Eight-four Weighty-door crushing the oath and covenANT of the priesthood

I will forever remember that section 84 is about the oath and covenant of the priesthood. Thanks, Sister Cessna!

......and no, pammycake, I didn't stop posting here. Thanks for the nudge. I've been losing steam with the scripture reading. Actually, I've read some, but haven't posted. (I've actually read scriptures with my kids while eating breakfast the past two days. I hope I can stick with that, but we'll see.)

--So section 84. I'm not all the way through it, but here are a few things that have caught my attention thus far:

v. 25 It was the hard-heartedness of the Israelites that chased the Melchizedek priesthood from the earth. It left with Moses, not to return again till John the Baptist (who was ordained by an angel at 8 days old.) I'm not sure I knew the Melchizedek priesthood had left the earth with Moses. I think I thought the sons of Levi had both priesthoods.......so this was good for me to learn.

v. 49 "And the whole world lieth in sin, and groaneth under darkness and under the bondage of sin." v. 53 "And by this you man know the righteous from the wicked, and that the whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now."

My thoughts: I wonder if all the turmoil the physical world is undergoing right now is a direct affect of sin. Global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. Human kind, along with animals and the earth, are all God's creation. We are part of a big whole, a team, if you will. When one member of the team isn't pulling their weight, the whole team suffers. I'm not thinking "We all should be living green" or anything, but that our sins are somehow affecting how the earth does it's business.

--Now that I'm writing it all out, it seems a little weird, and it's not sounding quite like I had pictured it. It feels a little zen/karma-ish, but maybe you know what I mean. (?)

v. 101 "The earth hath travailed and brought forth her strength." This, of course, makes me think of a woman in labor. Maybe these last days before the earth is renewed can be likened to labor. That's definately not a time of peace (not naturally, at least!). So maybe all this upheaval is the earth's way of preparing for Christ's second coming, as well.