Memo #140

May 1, 2012 (written April 7, 2008)

From: Dad, Grandpa etc. Richard M. Pratt

Re: The Ten Commandments

Exactly two months right to the day after Israel had left Egypt they came to the foot of Mt. Sinai, and there Israel camped before the mount. (Grandma and I spent two days there. It’s a wild and rugged area of tall and craggy, rocky mountains and sandy valley bottoms with but little vegetation. And such as the there is, is the same dusty grey as the terrain. Very desolate and barren. St. Kathrines’ monastery is at the base of the mountain, the oldest monastery in the world, established there in the sixth century A.D. a small spring of water makes life possible there.)

Here Moses hoped to do great things for Israel. He hoped to bring this band of recently freed slaves into some semblance of order. Try to imagine two million people just freed from two hundred years or more of slavery suddenly receiving their freedom. They must have indeed been a wild and rowdy bunch, very difficult to lead if they could be led at all, moaning and complaining about every thing from the sand and heat to what they were going to eat and drink. The Lord said unto them thru Moses: “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 bore 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 an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him...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 Mt. Sinai.

The third day came - the people were dressed in their best but when the mountain began to shake and belch forth smoke the people were too afraid to meet the Lord and begged Moses to intercede for them. Exodous 19:6-17

After being instructed by the Lord, Moses went down to the people and revealed to them as he had been instructed “THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: which in a simplified form and easy to understand are as follows: (read them in full in the Bible, Exodus chapter 20)

1. Thou shalt have no other Gods before me. (choose to love God)

2. Thou shalt not make any graven image.

3. Take not the name of God in vain.

4. Keep the Sabbath day holy.

5. Honor thy father and thy mother.

6. Thou shalt not kill.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shalt not lie.

10. Thou shalt not covet.

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Is this the first time the world had been exposed to these basic laws? Of course not! For they are the very basis of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Sabbath is mentioned right in the beginning. “And on the Sabbath Day God ended his work which he had made.....and God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.” Genesis 2:1-2

“Our Father Adam taught these things. And many have believed and become the sons (and daughters) of God, and many have believed not and have perished in their sins.

And what did Father Adam teach? Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion and the gift of the Holy Ghost. “And Adam was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water, and thus he was baptized and the Spirit of God descended upon him, thus he was born of the spirit, and became quickened in the inner man....behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons (and daughters) amen.”

Were the ten commandments taught? Of course else how could Cain be guilty of murder? Where no law is given no sin can be committed nor punishment affixed. Were the ten commandments all of God’s commandments? Of course not. They are the basic laws. The laws of the Priesthood are not mentioned there-in.

I frequently, when teaching the ten commandments, invite the class to try and add ten more that are not already included in the ten. I’ve never had a class that could do it. But here are a few more most of which belong to the Priesthood and the ordinances and covenants there of:

11. The law of tithing.

12. The law of the fast and offerings.

13. Pray always lest ye be deceived.(Read grandma’s dream start bottom of page 30 in her autobiography.)

14. The law of eternal marriage.

15. The commandment to have children.

16. The law of obedience to God and his agents.

17. Temple work.

18. Genealogy.

19. YOU add......

20. YOU add......( remember most any that you can think of are already part of the original ones.)

Of course there are the civil laws that the Lord gave as to how they were to govern themselves and to this day in a corrupted form are the basic civil laws of all nations.

Apparently the Lord was trying to make another people like the “People of Enoch”. And in a small measure succeeded in the case of Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, they went up on a high mountain: “and they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in its clearness and upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand:” ABSOLUTELY SAW GOD. Exodus 24: 9-11. Moses was then commanded of the Lord to go up into a high mountain and there for forty days and forty nights he fasted and prayed and was taught face to face by the Lord. (No man can fast that long without food and water and live. In fact fifteen days is about the limit for the strongest of men.) But the Lord strengthened him and bore him up that he with the Lord (Jesus) are the only ones two fast from food and water that long and still survive. And Moses was still strong enough to come down off the mountain carrying two heavy stones engraven on both sides by the finger of the Lord.)

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Only to discover that during that forty days the camp had reverted to the devilish doctrine and worship of a golden calf and totally immersing themselves in carnality and all the sins of sensuality.

Moses threw the plates of stone down in disgust, breaking them, and ordering the execution of three thousand men who appear to have been the ring leaders of all this corruption. And after three days, having gotten the camp back in order, he again ascended the mountain for another forty days of fasting and receiving instructions as to what to do next.

Again he received two tablets of stone engraven by the finger of the Lord. But alas they did not contain the same instructions as the first. For they had contained the laws and covenants pertaining to the Melchizedek Priesthood including all the temple ceremonies for the living including eternal marriage. The second set of plates contained the laws and rites of the Aaronic Priesthood which for the most part pertain only to mortal life.

However it appears that a few of the stalwarts such as Joshua and the seventy elders and a few other faithfuls did receive all their ordinances of the Higher Priesthood in the Portable

Temple which the Lord commanded them to build and was called the Tabernacle, later used as the model for Solomon’s temple build of precious stones, wood, and gold. The basic dimensions being exactly twice that of the tabernacle.

The next forty years, because they had spurned the Celestial law of God, was spent wandering in the wilderness while all over age twenty had died or been killed by enemies and several times by the Lord visiting upon them plagues, and phenomena of nature. The new generation were of course taught the gospel as far as the Aaronic Priesthood could take them which would have included baptism by immersion but not confirmation. Remember when the Lord went out when John was baptizing in Jordan that the confirmation was not performed except in the case of Jesus when the Holy Ghost appeared and the Father spoke from Heaven saying, “Behold my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3: 13-17

Now lets take a look at each of th ten commandments.

1. Thou shalt have no other Gods before me. Yet men have worshiped everything under the sun and including the sun. and some of todays God’s include, the basics of life, careers, education, recreation (this one perhaps has the most devotees), sexuality, animals of all kinds and of course money. In short about any physical thing is worshiped by someone. 

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is in thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Note: the Sabbath is perhaps considered one of the least of the commandments yet one of the most important, the one most often broken.

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The person who breaks the Sabbath day has also broken the first three commandments. That person has broken the commandment by placing other “Gods, Gods” of his own making, imaginary or real before God the Father. They may have graven images, such as a camper, a boat, or joy riding etc. etc. None of these are bad when used at the proper time.

Thou shalt not take the name of God in vain is much more than just swearing. It’s breaking any and every covenant we have made with God from baptism on. And oh how easy it is to break the Sabbath unthinkingly. Example: a few Sundays ago I was preparing to go to the regular Sabbath meetings. I went to discard some junk into the waste basket most of us keep under the sink, only to find it over flowing ( I believe someone else is using it besides me for it is always full!) I grabbed it to take it out and dump it in the canister on the back porch, I could have had it returned in two minutes. Then the thought hit me, “Sabbath breaker! You would be a violator of one of my Father’s holy laws. And I thought NO WAY!” I laid the waste in the sink and took it out Monday. Five years ago I would have taken it out. Perhaps that’s why I’ve lived nearly one hundred years that I might learn to keep that day specified by God as the Sabbath holy. Now I even buy my groceries at Allen’s for it’s a grocery store I know of that is closed on Sunday. Where were the five foolish virgins when the doors to the wedding feast were closed in their faces? Perhaps they were getting their last bargains at the shopping areas open on Sunday. (I know the scriptures says they were asleep, same thing.)

Well that’s the first four and they are all about your relationship with God. The last six are your relationship with your fellow beings.

5. Honor thy Father and thy Mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. ( note this is the first commandment with a promise).

In this sad day of broken homes, deserting parents, often untruthful and unfaithful we honor our parents by being obedient to God even if our mortal parents don’t like it. For that is the only way you can honor them and by so doing your days may be long upon the land and you may influence delinquent parents to repent and do like wise.

In many Islamic countries it is still legal for a father to kill his son or daughter if they have violated Islamic law. I had a young friend some thirty years ago, a student from Iran who converted to the church. I had the privilege of being his Bishop and at the appropriate time took him to the Salt Lake Temple for his endowments. Several times it was announced that he was the first Iranian in modern times to receive these sacred ordinances.

When it came time to go home to Iran. He explained the dilemma he was in. If he told his father he had left Islam, his father would kill him.  I couldn’t believe it. Well he solved the problem by seeking asylum in the United States and is currently a highly respected professor in an Eastern university. His name is BiJan Sawdstmand.

6. Thou shalt not kill. Oh how my heart bled for the little seven year old girl abused and murdered last week in Salt Lake city by a young man. Especially did I sorrow for him. And the eternal suffering he will experience.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.  (Nor anything like unto it. To tamper with and divert the source of life to sensuality is second to murder in seriousness before our Heavenly Father.)

8. Thou shalt not steal. (My heart goes out to the petty thieves. If you’re going to be a thief be a big one the penalty is the same!)

9. Thou shalt not bare false witness against thy neighbor. (Or anyone else!)

10. Thou shalt not covet...anything that belongs to others.

Come follow me the Savior said, for my burden is light and easy to bear, any other course brings eternal regrets.  Choose with me to follow Jesus Christ our Lord and redeemer! I love you all.

My love,

Dad, Grandpa, etc Richard M Pratt

Memo #139

April 1, 2012 (written April 4, 2008)

To: My beloved family & friends                               share at: http://www.prattmemos.blogspot.com

From: Dad, Grandpa etc. Richard Marden Pratt

Re: Prophetic warnings continued

The ideal society is pictured in 4^th Nephi. At the crucifixion of Jesus in Jerusalem a terrible destruction took place in the Americas and most of the people were destroyed. Followed by three days and nights of abysmal darkness. During this darkness a voice spoke from heaven saying: “O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me. Behold I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

3^rd Nephi 9:13-15

The survivors did repent and began to live the gospel plan. “Love one another and love me your Savior.” and the results were phenomenal!

“There were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God. Yea they were blessed and prospered....”

4^th Nephi 16-18

Yet in less than two hundred years they had sunk back into their old cess-pool of living and in less than another two hundred years all were destroyed and the Nephite nation ceased to exist.

Now let us go back to the Bible and see the prophecies uttered by the prophets and the Savior, himself, concerning our day. “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation. And kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences and earthquakes in divers places. And these are the beginning of sorrows. And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. But he that endures unto the end, the same shall be saved.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come...For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect... immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.....and they shall see the son of many coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heaven to the other.....verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled..... Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Matthew 24:5-44

Note: The prophecies of modern prophets agree completely with the Saviors of two thousand years ago. Now let us check back two thousand years before Christ.

Moses touches lightly upon the end days of Israel who had given him so much trouble about 1500 B.C. “Then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven, out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God ~ 2 ~

gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee. And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers...for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers. Deuteronomy 29:2-9

Note: Each succeeding prophet became more explicit on the future of Israel. And we can’t touch them all in such a few pages but suffice it to say that the chastisements that follow the erring ones and the blessings for the righteous are always the same. Disobedience brings punishment as needed to save them and salvation is the inheritance of the faithful. Or as the psalmist sang: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do his commandments; his praise endureth forever.”  Psalms 111:10

I love the closing verses of Ecclesiastes: “and further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.”

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.”

Ecclesiastes 12:12-14

Isaiah goes into great detail on the scattering and gathering of Israel but I’ll just call your attention to two verses: “and the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory shall be a defense. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. Isaiah 4:5-6

Notice: That in the scary final days there will be safety in three places: #1, the homes of the faithful and #2, the assemblies or churches will be protected by day with a cloud and smoke and by night by a pillar of fire. #3, a tabernacle or temple will also be a place of refuge. This is referring back to Moses and Israel as they were thus protected from their enemies.

I can’t resist a few more verses ~ I love Isaiah!

“Behold the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

For the stars of heaven and the constellations there of shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.....

For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land; and the strangers shall be joined (converts) with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.” Isaiah 13:10 to 14:1

Isaiah is so full of information but I’ll leave him now on a note of hope when he says:

“ He (Jesus) will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it.

And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will

save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isaiah 25:8-9 (written about 750 B.C.)

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 “Fear not: for I am with thee....I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.” Isaiah 43:5-11

~ 3 ~    “There is no God beside me; a just God and a Saviour, there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God and there is none else.

If thou turn not away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the Holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob, thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”

Isaiah 58: 13-14

now listen to the words of Hosea: “Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel; for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. (NOW) by swearing, and lying, and killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.....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 3: 1-6

And Joel: “Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine.....for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the almighty shall it come.” Joel 1:5-15

Joel chapter 2 heading reads: “War and desolation precede the Second Coming ~ the sun and the moon shall be darkened. But then he assures us that; “upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will show wonders in  the heavens (like airplanes) and in the earth, blood, and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, (in appearance) before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. (Great to the righteous, dreadful to all the rest.)

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.” Joel 2: 29-32

Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom (Edom is the rest of the Arabs) shall be a desolate wilderness, for their violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall dwell forever and Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed; for the Lord dwelleth in Zion.”

Ibid 3:14-17

Perhaps you have read and heard of the looming water shortage in the U.S.A. it’s in the news all the time. Well even this has been prophesied, listen or rather read: “and also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest, and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city; one piece was rained upon, and

the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied; yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.”

Amos 3:7-8

And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; and they also shall make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord, thy God.

Amos 9;14-15 (Has and is happening right now in Israel)

all of the past five memos may be summed up then in these few words. A kind and loving Father will not let his disobedient children rush on to their total destruction, as a

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small child running out into heavy traffic, but will restrict and restrain them by every means necessary to save their eternal lives even if it means cutting short their mortal lives.

And those who are obedient, he blesses immediately and uses them to help in this great work of salvation. In a sense we are baby sitters as we function in various church callings in wards, stakes and missions. So stay valiant and be a Savior in your Father’s house! Study and pray and stay close to your Father in Heaven.

I LOVE   you with all of my heart,

Dad, Grandpa etc. Richard Marden Pratt

As of April 1^st grandpa has been gone 3 years. I am so glad he left us with so much wisdom. I know what it means to be born of “goodly parents who love the Lord!” The following activity is one that our family shared with Grandpa for a few years. We hope you enjoy it too. Love, Rose

A fun family activity. Take 12 plastic eggs and put the following in them. Number the eggs. Take turns opening them as a family and talking about the TRUE meaning of Easter. We enjoy this tradition.

#1 (sacrament cup) Luke 22:42 and 44 Jesus then went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Here he took upon himself the sins of the world. His suffering was so great that he bled from every pore.

#2 (coins Mark 14:10-11 and 44-45) One of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot, led men who were angry with Jesus to Him while he was praying. He did this because the wicked men told him that they would give him 30 pieces of silver for doing so. The wicked men wanted to kill Jesus. One of the disciples cut off one of the soldiers ears but Jesus healed the guard’s ear and was led away.

#3 (soap Matthew 27:24) Jesus was brought to the governor, Pontius Pilate, to stand trail. Pilate was a powerful leader. It was the time of the Jewish Passover and Pilate would allow one prisoner to go free. Pilate found no fault with Jesus and thought to set him free but the people said no set Barabbas free. Barabbas was a thief and a murderer. Pilate knew that Jesus was not guilty but that he was innocent! To show he would not be responsible for the death of Jesus he washed his hands of the mater. He still allowed the mocking and scourging of Jesus before he was taken to be crucified.

#4 (ropes Matthew 27:29) Jesus was bound by ropes, spit upon, severely beaten, whipped and mocked. One of Jesus’ disciples, Peter, was so scared by how Jesus was being treated that he denied him three times. He later repented for he loved Jesus.

#5 (thorns (rose thorns work well) Matthew 27:28) Jesus was mocked and dressed in a scarlet robe. The wicked men made a crown of thorns and placed it upon Jesus’ head. He was beaten and whipped again.

#6 (cross (match sticks make a good cross)Luke 23:33) The wicked men decided to crucify Jesus. They made him carry a heavy cross to a hill called Calvary where he was nailed to the cross between two thieves. A sign was placed above his head which read, “King of the Jews”written in three languages. While on the cross Jesus was offered vinegar to drink. Jesus did not drink the vinegar. Jesus asked John, one of his disciples to take care of his mother. Before he died he cried out, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” The soldiers mocked him and he said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”.

#7 (pair of dice Mark 15:24) While Jesus was dying on the cross the soldiers gambled for his clothing.

#8 (small rocks Matthew 27:51 and 54) Jesus hung on the cross many hours. Finally he said, “Father into thy hands I commend my spirit,” and he died. As soon as this happened, darkness and storms arose showing the tremendous grief Heavenly Father felt when he witnessed these things being done to His Son. Some of The wicked people then realized that this must indeed be the Son of God.

#9 (white linen cloth John 19:40) Jesus was wrapped in linen cloth for burial.

#10 (spices (whole cloves work well.)John 19:40) Joseph of Arimathaea, a disciples of Jesus, asked Pilate if he could care for the body of Jesus after he had died. Pilate agreed to let him do this. The body of Jesus was wrapped in linen with appropriate spices. Spices were used to preserve bodies. Mary and Mary Magdalene wrapped Christ’s body in the linen with spices the day Jesus died. (Friday) and then waited until the first day of the week (Sunday) before they returned to do this again---because Saturday was the Sabbath.

#11 (large rock Matthew 28:2) A large stone was rolled across the door to the tomb in which Christ’s body lay. There was a guard set to watch so no one could come and steal the body of Jesus. An angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled back the stone and the men on watch started to shake and became, “as dead men>” When the men told the Pharisees what had happened, the Pharisees paid them to tell others that the stone had been rolled away while they were asleep.

#12 (EMPTY  Matthew 29:6; John 20: 15-16) When Mary and Mary Magdalene went to the sepulcher. Their was an angel sitting there who told them to go and tell the disciples that Christ had risen. Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene while she was in the garden mourning his death. She thought he was the gardener when he asked, “woman, why weepiest thou?” She asked Him what he had done with the body of Jesus. Then he said to her, “Mary” she turned and recognized Him. Saying “Rabboni” meaning master.

Jesus did rise on the third day! He gives us the gift of Eternal life He has made it possible to be forgiven of our sins through his atonement. He has made it possible for us to live as a family with him and Heavenly Father in the highest part of the Celestial Kingdom! This is the true meaning of Easter!

A fun fa  

Memo #138

March 1, 2012 (written April 3, 2008) share at: http://www.prattmemos.blogspot.com

To: My Beloved Family

From: Dad, Grandpa Richard Marden Pratt

Re: Prophetic warnings continued ........and don’t miss the last page for Easter!

This message will be gruesome and depict some terrible scenes that are already happening on the earth as the disobedient children of our Father in Heaven refuse to listen and to obey. But remember that as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there is no reason to be fearful of the events now happening and will increase in their frequency and terror. If you are prepared spiritually and physically you have no need to fear.

Spiritual preparation is to have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Church of our Savior and a total trust in HIM and the scriptures which give us all that we need to know to be safe.

The second year we were married was our starvation period. The so called great depression was raging across the world. (It was anything but great!) We spent our second winter of marriage from October 1^st to about March 31^st (six months) with little food. 1935-36. We had at the beginning two hundred pounds of flour and about fifty pounds of dried beans. And our first baby, Carolyn to feed and care for. She was six months old at the beginning of this period.

Now 200 pounds of flour gave we two about one half pound per day. Nutritionists say that with little else to eat an adult needs a full pound of flour a day. Our bean supplement allowed us only two ounces each, daily or about four or five bites. Once we had a small quail that I managed to knock down with a stick. Yet when our ordeal ended we still had flour and beans left. We lived comfortably, never went hungry and provided for the baby. And there is only one way that could have happened. The same as the widow woman who fed the prophet Elijah and her son from an empty flour bin and no oil in her jar. Each day she would find enough flour in the bin and oil in the jar for that days needs. YES! Our flour and beans were replenished as we needed them. Why? Because we had obeyed the prophets advice to have a supply of food ahead! (The next time I’ll include a little ketchup.)

I will quote some of the prophecies just as given starting with section 87 of the D&C.

“Verily thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls.

And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place.

For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then WAR SHALL BE POURED OUT UPON ALL NATIONS.

And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war.”

            First recorded December 25, 1832, twenty nine years before it happened and it happened even to the one hundred thousand black troops enlisted by the North to fight against their masters.

“And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightening also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an

 almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations.

That the cry of the saints, and of the blood of the saints, shall cease to come up unto the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, (means Hosts) from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies.

Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come;  for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord.”

             NOTE: war to be poured out upon all nations. There has been no time since the civil war that the earth has had complete peace. Just in my lifetime there have been six major wars waged by our nation. I

was six years old when World War I ended. It and World Ward II were the most devastating wars in

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recorded history and cost an estimated sixty million lives plus plaque, disease, upheavals of nature and suffering beyond measure. And the end is not yet. Note: “Until the wars decreed hath made a full end of ALL nations.” Ours will not be excepted.

It is the chastening hand of Almighty God as a punishment for all the blood of all the saints that has been shed since Cain slew his brother Abel.

To stand in a holy place is to avoid the company of the wicked except when teaching them the truth and many will be converted and saved.

When He cometh quickly means that the world, like in the pre-flood days, was eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage when suddenly or quickly the flood came and there were no survivors except on the Ark.

But the Prophet (Joseph Smith as recorded in History of the Church Vol. 3 pp 390-391) gives even a more graphic picture of world wide wars and particularly in our Once Great United States. Says He: “Wars are at hand; we must not delay; but are not required to sacrifice. We ought to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object. When wars come, we shall have to flee to Zion. The cry is to make haste. Ye shall not have time to have gone over the earth, until these things come, it will come as did the cholera, war, fires and earthquake; one pestilence after another, until the ancient of days (Jesus) comes, then judgement will be given to the saints.”

“I saw men hunting the lives of their own sons, and brother murdering brother, women killing their own daughters, and daughters seeking the lives of their mothers, I saw armies arrayed against armies. I saw blood, desolation, fires. The Son of Man has said that the mother shall be against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother. These things are at our doors. They will follow the Saints of God from city to city and Satan will rage, and the spirit of the devil is now enraged. I know not how soon these things will take place; but with a view of them, shall I cry peace? NO! I will lift up my voice and testify of them. How long you will have good crops, and the famine kept off. I do not know; when the fig tree leafs, know then that the summer is nigh at hand.”

From Heber C. Kimball: “If the righteous scarcely be saved, how will it be with the wicked? Am I looking for famines? Yes, the most terrible and severe that have ever come upon the nations of the earth...If you have done according to the instruction given and now reflect upon the things that I am declaring in your hearing, and lift up your voices unitedly as a people to the God of Heaven that he will be merciful unto us and favor Zion. Be wise, listen to counsel, and obey the voice of the Lord, and you will prosper and never want for bread; but as the Lord liveth, you will feel it, if you do not continue in the line of duty. (Brigham Young spoke up saying, “That is True!”)

Journal of Discourses Vol.5 pp 20-21

Excerpts from a sermon of Orson Pratt delivered in London, England March 9, 1879

“We have a responsibility placed upon us, and that responsibility we must fulfill, whether the people hear or whether they forbear, we must warn them, so that they shall not have excuse, when the tribulations shall come which I have named.....If you receive it you will save yourselves and your children temporally as well as spiritually.....when that day shall come there shall be wars, not such wars as have come in centuries and years that are past and gone, but a desolating war. When I say desolating, I mean that it will lay these European nations in waste. Cities will be left vacated, without inhabitants. The people will be destroyed by the sword of their own hands. Not only this but many other cities will be burned; for when contending armies are wrought up with terrible anger, without the spirit of humility that now characterizes many of the wars amongst nations, when they are left to themselves, there will be no quarter given, no prisoners taken, but a war of destruction, of desolation, of the burning of the cities and villages, until the land is laid desolate.

What about my own nation ~ The American nation? They have had a great desolating war; a war between the North and the South in which many hundreds of thousands were destroyed.

(The Saints were safe out here in the West and not involved in the Civil War.) This war was foretold twenty eight years before it took place; the very place where it should commence was marked out by the

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Prophet Joseph Smith, by him it was designated that the revolution should commence in South Carolina and it did so. By him it was pointed out that this war would be great and terrible, and it came to pass. The time is not far distant in the future, when the Lord God will lay his hand heavily upon this nation. How do you know this? Inquires one. I know from the revelations which God has given upon the subject. I read these revelations when they were first given. I waited over twenty eight years and saw their fulfillment to the very letter. Should I not, then, expect that the balance of them should be fulfilled? What then will be the condition of that people, when this great and terrible war shall come? It will be very different from the war between the North and the South. Do you wish me to describe it? I will do so. It will be a war of neighborhood against neighborhood, city against city, town against town, county against county, state against state, and they will go forth destroying and being destroyed and manufacturing will, in a great measure, cease for a time among the American nation. Why? Because in these terrible wars, they will not be privileged to manufacture. There will be too much bloodshed, too much mobocracy, too much going forth in bands and destroying and pillaging the land to suffer people to pursue any local vocation with any degree of safety. What will become of millions of the farmers upon the land? They will leave their farms and they will remain uncultivated (where does food come from?) And they will flee before the ravaging armies from place to place; and thus they will go forth burning and pillaging the whole country; and that great and powerful nation will be wasted away, UNLESS THEY REPENT. (And some surely will)

You will hear of magnificent cities sinking into the earth, engulfing mighty cities. Famine will spread over the nations, and a nation will rise up against nation, and states against states in our own country. They will destroy each other, caring not for their own lives. They will be like the Jaredites who destroyed each other to the last man.....the faithful of God’s people will see days that will cause them to close their eyes because of the sorrow that will come upon the wicked. The hearts of the faithful will be filled with pain and anguish for them.” ~ President Brigham Young

NOTE: But here in Zion, nestled in the tops of the mountains the Saints may avoid all of these calamities foretold by all the prophets. After they have been purged. Once they can raise the level of righteousness to 65-75 percent as proclaimed by the Prophet Brigham Young, here they will be protected as the wicked destroy themselves. We are running less than 50 percent currently. For our own safety and that of our children and grandchildren, we need to warn our neighbors. Do so and prepare and be safe. ( Note: In our day, Zion means the pure in heart. Or stakes of Zion) There is safety and peace in living the commandments of God and in preparing against a time of need. The foregoing like I said in the beginning is gruesome but you can be happy like Grandma and I were if you will harken to the words of the gospel of Jesus Christ. IT IS TRUE! I KNOW IT TO BE SO! LEARN IT AND LIVE IT. I yearn for all of you to be Christ centered and receive his rewards for being righteous.

All my love,

Dad, Grandpa Pratt

Richard Marden Pratt

continue on for Some awesome quotes from Dad’s memo #94

 HAPPY EASTER TO ALL OF YOU!

... “.This much is certain: after Christ was taken down from the cross, his body was wrapped in linen strips about one foot wide with roughly a hundred pounds of preservatives  poured between the folds. Then he was placed in Joseph’s tomb. A huge stone weighing roughly two tons was rolled against it’s entrance. A Roman seal was affixed, making it a crime punishable by death if broken, four Roman soldiers were stationed in front of the tomb to guard it around the clock. They were to prevent Christ’s body from  being stolen. If his body wasn’t in that tomb on the fourth day, the day after Christ said he was going to rise, it would cost them their lives. And to make sure they stayed awake they changed shifts every two hours. Every perceivable caution was taken to prevent his body from being taken away. Yet

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three days later it was gone. The bloodstained clothes weighing more than 100 pounds were there but the body was gone. The disciples didn’t  wait 50 to 60 years to proclaim  Christ’s  resurrection when no one would be around to deny it. They proclaimed it immediately. They were threatened, flogged, imprisoned and put to death for claiming Christ had risen.

Why didn’t his enemies put his body on display and settle the whole matter. They couldn’t. The best they could come up with was that the disciples had come by night stealing his body away while the guards slept. All the soldiers sleeping at the same time! When the punishment was certain death? Besides how does anyone know what happens while he is asleep? A third grader should be able to see thru a claim as shabby as this. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a myth as skeptics would have us believe. It’s one of the best attested facts of history, supported by the strongest kinds of evidence.

Note: Grandma and I were there, we have visited the tomb  it’s  hewn out of solid rock. Yes the story is true. And  what a glorious promise is held out for those who believe......

Start with ch. 8 in 3^rd Nephi page 422. At the death of our Savior on the cross there were terrible destructions in the Americas for the majority of the people here had rejected him.

Tempests, earthquakes, fires, whirlwinds and physical upheavals attest to the crucifixion. Many people were destroyed. Then during the 3 days his body lay in the tomb thick darkness covered these lands, no glimmer of light showing. In the darkness the voice of Christ proclaims the destruction of many people and cities. And a voice came from the Heavens saying: “ Wo, Wo, Wo, unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people, and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen.” The voice continued, “O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now  return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?” 3 Ne. 9:13

and a voice spoke from Heaven saying, “Behold  my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name, hear ye him....

They cast their eyes up again towards heaven, and behold, they saw a  man  descending out of heaven...and he came down and stood in the midst of them...and he stretched forth his hand  and spake unto the people saying; behold I am Jesus Christ, whom  the prophets testified shall come into the world.”

PLEASE read all of Third Nephi at your earliest, right now  if you can. Jesus is the Christ!  

My love, Dad, Grandpa etc. Richard  Marden Pratt

The following is from a talk by Jeffrey R. Holland: This, The Greatest of All Dispensations (find it on lds.org)

“So let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion. And remember the most fundamental definition of Zion we have ever been given: those who are “pure in heart” (D&C 97:21). If you will keep your hearts pure, you and your children and your grandchildren shall sing songs of everlasting joy as you build up Zion—and you shall not be moved out of your place.

The other verse I refer to is from the Savior, spoken to His disciples as He faced His Crucifixion and as they faced fear, disarray, and persecution. In His last collective counsel to them in mortality, He said: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

So, in a world of tribulation, let’s remember our faith. Let’s recall the other promises and prophecies that have been given, all the reassuring ones, and let’s live life more fully, with more boldness and courage than at any other time.

Christ has overcome the world and made a path for us. He has said to us in our day: “Gird up your loins and be prepared. Behold, the kingdom is yours, and the enemy shall not overcome” (D&C 38:9).

Memo #137

Date: February 1, 2012 (written April 2008) share at: http://www.prattmemos.blogspot.com

To: My beloved family

From: Dad, Grandpa etc. Richard Marden Pratt

Re: Prophetic warnings cont.

We learn some startling things from Moses chapter 7. In it the Lord says to the prophet Enoch ( Adam was still alive on the earth) after Enoch asks, “How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?  and were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations; and thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; thou art merciful and kind forever; and thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom, from all thy creations, from all eternity to all eternity; and naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of thy throne; and mercy shall go before thy face and have no ends; HOW IS IT THOU CANST WEEP?” Moses 7:28-31

Please read the above and try to comprehend that our Father has created countless numbers of worlds, peopled them and redeemed them and then perhaps you can wonder as Enoch did. The Lord said unto Enoch: “Behold these thy brethern; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency. And unto thy brethern have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood...I will send in the floods upon them, for my fierce anger is kindled against them...wherefore, I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also, and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethern...Wherefore should not the heavens weep, SEEING THESE SHALL SUFFER?”.... wherefore, the Lord suffereth for their sins; in as much as they will repent in the day that my Chosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in torment. Wherefore, for this shall the heavens weep, yea, and all the workmanship of mine hands.” Moses 7:33-49

We learn several things from this scripture:

1. His worlds are beyond number yet he has created them, all peopled them and saved them.

2. All he asks is that his children where ever they are, are to love each other. And CHOOSE Him as their Father. (Love God)

3. But they on this world, hate their own blood.

4. Therefore when he sends in the flood they will not be saved there from, remember no one needed to drown.

5. Of all these countless creations this world is the most wicked. In fact it is the only one wicked enough to crucify their own God. And the Prophet has said that our current world is wicked enough that were Christ to appear on earth today as he did 2000 years ago this modern world would also crucify him. This also tells us something about ourselves. IN ORDER TO SAVE OUR WORLD, THE CHOICEST OF SPIRITS HAD TO BE SELECTED TO COME TO THE EARTH, ESPECIALLY AT THIS TIME. And we repeatedly hear from the General Authorities that the current generation of Saints are the choicest Spirits God has, and have been sent to earth at this time to save all that will be saved and not see the creation of this world utterly wasted because their would be no one to survive the holocaust that is

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currently sweeping the wicked to destruction.

So rejoice and bear your afflictions PATIENTLY! We will survive, we will win and great will be the rewards thereof!          

6. The Heavens weep, God weeps, all the righteous weep that the wicked spurn the great plan of love and hate their own flesh. The one and half million yearly abortions in the United States alone is evidence of this.

7. And the Lord will still save them after they have paid for their own sins they will be cleansed by their own suffering and finally released there from and ushered into the glorious Telestial Kingdom. Moses 7:33-39

“Wherefore Enoch saw that Noah built an ark; and that the Lord smiled upon it. And held it in his own hands; but upon the residue of the wicked the floods came and swallowed them up.

And as Enoch saw this, he had bitterness of soul, and wept over his brethern, and said unto the heavens: “I will refuse to be comforted;” but the lord said unto Enoch: “Lift up your heart, and be glad; and look.....

And behold Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying the righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; (It was planned) ....and the Lord said unto Enoch; as I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfill the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah;

And the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, BUT MY PEOPLE WILL I PRESERVE....AND RIGHTEOUSNESS AND TRUTH WILL I CAUSE TO SWEEP THE EARTH AS WITH A FLOOD, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters fo the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may be looking forth for the time of my coming...and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.

And the Lord said unto Enoch; then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; (that’s US) and we will fall upon their necks, and will kiss each other. (Of course we will remember them from our association in the Spirit World before this earth was created!) Vs.61-65.

And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples (us) whom I have chosen in these    last days. And they shall go forth and none shall stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them. Behold this is mine authority, and the authority of my servants, and my preface unto the book of my commandments, which I have given them to publish unto you, o inhabitants of the earth.

Wherefore, fear and tremble, O ye people, for what I the Lord have decreed in them shall be fulfilled. And verily I say unto you, that they who go forth, bearing these tidings unto the inhabitants of the earth, to them is power given to seal both on earth and in heaven, the unbelieving and rebellious.

Yea, verily, to seal them up unto the day when the wrath of God shall be poured out upon the wicked without measure...

And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth. And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of His servants, neither give

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heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people.....

         Wherefore I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant, Joseph Smith Jr. And spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments.....

And again, verily I say unto you O inhabitants of the earth; I the Lord am willing to make these things known unto all flesh. For I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is it nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.

And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst, and shall come down in judgement unto Idumea, (or the world.)

SEARCH THESE COMMANDMENTS, FOR THEY ARE TRUE AND FAITHFUL AND THE PROPHECIES AND PROMISES WHICH ARE IN THEM SHALL ALL BE FULFILLED. What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and tho the heavens and the earth pass away, but shall all be fulfilled whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants (us), it is the same.” Doctrine and Covenants section 1         

Now notice the following: “after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people. For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand. And also cometh the testimony of the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people.” D&C 88:88-91

Note: is there a day goes by that one of these phenomena is not reported someplace in the world? I think not. Also notice our part in warning the people and we don’t need to be on a formal mission. That mother who is at home, tending her babies and living the gospel, is a living witness to her own children and the neighbors just as much as the elders in the mission fields are witnessing to the inhabitants of the earth.

“For I the Almighty, have laid my hands upon the nations, to scourge them for wickedness. And plagues shall go forth and they shall not be taken from the earth until I have completed my work, which shall be cut short in righteousness. Until all shall know me, who remain, even from the least unto the greatest, and shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and shall see eye to eye, and shall lift up their voice, and with the voice together sing the new song.” D&C 84:96-98

“for the hour is nigh and the day soon at hand when the earth is ripe; and all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that wickedness shall not be upon the earth.” D&C 29:9

And my own Patriarchal blessing says; “Whether in the flesh or out of the flesh thou shalt go forth to meet the lord at His coming. I bless thee with faith to have power with the Lord to save thyself, thy loved ones, and the Saints that are with thee at the great and dreadful day of the coming of the Lord. Thou shalt witness the destruction of the wicked as they are consumed with fire. Thy heart shall cry out in lamentations over them.”

So PLEASE, PLEASE READ WHAT I WRITE AND FOLLOW ME AND TOGETHER WE WILL RISE ON THAT GLORIOUS DAY TO MEET THE LORD AT HIS COMING!  

Whether we are in the mortal flesh or in the spirit world will not hinder us.

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“And now we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when

the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them

when they are ripened in iniquity.

For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land that they are swept off. This is a choice land and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free if they will but serve God.”

Either 2:8-12

To this I testify with all my love!

Dad, Grandpa, Richard Marden Pratt

It’s interesting to me that the note books with Dad’s memos he gave to me in a very specific order to type. Does anyone else notice how pertinent these are with what is being said by our prophets? Wow he left such a wonderful legacy!

Dad said these would go at least 3 years after his death. He will have been gone 3 years April 1^st. And I have only 5 left to type! A few of you have asked if we will be putting the earlier ones on the blog site. If you want them please add your input. You can comment on the blog itself or email me at: randrflower@gmai.com or call me at (801)377-9487

I love putting these out for Dad and Mom for they were a mighty team in this life and I know they are a team now. They are not far from us and still have our best interests at heart. I’m sure they pray for us and want us to be encouraged to do what is right. Like our Father in Heaven they too want us to be successful and we can if we listen and align ourselves with Jesus Christ and the plan of happiness.

A couple of quotes from memo #55 February / March 2005

In as much as February is known as “lovers” month I thought it appropriate to write of a Father’s love for his children and their MOTHER . The love of an earthly Father and that of a Heavenly Father should parallel. However our Divine Father, being the very source of all love, can only be appreciated and in a minuscule way be emulated by earthly Fathers in direct proportion to how closely associated they are with the Father of us all.

First a Father’s love for the mother of his children should be supreme. She has offered her life after many months of misery to deliver each of his children. He owes it to her to put her on a pedestal and adore her. Especially shall their children know that this is so. And never will he allow a child to in any way be rude or disrespectful to their Mother....I am the first born and love them as our Father does. I also have six children, My Carolyn, My Kay, My Stephen, My Dawn, My Rose and My Sheryl. They are so precious. I must include the love I have for their eternal companions too, Bob, Vern, Belva Gae, Nelson, Roger and Gibb. They have given me 37 grandchildren still heavy to sweet daughters for there are 23 of them and 14 grandsons. These wonderful 37 have already given me 95 great grandchildren and now a great, great grandson! How glorious and I would that all 139 of these and the myriads that will follow will believe me and so live that they will secure their eternal seat at that Celestial reunion when this life is over.

My love forever

Your Father ~ Richard Pratt

Memo #136

Memo #136
January 1, 2012 (written 4/1/08)   Share at: http://www.prattmemos.blogspot.com
To: My Beloved Family
From: Dad ~ Grandpa Pratt
Re: Prophetic warnings

My desire is to stimulate thru these memos a positive, exciting outlook toward the future, hoping to overcome the negative, anxious feelings that so many have. These feelings of uneasiness and even despair are prevalent all over the world, but it should not be among members of the church, FOR GLORIOUS IS THE FUTURE. The Lord is in control and he will bring the end of the world to a fantastic and happy conclusion for those who are trying to know the future which is all prophesied and following instructions called keeping the commandments. True, difficult days are ahead. But the Lord is going to bring them to a triumphant conclusion and even the wicked will rejoice when they finally open their eyes and listen with their ears. For even the Telestial Kingdom which will be their ultimate destination is greater than a human eye has ever seen. So the saints of God should have an eager desire to prepare for his coming and a joyous anticipation of that great event.
Everything of a major nature that will affect our mortal and eternal lives has been spelled out in detail by the Prophets of God. Only dates have been withheld. And how wise that is for it is the nature of man to put off preparing for some great event until its about to happen and if we knew the dates we would delay until it would be everlastingly to late. Prophecy is the hand of God extended in love to a groping, floundering world.
Emotions of fear, anxiety, dread, gloom, and discomfort are prevalent even among the most faithful. And this need not be so if we have even a tiny glow of faith in our God. And it comes mostly from a lack of knowledge. So I will endeavor to help abate that lack in the next few memos. This is a glorious time to live and we have nothing to fear if we understand how hard our God is working “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Moses 1:39
Therefore, I will try to endeavor to expose us all to some of the predictions pertaining to the immediate future and to the second coming of our Lord and Savior; and the roll we may and should play therein. And as I have already discussed somewhat the future of the most persecuted people ever known ~ The Jews and their brilliant future so I will attempt to show how the future of all Israel and Gentiles who repent will be equally as glorious.
While it is clear that warning the inhabitants of the earth is one major purpose of prophecy, the conclusion that the Lord seeks to strike terror into the hearts of his children is unfounded. When a parent describes to his child the pain and suffering that may result from playing with electrical outlets, he may have to use rather ominous predictions and graphically plain terms. But it is plain that this parent is motivated out of love for the child, not out of some desire to see him cowering in fear. So it is with God. At times what he predicts is necessarily terrible to contemplate, but this is so because the choices his children make bring upon themselves terrible consequences.
More clearly evident is the comfort that comes to the soul from knowing that God has foreseen the end and has assured us that no matter how dark the intervening days, eventually his work shall emerge triumphant. The prophetic promises of the new Jerusalem, of the millennium reign, of the absence of war, disease, pain, sorrow, and of course, greatest of all, the promise of eternal life ~ all of these promises light the lamps of our hopes and brighten the gloom that is deepening all around. The prophets point out to us clearly that, even in crisis and disaster, the hand of the Lord may be moving to bring about his greater purposes for the children of men. Let us not forget that one of the great and significant purposes of the Lord in sharing his vision of the future with us is to give us comfort. From: the coming of the Lord by Lund 10-12
There are many places I could begin but the one that comes to mind is. “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, .....where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding....when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:1-7 (reminder “sons of God” means His children)
Yes, where was Job? When Jesus began the creation of the earth. He was of course one of the sons of God who shouted for joy. Where were you? Where was I? Are not we also the sons and daughters of God? Would not we have been there? Would not we have shouted for joy? Of course, because all the spirits that were to come to this earth had been born as spirits, grown to maturity, taught the need of the next step toward immortality and eternal life, and how we rejoiced that the building site had been secured, the permits issued, and the building (earth) commenced.
“Thus I, Abraham, (contemporary of Job) talked with the Lord, face to face, as one man talketh with another; and he told me of the works which his hands had made;...Now the Lord had shown unto me Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones. And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, (YOU WERE THERE!) And he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.” Abraham 3:22-23
you, my dear reader, are a descendant of Abraham and you were there for you were chosen before you were born as is clearly taught in so many of the scriptures.
And now comes the greatest event of all, at this great gathering the Father asked, whom shall I send?
“And there stood one among us that was like unto God and he said unto them who were with him (us among them!) WE will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.
And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate (here on earth) shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.” Abraham 3:22-26
We kept that first estate. We are now in the second estate or liken it to school here, the first estate as the primary grades prepared us for the higher classes of this mortal estate likened to high school, and eternity the third estate will be the university where we can learn all things. But there are many, many dropouts all along the way from Cain who flunked miserably, to those who graduate “magna cum Laude” and become Gods in their own right.
“And thus the Gospel began to be preached, from the beginning, being declared by holy angels sent forth from the presence of God, and by his own voice, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost.
“And thus all things were confirmed upon Adam, by an holy ordinance and the Gospel preached, and a decree sent forth, that it should be in the world until the end there of; and thus it was amen.” Moses 5:58-59
“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....but they believed it not.” Moses 5:10-12
One of the things that they taught was that the earth has to have the same ordinances as man ~ that it must be baptized by water, and it was. And that it must receive the Holy Ghost which will be a cleansing by fire ~ yet in the future. That both of these ordinances would temporarily remove all mankind from off the face of the earth. They would be removed by the power of God if they are in obedience to him. Or they would be removed by the water or the fire and great and dreadful it would be (for the disobedient).
But not one soul needed to drown in the baptism (flood) nor one soul burned in the fire (at the second coming of Christ). But the majority of the worlds population were drowned and the current majority will be burned if they don’t mend their ways. But in each case the real horrors of the world were the things the wicked do to each other prior to these great cleansing efforts. Allowing the Spirit of the devil to possess them the world then as it is now was filled with violence and war and every horrible thing that a devil inspired society can inflict on each other and this is the part that fills even the obedient with apprehension. But if we will exercise our faith and act in obedience to the prophetic warnings we will be safe. Yes, we may suffer inconveniences as our society crumbles and is destroyed. Think of the havoc when transportation, manufacturing and communications are destroyed. But we have been instructed ever since I can remember how to prepare that we may not suffer as the dammed souls will surely suffer. And we definitely will not suffer eternal damnation.
When Adam was 682 yeas old, he still had 250 years to live, a seventh great grandson was born. He became the great prophet to warn of the immanent coming of a world wide flood. He founded a city named Zion (means pure in heart) and gathered all who would believe there to. And what did he teach? Why the same thing we teach today. Faith in the living God, repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. And to prepare for the coming cleansing of the earth by water. Today the only difference is the cleansing of the earth by fire.
Five years before Noah was born which was 605 years prior to the flood Enoch and his people were removed from the earth by translation to a paradisaical glory where they remain to this day and will be returned to earth after the fire.
Noah and others continued to instruct and warn the people after Zion had fled and “angels also descending from Heaven, bearing witness of the father and the Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, AND THEY WERE CAUGHT UP by the powers of heaven into Zion and the last righteous man other than the eight who survived in the ark died the year of the flood, the oldest man recorded to live in mortality, Methuselah, 969 years old.
So the billions still left on the earth suffered death by drowning but worse was their agony as they were  about to be submerged, in those last few minutes as they climbed on the roof tops or clung to any floating thing and thinking, “I was warned! I could have escaped this.”
And Enoch recorded the words of God: “Wherefore, I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also, and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren....wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer.” Moses 7:37
and so it is today and God weeps and warns and warns and weeps but the world is as wicked today as then and must suffer for it. Please be prepared. It’s simple really! Just learn and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. For those who choose to live the commandments there is a glorious future! Do not despair but be excited to live by the guidance of living prophets and the wonderful scriptures. Our Heavenly parents and Jesus Christ want us to succeed and we can if we align ourselves with them. They are after all the winning team. Like I said in the beginning of the memo, GLORIOUS IS THE FUTURE! The Lord is in control and he will bring the end of the world to a fantastic and happy conclusion for those who are trying.......

My love always,
Dad, Grandpa etc.
Richard Marden Pratt
a couple of quotes from Memo #100 January 2009
 I hope you enjoyed the Christmas letter. Without our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ there is no Christmas and neither is there anything else as so beautifully expressed by that great prophet Lehi; “And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness and if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. Neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.” 2 Nephi 2:13........
For fear that you won’t turn to your Book of Mormon to read it, I am going to quote verse 14. “And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God. And HE hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, But the Lord will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away the tears from off all faces who have waited for Him. What a glorious time to live. Jesus is the Christ the son of the Living God.  I know this to be true! Believe and enjoy the peace it brings to you. You all are so important to me and I love you dearly.
A side note. I have spent a few days in the hospital and came home just before Christmas. My home was all cleaned and cozy. I told the girls I thought I was in the wrong house. I have had many cards and letters and visits even flowers and candies etc. In all of this I have felt very loved. I’m still baking bread and reading and enjoying the love of family. I am much weaker now but sitting still in my chair I feel great. It is a day at a time that we conquer life and I choose to enjoy it and be happy in it. Life is what we make it. And with the teachings of Jesus Christ life is good.

I send my love to all of you and my hope that your new year will be filled with wonderful blessings.
All my love,
Dad, Grandpa Pratt etc.