Day 85 Ether 7-9

                          "Greater Love" Music Video on Youtube (song written by Kenneth Cope)

In Ether Chapter 7, Orihah is reigning the people as a righteous king.  He had 31 kids as King and 23 of them were boys.  Kib was his son born in his old age and he took over the kingdom after his father died.  Kib had a son named Corihor and he rebelled against his father Kib and took many people with him when he left for a place called Nehor. Corihor took his own father Kib, the king, and took him captive which is exactly what the brother of Jared said would happen.  During this time King Kib had a son named Shule.  Shule decided to make war weapons of Iron and get an army together to fight his own brother Corihor who took their father captive, and he went and rescued Kib.  Because Shule rescued Kib, Kib gave him the Kingdom and had him rule as King in Nehor.

Corihor repented of his wrong doings and Shule gave him power in his Kingdom.  Corihor had many sons and daughters.  One of them was named Noah.  Noah rebelled against Shule and Corihor and brought people with him to rebel against the King and Corihor.  Even Cohor his brother went with him.  He battled Shule, took his land, and then made him captive in Moron.  Noah was gonna kill Shule, but Shule's sons broke in and rescued Shule and killed Noah.  They placed Shule back on his own throne in his own Kingdom!

After Noah was killed, his son Cohor took over in his place and there began to be two kingdoms.  Shule had a kingdom and Noah's son Cohor had a kingdom.  Cohor told his people to battle and go after Shule's Kingdom but Shule had his people win the battle and kill Cohor.  Cohor had a son named Nimrod and he gave up his Kingdom to Shule.  This made Shule happy and Nimrod did whatever Shule asked of him in his Kingdom.  Prophets came to Shule's Kingdom and taught them and cried repentance unto them telling them that if they didn't repent they would be destroyed.

Shule gave permission to the prophets to teach in all of his lands and the people began to repent and be righteous.  Shule ruled all his days as a good King and the people were obedient and prospered.

depiction of Daughter of Jared and the Secret Combination Plot to Kill King Omer

Ether Chapter 8, it talks about Secret Combinations that following them will bring the downfall of the Jaredites.  There are warnings for us today about Secret Combinations and how to recognize and avoid them.  Moroni says to stand firm and protect ourselves and our families to be vigilant, recognize and examine our hearts, don't allow our hearts to be deceived, and always stay righteous.

We are encouraged to learn and recognize that we must choose to live righteously, even when it is hard!  There were brothers of Jared that were angry at Him.  They said that they would not kill Jared if Jared would give his kingdom to them.  

Shule had a son named Omer and Omer had a son named Jared.   Jared ended up rebelling against the King Omer.  Jared battled his own father and made him a captive servant in his Kingdom.   Ezrom and Coriantumr were brothers of this wicked guy Jared.  They got upset at what he had done to their father Omer and went to war against him and his army at night.  Jared got scared and begged them to give him his life, he would  

give back his father and give his father back his Kingdom, if they would spare his life.   The brothers agreed.

Jared was sad that he lost his stolen kingdom and the daughter of Jared noticed her wicked dad's sorrow and devised a plan.  She would win the heart through dance, of a guy named Akish and this Akish guy would want to marry the daugher of Jared.  He would ask what she wanted as a wedding gift and she would tell him she wants her own grandfather King Omer's head on a platter!  Gross.  What a wicked woman, but she also had learned and knew about Secret Combinations and it gave her the idea.  They were all evil and swore on Satanic Oaths passed down from Cain.  These oaths passed down by the Devil allowed evil people to have Power, commit wickedness, and whoredoms.

Ether 8:26 says, " Wherefore I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power over the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness, and be saved."

In Ether Chapter 9, Akish and his friends overthrew the Kingdom of King Omer and took it back but God was merciful to King Omer and his people and warned him in a dream to take his family, people and himself and flee which they did.  Jared became a King through wickedness and gave his daughter to Akish.  Akish was evil and killed Jared by beheading on his throne.  This guy Akish was so evil that when he was jealous of his son he made him a prisoner and starved him to death.  Akish had another son named Nimrah, and knew what his dad did to his brother and he was angry with him.  He took a small group with him and they defected from Akish and went and lived with Omer and his people.

There were wars fought between Akish and his sons for a long time until Omer regained his rightful kingdom.  Omer got old and gave the Kingdom to his son Emer. People under King Emer became strong and wealthy having grains, field, silks, and much livestock and animals (they even had cureloms and cumoms with their livestock!  ha-ha I must google these creatures).  Apparently, those beasts were as useful as the Elephant to the people, so I am assuming they were big.

Emer before he died named his son Coriantum as King and it said that he died having reigned in such righteousness that he saw the Son of Righteousness before he died.  Coriantum reigned in goodness and built many mighty cities, but he had no children to leave his throne to in old age.  Then when his first wife died at age 101, he remarried a young maid and they had many children.  He lived to be 142 years old!

He died leaving the Kingdom to Com and Com had a son Heth.  Heth became wicked and wanted to overthrow his own father, Com.    Heth did kill King Com (haha  King Com; sorry a bit of levity there).  Anyways, Heth killed his father King Com.  Prophets started to come teach the evil people under King Heth about their need to repent and the people would not listen.  King Heth was putting the Prophets in Jail and dropped them in pits to be left to die.

There started to be a great drought and famine in the land.  There were poisonous snakes, no rain, and the people were dying.  When all of this was happening and they saw they were gonna perish, they began to repent.  When the Lord saw their repentance he did bring on the rain which allowed for fruit trees to grow to feed the people and he kept them from dying further.

Likening these Chapters Unto Me

Wow!  So much here guys.  Okay, It really is simple.  We need to heed the Prophets (remember Amos 3:7, "The Lord will do nothing save he revealeth his secrets to his servants, the Prophets) and we need to be guided to avoid Secret Combinations, evil doing, evil reading, evil media, evil print, evil ways, evil thoughts, anything that draws us away from Heavenly Father.  This included but is not limited to what we watch, wear, eat, drink, entertain, study, read about, introduce in to our minds, and allow others to influence us with.  I have these thoughts.

#1 I am 50 years old and not getting younger.  I have decided after this Book of Mormon reading in 90 days and the deep dive I have done in to the Holy Spirit allowing me to be taught additional truths just for my life, that I no longer will allow things to enter in to my heart, mind, relationships, or life that I could not sit and do with Jesus there in person.  If I can't feel comfortable discussing this with a Prophet or Apostle sitting in my living room, it won't be allowed into my life.  That includes books, movies, Paranormal Stuff, Aliens, Rated R Movies, Word of Wisdom don'ts (including spirit of the law things like anything that I feel won't be good for me or could be addictive (like Sugar, diet colas, caffeine energy drinks, and only allow myself desert sparingly, like when we feed the missionaries).  This is not a commandment thing for the world or these readers, but something I am being called to do just for me.

#2 In the same spirit as the above mentioned, I have decided that I will be listening to the Prophet more, read his words more, following his counsel more, read the conference talks to memorization, and that I will do what my friend Francis told me to do all of the time when he was alive, "Stay in the Word, Stace.  If you do this, you will never ever be led astray".  I have many friends that are way less "rigid" as they see me, in their approach to friends, movies, books, interests, etc. and this might make them uncomfortable to read these things I am committing to, but this is for me.  I feel very strongly that this time the past 85 days has transformed my spirit and the fact that I was brought to this decision during a time where my body has been made to be ill and low causing me additional humility makes me realize this is not a coincidence.  God's timing is perfect.

#3 God's timing is perfect which leads me to the third thing from these reflections today.  There is a song from the Kenneth Cope called, "Greater Love" and it makes me think.  I will post the lyrics of the song from the video above, at the end of this post tonight.  Would I have been Jesus's disciple like Mary or Martha.  Will I be ready when he comes again?  I do believe that the Savior will come soon.  I know that we have been hearing this since Antiquity. I do believe it's here.  Am I too late?  Will my Temple Blessings ever get restored?  Who knows.  What I do know is that Jesus Christ has the Final Say about redemption, not man.  I don't get to question the decision making of my Leaders because they are inspired by God.  I get to walk in Faith, NEVER again wavering.  NEVER AGAIN!  That means I WILL lose my relationships with people, I will lose sibling relationships, parent relationships, and maybe even the relationships of those closest to me as they choose not to follow the "Covenant Path".  I have to be willing, like at no other time in my life, to be loyal to Christ over people, even family.  It's time.

"Greater Love"

By Kenneth Cope

If I had been there at his trial,
And watched as they mocked Israel's King,
I wonder if I would have tried to turn their hearts to Him,
If I had been there when they whipped him,
And watched as he fell to his knees,
Would I have been willing to offer my own life for Him,
For His friends, how he bled
His love for them was just as he said
Greater love he showed the greatest love, of all

If I had been there at the hillside when they fastened his hands to the cross,
I'm sure that my heart would have broken,

For His friends, For His friends,
And that's me if I do what he said
Would I give? Could I live my life like Jesus?
Jesus

Well now, it's been years since his lifetime,
But he and his love still remain,
And all that I want is to be like him,
He was all I hope to be,
I would give my life to be,
The kind of friend, Jesus was to me,
Greater love.  https://www.songlyrics.com/kenneth-cope/greater-love-lyrics/