Truth and error make this a muddle

The adversary mixes truth and error. That’s what makes it so difficult. You might say, “just follow the prophet,” which is all good and fine, but we’re supposed to learn how to follow spiritual promptings from God. We have to move on from the parroting stage — from the precept upon precept, line upon line stage of learning. As a parent, you eventually want your kids to strike out on their own, reason, think, create and not just do as you say. They have to know for themselves. I believe God wants the same for us.

God the Father, Jehovah, and the Holy Ghost deliver only truth. Satan, that adverse character, delivers a mixture of truth and error. He doesn’t just deliver error. That would be too easy to spot. His message is a mixed message, and that’s the muddle. What do they say about liars? They speak with forked tongue. He started with Adam and Eve in the garden,

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1)

Eve explains that they can eat the fruit from the trees, just not the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. In fact, she explains, they can’t touch it, or they will die. Do you see how tricky (crafty) that guy is — the Adversary? He definitely has her engaged in a conversation.

Next, he mixes truth with error —

• Truth: you will become like the Gods, knowing good and evil and
• False: you will not die.

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The woman obviously chose the difficult road of mortal life — desiring wisdom, to become like God, knowing good from evil. Perhaps she chose believing that she would die, or maybe she believed the “Snake” and didn’t think she would die. After all, what did it mean to die? She had no experience to recall death. She had not seen death. And she did not die instantly.

I’ve noticed that many seekers of greater light and knowledge become distracted by characters who mix truth and error. My sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Schwab, used to say, “a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Or, as Hugh Nibley says, “Zeal without knowledge.”

I believe that people leave the church for various reasons. But I also know that some never plan to leave, but they begin seeking greater light — they want to know more. They want to know that Jesus is real — to hear an apostle who says, “yes, I’ve seen him, and he is real.” Not faith-based — eyewitness-based. And that is a worthy quest.

Since we’re all to progress and become eyewitnesses ourselves, we have the potential to get down a path of truth and error. It happened in Joseph Smith’s day, as he was an eyewitness of Christ, and explained that we should seek the face of God. However, Joseph was concerned that people could be deceived. He explained how to detect a true messenger. Yet, still weird things happened.

There are a lot of  Zion-building groups today, and some may have had spiritual experiences, but it reminds me of the early days of the church — Joseph Smith revealing so much truth and opening the doors for everyone to seek God. People began to have experiences, but not all of them came from God. It was a mixed bag. It got messy. The adversary can appear as an angel of light. He is deceptive.

Joseph Smith had experience himself with this type of manifestation. On the banks of the Susquehanna River, Michael appeared to intervene and detect the devil when he appeared as an angel of light (D&C 128:20), indicating another dimension to this question of detection. Because the adversary apparently can take light and truth away from the disobedient (D&C 93:39), he can attempt to pass as an angel of glory (2 Corinthians 11:14; D&C 129:8; Moses 1:2, 9, 11-25). (Cook, Lyndon W.. The Words of Joseph Smith (Kindle Locations 427-431). Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition.)

It was quite common in the 1830s for people to be seeking Zion (see Rough Stone Rolling, Bushman). Joseph Smith received many visitors and often heard their story. One man, Robert Matthews, showed up saying his name was Joshua, the Jewish Minister. He and Joseph talked for some time until Joseph ended the discussion when Joshua declared that he was the resurrected spirit of the apostle Matthias. At that point, Joseph told him, “his doctrine was of the Devil, that he was in reality in possession of a wicked and depraved spirit.” Later, Joseph said, “my God told me that his God is the Devil, and I could not keep him any longer.” (Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, p. 275).

This idea that Christ will soon be here — that His second coming is right around the corner has been a prominent theme hundreds of years ago. It’s not new. If Joseph Smith couldn’t tell the exact timing, then none of these current day “visionaries” know either. If they say they know, that should be a red flag.

Some of my experiences in seeking

I am currently reading a book about greater light and knowledge. So far, I’m accepting the content. I’ve read many true accounts of when people have received the baptism of fire. I’ve also read books/blogs where the authors have mixed truth and error. I don’t think it’s always intentional; I believe many of these authors and followers started seeking but became deceived. It’s so confusing when you read some truth, and then you readily accept other claims that are really errors. In our seeking, we’re bound to come across some of this.

When I first read Denver Snuffer’s book, The Second Comforter, I found many great truths. I then read another of his books and found some statements that were questionable and others in conflict with Joseph Smith. I believe Denver leads many astray with his truth and error teachings.

I’ve also read some books by others who have claimed to see Christ. Some may have. I believe some. I’ve also read some books on energy healing. I tried it out. I had an open mind. But I don’t believe that rubbing a magnet down my back will get rid of negative feelings or iniquities in my family line. I believe that it takes a lot of time and work to remove those iniquities in your line — all the consequences of addictions or broken marriages require some of your own sufferings.

I recently read a book written by a woman as if she were speaking for Jesus in the first person (Alive in Christ). That kind of bothered me. I thought, well, maybe.  I read most of the book. It has a worthy message — seek the Lord, pray and learn of your life plan — you could be translated one day. Who doesn’t want to hear that? So much of what she writes is true. But she claims to be channeling Christ. I did a little internet sleuthing about the woman author. Found out her name (it’s not on the book). According to her website, she channels Jesus every Sunday for the sacrament. She also channels a slew of other Biblical characters — you can pay $8 for their messages. Going to her for my spiritual advice is not what God wants me to do. I don’t believe that she can channel dead spirits for messages to me. That’s truth and error mixed together. If my dad, who has passed away, talks to me in a dream — that’s legit. His message is to me.

That’s not to say I don’t believe that some people can see through the veil — I believe Spencer’s account from Visions of Glory. I’ve met him and believe him, to tell the truth. There are others as well that have true accounts.

If you look at the experiences of Joseph, or Moses, or Adam, or Christ, you will see that they do not have a protected conduit to God. Satan intervenes many times, trying to confuse them. The first time Joseph prayed to God out there in the grove, Satan intervened. When Adam and Eve were praying at the altar, Satan appeared to deceive them.

Satan continued to try to deceive Adam and Eve.

In the Book of Adam and Eve, also called the Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan, Satan continued his deceptive moves on Adam and Eve. I find this so interesting. There are many examples of when Satan appears as an angel of light to Adam and Eve. For example:

When Satan, the hater of all good, saw how they continued in prayer, and how God communed with them, and comforted them, and how He had accepted their offering–Satan made an apparition.

He began with transforming his hosts; in his hands was a flashing fire, and they were in a great light.

He then placed his throne near the mouth of the cave because he could not enter into it by reason of their prayers. And he shed light into the cave, until the cave glistened over Adam and Eve; while his hosts began to sing praises.

And Satan did this, in order that when Adam saw the light, he should think within himself that it was a heavenly light, and that Satan’s hosts were angels; and that God had sent them to watch at the cave, and to give him light in the darkness. (First Book of Adam and Eve, Ch. XXVII)

Adam and Eve question this move from Satan and his hosts and pray to God, who sends an angel into the cave where they dwell. But even after this, Adam and Eve still get distracted with Satan’s deceptions:

Then Satan, the hater of all good, said unto Adam, “O Adam, I am an angel of the great God; and, behold the hosts that surround me.

“God has sent me and them to take thee and bring thee to the border of the garden northwards; to the shore of the clear sea, and bathe thee and Eve in it, and raise you to your former gladness, that ye return again to the garden.” (Ibid., Ch. XXVIII)

We often do not realize that the battle in the Garden of Eden continued. Adam and Eve were often deceived for a short time, but eventually, they realized that Satan was still their enemy.

Then came the Word from God to Adam, and said unto him, “Know thou and understand concerning this Satan, that he seeks to deceive thee and thy seed after thee.” (Ibid, Ch XXIX)

Satan tries to deceive Moses.

Moses was “caught up into an exceedingly high mountain, and he saw God face to face, and he talked with him” (Moses 1: 1-2). But afterward, he didn’t have any strength for many hours. It was then that Satan appeared to him, asking him to worship him, at which Moses replies, “Who art thou?” (Moses 1:13) Moses has this little conversation with Satan and declares that he recognizes Satan, telling him to depart. All of this was down-right frightening because Satan rants — then Moses fears.

We need to remember that Adam and Eve, Joseph, Moses, and others were confronted by error that they did not easily discern. This is a pattern that we need to remember as we seek greater light and knowledge.

Originally posted 2018. Updated.