Enemies of Christ

1
Enemies of Christ

• Alma 30,31

2

• Orson F. Whitney . . . was a great man to
  concentrate. One day when he was traveling by
  train, he was so preoccupied that he did not
  notice the train pass the station where he was to
  get off. So he had to be driven back to where
  he should have been. Meanwhile the stake
  president waited and waited. . . .
• Finally when he decided that something had more
  than likely happened to Brother Whitney and he
  was not going to make it, they commenced the
  meeting. As Elder Whitney approached, he was
  greeted by the opening hymn, which was "Ye Simple
  Souls Who Stray"

3
First half of the Book of Alma

• What was Mormon teaching us here?

Alma 5-16 Almas missionary work
Alma 17-28 Ammons missionary work
Alma 29 Oh, that I were an angel
Alma 32-35 Almas missionary work
Alma 30 Korihor, the Anti-Christ
Alma 31 The Zoramites
THE FOILS
4
How would you define anti-Christ?

• The word antichrist is the Bible term for the
  false teachers in the Church who taught a false
  Christ instead of a true Christ. the Greek
  preposition anti, roughly translated, means
  instead of.
• It also carries the meaning of "face to face" or
  mirror image. The image in the mirror, looking
  back at you, is face to face with you. It looks
  like you. Yet it has no substance. It is a
  counterfeit of you, in a sense. It only appears
  to be you.

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Two types of Anti-Christ
Non-Religious Korihor
Religious Zoramites
6
Were they really that different?

• Korihor Zoramites

foolish traditions of your fathers
childishness of their fathers
I say this people are in bondage
Thou hast elected us to be thy holy children
every man prospered according to his genius
every man prospered according to his election
caused them to lift up their heads in their
wickedness,
they did pervert the ways of the Lord
7
The Zoramites

• Alma 31
• had gathered themselves together in a land which
  they called Antionum
• were dissenters from the Nephites
• they would not observe to keep the commandments
  of God, and his statutes, according to the law of
  Moses.

8
The Rameumptom,

• Alma 31
• 13 For they had a place built up in the center of
  their synagogue, a place for standing, which was
  high above the head and the top thereof would
  only admit one person.
• 14 Therefore, whosoever desired to worship must
  go forth and stand upon the top thereof, and
  stretch forth his hands towards heaven

9
What do we learn from the prayer?

• Alma 31
• 16 Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated
  us from our brethren and we do not believe in
  the tradition of our brethren, which was handed
  down to them by the childishness of their
  fathers but we believe that thou hast elected us
  to be thy holy children and also thou hast made
  it known unto us that there shall be no Christ.
• 17 But thou art the same yesterday, today, and
  forever and thou hast elected us that we shall
  be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be
  cast by thy wrath down to hell for the which
  holiness, O God, we thank thee and we also thank
  thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not
  be led away after the foolish traditions of our
  brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief
  of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to wander
  far from thee, our God.
• 18 And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a
  chosen and a holy people. Amen.

10
King Solomon

• 1 Kings 117
• 4when Solomon was old his wives turned away his
  heart after other gods
• 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess,
  and after Milcom the abomination of the
  Ammonites.
• 7 Then did Solomon build an high place for
  Chemosh, the abomination of Moab

11
President Benson
"The Book of Mormon exposes the enemies of
Christ.  It confounds false doctrines and lays
down contention.  It fortifies the humble
followers of Christ against the evil designs,
strategies, and doctrines of the devil in our
day.  The type of apostates in the Book of
Mormon are similar to the type we have today. 
God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded
the Book of Mormon that we might see the error
and know how to combat philosophical concepts of
our time." 
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• We must remember-
• Todays anti-Christ is not just a critic of
  Christ
• They are a replacement for Christ

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Modern Anti-Christs
Non-Religious Alternatives?

• TV and Movies
• Popular music
• Business
• Politics

Religious Alternatives?

• Ministers who deny the atonement
• Ministers who make church about them
• Those that refuse to help the poor
• Those who use church for their own goals

14
Elder Carlos E. Asay

• When we read about the anti-Christs of former
  days, we marvel at how perverted their thinking
  became and we marvel at how successful they were
  in deceiving men and women. We also wonder why
  some of the people were so gullibleso easily
  misled.
• And with all this marveling and wondering, we
  tend to niche the anti-Christs in some corner of
  ancient history and go about our unguarded ways.
  This is dangerous. It could result in loss of
  faith and, in a spiritual sense, it could put us
  out of existence. . . .
• "Many anti-Christs are still among us. . . .
  These faith-killers and testimony-thieves use
  personal contacts, the printed word, electronic
  media, and other means of communication to sow
  doubts and to disturb the peace of true
  believers."

15
President Kimball

• May I say again when you include in the gospel
  plan of Christ the family, there is nothing else
  in all the world worth bothering with. Everything
  else is incidental only.
• Assume that you become the world leader of
  Socialism and in it have marked success, but
  through your devotion to it you fail to live the
  gospel. Where are you then?
• Is anything worthwhile which will estrange
  you from your friends, your Church
  membership, your family, your eternal
  promises, your faith?
• You might say that such estrangement is not
  a result of your political views, but
  truthfully hasn't your overpowering interest
  in your present views already started driving
  a wedge?