s way is not the preaching of the gospel of nice. …Be nice to everyone, never be negative, never say anything that could possibly be taken as an offense, etc…

I challenge you to study Isaiah while having it in mind as an ultimate example of God’s way of warning, calling to repentance, and uplifting.

Isaiah doesn’t preach the gospel of nice. The book has a clear pattern. Multiple times it rotates from warning of great destruction to the wicked to promising great blessings to the righteous.

It rotates from reproving betimes with sharpness, showing afterward an increase in love.

It helps no one to preach the gospel of nice. Be like Isaiah. Be clear and blunt in warning against wickedness, even if it offends. Call evil evil. But follow it up with promises of great covenant fulfillments and blessings for the penitent righteous. That’s how you preach the gospel of repentance. That’s what Isaiah does so well. That’s why so many people get red-pilled by Isaiah.

I challenge you to read Isaiah between now and the end of the year. Get red-pilled. Red pill others. Learn the pattern of preaching the gospel of repentance. Warn (tear down). Promise (uplift).