From: Francis Harper
wbfrmsup@iowatelecom.net
Sorry for the delay in Francis Harper's messages. For some reason they did not come through for 3 weeks.
Francis Harper Message for 6/7/2019
Dear Ones,
The Holocaust should be a solemn warning to all of us who live in this “choice land above all other lands which the Lord . . . preserved for a righteous people” (Ether 1:29). The Holocaust should remind us of these words of Scripture: “And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God, that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fullness come(s) that ye may not bring down the fullness of the wrath of God [as during the Holocaust] upon you . . . Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it, shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ . . . And it is not until the fullness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off” (Ether 1:34, 33).
The Holocaust is evidence that there are consequences when ever the Lord’s covenant people fail to fulfill their calling, or neglect to keep their covenant promises! The citizens of our beloved land and the members of our churches, including the Restoration Branches, need to be made aware of the severity of the Lord’s judgments. The natural man prefers to live on easy street rather than to fervently seek to establish the cause of Zion.
The words of Nephi have never been more appropriate: “And there shall be many which shall say, Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God, he will justify in committing a little sin: yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this. And do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the Kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 12:10-11).
Many ask, “Are you saved?” I believe Jesus might say, “you are not saved until you are like me.” John wrote: “We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him . . . And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” This will not happen without dedication and prayer.
John added: We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” These statements of John define salvation.
Nephi was speaking of church people when he wrote: “Because of pride, and because of false teachers and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted; . . . they rob the poor, because of their fine sanctuaries; . . . They wear stiff necks and high heads; and because of pride, and wickedness and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray, save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ (2 Nephi 12:14-16). If the “shoe fits” we need to repent.
Nephi continued: “Wo unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of nought, and revile against that which is good, and say it is of no worth” (2 Nephi 12:19). I recall a person saying to me: “I have no feeling for what you say.”
We need to remember: “For the day will come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity, they shall perish” (2 Nephi 12:20).
My Love to All,
High Priest Francis Harper
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“Unto Whomsoever Much Is Given, Of Him Shall Much Be Required”
Luke 12:57 IV; 12:48 KJV
Much will be required of those who have been given much. “That servant who knew his Lord’s will, and prepared not for his coming, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes” (Luke 12:56 IV; 12:47 KJV).
The citizens of our nation; the members of the Church of Jesus Christ, and especially those who have received the additional light and truth of the Restoration have been given much. As stewards of these great blessings we will be held accountable. The Lord’s cursing of the barren fig tree [Israel] supports this statement.
“Now in the morning, as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and there was not any fruit on it, but leaves only. And he said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward, for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw this, they marveled and said, How soon is the fig tree withered away!” (Matthew 21:16-18 IV; 21:18-20 KJV).
“He spake also this parable, A certain husbandman had a fig tree planted in the vineyard. He came and sought fruit thereon and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none. Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about and dung it. And if it bear fruit, the tree is saved, and if not, after that thou shalt cut it down” (Luke 13:6-9).
These parables prove the Lord expects his covenant people to bear fruit. In A.D. 70, about forty years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, his prophecies were fulfilled that Jerusalem would be trodden down by the Gentiles, and there shall not be left here upon this temple, one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2; Luke 21:20-23). The Christians had fled to Pella near the Sea of Galilee, where they were spared the terrible suffering of the Jews at Jerusalem. The Holy City was destroyed by the Romans.
Jesus prophesied that the destruction of Jerusalem was only the beginning of the sorrows which would come upon the Jewish people” (Matthew 24:19 IV). The Jews also suffered during the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition and finally their sorrows reached a climax during the Holocaust, when an estimated six million of the Lord’s ancient covenant people perished. The Holocaust was the consequence of their sins. God had called Israel to become “a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). They failed.
Jesus “came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11). He wept over Jerusalem, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou who killest the prophets, and stonest them who are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen her brood under her wings, and ye would not. Behold your house is left unto you desolate. And verily I say unto you, ye shall not know me, until ye have received from the hand of the Lord a just recompense for all your sins; until the time come when ye shall say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13:34-36). The judgments of God upon the Jews could have been averted if they had accepted Jesus as their Messiah and had followed him, but they crucified him!
There is much for us to learn from the Jews and their sufferings. We have also been called and chosen to be a holy nation. We need to understand the significance of the call of God upon our lives and what will happen to us if we turn away from God and the covenants we have made to follow Jesus.
Surely the cup of iniquity of the USA is nearly full. The events of 9-11-01 were a wakeup call. The inhabitants of this blessed land need to repent and turn back to God before it is too late! We are witnessing “only the beginning of our sorrows” if we continue to ignore the warnings of impending disasters.
We can take comfort in the promise: “My people will I preserve” (Doctrine and Covenants 36:17-e). The question is: “Are we his people?”
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