"Did you just feel that earthquake!?" We were out in the front yard of a member of our Church's house. We told him we did not feel any earthquake, but he continued to talk about it. Elder Dumke (my missionary trainer) and I were very skeptical of his report, but we had a nice visit and read some versus from The Book of Mormon and then continued on our way.
We decided to knock on some doors in the area as we frequently did as missionaries. I wrote the following in my journal: "When we went out [door knocking] we heard people in the street saying there was an earthquake. We didn't believe the first man, because we didn't feel the earthquake. We did believe after we heard more people talk about it." The earthquake was small and didn't do any major damage.
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| This is Elder Dumke and I with another member of our Church |
We decided to knock on some doors in the area as we frequently did as missionaries. I wrote the following in my journal: "When we went out [door knocking] we heard people in the street saying there was an earthquake. We didn't believe the first man, because we didn't feel the earthquake. We did believe after we heard more people talk about it." The earthquake was small and didn't do any major damage.
It's incredible the difference multiple witnesses can make to a piece of evidence.
Jesus Christ said, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established" (Matthew 18:16). In the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, the most important events have multiple witnesses:
Jesus Christ said, "In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established" (Matthew 18:16). In the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, the most important events have multiple witnesses:
- The original hand-carved record of The Book of Mormon was seen by three special witnesses. Later, it was seen by eight more witnesses.
- The restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood was experienced by both Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey. Later, the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood was also experienced by those two.
- Visions of Heaven were seen by both Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon.
- Many people saw angels and experienced other heavenly manifestations at the Kirtland Temple. Also in the Kirtland Temple, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey saw many heavenly messengers come down and restore more priesthood authority.
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| An event at the Kirtland Temple (picture from LDS.org) |
Many other miraculous events have been wittnessed by two or more people in our day. God's work continues to go forth and he provides multiple witnesses as one of the ways to validate truthful events. However, God's most important witness comes from the Holy Spirit. I know these events are true because I have a witness of them from God's Spirit.
This song is about listen to God's still small voice through His Spirit
Have you ever experienced an earthquake? I'd actually love to hear about it, comment below.
Earthquake of October 17, 1989 - it was a BIG one! My first quake experience, a very small one, was while serving a mission in Japan. Then there were several in the 3-5 magnitude range when I was living in Calif - leading up to the 7.1 magnitude that I wrote about on my blog in 2012. Quakes of all types can have a big impact, even those not personally felt. Thank you for this post!
ReplyDeleteIn case you're interested...
http://messofmusings.blogspot.com/2012/11/quake.html
Thanks! I know I talked to you earlier this morning, but it was good to read your blog post. Thanks for posting it. I like how you tied it into adversity. Know we pray for you.
DeleteMatthew, I am a regular follower of your blog. I appreciate your approach and the introspective thought that it inspires. In my almost three-quarters of a century on this planet, I have experienced most of the types of natural catastrophes that can occur. Either directly or immediately after occurrence as part of a recovery effort.
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt, for me earthquakes are the MOST frightening type of natural catastrophe one can experience. When one occurs you are immediately thrust into the center of the experience. No oncoming storm to allow for preparation or evacuation. One feels totally exposed to danger without any protective shelter. In the three years that my family and I lived in the Philippines we experienced hundreds of earthquakes of varying magnitudes.
One of the things that I learned about myself was that as I first experienced the earthquakes was that I experienced a wide range of emotions during their occurrences from STARK TERROR to a CALMNESS of spirit. I know these experiences allowed me to draw closer to our Heavenly Father and to allow the Comforter to calm my spirit.
In a second commentary on earthquakes,some of the most extreme earthquakes in North America occurred during a six month period in 1811 and 1812. Some of the New Madrid quakes as they are called were strong enough to ring church bells in Boston and Washington, DC. New Madrid is a small community on the Mississippi river in central Missouri. A few years ago the History Channel made a video special about the New Madrid quakes. what is very interesting to me is that some of the associated phenomena described by witnesses (i.e. sand geysers) is very similar to the type of destruction described in the Book of Mormon at the time of the Crucifixion of Christ. Hows that for some more witnesses.
Keep up the good work. --Unka Dave--
Thank you for you comment. That is very interesting. I had never heard of sand geysers until your comment. I looked it up and found a video of a supposed sand geyser. The video uses the words "Truth Seeker" in the beginning of it. Are you connected to the video in anyway? https://youtu.be/PWdVxggSUUQ
DeleteNot connected to the video, Coincident in names.
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DeleteMatthew, the History channel video information I was referring to is located at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/earthquake-rocks-the-american-wilderness
DeleteThanks! I read the information on the history channel website. Very fascinating. Thanks again for you comments. It's amazing how calmness could come to you in the middle of such a frightening experience. I'm very grateful for the Spirit.
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