There will be, there can be, no absolutely reliable translation of the Bible unless it
be affected through the gift of translation as one of the endowments of the Holy Ghost.
Can you understand how critical it would be if something were missing from the Word of
God?
The Book of Mormon tells us that after the prophets and apostles of the Bible had written
the words of God, evil and unbelieving men would remove many plain and precious truths
from their writings.
The result was great confusion and misunderstanding concerning the Word of God.
Shortly after Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, the Lord commanded him to
translate the Bible and restore many of the truths that had been removed.
Sidney Rigdon served as scribe for much of the translation.
It has become known as the Joseph Smith translation.
Let's look at some of the doctrines and insights that Joseph Smith restored to the Bible.
In the first verse of Genesis, we read that God created the heaven and the earth.
In the Joseph Smith translation of this verse, we gain three additional insights into the
creation.
We learn that Jesus Christ, the only begotten, created the heaven and the earth.
We learn that God revealed the creation of the earth to Moses and that God commanded
Moses to write the words spoken to him.
There are passages in the Bible where large sections of Scripture were removed.
The Joseph Smith translation expands and enlarges our understanding of many wonderful doctrines
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The premortal life, the creation of this earth, the fall of Adam and Eve.
Most importantly, through the Joseph Smith translation, we gain greater understanding
of the very center of the Old and New Testament.
Jesus Christ, the Creator, the Savior, and the Redeemer of the world.
These precious truths, unavailable for nearly 2,000 years, are now placed at your fingertips.
Search them and learn.
In June of 1830, while rewording some of Genesis, the choice seer received revelation, now included
in the book of Moses.
Of that special revelatory moment, Joseph wrote, I will say that amid all the trials
and tribulations we had to wade through, the Lord, who well knew our infantile and delicate
situation, vouched safe for us a supply of strength, and granted to us line upon line
of knowledge, here a little and there a little, of which the following was a precious morsel.
Included in that precious morsel were words of Moses, further enlarging Joseph's view
about how God's work involves other planets.
But only in account of this earth and the inhabitants thereof give I unto you.
For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power.
The plans and purposes of God were also made more plain.
For behold, this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and the eternal
life of man.
Thus, the vastness of space reflects the vastness of God's love for all of his children.
All human beings, male and female, are created in the image of God.
Each is a beloved spirit, son or daughter of heavenly parents, and as such, each has
a divine nature and destiny.
What we become in this life depends upon our finding the correct answers to the questions,
Who am I? and What is my purpose on earth?
Why is this life filled with trials and sorrow?
The Lord answers these questions for us in the first chapter of the book of Moses.
In speaking to Moses, the Lord used two phrases.
The first tells us a great deal about who God is.
He said of himself, I am the Lord God Almighty, and endless is my name.
What do we learn from that simple sentence?
He is the Lord.
He has all power, and He is eternal.
Then, once we know who and what He is, in another short phrase, He tells us a great
deal about ourselves.
To Moses and to all of us, He simply says, Thou art my Son.
How would the knowledge that we are the literal children of God help us know who we are and
what we can become?
The Lord has us look first to Him.
The more we learn about Him, the better we understand ourselves and our purpose for being
here.
Let's compare ourselves to this tiny seed.
It weighs only one sixth hundredth of an ounce.
By looking at the seed alone, who can guess what it can become?
For all we know, it could become a weed, a bush, or a tree.
This is a giant sequoia, the largest living thing on earth.
It is more than three thousand years old and more than twenty-seven stories high.
This is the parent of the seed that weighs only one sixth hundredth of an ounce.
The surest way to know what the offspring can become is to learn about the parent.
We are the children of God.
He is eternal and all-powerful.
He created all things.
From Him we have inherited a divine potential.
These three events—the creation, the fall, and the atonement—are three preeminent pillars
of God's plan and they are doctrinally interrelated.
The creation of the earth was a preparatory part of our Father's plan.
The gods went down to organize man in their own image, male and female, to form them.
The gods said, We will bless them, and bless us they did, with a plan that would give us
physical bodies of our very own.
Adam and Eve were the first people to live upon the earth.
They were different from the plant and animal life that had been created previously.
Adam and Eve were children of God.
Their bodies of flesh and bone were made in the express image of God's.
In that state of innocence they were not yet mortal.
They could have had no children, were not subject to death, and could have lived in
Eden's garden forever.
Thus we might speak of the creation in terms of a paradisiacal creation.
If that state had persisted, you and I would still be stranded among heavenly hosts as
unborn sons and daughters of God.
The great plan of happiness would have been frustrated.
That leads us to the fall of Adam.
To bring the plan of happiness to fruition, God issued to Adam and Eve the first commandment
ever given to mankind.
It was a commandment to beget children.
A law was explained to them.
Should they eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their bodies would change.
Mortality and eventual death would come upon them.
The partaking of that fruit was prerequisite to their parenthood.
While I do not fully understand all the biochemistry involved, I do know that their physical bodies
did change.
Blood began to circulate in their bodies.
Adam and Eve thereby became mortal.
Happily for us, they could also beget children and fulfill the purposes for which the world
was created.
Happily for them, the Lord said unto Adam and Eve, Behold, I have forgiven thee thy
transgression in the Garden of Eden.
We and all mankind are forever blessed because of Eve's great courage and wisdom.
By partaking of the fruit first, she did what had to be done.
Adam was wise enough to do likewise.
Accordingly, we could speak of the fall of Adam in terms of a mortal creation because
Adam fell that man might be.
Other blessings came to us through the fall.
It activated two closely coupled additional gifts from God nearly as precious as life
itself, agency, and accountability.
We became free to choose liberty and eternal life or to choose captivity and death.
Freedom of choice cannot be exercised without accountability for choices made.
Now we come to the third pillar of God's plan, the Atonement.
Just as Adam and Eve were not to live forever in the Garden of Eden, so our final destination
was not to be planet earth.
We were to return to our heavenly home.
Given that reality, still another change was necessary.
An infinite Atonement was required to redeem Adam, Eve, and all of their posterity.
That Atonement must enable our physical bodies to be resurrected and changed to a bloodless
form no longer liable to disease, deterioration, or death.
According to eternal law, that Atonement required a personal sacrifice by an immortal being
not subject to death.
That he must die and take up his own body again.
The Savior was the only one who could accomplish this.
From his mother he inherited power to die.
From his father he obtained power over death.
The Redeemer so explained,
I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.
I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
The Lord declared,
This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
He who had created the earth came into mortality to fulfill the will of his Father and all
prophecies of the Atonement.
And his Atonement redeems every soul from penalties of personal transgression on the condition
of repentance.
Thus we might speak of the Atonement in terms of the immortal creation.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
At some point in life every one of us will face the same question.
We will see someone we love lowered into the grave and wonder if we will ever see them
again.
Or we will know someone, perhaps even ourselves, who has cut himself off from God's presence
and wonder if there is any way back.
God set in place a plan that answers both of those questions with a resounding yes.
We can overcome death.
We can return to be with him.
And more importantly, we can return and become like him.
All of this was made possible through the sacrifice of the only begotten Son.
The members of the Church need to influence more than we are influenced.
We should work to stem the tide of sin and evil instead of passively being swept along
by it.
We each need to solve the problem rather than avoid or ignore it.
I was the young men's president in the ward.
I guess that's the reason one of my priests brought his non-member friend to me.
He was one of the most interesting young men I ever met.
His goal in life seemed to be to satisfy whatever he wanted, whether it was good or bad.
He was a good student and an excellent athlete.
But his whole life was dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure.
Eat, drink, and be merry was a way of life to him.
Then he met a girl, a Latter-day Saint.
They worked together on the school newspaper.
Spiritually, she was everything he was not.
She was unlike any girl he'd ever met before.
None of his carefully developed skills worked on her.
She declined his invitations to go to his parties, and he couldn't win her over with
his flattery.
One day he started to tell a suggestive story.
The others thought it was hilarious.
Suddenly Melissa gave him a look that stopped him cold.
She politely told him that those things were offensive.
At that moment I realized she had something I didn't have.
I had been trying to take it away from her, but suddenly I didn't want to do that anymore.
What Melissa is comes from what she believes, about life, about God.
Hold it.
I don't care about God and all that.
I just want to find out what makes her so different.
But that's just it, Aaron.
It's her belief in God that makes her different.
You can't begin to understand Melissa until you understand that.
I'd like to explain some of these things to you.
Or we have two young missionaries who'd be happy to teach you more.
I've never really been big on this religion stuff.
I don't know.
Look, you don't have to accept anything.
I mean, if you really want to understand Melissa, Brother Lloyd's right, you need to find out
what she believes.
Are you going to ask me to pray and all that stuff?
Only if you want to know if it's true.
How can I pray to someone I don't even believe in?
Good question.
What if for now you just conducted an experiment?
Let's try it.
Listen to what we believe, do some reading, ask God to help you know if He's even there.
And then we'll see where we go from there.
If you're really serious about this, isn't it at least worth a try?
Let's hear it.
look this is too much I've done what you said I've listened I've been reading the
Book of Mormon I've even prayed but now what you're asking is too much I have to
quit parting with my friends go to church every Sunday pay 10% of
everything that I make we're not asking you to do this for us the Lord is it's
for you Aaron you started this whole thing because you found something in
Melissa Clark that you liked you said you wanted that same thing for yourself
that's right but I didn't ask to have my whole life changed you can't have it
both ways you can't keep one foot in your own life then try and start a new
one the Lord will help you and he'll bless you for it I don't think so
it's too much can I ask you a question I want you to look back on your life
before you came to brother Lloyd's home that night look into your heart for a
moment how do you really feel down deep about what you were back then I don't
know it
I guess I'm ashamed why
because I guess I know that I didn't approve of what I was doing
Siren you're changing your heart's changing otherwise you wouldn't be
having those feelings
marriage is perhaps the most vital of all decisions and has the most far
reaching effects for it has to do not only with immediate happiness but
eternal joys if I asked you if an action on this block of wood could have an
effect on this block you would probably say yes and you would be right if I
start a movement here it can affect all of the blocks to here there are things
that we choose to do in our lives that have an effect on other lives for
generations just like one block of wood can affect other blocks I'll give you an
example on a couple's wedding day the focus is usually on the bride and groom
sometimes little thought is given to the generations that can come after them
to marry in the covenant and meet the Lord's requests may be blessed may be
blessed ten days ago I had a beautiful and touching experience in the Salt
Lake temple the building immediately to the east of this tabernacle there in
that holy sanctuary I had the privilege of sealing and marriage in two separate
but consecutive ceremonies two beautiful young women who are twins each to a
handsome and able young man of her choice that evening a double wedding
reception was held where hundreds of friends came to express their love and
good wishes mothers often shed tears at a wedding ceremony sisters also and
sometimes fathers seldom the grandparents show any emotion but these
beautiful girls were my own granddaughters and I must confess that
this old grandfather choked up and had a difficult time I don't understand why
certainly it was a happy occasion a fulfillment of dreams and prayers
perhaps my tears were really an expression of joy and of gratitude to
God for these lovely brides and their handsome young husbands in sacred
promises they pledged their love and loyalty one to another for time and all
eternity how wonderful thing is marriage under the plan of our eternal Father a
plan provided in his divine wisdom for the happiness and security of his
children and the continuity of the race he is our creator and he designed
marriage from the beginning at the time of Eve's creation Adam said this is now
bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh therefore shall a man leave his father
and mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh
like Isaac I'll follow and prepare to marry in the covenant eternal blessing
share I'll teach to all my children the power of the plan that their children's
children's children will be blessed will be blessed as only the righteous can
marriage for eternity
this is my posterity as each branch of our tree
we can easily see the effects these blocks have on each other sometimes the
far-reaching effects of our marriages aren't so obvious but our decisions
about marriage in the covenant have eternal effects both on us and our
posterity
all the sacrifices of old from the days of Adam to the atonement of Jesus Christ
by blood were in the similitude of and a reminder of the great sacrifice and
pointed forward to its fulfillment by Jesus upon the cross
well we're here to make an offering so why don't you select a sheet how about
this one that's a female so well the sheep is a symbol of the Savior so what
should we be looking for knowing what you know about him it needs to be made
yes and what else it needs to be perfect
how can you tell what the perfect sheep looks like well it needs to be whole
without blemish or defect
that's a good choice oh um could you Pam it's your offering see if you need to
you need to do it
where'd you know to the tabernacle no Steve the board required animal
sacrifice from the time of Adam up until the crucifixion of Christ they always
had animal sacrifice
first thing you need to do Steve is present the lamb to the priest
then the lamb becomes a substitute for you why do I need a substitute
there's certain things you can't do on your own what did the Savior do for you
that you couldn't do for yourself he died for my sins the atonement was
something we couldn't do for ourselves we needed a Savior who could act as a
substitute for us
why does the lamb have to die he didn't do anything wrong neither did the Savior
why is it that the only perfect individual who's ever lived upon this
earth had to die why did he have to die
only a perfect person like the Savior
could offer himself as a perfect atonement only by relying upon his
offering can we be perfected he died to satisfy the demands of justice so he
could extend mercy to us and he did it willingly
it's through his death and the shedding of his blood that we live I understand
I think I'm getting this what does the bread and water mean to you
personally Steve the bread reminds me of the Savior's body I can be resurrected
he shed his blood for me so my sins can be forgiven
so what is your personal offering to the Lord when you partake of the sacrament I
guess by keeping his commandments and and taking his name upon me and always
remembering him that's an acceptable offering I don't know about you but it's
pretty hard for me to always do it right I know what you mean
you won't be perfect but if you offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit the
Lord will accept that offering and you'll have full access to the atoning
sacrifice of the Savior
idolatry is among the most serious of sins modern idols or false gods can take
such forms as clothes homes business machines automobiles pleasure boats and
to numerous other material deflectors from the path to godhood
you know there's something deadly in this car exhaust it's a gas called carbon
monoxide you know thousands of people every year accidentally poisoned by his
stuff what makes it so dangerous is the fact that we can't see it or smell it
tasted anyway this is bread he knows a little bit about carbon monoxide but not
enough what he doesn't understand is that even one part in a thousand can be
deadly you know in the world there's a spiritual poison that's just as deadly
as carbon monoxide it's called idolatry idolatry is worshiping something other
than God you know usually when we think of idolatry we think of golden calves
or stone images things that people nowadays don't really have too much of a
problem with but modern idols can be things like money clothes homes or cars
but in the world there are also forms of idolatry that are just like carbon
monoxide they're very difficult to detect
you know the forms of idolatry that we can't touch or drive or spin can be the
most dangerous there's no golden calves or stone images here there's no cars
there's just Brett doing his homework come in Brett it's time for home evening
dad I'm gonna be up all night working on this as it is can I just skip it this
time lately it seems like you've been skipping it more often than you show up
dad you're the one told me take all these classes now I can go and sing
primary songs with everyone or I can finish writing this history paper we'll
talk about this later
how many home evenings can be skipped how many prayers can be missed how many
times can we put off our scripture study before it starts to affect our
spirituality these are difficult questions but this is where our
comparison can help it's interesting to see just how carbon monoxide does its
damage normally it's here in the lungs that the red blood cells pick up the
life-giving oxygen and deliver it to the body but when carbon monoxide takes the
place of oxygen in the blood cells two deadly things happen one no
life-giving oxygen is delivered to the body and two no oxygen can be picked up
by the blood cells in the lungs it just bothers me to see you miss Church so
often when you took this job we understood you won't have to work on
Sundays yeah mom I know but it takes three nights after school to make as
much money as I can in just one Sunday but lately you've been working evening
and Sundays it's the money that important all my friends have their own
money they can buy anything they want and I never ask you for money or anything
look I know you and dad don't make that kind of money but I want nice clothes
like my friends I'm sorry so what's the real issue here is it having a job or
buying clothes with your own money is it social acceptance now the real issue is
has something taken the place of God in Janet's life
the images men worship
are not just a stone and clay
they make idols of their own success and walk their way
day by day they wander
with hearts set on their pride in place to trust why did God put the first
commandment first because he knew that if we truly loved him
he would want to keep all of his commandments we must put God in the
forefront of everything else in our lives he must come first just as he
declares in the first of his ten commandments thou shalt love no other
gods before me we should put God ahead of everyone else in our lives
so we pledge today that we will walk his way beginning now we vow to walk his
way
The price of discipleship is obedience.
My horse is the champion of all steeds.
He has proven worthy to survive the harshness of the desert.
His strength comes from obeying my every command.
White Arabians, born dark, must grow light in color before they are ready for the test.
Do you thirst enough for obedience to become drinkers of the wind?
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The Dark Pope, now white and full of wisdom and strength, is ready for the final test.
The Dark Pope, now white and full of wisdom and strength, is ready for the final test.
The Dark Pope, now white and full of wisdom and strength, is ready for the final test.
The Dark Pope, now white and full of wisdom and strength, is ready for the final test.
The Dark Pope, now white and full of wisdom and strength, is ready for the final test.
The Dark Pope, now white and full of wisdom and strength, is ready for the final test.
The Dark Pope.
The Dark Pope, now white and full of wisdom and strength.
God be praised for the devotion and righteousness that are manifest by the faithful sisters
of his kingdom, who themselves are pillars of righteousness.
O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, remember
me, and not forget thine handmaid, but will give unto thine handmaid a man-child, then
I will give him unto the Lord all but days of his life.
Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition, that thou hast asked often.
That thine handmaid find grace in thyself.
O my Lord, as thy soul liveth, my Lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here praying
unto the Lord, for this child I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition, which
I ask of him, therefore also I have lent him to the Lord, as long as he liveth he shall
be lent to the Lord.
in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
There are Goliaths all around you, hulking giants with evil intent to destroy you.
These are not nine-foot-tall men, but they are men and institutions that control attractive
but evil things that may challenge and weaken and destroy you.
Another favorite example of God's protecting care is the shepherd boy David.
David had a firm faith in the God of Israel, and that faith gave him great courage.
When the armies of the Philistines were gathered to battle against the Israelites, the mighty
Goliath came forward and hurled his challenge to individual combat.
King Saul and all Israel were dismayed and greatly afraid.
Day after day he renewed his challenge, but no one would face him.
When young David came to the camp of Israel to deliver provisions, he heard Goliaths roar.
In surprise David asked, Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies
of the living God?
David asked if he could fight the man.
Let no man's heart fail because of him.
Thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
Thou art not able to fight against this Philistine, for thou art but a youth, and he a man of
war from his youth.
Thy servant slew both a lion and a bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as
one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear,
he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine, that all the earth may know that
there is a God in Israel.
As David went on to the field of battle, Goliath mocked him for his youth, cursed him by his
gods, and shouted that he would feed his flesh to the birds and beasts of the field.
David's reply is one of the great expressions of faith and courage in all our literature.
It thrilled me as a boy, and it still thrills me.
Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield.
But I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel,
whom thou hast defied.
This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand, and I will smite thee and take thine
head from thee, and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto
the fowls of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that
there is a God in Israel.
And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for
the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.
You all know what happened next.
David stunned the Philistines with a sling stone and cut off his head with his own sword.
Frightened by the fall of their champion, the Philistines fled.
Shouting in triumph, the armies of Israel pursued them and won a great victory.
Let us be a temple-attending people.
See the temple as frequently as personal circumstances allow.
Keep a picture of a temple in your home that your children may see it.
Teach them about the purpose of the house of the Lord.
At the time of Jesus Christ, the Temple of Herod at Jerusalem was the center of religious
life and learning for the Jews.
A thousand years before the Savior, Solomon's Temple was the crown jewel of Israel's greatest
age, but even Solomon's Temple was modeled after another.
By going further back in time, to the time of Moses, we can see a type of portable temple
used by the children of Israel in the wilderness, the Tabernacle.
Like the temples which followed it, the Tabernacle was the place where the children of Israel
learned of the ways to eternal life.
Let's take a tour of the Tabernacle and see what we can learn.
This gate in the east wall is the only entrance and leads us into the outer courtyard.
Within the outer courtyard and in front of the tent of the Tabernacle is the altar of
sacrifice and the laver.
This is the altar of sacrifice where burnt offerings were made to the Lord.
The person bringing an animal to be sacrificed would first dedicate it to the Lord before
it was slain and placed upon the altar.
Sin and peace offerings required only the fat of the animal to be burned.
The meat was eaten by the priest later.
For a burnt offering, however, the entire animal was placed upon the altar and consumed
by fire.
Here between the altar of sacrifice of the tent of the Tabernacle is the laver.
The laver is made of brass and contains water.
The officiating priests were required to perform washings here before entering the tent of
the Tabernacle.
We will now enter the tent of the Tabernacle.
The tent is made up of two rooms.
This first room called the holy place contains the candlestick or menorah, the altar of incense,
and the table of shoe bread.
Behind the altar of incense is the veil that separates the holy place from the second room
called the holy of holies.
We will talk more about the holy of holies later in the tour.
The Lord described to Moses the design for this candlestick.
Each of the seven branches holds an almond-shaped cup.
Each cup contains olive oil and a wick.
The candlestick provided light for the holy place and was kept constantly burning.
The altar of incense sits here in front of the entrance to the holy of holies.
At this location each morning and evening the high priest would come and burn incense.
This is the table of shoe bread.
Twelve loaves of unleavened bread were kept on this table throughout the week.
Each Sabbath the bread was changed and the priests ate the loaves that were removed.
Jewish tradition holds that cups of wine were also kept on the table along with the bread.
This linen veil separates the holy place from the holy of holies.
Buried on the veil in purple, blue, and scarlet are embroidered figures called cherubim or
angels of God.
We now enter the holy of holies.
In the center is the Ark of the Covenant.
The high priest would only enter this room once a year on the Day of Atonement.
The Ark of the Covenant is the most sacred object of the tabernacle.
Inside are kept other sacred objects including the stone tablets of the law given to Moses
on Mount Sinai.
The lid is called the mercy seat or seat of atonement.
It is made from pure gold and features two cherubim.
On the Day of Atonement when the high priests entered the holy of holies, he would sprinkle
blood from the sacrifice on the mercy seat as part of the ceremony.
Today we do not sacrifice animals or burn incense as a part of our worship, yet the
symbolism of the tabernacle and the things that took place there still have meaning for
us today.
For example, the outer courtyard is a symbol of the celestial world we live in.
The altar of sacrifice symbolizes the Savior and the last and great sacrifice of the atonement.
Here at the altar a faithful Israelite would make an offering and symbolically give up
his sins to follow the Savior.
Through his faith and obedience he would prepare himself for the purifying fire of the Holy
Spirit symbolized by the fires of the altar.
The laver represents the need for washing and cleansing of souls from sin and worldliness.
In Solomon's temple the laver was placed on the back of twelve oxen.
Although never used for baptisms, the laver reminds us of the baptismal fonts used in
temples today.
The holy place is symbolic of the terrestrial world.
It taught Israel how to be in the world but not off the world.
The candlestick symbolizes the Holy Ghost.
It represents the need during this life to live by the light of the Spirit.
The bread and wine on the table of Shewbread remind us of the bread and water of the sacrament.
It suggests the Savior's sacrifice for us, as well as the need to be spiritually nourished
by him.
Incense is a symbol of prayer.
Just as the smoke from the altar of incense rose before the veil every morning and evening,
so was Israel expected to raise their prayers regularly before the Lord.
The altar's position before the Holy of Holies also shows the importance of prayer in preparing
to enter into the Lord's presence.
Our ultimate goal of living in the very presence of the Lord in the celestial world is symbolized
by the Holy of Holies.
The Ark of the Covenant contained the tablets of the Law, and reminded Israel that their
return to the presence of God was based upon their obedience to his laws.
The tabernacle and its furnishings showed Israel the path that leads back to our Father
in Heaven.
Although the tabernacle may appear unusual to us today, the things we learn from it are
still valuable.
The outer courtyard represents coming to the Savior from out of the world.
The holy place represents living by the Spirit in this fallen world.
The Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant remind us that through obedience to the Lord's
covenants, we can return to the very presence of our Father in Heaven.
The Lord will guide us and make us equal to the challenges before us.
I dreamed of that day for years, no ski patrol, no run markers, and miles from anywhere.
This was freedom.
Few skiers know the exhilaration of backcountry skiing.
The guide told us to follow directly behind him, or it could bring serious injury, or
even death.
But I was there to make first tracks, not to follow an old man down the mountain, even
if he could make it.
I wanted to be on my own, to hear the silence
of the snow rush upon me.
I wanted to be part of the mountain, to be alone, away from the crowd.
I wanted to fly, to soar down the mountain, through the trees.
It was incredible, everything I'd hoped for, and maybe a bit more.
He told me to stay with the group.
There was a very dangerous area ahead, but then he missed the best skiing on the mountain.
Didn't he know we were there for excitement?
Where was the old man going?
He was the one going the hard way.
Well, I decided to follow him anyway.
When I saw what I almost went over, I suddenly wanted to trust the guide with my life.
He was the one going the hard way, and I was the one going the hard way, and I was the
one going the hard way.
He was the one going the hard way, and I was the one going the hard way.