Scripture Blog

This weblog is my personal online scripture journal. I try to read the scriptures each morning as I exercise on my cross-trainer. It has a great impact on my life and my testimony of the Savior and his restored church. The journal is really for my own benefit but I have set it up as a web log in hopes to benefit anyone else that may be interested. "For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost..." 1 Nephi 10:19

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Luke 1:1-4; John 1:1-18, 17:1-5

We learn from John that in the pre-mortal state -

"...there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels..." (New Testament Revelation 12:7)

We read in modern revelation that anciently the great patriarchs -

"...Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing.
54 And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel." (Doctrine and Covenants Section 107:53 - 54)

Adam, who was father of all nations, fought with his angels fought against the dragon and the dragon -

"...prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (New Testament Revelation 12:8 - 9)

We learn more of what this war in heaven was about as God explained to Moses -

God told Moses –

“…Satan…is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.” (Pearl of Great Price Moses 4:1)

In contrast, Our Father in Heaven talked of His–

“…Beloved Son, which was [His] Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, [Who] said unto [Him]—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.” (Pearl of Great Price Moses 4:2)

Even -

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." (Old Testament Isaiah 6:8)

'For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." (New Testament John 6:38)

We receive more incite on this war as the Lord tells Moses –

“Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down…”
(Pearl of Great Price Moses 4:3)

Even though Satan and one third of the hosts of heaven were cast down, the war continues today. Satan has never veered from his proposal. He continues to fight and exercise his plan of control, compulsion, dominance, for his own honor, power, glory, and gain.

Elder Henry D. Taylor said -
“Here we observe two different personalities and two different motives of operation. Satan would have removed a person’s free agency and he proposed to redeem all mankind by force, for which he wanted the recognition, honor, and glory. The plan of Jesus would allow individuals to make a choice between what they considered to be right and what they felt would be wrong, and recommended that all honor and glory would be attributed to the Father.” (Henry D. Taylor, “The Right to Choose,” Ensign, May 1976, 72)

It becomes clear who the Savior was in the Old Testament as Paul teaches the Corinthians -

"And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." (New Testament 1 Corinthians 10:4)

Even the Savior declared of himself -

"...Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." (New Testament John 8:58)

Which basically means before Abraham, was I, Jehovah.

And then It is revealed to John how all those who kept their first estate, this premortal existence, would be able to keep their second estate -

"...Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony..." (New Testament Revelation 12:10 - 11)

Friday, October 20, 2006

Luke 1:1-4; John 1:1-18, 17:1-5

The angel asked Nephi –

“…Knowest thou the condescension of God?” (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 11:16)

To which Nephi answered –

“…I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.” (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 11:17)

John gives us some great insight on the condescension of God as he writes –

“IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.” (New Testament John 1:1 - 2)

For some this verse may seem confusing without a 1916 statement by the First Presidency –

“Among the spirit children of Elohim the firstborn was and is . . . Jesus Christ to whom all others are juniors.” (Clark, Messages of the First Presidency [Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, Charles W.Penrose], 5:33.)

The Savior was the birthright son, and he retained that birthright by his strict obedience. Through the aeons and ages of premortality, he advanced and progressed. Abraham earned by revelation that –

“…by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.
33 And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.” (Pearl of Great Price Moses 1:32 - 33)

As one studies the magnitude of worlds in our galaxy and the number of galaxies scientists have presently suggested, we begin to understand the greatness and experience of he who came to earth to atone for our sins. It was by his obedience and all he created, in this pre-existence estate that we read –

“…there stood one among them that was like unto God…” (Pearl of Great Price Abraham 3:24)

Before coming to the earth, our Savior, Jesus Christ – the “Word” was like unto God. And being like a God was also a God. President Joseph Fielding Smith taught –

“Our Savior was a God before he was born into this world and he brought with him that same status when he came here. He was as much a God when he was born into the world as he was before.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:32.)

In this premortal estate, Jesus was, under the Father, the Creator and Redeemer of the Father’s worlds.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (New Testament John 1:14)

As we ponder this, I think we can better understand the “condescension of God”. Alma taught –
“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance…” (Book of Mormon Alma 7:11 - 13)

“…Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.
16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—“ (Doctrine and Covenants Section 19:15 - 18)

In his intercessory prayer, the Savior prayed –

“…O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” (New Testament John 17:5)

Nephi was right –

“…I know that he loveth his children….” (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 11:17)