Degrees of Glory

Heavenly Father prepared degrees of glory for His children.a
1 Corinthians 15: 40 ^aThere are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the ^bcelestial is one, and the glory of the ^cterrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the ^asun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the ^bstars: for one star ^cdiffereth from another star in ^dglory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in ^acorruption; it is raised in incorruption:

Without modern revelation, this statement is really unclear to me. I can see that many of the plain and precious truths really have been taken out of the bible. Whether by intention or mistranslation, it's hard to be sure.

D&C 98: 18 Let not your hearts be troubled; for in my Father’s house are ^amany mansions, and I have prepared a place for you; and where my Father and I am, there ye shall be also.

Joseph Smith quoted the words that the savior said in John 14:2 when he was explaining the afterlife.
I am grateful for this knowledge. There are still many things that I do not understand, but I believe that that is to be expected in anyone that is trying to get a grasp on our infinite lives and purposes.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ makes it possible to overcome the obstacles of spiritual and physical death.

2 Nephi 2: 25 ^aAdam ^bfell that men might be; and men ^care, that they might have ^djoy.

26 And the ^aMessiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may ^bredeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are ^credeemed from the fall they have become ^dfree forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the ^elaw at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

27 Wherefore, men are ^afree according to the ^bflesh; and ^call things are ^dgiven them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to ^echoose ^fliberty and eternal ^glife, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be ^hmiserable like unto himself.

This is a perfect representation of the doctrine of the Church about the plan of Salvation. We are here to progress, to learn, and to be like our Heavenly Father. We are given the means and the choices to do so, and are judged only according to what we know.

Alma 34:8 And now, behold, I will ^atestify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the ^btransgressions of his people, and that he shall ^catone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

9 For it is expedient that an ^aatonement should be made; for according to the great ^bplan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are ^cfallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.

10 For it is expedient that there should be a great and last ^asacrifice; yea, not a ^bsacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an ^cinfinite and ^deternal ^esacrifice.

This one not only talks about the Atonement that Christ made, but also the fulfillment of the Law of Moses. I still don't understand how all of that worked or why, but if one reads throught the Old Testament one can find countless similarities between the sacrifices that were made and the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father's Plan

There are three stages of Heavenly Father's plan: premortal, mortal, and postmortal.

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I ^aformed thee in the belly I ^bknew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I ^csanctified thee, and I ^dordained thee a prophet unto the ^enations.

God is confirming the idea that we exist before we are born, before we are even formed in the womb. Things like this, plain and simple things, cannot be denied and cannot be questioned if one believes that the Bible is the word of God.

Alma 12:24 And we see that ^adeath comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto ^bman in which he might repent; therefore this life became a ^cprobationary state; a time to ^dprepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.

25 Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no ^aresurrection of the dead; but there was a plan of ^bredemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, of which has been spoken.

This speaks of all three staged of our existence. It is a hard thing to come to a real understanding of what all of these things really mean. Contemplating the infinite within a finite existence is something that man has been trying to do since we came here.
Ultimately, all that we can do is find out if these words came from God, and then trust God and leave it at that.

This life is a probationary state, we are given trials and tests to determine where we will stand in the next life. All of us will fall and fail miserably, and without this great plan of redemption it would be impossible for us to live with God again.

I know this only because I have been given a sure witness that God lives and that these are His words.

Companionship of the Holy Ghost

There were four main doctrines and principals to understand in this chapter:

• The Light of Christ is a power for good in the lives of all people.
• The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead.
• There are many ways that the Holt Ghost influences out lives for good.
• Sensitivity and obedience to the Spirit is one of a missionary's greatest resources.

So we'll start with the first,
The Light of Christ is a power for good in the lives of all people.

Moroni 7:16-19 says that the Spirit of Christ (Light of Christ) is given to everyone to help them to know good from evil. All that is makes one want to do evil is from the devil, and all that makes one want to do good is from God.
It is built into us. Everyone know when they are doing something seriously wrong whether they admit it or not. And should they not know at all, they are not held accountable.

That brings up my questions about accountability once again.

D&C 84:46-47 tells us that not only is everyone given the Spirit and the Light of Christ, or the knowledge of good and evil, but if we listen to the promptings of that Spirit we will be enlightened and gain knowledge of God from it.
It makes sense to live in a way that one truly believes is good and right. I don't think that anyone in the world is truly satisfied because we're not perfect, but I've met people that really try and make an effort to do nothing but good things with their lives, and they really do seem very much on a different level and have a closer relationship with God than myself and most of the people that I know.
The Spirit of Christ or the Light of Christ should not be confused with the Holy Ghost. The Light of Christ is something natural within us all, not a being or a messenger.

The April 2005 Ensign phrases it that "missionaries are not planting something foreign or even new into and adult or child. Rather, the missionary or teacher is making contact with the Spirit of Christ already there. The gospel will have a familiar ring to them."

The Holy Ghost is a Member of the Godhead.

John 14:26 But the ^aComforter, which is the ^bHoly Ghost, whom the Father will send in my ^cname, he shall ^dteach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
The Holy ghost is the Lord's messenger. As Elder Robert D. Hales said: "(The Holy Ghost) testifies of Jesus Christ, His work, and the work of His servants upon the earth."

D&C 130: 22 The ^aFather has a ^bbody of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of ^cSpirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not ^ddwell in us.

This is a controversial idea that we bring up in our church. God being a personage of flesh and bone, visible, tangible and separate from the Holy Ghost and Jesus Christ. Our entire faith is predicated on the fact that Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ as two separate people. If that didn't happen, not a word of what I've been talking about is true.
But the funny thing about that is that when one reads the Book of Mormon, and follows the promise made by Moroni to pray about the words, and ask God in the name of Jesus Christ if those words are true, the Holy Ghost will enter your heart and "dwell within you" and give you the undeniable witness that it is of God.
Things will most assuredly come about when a person is honestly in search of truth. A loving God would never leave one of us in the dark, we only need to be willing to change ourselves and follow if we are given the knowledge that these things are true. I can't think of many people that would not be willing to change if they believed that God himself had shown them a sign that something was right.
One scripture that really says it is D&C 6:22 Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might ^aknow concerning the truth of these things.

23 Did I not speak ^apeace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater ^bwitness can you have than from God?

There are many ways that the Holy Ghost influences our lives for good.

The best and most reliable way to describe what the purpose and influence of the Holy Ghost of the Holy Ghost is is to read the words of Christ.

In the book of John, Christ calls the Holy Ghost the Comforter and the Spirit of truth, one that will teach us, bear witness not only of Christ but of all truth, bring those things to our remembrance, show us things that will come. (See John 14:26, 15:26, and 16:13)

I have a personal knowledge that when we petition God in honest and determined prayer, with the intent of our hearts to do as God instructs us to do, God will show us the truth of all things.

Personal Worthiness

There were three main qualifications that the manual emphasized and they were:

1. Clean thoughts
2. Moral Cleanliness
3. Keeping the Commandments

Personal Worthiness is Necessary to Accomplish Missionary Work
D&C 38: Christ is only pleased with cleanliness. If we are not one we are not his. We need to be living the commandments of Christ in order to have his Spirit and to properly share our testimonies.
D&C 133 talks more about remaining clean and proclaiming the word. "Go ye out from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon...But let not your flight be in haste, but let all things be prepared before you." We need to rid ourselves of wickedness and prepare ourselves before we can become clean, basically. The rest of the chapter was full of prophecies about the coming of Christ, the weak being made strong, and the raising of the dead.

The manual was full of really intimidating quotes about what we needed to be doing and changing in our lives, and all the standards that we are held to. But there was one really wonderful thing that stood out to me that seemed to speak to my current feeling and situation:

"We are not asking for perfection. The work of the Lord is done by ordinary people who work in an extraordinary way. The Lord magnifies those who put forth the effort. Nowhere is this more evident than in missionary service...With small means the Lord accomplishes His marvelous work." ("Missionary Service," First Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Jan. 2003, 17-18)

Personal Worthiness Allows us to Receive Temple Blessings
Psalms 24- The only people that dwell with the Lord are those with clean hands and a pure heart. Essentially, keep the commandments, repent and forsake your sins and you will be saved.
D&C 109- As we receive our temple blessings, we are armed with God's power to do good, and we are given angels to watch over us. We will bear tidings of joy and truth. No one will prevail against us.
I really don't understand the things that go on in the temple, or the importance of them. I haven't been through the temple, it makes sense. But those sound like blessings worth having, and worth keeping my covenants for.


The Repentance Process Allows us to Become Worthy

Isaiah 1:16 ¶ ^aWash you, make you ^bclean; put away the ^cevil of your doings from before mine eyes; ^dcease to do evil;

17 ^aLearn to do ^bwell; seek ^cjudgment, ^drelieve the oppressed, ^ejudge the fatherless, plead for the ^fwidow.

18 Come now, and let us ^areason together, saith the Lord: though your ^bsins be as scarlet, they shall be as ^cwhite as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

19 If ye be ^awilling and ^bobedient, ye shall eat the ^cgood of the land:

20 But if ye refuse and ^arebel, ye shall be ^bdevoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.


Isaiah always did have the words to make you never want to sin ever again.

Helaman 14:13 And if ye ^abelieve on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his ^bmerits.

It's been a topic of conversation with friends of mine about why we believe that works are so important and why we have to do more than have faith enough to believe in Jesus Christ and claim him as our Redeemer. My answer to that has always been: "Why would the Lord spend all that time and effort filling the mouths of prophets with commandments to do good and with cries of repentance if it were just a suggestion?

Another scripture about repentance for those that are concerned that if they have sinned they will not be worthy of the same blessings.

D&C 58:42 Behold, he who has ^arepented of his ^bsins, the same is ^cforgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.

43 By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will ^aconfess them and ^bforsake them.

We need to forsake the sins, confess them, and then forget them and stop feeling bad about our past. There's no use in beating ourselves up over things that we've done if we have faith that Christ is our Redeemer, and if we have a determination to change.

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that ^ablotteth out thy ^btransgressions for mine own ^csake, and will not remember thy sins.

Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their ^aunrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I ^bremember no more.

Alma talks about his repentance process and the experience that he had of having his sins lifted from him, which were great and many:

Alma 36:18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, ^ahave mercy on me, who am ^bin the ^cgall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting ^dchains of ^edeath.

19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my ^apains ^bno more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.

20 And oh, what ^ajoy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

Gathering of Israel and Such

I guess that I read Jeremiah a little too soon on that last one. The first set of scriptures here are about the gathering of Israel.
By the way, two wonderful sources of information that I've read on the lost tribes of Israel and/or the gathering of them are: The Trial of the Stick of Joseph by Jack West, and The Dead Sea Scrolls (I don't rightly remember the author). Both books are a little old but still contain numerous references about the studies of ancient America and the roots and ancestry of the people.

!st Nephi 22 was a really heavy chapter. We can already see some of those things coming to pass as we look at the world around us. The world over is beginning to learn of Christ and there is a certain unity amongst Christians on a whole. On the same note, we can also see the perversions of the Gospel that cause people to be confused and to argue over doctrine. There is and oppositional force and it does its best to divide us.

One can see that the only way to solve something like that is for the people doing the deception to fall into their own trap as described. Verses 13-15 talk about the fall of that Great and Abominable Church and all the nations that war against Israel. In a short time, the Old Testament might not seem so old.

D&C 29 might be even more graphic than the last scripture, what with the maggots eating people's flesh and eyes falling out of their sockets.
To bring up a question of mine from the last entry, in verse 47 the issue of accountability is brought up again:
Wherefore, they cannot ^asin, for power is not given unto Satan to ^btempt little children, until they ^cbegin to become ^daccountable before me;

I still have unresolved questions about that issue.

Doctrine and Covenants 110: It contains a vision as seen by Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry in the Kirkland Temple in Ohio. The contrast between this and the scriptures before it is immense. First, Jehovah (Christ) appeared to them, accepting the temple. Then, Moses. After that, Elias. The last was Elijah. The keys of the gathering of Israel were committed to Joseph with a promise that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near.

1 Nephi 6:4: Nephi's intent is to have the plates occupied with the most precious things of God, and he makes certain that his brother, Jacob, understands this when he passes the plates on in Jacob chapter 1. Jacob just restates the issue.

2 Nephi 25 is a prophecy about the ministry of Christ, that he will preach in a "tabernacle of clay", and the fulfillment of the law of Moses.
He made it sound like everyone should know about how obviously the law of Moses was bound to be fulfilled. He said that every sacrifice that took place and every ritual was a type and shadow of the coming of the Messiah. I guess that the doctrine is deeper than what I know at this time, but that is something of interest to me and I will look into it.

In Jacob 1, he talked about his labors to bring his people unto Christ, and he told of their iniquities and said that their sins would be on his head if he did not declare the word of God with all diligence. As people that have knowledge of something good, it is right to share it. But never to force it down the throats of those that do not want to hear it. I want to be clear in my stance and interpretation of sharing the gospel and what it means to me to declare the word of God with all diligence.

A full time missionary call comes from the Lord through his authorized servants.


Alma 42 the Fall of Adam and the need for mercy, justice and the plan of redemption through Christ. Basically, If man desires to do evil and does not repent, evil is done unto him in the hereafter. In verse 31, it says that we are called of God to teach the word so that souls may be brought to repentance and that mercy may have claim upon them.

D&C 11:15 was one that I quoted in the last blog. I still think it's one of the best scriptures that I've had the pleasure of finding.

While I do find most of the scriptures that we read inspiring, I really can relate more to the actual mission stories in the chapter, and modern events in which it is obvious that God was involved and so much so that it cannot be denied. The stories in this chapter were fantastic.

My dad has told me so many stories about his missionary experience in Nigeria. He baptized over 100 people that were just waiting to hear word of something better than what they were doing at the time. He described events where they would come in large numbers to be taught and baptized, seeing visions and having visitations that told them to go and listen to the Mormon missionaries. The normal practice in that area of Nigeria was to rely on witch doctors and idol worship, and once they were baptized they were faithful all of their lives without faltering.

Finding those that are in need of a change for the better is why we go. The Lord is always preparing people that are looking for truth and He makes what needs to happen happen.

Call to Serve

When reading the suggested scriptures in the study guide, I tried to make a point to read the whole chapter so that I could know and understand the context of the verses.

The first set of scriptures talked about baptism being the only way to our salvation and the gospel of Christ being the Power of God unto the redemption of our souls. I have a few questions about those verses that still need to be answered, so I will study further before I write anything on them.

The next set of scriptures in the guide talked about the field being white and ready to harvest. To me that means that the time is now to join in the work of the Lord, that we need to be ready to serve immediately. I've been particularly concerned with my lack of scriptural knowledge as I am about to serve a mission at the end of the semester. In D&C 11, in the prophecy that Joseph Smith gave, verses 15-22, I found something that seemed to speak to me personally.

It reads:
15 Behold, I command you that you need not suppose that you are ^acalled to ^bpreach ^cuntil you are called.

16 Wait a little longer, until you shall have my word, my ^arock, my ^bchurch, and my gospel, that you may know of a surety my doctrine.

17 And then, behold, according to your desires, yea, even according to your ^afaith shall it be done unto you.

18 Keep my commandments; hold your peace; appeal unto my Spirit;

19 Yea, ^acleave unto me with all your heart, that you may assist in bringing to light those things of which has been spoken—yea, the ^btranslation of my work; be patient until you shall accomplish it.

20 Behold, this is your work, to ^akeep my commandments, yea, with all your might, ^bmind and strength.

21 Seek not to ^adeclare my word, but first seek to ^bobtain my ^cword, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my ^dSpirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the ^econvincing of men.

22 But now hold your ^apeace; study my word which ^bhath gone forth among the children of men, and also ^cstudy my word which shall come forth among the children of men, or that which is ^dnow translating, yea, until you have obtained all which I shall ^egrant unto the children of men in this generation, and then shall all things be added thereto.

The scripture in D&C 33 did not strike me as strongly, but the heading contained some good words. It said that as Joseph Smith was recording that revelation he said that "the Lord is ever ready to instruct such as diligently seek in faith".

D&C123:11-17 contain the very reasons for going on a mission. Verse 12 in particular gave a description of the people that I need to find. The verses themselves say more than I ever could.

11 And also it is an imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation, and to all the pure in heart—

12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are ^ablinded by the subtle ^bcraftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to ^cdeceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they ^dknow not where to find it—

13 Therefore, that we should waste and ^awear out our lives in bringing to light all the ^bhidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—

14 These should then be attended to with great ^aearnestness.

15 Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which depends upon these things.

16 You know, brethren, that a very large ship is ^abenefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.

17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us ^acheerfully ^bdo all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the ^csalvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

Jeremiah 16:14-17 talks about the gathering of Israel. It tells of lands that the lord has scattered the house of Israel to, and that the Lord will bring them back to the lands of their inheritance. In reality, there are only so many lands on the face of the earth that they could have gone. I read a set of lectures called the Trial of the Stick of Joseph a short time ago, given in 1954. It quotes from native writings and legends that tell stories from the Old Testament, found in South America when the Conquistadors came. A quote from a scientist on the sight read, "If these people are not the Lost Tribes of Israel, who are they?"

I spent a good three to four hours in the mountains behind the school studying these scriptures and praying for guidance. When I was finished, I did not feel that I had been shown anything great, but now that I have gone back over them a day or two later, I see that I really did accomplish something. The Spirit does bear witness of truth and I pray everyday for the knowledge to help others to search as well.