Holier Week

Posted on March 25, 2024 by zeev1776

This week is Holy Week – the commemoration of the Lord’s final week in mortality before He redeemed all mankind who believe in Him in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross of Calvary. We all have need of being cleansed, redeemed, saved, and perfected by the Savior. All of us have “sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and have deviated at times from His “way of holiness” (Isaiah 35:8). Only Satan, however, wants us to define ourselves by our sins and shortcomings. The Lord wants us to define ourselves by our acceptance of Him, by our sincere striving to follow Him, and by the redemption He freely offers us.

I repeat, we all “have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Because of that basic fact and our inability to save ourselves because we have violated divine law and removed ourselves from God, we have need of a Redeemer to satisfy the demands of justice against us, to pay our debt and set us free, and to reconcile us to our Father in Heaven. Paul taught that we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past” (Romans 3:23-25).

During His final Passover seder, known as the Last Supper, the Lord gave us symbols of His redemption, bread and water (or wine). The bread represented “my body which is given for you” and the cup which “is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:19-20). Matthew’s account of these words adds that the Lord’s blood, which symbolizes the “new testament,” “is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). The word testament means covenant. The Lord’s blood is the supreme covenant – that by which we are cleansed, redeemed, and saved from sin.

The Apostle Paul explained that we have been “purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). He also taught of Jesus “in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7). Yes, we are saved by “the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God.” It is “for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament” that they who receive Him “might receive the promise of eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:14-15).

The practice of animal sacrifice was given to Adam and Eve, was practiced by the patriarchs such as Noah and Abraham, and was later codified under the Law of Moses given to Israel. This practice, though barbaric to some, was intended to point men’s souls to Christ. It was a foreshadowing of the final sacrifice to be made by the Son of God for mankind’s sins. It was a most hopeful act. Perhaps the gory nature of the blood and burning of animal flesh was intended to impress upon the practitioners the extreme suffering the Savior would endure for them.

John the Baptist identified Jesus as the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Peter also identified Him as the Lamb of God, stating that we were redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19). It is through “obeying the truth” and having faith that we are “born again” and “purified” by the blood of the Lamb (1 Peter 1:21-23).

The ancient Israelite prophet Amulek testified boldly of the redemption of Christ and how it is absolutely imperative for our salvation. Here is his witness:

“I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

“For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else mall mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.

“For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of best, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice. . . .

“And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.

“And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.

“And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption.

“Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;

“Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save” (Alma 34:8-10, 14-18).

Jesus is the Lamb of God who atoned for our sins, ransomed us by His blood, and gave His life for those who believe on His name. He was the last great sacrifice. He fulfilled the law of sacrifice by voluntarily spilling His blood to save us vicariously. His redemptive act placed Him in the position of Mediator. As the Mediator, He sets the terms and conditions by which His blood and grace may save us. At their core, these conditions are faith and repentance. When we exercise faith enough to sincerely repent, which means abandoning bad behaviors and striving to follow the Lord, we are encircled in “the arms of safety” by the One who is “mighty to save.”

Knowledge of the Lord’s sacrifice was given to Adam and Eve. Adam was commanded to teach his children this doctrine:

“Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time.

“Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:

“That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as y e were born in to the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;

“For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified. . . .

“And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time” (Moses 6:57-60, 62).

I hope you see how incomparably important the blood of Jesus Christ is in the Plan of Salvation. It is the element which cleanses and sanctifies us. Without the blood of Christ, we would be forever lost and without the possibility of salvation. His blood reconciles us with God, redeems us from sin by answering the demands of a broken law and by purifying us and purging away our sins, and is the supreme token that we are His. The blood token was key in the ancient Israelite Passover ritual precisely because it foretold the Lord’s Atonement in Gethsemane and His sacrifice on the Cross. It is to Christ and Him alone that we must look for redemption.

I witness with all my soul that Jesus is the Lamb of God and that during Holy Week He fulfilled the Plan by which we may become holier. From the cleansing of the temple to the washing of the apostles’ feet to the administration of the sacrament to the final acts of Atonement, death on the Cross, and rising from the tomb, everything about Holy Week implies cleansing, purifying, and redemption. The Lord wishes us to be holier than we are, better than we have been, and more than we have imagined. We do it through His blood freely given for us. We access His blood through faith, repentance, and sincere striving to follow our Master, the King of Israel, the Lamb of God. This week, and forever, let us rely upon our Savior and with His cleansing grace become a little holier.

Zack Strong,
March 25, 2024

Are You Taking This Seriously?

Posted on March 9, 2024 by zeev1776

Our world is on the verge of living the worst parts of the Bible – the apocalyptic parts. You are living the Book of Revelation whether you want to acknowledge it or not. This means that you will witness the short-lived reign of Anti-Christ, the fall of Babylon, the judgements of God upon the world, and the cleansing of mankind to prepare the way for the return of the King. How seriously are you taking this?

Too many people are carried away with optimism for the awakening they see happening across the world. They are ignoring the parts of prophecy that foretell the horrors that will precede the Millennium. They see a new golden age emerging but don’t recognize the shocking growing pains that will precede it. When Babylon falls, it’s going to flail and lash out and take billions of souls with it. Are you ready to survive the fall?

Are you ready for massive earthquakes, gigantic hail stones that destroy the earth’s crops causing global famine, catastrophic weather, a desolating scourge that decimates earth’s population, flesh-eating flies, stars falling from the heavens, ocean life dying, nuclear war, the collapse of order and stability, the implosion of the global economy, grid-down living without electricity and the internet, the rise of the Anti-Christ, the rampaging of nihilistic mobs and merciless militaries, and all the other things the scriptures have foretold? Are you taking this seriously?

Seriously, how ready are you? If something happened today, such as a nationwide power outage that was not resolved for three weeks, are you prepared this instant to survive and cope? I know I’m not exactly where I would like to be, though I have made many preparations to safeguard my family in the dark days ahead. I am pushing forward, gathering supplies, learning as many new things as I can, examining the situation, and closely observing the signs of the times.

I urge you to take stock of your life, your supplies, your location, your skill level, your physical health and fitness, your network of friends, and your overall preparedness level. If you find yourself lacking, do your best to make up the difference NOW while we still have relative peace and prosperity. Things won’t get better from here on out; they will get progressively and exponentially worse.

If you need a necessary skill, such as first aid, preparing tinctures, identifying edible plants in your area, gardening, shooting, hunting, butchering animals, sewing. welding, small engine repair, food preservation, well digging, HAM radio operation, knot tying, lock picking, or whatever it may be, start developing it now.

If you want to harvest food in the proper season, get the seeds in the ground now; both figuratively and literally. Do you have seeds? Do you have a garden? Have you ever practiced? Growing food to survive on is not something you do willy-nilly; it takes practice. So, practice!

If you want to defend yourself when the crap hits the fan, obtain the means and gear to do it with now. This should include multiple types of firearms, sufficient ammunition, optics, tools, spare parts and batteries, light, and other accessories. Don’t pay much attention to the videos you see saying that you must have this or that style of weapon, but get something and learn how to use it. A .22 that you have trained with and have ammunition for is far better than the AR-15 you bought and put in the safe and never touched.

Do you live in a safe area away from high population centers that will turn into mobs when the power goes out? If not, move or make serious preparations to relocate at a moment’s notice. Generally speaking, the Intermountain West will be the safest part of the United States. Other areas such as the Ozarks will be safe, too. Acquire some land if you are able. Begin putting in survival preparations such as garden plots, fruit trees, berry bushes, fish ponds, fences, wells, defensive preparations, supply caches, storm shelters, bunkers or safe rooms, etc.

Are you prepared to survive nuclear war? It is more survivable than most believe. Do you have a gas mask or potassium iodide tablets? Have you considered what you must do to survive? Have you looked at a map of the most probable nuclear targets in the United States and a map of nuclear power plants near you? Have you read “The Good News About Nuclear Destruction” and the other great information at ki4u?

Are you out of debt? This is a hard one for most people. Having financial Freedom is better than being in debt slavery. Poverty without the fancy things of the world is better than having all the outwardly nice things but being in debt to big banks.

Do you have a food storage? How much? 72 hours of food is insufficient – unless you only want to survive for 72 hours. I assert that you need at least a year’s worth of food and water; society will be offline for that long. Do you have water and/or water purification or filtration methods? Do you have warm winter clothes – a nice coat, boots, gloves, scarf, hat, thermals, etc.? You’ll need them. Do you have a power generator that will run on natural energy sources? Do you have a faraday cage or faraday cloth to protect sensitive electronics against EMPs and solar flares? Do you have a sturdy tent just in case? Do you have tools – axes, hammers, saws, nails, duct tape, etc.?

Do you have a network of family, friends, or like-minded acquaintances who can be trusted? You don’t want to be a lone wolf during a cataclysm. No one person can do it all. You need someone who specializes in medicine, another in agriculture, another in communications, another in organization, another in defense and tactics, etc. It is wise to train for disasters with friends and family whenever possible. Discuss all the potentialities and develop contingency plans. Everyone should be aware of the plan, their role in it, and the backups. Few things trump training and having a plan.

Lastly, how strong is your relationship with God? How finetuned is your discernment? Are you in tune with the Holy Spirit who has the power to tell you all the things you need to do, where you need to go, how you can best prepare, and how you should react in a real crisis? Above all things, get close to God and His Son Jesus Christ.

Preparing for the collapse of society is a daunting task, but you need to do it if you want to survive. The scriptures are true. Being true, we know that the world will be rocked by disasters and horrors the likes of which we’ve never seen as a species. Cities will fall into the sea. Hundreds of millions if not billions will perish in wars, famines, and plagues. Earthquakes will split the land. The weather will go haywire. People will go berserk as society devolves into anarchy, mobocracy, and tribalism. And there will be signs in the heavens and in the earth. I wonder how seriously we’re taking our situation and how sincerely we’re considering how to survive what we know in our gut is barreling toward us.

Zack Strong,
March 9, 2024

Below is a list of multiple articles I have previously written on relevant topics and my predictions of what is to come. Following my articles is a short list of other resources that discuss either general or specific aspects of preparedness. God bless you to start preparing to safeguard your family against the coming cataclysms.

My articles:

“There is Still Time to Prepare”