Herald of the Second Invitation, Vol 11, February 2022

Article 1: A History! The Three Witnesses. (by Joni Batista, Valdeci Machado, and Wagner Zeppenfeld)

Article 2: Speech for the Sacrament (by Tyler Crowell)

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Volume 11, Article 1-February 2022: by Joni Batista, Valdeci Machado, and Wagner Zeppenfeld

A HISTORY! THE THREE WITNESSES.

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We were eager to walk a path that would lead us to the Savior in the world to come, where perhaps, by His infinite mercy, we would see His face with joy and who knows, maybe on that day, before Him, we would hear the words: "(...) Come to me, O blessed one; there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father". - Enos 1:27. We have hope in this. We are still working daily on this purpose. And, it seems, we will do it for the rest of our days in this journey that we are on, which heaven calls "such a noble cause". We are aware of the weight of this responsibility.

We were with the prophet when the heavens opened.

It was the month of January in the year 2017. Each one of us was going through times of adversity in our lives. But with an unshakable faith that very soon the Restoration of the Gospel would continue. For we, Joni Batista, Wagner Zeppenfeld, and Valdeci Machado, had an unshakable confidence that our Brother Mauricio had never failed us with the truth.

The signal was given in the heavens, and the Prophet immediately contacted us to go to the hill.

We woke up very early and, leaving Caxias do Sul (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil), we headed for the city of Agudo (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) . We had with us and among us the noblest and highest feelings derived from the Most High. Love was strongly harmonized among the four of us. It was a very pleasant trip, in which we took advantage of every moment to learn from the Prophet.

Some time later we arrived at the foot of Morro Agudo. There Mauricio Berger had already had other sacred experiences, one of them with the Angel Raphael.

We had climbed the same hill other times, and there we witnessed many things, some of them recorded by the Prophet, others by dear Brother Joni Batista. We had unforgettable experiences in that enigmatic place. We studied, meditated, prayed fervently, and, in spite of our terrible voice, we sang hymns of praise to the Lord every time we went up there. And everything is so beautifully stored in our memories. What gratitude! We give glory to the Most High for those unforgettable moments. We testify that the human race is not alone in what we call the Universe.

Dusk came, we organized our equipment and our backpacks and started the ascent. On the way, we talked and sang hymns. Each one of us carried within ourselves the certainty that we were doing what was pleasing to the Father's eyes.  In an indecipherable way, we were aware that it was not only our desire to go up, but also the will of the Father for us to be there.

When we reached the point established by the Prophet, we put our equipment aside, rested for a short while, and then knelt down to pray. Each praying individually out loud, but all at the same time, each understanding what the other was expressing, and it felt so good and endearing to us. There was an overwhelming connection between us.  After a few moments, we were completely overwhelmed by amazing feelings, and great emotions. When we opened our eyes, Mauricio had his cell phone with him, and recorded the moment when the heavens opened and an angel sent by God descended majestically from them. Yes, with all the strength that is in us, we declare for the world to know, that Moroni was there, in front of all of us. And that he had been sent by Elohim, bringing specific directions from Him.

The firmament seemed to be closer than usual. We remained on our knees, unmoving, trying to assimilate the magnificence of that instant. How splendorous it is. How full of compassion he is. His meek and gentle voice penetrated our soul and filled our spirit. The Prophet gives us the signal to approach, there we realize that he was already intimate with that Celestial Being, who, wrapped in such a brilliant light, stood a little above the ground. We put out our hand to him, and he to us, and so, one at a time, touching him, we greeted him. D&C 129.

We then walked away to a distance of approximately 4 meters. We were thrilled to see the Prophet of God receive the directions that the Father had sent. He recorded all the instructions.

We received the testimony, in an indisputable way, to our minds and hearts that that heavenly being that we were hearing, seeing, and touching, was real and true.

The Holy Spirit intensely confirmed to us, almost beyond our ability to bear, so that we had no doubt, that this being was Moroni, once the son of Mormon, and he had been sent by the Almighty, and that he had charge of being His messenger. All instructions were given, and the Mormon Plates were handed over for translation. But not before the Law of Witnesses was fulfilled, as stipulated in the holy scriptures (Deuteronomy 17:6; Matthew 18:16; II Corinthians 13:1; Ether 5:4; D&C 128:3).

There are 11 witnesses who state, publicly, that they truly are the Plates that in times past were in the possession of Joseph Smith Jr, the prophet of this last dispensation. They have examined them thoroughly over a long period of time, and have no doubt about it.

We knew it was all real, incontestable and true, for it was from God. We feel the same today, and it seems we will feel it for the rest of our lives, with the same vigor and intensity experienced on that most glorious day, for indeed the heavens are opened and declare His righteousness, and all people will see His glory!

Perhaps the three witnesses have something that we all need: the conviction that God hears our prayers, and that if our prayers are just, He answers them. In the same way we pray to the Father, in the name of the Son, to know if the Book of Mormon was not true, advice left by the same Moroni 1600 before - (Book of Moroni 10:4). We attest that God does not change His procedures, and therefore we must again consult the Lord regarding the Sealed Book, which is the fruit of a Prophet, who ministered by an Angel of His, gave him authority to be a Seer, Prophet, Revelator, and Translator of the sacred records. It is a testimony that can be everyone's, and can remain with us forever and ever. He will answer you! (Words of Moroni verse 15 - The Sealed Book)

If you feel that we are in the last days. You feel that iniquity is worse than in the days of Noah. That the world and people are sick. That there is a lack of love, which has its origin in God, and that there is an abundance of rancor, anger, hurt, envy and selfishness, which are feelings that come from the evil one. He feels that the poor, afflicted, orphans and widows urgently need help. - (James 1:27). If you feel that it is possible to build an Enochian society, then you certainly believe in the Sealed Book, for this is strictly the will of the Father in heaven, and which he determined long ago to be written on the Mormon Plates.

The hour is come...the twelfth hour. Zion will be built! Don't shy away from this moment! Come, join with us, and let us sing to the Lord; let us jubilate to the rock of our salvation! Yes our Master and Savior Jesus Christ - the Leader of us all. Amen.

Your servants,

Joni, Valdeci and Wagner.

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Volume 11, Article 2-February 2022: by Tyler Crowell

Speech for the Sacrament

Good evening brother and sisters.

I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ.

Today we have the opportunity to present ourselves before God the Father and witness unto him our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, to keep his commandments, and to always remember him.

Isaiah prophesied that the desert shall blossom and rejoice with joy and singing. Waters would break out in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool and the thirsty land become springs of water. And a way of holiness would be cast up for the redeemed of the Lord to return to Zion. (Isaiah 35) The Lord promised he would open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys. The thirst of the poor and needy would be quenched when the Lord would hear their cries. (Isaiah 41) The Lord promised he would pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground. “I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine offspring. (Isaiah 44)

All these things speak of the blessings of God returning to a people who had been estranged through transgression but who were returning to the Lord because of his favor that he set upon them. Through all this the Lord is showing his faithfulness to his people.

Jesus spoke of these very same life giving waters to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well when he said, “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked him and he would have given thee living water.” If we ask, Jesus will give us of that same living water to drink, so that we never thirst again, as Jesus testified, “whosoever drinketh of the water which I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life”. (John 4)

Later in the book of John, Jesus further testified of this gift he gives when he said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water”. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive; for the Holy Ghost was promised unto them who believe, after that Jesus was glorified. (John 7)

Now that we know this living water is the gift of God, the Spirit within us, flowing like a never ending stream, we can lay hold of this promise that he gives in connection with the sacrament, where the power of God is manifest to fulfill the words of Jesus that if we always remember him we shall always have his Spirit to be with us. (3 Nephi 8, Moroni 4)

The prophet Jeremiah spoke of the astonishing and horrifying evil of the Lord’s people, “they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water”. (Jeremiah 2) This speaks of a heart in transgression that relies upon the strength of man and not the Lord. There is no soundness and no integrity to hold the precious contents of the Spirit of God that bring life and salvation. Jeremiah compares such a heart that has departed from the Lord to a dry and barren desert. But he compares the man who trusts in the Lord to a tree planted by a river of water that does not fear drought and brings forth fruit in abundance. The prophet describes the heart of man as “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked”. (Jeremiah 17) What a grim condition. But not without hope! For such a disappointing revelation is followed by a prayer of faith, “they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed. Save me, and I shall be saved. For thou art my praise.” Jesus will hear the prayer of faith and answer in mercy the sincere heart of repentance. And Jeremiah believed in the power and promise of the Lord to his people. “Thou are my hope in the day of evil”.

If our hearts are purified so that His love dwells in them, they can be the place which brings forth the life-giving water of which Jesus speaks. But how can this be accomplished if the human heart is so desperately wicked and deceitful? In the sealed book of Moses the Lord explains to Moses those who seek to understand the mysteries of God can comprehend, “because the things here written by me, Moses, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, will be as clear and precious as the purest and crystalline water to drink in a thirsty desert, a clear source in regard to everything else that will already be contaminated and polluted by the precepts of men…that the Gifts derived from the Fruits of the Holy Spirit are in fact pure feelings coming from a sanctified heart, in whose Greatest Gift, love, hides the fullness of God’s power” (Sealed book of Moses 5)

Just as evil things proceed from the heart of selfish man, a sanctified heart full of love will bring forth good spiritual fruits, pure feelings, and God’s power. This is the fountain Jesus spoke of that can flow from those who have received his Spirit. Jesus explained that the good branches that need to be grafted into our hearts are “the good feelings derived from the Gift of God, which flows along with other sentiments derived from the love of God among the covenant people that persists in observing My commandments.” (Act of the Three Nephites 14)

This promise is also reiterated in latter day revelation in the appendix of the book of commandments. “..in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water, and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land…and they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy”. (D&C 108 RLDS)

Do you see the goodness of the Lord in the restoration of his people? Do you see the mercies of Christ towards us today when he is setting his hand again a second time to recover his people, so these streams of waters can flow to the nations? God has established his purpose in us so that the Holy Ghost in its work within us can bring the waters of life to quench the spiritual thirst of his people. Today they are dreaming of drinking but will wake up thirsty as much as they rely on their traditions and the precepts of men that do not come from the Holy Ghost. We need to be full of the Holy Ghost and the love of Christ so we can quench their thirst and lead them to the waters of life in Jesus Christ.

Jesus promised that he would fill those who would come to him according to his words. We can receive his promise today and share it with a thirsty world who is in a dry desert.

Let us come with faith in the promises of the Lord so we can be filled to overflowing. The stream of the Spirit in Christ is ever flowing without end. Let’s keep his commandments and remember him so that stream is always flowing in us.

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Volume 11, Article 3-February 2022: by Sidney Amorim

WHY DID WE NEVER KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE UNITED ORDER?

[Article prepared for publication in the Herald of the Second Invitation of the Church Of Christ].

By Sidney Amorim [Member of the Quorum of Apostles, resident in Brasilia].

First of all, I want to express my joy and satisfaction in being able to write a brief article in the Herald of the Second Invitation. But more than that, I want to express my gratitude to be able to share with you, my readers - whether you are brothers in the faith, friends of the Second Invitation, or just curious about knowledge and information - a message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and the major leader of the great work of salvation that reaches all of God's children, regardless of their beliefs.

And if we are here, reading this article, I think it is by grace and work of the second invitation made by the Lord, to us, in these days, as prophesied in 2 Nephi 29:1, in The Book of Mormon, for He Himself says that He would begin to do a wonderful work in our midst, yes, in our days, in order to RECALL the covenants He made in the early days of the restoration through Joseph Smith, and to extend His hand for a SECOND TIME in order to recover His saints, since that time:

But, behold, there shall be many - in the day that I begin to do a marvelous work among them, to remember the covenants which I have made with the children of men; and that I may stretch out my hand the second time to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel.

And why was there a second invitation? Perhaps many of you are asking this question.

So before we deal with the United Order, the title of this article, let me, by way of introduction, answer that question about the second invitation.

The first invitation came in the time of Joseph Smith, in 1820 - the early days of the restoration - where, after about 10 years of preparation, he received the plates of Mormon from the hands of Moroni and translated the portion that WAS NOT SEALED, as prophesied in 2 Nephi 27:14-20 and known today even as the story of Charles Anthon. That portion, translated by Joseph Smith, is our most valuable and priceless The Book of Mormon, which bears witness, therefore, to this first invitation:

Therefore the Lord God will reveal the words of the book, and establish His word by the mouth of as many witnesses as He deems necessary; and woe to him who rejects the word of God! But, behold, it shall come to pass that the Lord God will say to him to whom He shall deliver the book, 'Take these words which are unsealed, and deliver them to another, that he may show them to him who is instructed, saying, "Read this, I beseech you. And the instructed one will say, "Bring me the book that I may read it. And they will say this for the glory of the world and for profit, and not for the glory of God. And the man will say, I cannot bring the book, for it is sealed.The instructed one will then say, I cannot read it. So it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will again give the book and the words thereof to him who is not learned; and the man who is not learned will say, 'I am not learned. Then the Lord God will say to him, 'The learned will not read them, for they have rejected them, and I can do my own work; therefore you shall read the words which I shall give you.

And the second invitation takes place today, with Mauricio A. Berger, and since 2007 - the fullness of the restoration - who also, after about 10 years of preparation, received the same plates of Mormon, from the hands of the same Moroni, and translated a portion that WAS SEALED, as prophesied in 2 Nephi 27:21, which came true in 2019, with the 1st Edition of The Sealed Book, which testifies, therefore, to this Second Invitation that we receive today:

Touch not the things that are sealed, for I will manifest them in My due time; for I will show the sons of men that I can perform My own work.

This is, as I see it, part of the fulfillment of the prophecy contained in Acts 3:21:

Which heaven must contain until the times of restoration of all things, of which God spoke by the mouth of all His holy prophets from the beginning.

I realize very clearly what a wonderful and historic time we are living in.

The scriptures are being fulfilled before our eyes.

This is wonderful...

And it is exactly about the scriptures, from now on, that I would like to talk, as we are going to learn together about United Order.

Because about the United Order, the title of this article, we know so little... and that is why I set out to deal with this seemingly distant subject, but which will prove so important in our days, as will be seen at the end of this explanation.

So, what do the scriptures teach us about the United Order?

Well, let's go there.

Our teacher and Lord, Jesus Christ, taught us about the importance of the scriptures as succinctly as he did completely, in John 5:39:

Examine the Scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.

The United Order is a subject as unknown to the Christian world as it is somewhat obscure. The scriptures either say little or almost nothing about it, apparently.

Only apparently.

At the same time, it is a subject that interests and delights many, for the most studious know that it is about building a heavenly society on earth in preparation for the coming of the Lord, yes, Jesus Christ.

The United Order has always been taught by the prophets, since Adam, through Jesus himself, his twelve apostles in Jerusalem and his twelve disciples among the Nephite people in the Land of Plenty, and, after the great apostasy that went through the Middle Ages, it was revealed to the prophet of the restoration, Joseph Smith Jr. This is perhaps the great secret that needs to be understood. The establishment of Zion, which is the United Order, is the great work of the prophets in all the dispensations of time on earth.

But how can such a statement be made if there are so few references on the subject?

Hence the importance of a good study of the scriptures. It is in them that we think we have eternal life, and they testify of Jesus, don't they?

The prophet, to our knowledge, who had the greatest success in building up Zion and establishing the United Order was Enoch, father of Methuselah. The Bible says almost nothing about him, except that 'by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found' (Hebrews 11: 5).

The Book of Moses, in Pearl of Great Price, especially chapters 6 and 7, in turn, reveals many things about Enoch and the 'City of Holiness' that he built, 'yes, Zion', a people where 'they were one in heart and will and lived righteously, and there were no poor among them' (Moses, 7:18-19), and which was translated into heaven.

The Book of Mormon also talks about the United Order, and will be quoted shortly hereafter.

And behold, there comes to us The Sealed Book, like balm from Gilead, throwing light not only on Enoch and his work of establishing the United Order, but on that mission by all the prophets:

Behold, now I will let you know, Moses; that there would be no victory if you did not allow Aaron and Hur to sustain you at that time. Similarly I say to you: Behold, the time has come for you to organize my church according to the ancient order of Enoch, which has existed since the days of Adam; for my gospel is always the same, being eternal and unchanging. (Sealed Book of Moses, 16:14, emphasis mine)

By the way, in the Sealed Book, also, Nephi, one of the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus, gives us a little definition and great encouragement in Acts of the Three Nephites 6:9:

Let us rise, therefore, to build the society and the city that Jesus Christ has presented to us, so that we may enter into his rest.

From this perspective, that is, being able to glimpse the establishment of the United Order by the prophets raised up by the Lord, we see this happening, likewise, with the apostles in Jerusalem after Christ's ascension:

And all who believed were together, and had all things in common. And they sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as every man had need. (Acts 2:44-45)

So, similarly, it was with the Nephite people, and that after Jesus' visit to establish His church among them and to start, in the same way, the United Order:

And they taught and ministered among themselves; and they had all things in common among themselves, and all acted justly one with another. And it came to pass that they did all things as Jesus had commanded them. (3 Nephi 26:19-20)

(...)

And they had all things in common; therefore there was neither rich nor poor nor slave nor free, but they were all free and partakers of the heavenly gift. (4 Nephi 1:3)

And it came to pass that there was no strife in the land, because of the love of God that existed in the hearts of the people. And there was no envy nor strife nor tumult nor whoredoms nor lying nor murder nor any kind of lewdness; and surely there could be no happier people among all the peoples created by the hand of God. There were neither thieves nor murderers; there were neither Lamanites nor any kind of ites, but they were one, the sons of Christ and heirs of the kingdom of God. (4 Nephi 1:15-17)

(...)

And it came to pass that two hundred years had passed away; and the second generation also had all died, except a few. And now I, Mormon, would have you know that the people had multiplied so that they were scattered over the face of the earth; and they had become exceedingly rich by reason of their prosperity in Christ. Now in the year two hundred and one, some of them began to become proud, wearing expensive clothes and using all kinds of fine pearls and the luxurious things of the world. And from that time on they no longer had their goods and possessions in common. And they began to divide themselves into classes; and they began to organize churches for themselves, in order to make profits, and they began to deny the true church of Christ. And it came to pass after two hundred and ten years, that there were many churches on the earth; yea, there were many churches professing to know Christ, and yet denying most of his gospel, so that they tolerated all manner of iniquities, and administered what was holy to those to whom it was forbidden because of their unworthiness. And this the church greatly multiplied, because of the iniquity and power of Satan that took hold of their hearts. (4 Nephi 1:22-28).

Likewise, just before the Nephites in the land of Plenty, still in the Book of Mormon, and just after the prophet Abinadi suffered death by fire at the hands of the wicked King Noah, who ruled over a people who were indeed of the covenant, but who were in open apostasy, behold, one of their priests - Alma, is converted to the gospel and is raised up by the Lord, henceforth, to restore the church among them and establish the United Order:

And then it came to pass, that Alma, who had fled from the servants of king Noah, repented of his sins and iniquities, and walked secretly among the people, and began to teach the words of Abinadi; And he taught all who would hear his words. And he taught them secretly, that it might not come to the knowledge of the king. And many believed his words. And he commanded them to teach only those things which he had taught, which had been declared by the mouth of the holy prophets. (Alma 18:1-3)

And he commanded them not to contend among themselves, but to look forward with one mind, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts interwoven in unity and love one toward another.

And again Alma commanded that the people of the Church should share their goods, each according to what he had; he who had more abundantly should share more abundantly; from him who had little, little would be required; and he who had nothing, to him would be given. And so, of their own free will and because of their good desires toward God, they were to share their goods with the needy priests, yes, and with every needy and naked soul. And this he said to them at the command of God; and they walked uprightly before God, helping one another both materially and spiritually, according to their needs and wants. (Alma 18:21, 27-29)

The Sealed Book even sheds more light and knowledge on the history of Alma and the establishment of the United Order:

(... ) and, above all, engaged in spreading these good feelings among their brethren who will be in apostasy in the last days, as it was in the days of the wicked King Noah and his priestly class, composed of devout followers, as one would expect of a people blinded by the devil's cunning, because of the precepts of men and priestly wiles among their leaders, whose Priesthood of the Son of God will no longer be active among them, just as it was not active among the covenant people in Alma's day when he secretly walked among the corrupted Church people of his day and began to teach the words of Abinadi.

Yea, Alma was anxious to teach all who would hear his words, and he instructed them secretly, by visiting them in their homes, and by setting public meetings among the Mormon parishes, and baptizing them in their waters, in order to live the same principles of the United Order which is now proposed to you; so as to lighten one another's burdens, weep with those who weep, comfort the needy, and be witnesses of these things of God at all times,(...). (Acts of the Three Nephites 12:10-11)

And so it was with Joseph Smith Jr., in the early days of the restoration, between 3 and 4 years after the establishment of the church of Christ, on April 6, 1830, as stated in some revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, notably in sections 78, 82, 92, 96, 104 and 105, including several specific instructions on its operation, in which, notably, I highlight the following excerpts:

Verily thus saith the Lord, I give to the united order, organized according to the commandment previously given, a revelation and commandment, with reference to my servant Frederick G. Williams, that ye receive him into the order. What I say to one I say to all. (D&C 92:1)

Therefore, do not fail to take care of this matter and the portion that is necessary to benefit my order, for the purpose of bringing my word to the children of men.

And also verily I say unto you that it is wise and expedient unto me that my servant John Johnson, whose offering I have accepted and whose prayers I have heard, to whom I give the promise of eternal life if he will keep my commandments from henceforth (...)

Verily I say unto you, it is expedient for me that he should become a member of the order, that he may help to carry my word to the children of men. (D&C 96:4,6,8)

Verily I say unto you, my friends, I give unto you a counsel and a commandment concerning all the properties belonging to the order which I have commanded to be organized and established, to be a united order and an everlasting order for the benefit of my church and for the salvation of men until I come.

However, since some of my servants have not kept the commandment, but have broken the covenant through covetousness and with false words, I have cursed them with a severe and grievous curse.

For I, the Lord, have decreed in my heart that if any man who belongs to the order is found to be a transgressor, or, in other words, breaks the covenant to which you are committed, he will be cursed in life and will be trampled underfoot by whomever I wish;

For I, the Lord, will not be mocked as to these things. (D&C 104:1, 4-5)

And it is my purpose to supply my saints, for all things are mine.

But it must be done in my own way; and behold, this is the way which I, the Lord, have decreed to supply my saints, that the poor may be increased in that which the rich are diminished.

And now, verily I say unto you, concerning the properties of the order:

Let my servant Sidney Rigdon be assigned the place where he now resides, and the land of the tannery as his stewardship ....

And that my servant Oliver Cowdery be given the land adjoining the house appointed to be the printing office, (...).

And also that to my servant Newel K. Whitney be assigned the houses and the land where he now resides and the land and the building where the mercantile establishment is,(...).

After you are organized, you shall be called the United Order of the Zion Stake, of the city of Kirtland. And your brethren, after you have organized, shall be called the United Order of the City of Zion.

And they shall organize in their own names and in the name of the order; and they shall handle their business in the name of the order and in their own names;

And ye shall do your business in the name of the order and in your own names. (D&C 104: 15-16, 19-20, 28, 39, 48-50).

However, through pride, disobedience, and other transgressions, the United Order in Joseph Smith's day was dissolved, to be re-established in the future (and with the prophet's death in 1844 there was no further continuity, not even among any branch of the restoration, that is reported). About such dissolution and the future re-establishment of the United Order, thus, we are told by the Lord in Doctrine & Covenants:

Therefore, in consequence of the transgressions of my people, it is expedient for me that my elders wait a little for the redemption of Zion.

Therefore, it is expedient for me that my elders should wait some time for the redemption of Zion. (D&C 105:9, 13)

Then, with Mauricio Berger, in the latter part of the fullness of time, beginning in 2007, the Lord comes forth again, with more restoration, and He, the Lord, being the same yesterday, today, and forever, has been restoring also the ancient United Order, the heavenly society, for the protection and exaltation of His children in the midst of an unrighteous and corrupted world.

And in our days, yes, in this year 2022, let it not even be said that such a necessary United Order is proclaimed directly by him, Mauricio Berger, but by the very scriptures that he brought to light by the designation of Moroni, yes, The Sealed Book, of which Mauricio Berger is its authorized spokesman. In this respect, and even to arouse the curiosity of all those who wish to know the details of this long-awaited celestial society, I highlight a passage in Acts of the Three Nephites:

Being that, [it has been established] among us the most sublime and exalted condition that exists in the eternal gospel, the supreme order of the Church of Christ erected on the foundation of apostles and prophets; which has existed since before the foundation of the world, with the premise of erecting among this people the ancient "Order of Enoch," whose established foundations among the people of Christ's church on earth, if done successfully, become the foundations of Zion.

How was this possible? How was it possible for people to live these precepts without grumbling or murmuring about their property being administered by the high council of the church?

In order that all things might happen in order and harmony among all the brethren, the following principles were established among us to be strictly observed by those who wished to live within this Order. (ATN, 8:3,7-8).

And what were these principles? These norms? In fact, the verses and the following chapters, which we all must read, there in The Sealed Book, are a true general manual of the United Order, and all thanks to this magnificent work in our days - yes, today, January of the year 2022 of the Christian era.

Those details of the United Order is a subject for another article. For now, it is worth reading the last book of The Sealed Book, in Acts of the Three Nephites.

And so we see, therefore, after several scriptures, quoted and analyzed, that the United Order is the establishment of Zion, a society where the members of the Church of Christ nurture the noblest feelings among themselves, helping each other according to principles and norms that will keep them united and evolving, and also prepared for the times of tribulation that will come in the last days as taught by Jesus and prophesied since the first prophet, Adam.

In conclusion, I think that these next two verses in The Sealed Book can synthesize much of the requirements and potential of the United Order as we become aware of a new seer, a new book, and the same project:

This project, coming from God, requires first that people possess the citizenship of Zion in their hearts; and this will be the means by which God's people will show themselves fit and worthy to live in Zion, having a broken heart and a contrite spirit before the Lord.

Yes, unless people united in their feelings begin to build the principles that govern Zion in their own hearts, they will never be able to erect a physically structured Zion on earth. This will be impossible unless they engrave the laws that govern this heavenly home in themselves; and after they build themselves up, with the spirit, that is, with the pure feelings that govern Zion, then every one of God's men and women must extend this same principle in his own home and so on through the society of Christ's Church at large, until all the citizens of Zion are living harmoniously and according to the high standards of the Kingdom of God on earth, just as it is done in heaven, that He may come. (ATN, 7:6-7).

Of course, I do not intend to end here, nor to exhaust the subject about the United Order. There is still much knowledge to be taught, clarified, and perhaps revealed. What we can see from what the scriptures reveal is that the United Order is not something that should be forgotten, ignored, or even neglected. It is an institute established by God and that needs to be better understood - and indeed it is, through the new seer raised up by the Lord on Earth, yes, Mauricio A Berger.

Indeed, that is the primary mission of the Second Invitation. If the mission of the First Invitation was (and still is), missionary work, i.e., spreading the good news of the restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon, the mission of the Second Invitation is, not only alongside but in addition to missionary work, the establishment of the United Order, that is, the building of a heavenly society and a holy city-all as The Sealed Book of Moses has revealed to us and, in ever greater detail, Maurício Berger, the seer raised up by the Lord, in what is the final part of the fullness of time (The Sealed Book of Moses, 4: 69).

I have always valued the scriptures, ever since I was baptized into one of the branches of the restoration, over 28 years ago, and I am grateful for all that, there, I learned. And all this study I have been doing, since I met The Sealed Book, in March 2019, has expanded my mind and filled my heart to confirm that the way of Jesus, that leads us to Him and His kingdom, is the way of the scriptures, for we will cherish, always, having in them, eternal life, and it is through them, the scriptures, that I testify, at this time, of Jesus.

This is the United Order.

It is a teaching, yes, of Jesus. The scriptures testify to it.

And let us establish it.

May we draw closer and closer to the work of the Second Invitation to do so.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Volume 11, Article 4-February 2022: by Peter Gould

The latter day apostasy and the consistency of God

Book of Commandments 1:3  “1:3 Wherefore the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear: Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh; and the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth; and the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh, that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophet[s], and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people: For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant, they seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance i[s] that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall:”

This verse given by revelation in the preface commandment for the publication of the Book of Commandments was meant to be prophetic. Looking to the day when “Babylon the Great shall fall ''. Preceding that “fall” of Babylon is a description of apostasy which would set into the Holy Church of God - as was prophesied in the Book of Mormon: “(Mormon 4:49) And your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts. 50 For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted. 51 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? 52 Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ?”

It has been common for those who proclaim the Book of Mormon to apply these words to the protestant world, but the protestant world DID NOT HAVE the “Holy Church of God” among them -- instead they were struggling to break the bonds of apostasy which had set in many centuries earlier. Instead, these words must apply to an apostasy which would occur AFTER April 6, 1830 when the “Holy Church of God” was renewed in the earth. Just as the preface revelation looked to a future day just prior to the fall of “Babylon the Great'', which - for those who trust in riches will be a great “calamity” -- as it is written in the 4th verse of this same Preface revelation: “Wherefore I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph, and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments; and also gave commandments to others, -- the collapse of this system will be "calamity", indeed for all who “do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.[verse 3]”. So it is written about this “calamity” that: “(Revelation 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”

As it was after the great apostasy of the ages past, the Lord God raised up a seer and gave to him words to translate which would remove all the religious disputes of the day had they believed it - that is the Book of Mormon. So in the last-days apostasy, the Lord has raised up a seer to bring the words sealed with the Book of Mormon pages to our benefit and learning in calling the restoring of the “Holy Church of God” which has been polluted with the teachings of that great whore and the commandments of men.

But God has set the example of his constant nature from the beginning of the world and so has always sent “Two or Three witnesses.” In the former restoration from apostasy, he sent Joseph Jr to translate the Book of Mormon, and then sent Joseph III to publish those words throughout the earth. These are referred to in 2nd Nephi 2. Verses 10-15 ( a choice seer) referring to Joseph, Jr and verses 17-31(but a seer... - not the choice seer referred to previously) referring to Joseph III who broadcast the words with power and authority, which had been translated by his father.

Beginning in verse 32 we see the reflection of this same pattern for this second invitation labor:

“(verses 32-35) 32 And the Lord hath said, I will raise up a Moses; and I will give power unto him in a rod; 33 And I will give judgment unto him in writing. 34 Yet I will not loose his tongue, that he shall speak much: for I will not make him mighty in speaking. 35 But I will write unto him my law, by the finger of mine own hand; and I will make a spokesman for him.” This spokesman would be of the same lineage as the former seers as it is written: “37 And I, behold, I will give unto him (that “A Moses”), that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins, unto the fruit of thy loins; and the spokesman of thy loins shall declare it.”]

Behold the consistency and the holy pattern of God Who caused after this first great apostasy for a “Moses” (Joseph Smith Jr.) to bring forth the Holy Priesthood and the Holy Words of God and another like unto Moses (Joseph Smith III - also of the “Royal Priesthood” lineage ) to broadcast that word with Power and Authority. So it is in this second invitation that one like unto Moses was called to restore the power of the Holy Priesthood and to bring for the word of God from the plates of Mormon, and for another who is of that “Royal Priesthood” Lineage to declare those word to the ends of the earth. -- even the “spokesman of thy loins" whom Joseph was told about millennia ago.

Holy Father, In Jesus’ name we ask that you strengthen us to take hold of this great work which has been spoken of by thy prophets and apostles in ages past and grant us grace to prepare the children of thy heritage for those events soon to pass upon the earth - even the fall of Babylon the Great in whom so many of thy children have trusted. So may we glorify thy holy name in all things and cause the poor and the meek of the earth to rejoice in thy NAME which we are not ashamed of. For in thy NAME is all that this good and right and true and just and merciful forever and ever. Amen.

Author Apostle Peter Gould, Morning Manna December 28, 2021