I thank you for attempting to explain, but you still haven´t explained How your personal revelation took place ie, in what shape,manner or form ?[/size]
Briefly, having been raised in a church that taught another Jesus than the One who reveals Himself in the Bible and having been entrenched in another gospel, I utterly rejected the gospel one night when it was shared with me. The following day God, the Holy Spirit, brought about a deep conviction in my heart so that night I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. At that point He filled me with a profound peace that passed all understanding (Philippians 4:7). It has been over 37 years now and I have not had a day in which I have not thanked God from my heart for His salvation through faith in Christ.
It is Jesus Christ who Saves people, not the Gospel. The Gospel is only part of the way we are taught to believe and develope our fath in God and Jesus Christ. The Gospel is not the only help. The Church is a gathering place for the uplifting and edification of the Saints in the teachings of the One True Doctrine of Jesus Christ.
There is a difference here in understanding what the Gospel is. Your Gospel is a system of works. The gospel as defined by the Bible in I Corinthians 15:1-8 is faith in Jesus Christ and his resurrection. The Greek word for gospel, evangelos, means good news and it is very good news that we can have salvation free and eternal through faith in Jesus Christ.
And can you please tell me How wide the Gap was before the "orginisation" of the catholic church and also how wide the Gap was from the Old Testament until the coming of Jesus ?
According to the RCC there was no gap at all before their organization. They believe that Christ ordained Peter as the first pope and there has been an unbroken succession of popes since that time. Likewise, the Old Testament system was in full practice until A.D. 70 so there was no gap, but an actual overlap with the coming of Jesus.
Gaps and times are not relevant to God, even Jesus doesn´t know when He will return !
As to the latter part of this quote from you.
There is No comparison between the catholic church and The Church of Jesus Christ´s. Only a misunderstanding of the catholic and every other christian organisation and also by you,(except The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS) as to what the Keys are ?
I beg to differ. There are many comparisons that can be made beween various denominations, including the LDS. For example, like other denominations, the LDS claim to believe the Bible. Is this not a valid comparison? Various denominations hold to teachings concerning Keys, so there is the baseline of comparison in that they believe in keys. Some, such as the LDS and the RCC claim exclusive ownership of the keys, It is evident that neither recognizes the other's claims or interpretations as valid. However, that does not preclude a comparison of the various views.
If you believe that, then you are not only trying to kid me or any others who are observing these post, but yourself !
Believe me, I am dead serious in my comments and am not trying to kid anyone, especially yourself.
The Apostacy took place during and after the Apostles were murdered and it still continues today in the EVIDENCE of the differing Doctrinal teachings of the "Gospel" !
Does this include the Apostasy that has occured since the time of Mr. Smith with the differing Doctrinal teachings of the Gospel as found in the numerous divisions within the Mormon fold? As a point of information, there were no divisions in the Church until the Great Schism between the RCC and the EOC in the eleventh century. I find it impressive that the Church would last that long without division, whereas the Mormons began dividing following the death of Mr. Smith.
You are mistaken. God has Always had gathering places, especially Temples, where Sacred Ordinances of the Priesthood took place. That will never change.
You have No Authority alone ! In fact, it is not Good to be alone, that´s why God created help meets.
Please provide reliable historical evidence of God's gathering places, especially Temples, where Sacred Ordinance of the Priesthood took place between A.D. 70 and the advent of Mr. Smith ca. 1830. Of course I have no authority. Even Jesus told Pilate that he had no authority except as God gave it to him (John 19:11). There is no authority other than God and His revelation through His Word.
Are you called of God ? Do you take upon you the Authority of God alone ?
Read Hebrews 5: 4
Yes, I am called of God (Romans 8:28-30) according to His word. I share in submitting to the Authority of God along with every blood-bought believer in Jesus Christ. Hebrews 5:4 speaks of the priestly call of Aaron to service. That form of service ended in A.D. 70.
Mathew 16: 15-19
The Church of Jesus Christ has and is been, Built on Revelation.
God and Jesus Christ are God´s of Order, with Ordinances passed on through the laying on of hands !
Please explain to me how these ordinances were passed on through the laying on of hands during the approximately nineteen centuries of the Apostasy (according to your description).
The "Keys" are Symbolic !
The Keys given to Peter is the Holy Melchezadic Priesthood of God recieved by the Laying On of Hands by those in Authority (Called, Heb. 5: 4)!
If the keys are merely symbolic, why is it that Brigham Young stated emphatically that Joseph Smith held these keys and that nobody would be admitted to the Celestial Kingdom without his use of the keys?
You are mistaken again, like many !
The (Keys) Holy Melchezadic Priesthood was given (returned and passed on) by the Laying on of Hands of Peter, James and John to Joseph Smith in a Revelation to Joseph Smith.
Authority Restored, Priesthood Restored, (Keys)
Please explain to me where the keys were during the nineteen centuries of the Apostasy and why they were disused during that time, preventing any and all from entering into their benefits.
You are mistaken.
The Apostles were brutally murdered and the Authority, (Keys) Priesthood was lost The begining of the Apostacy. You can read in Timothy how it started, even Paul reprehmanded about falling into Pagan rituals.
Faith without works is Dead. Faith alone does Not Save !
I may be mistaken, but that also does not preclude the possibility that you may be mistaken, as well. If the keys were merely symbolic, as you previously stated, how could they have been lost? You can't lose something that has no actual existence.
Sorry my friend, I do not agree with this flimsy statement. God is Not Flimsy. God is a God of rules and Order.
I wholeheartedly agree that God is not flimsy. Please show me, however, what makes my statement flimsy.
Proclaiming Differing Doctrines "Entrusted" by God to man is Not His Way !
Bingo! That is why God has given us his revelation in His word, the Bible. Proclaiming any doctrines other than those revealed in Holy Scripture is most definitely not His way.
The Priesthood was taken away but restored, in God´s time, through an inquiring young man called Joseph Smith in 1830.
This is the Church of Jesus Christ which He told Peter He would Build, through Revelation, (Rock). It is His Authority here on earth and the gates of Hell Will Not prevail against it.
If your statement is accurate, according to history, the gates of hell did prevail for nineteen centuries until the coming of Mr. Smith and has prevailed since them as evidenced by the multiplicity of Mormon churches, all claiming Revelation.
Now, the only way one can know this, is by a revelation by God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost,
If one has had this revelation, one will know for sure the "Symtoms" thereof !
You have Not told me the "Symptoms" thereof which told you the contrary !
I do not understand your definition of symptom. Please explain to me what you mean by that word. As I understand it a symptom is an evidence of an underlying problem, or cause of that symptom. For example, red spots on the skin can be a symptom of measles, but are not measles.
Oh yes this is significant. !
Or should we just accept it, like the squabbling "early fathers" (Namely, prior to and after Constantine, Nicea ca, 360 after the death of Christ) of the "church", who differed on the very canonisation of the Bible and Doctrines thereof ?
I would suggest that as being naive.
I believe that it is naive to trust in anything simply based on an emotional response. It is obvious that you reject the canon of scripture and that you consider the process of its development and those who accept it as being naive. I ask that you would provide an explanation as to what constitutes the true Word of God.
I look forward to your response !
God Bless you too.
