Blame the Provider

I notice that my readership is up to over 100 a day, which thrills me more than you will know.  I haven't posted this past week because my old internet carrier shut me down a week before they were supposed to do so.  I can use my i-phone hot spot to check on things and take care of financial issues, but it eats up my data.  My posts take several hours to complete and I'd be out of "juice" in two days!  When I get set up with my new carrier, I promise I will make up for lost time.

 

Hugs and forehead kisses!

 

 

The Power of Obedience

 

While I was waiting for Church to start this morning, I was listening to a conference address on BYU Radio.  It was a story told by President Monson about the time he and a friend disobeyed their parents as to the use of matches and started a wildfire in Provo Canyon.  I remember hearing that talk and the cute pauses and facial expressions of he prophet as he talked about his lesson about obedience.  When God has built a fence around something and has told us "Don't cross it," we are risking things worse than a wildfire if we wait to obey until we know why the fence is there or until we agree about the fence or understand the fence.  At the age of 8, little Tommy Monson and his buddy didn't understand the power of the forbidden match.  They were simply too immature to grasp the reason for the forbidden object.  They knew they were disobeying their parents, but they didn't know they could be starting a forest fire.  Their parents did know the danger and built a fence around the danger by telling the boys never to play with matches.

 

I decided to go through Yahoo Images to see what things I could find about obedience.  I thought I would share my ideas on the topic.  What examples of obedience and disobedience in your own life do these little snippets bring to mind?

 

Life and grace and agency are Jesus' gift to us.  Turning our will over to His will is our gift to him.

 

 "I never said it would be easy.  I only said it would be worth it." Jesus Christ 

 

"When I feel distant from God, as if no heavenly ear is listening, I immerse myself in the scriptures and the heavens are open again." President Spencer W. Kimball

 

 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. (James 2:18)

 

 

 

God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the Courage to change the things I can; and the Wisdom to know the difference.  With the Holy Spirit comes wisdom and truth, but we have to listen to hear it.

 

 "I was not ever thus nor prayed that thou, shoulds't lead me on.  I loved to choose and see my path; but now, lead thou me on!" Lead Kindly Light LDS Hymnal [1]

 

 

 

Obedience is a 24/7 proposition, not a Sunday-go-to-meeting form of religiosity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obedience isn't confining.  It brings great freedom and joy.

 

Our will through obedience is the only gift we truly have to give to God.  Everything else is already His. Neal A Maxwell.

 

 

 

 

 

And it came to pass that when Ammon arose he also administered unto them, and also did all the servants of Lamoni; and they did all declare unto the people the selfsame thing—that their hearts had been changed; that they had no more desire to do evil. (Alma 19:33)

 

I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them (1 Nephi 3:7) 

 

Happy Sabbath!

  [1] Lead Kindly Lighthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnIYLEXHeFk

 

And the Evening and the Morning Were the Third Day

God was very busy during the third creative period.  He commanded the waters to gather in one place and the dry earth to appear and they obeyed.  He didn't leave the land sterile once it was in place, for He prepared the earth to bring forth from seed the grasses, herbs and fruits.  He further gave the grasses, herbs, and seed to reproduce, bringing forth plant life each like unto itself.

 

I love this picture because it shows Pangea, the

super, master continent as it was in the

beginning.  The continents didn't separate until

the days of Peleg. son of Eber

(1Chronicles  1:19)

Abraham writes of plural Gods doing this work in harmony together;

 

And the Gods ordered, saying: Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the earth com1e up dry; and it was so as they ordered;

And the Gods pronounced the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, pronounced they, Great Waters; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed.

 

And the Gods said: Let us prepare the earth to bring forth grass; the herb yielding seed; the fruit tree yielding fruit, after his kind, whose seed in itself yieldeth its own likeness upon the earth; and it was so, even as they ordered.

And the Gods organized the earth to bring forth grass from its own seed, and the herb to bring forth herb from its own seed, yielding seed after his kind; and the earth to bring forth the tree from its own seed, yielding fruit, whose seed could only bring forth the same in itself, after his kind; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed. 

And it came to pass that they numbered the days; from the evening until the morning they called night; and it came to pass, from the morning until the evening they called day; and it was the third time. (Abraham 4: 9-13)

 

 

The Genesis version also speaks of plural Gods:

 

And the Gods ordered, saying: Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the earth come up dry; and it was so as they ordered;

And the Gods pronounced the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, pronounced they, Great Waters; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed.

And the Gods said: Let us prepare the earth to bring forth grass; the herb yielding seed; the fruit tree yielding fruit, after his kind, whose seed in itself yieldeth its own likeness upon the earth; and it was so, even as they ordered.

 And the Gods organized the earth to bring forth grass from its own seed, and the herb to bring forth herb from its own seed, yielding seed after his kind; and the earth to bring forth the tree from its own seed, yielding fruit, whose seed could only bring forth the same in itself, after his kind; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed.

And it came to pass that they numbered the days; from the evening until the morning they called night; and it came to pass, from the morning until the evening they called day; and it was the third time. (Genesis 1:9-13)

Since I have been emphasizing the plurality of Gods in all versions of the Creation Story, I'd like to deal briefly with the concept of the trinity.  There is nothing in holy writ that describes a godhead wherein there is one god with 3 aspects; a trinity of 3 gods - Father, Son, Holy Spirit - in one being, small enough to fit in your heart at the same time large enough to fill the universe.  The concept of the trinity (to which most Christians ascribe) came out of the Council at Nicea in the mid-4th Century.  Nearly 1,200 known Bishops of the church were invited to the council: only around 300 came.  The convoluted reasoning of the Nicean Creed makes most people dizzy if they really look at it.  When people ask for an explanation, they are often told that we are not supposed to understand and know God, despite's Jesus statement in Matthew: And this is life eternal; that they may know thee, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.

 

Not my favorite picture, but it does clearly show

the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost along with

John the Baptist

The early Church in the days of the apostles understood this when they heard Jesus praying to His Father and Stephen seeing Jesus standing on the right hand of the Father.  Those who were at Jesus' baptism heard the voice of the Father declaring Jesus to be His Son, and saw the Holy Spirit rest upon Jesus as represented by a dove.  That, combined with the writings of Moses and Abraham, shows that the early Christians understood that the Godhead consists of 3 Beings united in purpose but separate in substance - thus Gods, in the plural.

 

The clear declaration of Latter-day Saint belief in the Biblical godhood is found in the very first Article of Faith: We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. -Joseph Smith

 

 © Gebara Education, 2016

And the Evening and the Morning Were the Second Day

Division of the Firmament and Water

Artist: Stanley Galli

And the Gods also said: Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and it shall divide the waters from the waters.

 

And the Gods ordered the expanse, so that it divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so, even as they ordered.

 

And the Gods called the expanse, Heaven. And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning that they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called day; and] this was the second time that they called night and day. (Abraham 4:6-8)

The word firmament is translated to mean the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected or The celestial regions as seen from the earth. [1]  It is the part of heaven in which heavenly and earthly worlds connect. 

As I read this, I thought of a class I taught about the atmosphere of the Earth.  I used this picture to illustrate the layers within the Earth's atmosphere.  I like this particular representation because the little icons within the picture show what types of activities can go on in each representative layers.  I will not even attempt to identify which specific layer (i.e., the ozone) that divides earthly water from heavenly water.  It would be naïve to even attempt it.  I would just like to point out that the famous Northern Lights that can be seen in the most northern countries of the world actually emanate from the thermosphere.  To me, that means God's outreach services can come to us at His will and time from anywhere in the Universe.

The great prophet, Moses, who was a descendant of Abraham, wrote this about the second day of creation: 

And again, I, God, said: Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and it was so, even as I spake; and I said: Let it divide the waters from the waters; and it was done;

 

And I, God, made the firmament and divided the waters, yea, the great waters under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament, and it was so even as I spake.

 

And I, God, called the firmament Heaven; and the evening and the morning were the second day. (Moses 2:6-8)

 

The above picture is someone's conception of the division of the waters.  I suspect it is pure conjecture on the part of the artist who drew it.  These verses, along with the account in Genesis 1:6-8, illustrate the orderly fashion by which the Gods worked to create heaven and earth.  I like Moses' version in the Pearl of Great Price in particular, because it underlies that fact that God spoke and the elements obeyed Him.  Like the concept of pronoia, I like to remember when things seem chaotic without order, that the God of order is in charge.

 

[1] http://www.thefreedictionary.com/firmament

 

 © Gebara Education, 2016

And the Evening and the Morning Were the First Day

In Chapter 4 of the Book of Abraham, we learn more about the Gods plan the creation of the earth and all life thereon—Their plans for the six days of creation are set forth (the chapter heading.)  It follows the sequence taught by Moses in the Book of Genesis, but it clarifies a few points.  One of the most controversial for non-Latter-day Saints is that while Jehovah/Jesus was the Creator, He did not work alone.  To use a construction analogy, the Father was the Divine Architect, Jehovah/Jesus was the Divine General Contractor, and others of the sons of heaven worked alongside Jesus. 

One of these was the Archangel Michael.  It was Michael who, under the direction of the Father and the Son, actually fought Lucifer and drove him and his followers out of heaven (see Revelation 12:6.)  Michael helped Jehovah create the world and later became Adam, the Patriarch of the human family.  In the Book of Abraham we read that the Gods plural created the heavens and the earth.  That would include the Father, the Son, probably the Holy Spirit, as well as other sons of God such as Michael.  Here is what Abraham tells us about the first event in our second estate:

And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth.  And the earth, after it was formed, was empty and desolate, because they had not formed anything but the earth; and darkness reigned upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of the Gods was brooding upon the face of the waters.

And they (the Gods) said: Let there be light; and there was light.

 

And they (the Gods) comprehended the light, for it was bright; and they divided the light, or caused it to be divided, from the darkness.

And the Gods called the light Day, and the darkness they called Night. And it came to pass that from the evening until morning they called night; and from the morning until the evening they called day; and this was the first, or the beginning, of that which they called day and night. (Abraham 4:1-5)

 

I was watching a wonderful production done by BYU Broadcasting a few years ago.  It was called Messiah: Behold the Lamb of God. The first of the episodes was called Before Abraham Was, I Am.  One of the professors [1], in speaking of these very verses, pointed out the importance of the word said.  It was the act of saying that brought things to pass.  God was able to command the elements to obey and they did.  When they had obeyed, Genesis tells us that God pronounced it good. Later, when Jesus calmed the stormy sea by commanding the elements: Peace, be still, they obeyed because He was the creator.  He was able to use His words to command the universe because, as John tells us, He is and was the Word.  When I feel like I am drowning in despair, I remember that my "lifeguard" walks on water.  Sometimes He calms the storm: sometimes He calms me.

 

[1] Dr. Eric Huntsman

 © Gebara Education, 2016

Where Did I Come From? Why Am I Here? Where Am I Going?

 

If you, as a reader, are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this will be familiar to you.  If, however, you are not, this concept of God's Plan of Salvation may seem strange.  I thought it prudent, therefore, to discuss it briefly in light of the things revealed in the Pearl of Great Price.

 

I've written a lot about the Pre-Earth life or Pre-mortal Existence.  This is where the war in heaven spoken of by the Apostle John took place.  Once Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, was cast out of heaven, he became Satan, which means adversary and accuser . 

 

After this event, the creation of the Earth took place (more on that later this week.) Through the fall of Adam and Eve, the world became a telestial or mortal world.  As we are privileged to have "our turn on earth," we pass through a veil of forgetfulness.  We lose the perfect knowledge we had in the pre-mortal world and enter a new stage of life wherein we must live by faith. 

 

When we die, we return to the world of spirits.  If we lived well, that is a place of Paradise, as Jesus told one of the thieves crucified with Him.  If we lived with a dark heart, then this world of spirits becomes like a prison.  This indicates a preliminary judgment at the time of death.

 

After the world's "mission" is completed and the Paradisiacal Millennium has concluded, there will be a final judgment.  At that time, God's children will be assigned a kingdom of glory according to their faithfulness in bringing their sins under Christ's saving power.  

 The lowest of these is called the Telestial Kingdom and will be very much the earth upon which we currently live.  Those who inherit this kingdom will not dwell with the Father or Jesus, but will be ministered to by the Holy Spirit.  It is compared in scripture as a star.  I think that is because the stars as seen from earth produce distant light.  It is a light, but a far weaker light than either the moon or the sun.

 

The middle is the Terrestrial Kingdom.  Those who inherit this kingdom as the good men and women of the earth who were not valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ.  They will be ministered to by Jesus Himself.  This is Heaven as most Christians see it.  The Terrestrial Kingdom is compared to the moon.  I think this may be because it represents reflected light.  It is the Father's light as reflected through His Son.  It is far closer and immediate and brighter than any star as seen from Earth.

 

The highest kingdom is called the Celestial Kingdom.  In this place, they will be visited and ministered to by both the Father and the Son.  The resurrection is a free gift to all who have ever lived; this is Salvation.  Exaltation is given according to those who make and keep sacred covenants and who have Christ's image in their countenance. The Celestial Kingdom is compared to the sun, which is the brightest light in the heavens as seen from Earth.  It is close.  It is direct.  It is fellowship with Heavenly Father Himself.

 

Those who become Sons of Perdition are those who have attained a perfect or almost perfect knowledge of the Father and the Son while on Earth and then consciously rebel against Them.  They have to say that the sun is not shining while they are standing under it at mid-day. Because they will be doing that which Lucifer did in the beginning, they will be cast out to live with Satan and the spirits that follow him where there is no light or warmth.  We think of hell as fire and brimstone, but in reality, it will be cold and dark and only those who experience will completely know it. 

 

I personally think that the never-ending burning is symbolic of the torture of a conscience which fully has to deal with the fact that s/he blew the chance given in this, the second estate. And to quote Forest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

 

 © Gebara Education, 2016

The Two-Fold Purpose of Creation

I believe that most people at least once in their lives ask themselves: Where did I come from?  Why and I here?  Where am I going?  I found the above quote from the Koran (Islam) that in many ways reflects the purpose for Creation given to Abraham by God.  Remember that Muslims are also blessed by the lineage of Abraham. 

 

And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;

And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

 

And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.  (Abraham 3: 24-26)

 

We are the reason for the Creation.  The Creation had a two-fold purpose: First, God, our Heavenly Father, wanted to provide a planet upon which we could dwell as mortals, receiving a physical body preparatory for moving on to the next step of God's plan.  The Father delegated his Son, Jehovah/Jesus, to carry out the Creation according to the plan.  Abraham tells us that Jehovah ("one among them like unto God") gathered others of the "great and noble ones" to prepare the earth for God's children. (verse 24.)

 

The second purpose of the Creation was to give us a time of testing. God wanted each of us to test ourselves against the wiles of Satan while living in a space wherein repentance from sin is possible (verse 25.)  In the pre-existence, our first estate, justice was immediate.  When Lucifer rebelled, he was cast out of heaven along with his minions.  Because absolute knowledge of God was universal and unquestionable in that pre-earth life, no one could misunderstand or make a mistake.  Rebellion was absolute apostasy and justice was dealt immediately.

 

In our second estate, our Earth life, we are allowed a time of learning through our own experience to know the good from the evil.  Because our absolute knowledge was lost as we passed through the veil at birth, we must live our lives here by faith.  Because of the fallen nature of our world, everyone makes mistakes; we don't have pure knowledge.  Like a child learning to walk, we are going to fall on our bottoms a lot.  Mercy then becomes possible through the Atonement of Jesus, so that we can make mistakes and repent of them without permanent, eternal consequences.

 

The prophet Amulek taught:

 

For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.  And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.  Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. (Alma 34:32-34)

 

 

Lucifer and his followers did not keep their first estate so they were cut off from the presence of God and were not "added upon" by receiving mortal bodies.  For all eternity, this will never change.  All of us who are living upon the earth or who have ever lived upon the earth kept our first estate.  We were "added upon" by simply being born.  If we keep this, our second estate, and bring our sins, through repentance and enduring to the end, under the umbrella of Christ's atonement, then we shall be "added upon" by resurrected, immortal bodies, and a kingdom of glory based upon our choices here in morality.* 

Therefore, it behooves us all to choose wisely while we can.

 

 © Gebara Education, 2016

 

*Very few (called Sons of Perdition) will be denied a kingdom, but they are relatively few and should be reserved for discussion at another time.

Paradise Lost

The great 17th Century English poet, John Milton, captured the war in heaven beautifully in his epic poem, Paradise Lost.  According to Wikipedia, Milton's poetry and prose reflect deep personal convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination - in LDS teaching, agency.

 

Listen, as I share excerpts from Book V, to these powerful words as he describes what happened in the War in Heaven in language as poetic as scripture (spelling modernized.)

 

 

As yet this World was not, and Chaos Wild
Reigned where these Heavens now rowl, where Earth now rests
Upon her Center poised, when on a day. . .
As Heavens great Year brings forth, the Imperial Host
Of Angels by Imperial summons called,
Innumerable before the Almighties Throne
Forthwith from all the ends of Heav'n appeared
Under their Hierarchs in orders bright
Ten thousand thousand Ensigns high advanced, . . .

 

Recorded eminent. Thus when in Orbs
Of circuit inexpressible they stood, 
Orb within Orb, the Father infinite,
By whom in bliss embosomed sat the Son,
Amidst as from a flaming Mount, whose top
Brightness had made invisible, thus spake.

Hear all ye Angels, Progeny of Light . . .
Hear my Decree, which unrevoked shall stand.This day I have begot whom I declare
My only Son, and on this holy Hill
Him have anointed, whom ye now behold 
At my right hand; your Head I him appoint;
And by my Self have sworn to him shall bow
All knees in Heav'n, and shall confess him Lord:
Under his great Vice-gerent Reign abide
United as one individual Soul
For ever happy: . . .

him who disobeys Me disobeys, breaks union, and that day
Cast out from God and blessed vision, falls
Into utter darkness, deep engulfed, his place
Ordained without redemption, without end

So spake the Omnipotent, and with his words
All seemed well pleased, all seemed, but were not all. . .

 

After describing that God's Words are inviolate, Milton then goes on to describe in great and beautiful detail the grand celebration in Heaven with music, flowers, and feasting; sweet visions and sweet perfumes.  All the Heavenly Hosts celebrated God's plan and the appointing of His Son, Jehovah/Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the World.  But, as the last line implies, not all in Heaven were happy. Lucifer, the second son (see Abraham 3) is angry that his plan wasn't chosen (more on the two plans tomorrow.)  As his anger grows, his rebellious and jealous nature leads him to draw like-minded spirits to his cause as they prepare to challenge God's authority.

Satan, so call him now, his former name

Is heard no more in Heav'n; he of the first,
If not the first Arch-Angel, great in Power,
In favor and preeminence, yet fraught
With envy against the Son of God, that day
Honored by his great Father, and proclaimed
Messiah King anointed, could not bear
Through pride that sight, & thought himself impaired.
 

Not content in destroying his own soul, Lucifer reaches out to others and thus leads away 1/3 of the host of heaven to be cast down with him (See Revelation) Milton describes his vision of how Lucifer approached other spirits whom he knew would listen.  He describes Lucifer and his minions as apostates, and that is truly what they were.  They didn't gradually wane away; they were in open rebellion against God and His Son.

 

Soon as midnight brought on the dusky hour
Friendliest to sleep and silence, he resolved
With all his Legions to dislodge, and leave
Unworshipped, unobeyed the Throne supreme 
Contemptuous, and his next subordinate

Awak'ning, thus to him in secret spake. . . 
"The great Messiah, and his new commands,
Who speedily through all the Hierarchies
Intends to pass triumphant, and give Laws."

So spake the false Arch-Angel, and infused
Bad influence into the unwary breast 
Of his Associate; he together calls,
Or several one by one, . . .and casts between
Ambiguous words and jealousies. . .but all obeyed. . .

His name, and high was his degree in Heav'n;
His countenance, as the Morning Star[1] that guides
The starry flock, allured them, and with lies
Drew after him the third part of Heav'ns Host: 

 This is my favorite part as Milton unleashes his distain upon Satan:
 

O argument blasphemous, false and proud!
Words which no ear ever to hear in Heaven 
Expected, least of all from thee, ingrate

In place thy self so high above thy Peers.
Canst thou with impious obloquie condemn
The just Decree of God, pronounced and sworn,
That to his only Son by right endowed
With Regal Scepter, every Soul in Heav'n
Shall bend the knee, and in that honor due
Confess him rightful King? 
 

If you were to ask someone what Satan's plan was, that person would probably say, "To take away our agency."  But I think it is more than that.  Jehovah promised to come down and execute the Father's will and to give His life as the Savior of all Creation.  Because He bowed to His Father's will, He returned all glory to His Father.  In so doing, all would be saved from physical death through the universal resurrection, but those who remained rebellious and refused to repent, would not return to the Father but would inherit a lesser kingdom in heaven and would not receive exaltation as gods.

 

Lucifer's plan was that he would bring all souls back so that none would be lost and because he would do it, he wanted the Father's glory.  He had not intention of performing an atoning sacrifice for anyone.  He wanted to bring us all back by doing away with the Father's plan altogether.  It would have been gestapo-like obedience and mindlessness or total license to follow one's id.  In either case, mankind would be miserable here on earth and totally damned in terms of their eternal progression.  There would be no progression and Satan[2] would sit on God's throne. We would be enslaved and in chains either way. 

 

 

How thankful I am for my Savior who promised the atonement for all of God's children.  We had "exceeding great faith" that He could and would do it.  I am personally grateful that He delivered on His promise. 

[1] Lucifer's name means "Son of the Morning"

[2] The name Satan means "adversary" or "accuser"

 

 © Gebara Education, 2016