You may have heard the words when you've participated in or watched a temple wedding ceremony where, once the husband and wife are married "legally and lawfully," they are then told this:
"I seal upon you the blessings of the holy resurrection, with power to come forth in the morning of the first resurrection, clothed in glory, immortality, and eternal lives."
Well, let us begin with what the church teaches about glory, immortality, and eternal lives:
This version of the plan of salvation was created, as far as I can tell, to help with missionary contacting many decades ago and now it has become a common teaching in the church and is regarded as fact. The only problem with the church's plan of salvation is - you can't find it laid out in the scriptures exactly. There's a lot of inferring and it tends to be more like a scripture cafeteria where the church picks and chooses "plan of salvation" scriptures to suit their narrative. You can array the scriptures on a tray and call them dinner...but jello, side salad, and a bowl of mixed fruit doth not a plan of salvation make.
This version of the plan of salvation was created, as far as I can tell, to help with missionary contacting many decades ago and now it has become a common teaching in the church and is regarded as fact. The only problem with the church's plan of salvation is - you can't find it laid out in the scriptures exactly. There's a lot of inferring and it tends to be more like a scripture cafeteria where the church picks and chooses "plan of salvation" scriptures to suit their narrative. You can array the scriptures on a tray and call them dinner...but jello, side salad, and a bowl of mixed fruit doth not a plan of salvation make.
I will now loosely summarize what the church teaches about the plan of salvation.
Ready? okay! We lived in some sort of a premortal existence before we were on earth...basically it was like a lot of pillars and stairs and spiritual hang-out places, like this picture below!
We were all equally baby spirits, if you will. We had never had a body before, we never died before, we never made a mistake, stuff like that. But some baby spirits were SUPER AWESOME and could even be called Noble and Great (Abraham 3:22). How they became "Noble and Great" is a mystery but never mind that now, we're talking about where we came from. SO - there we all were just being in heaven and then there was some arguing one night in the heavenly family home evening discussion when we were talking about all of us going down to this new planet to get bodies aaaaand, well, one of the sons of God fell. His name was Lucifer and he was a once an angel, "in authority in the presence of God" (D&C 76:25, Isaiah 14:12, D&C 76:26-27). Not sure how he got to the status of, "having authority" (using Tommy Boy's voice on that one) but somehow his Spirit was jacked and he had authority in the presence of God. Buuuuut...he wanted a different plan than Heavenly Father (typical millennial, "it's all about me"!) and then Jesus offered to be a Savior.
Jesus' offer didn't go down well with Lucifer so a big kerfuffle happened and then it got way blown out of proportion and it turned into this major war in heaven. Not sure how a war could happen if we were baby spirits. Must have been verbal war - "my want fwee agency. my want body!!" So aaannnyways - there was the war and then Lucifer, who was the son of the morning (wait, how'd he get a title if we're all just baby spirits?) recruited 1/3 of the baby spirits to side with him. And remember, he was a baby spirit too (he must have been like the Nikola Tesla of the baby spirits and got more atoms swirling in his spirit or something). So Lucifer gets cast out to another location and then the 1/3 became evil, I mean SUPER evil, and to this day he and the 1/3 want to destroy us. Because everyone on this planet chose the plan of salvation, for sure. We know that for sure. They all wanted Jesus - but now many on earth are confused (not those on the covenant path, we know that for sure too) and many will probably go to the lowest kingdom (sorry, forgot to mention the three kingdoms after this life). They'll go to the lowest but it's far better than what we can imagine and they'll be fine because those from the higher will be able to visit them down below - for eternity. This is taking way too long to break this down. Big inhaaaaale....So then we come to earth, live a very short life and then that little blip on an eternity symbol is all the chance we have to "get it right."
Depending on the level you, "get it right," will determine which kingdom you go to. There's no way to know where you'll go ahead of time you see - it'll happen after the resurrection and then it's kinda like the sorting hat at Hogwarts. God (the sorting hat) says, "Griffindor!!" (celestial!), "Ravenclaw!" (Terrestrial - ooo, so close), "Hufflepuff." (Telestial, whoopsies) and the worst possible sorting, "Slytherin" (outer darkness). Now don't worry yourself because the ones that go to outer darkness were super great but fell super far. We're not sure how they became super great if we were all on the same standing...and how that happened is a mystery too. Baby spirits are complicated like that, it's birds and bees stuff. "How is the sausage made?" You don't want to know. So just do your best and stay on the covenant path and follow whatever the church says and you will be exalted at the last day. For sure. Probably. Most likely. Best not to delve into the mysteries and have another cookie, dearie.
The end.
Look - I'm going to give you fair warning...this post is going to be long and it will be dense with scriptural references that may feel repetitive. That's the point. I want to show you that the doctrine of Eternal Lives is correct. But - I have to build a case and in order to do that, I'm going overkill with quotes, scriptures, and references. So if you're down with that level of intensive reading and pondering - buckle up.
Some have said, "Who can know of such things as "Eternal Lives"...it's a mystery and you know what they say about seeking after mysteries - dangerous. Would not recommend."
"When the word 'ruach' applies to Eve, it should be translated lives." TPJS p. 301
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power, was to make himself visible—I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another.
In order to understand the subject of the dead, for consolation of those who mourn for the loss of their friends, it is necessary we should understand the character and being of God and how He came to be so; for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see.
These ideas are incomprehensible to some, but they are simple. It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses with another, and that He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did; and I will show it from the Bible.
The scriptures inform us that Jesus said, as the Father hath power in himself, even so hath the Son power—to do what? Why, what the Father did. The answer is obvious—in a manner to lay down his body and take it up again. Jesus, what are you going to do? To lay down my life as my Father did, and take it up again. Do you believe it? If you do not believe it you do not believe the Bible. The scriptures say it, and I defy all the learning and wisdom and all the combined powers of earth and hell together to refute it. Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power. And I want you to know that God, in the last days, while certain individuals are proclaiming His name, is not trifling with you or me.
What did Jesus do? Why, I do the things I saw my Father do when worlds came rolling into existence. My Father worked out His kingdom with fear and trembling, and I must do the same; and when I get my kingdom, I shall present it to My Father, so that He may obtain kingdom upon kingdom, and it will exalt Him in glory. He will then take a higher exaltation, and I will take His place, and thereby become exalted myself.
So that Jesus treads in the tracks of His Father, and inherits what God did before; and God is thus glorified and exalted in the salvation and exaltation of all His children. It is plain beyond disputation, and you thus learn some of the first principles of the gospel, about which so much hath been said.
When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave." (TPJS pp 345-348)
"And I heard a voice from heaven saying blessed are the dead who die in the Lord for from henceforth they do rest from their labors and their works do follow them -- they rest from their labors for a long time and yet their work is held in reserve for them, that they are permitted to do the same works after they receive a resurrection for their bodies, but we shall leave this subject of the terrestrial bodies for another time in order to treat upon them more fully." (The Words of Joseph Smith, p.42)
"Thus the head God brought forth the Gods in the grand council..the head God called together the Gods and sat in grand council to bring forth the world...Come here ye learned men, and read, if you can. I should not have introduced this testimony, were it not for the word rosh - the head, the Father of the Gods." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp 348-349)
"Commencing with Adam who was the first man who is spoken of in Daniel as being the "Antient of days" or in other words the first and oldest of all, the great grand progenitor of whom it is said in another place he is Michael because he was the first and father of all, not only by progeny, but he was the first to hold the spiritual blessings, the plan to whom was made known the plan of ordinances for the Salvation of his posterity unto the end, and to whom Christ was first revealed, and through whom Christ has been revealed from heaven and will continue to be revealed from henceforth."
(HC 4: 207-208)
"That of Melchisedec who had still greater power even power of an endless life of which was our Lord Jesus Christ which also Abraham obtained by the offering of his son Isaac which was not the power of a Prophet nor apostle nor Patriarch only but of King & Priest to God to open the windows of Heaven and pour out the peace & Law of endless Life to man & No man can attain to the Joint heirship with Jesus Christ with out being administered to by one having the same power & Authority of Melchisedec." (Words of Joseph Smith, p.245)
Hugh Nibley:
"And so we have in the Pistis Sophia, continuing the Egyptian teachings, the picture of a constant remixing (kerasmos) [it uses the Greek word kerasmos, mixing up all the time] going on in the universe in which old, worn-out, contaminated substances, the refuge [or garbage] of worn-out worlds and kingdoms, is first thrown out on the scrap-heap and returned to chaos as dead matter [what do you do with it then?] then melted down in a dissolving fire for many years, by which all impurities are removed from it, and by which it is ‘improved,’ and is ready to be ‘poured from one kind of body into another.’ This whole process by which the souls as well as substances are ‘thrown back into the mixing,’ is under the supervision of Melchizedek, the great re-processor, purifier, and preparer of worlds. He takes over the refuge of a defunct world or souls, and under his supervision the five great Archons [they are the five principles; they are always talking about the five principles; this is Egyptian too] process it…each one specializing in particular elements, which hey thus recombine in unique and original combinations, so that no new world or soul is exactly like any other.” Well, they get it going by going into something like a spiral nebula. “In this full blown pleniarism there is no waste and no shortage: ‘If there were any superfluous or any lacking, the whole body would suffer, for the worlds counterpoise one another like elements of a single organism.’ The worlds go on forever: ‘They come and come and cease not, they ever increase and are multiplied, yet are not brought to an end nor do they decrease.'” Well they took that answer to the three questions: Is the universe expanding so slowly that gravity will finally take hold and draw it back together into
(Nibley, Hugh. Ancient Documents and the Pearl of Great Price (Kindle Locations 4113-4126). Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition.)
Some have said, "Who can know of such things as "Eternal Lives"...it's a mystery and you know what they say about seeking after mysteries - dangerous. Would not recommend."
It's a fair point. Could be dangerous to delve into such things...I'll address that by the end.
What has been said about
seeking after "mysteries"?
"I advise all to go on to perfection, and search deeper and deeper into the mysteries of Godliness." - Joseph Smith
"When any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God." - Joseph Smith
"...Rejoice that God grants unto the world Seers and Prophets. They are they who saw the mysteries of godliness; they saw the flood before it came; they saw angels ascending and descending upon a ladder." (TPJS p. 304)
1 Nephi 1:
1 I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.
1 Nephi 10:
19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.
D&C 42:
61 If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.
D&C 121:26 God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the world was until now;
27 Which our forefathers have awaited with anxious expectation to be revealed in the last times, which their minds were pointed to by the angels, as held in reserve for the fulness of their glory;
28 A time to come in the which nothing shall be withheld, whether there be one God or many gods, they shall be manifest.
29 All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Now that we have established that it's important to seek after the mysteries, let's look at quotes and scriptures that talk about...
Eternal Lives
"The earthly is in the image of the Heavenly shows that is by the multiplication of lives that the eternal worlds are created and occupied..." (The Words of Joseph Smith p. 232)"When the word 'ruach' applies to Eve, it should be translated lives." TPJS p. 301
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power, was to make himself visible—I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another.
In order to understand the subject of the dead, for consolation of those who mourn for the loss of their friends, it is necessary we should understand the character and being of God and how He came to be so; for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see.
These ideas are incomprehensible to some, but they are simple. It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses with another, and that He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did; and I will show it from the Bible.
The scriptures inform us that Jesus said, as the Father hath power in himself, even so hath the Son power—to do what? Why, what the Father did. The answer is obvious—in a manner to lay down his body and take it up again. Jesus, what are you going to do? To lay down my life as my Father did, and take it up again. Do you believe it? If you do not believe it you do not believe the Bible. The scriptures say it, and I defy all the learning and wisdom and all the combined powers of earth and hell together to refute it. Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power. And I want you to know that God, in the last days, while certain individuals are proclaiming His name, is not trifling with you or me.
What did Jesus do? Why, I do the things I saw my Father do when worlds came rolling into existence. My Father worked out His kingdom with fear and trembling, and I must do the same; and when I get my kingdom, I shall present it to My Father, so that He may obtain kingdom upon kingdom, and it will exalt Him in glory. He will then take a higher exaltation, and I will take His place, and thereby become exalted myself.
So that Jesus treads in the tracks of His Father, and inherits what God did before; and God is thus glorified and exalted in the salvation and exaltation of all His children. It is plain beyond disputation, and you thus learn some of the first principles of the gospel, about which so much hath been said.
When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave." (TPJS pp 345-348)
"And I heard a voice from heaven saying blessed are the dead who die in the Lord for from henceforth they do rest from their labors and their works do follow them -- they rest from their labors for a long time and yet their work is held in reserve for them, that they are permitted to do the same works after they receive a resurrection for their bodies, but we shall leave this subject of the terrestrial bodies for another time in order to treat upon them more fully." (The Words of Joseph Smith, p.42)
"Thus the head God brought forth the Gods in the grand council..the head God called together the Gods and sat in grand council to bring forth the world...Come here ye learned men, and read, if you can. I should not have introduced this testimony, were it not for the word rosh - the head, the Father of the Gods." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp 348-349)
"Commencing with Adam who was the first man who is spoken of in Daniel as being the "Antient of days" or in other words the first and oldest of all, the great grand progenitor of whom it is said in another place he is Michael because he was the first and father of all, not only by progeny, but he was the first to hold the spiritual blessings, the plan to whom was made known the plan of ordinances for the Salvation of his posterity unto the end, and to whom Christ was first revealed, and through whom Christ has been revealed from heaven and will continue to be revealed from henceforth."
(HC 4: 207-208)
"That of Melchisedec who had still greater power even power of an endless life of which was our Lord Jesus Christ which also Abraham obtained by the offering of his son Isaac which was not the power of a Prophet nor apostle nor Patriarch only but of King & Priest to God to open the windows of Heaven and pour out the peace & Law of endless Life to man & No man can attain to the Joint heirship with Jesus Christ with out being administered to by one having the same power & Authority of Melchisedec." (Words of Joseph Smith, p.245)
Hugh Nibley:
"And so we have in the Pistis Sophia, continuing the Egyptian teachings, the picture of a constant remixing (kerasmos) [it uses the Greek word kerasmos, mixing up all the time] going on in the universe in which old, worn-out, contaminated substances, the refuge [or garbage] of worn-out worlds and kingdoms, is first thrown out on the scrap-heap and returned to chaos as dead matter [what do you do with it then?] then melted down in a dissolving fire for many years, by which all impurities are removed from it, and by which it is ‘improved,’ and is ready to be ‘poured from one kind of body into another.’ This whole process by which the souls as well as substances are ‘thrown back into the mixing,’ is under the supervision of Melchizedek, the great re-processor, purifier, and preparer of worlds. He takes over the refuge of a defunct world or souls, and under his supervision the five great Archons [they are the five principles; they are always talking about the five principles; this is Egyptian too] process it…each one specializing in particular elements, which hey thus recombine in unique and original combinations, so that no new world or soul is exactly like any other.” Well, they get it going by going into something like a spiral nebula. “In this full blown pleniarism there is no waste and no shortage: ‘If there were any superfluous or any lacking, the whole body would suffer, for the worlds counterpoise one another like elements of a single organism.’ The worlds go on forever: ‘They come and come and cease not, they ever increase and are multiplied, yet are not brought to an end nor do they decrease.'” Well they took that answer to the three questions: Is the universe expanding so slowly that gravity will finally take hold and draw it back together into
(Nibley, Hugh. Ancient Documents and the Pearl of Great Price (Kindle Locations 4113-4126). Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition.)
Teachings of the Pearl of Great Price: Lecture 16, Winter Semester 1986 Hugh Nibley:
"This is from the Joseph Smith papyrus: "That he might enter the horizon along with his father Re (the sun)." "If the essence of cult and festival is transition, the rite of passage, succession of lives...[that's quoting a famous work by Mowinckel]." See, the rite de passage, you pass from one state of existence to another." That's what we are interested in more than anything else -- transition, the rite of passage, and succession of lives. "Now the great exponent of such meaningful motion is the sun which rises and sets everyday."
"This is from Erik Hornung, an Egyptologist and very good authority on this business: " The Gate of heaven or the underworld between the earthly and the other-worldly spirits was from the earliest times localized in the aakhut." That is the seam or juncture, the Nahtstelle, the interface between the other world and this world."
"...Perdition means lost. It means losing something that you had. It means one fallen from high estate. You can't be perdition; you can't be lost unless you were found. And you can't be fallen unless you were high, fallen from high estate. Perdition means that which was lost. "Nine days [as Milton says] he fell in hideous ruin and combustion down, down, down." You have to be high. He was among the highest in heaven up there, and down he fell. That means perdition, the one who is lost and fallen and gone...for thou was also before the world."
Now let's look at some familiar verbiage and break it down:
Remember, in Jacob's dream he saw a magnificent ladder that is set up on earth and reaches to heaven on top. Jacob witnesses angels traveling up and down the ladder making their way to earth and back to heaven. He then sees the Lord standing above, who says to Jacob, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac." God tells Jacob that his offspring shall spread across the world and that, "in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed."
Angels ascending and descending are important things to understand. "Kingdoms," "thrones," "principalities," "powers," "dominions" are all classes of angels who are progressing (link) in their relationship in the New and Everlasting Covenant and those are sealed upon the Temple initiate (symbolically) and are based upon your faithfulness in this life, and the life to come, and the life beyond. This is briefly mentioned in the sealing ceremony when the officiator seals upon the initiate "eternal lives" (see the promises given in the sealing blessing above). For further discussion on this, see this blog.
Abraham 3 speaks of varying degrees of heavenly beings:
That a time is coming where your children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren, will question what is being taught in all areas of life. Unless the things they hear and are taught make sense to them (and it won't matter what source it comes from) the next generation will reject it. This is good progress because instead of authority being the truth, truth becomes the authority.
There are 3 questions that will come that, if not answered, will render the Bible and all scriptures useless. If you, or those that come after you, do not know with absolute certainty with a promise from Heaven, 1. Where you came from, 2. Why you are here, and 3. Where you are going, the scriptures will become obsolete…tales of cultures past with no application to the present day.
In the church we traditionally believe vague things like, "if we go to the temple and stay on the covenant path, we will go to the Celestial Kingdom". Those are comforting thoughts. But they are false traditions that have no scriptural foundation whatsoever.
There is only one true way to know, for yourself and not from another, the answer to the questions I listed above. It is the same knowledge the father's sought after and obtained for themselves as described in Ether 12:
The father's sought for the blessings of the Holy Resurrection, with power to come forth of the morning of the first resurrection, clothed in glory, immortality, and eternal lives.
What is the first resurrection?
What does it mean to be clothed in glory?
What does it mean to have immortality?
What are eternal lives?
If we, or our children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, etc. can't answer these questions with confidence, having heard it spoken to us from the mouth of the Lord, then we can not abide the day. As it says in Lectures on Faith 6:
New English Version 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11. He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13. Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
Matthew 16:
"Well", you might ask, "...since such bad things spawn from the knowledge of Eternal Lives, then why even discuss it?"
"This is from the Joseph Smith papyrus: "That he might enter the horizon along with his father Re (the sun)." "If the essence of cult and festival is transition, the rite of passage, succession of lives...[that's quoting a famous work by Mowinckel]." See, the rite de passage, you pass from one state of existence to another." That's what we are interested in more than anything else -- transition, the rite of passage, and succession of lives. "Now the great exponent of such meaningful motion is the sun which rises and sets everyday."
"This is from Erik Hornung, an Egyptologist and very good authority on this business: " The Gate of heaven or the underworld between the earthly and the other-worldly spirits was from the earliest times localized in the aakhut." That is the seam or juncture, the Nahtstelle, the interface between the other world and this world."
"...Perdition means lost. It means losing something that you had. It means one fallen from high estate. You can't be perdition; you can't be lost unless you were found. And you can't be fallen unless you were high, fallen from high estate. Perdition means that which was lost. "Nine days [as Milton says] he fell in hideous ruin and combustion down, down, down." You have to be high. He was among the highest in heaven up there, and down he fell. That means perdition, the one who is lost and fallen and gone...for thou was also before the world."
Now let's look at some familiar verbiage and break it down:
"I seal upon you the blessings of kingdoms, thrones, principalities, powers, dominions, and exaltations, with all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and say unto you: be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, that you may have joy and rejoicing in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Angels ascending and descending are important things to understand. "Kingdoms," "thrones," "principalities," "powers," "dominions" are all classes of angels who are progressing (link) in their relationship in the New and Everlasting Covenant and those are sealed upon the Temple initiate (symbolically) and are based upon your faithfulness in this life, and the life to come, and the life beyond. This is briefly mentioned in the sealing ceremony when the officiator seals upon the initiate "eternal lives" (see the promises given in the sealing blessing above). For further discussion on this, see this blog.
Abraham 3 speaks of varying degrees of heavenly beings:
22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.
24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God (how did this "one" that stood among them get to be, "like unto God" unless this "one" had lived before?"), 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."
Adam and Eve experienced varying degrees of angels in the Garden of Eden when they were instructed, "of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it..." (Moses 3). When God told Adam and Eve to dress and take care of the garden, was he talking about pruning trees, eating fruit, making bouquets and playing with animals? Or was He likening the "noble and great ones" (Abraham 3) to trees (ancient ones who have lived many lives) and encouraging Adam and Eve to go and partake of their knowledge, save but one tree (Satan)?
That a time is coming where your children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren, will question what is being taught in all areas of life. Unless the things they hear and are taught make sense to them (and it won't matter what source it comes from) the next generation will reject it. This is good progress because instead of authority being the truth, truth becomes the authority.
There are 3 questions that will come that, if not answered, will render the Bible and all scriptures useless. If you, or those that come after you, do not know with absolute certainty with a promise from Heaven, 1. Where you came from, 2. Why you are here, and 3. Where you are going, the scriptures will become obsolete…tales of cultures past with no application to the present day.
In the church we traditionally believe vague things like, "if we go to the temple and stay on the covenant path, we will go to the Celestial Kingdom". Those are comforting thoughts. But they are false traditions that have no scriptural foundation whatsoever.
There is only one true way to know, for yourself and not from another, the answer to the questions I listed above. It is the same knowledge the father's sought after and obtained for themselves as described in Ether 12:
18 And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.
19 And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad.
20 And behold, we have seen in this record that one of these was the brother of Jared; for so great was his faith in God, that when God put forth his finger he could not hide it from the sight of the brother of Jared, because of his word which he had spoken unto him, which word he had obtained by faith.
21 And after the brother of Jared had beheld the finger of the Lord, because of the promise which the brother of Jared had obtained by faith, the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight; wherefore he showed him all things, for he could no longer be kept without the veil.
22 And it is by faith that my fathers have obtained the promise that these things should come unto their brethren through the Gentiles; therefore the Lord hath commanded me, yea, even Jesus Christ.
The father's sought for the blessings of the Holy Resurrection, with power to come forth of the morning of the first resurrection, clothed in glory, immortality, and eternal lives.
What is the first resurrection?
What does it mean to be clothed in glory?
What does it mean to have immortality?
What are eternal lives?
If we, or our children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, etc. can't answer these questions with confidence, having heard it spoken to us from the mouth of the Lord, then we can not abide the day. As it says in Lectures on Faith 6:
"For unless a person does know that he is walking according to the will of God, it would be offering an insult to the dignity of the Creator, were he to say that he would be a partaker of his glory when he should be done with the things of this life. But when he has this knowledge, and most assuredly knows that he is doing the will of God, his confidence can be equally strong that he will be a partaker of the glory of God.
It is in vain for persons to fancy to themselves that they are heirs with those, or can be heirs with them, who have offered their all in sacrifice, and by this means obtained faith in God and favor with him so as to obtain eternal life, unless they in like manner offer unto him the same sacrifice, and through that offering obtain the knowledge that they are accepted of him.
But those who do not make the sacrifice cannot enjoy this faith, because men are dependent upon this sacrifice in order to obtain this faith; therefore, they cannot lay hold upon eternal life, because the revelations of God do not guarantee unto them the authority so to do; and without this guarantee faith could not exist.
All the saints of whom we have account in all the revelations of God which are extant, obtained the knowledge which they had of their acceptance in his sight, through the sacrifice which they offered unto him: and through the knowledge thus obtained, their faith became sufficiently strong to lay hold upon the promise of eternal life, and to endure us seeing him who is invisible; and were enabled, through faith, to combat the powers of darkness, contend against the wiles of the adversary, overcome the world, and obtain the end of their faith, even the salvation of their souls.
But those who have not made this sacrifice to God, do not know that the course which they pursue is well pleasing in his sight; for whatever may be their belief or their opinion, it is a matter of doubt and uncertainty in their mind; and where doubt and uncertainty is, there faith is not, nor can it be. For doubt and faith do not exist in the same person at the same time. So that persons whose minds are under doubts and fears cannot have unshaken confidence, and where unshaken confidence is not, there faith is weak, and where faith is weak, the persons will not be able to contend against all the opposition, tribulations and afflictions which they will have to encounter in order to be heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ Jesus; and they will grow weary in their minds, and the adversary will have power over them and destroy them."
Joseph Smith also said:
“When men open their lips against [the truth] they do not injure me, but injure themselves. … When things that are of the greatest importance are passed over by weak-minded men without even a thought, I want to see truth in all its bearings and hug it to my bosom. I believe all that God ever revealed, and I never hear of a man being damned for believing too much; but they are damned for unbelief.”
“When God offers a blessing or knowledge to a man, and he refuses to receive it, he will be damned. The Israelites prayed that God would speak to Moses and not to them; in consequence of which he cursed them with a carnal law.”
Joseph Smith also said:
"Go and read the vision in the Book of Covenants. There is clearly illustrated glory upon glory—one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and a glory of the stars; and as one star differeth from another star in glory, even so do they of the telestial world differ in glory, and every man who reigns in celestial glory is a God to his dominions.Jeremiah 18:
Paul says, “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differeth from another star in glory. So is also the resurrection of the dead.” They who obtain a glorious resurrection from the dead, are exalted far above principalities, powers, thrones, dominions and angels, and are expressly declared to be heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, all having eternal power." (Plurality of Gods Sermon Delivered on 16 June 1844)
2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.2 Corinthians 3:
3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.D&C 93:
11 And I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us.Mark 16:
12 And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace;
13 And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness;
14 And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first.
12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country (that one is just cool...but something to think on).Luke 2:
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;Revelation 3:
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.John 8:
51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.John 12:
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.Hebrews 11:
35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.Alma 7:
20 I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round.D&C 79:
3 And inasmuch as he is faithful, I will crown him again with sheaves.D&C 103:
27 Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake; for whoso layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again.Moses 1:
39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.D&C 93:
23 "Ye were also in the beginning with the Father..."D&C 93:
19 "...that you may come unto the Father in my name and in due time receive of his fullness."D&C 76:
59 "All things are theirs whether life or death." (interesting that a Celestial person could choose "life" or "death" again)Alma 40:
5 Now, whether there shall be one time, or a second time, or a third time, that men shall come forth from the dead, it mattereth not; for God knoweth all these things; and it sufficeth me to know that this is the case—that there is a time appointed that all shall rise from the dead.Revelation 3:
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.Alma 7:
25 And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your garments spotless even as their garments are spotless, in the kingdom of heaven to go no more out.
Alma 34:
36 And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb.Helaman 3:
29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—3 Nephi 28:
30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.
40 And in this state they were to remain until the judgment day of Christ; and at that day they were to receive a greater change, and to be received into the kingdom of the Father to go no more out, but to dwell with God eternally in the heavens.Matthew 17:10-13 New English Version (see also Matthew 17:10-13 KJV):
New English Version 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11. He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13. Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
Matthew 16:
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?Jacob 5: 1-77 Servants go down and back and down and back and various people are grafted into various places. He talks repeatedly about "laying up fruit" to himself. Why do you lay up fruit for yourself? Because it can give you seeds to continue the next year and the next and so on. Jacob verse 76-77 is interesting when you parallel it to the book of Revelation and the final battle. 1000 years of peace and then a season where Satan is loosed...
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
JST Micah 5:
2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.John 17:
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.D&C 88:
10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
5 Which glory is that of the church of the Firstborn, even of God, the holiest of all, through Jesus Christ his Son—1 Cor. 8:
6 He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;
5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)Mark 10:
6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.Rev. 3:
36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?
37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.
38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:
40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Okay, if Eternal Lives is a thing...now what?
1. From what I've seen the last 13 years is that someone always gets a "revelation" (insert Tommy boy again) they were "someone really, really, really important" in a past life (and oddly enough they'll tell you that you were "someone really special" too). Run from that. It's always a lie. Always.
2. You'll be tempted to ponder on who you were in a past life. Don't. Who you are is all that matters.
3. You'll be tempted to ponder on who you are. Don't. Familiar Spirits will step to fill in the gap and they will always speak to your ego. Who you are is a humble servant of God seeking to 1. understand His will and 2. to do what He asks of you.
4. You, like many before you, may be tempted to believe that your aaaaactually married to someone else from a, "former life" and that having an affair immorality is not "immoral" anymore because they are your real spouse. It's a lie. Always.
5. The discussion of Eternal Lives means that the Davidic Servant will always come into play. Pondering on one's own connection to God and on their life's purpose allows for familiar spirits to "reveal" many things to a person(s).
Let me just say this - the Davidic Servant will be unlike any person you will have ever met. They come with highest rank and an end time mission that, aside from the Atonement of Jesus Christ, will be unlike anything the earth will have ever witnessed. This Servant will have the backing of all the hosts of heaven. The Davidic Servant won't be spending their time trying to motivate a bunch of Mormon yay-hoo's to live better. They will come from on High to reclaim the entire House of Israel and were a person to hear them speak, there would be zero doubt that they were in the presence of someone with great glory that is unlike you or me.
"Well", you might ask, "...since such bad things spawn from the knowledge of Eternal Lives, then why even discuss it?"
Remember seeking after "the mysteries" and all that?
He is the mystery.
Ask Him.
