By USN Columnist Morgan Philpot / Jul 13, 2020

REGARDING THE MASK LETTER (from the Utah Area Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

In scripture, God’s church is often represented symbolically as a woman.

In the Book of Revelation chapter 12 verse 1, John the Revelator interrupts a post-seventh seal chronology and goes back in time to the War in Heaven. He refers to this scene as a “great sign in heaven in the likeness of things on the earth.” (JST Rev. 12:1). In other words, people of the earth take note because these events are a type and sign of things that will happen on earth.

Contrary to the interpretations that I’ve mostly heard since I was a young boy, things don’t seem to be going too well for the home-team in John’s narrative. In fact, the red dragon and his host: the “third part” of the “stars of heaven,” have caused the woman to flee into the wilderness.

Joseph Smith made clear that the woman was “the church of God.” (JST Rev. 12:7). So, “the church” appears unable to prevail against the dragon and his host just prior to the war in Rev. 12:6.

The Greek word for woman (“τέκνον“) in the KJV is also the same word used for “wife.” For the sake of brevity I’m going to cut a few corners (and many other poignant scriptural references) and just say that; the Church, throughout scripture, is represented symbolically as the woman/bride/wife and Christ/Jehovah is symbolically represented as the man/bridegroom/husband. Their child is the “kingdom of God.” (JST Rev. 12:7).

So, what does this have to do with masks? Stay with me, I’m getting there.

Elder Oaks stated that “[w]e are living in the prophesied time “when peace shall be taken from the earth,” when “all things shall be in commotion.” Preparation for the Second Coming, April 2004, quoting from D&C 1:35 and 88:91.

D&C 88:91 is followed by an angelic trump warning the “inhabitants of the earth” to prepare “for the judgment of our God is come.” These judgments bring about the fall of the “mother of abominations” (Rev. 14:8); the antithetical symbol of the woman/church in Rev. 12:1.

What one would expect to see after Elder’s Oaks comments in 2004 is that peace would be taken from the earth and there would be commotion (tumult, disturbance, disorder) throughout the world, followed by judgments such as plagues, famines, etc.

In this time frame but prior to the fall and binding of the “mother of abominations,” John the Revelator sees two beasts (Rev. 13:1 and 11) that are symbolic of two connected governments whose power, authority and seat are given by “the dragon.” (Rev. 13:2).

Unfortunately, the second government (Rev. 13:11) has “all the power of the first” government (Rev. 13:12) which includes an ability to “make war with” and “overcome” the saints (Rev. 13:7) (reminiscent of the experience of the woman in Rev. 12).

This second government “causeth the earth” to “worship the first” government, and it “deceiveth them that dwell on the earth.” It also has power to: 1) “cause” that those who will not worship the “image” (a likeness, representation or similitude) of the first government “should be killed,” and 2) “causeth all… to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.” This government then mandates that without the mark, “no man might buy or sell.” (Rev. 13:16).

The purpose of the mark is clear – it bestows a government privilege to “buy or sell.” The symbolism of the mark for those who willingly accept it is to distinguish the worshipers of government from the worshipers of God. The mark is the government mandated counterfeit to Jehovah’s command that the House of Israel would covenant to “love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” and would teach these things to their children and bind these things “for a sign upon thine hand” and “frontlets between thine eyes.” (Deuteronomy 6:1-9).

So, what does this have to do with masks and the letter?

Traditionally and historically speaking, Judaeo-Christian men don’t send the women of their societies to war. LDS doctrine teaches that “gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose,” and “by divine design, fathers are… responsible to provide… protection for their families.” The Family Proclamation (first published in 1995) has increasingly subjected the Church and its leaders to a significant amount of criticism, ridicule and scorn. Its doctrinal statements grow increasingly controversial.

In fact, the Proclamation has presented challenges even for LDS Church owned institutions. Specifically, BYU Law School has already taken public stands in support of organizations that are contrary to the doctrines of the Church. For example, BYU Law School recently came out in open support of the self-identified Marxist organization Black Lives Matter (BLM). BLM stands openly and unequivocally against: gender as an “essential characteristic” of “eternal identity”, and the concept that “marriage between man and woman” and “the family” are ordained of God and that these truths are “essential to [God’s] eternal plan.” It should be clear that Black Lives Matter is distinguishable from the self-evident truth that Black lives matter and that “any of us who has prejudice toward another race needs to repent!” President Russel M. Nelson, June 1, 2020). However, this clear truth should not be used as pretext to support Marxism and its inevitable fruits – discord, violence and oppression.

Latter-Day saints have long looked upon sending women to war as symptomatic of societal decay and spiritual depravity. Ether 15:15 and 19. In D&C 101, the Lord gives a parable of a nobleman (the Lord) who has a vineyard (the Church) and he commands his servants (his ecclesiastical leaders) to plant and nurture the vineyard. He also instructs them to “set watchmen,” and to “build a tower.” D&C 101:43-58. The tower is not built and an enemy comes by night and drives out the servants. The Lord of the vineyard considers this a great evil and so he commands the “strength of [His] house” to be gathered; including his “warriors”, “young men” and “they that are of middle age” (see also D&C 103:22-23) and commands them to “get ye straightway unto my land; break down the walls of mine enemies; throw down their tower, and scatter their watchmen.”

Not long after this parable was given, the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that “the strength of mine house have not hearkened unto my words.” As a result of these “transgressions,” the “elders” were commanded to “wait for a little season for the redemption of Zion.” The people of the Church were then told to “carefully gather together, as much in one region as can be, consistently with the feelings of the people,” while “saying unto the people: Execute judgment and justice for us according to law, and redress us of our wrongs,” and in this way the Saints could “find favor in the eyes of the people, until the army of Israel becomes very great.” (D&C 105: 24-26).

What does this have to do with the letter on masks?

When the saints start complaining that the Woman (the Church) won’t go to war with the beast (the government), it reveals a shared problem and misconception that church members who worship the government and the church members who will not worship the government have in common – their “disputations… concerning the points of [Christ’s] doctrine” are contrary to Christ’s doctrine. (3 Nephi 11: 28-32).

It is the duty and obligation of the “strength of [the Lord’s] house” (D&C 105:16) or “Michael” (Rev. 12:7) to provide a place of safety for the “woman” not the other way around. It is the duty and obligation of the elders to seek “redress of wrongs” and “judgment and justice [for themselves and their families] according to law.”

Unfortunately, the men of the Church seem to be asleep and our elected LDS representatives (Republican and Democrat alike) have universally become the “watchmen” of the enemies and have been busy building up the towers and “walls of [the] enemies” (D&C 101:51) and creating an economy and market in which “no man might buy or sell.”

What choice does the Church have but to “[flee] into the wilderness” from the government who stands “before [her]… for to devour her child as soon as it was born.” (Rev. 12:4). The Church will and should act strategically to protect itself when we, its men, are asleep, idolatrous and “love wealth greater than liberty” and “the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom.”

It’s not a wonder that the Utah Area Presidency “sue[s] for peace” to “the people that have smitten [her].”Even after the Utah Area Presidency issued its letter, Utah’s own institutional Korihor was already blaming the Church for causing death because the Church was not using its institutional power to build up the image of the beast.

Rather than murmuring about the Church’s inability to do what God’s Revelator prophesied it could NOT do, tell the men in your life to “awake and arise.” (D&C 133:10 and Ether 8:24).

Tell them to be men and to stand up and protect the Church.

Tell them to “stand up for freedom no matter what the cost. It can help to save your soul – and maybe your country.” Elder Ezra Taft Benson, Stand up for Freedom, 1966.

Disclaimer: The author of each article published on this web site owns his or her own words. The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this site do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Utah Standard News or official policies of the USN and may actually reflect positions that USN actively opposes.

Media Requests or Partnership Inquiries – We have a growing nationwide network. If you’re interested in learning more about our work or receiving regular content from our reporters please contact our Director of Communication and Media Outreach at utsnews@protonmail.com

Steal our Stuff with Attribution  – Utah Standard News is deeply committed to restoring government oversight through non-partisan journalism. In order to provide top-quality news coverage and investigative work to your readers, our original work is free for print and may be republished in their entirety or mentioned within a news story, AND MUST INCLUDE the reporter’s name and “From http://utahstandardnews.com/.” For example, “By Sandy Smith | From http://utahstandardnews.com/” The articles from our ‘Friends’ are under copyright and are published with permission. Any republishing of these articles is STRICTLY PROHIBITED without written consent from the original Publisher.