One reason General conference is different now than it was 20 years ago is because times change, and new needs arise. This is obvious. This is why we even have a church today and not rely on the bible for all our guidance. This is what sets us apart in our faith. But this doctrine focuses on the aspect of consequences for rejecting truth being that we get less of it, as stated by Alma (Alma 12:9-11).

Alma 12:9-11: “9 And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him. 10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full. 11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.”

-Prophets warned against electing FDR and his supporting his policies, but Utah statistics show that the saints ignored this warning, and continued electing him over and over.

-Why don’t we hear some of these kinds of talks which Ezra Benson and J Reuben Clark used to give? Has the doctrine of the Church changed? Are the prophets becoming wimpy? God forbid, no! It is the people who have rejected their message, and thus the Lord is not allowing them to say those things anymore. This will be proven by the following quoted cited scripture passages. One way to put it is that God has always tried to be involved with the government of people, but they always, excepting the case of the city of Enoch, reject that invitation.

-To keep the Church together, they are careful about political topics. Apparently, there is interest in growing the church at fundamental levels. The members complain about their speech of this; it’s too late to stop the global conspiracy, now we are trying to be good in the midst of it, leaving that to the Lord. President Harold B. Lee was the one who asked that such talks be not had any more, those anti-communist ones. He had reasons for doing this, not that he condones communism! When President McKay asked the saints to by studying what’s going on in this country, NOTHING happened, they did nothing about it! They rejected this entirely (1965). Then the next year (1966) he had a conference talk be given on not being commanded in all things. It seems that for the sake of peace, they are teaching us the milk before the meat. We have shown that we are not ready for the meat, and are only getting the milk. The principals they are teaching are sufficient to direct us against these things, but they are not coming out in the open to speak as much about communism and socialism. The lower law must be kept before the higher law. Recall Moses with the ten commandments. He had the higher law, and was rejected, finding the people not ready for it, so he literally threw down those and went back to get the lower law, and such is what he gave them. It’s like raising a family, you start the children out with general principals, so they don’t run away. Then when they get stronger, they can handle the truth better. (For more info along these lines, quotes, etc., see “Two Churches Only” vol. 1 by Christian Markham at http://www.twochurchesonly.com)

– “Some Book of Mormon prophets knew of the final desolate end of their nations, but they still fought on, and they saved some souls including their own by so doing. For, after all, the purpose of life is to prove ourselves, and the final victory will be for freedom. But many of the prophecies referring to America’s preservation are conditional. That is, if we do our duty we can be preserved, and if not then we shall be destroyed. This means that a good deal of the responsibility lies with the priesthood of this Church as to what happens to America and as to how much tragedy can be avoided if we do act now. And now as to the last neutralizer that the devil uses most effectively—it is simply this: “Don’t do anything in the fight for freedom until the Church sets up its own specific program to save the Constitution.” This brings us right back to the scripture I opened with today —- to those slothful servants who will not do anything until they are “compelled in all things.” Maybe the Lord will never set up a specific church program for the purpose of saving the Constitution. Perhaps if he set one up at this time it might split the Church asunder, and perhaps he does not want that to happen yet for not all the wheat and tares are fully ripe.

“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared it will be the elders of Israel who will step forward to help save the Constitution, not the Church. And have we elders been warned? Yes, we have. And have we elders been given the guide lines? Yes indeed, we have. And besides, if the Church should ever inaugurate a program, who do you think would be in the forefront to get it moving? It would not be those who were sitting on the sidelines prior to that time or those who were appeasing the enemy. It would be those choice spirits who, not waiting to be “commanded in all things,” used their own free will, the counsel of the prophets and the Spirit of the Lord as guidelines and who entered the battle “in a good cause” and brought to pass much righteousness in freedom’s cause…. Brethren, if we had done our homework and were faithful, we could step forward at this time and help save this country. The fact that most of us are unprepared to do it is an indictment we will have to bear. The longer we wait, the heavier the chains, the deeper the blood, the more the persecution and the less we can carry out our God-given mandate and world-wide mission. The war in heaven is raging on earth today. Are you being neutralized in the battle? ” (Ezra Taft Benson, Not Commanded in All Things, General Conference April 1965 (For more info along these lines, quotes, etc., see “Two Churches Only” vol. 1 by Christian Markham at http://www.twochurchesonly.com))

-“Church members are at perfect liberty to act according to their own consciences in the matter of safeguarding our way of life. They are, of course, encouraged to honor the highest standards of the gospel and to work to preserve their own freedoms. They are free to participate in non-church meetings that are held to warn people of the threat of Communism or any other theory or principle that will deprive us of our free agency or individual liberties vouchsafed by the Constitution of the United States. The Church, out of respect for the rights of all its members to have their political views and loyalties, must maintain the strictest possible neutrality. We have no intention of trying to interfere with the fullest and freest exercise of the political franchise of our members under and within our Constitution, which the Lord declared he established “by the hands of wise men whom [he] raised up unto this very purpose” (D&C 101:80) and which, as to the principles thereof, the Prophet Joseph Smith, dedicating the Kirtland Temple, prayed should be “established forever.” (D&C 109:54.) The Church does not yield any of its devotion to or convictions about safeguarding the American principles and the establishments of government under federal and state constitutions and the civil rights of men safeguarded by these…. We therefore commend and encourage every person and every group who is sincerely seeking to study Constitutional principles and awaken a sleeping and apathetic people to the alarming conditions that are rapidly advancing about us.” (President of the LDS Church, David O. McKay, Statement Concerning the Position of the Church on Communism, published in The Improvement Era, June 1966, p. 477 (For more info along these lines, quotes, etc., see “Two Churches Only” vol. 1 by Christian Markham at http://www.twochurchesonly.com))

-For a further study of God’s involvement with civic affairs, see the book “The Great and Abominable Church of the Devil” by a Seventy, H. Verlan Anderson, my notes on that are at this link: https://richardsonstudies.wordpress.com/2016/04/14/the-great-and-abominable-church-of-the-devil-by-h-verlan-andersen-summary-by-nate-richardson/

-May this document be a proclamation to all those who think “all is well in Zion, yea Zion prospereth”.

-As we consider these things, let us avoid the tendency to think that everything bad the scriptures say about people is about other people than members of the only true Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), and certainly about other people than ourselves.

-This is to show that it’s our own fault that we are not yet a Zion people, that we are not yet enjoying all the knowledge and blessings of God.

-May I be clear, I sustain the leaders of the Church. This document is to point out that it’s the members, not to Brethren leading the Church, who have gone astray, and whom are the cause of the decreased light in certain areas of gospel knowledge.

-Bruce R McConkie and Hugh Nibley make it clear that we are not at the level of spiritual knowledge of the ancients.We think that contemporary society always is ahead of the past, but not so! Just because you have technology does not mean that you have wisdom, or eternal truths which righteous in days past have attained! Until we repent as a people and more fully come to God, we will not receive the high spiritual blessings which those of the city of Enoch, and perhaps other groups, had attained.

-Joseph Smith said he was trying to get the LDS to become like the city of Enoch, but he could never get them to that point. They wouldn’t have it.

-Losing blessings for rebellion is not a new thing; we were at Missouri, and were driven out because of our wickedness. The D&C makes this clear.

-If they said what they did then, they would be sent to jail for violating the unjust law called the “Homeland Security Act”, and perhaps God thinks that currently they would do better out of jail; of coarse this can only go so far; eventually the prophets, based on the Book of Mormon, will be jailed for what they are constrained by God to say.

-As we review scripture, remember that, especially the Book of Mormon, was written for our day, and is a type of what will happen in our day.

-Yes there is an aspect of the message of today being focused on our present needs, but we cannot ignore the aspect of receiving less because we have rejected what was given to us!

-” For behold, there were many of the Nephites who had become hardened and impenitent and grossly wicked, insomuch that they did reject the word of God and all the preaching and prophesying which did come among them.” (Hel. 6:2)

-“And they did reject all his words, insomuch that he could not stay among them, but returned again unto the land of his nativity.” (Hel. 7:3)

-“And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them.” (3 Ne. 16:10)

-“And I did endeavor to preach unto this people, but my mouth was shut, and I was forbidden that I should preach unto them; for behold they had wilfully rebelled against their God” (Mormon 1:16)

-“It is given unto many to know the mysteriesof God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him. And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that willnot harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full. And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothingconcerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.” (Alma 12:9-11)

-“And after rejecting so great a knowledge, my son, they must perish soon, unto the fulfilling of the prophecies which were spoken by the prophets, as well as the words of our Savior himself.” (Moroni 8:29)

-“For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered because of your iniquity.” (2 Ne. 27:5)

-“Yea, it grieveth my soul and causeth me to shrink with shame before the presence of my Maker, that I must testify unto you concerning the wickedness of your hearts. And also it grieveth me that I must use so muchboldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and your children, many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God, which thing is pleasing unto God; And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul. Wherefore, it burdeneth my soul that I should be constrained, because of the strict commandment which I have received from God, to admonish you according to your crimes, to enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds; and those who have not been wounded, instead of feasting upon the pleasing word of God have daggers placed to pierce their souls and wound their delicate minds. But, notwithstanding the greatness of the task, I must do according to the strict commands of God, and tell you concerning your wickedness and abominations, in the presence of the pure in heart, and the broken heart, and under the glance of the piercing eye of the Almighty God. Wherefore, I must tell you the truth according to theplainness of the word of God. For behold, as I inquired of the Lord, thus came the word unto me, saying: Jacob, get thou up into the temple on the morrow, and declare the word which I shall give thee unto this people. And now behold, my brethren, this is the word which I declare unto you, that many of you have begun to search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores, in the which this land, which is a land of promise unto you and to your seed, doth abound most plentifully. And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they.” (Jacob 2:6-13)

-“ And now, seeing ye know these things and cannot deny them except ye shall lie, therefore in this ye have sinned, for ye have rejected all these things, notwithstanding so many evidences which ye have received; yea, even ye have received all things, both things in heaven, and all things which are in the earth, as a witness that they are true. But behold, ye have rejected the truth, and rebelled against your holy God; and even at this time, instead of laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where nothing doth corrupt, and where nothing can come which is unclean, ye are heaping up for yourselves wrath against the day of judgment.” (Hel. 8:24-25)

-“Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God. But behold, this people had rejected every word of God, and they were ripe in iniquity; and the fulness of the wrath of God was upon them; and the Lord did curse the land against them, and bless it unto our fathers; yea, he did curse it against them unto their destruction, and he did bless it unto our fathers unto their obtaining power over it.” (1 Ne. 17:35)

–The Prophet Joseph Smith explained: “A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; … those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.” (Boyd K Packer, The Spirit Beareth Record, Apr. 1971, Conf. Report; https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1971/04/the-spirit-beareth-record?lang=eng)

-“We do not seek for spectacular experiences. President Spencer W. Kimball spoke of the many who “have no ear for spiritual messages … when they come in common dress. … Expecting the spectacular, one may not be fully alerted to the constant flow of revealed communication.”” (Boyd K Packer, The Spirit Beareth Record, Apr. 1971, Conf. Report; https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1971/04/the-spirit-beareth-record?lang=eng)

-“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (Hosea 4:6)

-“And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” (1 Sam. 8:7)

-“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1 Sam. 15:23)

-“And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord” (1 Sam. 15:26)

-“And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the buildersrejected, the same is become the head of the corner?” (Luke 20:17)

-“Verily, I say unto you, I am the stone, and those wicked ones reject me.” (JST Matt. 21:51)

-“Thy brethren have rejected you and your testimony, even the nation that has driven you out” (D&C 136:34)

-“Neither did the rebellious who rejected the testimonies and the warnings of the ancient prophets behold his presence, nor look upon his face.” (D&C 138:21)

-“the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves” (Luke 7:30)

-“The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes” (Luke 9:22)

-“And it came to pass that the prophets wererejected by the people, and they fled unto Com for protection, for the people sought to destroy them.” (Ether 11:12)

-“And they did reject all the words of the prophets, because of their secret society and wicked abominations.” (Ether 11:22)

-“But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord—having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise—behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them.” (2 Ne. 1:10)

-“And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” (Mark 7:9)

-“But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us.” (Lam. 5:22)

-“Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the Lord hath rejectedthy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.” (Jer. 2:37)

-“Nevertheless, thou hast seen great sorrow, for thou hast rejected me many times because of pride and the cares of the world.” (D&C 39:9)

-“Full well is it written of you, by the prophets whom ye have rejected.” (JST Mark 7:10)

-“For if they do reject these things the hour of their judgment is nigh, and their house shall be left unto them desolate.” (D&C 84:115)

-“Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them.” (Jer. 6:30)

-“The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?” (Jer. 8:9)

-” But those who harden their hearts in unbelief, and reject it, it shall turn to their own condemnation” (D&C 20:15)

-“straightway Satan tempted him; and the fear of persecution and the cares of the world caused him to reject the word.” (D&C 40:2)

-“Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.” (Jer. 7:29)

-“And whoso rejecteth you shall be rejected of my Father and his house; and you shall cleanse your feet in the secret places by the way for a testimony against them.” (D&C 99:4)

-“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isa. 53:3)

-“Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!” (Jer. 14:9)

-“O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!” (Mormon 6:17)

-“For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he wasrejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” (Heb. 12:17)

-” For behold, they have rejected the words of the prophets. Wherefore, if my father should dwell in the land after he hath been commanded to flee out of the land, behold, he would also perish. Wherefore, it must needs be that he flee out of the land.” (1 Ne. 3:18)

-“Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?” (Matt. 21:42)

-“Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.” (Jer. 6:19)

-” And it shall be said in time to come—That these abominations were had from Cain; for he rejectedthe greater counsel which was had from God; and this is a cursing which I will put upon thee, except thou repent.” (Moses 5:25)

-“except you withdraw your purposes, behold, ye will pull down the wrath of that God whom you have rejected upon you, even to your utter destruction.” (Alma 54:9)

-“if you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a church” (D&C 124:32)

-” And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.” (2 Kings 17:20)

-“For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one canreject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory.” (D&C 132:4)

-“And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands.” (1 Sam. 10:19)

-“And it came to pass that they who rejected the gospel were called Lamanites, and Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites; and they did not dwindle in unbelief, but they did wilfully rebel against the gospel of Christ; and they did teach their children that they should not believe, even as their fathers, from the beginning, did dwindle.” (4 Ne. 1:38)

-“But, behold, they shall have wars, and rumors of wars; and when the day cometh that the Only Begotten of the Father, yea, even the Father of heaven and of earth, shall manifest himself unto them in the flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks.” (2 Ne. 25:12)

-“Wherefore, the wicked are rejected from the righteous, and also from that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God. And thus I spake unto my brethren. Amen.” (1 Ne. 15:36)

-” desolation and utter abolishment which await them if they do reject these things.” (D&C 84:114)

-“And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek, Amulek having forsaken all his gold, and silver, and his precious things, which were in the land of Ammonihah, for the word of God, he beingrejected by those who were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred;” (Alma 15:16)

-“For behold, the Spirit of the Lord ceaseth soon to strive with them; for behold, they have rejectedthe prophets, and Jeremiah have they cast into prison. And they have sought to take away the life of my father, insomuch that they have driven him out of the land.” (1 Ne. 7:14)

-“And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.” (2 Kings 17:15)

–There are those who hear testimonies borne in the Church, by those in high station and by members in the wards and branches, all using the same words—“I know that God lives; I know that Jesus is the Christ,” and come to question, “Why cannot it be said in plainer words? Why aren’t they more explicit and more descriptive? Cannot the apostles say more?”

How like the sacred experience in the temple becomes our personal testimony. It is sacred, and when we are wont to put it into words, we say it in the same way—all using the same words. The apostles declare it in the same phrases with the little Primary or Sunday School youngster. “I know that God lives and I know that Jesus is the Christ.”

We would do well not to disregard the testimonies of the prophets or of the children, for “he imparteth his words by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times which confound the wise and the learned.” (Alma 32:23.)

Some seek for a witness to be given in some new and dramatic and different way.

The bearing of a testimony is akin to a declaration of love. The romantics and poets and couples in love, from the beginning of time, have sought more impressive ways of saying it, or singing it, or writing it. They have used all of the adjectives, all of the superlatives, all manner of poetic expression. And when all is said and done, the declaration which is most powerful is the simple, three-word variety.” (Boyd K Packer, The Spirit Beareth Record, Apr. 1971, Conf. Report; https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1971/04/the-spirit-beareth-record?lang=eng)