Dwelling in the Presence of God

2. Dwellingin thePresence of God William Leutzinger Geneseo Retreat September 20-21, 2008

3. If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably does not lead anywhere. Frank A. Clark

4. Joseph Jr. And, now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him, that he lives; for we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father; that by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created; and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God. DC 76:3g-h

5. Satan cast down from presence of God • And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God, who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the only begotten Son; whom the Father loved, and who was in the bosom of the Father; and was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son, and was called Perdition; for the heavens wept over him; he was Lucifer, a son of the morning. And we beheld, and lo, he is fallen! is fallen! even a son of the morning. DC 76:3i-j • Ref. Gen 3:1-5

6. Adam & Eve cast from presence of God • And Adam and his wife went to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord God, amongst the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:14

7. Adam & Eve cut off from presence of God • 2 Nephi 6:14 And because man became fallen, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord; • Mosiah 1:127 And if they be evil, they are consigned to an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord, into a state of misery and endless torment, from whence they can no more return: therefore, they have drunk damnation to their own souls. • Alma 19:88 And now we see by this, that our first parents were cut off, both temporally and spiritually, from the presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will.

8. Cain • And Cain was shut out from the presence of the Lord, and with his wife and many of his brethren, dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. Genesis 5:26

9. Adam instructed by angel And Adam called upon the name of the Lord, and Eve also, his wife; and they heard the voice of the Lord, from the way towards the garden of Eden, speaking unto them, and they saw him not; for they were shut out from his presence.And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God; and should offer the firstlings of their flocks for an offering unto the Lord.And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord. And after many days, an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying, Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him, I know not, save the Lord commanded me.And then the angel spake, saying, This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth;Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest, in the name of the Son. And thou shalt repent, and call upon God, in the name of the Son for evermore.And in that day, the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying, I am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth and forever; that, as thou hast fallen, thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even as many as will.Gen 4:4-9

10. Adam Redeemed • And in that day Adam blessed God, and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth; saying, Blessed be the name of God, for, because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again, in the flesh I shall see God.And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying, Were it not for our transgression, we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God; and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.Gen 4:10-12

12. The Testimony of Jesus Christ handed down to the Sons of Adam

13. Jacob blessing 12 sons

14. Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions; then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions; And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand….Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. Ezekiel 37:16-20

16. Stick of Judah • Enoch brings entire city into presence of God

17. Enoch • And he heard a voice from heaven, saying, Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and say unto them, Repent, for thus saith the Lord, I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off….And an hell I have prepared for them, if they repent not; Gen 6:27-32

18. Enoch • And the Lord said unto Enoch, Go forth, and do as I have commanded thee, … Behold, my Spirit is upon you; wherefore all thy words will I justify, and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.And the Lord spake unto Enoch, and said unto him, Anoint thine eyes with clay, and wash them, and thou shalt see; and he did so. And he beheld the spirits that God had created, and he beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye; and from thenceforth came the saying abroad in the land, A seer hath the Lord raised up unto his people.Genesis 6:33-38

19. Enoch • And it came to pass, as I journeyed from the land of Cainan by the sea east, I beheld a vision; and lo, the heavens I saw, and the Lord spake with me, and gave me commandment; wherefore for this cause, to keep the commandment, I speak forth these words….And death hath come upon our fathers; nevertheless, we know them, and cannot deny, and even the first of all we know, even Adam; for a book of remembrance we have written among us, according to the pattern given by the finger of God; and it is given in our own language. And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled and could not stand in his presence. And he said unto them, Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death, and we are made partakers of misery and woe. Behold, Satan hath come among the children of men, and tempteth them to worship him; and men have become carnal, sensual, and devilish, and are shut out from the presence of God. But God hath made known unto our fathers, that all men must repent. And he called upon our father Adam, by his own voice, saying, I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh.Gen 6:44-52

20. Enoch • And I have given unto you another law and commandment; wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in no wise inherit the kingdom of God. For no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name; and the name of his Only Begotten is the son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous judge, who shall come in the meridian of time. … Even so ye must be born again, into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye may be sanctified from all sin; and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come; even immortal glory. For, by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified; and by the blood ye are sanctified.Gen 6:59-63

21. Immanuel “God with us” Enoch’s City • And all the days of Zion, in the days of Enoch, were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion.Gen 7:76-77

22. Earth Sanctified

23. Earth sanctified • And, behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, …and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father; and behold, Zion is with me! And it came to pass, that Enoch looked upon the earth, and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying, Woe! woe! is me, the mother of men! I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children! When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which has gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face? And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying, O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth? wilt thou not bless the children of Noah? And it came to pass, that Enoch continued his cry unto the Lord, saying, I ask thee, O Lord, in the name of thine Only Begotten, even Jesus Christ, that thou wilt have mercy upon Noah, and his seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods. And the Lord could not withhold; and he covenanted with Enoch, and sware unto him with an oath, that he would stay the floods; that he would call upon the children of Noah; and he sent forth an unalterable decree, that a remnant of his seed should always be found among all nations, while the earth should stand.Gen 8:54-58

24. Stick of Judah • Moses enters presence of Lord • Moses strives to bring 3million people into the presence of God • 3 days Sanctify the people

25. Moses sanctify people in 3 days • And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine; And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. … And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee forever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day; for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.Exodus 19:3-11

26. Moses people unprepared • And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day; come not at your wives. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount; and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish.Gen 19:14-21

27. Punishment • Exodus 34:1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two other tables of stone, like unto the first, and I will write upon them also, the words of the law, according as they were written at the first on the tables which thou brakest; but it shall not be according to the first, for I will take away the priesthood out of their midst; therefore my holy order, and the ordinances thereof, shall not go before them; for my presence shall not go up in their midst, lest I destroy them.34:2 But I will give unto them the law as at the first, but it shall be after the law of a carnal commandment; for I have sworn in my wrath, that they shall not enter into my presence, into my rest, in the days of their pilgrimage. Therefore do as I have commanded thee, and be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me, in the top of the mount. • Ref. Deut.10:2

28. 40 years wilderness

29. 40 years wilderness • Numbers 14:22-24 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it; But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. • Numbers 26:63-65 These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho. But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord and said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. • Ref Hosea 3:4, Ezek. 34:1, Dan 9:11

30. Priesthood by birth rite • Levites • Aaron & Moses • Aaronic Priesthood • Bishop • Son of Aaron • Presides over Aaronic Priests

31. Melchisedec Authority The power and authority of the higher, or Melchisedec, priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church; to have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; to have the heavens opened unto them; to commune with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn; and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant. DC104:9a-b

32. Behold, thus saith, the Lord unto the elders of his church, who are to return speedily to the land from whence they came. Behold, it pleaseth me, that you have come up hither; but with some I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man. Woe unto such, for mine anger is kindled against them. And it shall come to pass, if they are not more faithful unto me, it shall be taken away, even that which they have, for I, the Lord, ruleth in the heavens above, and among the armies of the earth; and in the day when I shall make up my jewels, all men shall know what it is that bespeaketh the power of God. …Thou shalt not idle away thy time; neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known.DC 60:1-3

33. Stick of Judah • Jesus communed with God in the Garden of Gethsemane

34. Stick of Judah

35. Stick of Judah • 12 Apostles in presence of Lord

36. Class 1Stick of Judah 12 Apostles

37. Priesthood Authority It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God; And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name. For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course; To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world. And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven. Gen 14:28-32

40. Stick of Joseph(Ephraim & Manasseh) • Doctrine & Covenants • Book of Mormon

41. Stick of Joseph(Ephraim & Manasseh) Book of Mormon

42. Stick of Joseph “And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates.” Ezekial 38:11

43. And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim my servant. And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence. DC 108:6 Stick of Joseph

44. Stick of Joseph Gen. 49:22-26 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall…The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. (Rocky Mountains)” Ref. Habak. 3:6

45. Stick of Joseph Isaiah 18:1 Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia; ?

46. Stick of Joseph Land Shadowing with Wings • Malachi 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. • Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Ye who will kill the prophets, and will stone them who are sent unto you; how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not.

47. Winged authority

48. Wings of Eagles = Priesthood • Eagles gather around carcass • Matthew 24:28 And now I show unto you a parable. Behold, wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together; so likewise shall mine elect be gathered from the four quarters of the earth. • Mark 13:30 And now I show unto you a parable. Behold, wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together; • Luke 17:37 And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is gathered; or, in other words, whithersoever the saints are gathered, thither will the eagles be gathered together; or, thither will the remainder be gathered together.

49. Revelation 12:7 And the dragon prevailed not against Michael, neither the child, nor the woman which was the church of God, who had been delivered of her pains, and brought forth the kingdom of our God and his Christ.Revelation 12:14 Therefore, to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might flee into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

50. Wings of Stork = False Priesthood • Zechariah 5:9 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork; and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.