Celestial, Terrestrial and Telestial???

      Today's teaching tells us that there is a terrestrial heaven and a telestial heaven for those who do not attain to the celestial heaven and reach exaltation.  However the Book of Mormon does not group people this way.  The book of Mormon only talks about those who repent and those who do not.  There is only a celestial heaven for those who hear the law and repent and a hell for those who do not repent.  Alma 34:35-36 says, "For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to he spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.  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."  Many believe that we will have more opportunities after this life.  Alma 34:33 answers this question:  "...I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until he 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."  Alma 34:32 says the same thing:  "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."  .
      Many have an "I'm OK, you're OK" attitude about eternity.  2 Nephi 28:21 warns us about this:  "And others will he (the devil) pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well - and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell."
      Some say that hell is just a mental state.  Others say that if we do not progress, become all we can be and return to God, then we will always be frustrated that we did not reach our highest - exaltation.  So we will be in torment, knowing we could have done better.  Some people who believe in hell, think it is a place where only a handful of souls will go.  2 Nephi 28:22-23 warns us about this:  "And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none; and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.  Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment." 
      Contrary to some modern teaching, the book of Mormon doesn't really have a gray area.  It is black and white.  Either you repent in this life time and are saved to the Celestial heaven or you do not repent and are headed for destruction.
    

The Angry Apostle

     The apostle Paul was very angry when he wrote the book of Galatians.  The theme of the book is salvation through God's grace alone.  He wrote in very strong words that no one should add law and works to the gospel he preached.  In the first chapter he cursed those that would change the pure gospel message.  "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8&9).  Paul said that even if you are an "ANGEL from HEAVEN" and you teach another gospel, curses on you!  That is strong language.
     In Galatians chapter 3 he calls them fools for turning away from the simple gospel:  "Oh foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?......Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:1&3)  The apostle Paul said it was as though they were put under a spell.
     Agitators were saying that the law and circumcision were necessary for salvation.  Paul said, "I would they were even cut off which trouble you." (Galatians 5:12)  The NIV version says, "As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!"  The Apostle Paul is definitely irate in the Book of Galatians.  He thought his work with the people in Galatia may have been in vain.  He wrote in Galatians 5 1-2, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.  Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing."
     In the book Gospel Principles it is said that "Our exaltation depends on marriage." (pg. 241 Eternal Marriage)   Celestial marriage is supposed to open the gate to the Celestial Kingdom.  On the contrary, the Apostle Paul said that it is better if a man remains single. (I Corinthians 7:25-38)  He said that a single person can be more devoted to God than a married person.  He never said that heavenly marriage could save us into the Celestial Kingdom where God dwells.  Neither the Bible nor the Book of Mormon teach us that Celestial Marriage is necessary for attaining Celestial Salvation.  The celestial marriage teaching is not the gospel that the apostle Paul preached.  It is another gospel.  I think the apostle Paul would be very angry with this addition to the simple, pure gospel he preached.

Relationship with God - Michael Quinn

      Michael Quinn is a brilliant Mormon historian who worked at BYU.  He has spent much of his life studying and writing about Mormon history.  Though he is far from perfect, he has been very loyal to the Mormon church.  I like his statement about relationship with God:  "Baptism cannot give you a relationship with God, and excommunication cannot take it away.  Neither has eternal significance unless sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise.  I can only trust in God's love and in my relationship with Him."  (Mormon Mavericks pg.351)
     Religion is said to be the effort of man reaching up to God.  Christianity is said to be God's work of reaching down to man.  Some people are VERY religious and yet are very distant from God.  Others are not really religious and yet are very close to God.  Some people are extremely focused on their own religious accomplishment.  Others are very focused on God great mercy.  The woman at the well did not have a long list of religious accomplishments and yet she talked with Jesus face to face.  The Priests and Pharisees had long lists of religious accomplishments and did not even accept Christ or His miracles.  They wanted to kill Jesus.
      I like what Matthew 7:21-23 says:  "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."  What a powerful verse!  In reading about the life of Michael Quinn, it is obvious that having a close relationship with God was very important to him.  We should not be like the religious leaders of Jesus' day who were proud of their religious accomplishments, but hated Christ.  We should be more like the woman at the well.  We should strive to be close to God in spite of our unworthiness.  May we receive the tender mercies of God, our Savior and walk close to Him.

A Godhood Prediction

    Photo by Daniel Giannone on Unsplash

       According to Mormonism, how long would it take for a man to become a god?  I believe I can make an accurate prediction and narrow it down to the nearest second.  In the book Miracles of Forgiveness, Spencer W. Kimball said that God is "omniscient and omnipotent".  This means that God has an infinite amount of knowledge and an infinite amount of power.  You could also say that he has all knowledge and all power.  Let's suppose that I wanted to travel an infinite number of miles.  How long would it take me to accomplish my journey?  It would take me an infinite amount of time to travel an infinite number of miles.  Likewise, it would take an infinite amount of time to gain infinite knowledge and infinite power.  So I can safely say that it would not take one second more or one second less than an infinite amount of time to become a god.

     So how can this infinite problem be solved?  How did God become God if it would take an infinite amount of time to do so?  God solved this problem by already being God.  It would not take an infinite amount of time to travel an infinite number of miles if you were all ready there at your destination.  God did not have to gain infinite knowledge or infinite power because he already had infinite knowledge and infinite power.  He was already God!  Psalm 90:2 says, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."  This verse is saying that God has been God at all times in the past and will be God at all times in the future.  Moroni 8:18 tells us that God did not have to change to become a God and that he already was like he is:  "For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity."  This is amazing!  Moroni 7:22 says, "For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting,..."  It has not taken God any time to become God because he has always been God.  Praise God for his infinite knowledge and infinite power!  Praise God for who he is!

Melchisedec Priesthood - Authority to Baptise

   Does my church have authority from God to baptize? Can a person be saved and filled with God’s Spirit at my church?

The answer is found in Jesus Christ.

In the Old Testament, the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood served an important role in offering sacrifices for the sins of the people. But when Christ offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice on the cross, that system was fulfilled. No longer was it necessary to offer animals for sin offerings. We all deserved to die for our own sins, but Jesus took our place on the cross and paid the price once and for all.

Hebrews 4:14 says, “We have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.”

Hebrews 5:6 tells us that Christ is “a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”

Hebrews 6:20 says, “Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”

And Hebrews 7:17 repeats this truth: “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”

In the Old Testament, when a high priest died, his son became the next high priest. The priesthood passed through many men because each one eventually died. But Christ is different. He rose from the tomb and lives forever to be our High Priest. Hebrews 7:21–24 explains:

“Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec: by so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: but this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.”

To help us understand this, think of how we elect a United States Senator. We see their ads on TV and their signs around town. They promise to represent our state and work for our best interests. Once elected, the Senator leaves New Mexico and goes to Washington, D.C., to represent us in Congress.

In a far greater way, Christ, our great High Priest, represents us before God the Father in the heavenly tabernacle. Hebrews 9:24 says, “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”

Hebrews 9:11–12 also declares, “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

And Hebrews 8:1–2 affirms, “We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”

Because Jesus is our eternal High Priest—alive forever and interceding for us—our authority as His church flows directly from Him.

Yes, my church has authority from God to baptize through Christ.

Jesus was crucified to fulfill the Aaronic and Levitical priesthood. He then became our High Priest after the order of Melchisedec and ever lives to intercede for us before the throne of God.

Praise God for His many blessings!

become a god/goddess?

Are you destined to become a god or goddess?

     1)  Do you have to go to the Celestial Kingdom to become a god?  2) To go to the Celestial Kingdom, do you have to be forgiven of your sins?  3) To be forgiven of your sins, do you have to truly repent?  4) Does true repentance involve forsaking all of your sins?  If you answered yes to these questions, then you need to ask yourself a very important question.  5) Have you forsaken all sin?  There are people who have forsaken some sin.  Few people have forsaken most sin.  Some desire to forsake all sin.  Some people are gradually trying to forsake sin but haven't done it yet.  But what matters is this:  Have you forsaken all sin?  If you have not forsaken all sin, then perhaps you have not truly repented.  If you haven't truly repented, then perhaps you haven't been forgiven.  If you haven't been forgiven, then you are not going to the Celestial Kingdom.  If you are not going to the Celestial Kingdom, then you can't become a god.
     In 2 Nephi 24, the son of the morning wanted to ascend into heaven.  He wanted to "ascend above the heights of the clouds" and "be LIKE the Most High."  His name was Lucifer and verse 15 tells us the outcome:  "Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."  His blasphemous attempt to become LIKE God was completely unsuccessful.  In Isaiah 48:11-12 God said, "...I will not give my glory unto another.  Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last."

Brigham Young's Adam-God

     The Adam-God doctrine is not found in the standard works.  Brigham Young was the only Mormon prophet that taught this obscure belief.  In 1852 he said, "...When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him.  He helped to make and organize this world.  He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days! about whom holy men have written and spoken - he is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do" (Journal of Discourses 1:50).  Brigham Young said, "What a learned idea!  Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven.  Now, let all who may hear these doctrines, pause before they make light of them, or treat them with indifference, for they will prove their salvation or damnation" (Journal of Discourses 1:51).  In 1861 Young said, "...some years ago, I advanced a doctrine with regard to Adam being our father and God, that will be a cause to many Elders of Israel because of their folly.  With regard to it they yet grovel in darkness and will.  It is one of the most glorious revealments of the economy of heaven, yet the world holds it dirrision" (Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Spring 1982, p. 29).  In 1873 Brigham Young said, "How much unbelief exists in the minds of the Latter-day Saints in regard to one particular doctrine which is revealed to them, and which God revealed to me - namely that Adam is our father and God" (Brigham Young, Deseret News, June 18, 1873, p. 308).
     Here is the question:  Was Brigham Young teaching the God of the Bible?  Did he describe the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?  In the Bible, Adam was a man that was created by God.  Brigham Young's Adam was God of this earth!  Deuteronomy 13:1-6 says, "If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.  Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.  And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in.  So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee."

Zelph - The White Lamanite

     Years ago, a Mormon friend of mine said that Native Americans on the reservation would get a lighter skin color when they became good Mormons.  I wondered where she got such an outlandish, crazy idea.  Mormon scripture certainly has a different view of race.  2 Nephi 5:21 says, "And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity.  For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them."  Surprisingly, the Book of Mormon calls dark skin a curse!  Jacob 3:5 also mentions the dark skin curse, "Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins,..."  Jacob 3:8 says, "...O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God."  (In the Book of Mormon, the Lamanites were Indians and the Nephites were white people.) 
     Alma 3:6-9 says, "And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren,... and the Lord set a mark upon them, yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael, and Ishmaelitish women.  And this was done that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction.  And it came to pass that whosoever did mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites did bring the same curse upon his seed."  3 Nephi 2:14-16 seems to give us the opposite message:  "And it came to pass that those Lamanites who had united with the Nephites were numbered among the Nephites; And their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites;  And their young men and their daughters became exceedingly fair, and they were numbered among the Nephites, and were called Nephites...." 
     In the History of the Church 2:79-80, Joseph Smith found a skeleton and said it was Zelph:  "I discovered that the person whose skeleton was before us was a white Lamanite, a large, thick-set man, and a man of God.  His name was Zelph.  He was a warrior and chieftain under the great prophet Onandagus, who was known from the Hill Cumorah, or eastern sea to the Rocky mountains.  The curse was taken from Zelph,..." 
     On the contrary, in I Samuel 16:7, we find that the God of the Bible looks at the heart:  "...for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."  James 2:1-9 tells us that it is a sin to show favoritism based on outward appearances.

Civil War Prophesy - D&C 87

     In Doctrine and Covenants 87, the prophet Joseph Smith prophesied about the Civil War.  Does this chapter prove that he was a prophet of God?  Joseph Smith described a chain reaction of events.  The South called upon Great Britain and other nations.   Other nations were added to the Civil war until all the nations of the earth were involved.  Verse 2, 3 and 6 use the words "all nations."  The Civil War was very destructive in America, but it did not affect or involve "all nations."  The North controlled the ocean. Their blockade of the South would not have been possible if Great Britain had joined the war. 
     Verse 4 said slaves would rise up against their masters and "be marshaled and disciplined for war."  Freedom for the slaves didn't happen until the end of the war.  They were not "marshaled and disciplined for war" against their masters.
     Verse 6 said the inhabitants of the earth "shall mourn" the sword, bloodshed, famine, plague, earthquake, thunder and lightning "until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations;..."  The Civil was very destructive to the South, but it did not make a "full end of all nations."
     Verse 7 said the "cry of the saints... shall cease to come up into the ears of the Lord...."  Today, saints still cry out to God.
     Politicians and statesmen spent decades compromising to avoid war.  Many people were predicting the Civil War.  However, when we look at the details of the prophesy in Doctrine and Covenants 87, it does not match the events that took place.  It is not proof that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. 

Moroni 8:18 - The Unchangeable God

     Can God advance?  Can he attain to a higher level?  Can he learn more or become greater?  Moroni 8:18 says, "For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity."  How can God have always been God?  In the book Miracles of Forgiveness, Spencer W. Kimball said that God is "omniscient and omnipotent."  How could God attain infinite knowledge and infinite power without ever changing?  Here is an example of the question:  If I were going to run an infinite number of miles to a finish line, how long would it take?  It would take an infinite amount of time.  So how do I get to the finish line which is an infinite number of miles away?  One answer is to already be there (no running required).  How long would it take to gain infinite knowledge and infinite power?  It would take an infinite amount of time.  God is able to have infinite knowledge and power by already being God all the way into the past and all the way into the future.  Moroni 8:18 says that God is "unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity."  God is already past the finish line and he was always past the finish line!  Praise be to the God who was and is and always will be God!
     Some say they can not believe in a God that they cannot comprehend.  If you believe in a finite god that your finite mind can comprehend, is that really the true God?  I thank God that he is beyond my finite mind's comprehension.
     John 1:3 says that God has made all things.  Time and space are also things made by God.  God is not subject to his creation.  He is not confined to the time and space he created.  He is God of all and over all.  God is all-knowing, all-powerful and truly amazing!  Praise Him always!

D&C 1:31 Least Degree of Allowance

     Suppose you are doing the "best you can do."  Does God make up the rest?  We always say that "nobody is perfect."  If we have repented and stopped most of our lying, coveting and stealing, is it good enough to get us by?  Is it a gradual process of repentance and gradually forsaking sin?  If we are looking to our goodness, how good is good enough?  If you are married, you try to overlook some of your partners faults.  Does God do the same for us?
     D&C 1:31 says,  "For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;"  This verse tells us how much sin God overlooks.  Helaman 4:24 say, "...the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples."  Many people describe repentance as a gradual process.  But D&C 58:43 says, "By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins - behold, he will confess them and forsake them."  Alma 11:37 is a strong verse:  "And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven?  Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins."
     The Book of Mormon  and Doctrine and Covenants do not describe a gradual process of repentance or of doing the "best you can."  These scriptures do not speak about us doing a portion and God coming along to make up the rest.  Repentance is tied to forsaking sin.  Forsaking sin is tied to being saved.  In spite of what people say and think, it is clear what these scriptures say about repentance and salvation.  If we are looking to our works and the law, it is clear what the expectation is - perfection.

Deny...all ungodliness,..grace Moroni 10:32

     Moroni 10:32 is an if-then statement: "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God."
     A friend of mine, Keith Walker, has compared this verse to the common example of vegetables and dessert!  "If you eat all your vegetables, then you get to have some dessert."  Many of us have heard this saying when we were young.  Now we all want to have God's sufficient grace but according to this verse, it is not for everyone.  His grace is only for those who have denied themselves of all ungodliness and loved God with all their might, mind and strength.  So who does this apply to?  Has any honest person really denied themselves of all ungodliness?  Has anyone purged themselves of all covetousness and evil thoughts?  Have you loved God with all your strength?  If you have prayed for 30 minutes, could you have prayed for 40 minutes?  If you have given to the poor, could you have given more?  If you have fasted for 3 days, could you have fasted longer?  Have you given all?  According to this verse, are you going to receive God's sufficient grace?  If you are honest, you are probably going to say no.  Will our own works ever be enough?  If we continue looking at our own good works, we are going to be disappointed.  Our only hope is to fix our eyes on Christ and depend on his complete work on the cross.  Isaiah 53:5 says, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

I Nephi 3:7

     I Nephi 3:7 is a very serious verse.  I doubt that many people really believe it.  It says, "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: 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."  According to this verse, we should be able to do all of God's commands since he has only given us commands that he has prepared the way for us to accomplish.  The verse does not say that we should be able to accomplish most of God's commands.  In that case we would not have to be perfect.  It does not say that we should be able to accomplish more and more of the commands through a gradual process of repentance as we gain knowledge.  If you were to accomplish all of God's commands you would basically need to be perfect.  If you believe that nobody is perfect, then you probably disagree with this verse.  This scripture requires perfection to be true.  Are you living perfectly and accomplishing all of God's commands?  According to this verse, you should be able to.  Do you agree with this verse completely or do you think perfection is impossible?

3 Nephi 17:10 Jesus' feet

3 Nephi 17:10  Jesus' feet
"And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears." 
      Have you bowed down at the feet of Jesus and worshiped Him?  Many people bow down to their job, or their education, or their new car, or their house, or their possessions.  Some people bow down to a temple or a cathedral.  Some bow down to prophets or famous men of God.  Some even bow down to themselves and all their great works of goodness.  But have you bowed down at the feet of Jesus and worshiped Him?  Hebrews 12:2 says, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;..."   Hebrews 2-9 tells us that Christ is our "high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec."  In John 14:6 Jesus said, "...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."