Comments on The Seer Stone: Our Constitution may be Threatened

I found a Wonderful site on Isaiah!http://www.isai...

2008-12-22T09:28:00.000-06:00

I found a Wonderful site on Isaiah!
http://www.isaiahexplained.com/
The site has free lessons on every chapter.
Very well done and in the author’s own voice.
Every Isaiah Chapter has the Analytical Commentary of Isaiah. Enjoy this personable verse-by-verse commentary of Isaiah by well-known Hebrew scholar Avraham Gileadi.

“Dr. Gileadi is the only LDS scholar I know of who is thoroughly competent to teach the words of Isaiah”—Professor Hugh Nibley, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. (1. 6. 2003)

“It is my testimony that this man has been brought forward and trained at this time to help those inside the Church into Isaiah, and those outside the Church, Jew and Gentile, through Isaiah into the Church” —Arthur Henry King, author, former BYU professor and London
Temple President.

“Dr. Gileadi has achieved a major breakthrough in the investigation of a book of such complexity and importance as the Book of Isaiah”—Professor David Noel Freedman, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

“Dr. Gileadi’s work will render obsolete almost all the speculations of Isaiah scholars over the last one hundred years . . . enabling scholarship to proceed along an entirely new line . . . opening new avenues of approach for others to follow”—Professor Roland K. Harrison, Wycliffe College, Toronto, Canada.

“Only one who is truly at home not only with the Hebrew but with the ancient manner of biblical thought could have produced such an insightful and ground-breaking book”—Professor S. Douglas Waterhouse, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan.

“Avraham Gileadi’s unsealing of the Book of Isaiah will forever change people’s
understanding of Judeo-Christian religion, lifting it to heights hitherto known only to prophets and saints”—Arie Noot, corporate executive, Edmond, Oklahoma.

“Isaiah Decoded is a huge breakthrough for the seeker of truth—Jew, Christian, Moslem, and agnostic. From an ancient writing, Gileadi has brought to light eternal truths about the nature of God and our relationship to him that have lain buried for centuries in the dust of time”—Guy Wins, fifth-generation Jewish diamond dealer from Antwerp, Belgium.

“Gileadi is the only scholar I know who has been able to express the Jewish expectation of the Messiah in relation to the life and mission of Jesus of Nazareth”—Daniel Rona, Israeli tour guide, Jerusalem, Israel.

“Dr. Gileadi has clearly demonstrated his mastery of the Book of Isaiah and of the scholarly literature dealing with it”—Professor Ronald Youngblood, Bethel Theological Seminary, San Diego, California.

“Avraham Gileadi’s books and tapes take the casual observer of Isaiah’s words and transform him into an enlightened and lifelong student of the Word of God”—Allan and Nancy Pratt, LDS mission president, Toulouse, France.

“Dr. Gileadi has awakened a whole new depth of my understanding of Isaiah’s prophetic message. His books and tapes illuminate the urgent relevance of Isaiah’s writings to our own day”—Becky Douglas, supervisor and sponsor of three orphanages in India, Atlanta, Georgia.

“Dr. Gileadi’s translation [of the Book of Isaiah] is clear and smooth, allowing the reader to appreciate the power and beauty of Isaiah as conveyed in the Hebrew original”—Professor Herbert M. Wolf, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.

“Gileadi has uncovered an amazing message written in a divine code by the prophet–poet Isaiah. This will give comfort, hope, and joy to masses of people as they cope with the perplexing events now unfolding before their eyes”—Fenton Tobler, thirty years elementary school principle, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Right you are, Greg. Thanks for your insights.

2008-11-17T10:56:00.000-06:00

Right you are, Greg. Thanks for your insights.

Hi Jeremy - sorry for the mistake. I didn't read t...

2008-11-16T23:22:00.000-06:00

Hi Jeremy - sorry for the mistake. I didn't read the bottom line of your post. I realize that the "constitution to hang by a thread" prophecy is often confused with the so-called White Horse Prophecy since the Prophet discussed similar concepts in both discourses.

However, I also included the James Burgess account of May 1843 for that very reason. In The Words of Joseph Smith, Ehat and Cook noted that James Burgess' statement was made some time after the May 1843 discourse.

As you noted in your comments, I've had similar comments and questions on my blog and in emails that question the veracity of the Prophet's teachings on this important topic. Taken as a whole and in context of the Prophet's private and public teachings in Nauvoo, the statement about the "constitution to hang by a thread" is representative.

I agree that we have been living in a society that...

2008-11-12T16:05:00.000-06:00

I agree that we have been living in a society that condones socialism to a small extent ever since the days of FDR, when we started social security and then eventually left the gold standard. But not until recently has the government stepped forward and literally taken control of privately-held institutions "for the good of the country." Freddie and Fannie were just the beginning. Then we see bailouts for multiple lending institutions, the big 3 automakers, and there is even talks about bailing out CA and MI!!

The U.S. government has on average $850billion in printed paper money circulating throughout the world. Just in the last few months our government has pledged well over $2trillion to bail out failing institutions. Where is this coming from? They are printing it like mad. The result is staggering inflation of our dollar and the people wondering where relief will be found. That is where the government steps in and begins to control the lives of the individual citizens as they are required to appeal to the government for aid. What is more terrifying, is that the Fed refuses to disclose where it is placing the more than $2trillion of our money.

The signs are clear, and as a result of the decisions we have been making in the last few years are America is being prepared for one of two things: Revolution or Socialism - and it's my guess that most Americans will opt for a socialist program.

I have not singled out Mr. Obama as the source to this phenomenon. Indeed, socialism has been ramping up for years. Clinton's housing policies were an accelarant, then Bush continued them. However, Obama's plan to redistribute the wealth of Americans is without argument socialistic. I can only speak for myself, but “spreading the wealth” as Obama put it, with the government in charge of the spreading, is socialism. I’m opposed to socialism in America. His policies will create disincentives to entrepreneurship, capitalism, small business, and free enterprise. The fundamentals of the free enterprise system is that less government is the best government.

In short, none of us have ever been employed by a poor person. If the government penalizes the rich people who provide the jobs to the rest of us, they will go elsewhere. Trickle-down economics is how a capitalist society works, but our future seems to point in the opposite direction, where wealth is given to the lower classes and expected to create jobs and more wealth.

I voted for President-elect Barack Obama. The Unit...

2008-11-12T14:58:00.000-06:00

I voted for President-elect Barack Obama. The United States has been a socialist nation for decades- even before Ezra Taft Benson began his somewhat historically lamentable talks on socialism, communism, etc. I haven't seen a sermon by ETB given after he became the president of the Church discussing socialism as he had in earlier times, though I could be missing something. I'm not willing to engage in an all-out discussion on why I find many of ETB's former statements unfortunate, nor need I discuss the details of our "socialist nation" in which we have lived our entire lives. I simply wanted to add a faithful LDS voice to the mix to let anyone else know that not all Mormons subscribe to this type of thing currently, which I view as largely ethnocentric in terms of the gospel.

If anyone wants to know what's most necessary, I suggest checking the current LDS conference report, which didn't mention socialism, rather than digging up these particular antiquated sermons by these past leaders. Though the sermons were all delivered in an already-socialist nation, to many many members over the world who belong to officially socialistic political parties.

In interest of full disclosure, I do not consider myself a Democrat nor have I ever.

Greg, I actually posted this commentary. Nonethel...

2008-11-11T08:52:00.000-06:00

Greg, I actually posted this commentary. Nonetheless, thanks for your thoughts.

Indeed, the discourse you cited is where the Prophet's "hanging by a thread" doctrine stems from. There are some, however, that believe that the prophecy may be false since it was allegedly incorporated in the text of the White Horse Prophecy, which has been vehemently declared false by several GA's. The trouble is that the White Horse Prophecy was given in 1843 . . . almost 3 years after the Prophet originally taught the concept. Thus, although a part of the White Horse Prophecy, we cannot discount the numerous citations of later GA's to the "hanging by a thread" statement (as you thoroughly showed in your post you cited).

Thanks for your thoughts.

Hi Hans - Thanks for a great commentary. When I re...

2008-11-10T18:31:00.000-06:00

Hi Hans - Thanks for a great commentary. When I read your post today, it inspired me to go back and find the only contemporary account of the discourse in which Joseph Smith prophesied that the United States' constitution would hang by a thread".

I know I mentioned this during Con Law when we too...

2008-11-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

I know I mentioned this during Con Law when we took it three years ago but I think that the Constitution started to lose some of its luster in Marbury v. Madison. It's considered a foundational opinion for judicial review that currently exists but I don't think that the Founding Fathers intended for a court to wield such control.

Save the constitution? Should we steal the phrase....

2008-11-10T09:37:00.000-06:00

Save the constitution? Should we steal the phrase...Yes we can!

Good post. I think Jeremy has the right point. Our children are not taught the founding principles of our government in school. Founding principles that were "inspired" (i.e. worth learning).

I took my 7 year old out of school last year and took him to a courthouse where he met a judge, heard a good little lecture about the constitution, etc. His time was much better spent with me that day. The sad part is that state laws and school administrators really frown on the action I took. It went down as an "unexcused" absence (parents can't excuse absences anymore, only doctors). Too many of these would get him and me in trouble.

I was lucky enough to learn these things from my father. Hopefully more will do the same.

Anthony,Sadly, you may be right. I have been poli...

2008-11-10T08:42:00.000-06:00

Anthony,

Sadly, you may be right. I have been politically active for a while now, but have never truly feared for our Constitution until this election when I saw the collective ignorance of the American people voice their opinion for a socialistic government.

However, I do believe that there is time. It doesn't start with Washington, but in the home. We need to be reading our children the Constitution, and teaching them to be vigilant of anything that goes against its principles. Most conservatives are sitting back and "waiting" for the person that will change everything. News Flash! He's not coming. We, the people, are the change that America needs.

Thanks for visiting.

How can a people who do not understand the Constit...

2008-11-10T04:57:00.000-06:00

How can a people who do not understand the Constitution or seem willing to stand up for its principles ever save it? We've watched the politicos trammel its sacred precepts for generations, and we've done precious little to oppose them. In fact, we've indulged them, participating in their perfidy rather than standing up to them. In my view, you're coming very late to the party. Our Constitution is in shreds. It wasn't changed; it was ignored. Of course, the opportunity still exists for us set this right, if we will make a stand. But, sadly, I look around me and see few who even understand what's happened, let alone willing to do something about it. I appreciate your comments, but I fear they fall on deaf ears.