The Rich Man and Lazarus

"And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thense." Luke 16:26
This passage of scripture is part of the story that Jesus told during His ministry in and around Perea. The moral of the parable about the rich man and Lazarus is directed toward this thought: "If a person's mind is closed and Scripture is rejected, no evidence---not even a resurrection---will change him." (The NIV Study Bible, 10th Anniversary Edition, Zondervan Publishing House, pg 1571, footnote)
There is a great divide between heaven and hell. No one will be able to cross its vastness after death. To the Mormons, however, one of their prophets had added to this scripture and had changed its intended meaning to suit the LDS church's own purpose. The Mormon church is using this part of scripture for baptism and temple work for the dead. (I will explain baptism and temple work for the dead in my next post.)
"President Joseph Fielding Smith, tenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, discussed this passage of scripture as follows: Before the crucifixion of the Lord [this is not in the scripture above] there was a great gulf fixed, separating the righteous dead from those who had not received the Gospel [this is not correct either], and across this gulf no man could pass. (Luke 16:26) Christ bridged that gulf and made it possible for the word of salvation to be taken to all corners of the kingdom of darkness. In this way the realms of hell were invaded and the dead prepared for the ordinances of the Gospel which must be performed on earth since they pertain to the mortal probation. (The Way to Perfection, Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1949, p.165)" (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, Legrand Richards, Deseret Book Company, pg 179) Brackets added.
The voice of our Lord has been corrected by a so-called prophet who claims to be the very mouth piece of God. The gospel of Luke is full of the words of our Savior. Jesus Christ, who is God, does not need correction by mere mortal man.
Remember: If anyone who does not believe in the truthfulness of the scriptures and rejects them, not even the resurrection of our Savior will be able to help after that person is dead.
**Please read the whole parable that Jesus spoke of in Luke 16:19-31. This will give you the full meaning of what Jesus was saying.

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About Me

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Michigan, United States
I spent a lot of time deciding if I should write this blog or not. I'm not a great writer and I'm not going to pretend to be. I need to share what I have learned and I might not make some people happy with what I am saying. This blog is a way for me to release the thoughts and feelings that come with knowing I grew up in the wrong religion. A healing process if you will.

How To Read This Blog

Please start with the month of February 2007 and read backwards. This is the most effective way to understand, in order, why I say what I do.

Handmaidens Creed

1.I believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit as one God without beginning or end.
2.I believe the Bible to be the Holy Inspired word of God with full truth and righteousness. No other writing is.
3.I believe that the work of the Lord comes first. Before any temporal thing or person.
4.I believe that grace is a gift and Christ gives that gift freely to all who believe.
5.I believe that the beauty of a woman is contained inside of her and not by what she looks like on the outside.
6.I believe that marriage is sacred and represents the Godhead on earth; two are one just as three are one.
7.I believe that love is more powerful than any other power. Remember, God is love.
8.I believe that tithing is not a part of God's new covenant, free will offerings are. And that doesn't mean just money.
9.I believe that the Aaronic, Levitical, and Melchizedek priesthoods are abolished and Christs Holy Priesthood whom Christ is the "Great High Priest" is eternal.
10.I believe that every believer is a priest in the "Priesthood of Believers".
11.I believe that when two are one, nobody is to separate the one.
12.I believe that Christ is the only way to heaven.
13.I believe that our bodies are temples, not man made buildings.
14.I believe that liars make fools out of others and the liar hates the fool.
15.I believe that all believers are in authority to preach the gospel.
16.I believe that the word 'organization' to describe Christs body is evil and has no place with God.
17.I believe the Americas are not the land of Zion and Christ will return to His origonal land-Israel in the Middle East.
18.I believe that God has set out correct ways of worshiping Him, not man.
19.I believe in holding to the truths of the Bible and not mans understanding of it.
20.I believe that the world is full of evil and Satan can easily gain control over the minds of those who do not profess Christ of the Bible to be their only Messiah.
21.I believe that Saints are those who know the real Savior, Jesus Christ, of whom the Bible speaks of; not the jesus of a cult.