The Lord bestows upon those who
love Him and purify themselves before Him “knowledge” of Him. This knowledge is
glory, it is intelligence. If it is
received here it equips the recipient to endure His presence in a world of
glory. Every one of us are invited to
receive it. Every soul gains this knowledge in the same way, based on the same
conditions.
During
the life of Joseph Smith, if someone asked you about “The Vision”, what would
they have been referring to?
D&C 76 - not the First Vision!
This vison was HUGE at the time of
Joseph Smith.
The actual vision lasted
approximately 1.5 hours and was received by Joseph Smith AND Sidney Rigdon
during waking hours while at Johnson’s Farm in Ohio with others present.
The Lord Will Enlighten Those Who
Serve Him
READ D&C 76:1-4
Why
did the Lord give Joseph and Sidney this vision?
To witness to the world, with
Heaven standing as a witness, of the greatness of God and the perfection of His
plan.
The “world” was represented by twelve
other individuals who were also present in the upper room of the Johnson Farm during
the time of the vision but did not see it although Joseph and Sidney took turns
describing out loud what they were seeing, with the other confirming that they
were seeing the same things.
What
does it mean that the “Lord is God” and “beside Him there is no Savior” – what
about Christ?
It is Christ that is being spoken
of here – Christ is God.
It means that He, Christ, is the
Savior, and not to look for anyone else – including a church leader or a philosophy
or some other spirit – to save you.
Why can none of us find out the extent of His doings?
Because we cannot
comprehend them all – we lack the intelligence (light, truth, spirit, glory) to
do so at this point in our existence.
What
does the phrase “from eternity to eternity” imply?
That there is or has been more than
one eternity.
That an eternity is a period of
existence; which may or may not be a period of time, as we understand it here
on earth.
That those eternities have some
kind of relationship with each other – “from” one “to” another, as in “from the
end of one to the beginning of another” or “from one to another”.
What
does the phrase “from eternity to eternity” mean?
It can mean from the beginning of
one eternity to the end of the next eternity.
It can mean from the beginning of
one eternity, through mortal “time”, and to the end of that eternity.
It can mean from the beginning of
all eternities to the end of all eternities, except this seems to contradict
Joseph Smith’s teaching that God has always existed (see TPJS 396) and that we
are co-existent with God, so neither God nor we can have a beginning or an end;
it also contradicts Joseph’s teaching that God was once a man like us living on
an earth (see TPJS 390), although it could be true if “eternities” refer to
periods of “time” (in whatever way it happens to be measured) – if God exits
outside of time but just “is”.
How
can it be true that Christ was the same “from eternity to eternity” when
D&C 93:12-17 says that He did not receive the Fullness of the Father at
first?
Christ was the same “within” the
eternity that we are all now in, meaning He was a god from before the
foundation of the world; having attained to those blessings in the “first
place” prior to this eternity (see Alma 13:2-6).
Having said that, He had not yet
attained to the resurrection Himself, which He did during His mortal ministry
in this eternity.
He received the fullness of the
glory of the Father at the time of His resurrection (see TPJS 390-393).
However, there was an eternity when
He had not yet progressed to the point He has now attained to, which was
pointed out by Joseph Smith in the King Follett discourse (see TPJS 390-393)
and applies both to Christ and the Father; this knowledge is intended to give
us hope regarding the opportunities and challenges that still lie before each
of US if we are to also be “saved” (see LoF7:9, 15-16).
READ D&C 76:5-10
What does it mean to “fear” the Lord?
The Hebrew
definition of the word “fear” means reverence.
Reverence = veneration
or submission; humble; regard with respect and affection (see 1828 Webster’s
Dictionary).
What does it mean to “serve” the Lord?
Is to obtain and
then do His will.
To be about His
business or on His errand.
To be submissive
to His will; to put one’s own will aside and do the will of one’s master – in
this case, the Lord.
What
is promised those who fear/reverence and serve the Lord and why?
Just as Christ was completely
submissive to His Father’s will and became precisely like the Father; if we are
completely submissive to Christ’s will, we can become precisely as Christ is.
And if that happens, we will
receive the same glory or intelligence (including a knowledge and understanding
of the mysteries and the wonders of eternity), or in other words, we will be
enlightened or quickened or enlarged or added upon; we will become Gods ourselves…
Because that is what a god is… Gods
have precisely the same character and attributes and share the same mind or
holy spirit; they are one.
Vision of the Father and the Son
READ D&C 76:11-19
What does it mean to say their “eyes were opened” by the
power of the Spirit?
It means to be
able to see things as they truly are, without a veil of forgetfulness or
ignorance over your eyes, mind and heart to blind you or constrict you to a
narrow light band so that you cannot see what else is really there to see.
It means to be
enlightened, to be able to see and comprehend the hidden mysteries of God,
including what is to come, as all things are before God’s face – it is to see and
understand the world as God sees it, with the past, present and future all in
view (see D&C 88:41).
What does it mean to be “in the Spirit”?
It means to be
filled with the element of the Holy Spirit, which enlightens the mind and
quickens the understanding and emanates from God and connects us intimately
with God to the degree that we can say we are one with God or that God is “in”
us (see D&C 88:6-13; D&C 93:3-4, 12-14; 3 Nephi 19:20-21, 23).
How
were their understandings enlightened?
They were able to comprehend those
things because their brain function was “quickened” by a portion of the Spirit;
they were filled with light and were vibrating at a higher frequency.
They were taught or saw things they
didn’t know and had not conceived of – but they now comprehended them because
of the light or knowledge or intelligence that they had received.
Possibly it means that what their
spirits understand was brought to their “remembrance” in this mortal sphere.
What does it mean to say that the Son was “in the bosom of
the Father, even from the beginning”?
Bosom = the breast
or chest of a person, as enclosing the heart; the receptacle of secrets; an
enclosed place or interior; tender affections; implies intimacy; to conceal or
hide from view (see 1828 Webster’s Dictionary).
It implies
nurturing, as at a mother’s breast; which also infers a direct parental
relationship.
The scriptures
speak of the Father’s bosom where Christ was before the foundation of the world
(see D&C 109:4; D&C 76:13, 25, 39) and Abraham’s bosom where righteous
Lazarus was taken after His death (see Luke 16:22-31).
Enoch was “high
and lifted up, even in the bosom of the Father and of the Son,” implying that
to be in their “bosoms” is to be kept in their presence or to live with them,
which requires being able to withstand their glory, which requires one to have
a portion of it within themselves (see Moses 7:24, 30-31).
As He did with
Enoch’s Zion, Christ will take “as many as have believed in His name” into His
bosom (see D&C 38:4).
Christ had risen
up in a “first place” (see Alma 13:2-6; D&C 93:12-14), before the
foundation of this world to become a “Son of God” and was able to live in His
presence because He had become like Him and was one with Him (see LoF 7:9,
15-16; D&C 93:3-4, 15-17), although Christ’s progression was not completed
as He had not yet attained to the resurrection of the dead for Himself (see
TPJS 390-393).
What
does it mean that Joseph’s testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ is the
fullness of the gospel?
It is exactly what it sounds
like! The fullness of the gospel of
Jesus Christ IS the Son!
The fullness of the gospel IS the
knowledge of the reality of Jesus Christ in the flesh – that He lived,
suffered, died and resurrected, that He is the God of the whole earth (see John
17:3; 3 Nephi 11:14-15); that you can and must know this for yourself in this
world if you are to be redeemed (see Ether 3:13) and saved (see D&C
132:21-25).
What
caused the Lord to give this vision to Joseph and Sidney?
They were “translating” the Bible.
They were on the Lord’s errand, as
He had commanded them to translate the Bible.
They were given questions to
“marvel” at through the Spirit – things that they saw for the first time but
did not fully understand – things that had not occurred to them previously.
They were searching the scriptures
and truly pondering or thinking deeply about each passage and question – they
were “meditating” on the concepts, trying to understand them deeply.
How and why does meditation upon the things of God present an
opportunity for God to open the veil and communicate directly with people?
Meditation clears
the mind of our own thoughts.
A clear mind,
unobstructed from the distractions of the world, is one that the Lord can more
easily commune with because it is open to His promptings, it is unconstrained
by earthly concerns or precepts, and it is seeking for enlightenment not
through study but through revelation from heaven – it has given up control of
the content that it is prepared to receive, to God.
A mind that is
reflecting or pondering deeply on knowledge or intelligence from God is
“diligently seeking Him” or “drawn out towards Him” as it is focused upon
understanding Him and comprehending His “mysteries” or the truths that can only
be revealed from God to mankind (as people cannot discover them on their own).
Comprehending God
and His mysteries requires the Holy Spirit to enlighten the mind of the person,
so that they can understand what has been revealed to them; being drawn out in
remembrance of God and His doctrine will fill the individual with light –
particularly as they attempt to align their behavior and mind with those
revelations and commandments, and as light cleaves or is attracted to light,
one is also drawing or attracting the powers of heaven (God’s angels and the
Lord Himself) to oneself.
When we meditate
and are filled with light or knowledge from God, we can increase our
“frequency” to a higher state, and align ourselves more fully with God’s
frequency because as the light spectrum increases, the frequency of the light
waves increases and the individual has an increased capacity to overtly
recognize or comprehend those higher frequencies.
In verse 12 it says Joseph’s eyes were opened by the power of
the Spirit and in verse 19 it says the Lord touched Joseph’s eyes and they were
opened; what does this suggest?
Our eyes or
understanding of spiritual things are opened in stages – first by the Spirit,
then by the Lord, etc, depending upon how we reacted to what we’ve previously
received.
When the Lord
touched their eyes – most likely their “spiritual eyes” or the eyes of their
spirits or “understandings” – He caused that His Spirit enlightened their minds
so that they could both see and understand truth or things as they really were,
are and will be.
Glory is
intelligence or light and truth; being able to see God’s glory means or
requires being filled with more intelligence or truth than one had before when
one could not see or comprehend; this is also called being “quickened” by the
Spirit.
One must be open
to this intelligence or knowledge or truth – the hard hearted who reject truth
when it is offered to them will eventually lose all of the light they have so
far accumulated, if they continue to harden their hearts (see Alma 12:9-11).
READ D&C 137:1
Why can’t Joseph Smith tell if he is
“in the body” or not when he has this revelation?
Implied in
Joseph’s statement is that sometimes Joseph had visions when he had laid aside
the flesh and other times he experienced visions when he was very much in his
physical body but was seeing with his spiritual eyes or perhaps even his
physical eyes which had been quickened (like the Vision in D&C 76 and the
Sacred Grove).
The Holy
Spirit communicates to your spirit, not your body, so by definition, any
spiritual experience will be “out of body” in a way.
So, for
Joseph, his physical eyes can only see a small light spectrum, so to see this
vision or any visitation, for that matter, he would have to be “seeing” with
the eyes of his spirit; is it possible for the eyes of his spirit to see while
his physical eyes are also still working?
Yes.
In this
vision, he appeared to be touring the celestial kingdom, so the question is
whether he was seeing it in vision or had actually ascended to be there in the
spirit (astral projection); because others were with him during the vision we
know that he had not actually ascended to be there as a soul (body + spirit).
The fact
that he is unable to tell if he is in the body or not teaches us: a) it is
difficult for the mortal to tell how s/he has come to see what they are seeing
and b) the spirit world appears (and feels, if you are in the spirit) as real
and tangible as this one.
When discerning the truth of revelation,
does it matter whether Joseph was “in the body” or not?
No, truth is
truth and can only be revealed from God; man is not capable of figuring it out
on his own because it takes light from God to comprehend or value the things of
God.
Truth or
intelligence can be revealed from God to man through inspiration into one’s
mind, in dreams, from the voice of God in your head, in visions, via
visitations – seen and unseen, from out of body experiences, or when
transfigured and standing before God – on earth or in heaven.
Because the spirit realm is just as
tangibly real to those whose elements are quickened or refined or glorious
enough to see and interact with them (without being destroyed by them), those
who are transfigured sufficiently to see that world are very much seeing
something that is “real” – it is as real but as invisible to the unprepared, as
quantum wavicles are to the naked eye.
READ D&C 76:20-24
What is the first vision that Joseph and Sidney see?
Vision of the
Father and the Son.
What is the significance of this portion of the vision and
why is it first?
It is a “throne
theophany” - they see exactly what Lehi saw in his second vision (see 1 Nephi
1:7-8, 14-15) and what John saw when he took the fiery path/portal/way to
heaven (see Revelation 4:1-11).
They witness a
ceremony of praise to God, taking place in the Throne Room or Center Place of
Heaven.
This vision was
meant to reveal truth and bear witness of it to the world; and preeminent above
all things, they are first called to bear testimony to the reality of God and
Christ, who rule and reign over everything else they are about to see.
What does it mean to say that this testimony is “last of
all”?
After all of the testimonies that
preceded Joseph Smith’s, this testimony of God and Christ is the latest or most
recent or “last of all” the others chronologically, to date.
It was not Joseph Smith’s last
testimony of Christ, as the appearance in the Kirtland temple in 1836 occurred
after the Vision of Glory in 1832; it is also not the last testimony that
others have given of Christ which include Joseph F Smith’s 1918 vision (see
D&C 138) and Denver Snuffer’s testimony (see The Second Comforter in
2007), to name a couple.
Why is a testimony of the living Christ important?
The Father’s work
and glory is our immortality and eternal life (Moses 1:39).
Eternal life is to
know God and Christ (John 17:3).
So, the Father has
a “curriculum” – we must know Him (3 Nephi 11:13-15) and become like Him (3
Nephi 12-14) to be saved (Lectures on Faith 7:9, 15-16).
A testimony of the
living Christ is a witness that the individual has been ministered to by Christ
and knows Him with a surety; it proves that the person has been forgiven and if
they have not yet been sealed up to eternal life, the Lord has taken them under
His wing and is helping them to do what is required to enter the presence of
the Father and receive that sealing blessing (see 3 Nephi 10:6; 2 Nephi 32:6;
Mosiah 5:15; D&C 88:75).
And without the
testimony of people who know Christ, none of the rest of us would know that it
was possible to know Him or even to realize that He existed at all, nor would
we know the path to take to come unto Him and know Him for ourselves (see LoF
2:3-4, 18-20, 25, 30-35, 54-56).
What does it mean that Christ is the only begotten of the
Father AND that the inhabitants of the worlds are begotten sons and daughters
of God?
The scriptures do not say that Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of
the Father “in the flesh” (although you will see that phrase in the LDS Bible
Dictionary) but says that He was the Only Begotten of the Father and was made
flesh or took upon Himself a mortal, Telestial tabernacle or body, to dwell
among us so that He could perform the atonement (see John 1:14; 2 Nephi
25:12-13; Jacob 4:11; D&C 93:11).
Implied is that Christ was the only begotten of the Father before He
was born on this earth.
For the rest of us, we have the opportunity to be begotten sons and
daughters unto God through the merits (“by Him”) and grace (“through Him”) of
Christ.
But it does not say, “begotten sons and daughters unto the Father”; so
this is ambiguous, as “God” could refer to the Father but it could also refer
to Christ or even another God in the future (see D&C 132:29, 37); it is
possible that Christ enables our progression through to a point that we are begotten
by “God” on a future world in a future eternity; regardless, in this world,
Christ becomes our “Father” and our “God” and we can become His Sons and
Daughters if we come unto Him and take upon ourselves His name through adoption
via covenant (see Psalms 2:7).
READ D&C 76:39-42
Who will be resurrected through the triumph and glory of
Christ?
“All the rest” of
the souls that had not become sons of perdition.
Implied is that
the sons of perdition will NOT be resurrected and that “all the rest” will not
endure a “second death” or separation from God (see v37); however, this is not
what is currently taught as the doctrine of the Church.
What is the gospel that the voice out of heaven bore record
of?
That Christ came
into the world to bear the sins of the world and die for us.
That through His
sacrifice, He would sanctify the world or make it holy and clean.
That through Him
all might be saved whom the Father had put into His (Christ’s) power and made
by Him (Christ); and that all will be “saved” except the sons of perdition.
What does it mean that the Father had put souls into Christ’s
power?
The Father
entrusted the salvation of some souls and/or spirits (“intelligences”) to
Christ.
Christ will save
all of them except the sons of perdition who openly rebel against Him and deny
Him in full knowledge.
To be saved is to
be precisely as Christ is (see LoF 7:9, 15-16), so the question is: did the Father put ALL of the spirits who He sent to
earth “into Christ’s power” and He saved them ALL (which brings into question
the meaning of “saved” – does it mean resurrected to any kingdom of glory or
does it mean becoming precisely like Christ and God) or did the Father put a
select group of spirits/souls from the much larger group who came to earth
“into Christ’s power” and He “saved” all of them (made Himself known unto them
with a surety and ministered to them regarding what they must become to be
saved, extending unto them a promise or hope of salvation which they were
valiant in exercising faith in) except those who turned against Him after He
had made these things known unto them (see John 17:6-12; D&C 27:14; D&C
84:63), but to the rest of humanity, He did not minister in this way.
What does it mean that the Father “made” them (the souls) by
Him (Christ)?
Christ was the
instrument through which the Father created bodies for mankind, to house the
spirits of His (the Father’s) children during their mortal probation on this
earth.
Christ “owns” the
elements and keeps this whole creation sustained from moment to moment (see
Mosiah 2:20-25; Mosiah 3:2-12).
Vision of Satan and Those Who Merit
Perdition
The Lord illustrates His plan using
opposites...
READ D&C 76:25-38
What
is implied by the fact that Satan was “an angel of God who was in authority in
the presence of God”?
In the “first place”, he had chosen
good and had been rewarded for that (see Alma 13:3-5; D&C 130:18-21).
He possessed such light and glory
(intelligence, knowledge, truth, spirit) that not only was he able to abide the
presence of God but he had been given authority over others, in God’s presence.
It is very easy for him to appear
as an angel of light because that is what he was.
But he now lacks the light or glory
(knowledge/truth) that he once possessed which is manifested by the fact that
his words take you into a dark and dreary waste (see 1 Nephi 8:5-8) instead of
imparting intelligence which will save you.
But this is a major cautionary tale
because Satan had progressed much farther up “Jacob’s Ladder” than any of us
have but subsequently fell (see 1 Corinthians 15:30; D&C 20:32) by
rebelling against Christ.
It is somewhat unclear if “who was in the bosom of the
Father” in verse 25 refers to Jehovah or Lucifer; we’ve talked about it
referring to Christ but if it also refers to Lucifer, what is implied?
It means that
Lucifer had also risen up to the point that he, too, was a “Son of God” with a
direct parental relationship to the Father.
That he also lived
in God’s presence and was filled with such light, truth, intelligence and glory
as to be able to withstand His presence;
That he had gained
this glory through his faith in God and his good works (see Alma 13:3-6).
This is an extreme
cautionary tale, as it is clear that Lucifer had progressed, from exaltation to
exaltation (see TPJS 391), to a level of glory up Jacob’s ladder far beyond
where most of us have thus far obtained, despite the fact that we all started
on the same “standing” or with the same level of intelligence; we are in
jeopardy every hour and no one is too “good” or filled with light to fall (see
1 Corinthians 15:30).
Why do you think Satan is called Lucifer, which means
“morning star”, when Venus, the “morning star” is associated with Christ?
The Hebrew word
for Lucifer in Isaiah 14:12 has a root meaning of “to be clear” or “to be
shining”; but it can also be used to mean “to make a show,” “to boast,” to make
a fool of oneself,” “to rave,” and “to stultify”.
Lucifer also means
“bringer of dawn” or light bringer; as names are attained to through behavior
(either accomplished or prophesied, i.e. “Christ” means anointed one), perhaps
Lucifer received or earned this name in a prior eternity through his deeds.
Everything Lucifer
does in this world is in an attempt to imitate and replace Christ as the object
of worship and the one who reigns with power and authority; he wishes to be the
“morning star” if it is at all associated with Christ, just as he did with the
symbol of the wise serpent.
Why is Satan referred to as “that old serpent”?
The serpent was a
symbol of Christ – a wise creature who is seen as a lowly thing of naught (see
Numbers 21:9; 1 Nephi 17:41; Alma 33:18-22; Psalms 22:1-6; 1 Nephi 19:9;
Helaman 8:14-15).
Satan co-opted the
symbol because he wants to be the “god of this world” but God uses it
derogatively by saying “that old serpent” in this verse.
We know that it was the Father’s plan that Christ volunteered
to enable, being prepared from the foundation of the world; so why does it say
that Satan rebelled against Christ and not the Father?
The plan would require
all who would be saved to become the “children” of Christ, or in other words,
Christ would become their Father in Heaven, and perhaps that was too much for
Lucifer’s pride, as he felt that he was close in stature to, if not a peer of,
Christ.
When the Father
asked “whom shall I send” to be the Savior of mankind (in line with His plan),
first Christ and then Lucifer volunteered, but the Father chose Jehovah; Christ
was Lucifer’s perceived rival in the role of “Savior” (see Abraham 3:27).
Lucifer rebelled
against the Father in that he suggested to the spirits in heaven an alternative
plan that he felt he could execute against and that would give him the Father’s
glory, and many followed after him (see Moses 4:1-4; Abraham 3:28).
What
happens to those who rebel against God while in His presence and what does this
imply?
To rebel in God’s presence is to
acknowledge who He is – which one can’t help but do when in His presence – and
yet still willfully rebel – calling into question His love or power or wisdom
while it is on display before you in the form of the glory (which is light or
intelligence) emanating from His person.
Questioning God’s attributes is to
knowingly lie outright because He could not be who He is (a god) unless He had
precisely the attributes He has; He is not a God who has certain attributes –
He IS God BECAUSE He has THOSE certain attributes! (see LoF 7:9, 15-16); and
when in His presence, you can’t help but know that truth.
When they are thrust out, these
rebels, who are known as “Perdition”, are stripped of whatever physical bodies
they had been given up to that point or are banned from receiving a physical
body if they have not yet received one from a mortal probation – except to
possess one belonging to another, in a telestial or fallen world, until they
have been cast out of it.
Why
are they “thrust down” from heaven?
Those who rebel against God in this
way are choosing to descend from His presence (which is the epicenter of light)
into darkness (away from His light) because they prefer it.
They are also thrust out because
the only reason they would now want to stay would be to attempt to dethrone God
all together.
Eternity is protected against abuse
and ambition because God will not allow those with such weaknesses to reign in
the afterlife; He protects eternity, His children and the plan for the
development of souls by casting out those who have not qualified to be trusted
by Him; newly organized spirits are created and raised by those who have become
perfect, pure, holy and like God.
Why did the heavens weep over Lucifer and what does that
teach us?
Father and Mother
love Their children and do not want to lose even one of them.
Great is the joy
in heaven with one soul who repents (see Luke 15:7) and great is the weeping in
heaven over one soul who knowingly rebels.
The heavens do not
weep over suffering if it is redemptive (see Moses 7:43-47), but they do weep
over mans’ cruelty to man, knowing that it is to their damnation (see Moses
7:28-41).
Why was Lucifer’s name changed to “Satan” and why is he
called the “devil”?
He earned these
names through his behavior.
Satan means
“accuser”.
Devil comes from
the Greek word “diabolos” meaning “slanderer”.
He is the “accuser
of the brethren”, meaning God and Christ and those who follow them – accusing
them of putting forth a plan that would give them glory while putting at risk
the eternal lives of billions of their children.
He is the
slanderer or the one who makes false and damaging statements about someone
because he called into question the love that God has for His children by
putting them at risk.
Why
is Satan called a “liar from the beginning” (see D&C 93:25) and a “murderer
from the beginning” (see John 8:44) if he was an angel of light who had been
rewarded for his obedience to God?
He is a murderer and liar from the
beginning of this eternity or from before the foundation of this world.
He could not have been a liar and
murderer “in his heart” while he was, through his obedience to God’s
commandments, gaining light and knowledge such that he could reside in God’s
presence and wield authority in His kingdom because God cannot be deceived; his
heart had to have been right to have gained such glory and honor.
But sometime after having attained
to such light, he succumbed to “murder” and became a liar.
Lying in the eternities is easier
to comprehend than murder; but one who is the primary cause, through their
direct actions, of ending the (eternal) life of another is a murderer (see
D&C 132:24-25).
Satan committed these “murders” by
convincing people to rebel against God while in full knowledge of His
attributes and plan, by his lying about God’s intentions (slander) and
attributes and creating doubt in people’s minds regarding God, fearfulness for
himself and fear mongering with others regarding the very real (and true)
possibility of losing the light that one had gained to that point by risking it
in a mortal probation on a telestial sphere (see 1 Corinthians 15:30) with full
agency in play against a standard of perfection, and finally through his pride
in his own abilities and light and glory, and the ability he might have to save
others, and the glory that he could obtain in the process without submitting to
eternal law by accomplishing an infinite atonement and attaining to the
resurrection himself.
What is Satan’s plan?
To topple God from
His throne and take His glory for himself.
Not just to accuse
God of lying but to actually make Him a liar by enticing Adam and Eve to
partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge out of season, thereby becoming
transgressors and sinners and earning the “wages” of sin, which is death (see
Romans 6:23), but then getting them to partake of the fruit of the tree of
life, so that they could not die! As God
told them that they would surely die but then partaking of the tree of life
prevented that death, God would be a liar and would cease to be God.
He has not given
up trying to topple God.
How and when did Satan make war with the saints of God and
encompass them around?
Both in heaven and
on earth.
Encompass around
means to encircle or surround or hold within.
Implied is that
the encompasser has far superior numbers to the group being surrounded and held.
A “third of the
hosts of heaven” is a symbolic number – it means a sizeable portion and not
necessarily 33%; Satan has a “host” or very large number of followers or those
he has entrapped (servants) but who do his bidding because he has power over
them.
In heaven this is
referring to the rebellion against God and Christ which Satan led; he and his
followers had to be forcibly removed because of the threat he posed, which
implies that it was not easy, and this is God we’re talking about.
To some degree,
his encompassing of the saints of God in heaven speaks to his attempt to entice
them to doubt God and/or themselves, and submit to fear and anger regarding
God’s plan.
On earth, his
numbers so far outnumber the true “saints” or sanctified ones of God, between
his hosts of unseen spirits who were cast out of heaven with him, the
disembodied spirits of evil people who have died in their wickedness and are
now enslaved, and mortals who are in his power, that “encompassed” doesn’t
begin to describe the siege the saints are under.
Why are they called “sons of perdition” and what does
“perdition” mean?
Perdition means
“utter loss or ruin”.
They are the
“sons” of their father, who was an utter loss or ruin of what was once great.
And if sons, then
they are heirs to his legacy, as they are nurtured at his knee to become like
him – they, too, have denied the Christ after having known Him with a surety;
they know what they are doing – ignorance is no excuse for them.
What do these verses teach us about the sons of perdition?
Satan fought
against them and overcame them.
They were formerly
the saints of God.
They suffered as a
result of being overcome or defeated by Satan.
They suffered or
allowed themselves to be overcome.
Those that are
overcome deny the truth and defy God’s power.
What does it mean that it would have been better for these
sons of perdition to have never been born?
It means that the
possible rewards made available by coming to an earth to be proved and gain
light is not worth the risk; they lost so much more light than they gained or
could have gained.
This probation is
a risk for everyone who has agreed to come here – which was likely part of
Satan’s selling points to the hosts of heaven.
If they had stayed
where they were at, with regards to their level of light in heaven before they
had come down to earth, they would have had more light than they will end up
with after failing in their probation and would not have to deal with the
consequences of sinning against a greater amount of light which they had gained
here (and then lost); but there is a catch…
Given the dangers of a probationary state, why would anyone,
including the most spiritually advanced (of which Lucifer was one example),
want to take the risk?
It is only in a
probation, outside of God’s presence, that we can gain the light needed to
become like God and experience a fullness of joy.
Failing to take
the opportunity is no better than taking the opportunity and failing in it –
the end result is the same: damnation.
In many respects,
the more spiritually advanced you have become, the bigger the risk is to put it
all on the line (again) to gain more – it is like doubling down on a bet by
betting it all, after having just won a jackpot; as a result, some “angels” put
up “stakes” or lines across which they will not go (see TPJS 362:2).
What would their states be if they had never been born and
how would they be better off?
They would be
damned or unable to progress and grow in light.
Falling short of
becoming like God, after having been given the opportunity to have done so, is
the flame of bitter self-induced torment talked about in scripture – it is
hell, partly because of the damning nature of the state one finds oneself in
(not able to continue to progress and grow) and partly because of the torture
of knowing what could have been if one had taken the opportunity given to one
by God.
So while it may
have been better for those who rise up and then fall to have never been born
(i.e. to have never taken the opportunity given them by God), it may be almost
as bad (or perhaps is just as bad) for them had they never chosen to take the
risk in the first place – as Satan’s legions decided; this is because they are
ALL “perdition” or an utter loss and ruin anyway – they will not receive
immortality and eternal life, which is God’s work to provide for them because
of His love for them, but instead they let their doubts about His ability to
provide it overcome them and drive out their faith; they are overcome with
their fears of suffering and fears of failure – Christ’s and their own – not
understanding or having faith in the fact that it is not about their merits but
their submission, and while only Christ can accomplish the merits, any of us
can offer our whole souls to Him in sacrifice, if we strip ourselves of pride
and believe in Him.
What is a “vessel of wrath”?
Vessel = a cask or
utensil for holding or containing something (see 1828 Webster’s Dictionary).
Wrath = violent
anger; vehement exasperation; indignation; the just punishment of an offense or
crime (see 1828 Webster’s Dictionary).
It is an
individual who will receive and hold or endure the just but bitter punishment
of an offended God, having spurned He who created him in full knowledge of what
he was doing (see Romans 9:15-23).
What is the punishment of the devil and his angels?
They shall go away
into the lake of fire and brimstone – which is the torment of disappointment in
their own minds as they understand again what they could have had but have
spurned.
But unlike the
Telestial souls, these will enjoy no forgiveness in this world nor in the world
to come because their rejection of Christ was done knowingly; they will not be
redeemed or brought back into God’s presence in the due time of the Lord via
the resurrection.
They will
experience the second death.
How does one become a son of perdition?
You must first
receive the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ.
Then you must
openly and knowingly reject them by denying them and putting them to an open
shame and “killing” them again for yourself.
You must first be
ministered to by Christ – knowing Him with a surety, and then reject and deny
Him or openly rebel against Him, which is different from not being valiant in
the testimony Christ has given you – it is becoming an enemy of Christ.
What does it mean to deny the Holy Spirit after receiving it?
It is to receive
the mind of God and the constant stream of revelation from Him and then to deny
that it is happening or that it is God whose mind you share.
It is to be
ministered to by Christ in the flesh, which the Holy Spirit testifies of in
full power to the mind and heart while the body is feeling the tactile proofs
of Christ’s atonement and resurrection, and then to deny that Christ lives.
It leads to
committing murder, both literally and spiritually, as the individual “kills”
the mortal and/or spiritual life of an innocent individual as Cain did with
Abel (literally) and again with his posterity who were cursed (spiritually).
How does a person crucify the Son of God unto themselves and
put Him to open shame?
After having known
Christ in the flesh with a surety (see 3 Nephi 11:14-15), they “fall away” by
openly rebelling against Him in full knowledge of what He has done to save them
or they deny His ability to save them (see Hebrews 6:4-6).
It is impossible
for such a person to repent or come back from such a position – they know too
much and have chosen to deny what they know.
Why
would someone choose to deny the Lord, after having known Him?
Pride – knowing Him in the flesh
and fully realizing the depths to which He went to save them and the submission
now owed Him may be too much for the inherently self-righteous; although how
they could come to know Him while being self-righteously prideful, I do not
understand – except to say that God is no respecter of persons so if the terms
are met, He will visit the individual with knowledge or light and glory.
Hate – those who love Christ want
to keep His commandments, as poorly as they may actually perform them, so those
who turn against Christ must either not love Him or did love Him but turned
from Him for some reason.
Knowledge – in experiencing the
Second Comforter, they learn something that turns them against Christ; it could
be something about Christ or God and their motives or plan which offends them
(i.e. justice can be seen as heartless and God is a god of justice and truth –
not all will be saved, in fact, very few may end up being saved, although many
who are not saved are “legitimately” good, wonderful and loved souls, as
defined and judged by the world – think of how you would feel if your dearest
family member was consigned to hell because they could not or would not live up
to what was required and no mercy was shown them at the final judgement because
the day of mercy and repentance had passed; or a God that would command Abraham
to sacrifice his son; or kill billions of people in a Flood).
Fear - or it could be from fear of
what is actually required of you going forward – a road you must complete once
you have begun it – which is revealed to you when you receive the Lord but was
not known before (see 2 Nephi 32:6) and which is promised to you by a Lord who
cannot lie, but which scares you senseless with its enormity – because it tests
your faith in Christ (i.e. how can I do this) or terrifies you regarding what
is required of you (i.e. to put at risk all that has been gained thus far to
condescend to perform an atonement and attain to the resurrection for oneself,
as all Gods have done before, see LoF 7:9, 15-16; TPJS 390-393; Matthew
26:36-39; D&C 19:18; Mormon 9:27).
How can the sons of perdition be the only ones on whom the
second death shall have any power when all, except those who inherit Celestial
glory, will suffer the second death or the second separation from God?
First, let’s
establish that spiritual death is to be cast out from the presence of God and
Christ (see D&C 29:41); it happens as a result of transgression, sin or
rebellion.
And to be redeemed
from spiritual death is to enter again into God or Christ’s presence (see Ether
3:13).
Spiritual death is
associated with being subject to the will of the devil and leads to more sin
(see D&C 29:41; Mosiah 16:3-5; 2 Nephi 9:8-12).
And the wages (or
deserved result) of sin is death - both spiritual and physical (see Alma
5:41-42; Romans 6:23).
Those who do not
repent to the point that they are able to enter the rest of the Lord or
fullness of His glory while they are in the flesh, remain unredeemed and
spiritually dead (see Alma 12:16-18, 32-35) and after the judgement, they are
cut off again from God’s presence (see Helaman 14:18-19; D&C 76:112;
D&C 63:17).
But in the case of
the sons of perdition, they HAVE entered the presence of the Lord and received
the new and everlasting covenant from His lips but have subsequently denied Him
(see D&C 132:27); they will also be cut off again from God’s presence and
will not enter His rest to stay but shall be cast out and damned (see Jacob
3:11) with a second spiritual death.
So, it is clear
that both the Telestial group and the Sons of Perdition experience the second
death, or are cast out again from God’s presence after the judgement; what is
less clear is whether the Telestial group may be redeemed in the due time of
the Lord (v38) and given another opportunity to prove themselves or rise up in
a future eternity and enter His rest during another mortal probation, while the
Sons of Perdition will not have this opportunity but will be damned from
eternity to all eternity – so that the second death will have power over them
(Sons of Perdition) eternally but perhaps won’t with the Telestial, if they can
later rise up.
What does it mean that the sons of perdition “shall not be
redeemed in the due time of the Lord”?
First, to be
redeemed is to be brought back into God’s presence and ministered to (see Ether
3:13, 18; 3 Nephi 11:14-15) or given a hope or promise of salvation.
So, not being
redeemed in the due time of the Lord means that they will never again be given
an opportunity to enter God’s presence and be redeemed – they are forever cut
off from the light; their eternal “trajectory” has been forever changed and
there is no opportunity for them to impact it; implied is that others (i.e.
Telestial) may have that chance.
If the rest shall be brought forth
by the resurrection of the dead, does this mean that the sons of perdition will
not be resurrected?
It is not completely clear in this verse whether they will be
resurrected or not.
The implication from this verse is that redemption is enabled by the
resurrection of the dead (see D&C 88:16) and since the Sons of Perdition
are not redeemed in the due time of the Lord, they will, by this implication,
not be resurrected.
This is true for those who were not already redeemed in this life (see
Ether 3:13) because it is through the resurrection that they will be able to
reenter God’s presence for the judgement and redemption from spiritual death
happens when one is brought back into God’s presence.
But the heirs to the Celestial Kingdom must have already received the
testimony of Jesus in the flesh (see D&C 76:51, 74, 82; D&C 88:75)
which means that the Sons of Perdition, by definition, have already entered
into God’s presence in the flesh but then rejected Him.
So it appears that the Sons of Perdition are actually redeemed from
spiritual death, by definition, when they enter into God’s presence initially
on earth to receive the testimony of Jesus and qualify as heirs to the
Celestial Kingdom; obviously they are not resurrected at that time; they later,
also in the flesh, reject and deny the Lord, which qualifies them as Sons of
Perdition; they are then sentenced to receive the second spiritual death or are
cast out again from God’s presence, presumably forever because they are not
“redeemed in the due time of the Lord” like the Telestial will be and they will
not be forgiven in this world or the world to come; and while the Telestial
will be redeemed or brought back into the presence of God by the resurrection,
it is implied that the Sons of Perdition will not receive the same blessing but
will go away into everlasting punishment to reign with the devil (not over the
devil…) in eternity (see v 44), who does not have a resurrected body himself
(or no longer has one…); bottom line is that it is inconclusive but seems to
imply that the Sons of Perdition will not be resurrected.
If this is true, it may be why it is said that it would have been
better for them not to have been born (see D&C 76:32), especially if they
were already souls (body + spirit) before they came to earth (see Abraham
3:23-26) having already chosen righteousness in some “first place” (see Alma
13:2-6), which would make sense to some degree because otherwise they would
have been too inherently wicked to have qualified for the Celestial Kingdom on
this earth – their natural inclination would be to engage in all kinds of
Telestial behaviors while on earth, rather than the Celestial ones which they
must do to even qualify for becoming a son of perdition – meaning that they would
have lost the body of glory that they had gained before agreeing to come to
earth so it would have been better for them to have never agreed to being born
here.
What
kingdom do we merit without the atonement of Christ?
Perdition - we would be “angels to
a devil”.
READ D&C 76:43-49
Since
Christ did suffer the atonement, what must one do to be thrust into Outer
Darkness?
First, qualify for the Celestial
Kingdom by having the Father reveal the Son to you, which by definition (as one
cannot fall from grace once you are dead), must happen in the flesh; then deny
the Son with full knowledge of who He is and what He has done.
“What must a man do to commit the
unpardonable sin? He must receive the
Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin
against Him. After a man has sinned against
the Holy Ghost, there is no repentance for him.
He has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it; he has
got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to
deny the plan of salvation with his eyes open to the truth of it; and from that
time he begins to be an enemy.” (Joseph Smith; TPJS).
In other words, you can’t “fall out
of the bottom of the Telestial Kingdom” - it’s another trajectory entirely.
What
is everlasting or endless punishment (see D&C 19:4-12)?
Punishment given from the hand of
God.
God’s punishment or the punishment
that a God can comprehend because they have experienced it.
The punishment that is required by
eternal law for breaking that law.
As God is infinite, immortal and
eternal, it is infinite punishment or all the punishment a God can endure; the
formula is: an infinite, endless and eternal God minus infinite or endless or
eternal punishment equals what is required to redeem a creation from death and
hell by eternal law.
But it does not last forever in
“time”; it can be “accomplished” or “finished” to the “dregs”.
Why would the Lord show the vision of the torment of
perdition to “many” and yet the full extent of the torment is not revealed to
man?
Perhaps He shows it to those that are qualifying to receive Him, as a
warning of what will happen if they betray Him – in other words, they have been
sealed up to eternal life or are about to be, and this vision is a cautionary
tale to help them understand the seriousness of the covenant they are about to
participate in, as this is the punishment for breaking it.
As in all things pertaining to godhood, this torment must be
experienced to be understood; what is interesting is that the Lord seems to
understand it, which begs the question of the relationship between this
punishment and what He experienced in Gethsemane to redeem all mankind –
perhaps this is part of what is meant by those who are “ordained” unto this
condemnation.
What
is implied by the statement “and the end thereof”…”no man knows”?
That perhaps there is an end to the
torment for them in another eternity.
But the only ones who will know
this are those who are “ordained” to experience or partake in it – one way or
another.
Why
did God show Joseph Smith the vision of hell and outer darkness before He
showed him the vision of celestial glory?
Because the path to heaven passes
through hell.
You must persist through
discouragement in faith in the promises He has either a) given you or b) you
believe He will give you if you persist, from your reading of the scriptures
where you see what He has done for others, knowing He is no respecter of
persons.
There is opposition in all things
(see 2 Nephi 2:11) and you can’t develop the required faith without the
necessary opposition; you must choose between the apparent failure of faith and
your desire to persist because of your love for the Lord and belief in His
promises or hope.
