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1984, October, Maxwell, "Out of Obscurity" (ancient cultures…
1984, October, Maxwell, "Out of Obscurity"
Church is at a historical hinge point
past obscurity giving way to visibility
a light, small, but which can no longer be hidden
the adversary's disproportionate efforts to dim it
God works through weak and foolish
comparative obscurity
smallness of scale
gardens of Eden and Gethsemane of enormous importance
inversely proportional to their physical size
Holy Land a small strip of sand
the central drama of all human history
scriptures silent on the Persians, Chinese, Indians during Jesus' ministry
all are children of God and will be blessed by that atonement
ample human imperfection in the membership
humble and pure people
chastening
Gideon and only 300 saved Israel
our patience and faith, to learn only God delivers
secular history silent on spiritual things
examples
little secular history about Jesus' trial
Pilate was only locally and briefly important
no secular confirmation about Paul in Rome with Nero
which pharoah was in power during Moses and the Exodus
Winston Churchill defending LDS right to proselyte
Churchill biographies silent
unseen by eyes spiritually untrained
the scriptures are our guide to events of spiritual significance
ancient cultures unaware of each other
Japan beginning history; Romans leaving Britain
Nephite history ending
Bishop Ambrose institutes hymn singing
Mormon moving toward Cumorah
Constantine convenes council on the nature of God and Christ
Ammaron hiding sacred records witnessing of Christ
India physician performing first cataract surgery
Jacob engraving on the plates
Pompey conquers Jerusalem
2000 stripling warriors
Solon the greek reformer ending economic trouble
Lehi arriving in America
Chinese of Ch'in Dynasty building the Great Wall
Ignorant of Daniel's stone cut out of the mountain
disregard for God's chosen leaders
their imperfections
Moses most meek on the earth
rash declaration of providing water
God still used him atop the Mount of Transfiguration
Paul wrote a loving epistle to Corinth
Used stinging and sarcastic language to Galatians
Barnabas heard his non-angelic tongue
Paul's noted tendency to boast
Ammon boasts not in himself, but in God
only Jesus was perfect in love and meekness
Joseph Smith
torrent of truth came through that imperfect conduit
BH Roberts said Joseph claimed no faultless life, no perfection, no inerrancy
Joseph himself: I'm not perfect, but no error in my revelations
Some of Joseph's followers became disaffected but later returned
Moroni said "condemn me not because of mine imperfection"
Lorenzo Snow seeing prophetic flaws means there is hope for him
efforts to demean, label, or ignore them
discipleship for them and us a combination
proving
reproving
improving
Being tried and proven applies to people and prophets both
the Lord sees fit to try patience and faith
why those two particular trials?
trial of faith is why not a longer Book of Mormon given
must wait for a full answer
what is Jesus' true David descent, Matthew or Luke?
His crucial genealogy is his divine parentage
lack of correlation in the four Gospels about the garden tomb
the important things is the tomb was empty
we do know why Jesus appeared at Bethany and Bountiful, not to the Sanhedrin, or Caiaphas, or Pilate
even as the Nephites failed to record certain prophetic fulfillments, so will the full history of his dispensation be written
part of the marvelous work will be how God used imperfect humanity
should not be surprised nor offended by
proving
reproving
improving
do not make an individual an offender for a word
some lie in wait
to provoke
to catch and accuse
to entangle