God Moving in His Glory
READ D&C 88:41 (and the last
sentence of v40)
How does the fact that “judgement goeth before the face” of
God in His role as governor and executor of all things inform quantum physics?
It speaks to the
fact that God is the “observer” in that the elements are organized from
“superposition” or a wave form into a particle in real space and time when they
are observed by someone; in addition, a focused observer can dictate the traits
that those sub-atomic elements form themselves into when they take on particle
form (see D&C 38:3; Psalms 33:9; Hebrews 11:3; Jacob 4:9) through their
intention or will.
Obviously, the
ability to comprehend and observe all subatomic elements of an entire creation
and hold them in position would require the omniscience of a god to perform; it
is interesting to me how this element of quantum physics actually requires the
existence of God, after the battle that religion and science have engaged in
for the last 400 years.
How can God be both “in and through all things,” while He is
also “round about all things”?
The sea of energy
or unified field or light that proceeds from God and fills the immensity of
space IS actually God Himself, so He is “in and through” the elements because
they are literally an extension of Him.
The intelligences
that Father and Mother (God or Elohim) have organized to act and not be acted
upon exist in bodies and in a universe which is constructed completely from the
light or refined elements that proceed from God, which actually are God – so
“all things” that God has given agency to act, are surrounded by God (including
the actually bodies they temporarily occupy) or God is “round about” them and
all other things.
What
is the difference between being “of Him” and “by Him”?
Being “of Him” speaks to the fact
that all element is actually part of God.
Being “by Him” means that through
the word of His voice God commands and orders all things – this is His role as
the “observer” who has “created” or organized all things from the elements (see
above) and keeps them in the state of organization from moment to moment.
What does it mean that a law was given unto all things?
Since different
levels of glory are associated with specific levels of eternal law, and there
is no space without a law (and its associated level of
glory/light/intelligence/truth), God “gives” or reveals the law that each
“thing” must live to fulfill the measure of its creation for that “time”.
It doesn’t mean
that the same law is given to everything; nor does it mean that the law for one
dimension or kingdom is the fullness of Eternal Law, which is what God lives
by.
What is the relationship between law and movement?
Laws determine the constraints of
movement – i.e. quantum physics and Newtonian physics.
You can discern which law is being
adhered to by observing the movement of things (i.e. the mortal Christ was
adhering to a different law than the rest of us when He performed His miracles,
which took the form of “movement” or interaction with the tangible, physical
world).
Moving according to the eternal law
one has been given is to “fulfill the measure of one’s creation” – again, for
that time and season (see D&C 93:12-14; TPJS 391; D&C 130:18-21); one
cannot rise up from ground level to ascend to the pinnacle of heaven all in one
go because our “courses are fixed” or there is only so far we can go in one
eternity – we must go from a small capacity to a great one, from “grace” to
“grace” or “exaltation to exaltation”, like climbing a ladder – it takes
“times” and “seasons” to do this (see TPJS 390-393; D&C 132:21-25; D&C
130:18-21); think of high voltage power lines – they require a transformer to
power them down to a lower voltage for use in a home because otherwise the high
voltage would burn all of the wiring and appliances that are not built for that
kind of power.
If
light proceeds from God to fill the immensity of space, then what is implied by
the fact that the stars and planets “give light to each other in their times
and seasons”?
All light and enlightenment comes
from God.
The electric
universe (EU) model proposes that “Birkeland currents” (twisted plasma
filaments) act as galactic power lines for conducting electrical power through
space; they run along spiral arms back to the center of the galaxy; in
addition, the model says that since the interior or core of a star is very much
colder than the exterior (and must not be powered internally by nuclear fusion
or else it would be even hotter inside than out), that the star acts as an
anode and is connected to and powered by the Birkeland currents in space – and
these “power lines” are connected to God; the idea is that stars act as
electrical transformers to power down the “high voltage” plasma which flows
along the Birkeland currents from God to a level of light which will support
life on a telestial sphere like our Earth, giving us heat and light in their
times and seasons. It is an interesting
model worth researching and considering.
Using the analogy that we are
the stars and planets referenced, we can assist each other as we find ourselves
(seemingly but only indirectly) out of the presence of God by pointing the way
back to God if we have found Him ourselves (see LoF 2:54-56); in fact, we have
a responsibility to do so and will be persecuted by many for so doing (see 3
Nephi 12:16; John 15:12-24; John 16:1-3); if His light is “in us”, then when we
are with others doing His will and speaking His word, then God is with them
(see Matthew 5:16; Alma 5:14).
What
does it mean that to observe the earth and heavens is to “see God”?
Seeing God’s works for what they
are leads one to see God – they are proofs of His existence; i.e. if there is a
clock, there must be a clock maker.
All things testify of Christ; God
hides His truths in plain sight for those with eyes to see.
In particular, He uses the stars
and heavens to teach because He fully controls them and mankind cannot change
them, although they can ignore them or forget or change the meaning that has
been assigned to them by God.
We must go to God directly to learn
the truth, and then we must watch and pray – observe His creations and wait on
Him for further understanding, as we obey the commandments or attempt to abide
by the portion or level of eternal law He has already revealed to us, in order
to obtain the light or quickening that is available to us for so doing.
Doing this increases our faith; we
begin to “see God” in His creations; we discern the creator by deeply observing
His works – asking why and how He has done what He has done and revealing both
His character/attributes/goals and the proof of His existence as we do so.
Just as an ordinance points the way
to something “real”, thereby increasing the likelihood that we will experience
the real thing ourselves as we see it first with the eye of faith and
understand that the ordinance is an invitation to go out and receive the “real
thing”, understanding God’s creations and the reasons behind why He created
them (and the specifics of the truths they represent) can do the same thing.
But ultimately, since the elements
that make up the physical world are really just sub-atomic energy which have
moved from “superposition” (a wave) to a tangible particle because of the will
of an observer (God) AND the fact that those elements are energy or light which
proceed from God because they are part of God, then one is actually or
literally seeing God Himself when one looks at any “natural wonder” in the
heavens or on the earth.
What does darkness see or comprehend when light shines?
Either those with
darkness within them don’t see light shining at all or they see it but are
repelled by it.
If we fear what we
don’t understand, that could play into it too, but as we learned earlier, light
is attracted to similar light but repels light of a different magnitude or
wavelength.
We don't
"see" God when we observe His creations because we don't comprehend
how they are made - we don't comprehend quantum physics and those who do don't
realize that God is the "observer", that all energy proceeds from Him
and is part of Him while also being conscious itself - it blows our minds - we
don't comprehend it.
Why does the darkness not comprehend the light?
The reason we
don't comprehend it is that WE ARE the darkness spoken of (v49) because we are
not just and holy beings...of light (light is implied if you are just and holy
or abide by the Celestial Law).
The Light came
unto His own and shone in the darkness but the darkness didn't comprehend it -
we don't even realize it is God "shining" because we lack the
intelligence or "light" to do so.
The light blinds
us but if we had more of it within us, it could actually make us see and
understand much more than we do; not "comprehending" God when He
"comes" unto His own means both we don't see God as a personage, we
don't see God as (or even in) His creations (see paragraph 1), and we don't
understand Him regardless.
If we understood
Him better, which requires having more intelligence or light within us, we
would "see" Him in all these facets - as "seeing" Him in
His creations emboldens our faith to see Him as a personage in front of us.
How does one comprehend light? (see also v67-68)
One must be filled
with the light to comprehend the light – it is experiential.
We must be
vibrating at the same frequency or we will be repelled by the light.
It is us that
holds back our own comprehension and quickening. God has given us agency and we use it against
ourselves. The veil is primarily the
flesh and the tenants we believe about ourselves and the "laws" of
the earth.
The veil is also a
shield to us; to the degree we are not filled with light and cannot abide it,
the veil protects us from being “utterly wasted” by being unprotected in the
presence of a fullness of light.
What does it mean that Christ is the true light that is in
us; how can Christ be “in” us?
Being quickened
"in Him and by Him" is how we increase in light - it acts like
temperature does with elements in this world, changing their state from solid
to liquid to gas to plasma. We are
quickened by Him meaning He is the one who gives us the intelligence or
light. We are quickened in Him
because the elements we are residing in now ARE Him and can be quickened way
beyond the level they are currently operating at, because the "dust of the
earth" obeys God without question - because they are Him. These elements are the "true light"
which is in us.
Understanding this
requires us accepting the fact that we are co-equal (JS's words) or co-eternal
with God, that we all have always existed.
It also implies that if the Father's Spirit dwells in Christ and
Christ's Spirit needs to dwell in us, that somehow our Spirit needs to dwell in
Them, too.
The Parable of the
Field Laborers
READ D&C 88:51-61
How
would you summarize the basic facts of this parable?
The man or master/lord of the manor
owns a field and the servants are sent out to each dig in the field for 12
hours or a day.
The man tells each of the servants
that he will come unto them in the field for an hour of their twelve - not to
help dig but to allow the servants to "behold the joy of my
countenance" or to just be with the Lord they love so much.
The Lord being
"glorified" by the servant and the servant being
"glorified" by the visit of his master.
The master visited one servant at a
time, meaning that he would visit then withdraw from each so that they were
again left unto themselves to dig the master's field.
The man set the times of his visit
with each servant and kept his word with precision - each receiving the same
amount of time, albeit at different times of the workday, in line with a
certain order – from the first to the last.
How
are the master and servant glorified in each other?
The master is glorified by the
servant's love and devotion and the work he is performing for his master and
the servant is glorified (or receives more glory, light or intelligence) by His
visit, either early in the day, in the middle of the day or late in the
day.
This speaks to love as a tangible
element, like "virtue" or light from the woman with the issue of
blood, that can be given from one person to another but needs to be
refilled...which happens when one is in close proximity to God or when the
master visits the servant.
So, it is a symbiotic relationship
- with love or light transferred both ways - but only because the
"connectors" which bind the two individuals are in place - which
connectors are love; they only flow one way and the person who
"loves" the other puts them in place - but if both love each other,
the recycling of the light between the two seems to strengthen or
"glorify" both even more - a synergistic relationship.
How
does this parable give insight into “all these kingdoms and their inhabitants”?
This parable is likened unto
"all these kingdoms and their inhabitants" in that God loves all His
creations and has covenanted to visit each to "recharge" their
spiritual batteries and also to receive glory back through the love that
connects the creations to the creator.
And each have equal access and a
set time, which will be different from each other - one first and another last
but with no difference in the love or experience.
Implied also is that the proximity
of the Lord to His creation enables the glory to flow more easily - which is
why He visits each; why this is the case is a question since all of the
elements (unified field of energy) of this mortal universe are connected to God
intimately and God is all-powerful, but He is also constrained by our faith, so
the proximity might increase our faith.
But both the field and the servants
"belong" to the Master - the field is His creation from element and
the servants choose to serve because of their love for Him and adoptive
covenants they have made with Him.
Perhaps His visit is needed because
we have the tendency to get caught up in the work of the field or idle
thoughts, not looking forward to the hour of His coming, or even forgetting who
we are serving or why we're serving Him (our love for Him), that we forget
about the hour of His appointment with us (which we knew at the beginning of
the day before we proceeded into the field to begin work) or even that He
promised to come at all - as our thoughts are far from Him and focused on other
things.
We must "cleanse our hands and
feet before Him" which contemplates the fact that our hands and feet are
dirty and must be cleaned through repentance and commandment keeping because
farming is a "dirty job" which will naturally get the servant dirty
and in need of cleansing - regardless of how purified their hearts and single
or sanctified their minds may be toward Christ and His Light or Spirit.
At the end, when we have proven
faithful to our Lord, He will bring us before His Father and testify to us both
that we are "clean" from the blood and sins of this wicked generation
or the dirt of the field. We have
prepared ourselves for Him to clean us and He has, otherwise we would not be
able to abide the presence of a just and holy being, the Father. (see D&C 88:75).
Single to God’s Glory
READ D&C 88:62-66
Why does the Lord tell each servant when He will be visiting
them?
To build their
faith in the expectation of His visit; He has promised them He will visit them,
and at a certain time, so their faith in His word should be an “anchor to their
soul”.
But if we are
"darkness", He might come unto us in our season but we may fail to
see or recognize Him.
We are to
"call upon Him when He is near" or we must "draw unto Him"
when it is our season, so that He can "draw near unto us" and we can
see Him and enjoy His company.
But He is
"near" us during our season, whether we draw near unto Him and see
Him or not (see Acts 17:27).
We are to seek Him
diligently and if we do, we are promised that we will find Him.
What things are expedient for us and what things shall be
turned unto our condemnation?
We are to ask and
receive blessings – but they must be the blessings Christ desires to give us.
God’s work and
glory (His desire) is for our immortality and eternal life (see Moses 1:39).
Eternal life is to
know God with a surety (see John 17:3; D&C 132:21-24; 3 Nephi 11:14-15),
which is the great mystery (see D&C 8:10-11; D&C 84:19-22) because
either He must reveal Himself to you or be forever unknown (Jacob 4:8; Mosiah
4:9; John 17:25; D&C 88:68).
We are to knock
and the fiery portal to heaven will be opened to us so that we can enter His
presence and know Him.
If we do not
accept the invitation to know God, it will be unto our condemnation and we will
be damned or stopped from progressing (see D&C 84:42, 49-58).
If this knowledge is important, why does Christ just leave
these sayings with us to ponder in our hearts instead of just being clear?
Some things must
be learned but cannot be taught to us by a man; we must go to God directly to
receive them.
This knowledge is
one of those things – partially because the Lord must reveal to you your
standing before Him (what time of day is your visit), and also because for you
to muster the faith to see Him when He comes to you, you must be able (and
desire to) commune directly with Him while He is still “in the wilderness”.
What does it mean that God is “crying in the wilderness” and
why does He do that?
We are hearing a
voice but we don't know what it is or whose it is or where he is.
But it is God
"crying in the wilderness" or out in the night where we can't see and
don't seem to recognize the voice.
He
"cries" and we hear it - it is His Spirit that is attempting to
connect with us and come into us or abide with us so that we might
"abound" or live with joy and jubilance.
It is a test for
us – will we hear God’s voice in a “cry” from the “wilderness” – which, by it’s
nature, would not be a comforting thing to hear.
How do we attune our hearing to God?
We must “feel
after Him” (see Acts 17:27).
We must open our
ears to hear it (see 3 Nephi 11:3-6).
We must be willing
to believe (see Ether 3:11-13; 1 Nephi 11:1-6) and act on what He would tell us
(see 2 Nephi 31:13-15; Moroni 7:5-9; Moroni 10:4).
Our “eye” must
become “single” to His glory or intelligence or Spirit.
What does it mean that Christ’s voice is Spirit and that His
Spirit is truth?
The Holy Spirit is
the mind of God (see LoF 5:2).
Christ’s voice
speaks truth or the mind of God.
Truth is light or
intelligence (see D&C 93:29, 36).
Light is Spirit,
even the Spirit of Jesus Christ (see D&C 84:45-46).
God’s words, which are true, have actual properties of light or
intelligence associated with them – what He says or His intentions or will
becomes reality – they become living things, to act or be acted upon.
Why does God use words by His voice and Holy Spirit, instead
of feelings?
So that He can be
quoted – “thus sayeth the Lord” – so that the intermediary or person who
received the instruction, doesn’t misquote or misrepresent God (see Moroni
8:7-9; D&C 84:44-45).
Because God gives
us intelligence or truth, not feelings – our physical body chemistry may react
with emotion to hearing or being “filled with” the Holy Spirit or God’s mind
and words or light and truth, as emotions have the role of imprinting a memory
much deeper into our brains than would otherwise occur; but God wants us to
understand and abide by the intelligence or truths themselves – the feelings
are extraneous to God as they come from us.
READ D&C
88:67-74
How does one “sanctify themselves” – isn’t sanctification
something that the Lord does to us through His Spirit?
We sanctify
ourselves by choosing to keep God’s commandments (His word) or aligning
ourselves with eternal law which enables us to gain light or intelligence and
resonate at a higher natural frequency or be quickened by becoming one with His
Spirit.
We sanctify
ourselves by offering all things, up to and including our whole souls, unto God
in sacrifice – so that we become a thing “set apart” from the profane or in
other words, we become holy (see 1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
We sanctify
ourselves by stripping away our pride, jealous, envy and sins.
We sanctify
ourselves by letting God occupy our deepest desires and central priority – to
make our minds or eye single to God and His glory; we serve each other and
labor on earth but do it in a consecrated manner – we dedicate all our living
moments to the Lord and seek to consult with Him to obtain and do His will in
all things (see D&C 83:2-4).
What does it mean that one’s mind becomes single to God?
We share His mind
or the Holy Spirit (see LoF 5:2).
And because His
Spirit or Light is also part of Him, we become a “temple” for His Spirit or for
Him to enter (see D&C 93:35; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; D&C 97:15-17).
This is how we
literally become “one” (see John 17:21-23, 26; D&C 93:3-4; D&C 35:2;
Moses 6:64-68).
Remember also that
glory is intelligence, light and truth (see D&C 93:36) or
"spirit" (D&C 84:45). So
if your eye is single to His glory, it is single or focused exclusively on
truth; you have God's knowledge or intelligence within you because you are filled
with His Spirit or the mind of God and comprehend all things (see LoF 5:2); and
your body is filled with light or glory, which emanates out from it to others -
either attracting or repelling them depending upon the amount of light or
darkness they have within them.
How does one’s “eye” or mind become single to God’s glory and
one’s body filled with light?
We must first
“sanctify ourselves” by focusing more intently on Christ; the more we do, the
thinner the veil becomes between us and the Lord. The veil is a covering but we mistake it for
a reality - meaning that what we don't see, we assume is not there, even though
something is there - in fact, our Lord is there, as He has promised to visit us
in our season. So believing the veil is
real is part of the problem and prevents us from exercising the required faith
to see Him when He comes in His time and season to us.
We must cast away
our idle thoughts (we must focus on Him instead of other things that cannot
save us); idle thoughts are a result of believing the veil is real - meaning
that just because we don't see reality, we begin focusing on "idle"
or "vain" or unimportant things which we can see - and our thoughts
are drawn to those things. We must
"cast" them away.
We must cast away
our excess laughter (light mindedness not light heartedness); an excess is too
much or more than is needed. If we get
joy from our Lord, from His countenance, and joy includes laughter as a way of
showing that joy, then excess laughter is taking enjoyment in things that are
"not needed" - it could also include laughing at someone, which is
the opposite of love but is a curse (interesting that the curse of mocking
someone through laughter is also done with the voice - see verse 66).
We must do our
best to "always remember Him."
We always remember those we love - it's how we keep them "in our
hearts" and front of mind while we are engaged in the "work of the
field" - and we desire to "keep their commandments" or try to
please them by doing their will (see John 14:15-23).
We must attune our
hearing to God; we must elevate our frequency to more closely match His, as
light has a higher frequency as it gets brighter and hotter.
We must prepare
ourselves by purifying our hearts and cleansing our hands and feet before Him;
impure thoughts are those that are not focused on Him or inspired by His light
- they take away from that light – they are not just immoral thoughts but any
thoughts that are not aligned with His.
If thoughts or intelligence are light, impure thoughts add some
"beams of darkness" to the "beams of light" that are within
us and also proceed from us to others and all things within our proximity. They take away from our ability to comprehend
and as light attracts light but repels darkness, we repel light to the degree
we have that darkness within us - and we act in accordance with that light or
darkness within us - unless we choose to act differently, which is
repentance.
We must
"cleanse our hands and feet before Him" which contemplates the fact
that our hands and feet are dirty and must be cleaned by repentance and
commandment keeping; in a "dirty job" like farming, the servant will
naturally get dirty and be in need of cleansing - regardless of how purified
their hearts and single or sanctified their minds may be toward Christ and His
Light or Spirit.
We must remove the
darkness by focusing completely on the Lord with a "single eye" or
with "single mindedness" - sanctifying or "setting ourselves
apart from that which is profane or dark or less quickened or impure" by
removing them from our focus or attention - ultimately by removing them from
our desires but that only happens with the "mighty change of heart"
which God performs on us. We must prepare
ourselves by doing all we can do to focus on Him - and by crying unto Him as
much as we can to accept our sacrifice and begging for Him to do the real heavy
lifting of sanctifying or purifying our hearts and increasing our spiritual
capabilities by endowing or gifting to us more light or "grace."
So that He can
make us clean (He will not save us “in” our sins but from our sins; we must
repent or confess and forsake); the same eternal law is in place here as the
one which requires us to ask, seek and knock for blessings and communion – God
will not violate our agency by giving something we have not asked for, or in
this case, He will not make us clean before we have attempted to show Him we
desire it by repenting and seeking to purify ourselves.
His love for us
and our love for Him act as “connectors” or conduits between us, through which
He shares or transfers His light or spirit to us; His side is always “open” and
seeking to share light with us – it is our side that is not often open to
receiving it…the greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love, and be loved
in return – as both are a choice we make, given Christ’s love for us is already
demonstrated by His atonement and continuing ministry.
How will Christ show Himself to you?
In His own time
and in His own way, as He assesses our progress; He will come unto us, THAT we
shall see Him - implied is that He has already come unto us but our eyes were
holden or “covered” that we could not see Him.
So, seeing Him is really up to us!
But it will be in His own time (He sets the appointment for his visit to
the servants in the field) and in His own way and according to His will - but
He does promise us that He will come unto us.
We must prepare
ourselves, believing He will come, seeking His correction (repenting and
keeping His commandments), and then watching and waiting patiently with faith.
He must first
quicken us so that we can see Him, which He does through the Holy Spirit as we
align ourselves and our behavior with eternal law or His commandments (see
D&C 67:10-14).
We will see Him
with the “spiritual mind” but it can still be in the flesh, as long as we (our
flesh) have been quickened to be able to abide (and see) His glory (see D&C
131:7; D&C 77:2).
READ D&C 88:75
What
event is being described in this verse?
It is “receiving the Testimony of
Jesus,” (see D&C 76: 51, 74, 82); which is Jesus’ testimony to you, not a
testimony you gain about Him.
Christ’s testimony is of your
having been cleansed from the blood and sins of your generation; it is the
Son’s testimony which He bears to the Father, about your standing before Him;
it is given in your presence so you can witness it.
It is the “hope” or promise of your
exaltation, and since He is a god of truth and cannot lie, you must exercise
faith in it or behave as if you completely believe it (because you must believe
it), regardless of how far from the truth it now seems to be – especially in
light of the fact that your exaltation will require you to be precisely as
Christ is and nothing else (see LoF 7:9).
It is the culminating event of
receiving one’s calling and election (where one receives the promise of eternal
life from God) and the Second Comforter (the visitation of Christ to an
individual so that they know Him with a surety, which is eternal life), which
is the endpoint of enduring to the end in the Doctrine of Christ – it is
enduring to the End or Omega (see TPJS 170-172; Mosiah 5:15; 2 Nephi 32:6;
D&C 93:1).
What does the phrase “blood of this wicked generation” mean
and how are we cleansed from it?
It symbolizes the
sins we all commit in this telestial world.
It means you are
cleansed from the sins you have committed on earth.
You are set apart
from those who are still guilty of those sins – you have been declared “holy”
or set apart.
It means you are
absolved from the sins of the generation you lived in, because you did all you
could to attempt to help them to be saved.
Prepared in All Things – Part 1
READ D&C 88:76-83
Why
is prayer and fasting the commandment Christ now gives, to enable one to
receive their calling and election?
We must commune with God on a daily
basis to “recharge our spiritual batteries” or be filled with the Spirit or
light to the degree we can, given the capacity and number of the “spiritual
batteries” within us at any given point in time.
We must commune with God on a daily
basis to “return and report” on our performance for the day so that we can
repent or learn (further light and knowledge…) where we went wrong and why, and
commit to changing.
We must commune with God on a daily
basis to receive new commandments and revelations (again, further light and
knowledge), so that we can live the next day at a higher level of eternal law.
Fasting helps us by weakening the
body so that the spirit can take better control and transcend the flesh (or
veil) and commune more easily with God.
Why are we to teach each other the doctrines of the kingdom;
aren’t we supposed to exercise faith and go directly to God (see D&C
88:118)?
Adam and Eve knew
God from the Garden of Eden and never forgot Him after they had been cast out –
a veil was not drawn across their memories.
Ever after that, mankind knew of God initially because of the
testimonies of Adam and Eve (and later those others who had followed their
teachings and found Christ for themselves) – they taught their children what
they had experienced so that those children would know the truth about life and
understand the existence of God and how to find Him (see LoF 2:54-56).
After that, it was
up to each person to either care enough to follow Adam and Eve’s advice or to be
damned through their careless indifference (see 2 Nephi 32:4, 7).
So, the initial
idea that God even existed was planted in mankind’s hearts by Adam and Eve; but
the best way to find Him is to go to Him in prayer, rather than to take a
purely academic approach through study; this is because we must be changed or
quickened to understand the doctrines of the kingdom and to enter into God’s
presence, and that is an experiential exercise, not just a scholarly one.
We are to “teach
each other” – implied is that each person has something to teach another – some
truth they have learned that the other has not.
To those who lack enough faith to go to God directly, the teaching of
others is a vital first step.
What compels those who have been warned to warn their neighbors?
Love.
We exercise faith
in the hope or promise which Christ has given us (v75); charity or the pure
love of Christ is the manifestation of the faith we have in that promise of
eternal life – as our hearts are filled with the pure love of Christ (a
spiritual gift).
If we love Christ,
then we will love all others, because their immortality and eternal life is
Christ’s work; and if we love Christ, we want to please Him by keeping His
commandments and helping Him in His work (see John 14:15, 23).
Why are the sins of our generation shared among us all unless
we warn our neighbors of what we know?
If we know
something that could have saved others but withheld it from them, we took away
an opportunity that could have changed their lives – so we are partly
responsible for their sins.
What does it mean to seek Christ “early” and why will s/he
find Him if s/he does this?
To seek Him early
means to come unto the Lamb and not to wait for the return of the Lion in His
glory; because if you can’t abide His glory now sufficient to enter into it
when He calls after you, you will not be able to abide it when He comes
unshielded to utterly waste the earth and all those that can’t abide Him in a
fullness of glory.
He has invited us
to come unto Him now – it is not an idle invitation, as He is not trifling with
you and me in these last days (see TPJS 391:2).
If we come to Him
early, He will fill us with His Spirit, light and glory so that when He comes
in His glory, we will not be forsaken but will be able to abide the day.
From Winding Up Scene Through the
End of the World
READ D&C
88:87-116
How long is “not many days hence”?
This revelation
was given in December 1832… so clearly the Lord’s idea of “not many days” and
ours are not completely aligned.
The Lord swears vengeance against those who “hate Him” and repent not;
the Saints in Nauvoo merited such a curse from failing to build the Nauvoo
temple in the appointed time (see D&C 124:28-31, 40-50); as those
generations have all now passed away, and the Gentiles have seemingly now
rejected the Fullness of the Gospel (the actual requirement to come unto Christ
and be redeemed – calling it a “familiar tactic of the Adversary”), the time
may be at hand for these signs and tribulations to occur.
What is the meaning of the sun hiding its face, the moon
bathed with blood, and the stars are so angry they cast themselves down from
heaven?
The heavens are
for signs (as well as seasons) as conspiring men cannot change the path of the
stars and planets like they can change or interpret the words of a Bible (see
Abraham 4:14; Jeremiah 31:35-36).
The sun hiding its
face is a solar eclipse.
The moon bathed in
blood is a “blood moon” or a lunar eclipse.
The stars casting
themselves down from heaven to the earth can be comets, asteroids or other
heavenly phenomena.
The real trick,
though, is to figure out what these signs are telling us – we must inquire of
the Lord.
Whose testimony is the testimony of earthquakes, storms and
natural disasters and why do they follow the testimony of the prophets?
The “testimony” of
nature is God’s testimony – similar to the “testimony” found in the stars,
except where the stars tell an epic story, earthquakes, storms and disasters
are more immediate and local warnings – usually to repent.
The testimony of
the prophets come first because a) they can be more specific and articulate and
b) they are a softer warning than a possibly life threatening storm.
Will angels really fly through the heavens with actual
messages we can hear?
Yes.
They will minister
to us “from the air” as they are not of this mortal world and come and go via
portals or conduits to heaven.
Their messages
must be spoken so that mankind was warned; but as they reside in the spiritual
plane, their messages can only be discerned by the spiritually attuned.
What is the “great Church” of abominations?
Abominations have
religious or spiritual overtones; like blasphemy.
They are an
atrocity, disgrace, outrace monstrosity or outrage.
A great Church of
Abominations is one that “professed to know the Lord’s name but have not known
Him, and have blasphemed against Him while in the midst of His House” (see
112:23-26).
It is a Church
that pretends to truly hold keys to exaltation but does not and knows it does
not (or the leaders know) but continue to deceive in order to gain power over
others – only three modern Churches qualify, as only three profess to have keys
of salvation (the protestants claim that the Bible contains the knowledge to be
saved by God and that keys held by men are not necessary – those three
religions are the Catholics, LDS, and Islam.
Why is there silence in heaven before the Lord will reveal
Himself in glory?
It is the “deep
breath before the plunge” (as Gandalf would say).
Outside of Zion
and those who are gathering to her, there will be a famine of the word of the
Lord among the people, with the greatest negative impact being among the young
who will have never heard His voice (see Amos 8:11-13).
What does it mean that the curtain of heaven will be unfolded
as a scroll and the face of the Lord will be unveiled?
It is describing
the veil between the mortal plane and the heavenly plane, as viewed from earth.
The veil between
the planes will be swept aside like a curtain hiding a stage at a theater.
The “scroll” which
is “unfolded” is not the veil but describes the heavenly plane which the veil
is hiding; so the heavenly plane or light of heaven is revealed to those on the
earth as if it was a scroll that is being unfolded – the view of heaven gets
wider and wider as a scroll that is slowly opened.
The Lord is waiting
on the other side of the veil and as the curtain or veil is parted, those on
the earth can see Him coming.
What does it mean that the saints on the earth will be
quickened and caught up to meet Christ?
Their mortal
bodies will be quickened to be able to abide the glory of God; they will be
filled with light; they will be transfigured as Christ was on the Mount (see
Matthew 17:2; Moses 1:1-2, 11-14).
They will be
caught up into the air in the conduit opening between earth and heaven (see 2
Kings 2:11).
What is the “pillar of heaven”?
It is a conduit or
portal of light which connects earth to heaven; it is not usually a permanent
connection but when Zion is established, it will be; it is why Zion will be
seen as “terrible”.
Angels and Gods
can descend and ascend through the conduit (see JSH 1:16-17; 1 Nephi 1:6; JSH
1:30-32, 43-44).
Mankind can also
ascend through the pillar or conduit, if invited (Genesis 28:12; Revelation
4:1-2).
What is the difference between being “made equal” to Christ
and being “precisely like” Christ?
Being “made equal”
to Christ is completely up to Him; we are sanctified and quickened due to His
merits and mercy, and except for the fact that we must accept His gift by
offering our whole soul, we can be “made equal” or “perfect in Christ” but be
nothing like Christ in regards to the amount of light we have within us (see
Moroni 10:32-33).
Being “precisely
like” Christ means becoming exactly like Him – becoming perfect to the same
degree that He is perfect; this can only be accomplished by following exactly
in His Way and doing precisely His works; this is beyond our ability in this
eternity but must be accomplished if we are to receive salvation which can
never be taken from us (see LoF 7:9, 15-16).
Why are the works and thoughts of men contrasted with the
works of God in each period of the earth’s history?
To show the
difference between God’s perfection and righteousness compared to mankind’s
corruption, wickedness and vanity.
While God was
doing A, B and C, mankind was rejecting it and doing X, Y and Z.
It condemns
mankind by comparing their behavior with the perfect standard; not just generally
and conceptually but specifically during the history of the earth.
What will there be if there is “time no longer”?
Time is measured
only unto men (see Alma 40:8).
All is as one day,
the “perfect day” unto God.
All things are
before His face; He sees our past, present and future all at once; He does not
think linearly like we do (see D&C 88:41; D&C 38:2; Moses 7:36).
It implies the end
of a linear eternity; and that God resides outside of time, as we understand
it.
What will the devil and his angels be fighting for after the
Millennium?
He is still
fighting for God’s throne, power and authority.
He thinks he can
still defeat God and Christ.
Or at a minimum, he
wants to add to his followers, which will diminish the number of souls loyal to
God.
Why
did God loose the devil after he had been caught and imprisoned for 1000 years?
That he may gather together his
armies and try to dethrone God.
To provide a test for all of the
citizens of heaven, even those who had passed the test of mortality but might question
why God would allow Satan another chance to fight when he was clearly guilty
and had been imprisoned once already (allowing for a Millennial paradise on
earth).
To bring to pass the immortality
and eternal life of man, God’s purpose was to both give mankind an opportunity
to gain light by keeping commandments while in opposition to darkness while
being outside of God’s presence, and to test His children’s faith, loyalty and
love for Him.
Where is the devil and his follower’s “own place”?
It is not “God’s
place”; it is completely separate from it, to the degree that the devil will
have no power over the Saints any more at all.
It is not a
kingdom of glory.
It is possible
that they are referring to “outer darkness”; but only if Satan already had owned
it – although it doesn’t say “back” into their own place.
What does it mean that the sanctified will not anymore see
death and what is implied about those who are not sanctified?
The sanctified
(defined as those who receive Christ in the world and know Him) will take the
“way” that leads unto exaltation and the “continuation of the lives”; implied
is that they “shall” receive their exaltation (future tense) as they enter the
Gate and follow the Way which leads to it (it doesn’t say that they have arrived
yet); also implied is that there is a relationship between exaltation and the
continuation of the lives – almost that when they get to the end of the Way and
receive their exaltation, that the continuation of the lives proceeds after
this (see D&C 132:21-24; TPJS 390-393).
Implied is that
while the sanctified will never see death, that the devil’s followers will see
death again (see D&C 132:25).
Prepared in All Things - Part 2
READ D&C 88:118
What
does “as all have not faith” imply about the best way to learn?
The best way to learn is to receive
light and knowledge directly from God through the Holy Spirit, dreams, visions,
from angels, or from the Lord Himself.
In fact, some things cannot be
taught but must be learned (see Alma 12:9-11).
Getting light and truth from God is
done through experiences, not through academics.
But the Lord understands that
people are at different levels with regards to the amount of light or
intelligence they have within them and the corresponding level of faith in God
they can exercise (see Alma 13:3-5).
And He knows that learning from
other wo/men (or from ordinances revealed to mortals) is a preparatory way to
extend knowledge regarding commandments (eternal law) and gospel principles
(truth or intelligence), which if complied with, will lead the individual to
receive enough light or intelligence to begin to learn by faith directly from
God (see D&C 130:18-21).
What
stops us from going to the Lord to receive light and knowledge directly?
We don’t believe we need it because
of our pride - we think we already know everything.
We don’t make the time for it or
prioritize it - it was more of a wish than the deepest desires of our hearts.
We don’t believe we are allowed to
receive it - only the Authorities are allowed to receive (see Luke 10:21;
D&C 128:18 - end of verse).
We don’t believe we are worthy to
receive it (see 1 Nephi 15:8-11).
We don't want it - for a myriad of
different reasons, we like where we are and are comfortable with what we
know/believe (see 2 Ne 32:4-7).
We don’t believe God really speaks
to man today (3 Nephi 29:6; 2 Nephi 28:4-6; Mormon 9:7-10,18-21).
Or we may not really believe in God
at all but are afraid to admit it to ourselves.
How
can we successfully go to the Lord to learn from Him?
Don’t just throw in the towel and
ask someone else!
Desire to know for yourself (1
Nephi 10:17) from God.
Repent and lay your whole soul on
His altar (1 Nephi 10:18).
Seek to keep the commandments He
has given you - be obedient to His Spirit as it guides you daily (D&C
63:23).
Have faith that He will answer you
- He desires to have a personal relationship with you, as He once did (1 Nephi
11:1).
Pray and seek that your heart will
be softened (1 Nephi 2:16).
Be patient and wait upon The Lord;
He has promised that He will reveal His mysteries to you (1 Nephi 10:19).
It will begin with experiential,
anecdotal proof, which you must be willing to accept and act on; you must have
childlike faith instead of the cynical nature of an adult.
In fact, as you continue to be
sanctified by receiving and adhering to more revelation, in time He will reveal
Himself to you (D&C 88:68), which is the greatest mystery of all.
What
is the difference between scientific empirical process and the Lord’s process
of faith?
The former is trying to prove a
hypothesis through observation of strict application of the natural law (see,
hear, touch, taste, smell).
While the latter is trying to prove
an individual by observing if they are willing to exercise faith in something
they cannot see, hear, touch, taste or smell and can barely feel (at least at
first) by doing something in line with the direction they received (usually
repentance or obedience), which direction was given to them through the light
of Christ or Holy Spirit and is as the “substance of gossamer” to the natural
man (i.e. they can barely perceive that it is there).
In the first, man has done his
thinking and is trying to confirm it; in the second, man has to be made more
capable of receiving light, so that they can obtain and comprehend the truth
from God; this truth will not have occurred to man otherwise because he lacks
the light or knowledge to conceive of it otherwise, as it is above his
comprehension (initially, at least, until he grows in light and capacity for
understanding).
Why
does the Lord use a different process?
Words written by the power of the
Spirit of God can only be fully understood by individuals who are animated by
that same Spirit.
YOU have to be different or more
intelligent to be able to comprehend God and His truths, so the Lord’s process
actually works to increase your capability as you gain answers to your
inquiries, so that you can understand the answers when you receive them.
Science assumes you can already
comprehend the answers it will reveal to you without the need for “quickening”,
but if you can’t, it’s not science’s problem; with the Lord’s objective of our
immortality and eternal life, He wants us to understand something that we can’t
(by definition) comprehend at first, so increasing our capability, if we will
do it, is vitally important to Him, in fact, it is the actual objective itself
– but it is up to us (see Alma 42:27).
READ D&C 88:119-126
Why
does the Lord talk about establishing a temple, right after His counsel to us
that learning directly from God in an experiential way which “quickens” us is
better than going to other men and the best books?
While the temple is the ultimate
“best book”, in it we enter into covenants which, if lived, will enable us to
experience the “real thing” and come unto God’s presence in this life to
receive a true “endowment” (or gift which keeps giving).
The revelation which is the Temple
ceremony, allows us to see the deepest things of God first through the eyes of
faith, so that we can achieve the faith required to see the things themselves.
Symbol is not fully comprehended at
first, that is why people continue to go back to the temple and (if they are
seeking for knowledge) the Lord will reveal to them meanings upon meanings that
they did not see or were not able to comprehend were even there at first.
And the greatest secret of all may
be this: the symbolic temple with its mortal rites may not be the temple the
Lord wants us to establish. Perhaps He actually
wants a temple which acts as a portal between the heavens and the earth – a
holy place on earth where He can actually come to minister to His people.
Why
are seven things listed?
Seven symbolizes completion,
perfection or the entirety of the matter; the temple is a complete, perfect or
entire presentation of the Lord’s gospel.
They remind us of the seven days of
creation and the seven rungs on Jacob’s ladder.
They illustrate a progression from
one degree of light, truth and glory to another.
How
do the seven show a progression of light and truth?
Prayer – prepares you to enter into
the right frame of mind to receive the things of God.
Fasting – prepares your spirit and
subdues your flesh, as the spirit is connected to God (once born again) while the
flesh is the veil which is still fallen and desires carnal or temporal things
for survival or pleasure.
Faith – grows from prayer and
fasting; enables you to act in ways that will give you more light and knowledge
(i.e. faith to receive and submit to God’s will and commandments or eternal
law) and prepares you to learn more as you grow in light and truth and can
comprehend more.
Learning – built on a foundation of
prayer, fasting and faith, we “learn” or comprehend and remember things we did
not understand before as we are quickened or receive additional light as a
result of exercising faith in our actions – it is the ultimate in experiential
learning.
Glory – the result of exercising
faith in experiential learning, glory is intelligence or light and truth; as
you gain more and more, you gain appreciation for the order of heaven and earth
and the wisdom of God.
Order – the order of heaven and
earth requires a ceremonial orientation and understanding; it is not all to be
understood on this earth (see TPJS 393:1), in fact, we cannot comprehend it all
and remain in this state (see Moses 1:2-5); so, we need a ceremonial or
symbolic framework to begin to understand the Order of God, and the Temple
provides this.
God – all of this is designed to
enable us to gain the light needed for us to enter the presence of God and not
be utterly wasted; and ultimately to become precisely like Christ and God
ourselves.
Temple
is an obvious definition for the word “House of God” but what is another definition
and what is implied?
A “house” can also be a family –
i.e. the “House of Windsor” or the “House of Black” or “House Targaryen”…usually
a royal or prestigious family.
A family of prayer, fasting, faith,
learning, glory (intelligence/spirit), order – a House of God or a description
of God’s family, wherever they are residing.
Also, we ourselves (and
specifically our bodies) are a “house” or “temple” of God or a sacred place set
apart from the profane world where God’s Spirit can dwell on earth.
We must pray (be in connection with
God), fast (put our bodies in subjection to His Spirit), exercise faith (as a
principle of power, enabling the power of God to have a conduit through which
to impact this creation without violating the agency of others), learn truth
(gain knowledge of things are they truly were, are and will be, including a
knowledge of God, which is eternal life), gain glory (be filled with light
through aligning our behavior with the truth we have received from Him, that we
might become like Him), join His Order which is to have an association with Him
(the Priesthood After the Holy Order of the Son of God with the power to seal
or enact on earth what God would make permanent), and become like God, purified
even as He is pure and able to stand in His presence when He comes, knowing Him
even as we are known by Him.
