The Gate Keeper

Jesus Christ is the gate keeper, he employs no servant there.  If you want to get in, you must go directly through Christ. 

There is no enmity between Jesus and Joseph Smith Jr.  Joseph only taught people to go to Christ.  Do not believe any of the false reports of those who fear to be directed toward Christ. 

Joseph set up the church under the direction of Christ and it was supposed to stay that way, being led in their councils by the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation. He was even commanded to start a school to teach people how to actually talk to God face to face, just so that they could follow Christ directly, no intermediary, but they rejected his teachings as the children of Israel did with Moses.  Soon after the Saints betrayed and delivered Joseph and Hyrum to the ‘Romans’, the church broke apart into several different factions, each taking their own mix/version of the restored Gospel. 

One of the small factions took on a whole new agenda.  It patterned itself after the beast who sits upon the waters, and created a hierarchy of priestcraft (fulfilling prophecy).  It no longer directed people’s hearts toward Christ, but instead toward salvation in ordinances and submission to rulers. 

Originally the ordinances were intended to direct our hearts, our minds, and our lives towards Christ.  We are to follow Christ in all things, such as the ordinance of baptism.  Baptism itself does not save us.  But our following the commandments of the Saviour, does.  Entering the waters of baptism signifies our putting away our old life and being born again into a new life in Christ, yet we must actually put away our old lives, truly applying the meaning of the ordinance to our lives. 

Ordinances are designed to point us toward Christ, because it is only in and through Christ that salvation comes.  Those who think that they can obtain salvation through any prophet or through any ordinance are sadly mistaken.  It is only through the grace of Christ that salvation comes, even though we must keep the commandments and humbly walk the ordinances, submitting to all things through Yeshua Messiah.