Background
Although D&C 132 was dictated by Joseph Smith on July 12,
1843, it was not published until 1852 (in the Deseret News) and not canonized
in the Doctrine and Covenants until it was placed in the 1876 edition and
printed one year before Brigham Young’s death.
The facts that it was not published and canonized by Joseph Smith during
his lifetime when he had ample opportunity, that Joseph was publicly preaching
against polygamy (see DHC 6:411), that no original manuscript still exists –
only a “copy” supposedly made by Joseph Kingsbury (an avowed polygamist) at a
time when Brigham Young, Heber C Kimball, William Clayton and other leaders
were attempting to “go public” with the doctrine and gain protection for it
under the First Amendment of the Constitution as a key tenant of the religion
(i.e. as a belief absolutely essential for exaltation – see D&C 132:4-6),
and the fact that it is preached against in the Book of Mormon (see Jacob
2:23-29; Mosiah 11:2) and elsewhere in the D&C (see D&C 49:16; D&C
42:22), throws the authenticity of the
revelation and the subsequent application of the doctrine of polygamy by
Brigham Young into significant question.
Did Joseph dictate a revelation about marriage and sealing in July
1843? Yes – there seems to be enough
contemporary evidence in journals to suggest this. Is the revelation Joseph Smith dictated what
we have in D&C 132? Probably not. Brigham Young and his leadership group had
years before it was published and canonized (by them) to make significant
changes to the revelation and pass it off as coming from Joseph Smith – which
would give it credence.
We do know that in the 1840’s Joseph Smith was teaching the “Law
of Adoption” which involved sealing ordinances and the creating of a “heavenly
family” or the “house of God”, on earth which was sealed to the “fathers in
heaven” who are already exalted (see TPJS 383-384). Brigham Young did not understand this
doctrine (this was the question he asked JS about during his famous dream when
Joseph came to him in the light while BY was in the dark and JS answered BY’s
question about the law of adoption by “punting” – telling him to “tell the
brethren to seek the Spirit, as it will lead them right”, see The Complete
Discourses of Brigham Young, Vol 1, p 188) and others of the leaders
rejected it altogether. The Law of
Adoption involved a “patriarch” with the keys to the High Priesthood (see
D&C 132:7) who stood at the head of the family on the earth (see D&C
107:40-53). Joseph tried to restore the
“ancient order of things” (see TPJS 265) but the Church wouldn’t accept what he
was trying to reveal (see TPJS 373-374; 393:1).
Joseph Smith may have practiced polygamy of one sort or another
but no DNA evidence exists of his ever having fathered a child with anyone but
Emma Smith. I believe we do not know
what Joseph Smith was really doing with regards to polygamy because the
historical records are now so compromised or missing (or not contemporary to
Joseph’s life) as to not be able to discover the truth except by direct
revelation from God. So, with all that
being said, this post is an attempt to find some truth in this revelation and
to discuss some of the key principles that underlie marriage and sealing. I will avoid talking about polygamy except in
a discussion of the Law of Adoption, as it is my current belief, that what Joseph
Smith was doing was inherently and fundamentally different from the “polygamy
as required for exaltation” doctrine that I suspect Brigham Young invented –
but the bottom line is that we don’t really know with certainty and I, for one,
will give Joseph the benefit of the doubt until certainty is attained. I have a hard time believing Joseph Smith was
a liar and deceiver, given all of the truth he revealed, some of which has been
proved to be true in my life through my own experiences. I know Joseph Smith was far from perfect but
I’ve never believed the “lying for the Lord” doctrine as something coming from
anyone but a lying man – and our God is a god of truth – so that doesn’t square
with me. So with all that as context,
here we go…
The New and
Everlasting Covenant
READ D&C 132:4-6
What
is the everlasting covenant? (see D&C 22:1-4; D&C 66:2; D&C 133:57)
It is the gospel covenant through
which we receive salvation in this mortal life and beyond.
It begins with baptism of water and
fire and is sealed upon you by Christ and the Father in their presence while
you are still in the flesh.
It is what makes the relationship we
must have with God (to become like Him) official – it is our adoption
into His family to become His heir – which changes us fundamentally and enables
us to become like Him, our Father(s).
It is enabled by the condescension,
sacrifice, death, and victory of Christ – His mortal life, atonement and
resurrection.
It is NOT just about marriage,
although marriage is a critical component, as God or Elohim is a plural word
and requires a male and female entity to work as one to do the work of a god.
What
does the everlasting covenant enable you to receive?
Enter into God’s presence (and glory).
Receive a fullness of God’s glory
yourself (which enables you to abide in Their presence).
Become an adopted heir or member of
Their family or House.
Become precisely like Elohim – a god
or goddess; which requires a god AND goddess joined in an unbreakable
relationship.
READ D&C 132:7
What
must happen for anything – from a formal covenant relationship to an informal
association – to survive into the eternities from this mortal life?
They all must be made, entered into,
and sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise; in other words, God must seal them or
make them efficacious.
What
is implied by the fact that unless a covenant or even an association is not
“made” by the Holy Spirit of Promise, it cannot last past death?
Mankind cannot mandate anything that
God, in His wisdom, does not approve of.
All covenants are offered by God, not
created by man and “rubber stamped” later by God; no “freelancing” will be
allowed to endure – it is God’s will (which is perfectly aligned with Truth and
Light and takes into account all things), period – because it is “eternal law,
period”.
As God’s work and glory is our
immortality and eternal life, He is generous in offering opportunities for
mankind to covenant with Him in a way that will be lasting into the eternities.
Being fair and just (He is no
respecter of persons and is never changing – see LoF 3-4 for more detail on His
character and attributes), God’s House is a House of Order – there is a way of
or process for doing things that must be followed or adhered to, the same way
in all generations; that way you know that what you have received is of God, as
it follows the revealed process and results in the same, prophesied outcomes
and manifestations.
What
is the Holy Spirit of Promise?
It is the voice of God who can make a
promise and be absolutely sure that He will keep His word (see TPJS 342:2-3).
Because God’s word is “spirit” (see
D&C 84:45; D&C 29:30-31; Ephesians 6:17); and if you want to go deep
into the rabbit hole, study the quantum physics idea that every thought is an
electrical impulse or in other words, energy – and if energy, it's a “thing”
and is part of the unified field of energy/matter as much as anything “solid”
is.
The HS of P is not a being in the way
we think of beings (well it is – it’s the being of God, promising you something
through His word or “spirit”).
READ D&C 132:8-14
Why
will the Lord not accept an offering made, even in good faith, but which is not
according to His command and in His name?
His House is a house of order.
If you change a covenant or ordinance,
you have broken it – things must be done exactly as God dictates, for reasons
that we do not fully understand (see Isaiah, 24:5-6; Isaiah 55:9).
God acts differently than we do
because His behavior is precisely aligned with Eternal Law, which we do not
understand, because we do not possess enough intelligence or light to do so
(see Mosiah 4:9; D&C 88:40-41; Moses 1:3-5; Alma 12:9-11).
An individual who “freelances” an
ordinance or offering is showing God that they lack the faith required to rend
the veil and talk with Christ or the Father face to face and receive their
will; first come unto Christ, then Christ will command you from there (see 2 Nephi
32:6).
As coming unto the Christ and the
Father are the pinnacle of the gospel and doctrine of Christ (i.e. “enduring to
the End” or Omega), a person who does not do so is not entering the sheep fold
by the “door” where Christ is the gatekeeper, but is attempting to circumvent
Him and go over the wall, illegally (see 2 Nephi 9:41; John 10:1-5).
What
does it mean that there are “things in the world” which are ordained by
“thrones or principalities or powers or things of name” but are not by Christ
or His word?
Thrones,
principalities and powers are words that denote different “levels” of
attainment of glory in heaven; they refer to levels of light that a resurrected
soul has reached; generically they are all referred to as “Powers of Heaven,”
or as we would say, “angels”.
The Powers
of Heaven, can “ordain” or cause things to happen in this world.
But if the
things they cause to happen are not “by Christ or by His word” (by His
command), then they will be thrown down and will not last into the eternities.
Implied is
that the Powers of Heaven can ordain things that are not Christ’s will and
carry them out in this world; so, seemingly, they can make mistakes through
their freelancing; this does not have to just refer to devils (fallen angels)
but shows that even the Powers of Heaven, if they have not attained to the
level of a God, are not perfect, as Christ and His Father are; so even if a
legitimate angel of light came to you and made promises to you, while it may
come to pass in this life, if it was not God’s will, it will not endure into
the eternities (this goes double for devils appearing as angels of light as
they are trying to purposefully deceive you…).
READ D&C 132:15-18
How
many wives per man do these verses refer to, as being required for exaltation
in the new and everlasting covenant?
One wife; “a” wife.
According to these verses, polygamy is
NOT essential for exaltation, contrary to the preaching of Brigham Young, Heber
C Kimball, Parley and Orson Pratt, William Clayton, John Taylor, and Wilford
Woodruff.
What
is required to be “enlarged” in the world to come and what does this mean?
To become more than we are now.
To be exalted.
To remain
on the trajectory, from a small capacity to a great one or from exaltation to
exaltation, that will lead you to become precisely as God and Christ now are
(see TPJS 390-393).
Joseph
Smith’s King Follett discourse (referred to above) implies that we will need to
take advantage of multiple “exaltations” if we are to learn all that must be
learned to attain to the level of a god.
Ultimately, to become the heavenly
father and mother of other spirits who are dependent upon us for their
progression and redemption; an “enlarged” family of God.
Why
is glory referred to as a “weight”?
Becoming
precisely as God is requires the sacrifice of all things, working out one’s
salvation before God with fear and trembling, and attaining to the resurrection
of the dead for oneself (see TPJS 390-393); these things require descending
below all things that you might ascend to become as God is; what is takes to
become a God is absolutely beyond our current capabilities to understand (see
D&C 19:15-19) or accomplish – it is a “weight” to perform it, but unless
one does, one cannot receive the glory that comes with perfect obedience to the
Fullness of the Law.
Attaining
to God’s glory is also a weight, in that the salvation of so many are dependent
upon the one who must work the atonement; the weight of their faith and need
for deliverance is heavy because if a Savior was to fail, it is not just them
personally who is effected (see 2 Nephi 9:6-10).
This is also true, but to a much
lesser extent, with regards to any who sign on to be on the Lord’s errand –
souls are at stake; these servant roles, however, are not nearly as vital, as
the Lord will substitute another servant for one who fails in their duty, so
that the failure of one mortal won’t mean the damnation of another who was
dependent on them.
READ D&C 132:19-21
Who
shall be Gods?
Those couples that are sealed in mortality,
abide successfully in the covenant they have made, and are sealed up to eternal
life by the Holy Spirit of Promise.
There is no such thing as a “single”
God; Elohim is a plural word for God and men and women are exalted as a couple.
What
are the two conditions that have to be met to “abide by the law”?
Marry A wife by my word and by
the everlasting covenant; note is does not say “wives” but explicitly says “a
wife”.
AND the marriage must be SEALED unto
the couple by the Holy Spirit of Promise.
What
do they inherit if they are true to both of these conditions?
They are sealed up to eternal life.
They shall be gods.
However, it doesn’t say when they will
be gods or what else they will need to do to ascend to that state, “only” that
they have received a promise from God that they will someday attain to that
station (which is itself a truly amazing promise to be given to anyone who has
lived on this mortal sphere).
What
if you do not enter into this covenant OR abide in it successfully?
You cannot be sealed up to eternal
life/exaltation.
As this is the Law of Heaven – you
must enter into the covenant and abide in it.
Is
a couple actually “sealed” on the day they go to the Temple to receive the
marriage or sealing ordinance?
No, like all covenants, the ordinance
is an invitation to live the terms of the covenant.
They must abide by the terms to be
“sealed” (by the Holy Spirit of Promise).
In most cases, and especially in
marriage where the terms of the covenant include fidelity, time is required to
fulfill the terms of the covenant.
READ D&C 132:29, 37
What
is implied by the fact that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are not angels but gods?
You can
receive the blessings of exaltation and ascend to the position a god without
yet become precisely as Christ and the Father are (and nothing else, see LoF
7:9); you can ascend to godhood without having yet worked out an atonement or
without having attained to the resurrection of the dead yourself.
Implied is
that the position of “god” has multiple levels within it with different
associated magnitudes of glory, based on experience – but all can be described
as gods (just as there are different magnitudes of angels); Joseph Smith taught
that after Christ attained to the resurrection Himself, He took His Father’s
place and the Father continued to ascend.
While they
can all be described as being “one”, they are not all the same or have
differing levels of light and different bodies.
Joseph
Smith was clear that to be saved (ultimately), we must be precisely as Christ
is and nothing else (see LoF 7:9) and we must attain to the resurrection
ourselves (see TPJS 390-393) as all gods have done before.
Theosis or
eternal progression to godhood is a much longer process than we assume.
READ D&C 132:22-25
Why
is the gate “strait” and the way “narrow” that leads back to God?
Because to be exalted requires that we
become precisely as Christ is (see LoF 7:9); there is no room for deviation –
if Christ was anything different from what He is, He could not be saved – so
the gate and way are constrained because you must follow Christ exactly to
become what He is, or you will not become what He is and cannot be saved (see 2
Nephi 31:18).
Why
do so few find exaltation?
Only few will find the gate and walk
the way to exaltation because only a few are willing to submit all things to
God and suffer so that others can be saved.
They desire to look into exaltation
but they put up “stakes” or limits to what they will do in a mortal probation
(see TPJS 362).
They are inherently selfish but the
way is so difficult (see D&C 19: 11-19) that unless one is motivated by
love for someone else, they will not attempt it; it is like, after a terribly
harrowing experience which one has escaped from to safety, the only way one
would go back into the fray, for any reward, would be to attempt to save a
loved one who is still caught in it and cannot escape without help.
They must be filled with charity (see
D&C 121:34-46) and they must truly love the Lord preeminently, so they will
keep His commandments (see John 14:14-24) and will repent of their sins and
unbelief.
What
is eternal life?
Knowing Christ (see John 17:3).
Knowing someone requires more than
just meeting them once; and knowing Christ requires more than a single
ministerial visit from Christ – even if it means that one now knows with a
surety that He lives and is the God of Israel (see 3 Nephi 11:14-15); to truly know
Him requires that He take up a habitation with you (see Revelation 3:20; John
14:23, Act 2:25); it also requires that you be able to comprehend Him and this
means that you must become enough like Him, purified even as He is pure –
filled with His light or Spirit – to be able to understand Him (see Moroni
7:48) – and this requires following His example and doing His works because you
can’t know someone unless you’ve walked their path.
What
are the “continuation of the lives” and “eternal lives” – why are the phrases
plural?
While we
know that all spirits are immortal, it is interesting that the scripture uses
the plural word “lives” instead of “continuation of life” or “eternal life” –
both of which imply a single post-mortal or post-resurrection life.
Using the
plural suggests that the lives that come next are not one life but multiple
“lives” or states of living.
We are told
that the Father was not always as He is now, despite being an unchangeable god
from all eternity to all eternity (see TPJS 390; Moroni 8:18; Moroni 7:22;
Mormon 9:9); that Christ did not have the “fullness at first” but “continued
from grace to grace” (see D&C 93:12-14); and that we must also go from a
small capacity to a great one, from exaltation to exaltation until we, too,
have attained to the resurrection of the dead ourselves (see TPJS 391) but that
it will be like climbing a ladder, rung by rung, and it is not all to be
learned or comprehended (much less accomplished) in this world (see TPJS
392-393).
From these
scriptures we can see that despite the resurrection that we will receive from
Jesus Christ in this eternity, we may have opportunities in future eternities
to lay aside the glory we have gained here to condescend to another mortal
probation where our obedience to God’s commandments and eternal law can be
tested again (outside of His presence) and where we can gain more light than we
had accumulated here (see D&C 130:18-21; Alma 13:3-9); but there is a great
risk, as it is possible to lose what was previously gained (see 1 Corinthians
15:30; Alma 12:10-11).
But if we
are successful finding and embracing the appointed Savior in each mortal life,
we can receive more and more light and progress from a small capacity to a
greater one until we become like God ourselves.
Implied is
that each “eternity” is a separate epoch with the requirement of a new Savior
or Son of God providing a “preparatory redemption” for such a one who wishes to
descend to a mortal probation (as those who have attained to the resurrection
themselves – as Christ and the Father have – seem unable to now lay their
permanently resurrected bodies aside or, in the case of the Father, be able to
hide their glory from mortal eyes).
Eternal
lives are to know “the Father” and “the Son” by rending the veil in every life
you choose to live and bidding that they take up their habitation with you
again – obviously this does not mean that Jehovah (Jesus) will be that Christ
but that other Sons of God will attain to the resurrection, saving you in the
process, such that you will have many “Fathers in Heaven” as each one is
“given” you by the Father who went before them – which Father you had come to know
and were saved by in a prior or preparatory eternity (see John 17:9-11, 24).
So to know
Christ is to become like Him (because we cannot fully comprehend Him if we are
not precisely like Him) – this is eternal life or God’s life, and it is
attained over many “eternal lives” or multiple exaltations – for eventually, we
must each work out our own salvation with fear and trembling before God and
attain to our own resurrection – and by so doing, save any who our Father has
given us from His flock that has descended to a fallen earth for a probation
and is in desperate need of a resurrection and redemption from death and sin;
at that point we will have obtained an eternal life, never to be separated from
a physical body again in death, but which body can abide a fullness of eternal
glory.
How
do we receive Christ in the world and know Him?
Hear His words/truth/spirit, no matter
who is saying them.
Push through the traps and snares laid
by the adversary to find Christ.
Receive the Law (including Celestial
Marriage) and live it so that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise.
Receive the Fullness of the Priesthood
or an association with God.
Enter into His presence and be sealed
up to Eternal Life – being adopted into His Heavenly Family as a Son or
Daughter.
What
does it mean that the broad gate leads to the “deaths”?
Those who
take the broad gate which leads to the deaths are caught in an endless cycle of
lives that are not eternal; they are like the stars of the Zodiac, forever
circumnavigating the ecliptic in an endless cycle that never changes – eternity
after eternity – never “ascending” from the ecliptic to the north sky (where we
can always see them – for those of us living in the northern hemisphere) and gaining
the light that was theirs to receive (see Alma 12:11-12; Alma 42:27).
They have
never risen up to know God by rending the veil, entering His presence and
living in a habitation with Him and receiving a promise of eternal life.
Instead,
their countless mortal lives always end in a death without the promise of
eternal life; when they die and awake to the reality of their surroundings
again, they weep at what they could have had but failed to truly desire – they
have wasted yet another opportunity gifted to them through the blood of a Son
of God.
Note: just
because someone dies a mortal death (instead of “cheating death” through being
translated and ascending to heaven), doesn’t mean that they have taken the
broad gate to the deaths, as many people have “lived the measure of their
creation” and received the promise of eternal life from God but succumbed to
death at the end of their lives because that was what was needful for them at
this stage of their progression.
Eternal
lives mean that they received the promise of eternal life at God’s own hand
while in mortal life, while the deaths mean that failed to secure any such
promise.
The Law of
Adoption
Although the restoration of the gospel
through Joseph Smith seemed to have been significantly influenced, soon after
its inception, by Sidney Rigdon and others of the Campbellite faith who were
looking for the restoration of the apostles’ New Testament era church as
described in the Bible, the Lord always had in mind to restore at the end of
the world the fullness of the gospel that was had at the beginning (see D&C
27:6; D&C 86:8-10; Acts 3:21) – that
fullness which enabled two societies to become Zion and be translated to heaven. After Sidney and Joseph parted ways, somewhat,
because of the events of Liberty Jail, Joseph seemed to dive immediately back
into his original attempt to restore the “ancient order of things” (see TPJS
252:2; and 265:1).
Rather than remain an isolated,
faithful individual who had received the Lord and associated with the Church of
the Firstborn alone, like Moses before him Joseph Smith attempted to establish
Zion, which is about restoring God’s Family or House again on earth. This was the Lord’s intent with regards to
the Nauvoo temple (see D&C 124:40-41), as the Fullness of the Priesthood is
required for a mortal to stand in God’s presence and it needed to be restored
again to the Saints, as they had lost it prior to 1841 (see D&C 124:27-28). But also like Moses before him, Joseph failed
in his attempt (see D&C 84:19-27) when the Saints refused to build the
temple in accordance with the Lord’s timetable (see D&C 124:31-33,
44-48). Joseph Smith was then taken and
the Saints were cursed, as the children of Israel, having lost their
opportunity for a season (3-4 generations).
Without Joseph Smith, who had a regular audience with God, the Saints
had no way of understanding or continuing what the Lord had revealed to
Joseph. In its place, we got Brigham
Young’s version of hedonistic polygamy and a focus on temple work for the dead,
rather than the sealing the living to the “fathers in heaven”, and then saving
the dead (in the spirit world) via a sealing to living, now redeemed,
descendants.
Priesthood is an association with
God’s and angels, through the veil. The
Law of Adoption is about making that association with God permanent – it is
about sealing you to God as His son and daughter. It is about changing one’s relationship with
God from servant to son; it is how one becomes part of God’s own family – an
heir. It can also be about sealing
others to you in a “welded” familial link, so they can have a hope of salvation
(in a future eternity?) or perhaps sealing you to the fathers unto whom the
promises of salvation were already given who reside now in heaven (see TPJS
371-373, 380-381,383-384). And if you
want to go very far afield, it could also be about being “given” certain of
God’s sons and daughters as your redeeming responsibility in a far future
eternity (see John 17:6-16; D&C 27:14).
This idea of a “welded familial link”
is where you get the “Kingdom of God” (or House or Family of God) and the High
Priesthood “birthright” which was passed from righteous father to righteous son
(see LoF 2:21-53) – ten generations of patriarchs from Adam to Shem
(“Melchizedek”), and then, after an apostasy, five more generations from
Abraham to Ephraim.
READ D&C 132:7
What
does it mean that there is only one on the earth at a time on whom this power
and the keys of this priesthood are conferred?
The
Patriarchal Order of the High Priesthood had a birthright associated with it,
which was passed from the one who held the power to his oldest worthy son; it
mirrors the family structure or “House of God” in heaven, where the Elohim
presides over Their family of Gods and those who might become gods; as Elohim
is preeminent in heaven, one is preeminent on earth to enable the sealing up to
eternal life through an orderly process, via adoption into God’s family – it is
describing a familial government or “family tree” or “living vine” to the
degree that the branches are grafted in to the root which is Christ; however,
this doctrine was only beginning to be implemented by Joseph Smith before his
death as Joseph was seeking to reveal the original gospel as taught to Adam and
the patriarchs – which enabled Zion (see TPJS 195-197).
This idea
of “one” with the “power” could also be part of the revelation that was
adulterated by Brigham Young, as he sought to gain and consolidate power in the
Church, despite never seeing God or having any of the prophetic gifts that
Joseph demonstrated; part of the proof for this is that Joseph Smith clearly
had the sealing power as he had it by December 27, 1832 (see D&C 88:3-4)
and despite the Church falling into condemnation and losing the High Priesthood
(see D&C 124:28), Joseph continued to receive revelations, see God, and
perform miracles; however, in 1841, Hyrum Smith was ALSO given the sealing
power (see D&C 124:91-96), so during those last few years in Nauvoo, the
Lord had two people on the earth, in fact two people living in the same town,
who had the power and keys of this priesthood; so, this seems to be directly
opposed to the revelation as stated here in verse 7; the other issue is that
John the Revelator/Beloved is also still on the earth and holds this
priesthood, as do the Three Nephites, and there is a prophesy that “holy men”
we “know not of” will bring their people and records to gather in Zion in the
last days (see D&C 49:8) – and 144,000 people will be sealed in their
foreheads and have this power preparatory to dwelling in Zion with the Lord. So, it is possible that this phrase was
inserted by Brigham Young and used by every Church President since then to
consolidate political power over the mortal Church in the face of a lack of demonstrable
spiritual power from heaven, which does not seek to control (see D&C
121:34-40) but hopes that all might be prophets (see Numbers 11:26-29; Jeremiah
31:34; Joel 2:27-32).
If this part
of the revelation is true, it is possible that Joseph actually gave up the
birthright to Hyrum, but received it back again when Hyrum died first in
Carthage; “no more than one on the earth” could mean “mortals only” and the
144,000 might all hold the High Priesthood After the Order of the Son of God
but do not all hold the “right” to lead the administration of that Priesthood
(although, doesn’t the Lord lead it regardless?
See Helaman 10:4-10); that’s a lot of speculative theology, so I’ll stop
now – much to inquire of the Lord about!
READ D&C 132:45-50
Which
priesthood is being referred to here?
The High Priesthood or the Priesthood
After the Order of the Son of God (see Helaman 10:3-10).
How
can someone, even with this priesthood, possess the power to remit sin?
Those who hold this Priesthood (and do
not want to incur some significant loss), will only use it to do God’s will;
implied is that they receive God’s will before they use it.
So, if God commands them to remit sin,
they can and will do it, as a direct agent of God; basically, what they are
doing is communicating to the person that God has remitted their sins, as an
angel of light might do from beyond the veil.
No mortal has the power to remit sin
(or seal another up to eternal life) on their own – there are no keys powerful
enough to do this.
What
is the difference between receiving a promise of exaltation and having that
exaltation sealed upon you?
The promise or hope of salvation still
requires faith and works to see it come to fruition in some future day.
Having this blessing sealed upon you
means that it has come to fruition on that day; at this point, Joseph Smith was
“saved” as Abraham had been before him.
However, if Christ is truly the
prototype of the saved being (LoF 7) and we must become precisely how He is and
nothing else to be saved and exalted, then really we aren’t actually exalted
until we have completed the same journey He has walked and have ascended as He
has done.
Marriage and
Parenthood in Heaven
Who presides in
Heaven?
Elohim
Elohim is the
name of God in the Temple but it is not the Father’s actual name – it is
actually a plural word; the singular is El – so why would the word for God the
Father be plural?
Because together these plural gods are
“one God”.
The man cannot be without the woman or
the woman without the man, in the Lord – this applies to God, so it applies to
us (see 1 Corinthians 11:11).
If the word
“Elohim” is plural, why do sentences which use it treat it singular,
grammatically? As in “Elohim let there
be light…” instead of “The Elohim said let there be light…”
They (Father and Mother) are one.
It is as if their commands are stated
in unison.
It is as if they are one person; if
Christ and the Father are one, then the Father and Mother who raised the Christ
are surely one. His Spirit is in Her and
Her Spirit is in Him – their Spirit is one – and yet they are two entities.
If Heavenly
Father is perfect and all-powerful, why does He need a consort or “Heavenly
Mother”?
He would not be “Heavenly Father”
without Heavenly Mother, by definition.
Implied is that She has power that He
does not have or that to do the work that they both want to do, the power of
two gods working as one is required; as we are told that Elohim is
all-powerful, it is not a question of needing two gods to combine their powers
because neither is strong enough by themselves, but rather it is a question of
needing to “yoke” their powers because they each have different strengths and
yet both are perfect.
Does that mean
that Heavenly Mother has “priesthood power”?
Yes, She
has power equal to but different from Heavenly Father’s.
Their power is perfectly
complimentary, like yin and yang.
Her power is creative – to give life
(His is redemptive); but both creating life and redeeming it require the
participation of both parties – first one leading in one and the other
supporting, then the other leading and the first supporting.
Her gift is wisdom – how to apply knowledge
(His is knowledge).
What does it mean
to be “one” but to be different enough that both individuals are needed to do
their work?
God created man in Their own image =
male and female.
You have a left brain and right brain
but to be successful, they must work together and to the degree you have a
dominant side, you are not maximizing your potential.
Elohim is all-powerful; Elohim is
all-knowing; Elohim has a fullness of glory; Elohim has a fullness of love;
Elohim is eternal; Elohim has life in themselves; Elohim is a plural word.
They are one in purpose (your
immortality and eternal life); one in degree of capability (a fullness of
celestial glory and perfection); different in what those capabilities are.
How
do Heavenly Father and Mother work together to organize life?
Elohim’s glory is intelligence, which
is light and truth (see D&C 93:36); it is co-equal with God and cannot be
created or made (see D&C 93:29) but has always existed; it is a part of God
– it proceeds from God and fills the immensity of space (see D&C 88:12).
As we are intelligences, we are one
with God and eternal and co-equal with Them (see TPJS 206:2).
When
organized into separate personalities, the intelligence changes from the
singular to the plural or individual (from intelligence to intelligences); in
order to exist, intelligence must have the freedom to choose and without
freedom to choose, we would not exist as separate, sentient beings (see D&C
93:30).
Our existence flows from God’s
intelligence – as we are part of it (and part of Elohim), but to exist we must
be independent from God.
The intelligence out of which we were
created might be accurately referred to as the “word” or “thought” of God –
just as God speaks or imagines or conceives light into existence (see Genesis
1:3), it is the same with us – particularly because we are made of light or
intelligence or energy or the glory of God.
But it is
essential to the process of creating or conceiving life for God the Father to
have a female Mother God; if we were the product of only one mind’s thought or
word or intelligence, we could never act independently of the one mind –
everything about the conceived individual would be under the exclusive control
of the one “creator” mind; only when two equal, yet distinct, Gods are jointly
conceiving an individual does it become possible for that individual to be
independent of control – as long as both have input, neither one can fully
control what the personality will choose to do.
And if the
eternal gender archetypes are true (i.e. creative wisdom vs redeeming
knowledge), then that would explain why two Gods of the same archetype (male,
for instance) may not be able to accomplish this task of enabling the creation
and redemption of a new unique and distinct intelligence (soul) but require a
pair of complimentary but different archetype gods (male and female); this is a
highly speculative idea on my part and should not be taken as gospel truth
unless confirmed by God to you. I am
only musing here.
When the
Father and Mother hold the thought (or word or intelligence) “long enough” with
faith in the existence of this new creation, while neither one is fully
controlling the individual intelligence, then existence as a separate being
with the ability to act and not just be acted upon, becomes possible.
But the
intelligence itself must accept that right or opportunity and make a choice
freely and independently of the Heavenly Father and Mother – it requires an act
of faith on the part of the intelligence to exercise his or her own free will
to accept its creation - it is difficult
for organized intelligences to even conceive of their autonomy from God when in
Their presence; Christ was our example in this, too; but if we did not have and
then exercised our agency in some distant eon, we would not exist as a
sentient, individual being – to act today.
A New Revelation
on Marriage
The
following was published in 2017 by Denver Snuffer. I have learned to be open to truth from
wherever the Lord will reveal it. I have
found elements of truth in the Bible, in the Book of Mormon (lots), in the
revelations received through Joseph Smith, in quantum physics, in Hindu
scripture, in the teachings of Native American medicine men, in energy healers,
and in the words of many other people – both “wise” and “foolish”, both
“authorized” and not, both those not to be trifled with and those who are of no
consequence. I have also found what I
believe to be falsehoods or critical omissions (or sometimes just differences
of opinion without eternal consequence) in all of the above sources (including
the author of this material on marriage).
The key is to discern the truth from God and either cast away (or put on
the back burner for further consideration when more knowledge and wisdom have
been gained) that which does not ring true – and to stop depending upon the
credibility and legitimacy of a person alone and pretending that they are
infallible. Focus on the message, not
the messenger. What is vitally important
for us is to take the words and ideas we hear from others to the Lord in mighty
prayer and find out directly from Him if they are His words and, if so, what He
would have us do with them. In that
spirit and with a long qualifying introduction, I share the following which I
have found insightful and instructive:
READ: “Marriage
was, in the beginning, between one man and one woman, and was intended to
remain so for the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve, that they may multiply
and replenish the Earth. I commanded that there shall not any man have save it
be one wife, and concubines he shall have none. I, the Lord your God, delight
in the chastity of women, and in the respect of men for their wives.”
What does it mean that marriage was between one man
and one woman in the beginning?
Adam and
Eve were created; there is absolutely no record of any other spouses in the
creation account.
What then is the Lord’s command with regards to
marriage?
That it be
monogamous, on earth as it is in heaven.
That it
enables fidelity and respect.
That it is
the vehicle within which children are to come to the earth and be nurtured and
raised.
By
implication, if Adam and Eve were created in all things in God’s image, then
polygamy does not exist in heaven and it is an abomination unless specifically
commanded by God, on earth, for His purposes – to raise up seed to Himself or
to enable an “Abrahamic Test”, etc.; but not only is it not required for
exaltation, it is an abomination to preach that it is and those who do seek to
justify their lust in God’s name.
READ: “Marriage
was established at the beginning as a covenant by the word and authority of
God, between the woman and God, the man and woman, and the man and God. It was
ordained by my word to endure forever. Mankind fell, but a covenant established
by my word cannot fail, and therefore in death they were not to be parted.”
Who makes covenants in marriage?
The man,
the woman, and God.
God and the
woman make a covenant.
God and the
man make a covenant.
The man and
the woman make a covenant.
Why is marriage ordained to endure forever?
Because the
nature of God (Elohim) is plural (Genesis 1:27) – to be created in Elohim’s
image is to be created male and female because Elohim consists of two
personages who together are God; man is created in God or Elohim’s image
because there are two personages – male and female.
Elohim is
God forever so the bond that seals them (Father and Mother) together must be an
eternal or forever bond because doing God’s work requires both Father and
Mother.
Not even
death can break the promise of God’s word.
READ: “It
was my will that all marriages would follow the pattern of the beginning, and
therefore all other marriages would be ordained as at the first. But fallen men
refused my covenant, did not hearken to my word, nor receive my promise, and marriages
fell outside my rule, disorganized and without me, therefore unable to endure
beyond the promises made between the mortal man and the mortal woman, to end
when they are dead.”
How did marriage become “until death do you part”?
Mankind refused
to join with God in the marriage covenant.
God offers
covenants but mankind has no authority to change them in any way – we can only
accept them or reject them.
Because
mankind wanted marriage on their own terms, they continued to administer the rite
to each other, but without God’s approval; and having broken the covenant,
their marriages had no power outside of the mortal world; they are only
promising with each other – God is no longer involved in their relationship, eternally.
Note, this
does not mean that a marriage for “time” cannot be a beautiful, loving
relationship and provide a springboard for the acquisition of more light as the
two learn to sacrifice for the good of the other; but it means that without
God’s covenant, the marriage relationship will not pass the boundaries of this
world.
READ: “Covenants,
promises, rights, vows, associations and expectations that are mine will
endure, and those that are not cannot endure. Everything in the world, whether
it is established by men, or by Thrones, or by Dominions, or by Principalities,
or by Powers, that are not by my word and promise shall be thrown down when men
are dead, and shall not remain in my Father’s Kingdom. Only those things that
are by me shall remain in and after the resurrection.”
Why can only relationships and promises made by God
endure past the resurrection?
Because God
knows all things and has it as His work and glory to maximize our joy, so
anything that is misaligned with His will (which perfectly mirrors eternal law)
cannot exist outside of this world or “matrix” that we are in.
None of
this world is “real,” meaning it is all a simulation; we are borrowing God’s
elements to have an experience “outside” of His presence where we can use our
agency and make decisions that will actually impact our eternal life (and those
around us, to some degree) going forward; so when the simulation is done, only
that which is of light or of God will endure into the “real world” which
follows.
This also
includes marriages and familial associations that were not entered into via a
covenant with God; the great thing about this earth, though, is that God has
given us the option of covenanting with Him and each other in the hopes that we
might actually keep a relationship we made here into the next life. It’s not JUST a simulation, in this respect.
This also
includes any promises made to us by the Powers of Heaven whom we call angels
(Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Powers, etc.), if they were not authorized
to make those promises.
READ: “Marriage
by me, or by my word, received as a holy covenant between the woman and I, the
man and woman, and the man and I, will endure beyond death and into my Father’s
Kingdom, worlds without end. Those who abide this covenant will pass by the
angels who are appointed, and enter into exaltation. Concerning them it shall
be said, you shall come forth in the first resurrection, and if they covenant
after the first resurrection then in the next resurrection, and shall inherit
in my Kingdom their own thrones, dominions, principalities, powers, all heights
and depths and shall pass by the angels to receive exaltation, the glory of
which shall be a fullness and a continuation of their posterity forever.”
What is the Lord saying here?
He is
promising YOU that this covenant is still available for you to enter into with
Him and your spouse.
You must
both make the covenant with Him and your spouse, and you must abide by or keep
the terms of the covenant.
But if you
do, the two of you will together be able to pass by the sentinel angels who
have the power to block anyone who does not have the covenant and knowledge or
light gained by making and abiding in it.
What is “continued forever” for those who receive
exaltation?
Their
marriage.
Their
ability to enable the birth and progress of other spirits who become their
“children”.
Their
posterity and the posterity of those children…continuing forever.
READ: “Marriage
is necessary for the exaltation of the man and woman, and is ordained by me
through the Holy Spirit of Promise, or in other words by my covenant, my law,
and my authority. Like the marriage in Eden, marriage is a sacrament for a
sacred place, on holy ground, in my presence, or where the Holy Spirit of
Promise can minister. But rebellion has kept mankind from inheriting what I
ordained in the beginning, and therefore women and men have been left to marry
apart from me. Every marriage established by me requires that I be part of the
covenant for it to endure, for Endless is my name and without me the marriage
cannot be without end: for so long as I endure it shall also endure, if it is
made by my word and covenant.”
Can you be exalted without participating in
marriage?
No, you
cannot.
It doesn’t
matter how genuinely righteous the individual is, they have not lived the
fullness of the commandments or eternal laws necessary to gain the light
required for exaltation.
Is being married in God’s covenant enough to merit
exaltation?
No, your
marriage must be sealed by God.
You must
have kept the terms of the covenant.
God must
have been an integral part of the relationship – to the degree that both of you
were filled with His Spirit, which requires that you petition Him to abide with
you and you lived in a righteous way so as not to grieve Him and cast Him out
from you.
Charity or
the pure love of Christ, which is seen in selfless sacrifice, must have been
demonstrated regularly; love is the greatest indicator of the divine presence.
How is marriage a sacrament?
A sacrament
is an act or ordinance that unites us with God and gives us access to His Powers.
Joining
with God to create life is helping to enable His work and glory (see Moses
1:39).
Procreation
is something that only Gods can do in the eternities; we will never be more
like God on this earththan when we are joining with Him to enable the birth of
a new life.
By doing
His work, we become more like Him – we become one with Him.
READ: “But
know also that I can do my work at any time, for I have sacred space above, and
can do my work despite earth and hell. The wickedness of men has not prevented
my will but only kept the wicked from what they might have received. Whenever I
have people who are mine, I command them to build a house, a holy habitation, a
sacred place where my presence can dwell, or where the Holy Spirit of Promise
can minister, because it is in such a place that it has been ordained to
recover you, establish by my word and my oath your marriages, and endow my
people with knowledge from on high that will unfold to you the mysteries of
godliness, instruct you in my ways, that you may walk in my path. And all the
outcasts of Israel will I gather to my house, and the jealousy of Ephraim and
Judah will end. Ephraim will not envy Judah and Judah will not provoke Ephraim.”
Why must marriages take place in temples?
Holy
sacraments require holy spaces to administer them in; they must be set apart
from the world, as they are not of this world as they have the potential to
transcend this world and exist outside of it; so they must be entered into
outside of it, just as the couple is later sealed up outside of it (outside of the
fallen world).
A temple is
like an “embassy” in a foreign country; while the land it sits on is in the
foreign nation’s boundary, the embassy itself is sovereign to the home country
– it is as if it resided within the boundaries of the home country; a real
temple (accepted by God and sanctified) works in the same way – it is heavenly
real estate which exists on the fallen earth, and as such, it is a portal
between the mortal world and the heavenly one.
A temple is
God’s house, so if there is no place on a fallen earth that can truly be called
God’s House – a place where God dwells or has a habitation – then God will just
conduct the ordinance in the Heavenly Temple; this will require the couple
ascending to heaven, while in the flesh, to receive the sealing ordinance.
What does it mean that Ephraim envies Judah and
Judah provokes Ephraim?
Ephraim or
the modern day Gentiles nations (Europe and America) which contain a diluted
amount of the blood of Ephraim after they were captured and lost and
intermarried with the people they found (in their lost journeyings) are jealous
of the fact that the House of Israel (“Judah”) are the covenant people of the
Lord.
Judah (the
House of Israel) consisting of both the ethnic Jews and all other diaspora
Israelites who did not intermarry as much with non-Israel and are more “intact”
as a group to this day (i.e. the Remnant of Jacob or tribes of Native Americans
descended from Lehi), tend to provoke Ephraim in their jealousy by pointing out
that they are in fact the chosen people, as if that amounted to anything, in
and of itself.
Anyone who
takes upon themselves the New and Everlasting Covenant with God is adopted into
Israel or His House and Family, so the petty quarrelling between the tribes
must cease, or those who engage in jarring and contentions will not live the
covenant, regardless of their ancestors and the ethnic blood in their veins.
READ: “And
again, I say to you, Abraham and Sarah sit upon a Throne, for he could not be
there if not for Sarah’s covenant with him. Isaac and Rebecca sit upon a
Throne, and Isaac likewise could not be there if not for Rebecca’s covenant
with him. And Jacob and Rachel sit upon a Throne, and Jacob could not be there
if not for Rachel’s covenant with him. And all these have ascended above
Dominions and Principalities and Powers, to abide in my Kingdom. Therefore, the
marriage covenant is needed for all those who would likewise seek to obtain
from me the right to continue their seed into eternity, for only through
marriage can Thrones and Kingdoms be established.”
How have Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ascended to sit
upon heavenly Thrones?
Only as a
consequence of making and keeping God’s covenant with the specific women named
in the revelation: Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel, respectively.
Because like
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel each performed the terms
of their covenant, enabling the respective couples to be sealed up to eternal
life and become gods and goddesses together.
