Ecclesiastical and political leadership is rotten to the core with secret combinations. These clandestine groups plot to deliver the sleepy gentiles into bondage in the last days. God leads the humble followers of Christ who “take the Holy Spirit as their guide” on the great end-time exodus. The Lord’s true servants gather out faithful Israel back to their promised land, where the Lord fights their battles.

Understanding what happened during Joseph Smith’s day requires one to become an investigative reporter. One must gather data points and then connect the dots. The scriptures and authentic church history accounts illustrate that the Lord removed the fullness of the priesthood from the Saints. The Lord calls the LDS Church and the restoration branches “my house.”

Bondage and destruction or repentance and deliverance? This is the question of our day for those who call themselves Christians. There is no legitimate response of “neither.” The account of King Limhi’s people details the results of ignoring a prophetic message delivered with power by the Holy Ghost, compared to those who were wise enough to listen to the voice of the Lord through Abinadi and Alma.

The horrific sins of the latter-day gentiles (defined as those who had a chance at the fulness of the gospel but rejected it) have led them into bondage in the last days. Ever willing to rescue His lost sheep, the Lord’s tender mercies include a promise to all who will repent and return to Him: He will heal them, convert them, deliver them from bondage, raise up Zion among them and save them. But first, we must lift the condemnation by repenting and returning.

Alma asks “have you received His image in your countenance?” The journey of Alma’s people from wickedness to bondage to repentance to righteousness prepared them to receive Jesus Christ. Those who accept his promises, take upon themselves his name, take up their cross and following him with a broken heart and contrite spirit are they who can answer yes to that crucial question.

Alma led a group of 200 “apostates” (according to King Noah’s corrupted quorum of Twelve) into the wilderness to teach them of Christ and baptize them by water into the preparatory gospel. Alma later received his calling as a true High Priest and led a new dispensation of the Church of Christ (a terrestrial order), which included the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost.

Despite the stumbling blocks of the gentiles and their rejection of the fullness of the gospel, the Lord extends his arm of mercy to them in the last days. God promised that he will deliver the faithful from bondage, gather them to safety and fight their battles. But first they must repent and return to the Lord, and forsake the woes pronounced upon them as detailed in the writings of Nephi and Isaiah.

Nephi’s last writings hit hard on the doctrine of Christ, leaving simple, plain and unmistakable instructions on how to come unto Christ. Jacob was commanded by Nephi to continue teaching this core doctrine to the Nephites with power and clarity. This isn’t just one of many doctrines. Rather, this is “the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” We must understand it and live it, if we are to become true sons & daughters of Christ.

In the last days, there are prophecies about the true conversion of the Jews, the Lamanites and some of the gentiles. Nephi and Isaiah warned us of the state of the gentiles (the LDS church and the restoration branches) prior to Christ’s second coming, and identified the stumbling blocks that would lead to all but the humble followers of Christ being led astray, they being “taught by the precepts of men.”

Lehi obtained a great vision of the Tree of Life and taught it to his entire family. Nephi believed, but wanted something more: Knowledge for himself. God is able and willing to teach us the way that we can “ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things.”