Evil. What a scary subject. Wanted, no. Necessary, yes. Don't call me CRAZY. My wife does that, enough, as it is. But, if you will bear with me, I will try to explain it to you. Let's move forward, now, to the next chapter, in man's plight, to exist, on this earth. After God had created His 'Spirit Children', He wanted the most for them, He could give, which is, ALL HE HAD. I'm not talking about the Universe, Heavens, planets, etc. We learn, in the scriptures that all these things will pass away and the earth will be destroyed by fire. If not physical things, what, then? What can God give to us, that will last throughout the eternities? It's the opportunity, to be as He is.
In a modern day Christian scripture, The Book of Mormon, It says,"As man is, God once was, and as God is, man may become." It makes perfect sense. Throughout all the Cristian scriptures, what is the one thing that is taught, to all of mankind? The answer is, how to be a Christian. What is a Christian? To be a Christian, is to be "Christ Like". What is a 'Deciple of Christ'? That would be a follower of Christ, being taught by Christ, to do Godlike things. We are taught to "Know God". To know God, is to be as God. Impossible, no. Improbable, yes. This is a very important concept, that needs to be understood. Please, before you dismiss this as nonsense, pray to God, with an open, or learning heart, and ask Him to confirm this, in your heart.
Now, let me tell you about the "Great Council in Heaven." If you need a reference to it, in the Bible, you can find it in Revelations, Chapter 12. In the pre-existence, there was a "Great Council in Heaven". God gathered all of His spirit children, to discuss our future on earth and in the eternities. I can imagine Him talking to each of us, privately, and sharing, with us, what we would be going through, here, on earth. But, He also reassured us with a warm embrace and told us that He would constantly be with us through the whole ordeal, if we would just seek His will and ask for His help. He also reminded us of the gift He gave us (the freedom to choose for ourselves, what we wanted out of life: good, or bad, and the consequences that would go with each choice.
Here, is where evil comes into play. Now, God had another son, second to Jesus Christ. His name is Lucifer and would be later known as Satan. When God presented His plan of Salvation to us, that is to be able to choose for ourselves, what we would do, Lucifer came up with his own plan. His plan would take away our freedom of choice. Everyone would be saved and return to God, only to be as we were, before we came to earth, with the exception of having a physical body. To use Lucifer's plan, however, he wanted all the glory, for the salvation of man. God needed a pure sacrifice. Obviously, Lucifer didn't fit this category. Jesus Christ agreed with His father's plan and said, Here am I, Lord, send me.
This made Lucifer very angry and he rebelled against God, resulting in a great War in Heaven. One third of God's spirit children decided, by choice to follow Lucifer. The remaining two thirds decided to follow Christ. Lucifer and his host of demonic angels were cast out of Heaven, never to receive a physical body, thus making it impossible for them to return to Heaven. (Satan used his freedom of choice and chose evil.) A physical body is a requirement, in order to become as God is. Jesus Christ had a physical body. After He was resurrected, He still had a physical body. Do you remember 'Doubting Thomas" and how he had to touch Him and feel the wounds in His hands, feet and side, before he would believe? Today, Jesus Christ is in the express image of God. So, it makes sense that God has a physical body. That is one reason we were given a physical body. Another reason, for our mortal life, is to be tried and proved, going through much tribulation, before we can return to Heaven. In the old testament, it says we shall be, "tried as gold". If you are not familiar with how we get pure gold, the ore has to be heated up a great deal, in order to get the impurities out of it. We have to go throught a similar process, It's called a 'Refiner's Fire'. God has to try us and test us and prove us, so we can be made pure, or perfect in His sight. This is called 'opposition in all things'.
A question that may come to your mind is, "Where did this 'opposition' come from? Do you remember how Lucifer and his host of angels were cast out of Heaven? This became the source of evil. This became 'opposition in all things.' What we, as spirit children experienced, in the pre-existance, was all good. Joy, love, kindness, patience, compassion, etc. All of the Godly virtues that God had we had. It was a place of "Pure Joy". But, we didn't know it, because we had nothing to compare it with. This is why evil is necessary, in order for us to have salvation. To know what joy is, we have to experience sorrow. To know what pleasure is, we have to experience pain. To know what heavenly calm is, we have to experience the hellish storms life has to offer. And so on, and so on, and so on, to know what all good is, we have to experience what all evil is. If we can understand this concept, having the freedom to choose to do right or wrong, we should really look upon our trials and tribulations as a blessing, a necessary evil. It really make life more bearable, knowing that there is a reason for all of the chaos, in the world, today.
In the New testament, it says that, "No unclean thing thing shall enter the presence of God" and that "God cannot look upon sin in the least degree." And, I suggest to you now, that we cannot return to God until we are perfect. We cannot become perfect, but by the saving grace of Christ's blood. God is perfect. To be perfect is to be "as God is". If you do not understand this, I urge you to pray, to God, for the Holy Spirit, to guide you and read it, until you do understand it.
Do you remember that God created us from a small part of His intelligence? Well, to have all that He has, is to have the same portion of intelligence and wisdom, that He has.
Let me say that, I do not claim to be a scholar on spiritual things. I only know what, I believe, the Holy Spirit has revealed to me and burned it into my heart. I am just trying to make some sense out of this world, with the scriptures God has left us, to live by. I am not asking you to believe this. You have your freedom to choose. However, I am asking you to look at the possibilities.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The Origins of Man II
Now, moving further into the Origins of Man, let's explore the possibility of how pre-mortal man was created. We have already established the fact that God created all of the Heavens and the worlds, that in them are. How did He do it? Did God just say, "Earth, Exist!"? No. In a book called, "The Pearl of Great Price", you will find references as to how God created the Heavens and the Earth. It wasn't a complicated procedure, at all. In fact, from God's point of view, it was quite simple. When the word "created" is used, in the scripture, it doesn't mean that God made something, from nothing.
To make something from nothing is not possible, at least, not in this dimension. We don't create smoke by burning something. We don't create fire, by striking a match. We don't create sound, by making a noise. When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, he didn't create it. He just took some things that already existed, reformed them and 'voila', the light bulb existed. Thus, smoke, fire and sound were formed by the combination, or action, and reaction, of other existing elements. Within our universe, you will find matter. Matter consists of all the known elements in the scientific table such as gold, aluminum, different gasses and ores, plus some that we will not find, on this earth. So, within the heavens, matter already exists. When God created the suns, stars, moons and planets, rather than create them from nothing, He merely took matter that already existed and reformed it, to make these heavenly bodies. Some planets were formed from gasses, alone. To other planets, minerals and ores were added, like gold, silver, iron and copper. Possibly, some planets contain elements, not known to earth. No one, not even scientists, knows the complete make up of the heavens, beyond the earth's atmosphere.
Now, we must turn from the physical realm and go to the spiritual realm, in order to find out how the spiritual family was born, or, came into existance. We just learned that God formed all of the heavenly bodies from matter, that already existed. However, all of these things were created in spirit, before they were created physically. So it is with man. The scriptures say that, 'man was created (formed) in the image of God'. This is true. The question is: Did God form, or create man from the matter that existed in the heavens? In order to find the answer to this question, let's take a look at the make up of man. We know by reading the Bible, that God formed man from the dust of the earth. There is no argument, there. Some carbon, a lot of water (H2O) and a few other gases and minerals make up the physical body of man.
But, there is a difference between man and a big clump of clay made from the same matter, as man is. That difference is INTELLIGENCE. How is it that man is capable of reasoning, thinking, acting on his own or choosing one from another. In the Book of Mormon, another present day Christian Scripture, it tells us that, "The glory of God is intelligence." Now, we know that all God has created, is His glory. However, I suggest that, since man was given dominion over the earth, because of his intelligence and that mankind is sons and daughters of God, these children, or us, are His most precious glory. The answer to the question, we asked earlier, is: The physical creation of man did come from existing elements, in the universe.
The next question, that needs to be answered is: Since man has intelligence, where did it come from? Do the elements of the universe have intelligence? Well, I think we can all agree that a big rock does not have intelligence. Water does not have intelligence. Gasses do not have intelligence. Metal does not have intelligence. So, if the elements of the universe do not have intelligence, what is the source of intelligence? Let's put some known facts together, before we try to answer this question. Fact: Man was created in the image of God. Fact: God's greatest glory is intelligence. Fact: None of the elements, in the universe, has intelligence. Fact: God can think, reason, choose, therefore, He has intelligence. Fact: Man would not be in the image of God, without intelligence. Fact: Mankind is the sons and daughters, or lineage, of God.
Put these facts together and the answer is simple. The physical man is made up of the elements of the universe. The spiritual man, however, was made from the intelligence of God. Pretty amazing, isn't it? Because we are part of the totality, of God's intelligence, we inherit every trait that God has. Love, patience, mercy, concious and every other good virtue that God has, we also have. This is why we are so precious, in His sight. This is why He loves us so much. This is why He is so merciful to us. This is why He sent His only Begotten Son to die on the cross, for us, so that we could have the opportunity to live with Him forever, if we choose to do so.
(This is something we should know, also. All intelligent life comes from God. Man, animals, birds and fish. If plants have any intelligence, they are of God, as well. All intelligent life does not have the same amount of intelligence. An animal's intelligence will vary, from creature to creature. Man is more intelligent than animals. Every man does not have the same degree of intelligence, as the other. No man has the same degree of intelligence as God, but can get it, if he seeks it.)
We have just learned that we are literally descended from God. We have His genetics, His intelligence, His ability to grow, His ability to choose what is right, because, by His nature, He cannot choose to do wrong. If we all concentrate on choosing good over evil, we will, one day, be back in His presence, to live with Him, forever.
To make something from nothing is not possible, at least, not in this dimension. We don't create smoke by burning something. We don't create fire, by striking a match. We don't create sound, by making a noise. When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, he didn't create it. He just took some things that already existed, reformed them and 'voila', the light bulb existed. Thus, smoke, fire and sound were formed by the combination, or action, and reaction, of other existing elements. Within our universe, you will find matter. Matter consists of all the known elements in the scientific table such as gold, aluminum, different gasses and ores, plus some that we will not find, on this earth. So, within the heavens, matter already exists. When God created the suns, stars, moons and planets, rather than create them from nothing, He merely took matter that already existed and reformed it, to make these heavenly bodies. Some planets were formed from gasses, alone. To other planets, minerals and ores were added, like gold, silver, iron and copper. Possibly, some planets contain elements, not known to earth. No one, not even scientists, knows the complete make up of the heavens, beyond the earth's atmosphere.
Now, we must turn from the physical realm and go to the spiritual realm, in order to find out how the spiritual family was born, or, came into existance. We just learned that God formed all of the heavenly bodies from matter, that already existed. However, all of these things were created in spirit, before they were created physically. So it is with man. The scriptures say that, 'man was created (formed) in the image of God'. This is true. The question is: Did God form, or create man from the matter that existed in the heavens? In order to find the answer to this question, let's take a look at the make up of man. We know by reading the Bible, that God formed man from the dust of the earth. There is no argument, there. Some carbon, a lot of water (H2O) and a few other gases and minerals make up the physical body of man.
But, there is a difference between man and a big clump of clay made from the same matter, as man is. That difference is INTELLIGENCE. How is it that man is capable of reasoning, thinking, acting on his own or choosing one from another. In the Book of Mormon, another present day Christian Scripture, it tells us that, "The glory of God is intelligence." Now, we know that all God has created, is His glory. However, I suggest that, since man was given dominion over the earth, because of his intelligence and that mankind is sons and daughters of God, these children, or us, are His most precious glory. The answer to the question, we asked earlier, is: The physical creation of man did come from existing elements, in the universe.
The next question, that needs to be answered is: Since man has intelligence, where did it come from? Do the elements of the universe have intelligence? Well, I think we can all agree that a big rock does not have intelligence. Water does not have intelligence. Gasses do not have intelligence. Metal does not have intelligence. So, if the elements of the universe do not have intelligence, what is the source of intelligence? Let's put some known facts together, before we try to answer this question. Fact: Man was created in the image of God. Fact: God's greatest glory is intelligence. Fact: None of the elements, in the universe, has intelligence. Fact: God can think, reason, choose, therefore, He has intelligence. Fact: Man would not be in the image of God, without intelligence. Fact: Mankind is the sons and daughters, or lineage, of God.
Put these facts together and the answer is simple. The physical man is made up of the elements of the universe. The spiritual man, however, was made from the intelligence of God. Pretty amazing, isn't it? Because we are part of the totality, of God's intelligence, we inherit every trait that God has. Love, patience, mercy, concious and every other good virtue that God has, we also have. This is why we are so precious, in His sight. This is why He loves us so much. This is why He is so merciful to us. This is why He sent His only Begotten Son to die on the cross, for us, so that we could have the opportunity to live with Him forever, if we choose to do so.
(This is something we should know, also. All intelligent life comes from God. Man, animals, birds and fish. If plants have any intelligence, they are of God, as well. All intelligent life does not have the same amount of intelligence. An animal's intelligence will vary, from creature to creature. Man is more intelligent than animals. Every man does not have the same degree of intelligence, as the other. No man has the same degree of intelligence as God, but can get it, if he seeks it.)
We have just learned that we are literally descended from God. We have His genetics, His intelligence, His ability to grow, His ability to choose what is right, because, by His nature, He cannot choose to do wrong. If we all concentrate on choosing good over evil, we will, one day, be back in His presence, to live with Him, forever.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
An Analogy of Life
Life is like a baseball game. It can throw some pretty nasty pitches at us. Fastballs, curveballs, sliders, drop balls, alot of knuckle balls and some spit balls.Spit balls are illegal.Some pitches are strikes and the rest are wild pitches that quite often hit us and sometimes seriously hurt us. There are no walks or free bases, but all strikes are foul balls, so you can't strike out. There are only two ways to advance, to first base. Either get a good hit or get hit with the ball. Those are our rewards. All strikes are foul balls, because that shows the effort and determination we used to try and get a good hit, but did not succeed. That effort, alone, keeps us in the game. A good hit will get us on base, but we have to use all of the gifts and talents we have, in an effort NOT to be put out, when we try to advance to the next base. To win the game, we have to swing at every pitch. If we get knocked down, we have to get up before the next pitch is thrown, stand in at the plate and swing again, hoping for the home run.
Friday, July 2, 2010
What is Truth
I was speaking to a friend of mine, the other day. We were talking about truth and she was pretty straightforward, when she said, "The truth is, we're born and we die and that's it." She went on to say that we had no being, or conscience, before we were born and we will have none, after we die. Now, let me kind of qualify this statement she made, so you will understand better as to why she said it. She is struggling in her life. Just like millions of other people, she can hardly make it in this world, financially. She doesn't even have reliable transportation. Probably doesn't get enough to eat and it may not be nutritious food. I'm sure she has medical problems, possibly her family as well. In other words, she is destitute. Not only financially, but physically, emotionally and spiritually as well. She could not understand why she has to go through what she is going through.
My immediate reaction, to her comment was shock. I didn't know what to say, at that moment. Soon after, we ended our discussion and I felt kind of bad, because I could not, at that time, say anything, to make her feel better. As time passed, I could not get my friend, and her dilemma out of my head. Eventually, she had my complete attention. I was not going to be able to move on, until I could come up with a better definition of truth, than she had.
So, I thought and pondered and prayed and thought and pondered some more, until I finally came up with my definition of truth. And that's just what it is, "my definition." I have no idea what anyone else thinks of it, but this is what I will live by.
In the world, especially in legal matters, truth is facts; and just the facts. It is no surprise that a lot of innocent people are imprisoned, today, because of "just the facts." I said to myself, "There has got to be something more to truth than fact." Then, I thought that the truth must be a good thing, because God cannot lie. "Why can't God lie?" I asked myself. Then it came to me that God knows everything. He doesn't depend just on the facts. Or should I say, "The facts of the matter at hand." He takes everything into consideration. Not just the present, but the past also. Not just this mortal life, but our premortal life with Him, before we lived on this earth. He gets His understanding, not just from the facts, but from all influences that may have caused the facts, to be what they are.
What I learned is that God's truth, which, in my opinion, is the only truth, includes more than mere fact. I think I can safely say that God is perfect. Everything He does, He does perfectly...especially in His judgment, or how He perceives things. (Remember that, He has set the perfect example, for us to live by.) He sees things differently, because He has a "Perfect knowledge of all things." So, my definition of truth is, "To have a perfect knowledge of EVERYTHING.
You may have seen the movie, or read the book, "The Butterfly Effect". This suggests that actions taken here, can and do have an effect in other parts of the world. For instance, you may be walking in town or through the mall and you meet someone. You say, hi, have a nice conversation, say good bye and he leaves feeling better than he did, before you met. Because you caused him to feel better, he does something nice for someone else and this just snowballs until maybe hundreds or thousands of people feel better, just because you stopped and had a nice conversation, with this strange man. Kind of like the movie, "Pay It Forward". Likewise, if you said something to make the man worse, that could snowball, as well.
This is where the truth lies. Because God has a perfect knowledge of all things, He has the real and only truth. Because the judicial system does not have a perfect knowledge of all things, innocent people go to prison. Because we do not and cannot have a perfect knowledge of all things, in this life, especially other people, we are more prone to make poor judgments, concerning them. If someone says or does something to us that hurts our feelings or makes us feel bad, we may make the judgment to be angry, not consider him a friend or worse, tell a lot of people what he did to us. When, in fact, this man may be feeling bad, because he had a flat tire on the way to work or he may be going through some sever financial difficulties or a bitter divorce or maybe his wife or close friend just died. Because we don't know this person, we can't and don't know anything about him or what all of his circumstances are.
It is true, however, that he shouldn't have done or said what he did and, ultimately, he is responsible for it. But, if we knew everything about this man, what he's going through, what influences he's had throughout his life, we could understand him better and maybe show a bit, or a lot, more compassion toward him. This is how God judges us.
I think this is the problem my friend is having. She's going through all of life's problems, not knowing why and she makes a snap or irrational judgment on something she knows very little about. I think it would benefit us more, if we seek out more of the truth, before we make any judgments too soon.
My immediate reaction, to her comment was shock. I didn't know what to say, at that moment. Soon after, we ended our discussion and I felt kind of bad, because I could not, at that time, say anything, to make her feel better. As time passed, I could not get my friend, and her dilemma out of my head. Eventually, she had my complete attention. I was not going to be able to move on, until I could come up with a better definition of truth, than she had.
So, I thought and pondered and prayed and thought and pondered some more, until I finally came up with my definition of truth. And that's just what it is, "my definition." I have no idea what anyone else thinks of it, but this is what I will live by.
In the world, especially in legal matters, truth is facts; and just the facts. It is no surprise that a lot of innocent people are imprisoned, today, because of "just the facts." I said to myself, "There has got to be something more to truth than fact." Then, I thought that the truth must be a good thing, because God cannot lie. "Why can't God lie?" I asked myself. Then it came to me that God knows everything. He doesn't depend just on the facts. Or should I say, "The facts of the matter at hand." He takes everything into consideration. Not just the present, but the past also. Not just this mortal life, but our premortal life with Him, before we lived on this earth. He gets His understanding, not just from the facts, but from all influences that may have caused the facts, to be what they are.
What I learned is that God's truth, which, in my opinion, is the only truth, includes more than mere fact. I think I can safely say that God is perfect. Everything He does, He does perfectly...especially in His judgment, or how He perceives things. (Remember that, He has set the perfect example, for us to live by.) He sees things differently, because He has a "Perfect knowledge of all things." So, my definition of truth is, "To have a perfect knowledge of EVERYTHING.
You may have seen the movie, or read the book, "The Butterfly Effect". This suggests that actions taken here, can and do have an effect in other parts of the world. For instance, you may be walking in town or through the mall and you meet someone. You say, hi, have a nice conversation, say good bye and he leaves feeling better than he did, before you met. Because you caused him to feel better, he does something nice for someone else and this just snowballs until maybe hundreds or thousands of people feel better, just because you stopped and had a nice conversation, with this strange man. Kind of like the movie, "Pay It Forward". Likewise, if you said something to make the man worse, that could snowball, as well.
This is where the truth lies. Because God has a perfect knowledge of all things, He has the real and only truth. Because the judicial system does not have a perfect knowledge of all things, innocent people go to prison. Because we do not and cannot have a perfect knowledge of all things, in this life, especially other people, we are more prone to make poor judgments, concerning them. If someone says or does something to us that hurts our feelings or makes us feel bad, we may make the judgment to be angry, not consider him a friend or worse, tell a lot of people what he did to us. When, in fact, this man may be feeling bad, because he had a flat tire on the way to work or he may be going through some sever financial difficulties or a bitter divorce or maybe his wife or close friend just died. Because we don't know this person, we can't and don't know anything about him or what all of his circumstances are.
It is true, however, that he shouldn't have done or said what he did and, ultimately, he is responsible for it. But, if we knew everything about this man, what he's going through, what influences he's had throughout his life, we could understand him better and maybe show a bit, or a lot, more compassion toward him. This is how God judges us.
I think this is the problem my friend is having. She's going through all of life's problems, not knowing why and she makes a snap or irrational judgment on something she knows very little about. I think it would benefit us more, if we seek out more of the truth, before we make any judgments too soon.
Monday, June 14, 2010
The Origins of Man
So, now we have attempted, although it be an attempt severely wanting, to realize the vastness in the creation of the universe. The truth is, not even our most brilliant scientists know how large, "the heavens" (Gen. 1:1) are. I am confident we can agree, however, it would be a long walk to the moon. Let's move on to a part of the creation that we haven't discussed...the creation of man.
Through multiple revelations and translations, for example, came a description of a universe far, far exceeding the astrophysics of the 1830s, a cosmos containing “worlds without number” and advising us further that the “inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters [of] God” (Moses 1:33; D&C 76:24).Anciently, the vastness of Abraham’s eventual posterity was compared to the sand of the sea, a staggering promise (see Gen. 22:17).
I brought this from the previous chapter, in order to point something out, that you may have missed. After "worlds without number" was mentioned, it goes on to imply that all of these worlds are also inhabited by the sons and daughters of God. Yes, you understood me correctly. All of these other worlds, that can't be numbered, are inhabited by the children of "The Almighty". But, wouldn't that make sense? In all of the unmeasured heavens that God has created, the galaxies, planets, suns and stars, it would be a little silly to make all of that space for the children of God, on this little earth. I heard it said in the movie, "First Contact", starring Jodi Foster. Her father said, "For us to be the only people in the universe would be an awful lot of wasted space". I don't think I could have said it better. So, we have just cast some serious doubt as to this planet, earth, being the only planet, in all of God's heavens, that He has placed His children, to live.
If you will notice, in the title of this chapter, it says 'the origins of man'. No, that's not a mistake. Origins is the correct word. Thus far, we have discussed the natural, or physical or mortal, creation of the heavens, the earth and man. I would also venture to suggest to you that this is the second creation, as well. That's right, God created the heavens, the earth and man spiritually, before He created them physically. There are several references to this fact, in the christian scriptures, which I choose to use, because I am a Christian, but I am only going to give you two.
"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?" Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:1-7) God is referring Job back to the creation. I want to refer you to the last part, 'sons of God shouted for joy'. This would suggest that spirits existed before the physical creation of the heavens and the earth.
"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5) There are some things I would like to call your attention to, right now. 1. God knew Jeremiah before He formed him in the womb. This is pretty straight forward and applies to all of us, as well. We existed before the second creation. This is where our value as a physical person begins to come to light. 2. I sanctified thee. To be sanctified is "To be pardoned from punishment for sin and declared guiltless. A person is justified by the Savior’s grace through faith in him. This faith is shown by repentance and obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Jesus Christ’s atonement enables mankind to repent and be justified or pardoned from punishment they otherwise would receive." (Old Testament Bible Dictionary) These are the conditions we must meet, in order for us to realize our full potential, not as a man, but as a 'Child of God' and heir to all of His creations. Here is what really brings it all home, if we ever doubt our worth. 3. I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Now, we all cannot be prophets to the nations, but we can be prophets over the things God has given us responsibility for. Our family, job, service to God or anything else He may put in our charge. This strongly suggests that we were called, before we were born, to serve a specific mission on this earth, if we live the commandments, as He has given them to us and if we accept the call.
Before you read any further, in this book, I would like you to stop and reflect on the things you have just read. Do not take them at face value. Pray for the spirit to testify the truthfulness of these words to you. "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man, availeth much." (James 5:16)
Through multiple revelations and translations, for example, came a description of a universe far, far exceeding the astrophysics of the 1830s, a cosmos containing “worlds without number” and advising us further that the “inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters [of] God” (Moses 1:33; D&C 76:24).Anciently, the vastness of Abraham’s eventual posterity was compared to the sand of the sea, a staggering promise (see Gen. 22:17).
I brought this from the previous chapter, in order to point something out, that you may have missed. After "worlds without number" was mentioned, it goes on to imply that all of these worlds are also inhabited by the sons and daughters of God. Yes, you understood me correctly. All of these other worlds, that can't be numbered, are inhabited by the children of "The Almighty". But, wouldn't that make sense? In all of the unmeasured heavens that God has created, the galaxies, planets, suns and stars, it would be a little silly to make all of that space for the children of God, on this little earth. I heard it said in the movie, "First Contact", starring Jodi Foster. Her father said, "For us to be the only people in the universe would be an awful lot of wasted space". I don't think I could have said it better. So, we have just cast some serious doubt as to this planet, earth, being the only planet, in all of God's heavens, that He has placed His children, to live.
If you will notice, in the title of this chapter, it says 'the origins of man'. No, that's not a mistake. Origins is the correct word. Thus far, we have discussed the natural, or physical or mortal, creation of the heavens, the earth and man. I would also venture to suggest to you that this is the second creation, as well. That's right, God created the heavens, the earth and man spiritually, before He created them physically. There are several references to this fact, in the christian scriptures, which I choose to use, because I am a Christian, but I am only going to give you two.
"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?" Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:1-7) God is referring Job back to the creation. I want to refer you to the last part, 'sons of God shouted for joy'. This would suggest that spirits existed before the physical creation of the heavens and the earth.
"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5) There are some things I would like to call your attention to, right now. 1. God knew Jeremiah before He formed him in the womb. This is pretty straight forward and applies to all of us, as well. We existed before the second creation. This is where our value as a physical person begins to come to light. 2. I sanctified thee. To be sanctified is "To be pardoned from punishment for sin and declared guiltless. A person is justified by the Savior’s grace through faith in him. This faith is shown by repentance and obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Jesus Christ’s atonement enables mankind to repent and be justified or pardoned from punishment they otherwise would receive." (Old Testament Bible Dictionary) These are the conditions we must meet, in order for us to realize our full potential, not as a man, but as a 'Child of God' and heir to all of His creations. Here is what really brings it all home, if we ever doubt our worth. 3. I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Now, we all cannot be prophets to the nations, but we can be prophets over the things God has given us responsibility for. Our family, job, service to God or anything else He may put in our charge. This strongly suggests that we were called, before we were born, to serve a specific mission on this earth, if we live the commandments, as He has given them to us and if we accept the call.
Before you read any further, in this book, I would like you to stop and reflect on the things you have just read. Do not take them at face value. Pray for the spirit to testify the truthfulness of these words to you. "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man, availeth much." (James 5:16)
How Did This World Come To Be?
During the course of this book, my goal is to help you realize: 1. Your innate relationship with God; 2. The power you have and can have to achieve anything you desire; and 3. What the secrets are, to harness this power. In fact, when you find out how easy it is, you will probably ask yourself why you haven't found this before. To do this, I need to establish one concept, and that is, "How did we come to be."
OK, so let's begin with that well known scripture, "In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth." (Gen. 1:1) And, as the story goes, God also created the lights, which is the sun, moon and stars. He created all plant life, animal life, marine life and the birds of the air. You probably say, "Yeah, I know that God created the Heavens and the Earth. So, what's new?" First, let's just explore this phrase, to see what all it involves.
"God created the Heavens...". Let's address this, for a moment. We may know the heavens as our solar system, which consists of our sun, this earth and the other eight planets ( I'd rather not give up on Pluto, I don't care what the scientists, say.) Did you know it takes over four days for man to fly to the moon? Did you know it took the Mars' spacecraft over three months, to travel from earth to Mars? It takes several years for our spacecraft to leave our solar system and there is only one star in our solar system...the sun.
We hear space scientists refer to distance in terms of 'light years'. That would be the 'speed of light', 286,000 miles per second. So, a light year consists of the distance covered, traveling at 286,000 miles per second, for one year. And these scientists speak about traveling many, many light years to the next galaxy, thousands of light years to the next star. And to the end of the Universe? Our scientists don't even know where the end of the Universe is.
We know there are millions, no, billions upon billions of stars in the universe, that we can identify. How many more stars are in the parts of the Universe that we can't see? Through multiple revelations and translations, for example, came a description of a universe far, far exceeding the astrophysics of the 1830s, a cosmos containing “worlds without number” and advising us further that the “inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters [of] God” (Moses 1:33; D&C 76:24).
Anciently, the vastness of Abraham’s eventual posterity was compared to the sand of the sea, a staggering promise (see Gen. 22:17). The Restoration’s revelations and translations accommodate a vast universe; thus it is no surprise to us that scientists’ latest estimate of the number of stars in the universe is approximately 70 sextillion—“more stars in the sky,” scientists say, “than there are grains of sand in every beach and desert on Earth” (Allison M. Heinrichs, “The Stellar Census: 70 Sextillion,” Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2003; see also Carl Sagan, Cosmos [1980], 196). Let's just say that we cannot comprehend the vastness of God's creation, with the human mind's eye. Let's move on, because we could never come up with a feasible answer to the amount of space God created in our Universe, let alone all of the other Universes He created besides this one. Now, isn't that pretty amazing? And all of this was done for the benefit of man.
OK, so let's begin with that well known scripture, "In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth." (Gen. 1:1) And, as the story goes, God also created the lights, which is the sun, moon and stars. He created all plant life, animal life, marine life and the birds of the air. You probably say, "Yeah, I know that God created the Heavens and the Earth. So, what's new?" First, let's just explore this phrase, to see what all it involves.
"God created the Heavens...". Let's address this, for a moment. We may know the heavens as our solar system, which consists of our sun, this earth and the other eight planets ( I'd rather not give up on Pluto, I don't care what the scientists, say.) Did you know it takes over four days for man to fly to the moon? Did you know it took the Mars' spacecraft over three months, to travel from earth to Mars? It takes several years for our spacecraft to leave our solar system and there is only one star in our solar system...the sun.
We hear space scientists refer to distance in terms of 'light years'. That would be the 'speed of light', 286,000 miles per second. So, a light year consists of the distance covered, traveling at 286,000 miles per second, for one year. And these scientists speak about traveling many, many light years to the next galaxy, thousands of light years to the next star. And to the end of the Universe? Our scientists don't even know where the end of the Universe is.
We know there are millions, no, billions upon billions of stars in the universe, that we can identify. How many more stars are in the parts of the Universe that we can't see? Through multiple revelations and translations, for example, came a description of a universe far, far exceeding the astrophysics of the 1830s, a cosmos containing “worlds without number” and advising us further that the “inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters [of] God” (Moses 1:33; D&C 76:24).
Anciently, the vastness of Abraham’s eventual posterity was compared to the sand of the sea, a staggering promise (see Gen. 22:17). The Restoration’s revelations and translations accommodate a vast universe; thus it is no surprise to us that scientists’ latest estimate of the number of stars in the universe is approximately 70 sextillion—“more stars in the sky,” scientists say, “than there are grains of sand in every beach and desert on Earth” (Allison M. Heinrichs, “The Stellar Census: 70 Sextillion,” Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2003; see also Carl Sagan, Cosmos [1980], 196). Let's just say that we cannot comprehend the vastness of God's creation, with the human mind's eye. Let's move on, because we could never come up with a feasible answer to the amount of space God created in our Universe, let alone all of the other Universes He created besides this one. Now, isn't that pretty amazing? And all of this was done for the benefit of man.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Breaking Away
While I'm researching and writing my first chapter for my book, I thought I would just share with you a quick victory, in my life, that came only by the good graces of God.
Since 2005, my children have placed, upon me, the blame and responsibility for the dissolving of our family. For a while, I thought it was my fault, that my actions, alone, caused the destruction of my family. I did everything possible to make things better and get the family to reunite. But, all of the apologies I made, all of the sacrifices I made, all of the counseling I went to, all of the sleep I lost and all of the tears I cried were not enough to bring us back together again. I searched and I searched for anything else I could possibly do to make things right, but could find none. While I was blaming myself, along with all of the other people that were blaming me, for the disintegration of my family, my mind was suddenly cleared and my spiritual eyes were opened when God told me that I have done everything I could possibly do and everything I should do to get this family back together. He said the responsibility was not with me, anymore, that it lies with the family members who turned away from my wife and myself. He said they are the ones who need to forgive, now. They are the ones who need to put this situation behind them, forget it and move on. And he said that is what I should do, also. He said I should put it all behind me, forget it and move on, because as long as I was living in the past, I could not serve and help Him, in the future. And, I have done that. My children still don’t speak to me, I don’t even get the recognition of existence. But that is ok because it is their choice, not mine, to keep the family broken up. I cannot make their decisions for them. All I can do is make the best of the decisions they make. And the best I can do is to move on, do what I am supposed to do and leave the family situation in God’s hands. And that is what I’ve done…and believe it or not, I am happy with the decision I made. When I doubted, He reassured me, when I erred, He forgave me, when I cried He comforted me and when I fell He lifted me up. I am exactly where God wants me to be at this point if my life. Ever learning, ever loving Him, ever looking to Him for strength and direction. Praise God!
Since 2005, my children have placed, upon me, the blame and responsibility for the dissolving of our family. For a while, I thought it was my fault, that my actions, alone, caused the destruction of my family. I did everything possible to make things better and get the family to reunite. But, all of the apologies I made, all of the sacrifices I made, all of the counseling I went to, all of the sleep I lost and all of the tears I cried were not enough to bring us back together again. I searched and I searched for anything else I could possibly do to make things right, but could find none. While I was blaming myself, along with all of the other people that were blaming me, for the disintegration of my family, my mind was suddenly cleared and my spiritual eyes were opened when God told me that I have done everything I could possibly do and everything I should do to get this family back together. He said the responsibility was not with me, anymore, that it lies with the family members who turned away from my wife and myself. He said they are the ones who need to forgive, now. They are the ones who need to put this situation behind them, forget it and move on. And he said that is what I should do, also. He said I should put it all behind me, forget it and move on, because as long as I was living in the past, I could not serve and help Him, in the future. And, I have done that. My children still don’t speak to me, I don’t even get the recognition of existence. But that is ok because it is their choice, not mine, to keep the family broken up. I cannot make their decisions for them. All I can do is make the best of the decisions they make. And the best I can do is to move on, do what I am supposed to do and leave the family situation in God’s hands. And that is what I’ve done…and believe it or not, I am happy with the decision I made. When I doubted, He reassured me, when I erred, He forgave me, when I cried He comforted me and when I fell He lifted me up. I am exactly where God wants me to be at this point if my life. Ever learning, ever loving Him, ever looking to Him for strength and direction. Praise God!
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