D&C 98 - 101 (2020 repost)

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. Welcome to the weekly Deep Dive podcast on the Add on Education Network. The podcast where we explore the weekly Come follow me discussion and try to add a little insight and unique perspective. I am your host Jason Lloyd, here in the studio with my friend and the show's producer, Nate Pifer. Nate, it's good, it's good to be recording another episode Friday morning. [00:00:36] Speaker B: Dude, we're getting to it early this week instead of last thing on Saturday night. I love it. [00:00:41] Speaker A: I know. It's a, it's kind of a change up. It's. It's nice. It's different. [00:00:46] Speaker B: I like it. You can read your scriptures. [00:00:47] Speaker A: I know I can actually see it once, dude. [00:00:50] Speaker B: But once you can read your script. [00:00:51] Speaker A: Scriptures, it's pleasant for once. [00:00:53] Speaker B: You can actually read your scriptures. [00:00:56] Speaker A: Yeah, it's easier to see in the daylight. [00:00:59] Speaker B: Okay. You can see your scriptures better. I know you read your scriptures. I'm just kidding. [00:01:03] Speaker A: All right, we're diving into Doctrine and Covenants, sections 98, 101 and it's a lot. 101 by itself is over 100 verses long. There is a lot of rich content. Talking about the millennium, talking about the redemption of Zion. We are going to get to some cool stories about Joseph Smith. I love co Joseph Smith stories. But before we get into 101, I mean even before we get there, 98, it's got some amazing content. So hopefully we get to it all. And I, and I don't leave anything out. No promises. We'll just see how it goes. First off in the very first verse, section 98. Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted. Yea, rejoice evermore and in everything give thanks. So a few things I wanted to hit on here again. He is calling them friends. Verily, I say unto you, my friends. And that verbiage. I like that. We have talked about this before where he was referring to them as servants and he would give them things to do and expect them to be obedient. But now he is saying, you are my friends. I trust you. I am telling you this is what I am planning on doing. Here is my kingdom. I am involving you in these decisions and trusting you at some level to make decisions on, on your own regarding this kingdom and how it should go as a partnership rather than employer employee relationship. Also, just some context. We have talked about this at this time period. Jackson County, Missouri. Things are heating up. People have been chased out of their homes. Mob violence is on the rise. You have had a lot of church leaders Tarred and feathered. Just kind of a horrific time as far as persecution for the saints God. And he tells them, fear not. Which makes sense in context of what's going on. Let your hearts be comforted. Yea, rejoice. You're like, wait, what? I want you to rejoice. Rejoice in the fact that people are abusing you. Rejoice evermore and in everything give thanks. So it's almost like telling them to rejoice is pouring salt in the wound and then saying, in everything, give thanks is like following it off with a squeeze of lemon. It seems kind of harsh when that's not the advice you would expect the Lord to give you. You're almost hoping for this. I've heard your prayers. I know these people have been violent. And now I'm coming with my big stick and I'm going to go just hammer out justice. You remember the Canaanites. Israel came through and wiped them out. This is going to be you guys. We're. I am coming to the bat and I have got your back. That is what you would hope for the Lord to say. [00:03:51] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:03:51] Speaker A: And instead it is like, I have heard rejoice and give thanks for all of these persecutions. And so I wanted to focus on the idea of giving thanks because this is one thing that we actually have some scientific evidence for. Being thankful does a lot of things for us. And in going through some of the studies that they've done recently and trying to figure out what is the impact that being thankful has, it shows that being thankful boosts your mood, improves sleep, enhances relationships, supports the immune system, strengthens relationships and communities, Increases attention, increases energy, increases metabolism. [00:04:47] Speaker B: Whoa. [00:04:47] Speaker A: Yeah. Being thankful has an impact on your metabolism. [00:04:51] Speaker B: Dude, maybe I should stop being so grumpy. [00:04:56] Speaker A: It could be helpful. [00:04:57] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. [00:04:59] Speaker A: Increases metabolism, increases optimism. We already mentioned supporting the immune system. Decreases physical ailments, decreases pain, decreases depression, decreases anxiety and decreases stress. [00:05:18] Speaker B: I love this, man. I need this right now. Jason. [00:05:22] Speaker A: So it seems like the snake oil cure all, you know, back in the 1800s. Like, here, drink this and it'll cure anything you've got. And we all know that that was ridiculous and didn't work, but today you've got something scientifically proven to have these benefits. It's incredible. [00:05:41] Speaker B: That's a good gig. [00:05:43] Speaker A: It is. And this isn't just religious. I mean, these are actual scientific studies that have been carried out. They've taken people with PTSD and gone through journal writing and finding things that amaze them throughout the day. And they took at risk teenagers that had a lot of anxiety, a lot of depression, and they would send them on a rafting trip and then have them write in their journal things that they found amazing and that they were grateful for throughout a period of time. And they would track this, and they found that these at risk youth and these returned soldiers that were suffering from ptsd, that a lot of the symptoms decreased or disappeared. And it changed a lot of things for people. So it is cool. And the Lord is saying, you're going through these things here, let me give you some medicine that is going to best help you handle the situation that you're in. That's going to boost your mood, it's going to improve your sleep, it's going to help you deal with the challenges that you're going to deal with and make it so that they're not as bad as what they see. I know what you're going through. And so it might seem like salt in the wound. And maybe that's such a good, an apt explanation, salt in the wound. Because isn't the reason you put salt in the wound or iodine is to clean it out, to disinfect it. To disinfect it. It's painful to hear it, but actually, as you put it in there, it does work. It makes it better. [00:07:16] Speaker B: I've always loved those kind of those metaphors or those analogies with the idea that disinfecting something is painful, but it's for the greater good. Because I also think that, and I don't want to, I don't want to derail this, but it's like, it has all the things to do with, like also cleansing your soul. Right? [00:07:39] Speaker A: Yes. [00:07:39] Speaker B: And repenting is kind of can be a very painful process. Right. I guess, depending upon what it is. And, and, and I like that a lot of you, you read a lot of symbolism, even of the, you know, like the Jaredites and their boats. Like, why did they have a hole on top and on bottom? Right. One so that they could bring in the air up top. But, like, what happens when you have a boat full of air and you pull the bottom plug out is that air pressure keeps in. Right. Like you have to have somewhere to like, clean the waste out of this thing. Right? [00:08:12] Speaker A: Yes. [00:08:13] Speaker B: And, and, and I guess I'm just saying, like, I, I love all the symbolism of like, cleansing the inner vessel first or all those types of things. And I think that this actually, maybe actually directly relates to this, is that, is that being thankful for being thankful in times of trial is A cleansing process, right? [00:08:37] Speaker A: Yes. [00:08:37] Speaker B: Like, it's a soul cleansing process. My mission president told us the story about his kid that ate it on his bike and got a huge cut in his lip. And inside the lip was a bunch of gravel and stuff from the road. And so when they took him to get stitches, they're like, well, here's this metal wire brush that we have to clean that thing out with. [00:08:59] Speaker A: Oh, that's painful. [00:09:00] Speaker B: And of course, the kid's losing his mind as they're like, cleaning out this. His lip that has this big old gash in it. But they're like, look, if we just sew this up, it's going to get infected and then we're going to have real problems. What being thankful for is nice is that it doesn't sound as much of a salt in the wound as that. It seems like, hey, this is a good disinfecting process, but maybe a less painful one. You know what I mean? Then I don't know. Than the other way. Does that make any sense? [00:09:28] Speaker A: Yeah, it does. [00:09:29] Speaker B: I guess. I guess I just saying, like, I love the. I love all of the imagery and, and we even talk about assault or that we're supposed to be the salt of the earth. Like, I. I've always loved that as a, As a preserver, right? The preserve. You preserve meat or whatever right before you have refrigeration, you. You can use salt to at least try to keep meat good for a period of time or something. [00:09:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:09:51] Speaker B: So. So a savor of meat, right? Or a savor of something. I also love it that it's the tasting. But then I actually love this as the third twist too, which is it's also a disinfectant. You know, it's like, it's. It's like to be the salt of the earth, you know, I mean, it's like it gives you just even another level of why kind of how profound that that metaphor is. [00:10:13] Speaker A: And preserving and preserving. [00:10:15] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:10:17] Speaker A: And so I guess next time you unload your baggage on. On. On social media and talk about all the bad things that are happening and somebod, be grateful for all things. Instead of now. [00:10:28] Speaker B: Now instead of yelling at them, we have to go. Okay. [00:10:31] Speaker A: Yeah. Instead of wanting to punch him in the face, maybe take a deep breath, look and say, there might be something to that. [00:10:39] Speaker B: Jason's giving you good advice, everybody. Good luck with that. [00:10:41] Speaker A: Good luck with that. If you want to punch me, I'm sorry. [00:10:44] Speaker B: No, don't. No, I'm just saying don't punch Jason. Please don't punch me either. But I'm saying Jason's giving you good advice that I'm. There's no way I'm going to be able to implement right away, but I'm going to start working on it. [00:10:57] Speaker A: Well, and I think not only has God given us this good advice, but he's provided the mechanism for delivery, if you will. So if you've got perfect medication, how are you going to deliver that? And what I mean by that is in prayers. And we're taught that in prayers. First we direct our Father in heaven and then we give him thanks, and then we ask for what we need, and then we close in the name of Jesus Christ. How many times in our prayers are we focusing on that front half, that being thankful part? Because it feels, at least in my prayers, as I look back and try to take assessment, it seems like I'm asking for a lot of things. A lot of times it's asking for things really that are under my control, like, please help me to not screw up today, or please help me to pay attention. Yeah, please help me to be good. Please help my family. This please help and please help is like maybe the most repeated thing I say in a prayer. But when do we actually stop and think, what am I grateful for? Besides, I am grateful for this day. I am grateful for our health. I am grateful for maybe not be so quick to just repeat the same things over and over again. Maybe we have got a perfect vehicle to practice gratitude and thankfulness in our prayers, where we say, wow, what about the trials that I'm going through should I be thankful for? Maybe I'm thankful that with all the storms that are hitting, I've got a house that's not leaking, that I don't have water coming through the roof. Maybe I'm thankful that the heat wave is coming, that my air conditioning is working, that I can afford to pay the utility bill, that I've got a job that can provide for it. And as we start diving in and really, I don't know, I think as we, from the bottom of our heart or we're diving in and we're actually grateful for those things and saying those and mentioning them, each time we pray, it reflects back. Like your children, as they listen to the prayer, they start to catch on or they hear that, or they start to become more sincere, the prayers feel a little bit more heartfelt. And I think it benefits us a lot of these scientific benefits that they've discovered with associating with gratefulness start to become part of our Everyday life as well. [00:13:23] Speaker B: It's funny you say that. It's interesting you say that. I'm the total opposite. When I pray, I don't feel worthy of asking for anything. Seriously. I feel like I'm such a knucklehead. And I'm not even saying this to be sarcastic or anything. You can ask my wife. I feel so. And it's funny because, like, I feel like I've. I feel like I'm also not doing it right, though, because we're told to ask for things, too. You know what I mean? Like, we're told to be thankful, and we're also told. And be humble enough to ask for things, too. Right? But it's funny because my prayers are like, I don't know. I know I don't deserve any of this. I know that I'm a knucklehead. I'm trying my best. I can't tell you how thankful I actually am that I have, like, this incredible life. Family, job. It's not even a job, my goodness. Right? Like, and then. And then when it comes time to ask for things, it's always just like, please don't take it all away. [00:14:30] Speaker A: That's good. It's like. But please, like, whatever. Whatever it is, like. [00:14:34] Speaker B: But please, like, let me continue to enjoy this because it's so awesome. And I know I. I don't deserve any of it. But the thing is, it's funny because you just met my friend Trey. We were talking to. I was talking about this to Trey one time, and Trey's like, you need to repent, dude. [00:14:48] Speaker A: I'm like, what are you talking about? [00:14:49] Speaker B: And he's like. He's like, you. He's like, we are absolutely supposed to also be. You know what I mean? Going to the Lord with things that we need and things that, you know, righteous desires of our hearts and. And questions and this stuff. And I'm just like, man, I just. I just feel like such a schmuck sometimes that it's like, I don't. You know what I mean? [00:15:08] Speaker A: Like, that's good, I think. [00:15:09] Speaker B: I don't. I don't know, man. But it is funny you say that. It's like, man, I'm trying to find the correct balance in that, and, man, I don't feel like I have it at all. [00:15:24] Speaker A: I feel like balance is a good way of putting it because I feel maybe we ask too much or we put too much on the Lord. It's saying, you deliver me. You make me so that I. [00:15:34] Speaker B: And I agree with that actually, too. [00:15:37] Speaker A: And Maybe as we, at the same time as what we are trying to be thoughtful in how we are being grateful, maybe we should be thoughtful as well and considering. In my mind sometimes it is nice to picture God actually sitting on his throne and me approaching a God approaching a king, approaching someone way above my station. Like what could I ask humbly instead of being so flippant about it? [00:16:04] Speaker B: And that's a really good, that's solid, that's solid advice and perspective. It's just, you know how sometimes again like we sometimes get caught up in our own like ridiculous self loathing, you know, and whatever and, and beating ourselves up over stuff, but it's just like, you know what I mean? Like when we actually look at the world around us and, and generally no matter where we are, look at how good things really are, you know, I mean, and I know, I know people can go through the laundry lists of like everything good and bad or whatever. It's like that it's all individual. So I don't want to get into that. But like what a time to be alive. Truly. Even with all the crazy messed up stuff going on. Like what an amazing time to be alive. Like what do I really have to ask for, you know, other than help inspire me, I guess, to be a better parent and a better husband. Help me, help me to be, helped me to have, help me to receive inspiration onto how to be, how to raise my kids better and how to navigate this world. Right? Yeah, like I guess that's not asking, that's not asking something out of like personal gain as much as it's, you know, a sincere like man, help me not blow this too. [00:17:25] Speaker A: And I think, you know, I've talked with some people that have struggled and I feel like we get caught up into this mindset of the grass is always greener. And as a kid you can't wait till you have a real job. And when you have a real job that actually pays you enough money to where you can afford a house so you can afford a car, you can't wait till you move out of your parents house. You can have your own rules, you have your own flexibility. You can't wait to have your own family, your own kids. And so growing up you keep thinking that it's always going to be better when you get older. And then you get to that point and you look back and say wait, wait, I wish that I was figured. [00:18:04] Speaker B: Out when I was eight. [00:18:05] Speaker A: Yeah. How do I get back to when I was carefree? How do I get back to where life was so much simpler. And I didn't have to worry about these decisions or pay these bills or make sure I'm balancing it or not in charge of these different lives. And how do I get back to. And somehow. And I think going back to this counsel the Lord is giving of being thankful. I think being thankful helps us not compare where we were or where we will be or what we are chasing as much as enjoying that moment, finding peace and realizing that what you have right now is special and unique and you are not missing out on it later. Like you, you're grateful for where you've come and where you've been and it helps maybe provide us a cure for that grass is greener syndrome. [00:18:55] Speaker B: It's very profound insight, Jason. Seriously, I love it. I appreciate that. Well, it's good. It's very healthy for me to even talk through this, I think too. [00:19:08] Speaker A: And I think it's so. I mean, it's God. It's obviously inspired for him to reach out to the saints with this kind of advice when they were going through what they were going through. And it is easy for them to be looking back at their lives before they even knew the church, when they weren't made fun of for what they believed, where they weren't persecuted just because they believed the prophet Joseph Smith, or it would be easy for them to look to the future when Zion is going to be established and more people are going to be joining their ranks and they're going to have this happy society in this millennium. Right. So it is easy for them to be caught up in either wishing they were before or after, but having a hard time struggling through this whole tar and feather stage, walking through the snow barefoot and leaving bloody footprints behind and watching your kids, I mean, as a parent, seeing your kid teased in school. And I am sure that happened simply because of the belief or the faith of their family. And how. I mean, I'm sure the Lord was torn looking down on him, and yet he gives this excellent advice, rejoice and give thanks. And somehow you're going to be finding this. And he gives them this really cool covenant and promise in verse 3. Therefore he giveth this promise unto you with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work for your good and to my name's glory. And I think it's important here that he's saying not all things that you didn't deserve, that you didn't ask for, that are bad are going to work for your good. He didn't make that distinction. In fact, in the next few chapters, he's going to say some of this persecution the saints brought on themselves for wickedness or for not doing what's right. So I think sometimes we think when we go through something bad, well, I deserved it, or I had this coming and you don't feel worthy, that this is going to work out for your good. But the Lord's not making that distinction. Whether you had it coming or whether somebody else threw this on you through no fault of your own, it doesn't matter. Still, the Lord is going to take that experience and turn it for your good. And you look at some of the things that we do, the dumb decisions that we make, or the things that we wish we could take back, and you see how that shaped us or how that's helped us for our good, or how it's helped turn us to the Lord. And we feel this redeeming love or help getting past something or moving past something. And so not only is it for our good, but for the glory of God. Because now we're looking at it and we're glorifying God because of that experience, even though we wish we hadn't done it. So great comfort, even though he's giving them some hard advice. Verse 2 Waiting patiently on the Lord for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. And this is what we've talked about before. I think it's interesting that the Lord refers to Himself in these past few chapters, the Sabaoth, right? This Lord of hosts and host is specifically referring to organized hosts of people, particularly military. So by saying Lord of hosts, it's like he's saying the Captain of the guard, the Captain of armies. And so it's not that he's unaware of what they're going through. And by referring to Himself, he can refer to himself as many titles, right? The Great I am Alpha and Omega. But by referring to himself as the Captain of the Guard, the Captain of the armies, it is saying, I know what you are looking for, I know what you want, and I am aware of what you are going through. I understand it is still important that you go through it. Be thankful, and I will deliver you when I need to deliver you. So there is comfort in that. Next, see Laws of the land. So this is. I love this. We're going to get into this even with 101 a little bit. And now, verily I say unto you, concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them. And you're like, wait a second. How is that concerning the laws of the land? Verily I say unto you, concerning the laws of the land, so not the commandments of God, the government and your state laws, your local laws, your federal laws, it is my will that my people should observe. To do all the things whatsoever I command them. So why is he saying I command them? In connection to commandments coming from people, not necessarily from the Lord. So let's keep going. And the law of the land, which is constitutional, and constitutional meaning it is fundamental, its core, supporting that principles of freedom and maintaining rights and privileges belong to all mankind and is justifiable before me. So we are getting into the Constitution. We are getting into the laws of the land that are granting liberty. We're going to talk about this more in 101. But he's saying that this Constitution, this idea of freedom. In fact, maybe I should just turn into 101 and try to find where we're talking about the Constitution. Verse 77. According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh according to just and holy prophets. And in the beginning, the Constitution was this idea that all people were supposed to be protected. And I know that the early execution didn't turn out that way. There was a clause of anti slavery that was initially supposed to be included in the Constitution that ended up not making it in order to hold the country together. And then we see that finally became part of it with the end of the Civil War. But the idea that this was divinely inspired, and he goes into that even more in 101 when he talks about wise men that he raised up for that purpose. Every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to in futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment. If your country is telling you you have to do this and it is wrong, or you have to do that, the country becomes accountable and you are not accountable. But if the government, instead of dictating to the people what they can and cannot do, the people are dictating to the government what they can and cannot do. Now the burden of responsibility for the actions is not on the government, but falls back on the heads of the people. And that is the Lord's plan. From the very beginning was this idea that of needing to establish agency for all people. That was the central Point of discussion, as far as Satan's plan versus Christ's plan, who is accountable for their decisions? One leader on top that says, I will take all accountability and everyone is going to be right or everyone on the bottom being accountable for their decisions. So this constitution, this government that God has established and raised up in these days was not something new. It was at this time in that the United States was the first country to adopt this at this time. But God says here in 98 that this is for all people, all nations. Then that's a bold statement from back then when you're talking about only a handful of governments that were ruled by the people. And we see soon after the civil War and all the revolution wars that come across all the nations and all the world is going to be engulfed in this period of, of bloodshed, violence and war. Shortly after this time period of Joseph Smith to where the whole world changes and adopts a constitutional government. Save it, maybe three countries I think today that still don't, but the world over changes to allow people that agency. And this is God's plan, this is his purpose, and this is his law. And it's justifiable before me. Therefore I, the Lord, going back to 98, 6, justify you and your brethren of my church in befriending the law which is the constitutional law of the land as pertaining to law of man. Whatsoever is more or less than this cometh of evil. And maybe that can guide us as we are looking at policy today, or we are looking at politics and trying to figure out what we support or what we believe. And not just in our local or our government at national level, but internationally, what is right, what is wrong. And this idea that anything that is more or less of establishing this freedom of the people, this ability for people to make choices for themselves. And I know that it's going to tread on some interesting waters when you start looking at what laws infringe on people's choice. But what if that law is to keep bad things from happening? Yes. But is it also keeping people from being able to. I don't know. Now I'm getting into some, some gray, weird waters. [00:28:50] Speaker B: I'll be like, you don't want me to go down this road. So for the first time in the history of this podcast, I am not gonna derail this podcast with my, my thoughts on this. [00:29:00] Speaker A: I'm gonna keep this pretty high level. I think there's one thing that we can agree with universally. Verse nine. But before I get nine, let's see. Eight. The Lord, I make you free, therefore you are free indeed. And the law also maketh you free, which is why the law is so great. So he is a big supporter of the law, even though it is not working much to their advantage right now. Verse 9. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule, the people mourn. I think that's what everyone can kind of deal with. [00:29:32] Speaker B: We can all agree on that. And, and good luck finding somewhere where the righteous rule at this point. [00:29:38] Speaker A: It's tough. The law makes you free. Nevertheless, even though the law is free, even though the constitution is there, even though you always going to have people in power. And when those people. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule, the people mourn. So it's important to try to find people that are not wicked to rule. Good luck Wherefore. [00:30:00] Speaker B: The thing is, we just don't even. I mean we don't have. There's no system in place for that happening at this point. I mean, maybe locally. [00:30:06] Speaker A: Yes, well, and there's the counsel for that in verse 10. Because when the wicked rule, people mourn. Wherefore. For that reason honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently. And good men and wise men you should observe to uphold. Otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil. And how do you do that? How do you seek after honest wise. [00:30:30] Speaker B: We've lost it. I'm telling you. It's over. It's over. Like, dude, you can't do what good person wants to go and just be. Have their entire life destroyed because of politics, right? Like again, like love him or hate him, Mitt Romney, like dude went and ran for president and was demonized as a human being. Like was destroyed as a human being. Like this is the most milquetoast dude you could have possibly threw it up there. This is the most like, this is, this is like the least controversial dude you could have possibly had run for president. And his. [00:31:06] Speaker A: Not. [00:31:06] Speaker B: Not. It's like his politics weren't just like argued against, but like he was tried to be pinned as a bad human being. Like, look, I don't, I don't agree with a lot of Mitt Romney on a political like level. And even then I'm like, but you want to know what? He seems like a sincere dude. He seems like a pretty, pretty good honest person for the. You know what I mean? Like, yeah, like especially like in relation to other politicians, right? And it's like, oh wait, why on earth would that dude ever want to be in politics? Like, like, like take somebody that's maybe even like a, like just a better person than him, right? And again, like, I'm saying, like, that's going to be hard to find in politics anyways, but like, why would that person ever want to run for office when it's so toxic and we don't argue ideas anymore? We try to destroy the other side as human beings. [00:32:04] Speaker A: It's a harsh arena. [00:32:06] Speaker B: So I'm like, I love this advice and I love this idea. Like, I think that the only place that I can in my mind imagine that this is even applicable is now like, go run for city council. [00:32:16] Speaker A: You know what I mean? [00:32:17] Speaker B: Like, go, go, go run for, Go run for your local, you know, school board. Go. You know what I mean? Like, do your best in your local arena. Because we've lost it when it comes to, like, this on a big scale. But I think, I hate being a pessimist about this, but like, oh my goodness. [00:32:35] Speaker A: But if we've lost it, I think we've lost it because people are power. [00:32:40] Speaker B: Hungry and greedy and corrupt and good people. Now go. Wait, why do I want my entire life trashed and my entire family's life trashed and people doing everything they can to like, like, call out my kids, you know what I mean? To like beat me up and my family and any, any dumb thing I've ever said or done? [00:33:04] Speaker A: And, and it's easy for us sitting back to, to, to look at it and say we need a good person to stand up. But, but at what point is a good person look at it and stop saying we need another good person to come up and look at it and say, I need to stand up. [00:33:18] Speaker B: Jason, do you want to have your life and your family's life put out into the public arena to criticize and critique everything you've ever said or done, all for what? It's a thing just saying, like, it's done. I know what you're saying and I, I don't disagree with that. I think again, like, where I do agree with you ON this is 100, like, go run for your city council. Go get, go get really up to date on your local issues. You know what I mean? Try to do the best you can in your sphere, wherever that is. But like, I'm just saying, like, I, I agree with what you're saying, like, idealistically. But dude, do you. I miss asking you. You're a really good person, Jason. You are insanely smart. You know the law. Well, you have a lot. I mean, dude, you could do a lot of good. Do you want your life and your family's life drug through the freaking Mud for the rest of your life, by the way, and your kids and everybody involved in your life. Do you want to be demonized because you disagree with somebody's maybe on like where tax money should go? I don't mean to call you out on this. [00:34:30] Speaker A: Nobody wants to. [00:34:31] Speaker B: This is such a. It's just such a. It's a. This is, this is why this is such a tough issue. Right. [00:34:35] Speaker A: And here's the problem I think you have is these offices, these positions are supposed to be meant to where you're sacrificing yourself, you're sacrificing your family for the better good of everyone else. [00:34:51] Speaker B: Are you feeling rich and not giving all of your. But not funneling tax money without any sort of accountability to your friends, businesses and to their. And to all of your campaign donors? [00:35:05] Speaker A: If we had everyone in office who was willing to serve the people and understand that that's the position and that's to me, that's what Christ came to teach. Because so many times his apostles were like, hey, am I going to be better in the kingdom? Am I better than him or am I? And it was a very self motivated. How do I get like elevation of status? How do I get the glory, the praise for being in this? And Christ kept going back to no, the greatest is the one that is. [00:35:38] Speaker B: The least among you. [00:35:40] Speaker A: You've got to be the one that's serving everyone else. You've got to be the one that's willing to give yourself up. Just like me. I'm the greatest. Guess what? I came here to die. I am going to give my life so that everyone else is better for it. And if we are truly Christians, then the answer to your question should be yes, I am willing to give my life if it means that I can better the country or if I can better everyone else. That is the path it was. But the problem is the people. [00:36:10] Speaker B: You give a man a little bit of power in what happens. [00:36:12] Speaker A: The people, yes, the people going down that road are not going down that road to give up their lives, to give up. At least I think this is an outsider perspective. I can't speak. [00:36:24] Speaker B: You're 100% right on this. Washington D.C. is Hollywood for ugly people. [00:36:30] Speaker A: I can't speak for individuals. I don't know their motives. I don't know there could be. For all I know, all of them could be. And my perception is just off or the perception of the American people is off. But I feel like a lot of the people that go there, it's not about losing their life to Benefit everyone else. It's about everyone else benefiting them. How can I benefit from this position? And if you're in there looking to take money from different interest groups or different. Trying to play the game and position it just right so that you come out ahead, that's the wrong motivation, the wrong thing. [00:37:10] Speaker B: And. And that's what it is. I'll be the one to say it. That's exact. What you're saying is exactly right. It is what it is. It's so corrupt. It's so disgusting. And. And it's the good old boys club at this point, too. Like, it's like you almost have to. They almost have to be able to have dirt on you before they'll. Before the gatekeepers will even let you in. I'm just saying, it's like, that's it. And by the way, we were told that the constitution is going to hang by a thread. Like, we know that this is going to happen. We're watching it play out in front of our very eyes, right? And again, that shouldn't mean that we should just be like, cool, I guess we don't have to do anything. My thing would then be, well, at least continue to do what you can where you can, right? Lift where you stand, right? At least go out and do what you can in your communities and in your state, you know what I mean? In generally your sphere of influence. And again, the reason I think I'm so, like, like, on this is that if you. Is that it can. It can be so depressing and it can be so demoralizing when you do have that realization that so much of this is now just completely out of your control. Like, we can't. Do you know what I mean? Like, it's like, we can in theory do stuff about this, but, like, it's so far away from us when it comes to any sort of accountability. And again, in Doctrine and Covenants, we learned, like, we. What happens when you give a man a little bit of power? What happens? It's human nature. And dude, the farther away you move from, like, having to be accountable to your constituency, you know, I mean, like, look at all these world. These, like, these. These global organizations. I mean, who. Who are they even accountable to? They can say and do whatever they want. It's like, dude, look at all these Olympic committees. It's just like all of the anti doping committees, the world things. It's like, it's just corruption and corruption and corruption and corruption. [00:39:09] Speaker A: And FIFA just got nailed for FIFA. [00:39:13] Speaker B: Just what I'm saying. It's just like. It's like. Because there's just such little accountability to you and me, right? And this is why I'm like, jesus, take the wheel. Cause then it works. Because then it works. [00:39:29] Speaker A: And my only word of caution would be going back to your example of Mitt Romney. If you say this is a good guy who was painted to look bad for how many people on a campaign. [00:39:41] Speaker B: Trail, a certain current president said he would put black people back in chains. Those words left his mouth about Mitt Romney. [00:39:51] Speaker A: And that's what I'm saying. Don't let our perceptions be tainted by the mudslinging that happens in politics. I don't think everyone in there is as bad as what we think it is. I think there might be some people who genuinely felt like they could do service to humanity, service to the country. They felt like they had something to offer, that they went in and we don't give them the time of day because maybe they don't match our political party or maybe that doesn't match the narrative that we have been hearing or the story that we have been seeing. [00:40:25] Speaker B: Believe. Yes, I'm with you. [00:40:26] Speaker A: I think the fact you compare our country today to other countries or neighboring countries that have serious corruption to where cartels are running the government. [00:40:39] Speaker B: Yes, that's true. [00:40:40] Speaker A: I don't. I don't know that we're to that point. I don't. I don't know. There's a lot. [00:40:44] Speaker B: I'm glad you're more optimistic than I am. [00:40:46] Speaker A: There's a lot of good things about our country that still separate us, I think, in the world. [00:40:51] Speaker B: All right, I'm with you on that. [00:40:53] Speaker A: And I think that a lot of people do try to do what they think is the best interest of the country. But there's so much criticism, so much negativity. There's so much everything in that environment. It makes it really hard to see then if we have problems. I've felt this way. I've felt many times that who in the world do I even vote for in a situation like this? Every time I don't feel like there's a good candidate, I don't feel like there's someone I trust or whatever the position, whatever, you know, but whose fault is that if. If we're not willing to step up to the plate, if good people are not willing to be there, but there's. [00:41:35] Speaker B: Certain gatekeepers in place that. [00:41:37] Speaker A: And that's the other thing, because if I. If I weighed my chances of winning a presidency, if I were to go run for president, would I even make it. I wouldn't even be on a first debate. [00:41:48] Speaker B: I mean, you wouldn't make it out of the state, like, politically. Because what I'm saying is, like, even within the state that we live in, like, there's. There's just this weird. And again, like, I know this because I've been very close to politics my entire life through different jobs, you know, of, like, my mom specifically. But it's like the whole vibe of these even, like, local caucuses is just like, you kind of have to be. You have to be given the stamp of approval from. From the local gatekeepers. And even the local gatekeepers have to have enough dirt on you that they have something to hold over your head. Like, it's just. It's like, it's. All I'm saying is the realist in me just goes, okay, we've lost a lot of this to corruption, right? Therefore, all hope is not lost. But what we need to do then is focus our attention on going serve your communities. Go run for your local city council. Go to city council meeting. Even if you don't have time to be on city council, educate yourself on what these people, your neighbors, by the way, are going to be voting on in the city council meeting. Like, go to. Go. Go have a voice in those things. You know, I mean, like, go be involved in your local schools. Go be involved in your local politics, knowing that you still 100% can make a difference. And again, do what you can, I guess, on national level. But it's like, we fight so much with our neighbors about things that neither of us have any control over. [00:43:13] Speaker A: Yes, it's contentious. [00:43:16] Speaker B: It's toxic. [00:43:17] Speaker A: It is toxic. It's very contentious. Be involved. Be informed. [00:43:22] Speaker B: Yes, 100%. [00:43:23] Speaker A: And don't get caught up in all the. It's not black and white. There's a reason. There's a reason people are saying this should be the way it is. [00:43:35] Speaker B: Yes. [00:43:36] Speaker A: Try to understand what that reason is. [00:43:38] Speaker B: You're preaching, dude. [00:43:39] Speaker A: There's a reason why people on the other side are trying to push a different one. Understand that it's not the devil trying to force the country into. No, they're understand. Be informed. Don't get caught up in the toxic environment, the negativity, the criticism, and realize that there are good people on both sides. There are bad people on both sides. Let's not make it about sides. Let's make it about. [00:44:03] Speaker B: And there's probably more good people than bad people in the world in general. Right? [00:44:07] Speaker A: There probably is. [00:44:08] Speaker B: Not politicians, though. They're Dirt bags. You're not going to get me off of this dude. Every week there's some like, oh, this righteous dude is like, who knows what he's doing? It's like, oh, okay, cool. I guess we can't, we, we can't look at this from a moral standpoint. [00:44:26] Speaker A: And maybe they're not dirt bags as much as they're less informed or, or they're caught up focusing on the wrong things and, and if caught up cheating. [00:44:33] Speaker B: On their spouses and weird parties and stuff, or those things too all the time. [00:44:39] Speaker A: I mean, you have a point. [00:44:40] Speaker B: Or, or every other weekend they're caused with, or they're, they're found with some random illegal substance in their bodies. You're just like, oh, wait, that's something that would send somebody to prison for the rest of their lives. Get out of here. You know, I'm just saying, like, I'm. You won't be able to get me off of that. Like, it takes a certain type of personality and it takes somebody that really loves themselves to be able to go out into the world knowing that they're just going to be abused in the public, you know, arena and, and love themselves so much to go and still tell you why you should vote for them. Just say it's like, it takes a certain, almost like egomaniac at this point. [00:45:20] Speaker A: It's, it's a rough deal. And if we're not happy with the choices that we have or the direction the country's headed, then more of us need to start stepping up. [00:45:32] Speaker B: I'll leave it alone. I'll leave it alone so we can move on. [00:45:34] Speaker A: You know what it reminds me of? Tell me Mr. Smith goes to Washington. [00:45:37] Speaker B: Yeah, Mr. Smith. [00:45:38] Speaker A: Jimmy James Stewart, if you haven't seen it, that's a classic. [00:45:42] Speaker B: It is good. [00:45:43] Speaker A: And where I'm headed with this is another Mr. Smith going to Washington. Because I think Joseph Smith is one of the best examples of how to handle the political arena. Because here the God is telling him, I know this country is not treating you guys very well, but the laws are just. And I rose people up for a purpose of creating these. If you've got problems, use those laws. Do whatever you can. He goes to the local government, he goes to the governor, and he goes to Washington D.C. to try to enlist the help from the President. And you get kind of the story there. He goes to Martin Van Buren and Martin Van Buren tells him, your cause is just. But there is nothing I can do because if he gets involved, then the whole state of Missouri is going to be against him. Because really most of their issues are centraling around Missouri. If he loses the Missouri vote, then he loses the presidency. And he's more interested in maintaining the presidency than he is in trying to help the small group of people that doesn't carry a lot of weight or a lot of vote with them. And before we get too critical on President Van Buren for this, understand that this is also a states rights versus a federal rights issue. [00:47:00] Speaker B: That's a good point. [00:47:01] Speaker A: The federal government does not have the power to overstep the state at this point in time. And that was how the government was originally created because they were swinging the pendulum. Opposite of this idea of England being the tyrannist. Right. They don't want tyranny. Nobody in any state wants some guy in D.C. to step into their state and tell them what they can and can't do. [00:47:24] Speaker B: Amen. [00:47:25] Speaker A: So Van Buren, at this point, the federal government does not even have the power to do what Joseph Smith is asking him to. So it's not. It's not completely just him being self interested for the vote. There's also this state's rights versus federal rights issue. The federal government, as much as it didn't like slavery, had no power to step into the states and ban slavery in states where it existed. They couldn't step in and mob violence, they couldn't do any of this until after the Civil War and the passing of the 14th Amendment gave the federal government teeth. It needed to handle those situations. So before we're too critical on Van Buren, although there is the story that Van Buren came with the signers of the Declaration of Independence and other great prominent men and presidents of the United States into the temple to have his temple work done. To which the prophet responded, your cause is just, but I can't help you. And his work wasn't done at the time, although I think it has been done since then. [00:48:34] Speaker B: Forgiveness for everybody. [00:48:36] Speaker A: But I think we are all familiar with that part of the story with Joseph Smith going to Washington. I don't know if we're familiar with what happened on the way to Washington. [00:48:45] Speaker B: Let's do it. [00:48:45] Speaker A: This is one of my favorite stories. I know I say that a lot. I like a lot of stories from Joseph Smith's time. Okay, this is the trip itself. Dr. Foster, the young physician who joined the prophet's entourage, going to Washington. So there was a group of people. Dr. Foster was part of this group. This is what he writes. After we got to Dayton, Ohio, we left our horses and care of a brother in the Church and proceeded to stage part of us and the same coach that conveyed us over the Allegheny Mountains also. Sorry if I said that wrong. I'm not. Is it the Allegheny? A L, L, E G, H, E, N, Y. I'm sorry for my ignorance. Anyways, as they're conveying him over the mountains, also had on board as passengers Senator Aaron of Missouri and Mr. Ingersoll, a member of Congress from New Jersey or Pennsylvania, I forget which. And at the top of the mountain called Cumberland Ridge, the driver left the stage and his four horses drinking at the trough in the road while he went into the tavern to take what is very common to stage drivers a glass of spirits. While he was gone, the horses took fright and ran away with the coach and passengers. There was also in the coach a lady with a small child who was terribly frightened. Some of the passengers leaped from the coach, but in so doing. Excuse me. But in doing so, none escaped more or less injury. As the horses were running at a fearful speed and it was down the side of a very steep mountain. The woman was about to throw out the child and said she intended to jump out herself as she felt sure all would be dashed to pieces. That remained. As there was quite a curve in the road. And on one side of the mountain loomed up a hundred feet above the horses, and at the other side was a deep chasm or ravine and the road only a very narrow cut on the side of the mountain, about midway between the highest and lowest parts. At the time the lady was going to throw out the child, Joseph Smith caught the woman and very imperiously told her to sit down and that not a hair of her head or any of the coach should be hurt. He did this in such a confident manner that all on board seemed spellbound. And after admonishing and encouraging the passengers, he pushed open one of the doors, caught by the railing around the driver's seat. And with one hand. Excuse me. With one hand, and with the spring and a bound, he was in the seat of the driver. The lines all were coiled around the rail above to hold them from falling. While the driver was away, he loosened them, took them in his hands, and although the horses were running at their utmost speed, he, with more than Herculean strength, brought them down to a moderate canter, a trot, a walk, and at the foot of Cumberland Ridge to a halt without the least accident or injury to passenger, horse or coach. And the horses appeared as quiet and easy afterward as though they had never run away. Kind of a cool little story. Joseph Smith saves the Day. [00:51:43] Speaker B: Love it. [00:51:44] Speaker A: So going back to the prophet, not only did he go to Washington for help, but kind of along the lines of what we were talking about finding no good candidate or no good solution. What did he do? He took it into his own hands. He was running for President of the United States. Whether or not he had a chance of winning, even if he didn't, he felt it was important that he rise up and do maybe the impossible. And I believe he was the first candidate for presidency that was assassinated while in his candidacy. Candace. Candacey Candidacy. Yeah. Sorry. I struggle. I struggle. At least it's not tuberculosis. [00:52:24] Speaker B: Whoa. [00:52:25] Speaker A: Hey. [00:52:25] Speaker B: You got it. Hey, you just said it. [00:52:28] Speaker A: That was a long time ago, too. Early. Early episodes. [00:52:30] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a deep. That's a deep cut right there. A long time reference. [00:52:36] Speaker A: All right, yeah, sorry. So we spent some time on that. How much time do we have and how we got? [00:52:44] Speaker B: 10, 15 minutes. [00:52:46] Speaker A: All right, I'm going to try to do my best here because there's still even some good stuff in 98 when they're talking about. I'm going to try to sum this up real quickly and get to 101, where a lot of the good stuff really is this idea that if somebody offends you once, then you should forgive them, and twice and you should forgive them. And three times you should forgive them. But the fourth time you don't forgive them, you hold it against them and you pray for God to unleash his holy fury and make things right for you. And how do you square that with the idea of you forgive somebody 70 times 70? And here it's interesting because it says, and at the same time, you almost have to wonder, well, if I forgive, if I sin four times, does that mean God stops forgiving me? Like I forgive the first time, or I sinned the first time, I sinned the second, I sinned the third. And now it is the fourth, the fifth, actually the 900th time I have done this, does God still forgive me, or does he hold that as a testimony against me? Because that is almost what it sounds like here. So a few of these verses actually go to clear that out. Verse 43, if he trespass against thee the third time and repent not, thou shalt also forgive him. But if he trespass against thee the fourth time, thou shalt not forgive him. But shalt bring these testimonies before the Lord, and they shall not be blotted out until he repent and reward threefold in all things wherewith he has trespassed against thee. But 45. And if he do this, speaking of repenting, thou shalt forgive him with all thine heart. And if he do not, this, I the Lord will avenge thee of thine enemy a hundredfold. So 40, 46 and upon his children and his children's children, and all that hate him until the third and fourth generation. But if the children shall repent, or the children's children shall turn unto the Lord and their God and their mights, and with all their might and strength and restore fourfold of all the trespasses wherewith they have trespassed, or wherewith he says then he's going to forgive them. And this idea is if they repent, it doesn't matter if it's the fourth, the fifth, the 900th, the thousandth, the whatever time. If they repent, then don't hold it against them. In fact, take the testimony that you sealed up against them and destroy it. It's not worth it. And that's the same thing turning it back to us as we sin repeatedly as long as we're getting back up and repenting. And that's the thing. If somebody were to steal something from you and say they make it right by, you know, I'm sorry, I don't know why, what came over me, I stole this. I want to make it up to you. Here's whatever it was I stole back. And because it probably put you out when you needed it, I'm going to give you two more or whatever to make up for it so that we're all good. Why would you ever want to hold it against them? And even if they did it a thousand times and they're making that recipe, you'd almost hope that they would do it. Like, please steal this again. I could use another one. [00:55:53] Speaker B: You just start leaving things out on the front lawn. [00:55:56] Speaker A: Please take, I mean, you don't want to give a sign that's permit on. [00:55:59] Speaker B: It with just like a spotlight on it. [00:56:02] Speaker A: Yeah, as long as they're willing to make it right. [00:56:04] Speaker B: Lawnmower. [00:56:06] Speaker A: Yeah, let's, let's not be so hard on people. And this, this is something, sometimes people do something and they get known by what they did and we can never move past it or let them. Like, this will always be the guy that did that. Let it go. If he's willing to repent. You don't want that held up against you either. Like let it go. As long as they're willing to repent. This, this three strike rule doesn't apply. In fact, it can be the eighth strike and if they're repenting, let it go. Okay, there's more we could say about that, but in the interest of time and getting into 101, where it gets really good, I'm going to just move. Move on. The Lord talks about persecution, which is apt because this is what they're. They're struggling with this day. Verse 3. Yet I will see. Maybe. Maybe I'll just start in the beginning. Verse 1. Verily I say unto you, concerning your brethren who have been afflicted and persecuted and cast out from the land of their inheritance, I, the Lord have suffered the affliction to come upon them. Ouch. Wherefore they have been afflicted in consequence of their transgressions. And this goes back to what we had already talked about earlier. Yet I will own them, and they shall be mine in that day when I shall come to make up my jewels. Therefore they must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham. And I love that because we have brought Abraham up in these trials and this idea that sometimes our afflictions are like this, where people are bullying us. Sometimes the afflictions are the trials of faith that we have where we are wondering or we are struggling. Do I still hold on? Do I still believe? These are important. These are anchor moments. And sometimes those anchor moments, those questions, those doubts come because of our own transgressions as a consequence, because of some of the own things that we've been doing, how we behave, who we hang out with, what we're doing and the conversations that we have. I don't know, whatever road our path takes us down, maybe we're not making the best decisions. And it gets us to this point where we start to wonder, we start to doubt. And some of these afflictions are important. The Lord allows them to happen because we must be tried, even as Abraham will. We hold on for those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified. In order to be sanctified, we have to endure chastisement. We have to go through this process. It is not wrong that you feel like you're struggling, like you're afflicted, like things have been happening. It's not wrong that you. That you have issues. It's important part of the atonement that we go through this step, whether it's our own fault or the fault of other people that are putting it on our backs. It is part of the atonement. Super critical, but I'm going to move. They're talking about the redemption of Zion. It's also going to talk about the glories of the millennia, how wonderful it's going to be. And, oh, man, there's a lot here talking about how wonderful it's going to be in the day that the enmity of man and the enmity of beasts, yea, the enmity of all flesh, shall cease from before my face. And we've seen that in Isai, the child shall play on the sucking hole of the. Or the hole of the asp, and the lion shall lay down with the lamb. Some of this imagery, right? And I think it's interesting that zoos stop. Start popping up the world over at the same time as the restoration of the gospel, where now, in a zoo, you do have lions that are housed in the same facility as lambs. And you do have, like, I take my kids to the zoo, or when I was a kid, I'd always tap on the glaze. It says, don't do it. But, you know, sometimes you do anyways because you're, wow, that's a rattlesnake or a venomous snake. And you just tap because you think it's so crazy. But there you have a child playing on the hole of a snake where the snake lives, and we see that, but it's not yet there. I feel like the world has been making great strides to bring in this millennial time, the technology that we have, the information age, the world over. I think we are a lot more peaceful. People tend to be kinder now. We are having a fight about acceptance and not being accepting enough as opposed to where it is in times past. So I feel like the world is moving into this millennial stage, even if we're not there yet. And going on that in verse 30, in that day, an infant shall not die until he is old, and his life shall be as the age of a tree, because it says there shall be no more death. And people are not dying when they're young anymore. Well, strides have been made. I mean, you talk about the first vaccines and when did they come out, and polio and some of these issues that were killing people. The cholera outbreaks that they had, the health standards. We've talked about this in previous episodes when doctors weren't washing their hands, the mortality rate in delivering children, the mothers that would die from infection. We have eradicated a lot of causes of disease, a lot of death. We don't have near as many people dying in wars. We are moving to that society. I feel like you can see this progress being made. We're getting there but we're not there yet. We still have all sorts of children that die from cancer, from problems we still have. I mean, Covid ravished the world over in the last year. We're not there yet, but it's cool to see us moving in that direction. And maybe one last thought. When they're talking about beating their swords and pruning to pruning hooks and plowshares, you talk about back in Reagan's presidency with Gorbachev over in Russia, when they would take their nuclear weapons and disarm them and turn them into fuel to power the power plants. I don't know. We've been hinting that way. And maybe this would be a good thing to close with in the interest of time. When they talk about the parable of the redemption of Zion. And he compares it to a guy that plants his vineyard, and he has 12 trees in his vineyard. And he says, build a tower, a watchtower to watch over it. And the servants say, why are we spending money on a watchtower? It's time of peace. We could take that money and drop it into the exchanges. Why not make interest on that money? And so they have a disagreement between the servants that are supposed to be building this tower on whether or not they should be spending money on investments or whether or not they should be spending money on defense. And as they are disagreeing, they don't make any progress on building the tower. And soon they just get lazy and leave the tower altogether. And then the enemy comes, tears down the vineyard and destroys it all. And the Lord, it is kind of funny, his response is just a one word response. Why? He looks at his servants and says, why? Why did you do this? And then he says, I've got to redeem Zion. So here is the deal. I want you to go back to the enemy, I want you to destroy them. And then by and by, I will take back what's mine. I will send my vineyard, I will grow it back. And then the servant asks, when is this going to happen? And he says, in mine own time. It's going to take many days. And so a lot of people think of this idea of the redeeming of Zion or Christ coming this whole millennium. It's going to happen now, it's going to happen soon, or it's going to happen instantly, in a moment. And God says, it's going to happen in many days. Nevertheless, go and do what I asked you to. And I will, by and by, I will bring this about. And you look at Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians, and yet the Lord re establishes them. They are destroyed by the Babylonians, and yet the Lord re establishes them. They are destroyed by the Romans. And then you have the Roman nation get destroyed. And then you have this by and by. The Lord starts gathering his people and bringing it back, and he leaves them some specific instructions. He says, I have given you one gathering place to go. Just go there. Don't be gathering in multiple little places. I need that strength until you outgrow those borders. And then I will have you start going into stakes of Zion and then this idea that Zion is going to be all of these stakes spread out worldwide. And we see that today as people now get gather to their stake in Zion rather than to one central place that Zion is going to be redeemed and beautiful as she puts on her garments this whole world over as people are baptized and joining the church, we see the redemption of Zion. It's coming about. We can see it. It's measurable, it's amazing, it's neat. And yeah, I'm sorry I didn't do 101justice. If you want to dive through that and look at it, feel free to take a look at that on your own. Maybe my last parting shot, Nate, if you want to take this. [01:05:46] Speaker B: All right. [01:05:49] Speaker A: When the Lord says to his or when the servants have the instructions from the Lord to build the tower, and instead they say, should we take the money and drop it in the exchange rather than spend it on what the Lord wants us to spend? And I look at that like the church today. When people look at the tithing money and how it's spent and say, well, what's the deal? What should they be doing? Should be taking care of the poor. Should they be building more churches? Or why are they having some of this going into the exchange where they're collecting interest on it? Like, how is the Lord managing that money? Is that a discussion you even want to get into on this? [01:06:31] Speaker B: Nope, not. We don't have enough time. I mean, it's a discussion I'm sure we'll be able to have someday sometime, because it's one I would love to have, but we are out of time for this, for this episode. [01:06:39] Speaker A: Sounds fantastic. Let's call it a wrap. [01:06:41] Speaker B: What are we talking about next week? [01:06:42] Speaker A: Next week? Come, follow me. It's going to be 102. I don't. I'm not sure. I haven't looked at it. [01:06:47] Speaker B: Okay, well, till next week. [01:06:50] Speaker A: See ya. [01:06:57] Speaker B: Sam.