3 Nephi 12: 4 — LeGrand Baker — blessed are all they that mourn

Posted on July 24, 2012 by LeGrand Baker

3 Nephi 12: 4 — LeGrand Baker — blessed are all they that mourn

3 Nephi 12: 4
4  And again, blessed [enjoying “the state of the gods”] are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted (3 Nephi 12:4).

This is a paraphrase from Isaiah 61, which is a prophecy of the Lord’s visit to the Underworld during the period between his own death and his resurrection. President Joseph F. Smith saw in vision the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy. In recording his own vision, President Smith used much of Isaiah’s language:

18  While this vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful (D&C 138:18; compare Isaiah 61:1).

When President Smith identified the persons who were waiting to welcome the Savior, he included:

42   Isaiah. … who declared by prophecy that the Redeemer was anointed to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were bound (D&C 138:42).

Knowing that, we have the key to understanding what non-LDS scholars consider to be one of the most perplexing chapters in the Old Testament. One of the things they cannot understand is why verse 3 contains the entire ancient priestly and royal coronation ceremony, then concludes with a wedding ceremony in verse 10.

Isaiah 61 appears to be a commentary on the last third of Psalm 22, which is also a prophecy that the Savior will enter the Underworld and conquer death and hell. Isaiah begins by recalling the Savior’s anointing at the Council in Heaven:

1  The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives [those in the spirit prison], and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (Isaiah 61:1-2a).

In the Old Testament, that which is “acceptable” is performed in righteousness—zedek—with the proper authority, in the right place and the right way, using the right words, and dressed the right way:

and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn (Isaiah 61:2b).

This second verse is the one that was paraphrased by the Savior in the Beatitudes. The Isaiah version, which is still speaking of the spirits of the dead, reads, “to comfort all that mourn.” The Savior said, “Blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” (3 Nephi 12:4, Matthew 5:4), There, as in the 23rd Psalm, comfort means to bring about the cessation of sorrow. In this context, to comfort does not mean to give someone an aspirin, a hug, and a warm blanket. It means to empower, and the empowerment causes one to be able to transcend suffering and sorrow.

From President Smith, we learn that they, the spirits of the dead, mourned because they “looked upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage” (D&C 138:50). And from Isaiah we learn that empowerment is accomplished by the ancient royal coronation rites. The third verse of Isaiah 61 reads:

3   To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion [to make the dead a part of Zion], to give unto them beauty for ashes [a ceremonial washing to remove the ashes], the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called [new name] trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified (Isaiah 61:3).

This new name represents two important ideas. The first is the Tree of Life, and second is the principle of eternal family. Trees make fruit, fruit make seeds, seeds make trees, ad infinitum. Thus, it continues forever. The symbolic eternal repetition of this process is what Isaiah calls “the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.” The new name given to those who are “comforted” contains the blessings of eternal family, but this new name is not the only part of Isaiah’s prophecy that conveys that promise.

The symbolism in the next six verses of Isaiah chapter 61 describes the relationship between the dead and those who will do genealogical and temple work, sealing families together.

Then the last two verses of the chapter bring us back to the coronation scene. It is a sacred marriage ceremony. From the relationship between Isaiah 61 and D&C 138, we know that this wedding is also part of the temple work for the dead. In Isaiah, the bride and groom sing a hymn of thanksgiving:

10   I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels (Isaiah 61:10).

The last part of their wedding hymn is a testimony of the promised resurrection. They sing:

11   For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations (Isaiah 61:11).

The Book of Mormon lays specific emphasis on the fact that in this Beatitude the Savior is quoting Isaiah 61, for as it is given in 3 Nephi, it is a more exact quote of Isaiah than the way it is recorded in Matthew (Isaiah 61:3 and Nephi 12:4 each have the word “all,” but Matthew 5:4 does not). Thus it is apparent that the Savior’s intent when he said, “Blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” is that those few words were an encapsulation of the ordinances and blessing associated with salvation for the dead and the promise to them of the blessings of eternal family relationships.

The Coronation Ceremony in Isaiah 61

Even though the Old Testament historical books give no full account of a royal coronation ceremony, Isaiah 61 does contain all five of the most essential elements of any coronation. These rites are so fundamental to human society that they have retained their basic integrity for thousands of years. Fundamentally, the same ceremonies were used in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, medieval Europe, and modern Britain. For example, on the day of her coronation, the present Queen Elizabeth II was bathed, clothed, anointed, given a regal new name, and crowned. Then, as she sat upon her throne, she spoke to her subjects.

Even though the non-Biblical ancient and modern coronation ceremonies are remarkably alike—and remarkably like the original Israelite coronation ceremony in Isaiah 61—there are striking differences in ritual and meaning. Nibley, while discussing the first chapter of Moses, painted a vivid picture of the significance of the ultimate coronation ceremony in the context of Moses’ sode experience. He began by citing these verses from the Book of Moses:

23   And now of this thing Moses bore record; but because of wickedness it is not had among the children of men.
24   And it came to pass that when Satan had departed from the presence of Moses, that Moses lifted up his eyes unto heaven, being filled with the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father and the Son;
25   And calling upon the name of God, he beheld his glory again, for it was upon him; and he heard a voice, saying: Blessed art thou, Moses, for I, the Almighty, have chosen thee, and thou shalt be made stronger than many waters; for they shall obey thy command as if thou wert God.
26   And lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days; for thou shalt deliver my people from bondage, even Israel my chosen.
27   And it came to pass, as the voice was still speaking, Moses cast his eyes and beheld the earth, yea, even all of it; and there was not a particle of it which he did not behold, discerning it by the spirit of God.
28   And he beheld also the inhabitants thereof, and there was not a soul which he beheld not; and he discerned them by the Spirit of God; and their numbers were great, even numberless as the sand upon the sea shore.
29   And he beheld many lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face thereof (Moses 1:23-29).

Nibley then writes:

And now the scene changes (verses 23 and 24 read like stage directions); the lights go up, the music soars and Moses, though remaining on earth, is again invested with glory and hears the voice of God proclaiming him victor, worthy and chosen to lead God’s people “as if thou wert God” — the type and model of the ancient Year King proclaimed after his victory over death as God’s ruler on earth. He is specifically told that he shall “be made stronger than many waters” — for he has just passed through the waters of death and rebirth, de profundis; and shown himself capable and worthy of the mission which is now entrusted to him. After this royal acclamation, reminiscent of combat and coronation episodes dramatized in the earliest year rites throughout the ancient world, after the coronation, the scene again changes, as Moses and the reader view the field of labor in which the prophet is to work; he receives a thorough briefing, an intimate knowledge of the earth in its cosmic setting, its physical makeup (“every particle” of it), and everything that lives upon it.

The coronation ceremony in Isaiah 61 is less dramatic, but very significant for the people who experienced it. The Isaiah chapter is about vicarious work for the dead, but the ceremony was much the same as that used for living kings. We know that Isaiah 61 was a prophecy about salvation for the dead because its first verse is quoted in D&C 138:42. By identifying the “captives” as those in the spirit prison waiting to hear the gospel, it shows that the events described in Isaiah 61 are a prophecy, of which the events described in Section 138 are the fulfillment. The Isaiah prophecy reads:

1  The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn (Isaiah 61:1-2).

Bratcher made an interesting comment about the meaning of the first verse. Her observation fits perfectly into Joseph F. Smith’s revelation that this is about the Savior’s establishing missionary work among the dead. She wrote, “‘To proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners’ … Some difficulty exists in the translation of the phrase “release to the prisoners.” The Hebrew word translated “release” appears everywhere else in the Old Testament with the meaning “the opening of blind eyes.”

The Meaning of “Comfort”

In verse 2, “comfort” is an important word whose meaning is difficult for us to capture because it has changed since the King James Version was translated. In 1622, when the English word was nearer in time to its Latin origins, the first definition of “comfort” meant just exactly what the Latin said: “with strength,” to strengthen, or to empower. “Comfort” still meant that in 1787 when the American Constitution was written, and treason was defined as “giving aid and comfort to the enemy.” (That did not mean it was treason to give the enemy an aspirin and a warm blanket. It meant that it is treason to empower an enemy.) The most extensive analysis of the Hebrew word is by Gary Anderson, who writes,

This verb “to comfort” (n-h-m) does not connote a simple act of emotional identification. Comfort can imply either the symbolic action of assuming the state of mourning alongside the mourner, or it can have the nuance of bringing about the cessation of mourning. In grammatical terms, the former usage reflects a processual usage of the verb, while the latter usage would be resultative.” He goes on to explain, “The latter usage, to bring about the cessation of mourning, is very common in prophetic oracles of deliverance. The famous exhortation of Isaiah 40:1, ‘Comfort, comfort, my people,’ comes to mind immediately. As Westermann noted, the term conveys ‘God’s intervention to help and restore.’”

Anderson’s definition can account for the way the English translators used the word “comfort” to mean the bestowal of authority or power—an empowerment—and it also adds substantial depth to the meaning of the 23rd Psalm and other scriptures where “comfort” might be read as “to give consolation,” they might also be read as “to give power and authority, thus enabling one to transcend sorrow.”

The next verse, Isaiah 61:3, explains how the empowerment will happen by detailing the events of a rather standard coronation ceremony. The verse begins with the promise that the people will be made a part of Zion, then it describes the ceremony itself. (One thing to keep in mind, as we read Isaiah’s description of the ceremony, is that the word “for” does not mean “in consequence of,” but rather, it should be understood as “in exchange for,” or, as the Anchor Bible has it translated, “instead of.” For that reason we have used “instead of” in the headings below.) The words in the King James translation read:

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,
to give unto them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified (Isaiah 61:3).

Each of those steps is as interesting as it was indispensable.

“to give unto them beauty instead of ashes

The denotation of the Hebrew word translated as “beauty” is the beauty of a hat or turban, rather than a direct reference to the hat itself. The connotation is the glory of a crown. Some translations accept the connotation and use a word for the hat, often “diadem” or “crown,” rather than the more literal “beauty” as is found in the King James Version. In either case, the meaning is that the ashes were removed and then replaced by a crown. The removal of the ashes necessarily implies a ceremonial washing. The ashes would have been those of a red heifer, and the washing a ceremonial cleansing from sin.

In ancient Israel, putting a mixture of water and the ashes of a red heifer on one’s head was a formal purification ordinance. A red heifer was sacrificed once each year and its ashes were kept to be used in an ordinance that made a person ritually clean. In Isaiah 61 it was used in preparation for other ordinances that would follow. Instructions for the preparation and use of the ashes are given in Numbers 19.

Just as the sacred anointing oil was perfumed with a recipe that could not be legally duplicated, so there was also a sacred recipe for the ashes of the red heifer. The ashes contained “cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet” that were burned with the heifer. The instructions were:

5    And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn:
6     And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer (Numbers 19:5-6).

Cedar is a fragrant smelling wood. Hyssop is a small bush, a branch of which was used for daubing the lintels of the Israelite homes in the first Passover (Exodus 12:22). It was also used in the ritualistic cleansing of lepers (Leviticus 14). Scarlet was “a highly prized brilliant red color obtained from female bodies of certain insects and used for dying woven fabric, cloth, and leather.”

Psalm 51 was sung in conjunction with a cleansing ordinance—the most likely and most appropriate would have been the occasion of the king’s purification that was preliminary to his being clothed and anointed as king:

1 Have mercy upon me, O God,
according to thy lovingkindness:
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot
out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions:
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
and done this evil in thy sight:
that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and
be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:
and in the hidden part thou shalt make me
to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness;
that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins,
and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence;
and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation
[that is one of the connotations of “to comfort”];
and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways;
and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
thou God of my salvation:
and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips;
and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice;
else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
a broken and a contrite heart, O God,
thou wilt not despise.
18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion:
build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices
of righteousness,
with burnt offering and whole burnt offering:
then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar (Psalm 51:1-19).

The phrase, “purge me with hyssop” necessarily implies a cleansing with the ashes of the red heifer, for (except for leprosy) that was the only ordinance where hyssop was used as part of a ceremonial cleansing agent—that is, the ashes of the red heifer also contained hyssop.

It is important to observe that the purging he requested was not a physical cleansing but a spiritual one. Then, in verses 16 and 17, we find the words that are echoed in the Book of Mormon just before the Savior arrived:

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice;
else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise (Psalm 51:16-17).

When the Savior came to America, he instructed the people that there would be no more blood sacrifices, but rather they should sacrifice a broken heart and a contrite spirit. This psalm foreshadows those instructions and shows that the pre-exilic Israelites also understood that the blood sacrifices of the Law would be fulfilled, and the sacrifices required in their place would be a broken heart and contrite spirit, as in the psalm uttered by the women at the cross:

18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;
and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (Psalm 34:18).

“the oil of joy instead of mourning”

Inasmuch as the early scenes of the drama had already shown that the king had been foreordained at the Council in Heaven, this concluding anointing was a re-affirmation of that premortal ordinance. As Borsch believed, “ The ceremony is said to take place in the heavenly realms just as the royal ritual was often described as though it were taking place in heaven. Let us notice, too, that the anointing act here is not associated primarily with cleansing or healing, but rather with a rite like King David’s. It is said that the ceremony makes the pneumatic into a god as well, just like the one above. In other words he will be a royal god.”

Widengren quoted Pseudo-Clement to show that the anointing oil was symbolically a product of the Tree of Life:

This idea of an anointing with oil from the Tree of Life is found in a pregnant form in the Psalm Clementine writings, from which some quotations may be given. In the passage concerned, the author (or rather his original source) discusses the problem of the Primordial Man as Messiah. He is represented as stressing the fact that the Primordial Man is the Anointed One:

But the reason of his being called the Messiah (the Anointed One) is that, being the Son of God, he was a man, and that, because he was the first beginning, his father in the beginning anointed him with oil which was from the Tree of Life.

Primordial Man, who had received the anointing, thanks to which he had been installed in the threefold office of king, high priest, and prophet, is then paralleled with every man who has received such anointing:

The same, however, is every man who has been anointed with the oil that has been prepared, so that he has been made a participant of that which is possessed of power, even being worth the royal office or the prophet’s office or the high priest’s office.

The apocryphal Gospel of Philip, teaches the same. It reads, “But the tree of life stands in the midst of paradise. And indeed (it is) the olive-tree. From it came the chrism [anointing oil]. Through it came the resurrection.” On the nest page Philip added:

The chrism [anointing oil] is superior to baptism. For from the chrism [anointing oil] we were called “Christians,” [that is, “anointed ones”] not from the baptism. Christ also was so called because of the anointing. For the Father anointed the Son. But the Son anointed the apostles. And the apostles anointed us. He who is anointed possesses all things. He has the resurrection, the light, the cross.

Borsch mentioned other facets of the coronation ceremony that are not explicitly mentioned in the Isaiah passage, but which were very important. In the following, he wrote that the king was “initiated into heavenly secrets and given wisdom.” That initiation may have been part of what Johnson and Mowinckel understood to be an “endowment with the spirit.” It is what Nibley described in his analysis of Moses chapter one, quoted above. It was this spiritual empowerment—not just the physical ordinances—that qualified one to be king. Borsch writes,

The king is anointed. The holy garment is put on him together with the crown and other royal regalia. He is said to be radiant, to shine like the sun just as does the king-god. He is initiated into heavenly secrets and given wisdom. He is permitted to sit upon the throne, often regarded as the very throne of the god. He rules and judges; all enemies are subservient. All do him obeisance.

The New Year’s festival temple drama’s coronation ceremonies reached to both ends of linear time; beginning in the Council, then the Garden; and at the conclusion when the king became anew “a son of God.” Consequently, even though a king may have ruled for many years, at this point in the festival, after he had symbolically proven himself, and was escorted into the Temple—then he was again crowned and became again king in fact. The importance of anointing and its association with the king’s remarkable spiritual powers are described by Johnson:

The fact that the king held office as Yahweh’s agent or vice-regent is shown quite clearly in the rite of anointing which marked him out as a sacral person endowed with such special responsibility for the well-being of his people as we have already described. Accordingly the king was not merely the Messiah or the ‘anointed’; he was the Messiah of Yahweh, i.e. the man who in thus being anointed was shown to be specially commissioned by Yahweh for this high office: and, in view of the language which is used elsewhere in the Old Testament with regard to the pouring out of Yahweh’s ‘Spirit’ and the symbolic action which figures so prominently in the work of the prophets, it seems likely that the rite in question was also held to be eloquent of the superhuman power with which this sacral individual was henceforth to be activated and by which his behavior might be governed. The thought of such a special endowment of the ‘Spirit’ is certainly implied by the statement that, when David was selected for this office, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.

“the garment of praise instead of the spirit of heaviness”

Nibley translated this line a bit differently, and in doing so, he expanded its meaning by projecting its implications to the marriage ceremony that follows in verse 10. He writes:

After you put off the old garments and put on those of spiritual white, you should keep them always thus spotless white. That is not to say that you must always go around in white clothes, but rather that you should be always clothed in what is really white and glorious, that you may say with the blessed Isaiah 61:10), “Let my soul exult in the Lord, for he hath clothed me in a robe of salvation and clothing of rejoicing.” (The word here used for “clothe” is endy, to place a garment on one, and is the ultimate source of our word “endowment,” derived in the Oxford English Dictionary from both induere, to invest with a garment, and inducere, to lead into or initiate.)

The royal robes of the king are not described in detail in the Old Testament. However, some scholars believe that the descriptions of the High Priestly garments were originally descriptions of the royal robes, and the miter hat was the crown used by the king in the coronation ceremony. The implication is that the post-exilic editors who re-worked the books of Moses, allotted to the High Priest the royal garments that had once been worn by their kings. Widengren was among those who believed that all of the ceremonial clothing of the High Priest, including the breastplate which held the Urim and Thummim, was an adaptation of the earlier sacral clothing of the king.

The coronation clothing is almost always described as two separate garments (as partially discussed earlier in connection with Psalm 45). The sacred clothing attributed to the Aaronic priesthood High Priests consisted of white linen undergarments and outer royal robes. The undergarments were a two part suit—a long sleeved white shirt and breeches “to cover their nakedness” (Exodus 28:42. see also Mosiah 10:5). Above that he wore a solid blue robe with a fringe of alternating golden bells and pomegranates. The pomegranates were made of blue, purple, and scarlet threads—the same colors as in the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Tabernacle (Exodus 28:4-42). Around the waist was a sash, also woven in the same colors as the fringe and the veil. His breastplate was a kind of pouch or pocket in which he placed the Urim and Thummim. It was supported by shoulder straps attached to an apron called the ephod. His crown was a miter, a flat hat made of fine linen, with a gold plate attached that was worn on his forehead. Engraved on the plate were the words “Holiness to the Lord.”

This same ritual clothing—or something very much like it—was worn by the early Christians. Paul described the sacral garments as the protective “armor of God.”

The scriptures often speak of the clothing in terms of their meaning rather than of their physical appearance. Thus, the outer one is usually called “majesty,” representing the powers of kingship, and the other “glory,” representing the authority of priesthood. For example, in Psalm 45, the king’s blessing from Elohim included the instructions to dress himself properly:

3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.
4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness;
and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible thing. (Psalm 45:3-4).

We find the same imagery in Job, only here two double sets of clothing are mentioned. (We have wondered if the reason is because, even though no woman is ever mentioned in the narrative, the second set might belong to his wife.) The Lord asks Job:

9 Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
10 Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty. …
14 Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee (Job 40:9-14).

Later, but in the same context, Job responds:

4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee (Job 42:4-5).

There is a fragment of an ancient text of the Book of Job that suggests the clothing is a replacement for something else that he must first “remove” (as in the Hymn of the Pearl). It reads:

Or have you an arm like God?
Or with voice like his can you thunder?
Remove now pride and haughty spirit
And with splendor, glory, and honor be clothed.

There is a similar description in Psalm 21, and it was apparently sung during a similar ceremony to the one described in Job 40:1-17. After the coronation ceremony, before the king entered God’s presence, he was dressed in clothing called “honour and majesty” (Psalm 21:5). We will discuss this psalm more fully below.

The important thing is that there are always two, and they always seem to represent royal and priestly authority, and with rare exceptions, they are always worn together. A similar idea is in the Doctrine and Covenants, where two ideas, “perfectness and peace,” are joined together as “charity:”

125   And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.
126   Pray always, that ye may not faint, until I come. Behold, and lo, I will come quickly, and receive you unto myself. Amen (D&C 88:125-126).

It is significant that these sacred royal garments were patterned after those worn by Jehovah himself, as is shown in two of the psalms. One of those is Psalm 93:

1 The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty;
the Lord is clothed with strength,
wherewith he hath girded himself:
the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
2 Thy throne is established of old:
thou art from everlasting (Psalm 93:1-2).

The other is Psalm 104 where Jehovah’s royal clothing is described as honor and majesty, only there Jehovah wears an additional garment of light:

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord my God, thou art very great;
thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment:
who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain.
(Psalm 104:1-2).

The interpretation of Figure 3 in Facsimile No. 2 in the Book of Abraham shows that the clothing given to earthly holders of the Melchizedek Priesthood is symbolic of the clothing worn by God. It reads:

Fig. 3.      Is made to represent God, sitting upon his throne, clothed with power and authority; with a crown of eternal light upon his head; representing also the grand Key-words of the Holy Priesthood, as revealed to Adam in the Garden of Eden, as also to Seth, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, and all to whom the Priesthood was revealed.

Nibley’s description of the High Priest’s garments—which, if the above quoted scholars are correct, were originally the king’s royal garments—emphasizes their sacred nature:

The combination of the items that make up the full clothing comes from the description of the high priestly garments at the beginning of Exodus 28. Very recently in Jerusalem, a magnificent book was published based on an attempt to reconstruct the kelîm, the supellectila, the implements and equipment of the temple, and the priestly garments (fig. 17). A section at the end of the book describes them in detail. In this particular passage there is general assemblage, a listing, and then a description of what the articles are.

Thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother,” the Lord tells Moses (cf. Exodus 28:2), lokabod ultip’eret, “both for glory and for magnificence”—to give an impression, to fill one with awe. And the Lord instructed Moses to say to all the people of “thoughtful-mindedness” and intelligence “that they shall do so, and make such garments for Aaron, for holiness, and for his priesthood, to represent his priesthood to me” (cf. Exodus 28:3). “And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ‘epod [the much disputed ephod!], and the mo’il,” a “cloak, a covering, a long garment”; “a kotonet,” the “shirt”; “a tashbe,” a thing elaborately woven in a checkerboard pattern, or something similar; “a mitre,” mi .z ne -p e -t, “a turban,” “a round cap”; “and a girdle” or “sash”; “and these garments they shall make holy for Aaron, thy brother, and for his sons, to serve me in the priesthood” (Exodus 28:4).

The patriarch Levi reported that during his sode experience he was dressed in similar sacred robes. His account reads:

And there again I saw a vision as the former, after we had spent there seventy days. And I saw seven men in white raiment saying unto me: Arise, put on the robe of the priesthood, and the crown of righteousness, and the breastplate of understanding, and the garment of truth, and the plate of faith, and the turban of the head, and the ephod of prophecy. And they severally carried (these things) and put (them) on me, and said unto me: From henceforth become a priest of the Lord, thou and thy seed forever. And the first anointed me with holy oil, and gave to me the staff of judgment. The second washed me with pure water, and fed me with bread and wine (even) the most holy things, and clad, me with a holy and glorious robe. The third clothed me with a linen vestment like an ephod. The, fourth put round me a girdle like unto purple. The fifth gave me a branch of rich olive. The sixth placed a crown on my head. The seventh placed on my head a diadem of priesthood, and filled my hands with incense, that I might serve as priest to the Lord God. And they said to me: Levi, thy seed shall be divided into three offices, for a sign of the glory of the Lord who is to come. And the first portion shall be great; yea, greater than it shall none be. The second shall be in the priesthood. And the third shall be called by a new name, because a king shall arise in Judah, and shall establish a new priesthood, after the fashion of the Gentiles [to all the Gentiles]. And His presence is beloved, as a prophet of the Most High, of the seed of Abraham our father:

Therefore, every desirable thing in Israel shall be for thee and for thy seed,
And ye shall eat everything fair to look upon,
And the table of the Lord shall thy seed apportion.
And some of them shall be high priests, and judges, and scribes;
For by their mouth shall the holy place be guarded.,
And when I awoke, I understood that this (dream) was like the first dream.

Sacred garments are not unique to Hebrew literature. Ostler explains, “The idea of the garment is completely at home throughout the ancient world, always in connection with ordinances of initiation related to the “endowment of the Spirit.” The garment is usually mentioned in relation with other ordinances, especially the anointing.” Rubin and Kosman explain further:

This clothing assumed special attributes of its own, independent of its wearer. Wearing regal clothing added authority and a dimension of the regal. The Bible also stressed the transfer of Aaron’s priestly garments to his son Eleazar. There were also garments unique to prophets, such as Samuel’s special coat and Elijah’s distinctive mantle. The holy garments of the Bible thus help link the world above to that below. Here the garment does not function for personal territorial separation and defense of selfhood, but for linking the worlds. This special quality requires the wearer to be ritually pure. Otherwise, the garment can have a deleterious effect. The garment represents the charisma of a formal position without a direct reference to the quality of the priest wearing it. As these garments denote a formal position, their design is also formal and unalterable.

In the vision of Daniel (7:9), however, the clothing of God (the “ancient of days”) is as white snow, and is therefore not merely metaphorical. On angels being clothed, see for example, Ezek 9:2. The angels that appeared to humans were undoubtedly clothed. See for example, Judg 13:15; and regarding the “men” that appeared to Abraham, see Gen 19:1. Incidently, humans also occasionally wear metaphoric garments, as in, “I clothed myself in righteousness and it robed me; justice was my cloak and turban” (Job 29:14).

In the pseudepigraphal account of the marriage of Joseph in Egypt, his clothing is described in terms that are reminiscent of the royal Hebrew garments:

And Joseph was dressed in an exquisite white tunic, and the robe which he had thrown around him; was purple, made of linen interwoven with gold; and a golden crown (was) on his head, and around the crown were twelve chosen stones, and on top of the twelve stones were twelve golden rays. And a royal staff was in his left hand, and in his right hand he held outstretched an olive branch, and there was plenty of fruit on it, and in the fruits was a great wealth of oil.

“that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified”

One is “called” by one’s name. Similarly, here to be “called” is to be given a new name. One finds the same usage in the Beatitudes: “And blessed are all the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” (3 Nephi 12:9); and in Isaiah: “and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). A new name is a new covenantal identity. In our verse, it denotes one’s new relationship with God, much as Nibley writes, “In Egyptian initiation rites one puts off his former nature by discarding his name, after which he receives a new name.” Truman Madsen explains,

     “In antiquity, several ideas about names recur, among which are the following:
1. In names, especially divine names, is concentrated divine power.
2. Through ritual processes one may gain access to these names and take them upon oneself.
3. These ritual processes are often explicitly temple-related.”

The regal new name given to the enthroned dead in Isaiah 61 is “trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified.” It is a promise of eternal lives. “Trees” suggests the tree of life. “Righteousness” is zedek—correctness and propriety in performing and receiving sacred ordinances. “The planting of the Lord” implies eternal increase (trees make fruit, fruit make seeds, seeds make trees, ad infinitum). And the words “that he [God] might be glorified” proclaim that the glory of God is inseparably connected with the continuation of the family (as in Moses 1:39). The importance of the family is again emphasized at the end of chapter 61 where we find “a song of rejoicing” in celebration of the sacred marriage. It is a hymn sung by the bride and groom:

10  I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels (Isaiah 61:10).

Nibley cited Assmann to give a version of the cosmic myth that concludes with a sacred marriage:

Here is how Assmann puts it: (1) The hero is cast out of his happy home, his original condition of life, against his will, but for his own good as he realizes. (2) He must go forth to undergo a series of trials and tests, (3) symbolic of overcoming death by resurrection, and so (4) return to his former home as a changed person, (5) being received back when he identifies himself in a formal testing. (6) Transfiguration and exaltation go with coronation and marriage.

For a discussion as “son” and the ancient Israelite new king-name, see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, chapter “Psalm 2, The Ancient Israelite Royal King-name.”

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3 Nephi 1:14 — LeGrand Baker — The Father and The Son

Posted on July 24, 2012 by LeGrand Baker

3 Nephi 1:14 — LeGrand Baker — The Father and The Son

3 Nephi 1:14
14 …and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh.

This may seem strange, but it is not. He is making a distinction between “because of me” and “because of my flesh.” Remember, this was spoken by Jehovah—the premortal Savior. He would not have a physical body until the next day. Therefore, “me” is Jehovah, and “of the Father because of me” is a reference to Jehovah, the Creator God, ‘the Father of Heaven and Earth’ (those last words are from Abinadi as quoted below).

Many, perhaps most of you are as familiar with these ideas as I am, so I ask your indulgence in this repetition. I am sending this for the sake of my friends who are not familiar with it. To me, this doctrine that is taught frequently in the Book of Mormon is one of the most beautiful and most significant. It is found many times in the Scriptures, but never explained better than by Abinadi to Alma.

The following is an examination of Abinadi’s explanation to Alma. It is a quote from Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, 500-02.

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

The first eight verses of Mosiah 15 are considered by many to be some of the most difficult to understand in the Book of Mormon, but they become easy to follow when one realizes that Abinadi was talking about Jehovah and Jesus and the tensions they had to overcome so that Jesus could accomplish the Atonement and keep the covenants made by Jehovah—for they are the same God:

1 And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself [Jehovah] shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people. [“Redeem” in this context means to bring his people back into the presence of God—that is, to completely undo the effects of the Fall of Adam, so that we can return to the presence of God. (See Mormon 9:13; Ether3:13; 2 Nephi 1:15, 2:1-4; Alma 58:41).]
2 And because he [Jehovah] dwelleth in flesh [Jesus] he [Jesus] shall be called the Son of God [the Son of Elohim], and having subjected the flesh [Jesus] to the will of the Father [Jehovah], being the Father [Jehovah] and the Son [Jesus]—
3 The Father [Jehovah], because he [first as Jehovah and then again as Jesus] was conceived by the power of God [Elohim]; and the Son [Jesus], because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father [Jehovah] and Son [Jesus]—
4 And they [Jehovah-Jesus] are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.
5 And thus the flesh [Jesus] becoming subject to the Spirit [Jehovah], or the Son [Jesus] to the Father [Jehovah], being one God [Jehovah-Jesus], suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself [Jesus] to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.
6 And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he [Jesus] shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he [Jesus] opened not his mouth.
7 Yea, even so he [Jesus] shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh [Jesus] becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son [Jesus] being swallowed up in the will of the Father [Jehovah] (Mosiah 15:1-7).

There are few scriptures which touch the soul more deeply than that last verse. It exposes all the tensions: Jesus the man—with his natural aversion to physical pain and his desire to remain with the people he loved. Jehovah the God—whose covenantal love for his friends was even more powerful—informed and inspired Jesus’s determination to perform the Atonement. They are, as Abinadi said, one God, but it was Jesus—not just Jehovah—who had to decide.

One of the reasons that scripture is so important to us—and the reason the words were so important to Alma—is that it throws a burning light on each one of us—but a light that only we ourselves can see. Perhaps the easiest way to describe that light is to try to conceptualize its effect on Alma. It was bringing into focus and personalizing the chiastic balance of the cosmic myth.

Before he left his Heavenly Father’s presence, the premortal had made Alma covenants regarding his own mission here and what he would do to fulfill his mission. What Paul wrote to the Thessalonians was true of Alma and all of Heavenly Father’s other children also: “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13). But now on this earth as a young, wealthy, demonstrably popular prince, Alma could no longer remember who he really was. His memory was darkened by the light his physical eyes could see. On earth, the expanse of his mind was limited by earthly things and his body limited through its knowledge of how to feel happiness, hunger, passion, weariness, pain, and exhilaration.

There was a time, before his memory fogged and his eyes and ears were closed, that Alma could look forward to this life and see his own purpose—when he could clearly understand his own desires. It was then, when he was fully cognizant, that he had made covenants about what he would do here. Then he was in the company of the premortal Jehovah. But now he could not remember that any more, and had come on this occasion to King Noah’s court to sit in judgment against the prophet. Abinadi, for his part, had come to answer questions that young Alma may not yet have asked, and to give credence to the things the Spirit would teach him about himself. It was Abinadi’s task to help the physical and cultural Alma, who sat in King Noah’s council, to understand that he must seek to become subjugated to the Alma who once sat in the Council of the gods. Abinadi understood that if Alma could achieve that quality of understanding and freedom, then with the tutelage of the Holy Ghost he could acquire the power to fulfill the covenants he had made. In short, the will of Alma’s present Self must be swallowed up in the will of his premortal, fully cognizant Self.

The author of the Hymn of the Pearl described that principle. In the poem this passage is about the boy’s recalling his eternal covenants:

And even as it [the covenant] was engraven in my heart
Were the words of my letter written.
I remembered that I was a son of kings
And my noble birth asserted itself. {1}.

That is what Abinadi was explaining about Jesus: “the will of the Son [Jesus] being swallowed up in the will of the Father [Jehovah].” Alma heard. His premortal “noble birth asserted itself”; he listened to the prophet and put his own life on the line when he spoke out to defend the good old man. In doing so, Alma began to sever the ties that bound his eternal Self to his earthly environment, and he began to become the prophet he had covenanted to become. The next question Abinadi addressed was, “How is it to be done?”

ENDNOTE

{1}  For a discussion of the Hymn of the Pearl, see that chapter in Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord.

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Mosiah 27:34-35 — LeGrand Baker — problems of royal succession

Posted on July 13, 2012 by LeGrand Baker

Mosiah 27:34-35 — LeGrand Baker — problems of royal succession

Mosiah 27:34-35
34   And four of them were the sons of Mosiah; and their names were Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni; these were the names of the sons of Mosiah.
35  And they traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla, and among all the people who were under the reign of king Mosiah, zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, confessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them.

After that, they asked their father for permission to go and preach to the Lamanites.

This is a more remarkable story that our 21st century culture is apt to see readily. A more typical account of the four sons of any king would conclude with one of them murdering the other three. Here are some examples of what I mean.

When Solomon became king, he promptly killed everyone who might have challenged his right to the throne. (1 Kings 1&2)

Nebuchadnezzar, the crown prince of Babylon, had just defeated the Egyptians at Carchemish when he learned his father had died. Consequently he could not follow up his victory by wiping out the Egyptian army. Rather, he had to return to Babylon, where he spent three years hunting down and killing all of his brothers, then, when his throne was secure, he and his army resumed the war.

One of the consequences of his victories was that he placed Zedekiah on the Jewish throne to rule as his underling. But Zedekiah later made an alliance with Egypt, so Nebuchadnezzar came back again, destroyed Jerusalem, captured Zedekiah, “And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.” (2 Kings 25:7)

One does not kill just the king, but also anyone that might claim his throne. As a footnote to that story as it is told by Josephus, Whiston observed,

Burder remarks, this was done with the intention of rendering the king incapable of ever re-ascending the throne. Thus it was a law in Persia, down to the latest time, that no blind person could mount the throne. Hence the barbarous custom of depriving the sons and the male relatives of a Persian king, who are not to be allowed to attain the government, of their sight. Down to the time of Abbas, in 1642, this was done by only passing a red-hot copper plate before the eyes, by which the power of vision was not entirely destroyed, and person blinded still retained a glimmer of sight.  (William Whiston, trans., The Complete Works of Flavious Josephus [London, The London Pringing and Publishing Company, Limited, 1876], p. 213 footnote. )

The point of those stories is this: A throne was a very dangerous kind of chair to sit on. And the simplest way to make sure one did not fall off of it, was to kill or disable anyone else who might want to be there.

Our Mosiah’s grandfather, Mosiah I, may have been in that same sort of situation. We have no detail except this:

… [Mosiah,] being warned of the Lord that he should flee out of the land of Nephi, and as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord should also depart out of the land with him, into the wilderness— And it came to pass that he did according as the Lord had commanded him. And they departed out of the land into the wilderness, as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord….(Omni 1: 12b-13a)

We are not told what he was running away from, but there seems to be only two likely possibilities: Either the Lamanites were about to attack, or else he had an elder brother who was out to kill all the other boys in the family. (We know Mosiah was not the legal heir to the throne, because all the kings were named Nephi, and that was not his name.)

Mosiah II was very aware of this traditional way of salving the problems of succession. He later justified his new constitution by warning his people:

“And now if there should be another appointed in his stead, behold I fear there would rise contentions among you. And who knoweth but what my son, to whom the kingdom doth belong, should turn to be angry, and claim his right to the kingdom, and draw away a part of this people after him, which would cause wars and contentions among you, which would be the cause of shedding much blood.” (Mosiah 29, 7&9. I have constructed the statement using words in both verses.)

It is reasonable to believe that while his sons were going about to destroy the Church, they were keeping an eye on each other, knowing that when dad died, at least three of them would not live long, and each probably plotting the deaths of the others.

It that was true, and it is not at all unreasonable to believe it was true, then their conversions, and their desires leave their royal status and to go on missions together, would have been the least likely of all the expected conclusions to their story.

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Psalms 34:2-22 — LeGrand Baker — the psalm teaches Atonement

Posted on July 13, 2012 by LeGrand Baker

Psalms 34:2-22 — LeGrand Baker — the psalm teaches Atonement

Many ideas associated with coronation are scattered throughout the psalm. I can most easily point them out by rearranging them and pulling them together into separate categories. My artificial grouping of the following verses is only to point out similarities of ideas, and I apologize for the injustice it does to the poetry.

For example, there are some lines that speak of the physical senses of both God and man.

The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,
and his ears are open unto their cry. (V. 15)

I will bless the Lord at all times:
his praise shall continually be in my mouth. (V. 1)

Keep thy tongue from evil,
and thy lips from speaking guile. (V. 13)

This psalm contains many of the same ideas that are found in the Beatitudes and other scriptures.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;
and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (V. 16-17)

The Beatitude reads, “Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (3 Nephi 12:3)

As I understand it, the “poor in spirit” are those who have made the sacrifice of a broken heart and contrite spirit. {1}  “Who come unto me” is a reference to one’s being in the place where Christ is. “Theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” I take it that means the kingdom belongs to them – they are sacral kings and queens.

O taste and see that the Lord is good:
blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (V. 8)

The Beatitude reads, “And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.” (3 Nephi 12:6) This seems to be about the fruit of the tree of life, and the waters of life, and the blessings to those to receive them. One wonders if Alma had his psalm in mind when he said, “…after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect? …. And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.” (Alma 32: 35, 40)

The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants:
and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. (V. 22)

In the Book of Mormon, in Job, and in this psalm, the word “redeem” means to be brought into the presence of the Lord (Ether 3: 13-17; Helaman 14:17; 2 Ne. 1:15, 2:2-4; Job 19: 25-26)

In the Beatitudes the ultimate power and responsibility of kingship is represented in the words, “And blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” In the sequences which assumes one has learned how to do that, the next words are, “And blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” and “blessed are all the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” (3 Nephi 12:7-9) Being called “the children of God,” corresponds with the royal new name given to the king in Psalm 2 (discussed below). The clearest tie between verses 8 and 9 in the Beatitudes is Ether 3:13-14.

And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you. Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.”

Our psalm reads:

Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it. (V. 11)

The other Beatitude most prominently represented in this psalm is the one that depicts one’s adoption as a child of God, and final coronation to be sacral king or queen. “And blessed are all the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (3 Nephi 12:9-10)

In Moroni 7, Mormon bridges the gap between a peacemaker and being one of whom it can be said with finality: “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Mormon addresses those who “are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven.” I presume that means they have, and can again see their Saviour. He knows this “because of your peaceable walk with the children of men.” He explains that their next steps are to perfect faith (“Now faith is the substance [tangible reality = “assurance”] of things hoped for [the promises the covenant], the evidence of things not seen [the covenant” Hebrews 11:1.]); hope (living as though the covenant were already fulfilled); and charity (the ultimate power that seals the covenant). Then he concludes: “But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.”

ENDNOTE

{1}   I reach that conclusion by combining two other statements by the Saviour:

19 And behold, I have given you the law and the commandments of my Father, that ye shall believe in me, and that ye shall repent of your sins, and come unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Behold, ye have the commandments before you, and the law is fulfilled. (3 Nephi 12:19)

20 And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not. (3 Nephi 9:20)

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Alma 26:21-22 — LeGrand Baker — “Mystery” and “Secret” in the Book of Mormon,

Posted on July 13, 2012 by LeGrand Baker

Alma 26:21-22 — LeGrand Baker — “Mystery” and “Secret” in the Book of Mormon

Alma 26:21-22
21   And now behold, my brethren, what natural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent.
22  Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance. (Alma 26:21-22)

Joseph Smith wrote from Liberty Jail, “the things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out.” (History of the Church 3:295)

Sode is a Hebrew word that means a secret {1} – it usually refers to the deliberations and decisions of a council. {2} In the Old Testament it is frequently translated as “secret.”

A “sode experience” is a vision (as in Isaiah 6) in which the prophet is returned to the Council and taught afresh what assignment he was given there, and under what circumstances he is to fulfill it while in mortality. {3} Kingsbury observes, that “These experiences are held in common by many of the pre-exilic prophets as well as by deutero-Isaiah, but are lacking in the experiences of the post-exilic prophets.” {4}

Amos 3:7 says “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret [sode] unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). To do that the Lord, in vision, brings his human prophets back to the Council where they renew their covenants and review conditions of where and how, in human history, they are to fulfil those covenants. Thus a true prophet knows his own place in the past, present, and future; and he can speak of them with certitude and authority.

Psa 25:14 Psa : The secret [sode] of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant .

For the people of ancient Israel, a sode experience was a necessary criterion for a prophet’s legitimacy. Jeremiah writes that a false prophet was one who claimed to speak for God but who had not had a sode experience, and so could only pretend to know God’s will (Jeremiah 23:18-22).

Conversely then, to the ancient Israelites, a true prophet was one who had stood in God’s Council and had heard his counsel; knew the decisions of the Council, and could act, teach, and prophecy accordingly.

The most detailed example of a prophet’s sode experience in the Bible is Isaiah chapter 6, where that prophet, in vision, returned to the Council to re-receive the assignment he had been asked to fulfill before he came to this world. {5}

The four necessary elements of a sode experiences are: (1) that the prophet returns, in vision, to see his own part in the Council in Heaven, and (2) therefore, he mentions that he sees the other members of the Council who were present. {6} (3) He sees God sitting on his throne presiding at the Council, and (4) he sees Jehovah who conducts the affairs of the Council and makes the assignments. {7} There are many accounts of prophets who seem to have had a sode experience, but not all of them report all four parts of what constitutes a full account. However, all say they saw a vision, and all say they received an assignment from God. {8}

The sode experience reviews the reality that is represented in the cosmic myth. There, the hero understands why and what his assignment is, and the difficulties he will encounter in seeking to accomplish it. He is promised that he will be able to succeed and that he will return home triumphant. As that is the same story told in the ancient temple drama, one might describe the drama as a this-world generic version of a sode experience. The writers of the psalms understood that relationship.

In some of the psalms, the Temple of Solomon was the place where one went to find the sode. Referring to the sode-like drama that people experienced in conjunction with the Temple of Solomon, Psalm 111:1 clearly shows that the congregation was regarded as representing the members of the Council. It begins, “Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly [sode.] of the upright, and in the congregation.” Because the drama of Solomon’s temple followed essentially the same pattern, and conveyed essentially the same information that the prophets learned during their actual sode experiences, the ancient temple drama might be understood as a kind of generic sode experience whose purpose was to teach each member of the congregation where they came from, how they came to be here, and what they must do here to fulfill their covenants and return home triumphant.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

In the New Testament, Brown has shown that the Greek mysterion denotes the same kind of experiences as the Hebrew sode, and the same significance is attached to them. {9} It is more specific that sode because mysterion describes “religious secrets, confided only to the initiated and not to ordinary mortals. {10}

That concept adds considrably to our understanding of the Saviour’s words found in three of the gospels:

11     He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries [mysterion] of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given (Matthew 13:11).

11   And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery [mysterion] of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables (Mark 4:11).

10   And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries [mysterion] of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand (Luke 8:10).

It also teaches us what Paul meant when he described the disciples as “the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries [mysterion] of God (1 Corinthians 4:1).

Morray-Jones shows that Paul’s own apostolic authority rested upon his having had a sode experience. {11}

Paul taught that the Saints that each had made covenants in the Council — “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery [mysterion], even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory (1 Corinthians 2:7).” He also reminded the Ephesians, “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: … Having made known unto us the mystery [mysterion] of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself (Ephesians 1:3-4,9).” He left no question about what he intended to say when he added,

8  Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery [mysterion] , which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:8-9).

The mysteries (“secrets confided only to the initiated”) Paul describes are not only secrets in this world, but have always been, and always will be. He taught the Romans:

25   Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery [mysterion], which was kept secret since the world began,
26  But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith (Romans 16:25-27).

Paul described his authority in terms of his being able to teach the mysterion:

25   Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
26   Even the mystery [mysterion] which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27   To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery [mysterion] among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:23-29).

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Even though the Greek word mysterion could not have been part of the Nephite language, its English equivalent, “mystery,” is found throughout the Book of Mormon — and always with the same meaning as the Hebrew sode.

In the very first verse, Nephi introduces himself to us by telling us that he has “a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God (1 Nephi 1:1). With that statement is a clear reference to his own sode experience, Nephi defines himself — in a way his contemporaries could not help but understand — as a true prophet of God. Then, almost immediately thereafter, Nephi shows us that his father is also a true prophet by describing Lehi’s sode experience in enough detail that we have all four defining characteristics of a sode experience (1 Nephi 1:9-15).

Beginning with those first pages, the Book of Mormon shows a remarkable consistency in its use of the word “mystery.” It almost always uses the word to describe either a real sode experience or else the ancient temple drama that represented a kind of generic sode experience. {12} Examples are:

18   For he [God] is the sa me yesterday, to-day, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.
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 (1 Nephi 10:18-19).

9   And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
10  And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
11  And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell (Alma 12:8-11).

22  Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance (Alma 26:22).

In the Old Testament where sode means the secret deliberations of a council, the use is not limited to the decisions of the Council in Heaven. It may be used to describe a as well. Three examples are:

6  O my soul , come not thou into their secret [sode]; unto their assembly, mine honour , be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man , and in their selfwill they digged down a wall (Genesis 49:6).

2   Hide me from the secret counsel [sode] of the wicked ; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity (Psalm 64:2).

3  They have taken crafty counsel [sode] against thy people , and consulted against thy hidden ones (Psalm 83:3).

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

This is where we find another evidence of the care and consistency with which the Book of Mormon was translated. As in the Old Testament, sode could represent the secret deliberations of any council, so, we assume, on the brass plates the word sode was used to represent the decisions of councils both good and bad. The remarkable thing is the way sode was translated in the Book of Mormon. There the New Testament equivalent of mysterion (“mystery”) is always used to represent a sode experience or the temple drama version of a sode experience. However, whenever sode was found on the plates to represent evil or conspiratorial councils, the Old Testament word “secret” was used. Two examples are:

22  And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever (2 Nephi 26:22).

5  But as many as there were who did not enter into a covenant, and who did still continue to have those secret murders in their hearts, yea, as many as were found breathing out threatenings against their brethren were condemned and punished according to the law.
6  And thus they did put an end to all those wicked, and secret, and abominable combinations, in the which there was so much wickedness, and so many murders committed (3 Nephi 5:5-6).

27  And it shall come in a day when the blood of saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secret combinations and the works of darkness (Mormon 8:27).

The uses of the words “mystery” and “secret” in the Book of Mormon are further evidence that Hebrew was the original language on the brass plates and remained a major component of the Nephite language for the next thousand years. They also evince the great care with which the Book of Mormon was translated into English. Because sode was translated as “secret” in the negative context, and “mystery” in the temple context, its readers are not left to wonder about either the meanings of the passages or the correctness of the translation.

——————————————-

ENDNOTES

1} Sode (Strong’s definition # 5475 reads:  “1) council, counsel, assembly.”

2} A discussion of the meaning of sode is found in Raymond E. Brown, The Semitic Background of the Term “Mystery” in the New Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1968), 2-6.
Brown, Raymond E., “The Pre-Christian Semitic Concept of ‘Mystery’,” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 20 (1958): 417-443.

3} In his explanation of the significance of the Council, H. Wheeler Robinson gave several examples of Old Testament references to sode, Inspiration and Revelation, 168-69.

4} It is significant, as Edwin C. Kingsbury observes, that “These experiences are held in common by many of the pre-exilic prophets as well as by deutero-Isaiah, but are lacking in the experiences of the post-exilic prophets.” (“The Prophets and the Council of Yahweh,” Journal of Biblical Literature 83 [1964]: 279).

5} Isaiah 6 is widely recognized as the most complete account of a sode experience that can be found in the scriptures. However, it has some problems, all of which are cleared up in the brass plates version that is found in 2 Nephi 16.The best non-canonical description of a sode experience is Enoch’s in The Book of the Secrets of Enoch, from The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in English, 2 vols., ed. R. H. Charles (Oxford: Clarendon, 1976), 2:431-69. Early Christians included at least some of Enoch in their canon. Jude 1:14-16 is 1 Enoch 1:9. For further discussions of the Council, see Stephen D. Ricks, “Heavenly Visions and Prophetic Calls in Isaiah 6 (2 Nephi 16), the Book of Mormon, and the Revelation of John,” Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, 171-90.

6} These are called “angels” by Nephi (1 Nephi 1:8).

7} Nephi’s account of his father’s sode experience in 1 Nephi 1:6-10 also contains all four elements. It is discussed in the chapter called, “Nephi’s Introduction as a Review of the Festival Temple Drama.”

8} Among those visions are the following:

Enoch’s, recorded in Moses 7:2-4.

7:5-67 are about the call (note v. 63-4).

Abraham’s, recorded in Abraham 3:22-28.

Chapters 4 and 5 continue the story.

Moses’s, recorded in Exodus 3:1-15.

3:29 to 4:17 the Lord and Moses discuss the call.

Moses chapter 1.

The rest of the book of Moses continues the story (note Moses 4:2-3).

Isaiah’s, recorded in Isaiah 6:1-13.

Jeremiah’s, recorded in Jeremiah 1:4-6.

1:7 through chapter 19 the Lord and Jeremiah discuss the call, then there is a short break and the dialogue continues.

Lehi’s, recorded in I Nephi 1:3-16,19.

See also II Nephi 1:15.

Ezekiel’s, recorded in Ezekiel 1:3-28, 3:12-14.

2:1 to 3:11 the Lord explains the call (note v. 7-10­).

Alma’s, recorded in Alma 36:11-23.

Note v. 14 & 22.

Moroni’s, recorded in Ether 12:22, 3.

Verses 23-37, the Lord and Moroni discuss the call.

The Savior’s is recorded in many places. Some are: John l: 1-5 and Joseph Smith Translation, John 1:1-19, 29-33 (page 807-8 of LDS Bible); John 3:11-13; Doctrine and Covenants 93:1-21; Luke 1:69-75; and Isaiah chapter 61.

John the Baptist’s is suggested in Luke 1:76-79, and in John 1:33 (“He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me.”).

Joseph Smith’s, recorded in J.S. History 2:15-20 and Dean C. Jessee “The Early Accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision,” BYU Studies 9, 3 (Spring 1969): 275-94.

Abinadi’s is very concise but interesting. He says to King Noah, “Touch me not, for God [Elohim] shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord [Jehovah] sent me to deliver; neither have I told you that which ye requested that I should tell; therefore, God [Elohim] will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time” (Mosiah 13:3) Abinadi affirms that he is acting under Elohim’s protection, but fulfilling the assignment that was given to him by Jehovah.

9} Raymond E. Brown, The Semitic Background of the Term “Mystery” in the New Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1968), 2-6.

10} mysterion (Strong’s # 3466)

1) hidden thing, secret, mystery

a) generally mysteries, religious secrets, confided only to the initiated and not to ordinary mortals

b) a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding

c) a hidden purpose or counsel

1) secret will

a) of men

b) of God: the secret counsels which govern God in dealing with the righteous, which are hidden from ungodly and wicked men but plain to the godly

2) in rabbinic writings, it denotes the mystic or hidden sense

a) of an OT saying

b) of an image or form seen in a vision

c) of a dream

11} C. R. A. Morray-Jones, “Paradise Revisited (2 Cor 12:1-12): The Jewish Mystical Background of Paul’s Apostolate Part 2: Paul’s Heavenly Ascent and its Significance,” Harvard Theological Review 86, 3 (1993): 265-92. He says that the “seventh heaven” is a later tradition, but it represents essentially the same idea. For discussions on the heavenly ascent, see Lundquist, “Common Temple Ideology,” 57-58. Richard D. Draper, and Donald W. Parry, “Seven Promises to Those Who Overcome: Aspects of Genesis 2-3 in the Seven Letters,” Temple in Time and Eternity. 121-41. Hamblin, “Temple Motifs,” 441-50. Thomas, “Hebrews: To Ascend,” 479-91. An example where mysterion is used to represent initiation into evil systems is Revelation 17:5.

12} An example of a different use is Helaman 16 where the word is spoken by apostates with a negative connotation.

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D&C 132:15-30 — LeGrand Baker — marriage covenant

Posted on July 13, 2012 by LeGrand Baker

D&C 132:15-30 — LeGrand Baker — marriage covenant 

December 14, 2006

My friend Kevin wrote:

1) How or what is the best way for us to learn what our pre-earth covenants are or do we ever learn of them before they are fulfilled. Also, is there any way to differentiate between fulfilling a pre-earth covenant and simply achieving an important milestone in our personal development.

2) Could you explain D&C 132. Especially vs. 17-29. I think it is. There is much debate about that here and I was wondering your perspective / the perspective of other prophets & apostles since you can look that up while I can’t.

3) Is there a way to help others feel sacred time (this is really the equivalent to feeling the Spirit in many ways from my understanding which is THE key to missionary work)

4) referring to Jeremiah’s standard that prophets must have had a sode experience. Does that mean that those who have that type of experience ( seeing the grand council in heaven, seeing Christ or God the Father —because I think they require the same level of significance) are or will be called as prophets and apostles.

5) What is (in your opinion) the best way to become better at recognizing and understanding the Spirit/ what is the best way to increase faith.

My response:

Those are some wonderful questions. Let me take them one at a time.

1) How or what is the best way for us to learn what our pre-earth covenants are or do we ever learn of them before they are fulfilled. Also, is there any way to differentiate between fulfilling a pre-earth covenant and simply achieving an important milestone in our personal development.

I think the first answer to that is to learn to be patient. The reason we come here without a memory is so we can discover is our integrity is strong enough that we will do what we know we should just because we feel that’s what we should do. The second answer is just be happy. It makes no sense to me that the Lord would assign us a task that was contrary to our individual personalities. So the key to fulfilling the covenants is to keep the commandments so we can be guided by the Spirit, and do the things that make us feel most fulfilled. Then, if we get to a juncture where we are about to make an incorrect decision, the Spirit will give us instructions, or else he will give someone else instructions to help us re-direct our paths (as in a church calling, for example). Otherwise, he will pretty much let us live our lives our way. After all, that’s what we came here to do.

2) Could you explain D&C 132. Especially vs. 17-29. I think it is. There is much debate about that here and I was wondering your perspective / the perspective of the prophets & apostles since you can look that up while I can’t.

Kevin, these verses must be understood in light of the first 14 verses. I think I sent that to you already. If you don’t still have it, let me know and I’ll send it again.

Those verses define the new and everlasting covenant as the covenants we made in the pre-mortal existence, and that we keep in this life (thus, everlasting and new). I will be happy to tell you what I think the next verses say, but please remember that what I am about to write is only my opinion, and is not to be taken for Church doctrine. I don’t have anything that the modern brethren have written about that, but here is my take on the matter.

The first word of verse 15 is “therefore,” so the first 14 verses are the introduction to the discussion, and after verse 15 we have the conclusion.

15    Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world.
16     Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.

Remember this was not a revelation that was written for the general Church membership, or for the world at large, but it was specifically for Emma. So here the Lord is only talking about people who have had the opportunity to make and keep temple covenants. He is not talking about people who may embrace those covenants after they are dead and hear about them in the spirit world.

17   For these angels did not abide my law [that can only have meaning if they had the opportunity and chose not to do so]; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.

I think that means that if they choose to not make and keep those covenants while they were on the earth, they probably won’t change much when they get dead. So they will not qualify themselves to enjoy celestial blessings.

18   And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that covenant is not by me or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid neither of force when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world it cannot be received there, because the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory; for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God.

I understand there is a Protestant preacher in SLC who has taken it upon himself to marry people for time and eternity. What this says is that because he doesn’t have the proper authority, his marriages will have no eternal effect.

19  And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.

If God promises someone their marriage is for eternity, he will keep that promise. They may sin, but if they repent and do not become sons or daughters of perdition, then they may reclaim those blessings. That, of course, is conditional on whether or not they choose to repent. God is not going to drag anyone kicking and screaming into the Celestial Kingdom.

20     Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.

That is simply a re-statement of what D&C 76 says about those in the Celestial kingdom.

21  Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory.
22   For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.

Those two verses clarify the question about whether God will drag them into the Celestial kingdom just because he made a covenants that they have chosen to forsake. Covenants are made by two parties, and both have to keep their part, or the covenant becomes void.

23  But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also.
24  This is eternal lives [ that is plural. Its about families] —to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law.
25  Broad is the gate, and wide the way that leadeth to the deaths; and many there are that go in thereat, because they receive me not, neither do they abide in my law.

This is the same principle. God can’t keep a covenant if the other party rejects the conditions and the blessings of that covenant.

26  Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man marry a wife according to my word, and they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, according to mine appointment, and he or she shall commit any sin or transgression of the new and everlasting covenant whatever, and all manner of blasphemies, and if they commit no murder wherein they shed innocent blood, yet they shall come forth in the first resurrection, and enter into their exaltation; but they shall be destroyed in the flesh, and shall be delivered unto the buffetings of Satan unto the day of redemption, saith the Lord God.

This is still the same principle, except that he is pointing out that they will have to suffer for their own sins, because they have rejected the blessings of the atonement. If they are willing to do that, then the conditions of the covenant are still in force. The principle is very simple. God will do all in his power to save his children—the only thing that will prevent him from doing that is if they choose not to be saved.

27  The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be forgiven in the world nor out of the world, is in that ye commit murder wherein ye shed innocent blood, and assent unto my death, after ye have received my new and everlasting covenant, saith the Lord God; and he that abideth not this law can in nowise enter into my glory, but shall be damned, saith the Lord.

It isn’t that God won’t save those people, it’s that he can’t, because they have ceased to be the kind of people who will permit God to save them.

28  I am the Lord thy God, and will give unto thee the law of my Holy Priesthood, as was ordained by me and my Father before the world was.
29  Abraham received all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation and commandment, by my word, saith the Lord, and hath entered into his exaltation and sitteth upon his throne.

Now we are back to the original question: How does God justify those men for having more than one wife. The answer is that they received instructions “by revelation and commandment” according to covenants made before the world was. “Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines” (D&C132:1) The issue is not polygamy, it is the justification of polygamy. The answer is in the pre-mortal covenants.

30  Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins—from whose loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph—which were to continue so long as they were in the world; and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue; both in the world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as the stars; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them.

That’s the covenant the Lord made with Abraham, and his multiple wives were the mechanism by which that covenant was fulfilled.

Kevin, that’s the way I understand that part of the revelation. Please let me remind you once more, what I have written is only my opinion, and is not to be taken for doctrine. So please don’t share it with anyone who will take what I have written to be the doctrines of the Church.

3) Is there a way to help others feel sacred time (this is really the equivalent to feeling the Spirit in many ways, from my understanding, which is THE key to missionary work)

I think there is. As far as I can tell, the most universal experience with sacred time is the feeling people have when they love another person for what they are inside, without reference to what they appear to be or not to be. As a missionary, if you wish to experience another person in sacred time, all you have to do is love them. And if you want them to experience you and the gospel you represent in sacred time, all you have to do is love them. You see, if you really do love them, and they are receptive to the Spirit that teaches one to love and to be loved, then they will know that you love them, and respond the same way. It is nothing you can force, and it is nothing you can fake, and it is nothing you can teach — it is only something that you must BE. But really caring about someone else takes energy, and like everything else, one must develop the stamina to do it, until doing it is just what one IS.

4) referring to Jeremiah’s standard that prophets must have had a sode experience. Does that mean that those who have that type of experience ( seeing the grand council in heaven, seeing Christ or God the Father —because I think they require the same level of significance) are or will be called as prophets and apostles.

The answer to that question is something you and I will never know. People who have such experiences just don’t talk about them unless the Spirit insists that they must. They never use their telling about spiritual experiences as currency with which to try to purchase honor or respect or a reputation. I can find no evidence that one must be an apostle to see the Saviour, or, conversely, that everyone who sees the Saviour will be an apostle. The key to your question is these words by Alma.

9  And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries [sode – including those parts of a sode experience that are taught in the temple.] of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.

So it is the listener, not the speaker, who controls what is said in the conversation. The speaker should not say what the listener cannot understand.

10  And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; [the heart is the center of one’s being. It is both the intellect and the emotions. If one hardens one’s heart, one chooses to neither academically know, nor spiritually feel, the truth.] and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.

“In full” means in full. I see no restrictions on what one can learn except one’s desire to know and ability to keep his mouth shut. Lots of people would like to know, but don’t know enough to not talk about it.

11  And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries [They will simply forget even those parts of the sode that are taught in the temple]; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this [not knowing the mysteries of Godliness] is what is meant by the chains of hell. (Alma 12:9-11)

The statement in the D&C is also relevant here.

18  Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.
19  And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. (D&C 130:18-19)

He is not talking about bits of textbook information. He is talking about a principle of intelligence. The only kind of intelligence that we can take with us into the celestial realms of sacred time is that which is worthy of being in the reality of sacred time. That is our love for the Saviour and our love for his children.

5) What is (in your opinion) the best way to become better at recognizing and understanding the Spirit/ what is the best way to increase faith.

I’ve already answered that question the best way I know how. Spirituality is not getting revelation in a vacuum. It is loving the Lord and speaking with him as your dearest friend. When one does that, one doesn’t talk about it much, one just IS that. When you talk with a friend, he talks back to you. I think that’s all there is to it. There is a condition though: It has to be real: The Saviour said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. Ours will be rather quiet. We will spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day with our children and grandchildren. Other than that, nothing very exciting. I know members of the Church are very kind to missionaries on Christmas, and that nothing is quite like being with your family. But I hope you can also feel their love.

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