W. Cleon Skousen Insights

Celebrating Our Constitution

Join W. Cleon Skousen as he walks the room from history to the present, weaving dramatic Founding-era stories with a lawyer’s sober account of how the Constitution’s 248 principles were meant to protect liberty — and how many have been unraveled. Through vivid anecdotes about Jefferson, Adams, and Washington, he reveals the quiet, deliberate choices that created America and the slow shifts that have taken it off course.

Skousen’s talk becomes part memoir, part warning, and part blueprint: he explains the consequences of monetary change, federal overreach, and lost states’ rights, then sketches an unexpected hope — a restored system of law and community built on reparative justice and timeless principles called God’s law. It’s a passionate call to study, stand, and prepare, told with courtroom clarity, pioneer grit, and the conviction that a nation can be remade if enough people learn what the founders intended.

OT 23 David Becomes King of Israel

Text: 2 Samuel chapters 1-4

Supplemental Text: The Fourth Thousand Years chapter 4

BYU Lecture 28: David learns of the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan. Rather than rejoicing from the news that his tormentor Saul was dead, he went into fasting and mourning. David writes a sad song lamenting the passing of Saul, the Lord’s anointed, and of Jonathan, his dear friend. But even with the death of King Saul, it wouldn’t be for nearly 8 years before David was recognized as the anointed King of all twelve tribes of Israel.

Once recognized as King, David moves the capital of Israel from Hebron to Mount Moriah, known later as Jerusalem. Now that Israel was united with their new king, Israel begins preparations to arise to her greatness. However, their dreaded enemy, the Philistines, were preparing to destroy this new threat.

OT 22 The Fall of King Saul

Text: 1 Samuel chapters 22-31

Supplemental Text: The Fourth Thousand Years chapter 3

BYU Lecture 27: King Saul, bitter and feeling rejected by nearly all he trusted, sought the life of David in a tirade. He calls on the prophet Ahimelech, accusing him of treason for siding with David. Saul has the prophet killed along with 85 temple priests.

David and his army of 600 loyalists continually flee from Saul and his vast armies. At En-geti, David has the opportunity to kill Saul while asleep in the very cave David is hiding. Instead of killing the man who sought madly to take his life, David recognizes the divine anointing of Saul as King by the prophet Samuel and merely cuts off a piece of his cloak, showing he had power and opportunity to kill Saul, but chose not to. David uses this as a negotiation tactic to find peace with Saul. This works, but only for a short time.

Saul again launches a new war on David. Marching his army and obsessed with the task of killing David, Saul is caught off guard when attacked by the Philistines. The war goes poorly for Israel, and Jonathan, Saul’s son and beloved friend of David, is slain. When Saul realizes all is lost, he falls on his sword and takes his own life.

OT 21 Saul's Campaign to Murder David

Text: 1 Samuel 18 - 21

Supplemental Text: The Fourth Thousand Years chapter 2

BYU Lecture 26: David exercises his faith in God and confronts Goliath, killing him with a rock and sling. David suddenly becomes a military hero to the people of Israel. He meets and befriends the crown prince of Israel, Jonathan – son of King Saul. With all the praise for David from the people of Israel, Saul becomes jealous and feels his power threatened, especially since the prophet Samuel informed Saul that God is planning to replace him with another man, a king worthy of God.

King Saul becomes psychotic and makes five failed attempts to kill David.

As tension rises, David slips through the land of Israel – seeking refuge in priestly tents, feigning madness in enemy courts, and secretly settles within his own homeland, the land of Judah. David begins to gather followers and allies. As counseled by the prophet Gad, David stays in Judah waiting upon the Lord until circumstances allow him to rise as king of Israel.

OT 20 King Saul and the Rise of David

Text: 1 Samuel 16-17

Supplemental Text: The Fourth Thousand Years chapter 1

BYU Lecture 25: The Jews use different names for some of their scriptural books than do our Bible scriptures. The following reference table shows these differences:

                  JEWISH                                 KJV Bible

            1^st Book of Kings                    1^st Samuel

            2^nd Book of Kings                   2^nd Samuel

            3^rd Book of Kings                   1^st Kings

            4^th Book of Kings                    2^nd Kings

            5^th Book of Kings                    1^st Chronicles (parallels 1^st Kings)

            6^th Book of Kings                    2^nd Chronicles (parallels 2^nd Kings)

All the history and prophecy during this period of time was originally recorded by the prophets Samuel, Nathan and Gad, but the writings were tragically lost. Fortunately, scribes and scholars had extracted some material from the original writings which we have today in these 6 books. It’s important to keep in mind that these writings we have today were not recorded by prophets of God, but rather by scribes.

Near the beginning of the fourth thousand years (about 1,100 BC) the slothful high priest was Eli. His student Samuel was called by God to replace Eli, to be the new prophet and High Priest of Israel.

Samuel’s prophetic voice shapes the nation. But Israel eventually rejects Samuel as their leader and demands a king. Distraught by failure, Samuel is reassured by God that Israel has not rejected Samuel but has rejected God. Meanwhile, a humble shepherd boy named David begins life’s journey in the shepherd fields.

 

OT 19 - Introduction to the Thundering Thousand Years

Text: The Old Testament

Supplemental Text: Finish up the Third Thousand Years chapters 21-26 from last semester. The Fourth Thousand Years text begins next week.

BYU Lecture 24: This is the "thundering thousand years" from David down to Christ. This is the thousand years of Bible history in which you have all prophets, not the Patriarchs. Programmed learning includes memorizing the “hook dates” in biblical history so the doctrine of the gospel can be connected to its history and context. For example, 1776 is a hook date that can be related to all the American independence and revolutionary war activities. By memorizing hook dates, the entire Old Testament will come alive and piece together the events, patriarchs, prophets, and kings.

Old Testament Hook Dates, simple and worth memorization:

4,000 BC Fall of Adam and Eve

3,500 BC Enoch

3,000 BC Noah

2,344 BC The Great Flood (just remember 1-2-3-4---4)

2,000 BC Abraham

1,900 BC Isaac

1,800 BS Jacob

1,700 BC Joseph

1,500 BC Moses

1,400 BC Joshua

1,100 BC Samuel and Saul

1,000 BC David and Solomon

   922 BC Division of Israel

   900 BC Elijah

   800 BC Elisha

   700 BC Isaiah

   600 BC Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekial, Lehi and Nephi

   589 BC Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem

   538 BC Jews return to Jerusalem

   516 BC Dedication of the new temple in Jerusalem

God's Outlook for America

Join Dr. W. Cleon Skousen on a sweeping, personal journey through the birth of the United States—where battlefield drama, prophetic vision, and a small band of determined leaders collide to forge a Constitution which ultimately bears the hand of God. Through vivid anecdotes—from Yorktown’s storms to the tense debates in Philadelphia—Skousen brings the Founders to life and reveals why the document they wrote contain principles for all mankind, no matter the time, place or circumstance. 

Part history lesson, part sermon, this episode is a heartfelt call to action: learn the rules that made freedom possible, teach them to the next generation, and take up the unfinished work of exporting constitutional liberty to a troubled world.

OT 18 The Final Year for Moses

Text: Deuteronomy 6-8; 15; 18; 29-30; 34

Supplemental Text: The Third Thousand Years chapter 20

BYU Lecture 23: Finally, the Lord declares that Israel is now ready to enter Canaan, the Promised Land. Moses is 120 years old and is in the last year of his life. He has also recently lost Aaron and Miriam.

Moses takes the hosts of Israel on a march towards the east of the Dead Sea, avoiding the Anaks. Along their march, God instructs Moses not to fight against three groups or tribes: the Edomites (children of Abraham through Esau, known today as Arabs), nor the Moabites or Ammonites (both groups descended from Abraham through Lot).

The story of the fallen prophet Balaam is told and how he colluded with the Midianites to corrupt the youth of Israel.

Moses is told that he is allowed to see the Promised Land but he cannot enter it. In his final 30 days of mortality, Moses devotes himself to record the book of Deuteronomy – God’s Laws.

Moses is translated and Joshua takes the lead as the Israelites march into the promised land. The miracle of the river divided. Manna is now stopped. Joshua puts all Israel under covenant to God by circumcising the men and then marches around Jericho and the walls fall.

OT 17 Rebel Not Against the Lord

Text: Numbers 11-14; 20-24; 27

Supplemental Text: The Third Thousand Years chapters 18-19

BYU Lecture 22: The law of carnal commandments include many different sacrifices and oblations which are discussed. The Lord hates them because as a schoolmaster, the law was not obeyed by Israel with humility or a contrite spirit. These carnal commandments were fulfilled and taken away at the time of Christ.

The laws of reparation are discussed and explained, such as “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” This God-given law is not a law of vengeance or revenge as it is taught generally, but a beautiful law of reparation which benefits the victim, the perpetrator and the entire society.

The law of Capital Punishment is also largely misunderstood, which is discussed and explained according to scripture as God delivered it. Properly understood, this sacred law allows for agency and it benefits society.

As Moses brings the people of Israel closer to the promised land, their complaints and whining become so unbearable that Moses goes to the Lord for help. The Lord organizes the Sanhedrin, or council of 70, to assist Moses.  He also sends them quail for meat because they complained about the manna. Those who lusted for the quail died from gluttony.

As the camp arrives near the Promised Land they send in spies to check the military might of the enemy. To their astonishment, they find the land full of mighty Anaks, or very large people (similar to Goliath). They panick, replace Moses with a new leader and flee. This so angers the Lord that He refuses to let any of the adult Israelites to ever enter the promised land, with the only exception to be Caleb and Joshua. Israel is condemned to wander in the wilderness 38 more years until all these original adult Israelites die off.

OT 16 Organizing Israel to March Into Canaan

BYU Lecture 21: After taking Israel out of Egypt Moses immediately began teaching the people the Gospel of Jesus Christ so they could witness God and become a people like unto the city of Enoch. But these people were unworthy and unwilling to behold God. Therefore, instead of receiving the Melchizedek priesthood and the temple ordinances, they were given the lesser priesthood and the "Law of Moses," comprising the law of the Gospel Covenant (including the 10 commandments) and also the temporary law of carnal commandments, a schoolmaster law of tedious offerings and oblations.

The Tabernacle is then constructed in precise detail, as commanded by God.

Moses takes a census of each tribe and situates each one around the outskirts of the Tabernacle. The tribe of Levi, however, was assigned differently. Each Levite male was consecrated as a servant in the Levitical Priesthood to function on behalf of the entire camp of Israel. These Levites were positioned immediately around the Tabernacle, within the outer circle of the other tribes.

After nearly a year at Mt. Sinai, God commands Moses to pack up and march the people into the promised land. Unfortunately, all along the way the people murmured against Moses and the Lord. As a result, this relatively short march turned into a long, cleansing march lasting another 38 years before they were finally qualified to enter Canaan - the promised land.