CV75

"Desert" (and older usage of the word) could also refer to the American wilerness frontier, often sparsely or uninhabited, as the Church began and then moved from NY to OH and MO/IL and land had to be cleared for settlement. Too bad Hiram Abiff is a mythological figure, otherwise...

I think he objects to the trifling, and not the sincere effort in the face of failure and weakness. I think he objects to trifling with both sin and with the daily effort to improve in allegiance and discipleship to Christ, and trifling with the false assumption that we can progress to such a point that we shouldn't need to repent daily without improving daily (even if hat means 2 steps forward, one step back). "Daily" to me suggests what we do in mortality and that godly perfection by grace can 1) still promised by the Holy Spirit while 2) becoming realized at some post-resurrection exalting point by Christ.

@Pyreaux Referring back to my earlier comment Posted yesterday at 10:06 AM (edited) It could be that, as the Prophet of the Restoration, Joseph Smith fills all four "smith' roles under Jesus' overarching Carpenter role, now assuming oversight over the other "smiths" I mentioned (John the Baptist, his successor to-date and future prophet(s), and the 144,000).

Now here's the "biggie" : The RSV Zechariah refers to the four craftsmen as... drumroll... "smiths"!!! D&C 135:3, '"Joseph Smith [the four smiths], the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only [the Four Carpenters], for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it..."

I think that the four titles (hearkening to Zechariah's Four Craftsmen) each concern Jesus Christ directly. Reading His words about Himself in 3 Nephi, these four roles (not genealogies) are wonderfully covered. "Messiah ben Joseph" in particular as the Messiah for the children of Joseph as described in Chapter 21, where He brings forth the sign, which I take to be the fulness of the Gospel, as the prophet of whom Moses spake. Joseph Smith and every other servant are those spoken of in 3 Nephi 20: 40, and support these four roles. The servant (of the Father) is still Jesus Christ, and He does His own work. Chapter 21 is written in a way that Christ is referring to Himself, not Joseph Smith. For example: "I shall gather in... I will give unto you for a sign... repent and come unto me and be baptized in my name and know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be numbered among my people... " He gives the man (Joseph Smith) power to bring these things and Jesus words forth (verses 9 - 11), but this renders Joseph Smith a type for this aspect and not the Messiah ben Joseph, though the prophecies of Joseph of old, including genealogy and name, point to Joseph Smith in that sense. I suppose given modern revelation we could tie each of the four roles (Messiah ben David, Messiah ben Joseph, Elijah, and the Righteous Priest) to the plan of salvation with the atonement of Christ at the center, the sign of the fulness of the gospel coming forth, the sealing power, and the Millennial Reign, respectively. John the Baptist served under Messiah ben David, Joseph Smith under Messiah ben Joseph and Elijah (but perhaps a future prophet will restore and exercise more aspects of the sealing keys -- see Helaman 10), and others (the 144,000?) under the Righteous Priest.

I think the timeline for the Second Coming is either set (and only the Father knows it as of the latest intel from the New Testament) or is somewhat flexible/conditional -- and both can be the same thing. Each day brings us closer, that is for sure.

Ooops, I thought this was the Coinbase thread

Even better, from Acts 27, you first have to attain to Phenice. 12 And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west. 13 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.

From the "Bible Photographs" resource: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bible-photos/photo-23?lang=eng 23. Sea of Galilee and the Mount of Beatitudes Looking southwest over the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee...