The Valley

On Saturday morning I was reading my scriptures. I was in 2 Nephi 23 and I came across a word I decided to look up in verse 4: Kingdoms. The following picture is the notes I took on a bill that was sitting next to  me at the time. 

What caught my eye was that this chapter is talking about the second coming and it is an Isaiah chapter found in 13. Isaiah is warning that the destruction of Babylon is a type and shadow of what will happen during the second coming. 

There will be sanctified mighty ones with a banner lifted upon the high mountain (vs2-3). The mighty ones and the kingdoms shall meet in the valley of decision. This is where I decided I needed to know more. What does "Kingdoms" mean. This lead me to Joel 3: 11,14, Zephaniah 3:8, Zechariah 14. I also looked up "gathered" and went to Zechariah 12:2-9.

Here are the bullet points from each:

heathens called to assemble themselves

mighty ones come down from high mountain

meet in valley of decision

the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision

God's determination is to gather nations and assemble kingdoms

all earth will be devoured

a pure language will be given to call upon the name of the Lord to serve Him with one consent (I want to learn more about this)

all nations gather against Jerusalem

Lord will fight against those nations

siege against Judah and Jerusalem

Jerusalem will be a burdensome stone and all shall gather against it

God will open his eyes on Judah- there will be madness and blindness among people

Lord shall save Judah first so Jerusalem doesn't come after it and then in that day the Lord will defend Jerusalem and destroy all who come against it.

Here's what I started thinking about this morning. This isn't the first time we've been introduced to a high mountain with a valley of decision. Moses taught this when the children of Israel crossed the Jordan river on dry ground and gather 12 stones to remember what the Lord had done.

To bring home the point Moses gives the people a visual by having them stand on 2 mountains with a valley of decision between them. 

I put both references to a mountain together. The one from Isaiah13/2Nephi 23 and Deuteronomy 27 -30. So what happened in this experience with Moses? 

In 27 Moses gives the people an object lesson:

Some were to go onto mount Gerizim to bless the people when they come over the river Jordan. Some were sent to mount Ebal to curse the people. It's like the iron rod and great and spacious building object lesson only with mountains. 

12 Cursings were called out with the people saying Amen. Amen is consent. Then chapter 28 there are 4 blessings and then the blessings are clarified with the people being God's holy people and all that promise means. But, if we don't want those blessings 4 more curses were mentioned. Everything you touch shall be cursed and rebuked until the wickedness shall be destroyed. Famine pestilence etc.. You and your king that you've placed above you shall be brought where you can serve other gods and not be successful. If you don't want to serve God you can serve your enemies. It's our choice.

Moses wanted the children to remember what the Lord had done for them and return to Him and obey His voice. He had just delivered them from captivity and he knew they would soon forget. This obedience was key to the Lord relieving them from their captivity and this obedience needed to be with all the heart and soul- full commitment. If the people were again driven out the Lord would again gather them. They needed to trust Him. The Lord made promises to curse their enemies. What did the children do? Some valiant thing? Pick up some pitchforks perhaps? No. Emphasis brought home again: return and obey the voice of the Lord and keep his commandments. He was going to prosper them in all their work, their bodies, their cattle and their land. (this is all taken from Deut 30)

Next comes the the take home:

The choice. Life and good OR death and evil -the 2 mountains of choice.

If your heart turns away from God then you shall be drawn to other gods and serve them. There are only 2 choices. Not 3 not 4 not 5 not a combination of the 2. Only 2.

I've been thinking so much about this lately with our current political climate-and climate in general. The willingness for people to chose the disobedient hill thinking that there is no other choice. Taking God completely out of the equation while claiming that they aren't because they are "overlooking and not judging" the flaws of others. They only come to this charity because it's someone on their team, not because it's what they truly believe, it's what helps them win. Gives them superiority over another.

I wrote this morning on my fb page:

Your values and principles have to be the same no matter who you stack them up against to judge -yes judge! the merits of someone's character and whether or not you will trust them or stand with them or let them represent you-or they mean absolutely nothing and have no value -except to reveal your hypocrisy and your unrighteous use of judgement. You can't scream about something being "wrong" or inexcusable for someone you don't like and that same behavior being "right" or excusable when you either like them or they are on your team...And the Binary choice argument is harmful and only sucks us further into the pit of despair and reveals the negative value of our moral currency. If we choose wickedness we get wickedness and everyone must come to the valley of decision and chose their way. Btw- I really liked this and agree: (an article)

There were 4 stand out talks from General Conference that I believe tie into this entire thought process. I spend most of my time grasping and reaching for understanding that I feel is only partially  revealed to me. Most of the time when I follow through with a thought process like this I am left to wonder: what does this mean to me? what am I supposed to do with this? Am I understanding this correctly? What am I still missing? I always walk away thinking I understand more, but not sure how to express it. 

1st Bednar. Was there any doubt he made #1? "If Ye Had Known Me." What is crazy to me is that I had just been thinking about that because I had taught those lessons in seminary. I discovered that the JS translations were a major testifier to his divine calling as prophet seer and revelator. There is no other explanation in my mind that he would pick up on the misrepresentation of the Lord with him saying "i never knew you" and correcting it with "ye never knew me." There was a valley of decision the 10 virgins faced and the Lord kept his promise for the reward of those choices. Bender talked about how we come to know God and how it is essential to deny ourselves of ungodliness. We have to become different. My favorite line of all time from that talk with the biggest most profound implications was: "He may have believed in Christ generally but not believed Christ specifically and personally." 

To my thought journey- not trusting in the promises made if we choose the mountain of righteousness for everything.

2nd Elder Cook's "Valiant Testimony of Jesus." That entire talk was a mic drop talk. Those who think they can sin and all is fine because God loves them is trying to turn the disobedient mountain into the righteous one. Not gonna happen. He talked about stumbling blocks - "an impediment to belief or understanding or an obstacle to progress." It is when we "fall into sin and waywardness." He then described each of the stumbling blocks. Philosophies of Men, Refusing to see sin in it's true light, and looking beyond the mark. 

3rd Elder Christofferson "Abide in My Love." Favorite quote is when he was explaining that we hear so often that God's love is unconditional, but 'while that is true in one sense, the descriptor unconditional appears nowhere in scripture." He talked about how we must repent and that we cannot be saved in sin only from sin. He also talked about loving our enemies. 

4th Elder Nelson "Joy and Spiritual Survival." We can be in captivity and going through the necessary trials of the last days and still have joy! We also need not complain. "Joy is the key to our spiritual survival." I would say yes! It is so hard watching those you love chose the mountain of disobedience and frankly the whole world around you. Case in point- the election! This talk about joy I'm going to need to study over and over.

A few other things from conference that stood out:

Charity

Unshaken faith in Christ

Jesus is the master healer

We live in perilous times- we shouldn't be surprised

Need a bedrock foundation of Christ

Faith- what it can and cannot do

We need to trust God

Gratitude

Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ

Forgiveness

Prayer with real intent

Ask God

Sin now and repent later is a mockery

We are each puzzle pieces and all needed for doing the Lord's work- another great one

Soul delighting in the scriptures

Be ambitious for Christ

Joyful heart without complaint

Do your home teaching! Holland's only talk in Priesthood. 

Gaining a testimony

Everyone needs and Amulek- love this too and so need it

If you lack wisdom- James 1:5-6

Treating people like they are already what they can become

Live the WOW and plan of happiness- Monson

The Sacrament

Satan tries to convince us that the unselfish thing is to protect people from our mistakes by not confessing them

To Whom shall you go? Another favorite

Worship

Judging righteously

The Doctrine of Christ

Compound gears- love this one too

Crisis of faith

Keep the commandments in all circumstances

Teach your children

Let people repent

(many of these were repeated several times)

In addition I also had notes on nearly all that said "we just talked about this in seminary" "I just tried to explain this one to Jared" "Made me tear up" 

I loved it. There were definitely some themes of really strengthening our testimonies, learning to pray, not being deceived into not repenting, and that hard times are ahead. We better know who we are and whom we serve or we aren't going to make it through and just might find ourselves on the wrong mountain. The commandments are something we live at all times, not just when it's convenient. Not just when we don't have to vote for president. Not to be tossed out when we're trying to fit in or not be "too righteous." Whatever our excuse are. They will all factor into our ability to choose a hill and when the final battle comes and we are all called down into the valley of decision- we will only be on the side for which we have been living. Who we have become is what matters and that's not something you can "fix" at the last minute.