Eternal Perspective
For my blog this morning, I wanted to include my remarks Saturday evening in an adult session of stake conference on the topic of having an eternal perspective:
One of the principles of fluid dynamics is
that a fluid or liquid pushes back at the same pressure equal to the amount of
fluid that has been displaced. This
becomes obvious as you sit in a boat.
The water around the boat pushes against the boat equal to the amount of
water that has been displaced by the boat.
If you want to challenge that scientific principle, you could drill a
hole in the side of the boat below the water line and watch the pressure of
water flow into the boat. A good test
but not very smart.
We witness this same principle with a boat that
is in motion; the water resists or pushes back at the boat as it moves
forward. But, at the same time, as the
boat moves forward, water rushes back behind the boat, pushing the boat
forward. If there was no such thing as
friction, the boat would remain indefinitely in motion. Such
continuous motion would support Newton's first law of inertial; that "a
body at rest will remain at rest or a body in motion will remain in motions
unless an outside force acts upon it".
It is interesting that the physical properties of air follow much of the same principles of fluid dynamics. Again, air pushes back equal to the quantity air that is displaced. But because air is so much more fine and invisible so to speak, we generally do not recognize this to be so. In fact, because we do not see air, I'm sure that there would be some that would deny the existence of air if we did not need it to breath, or if we did not feel the wind as it flows across our faces.
For many years, science accepted Isaac Newton's
theory of gravity, that that bodies attract one another. Newton called it gravitational pull. The larger the body the greater the
attraction or the pulling force of gravity.
Thus, per his theory, we are attracted to the large body of the
earth. But many years after the widely acceptance
of the Newtonian theory of gravity, Albert Einstein postulated that bodies are
not pulled to earth, but surprisingly pushed to earth.
Applying much the same principles of fluid
dynamics, the same principles associated with water and air, Einstein
postulated (in a more simplified manner) that space pushes back equal to the
quantity of space displaced by large bodies such as the earth.
Thus, he claimed, we are pushed back to earth
by space. During the mid 20th century, this
theory of relativity was supposedly proven true. He entitled his theory as the space-time
continuum. To which, I would respond
...whatever!
But in my simple mind, if his theory is true,
I would have to reason, if space pushes back equal to the quantity of space that
is displaced, much like water and air, then space has to be something. It cannot be nothing. I have even wondered if space is nothing more
than "matter unorganized". For
the Lord has revealed –
"There is no such thing as immaterial
matter..." (Doctrine and Covenants
| Section 131:7)
Even adding, for an example that –
"All spirit is matter, but it is more
fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes..." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 131:7)
And maybe just in order to humble mankind when
we begin to think we are so smart, the Savior also taught –
"...there are many kingdoms; for there is
no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which
there is no space, either a greater or a lesser kingdom." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 88:37)
To which, again...my response is...whatever. My simple thinking is more in line with Nephi's
–
"...I know that he loveth his children;
nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." (Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 11:17)
Maybe that is why Jacob would later write that
–
“…it is impossible that man should find out
all his ways…” (Book of Mormon | Jacob
4:8)
But even though His ways and knowledge of all
things may seem incomprehensible and difficult for us to understand, yet, the
Lord has counseled us to –
"...Treasure these things up in your
hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 43:34)
In the same manner as space, we find it
difficult to comprehend no beginning of time nor end of time. But even so, if we are commanded to ponder
the solemnities of eternity, then we are thus counseled to ponder our infinite
and eternal nature and its relationship to the purpose of this life. In other words, where did we come from, why
are we here, and where are we going.
I am sure that one reason He commands us
"let the solemnities of eternity rest upon our lives, is because in our day-to-day
responsibilities such as work, family, and church, as well as challenges
related to health, caring for the elderly, and many other tribulations, we may
fail to pause and reflect on the big picture of things and the overall purpose
of our existence.
The Lord desires that we begin to look at
things as He does. He wants us to look
at life with an Eternal perspective.
In order to do that, we need
to pause, and have, what some call, a "high mountain"
experience. Abraham, Nephi, the Brother
of Jared, Moses, and many others had "high mountain" experiences
where we are scripturally blessed to be able to read the visions of the
eternities that rested upon their minds.
Not long ago, I was on an air flight where I
left from a foreign land. The flight
seemed to last forever. Finally, as we
made preparation for landing at the Salt Lake airport, I looked out the
window. I remember thinking…there is my
life. Over there is where I live and go
to church. Right there is where I drive
to work every day. And right below me right
now is my office. And then, in what
seemed to be just a moment, it was over and we landed at the airport.
I couldn’t help but compare this experience to
the eternities and our life here on earth.
First, we have come from eternity...that is, each of us has always
been. That is a hard thing to
comprehend, but of great importance that we do.
The scriptures provide some limited insight on the matter.
As I was recently reading, what many early
saints referred to as “the vision”, what is now the 76th section of
the Doctrine and Covenants, there was one verse seemed to jump out off of the
page –
“…for the Lord is God, and beside him there is
no Savior…. From eternity to eternity he is
the same...” (Doctrine and Covenants |
Section 76:1 - 4)
What a profound truth. That is, from eternity, even to eternity, the
Savior has been and will be the same. In
my mind, that would suggest that the Savior has always been, and (this is
important) has always been the same. This
suggests to me that He has always been the same person or better said, personage and also a personage of the same
gender…and in His particular case, He was found worthy to be the Firstborn of spirits
to our Heavenly Parents.
This being so, reason would follow that since
we are spirit siblings of the Savior, that we too are from eternity and we have
always been the same. And thus, we have
always been personages of the same gender.
This follows "The Family, a Proclamation to the World", which states…
"Gender is an essential characteristic of
individual pre-mortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."
Little is revealed of our pre-spirit existence
other than Abraham was told that there were –
“…intelligences that were organized before the
world was…” (Pearl of Great Price |
Abraham 3:22)
In other words, gathered or grouped together. The
Prophet Joseph Smith taught –
"...The intelligence of spirits had no
beginning, neither will it have an end..." (Teachings of the Prophet
Joseph Smith)
For –
"...Intelligence...was not created or
made, neither indeed can be."
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 93:29)
And of "intelligences", you and I
that had no beginning, the Lord defined intelligence as that which –
“…forsake that evil one.” (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 93:37)
This would suggest to me then, that as
personages of intelligence, being from eternity, we must have in some manner, forsaken
evil. With the eternal law of agency and
the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ, we too must have proved worthy, as the
Savior, to become spirit offspring of Divine Parents, for as Paul taught on
Mars Hill that –
“…we are also his offspring….” (New Testament | Acts 17:28)
Thus as intelligences, we were clothed spirit
bodies. I have no idea how long we lived
in this pre-mortal existence as spirit personages other than we are taught that
our agency continued there. Living life as
spirit beings, it seems apparent that we continued developing faith in Jesus
Christ and His infinite atonement, we gained knowledge, and having been given
agency, we must have strived to repent and forsake evil.
Then the day came when it was made known that we were to be given the opportunity to obtain bodies of flesh and blood much like our Heavenly Parents. The plan presented apparently followed much the same pattern as that from eternity. The plan was that in this next estate, with our God given agency, we would face the challenge of seeking truth, again striving to forsake the evil one, and developing faith in Jesus Christ and His infinite atonement. But in this new estate, a new condition of a veil of forgetfulness would be draped across our minds…and in addition with this veil of forgetfulness, another condition would be that we would be required to live in a telestial world having opposition in all things. And it would be, while living in this next estate, facing these new and challenging conditions, that our divine parents said –
"...we will prove them herewith, to see
if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command
them..." (Pearl of Great Price |
Abraham 3:25)
Having looked forward to this great test and
growing opportunity, even from eternity, it is written that –
“…the morning stars sang together, and all the
sons of God shouted for joy…” (Old
Testament | Job 38:7)
Now that we are here, experiencing such things
as pain, sorrow and tribulation, we may not necessarily be as excited as we
were then. That is why, periodically, we
need to pause and set aside a little time in order to reflect, and ponder the
solemnities of eternity. As we do, we
will begin to better understand how
insignificant the relative time of this life is in comparison to the landscape
of space and eternity. Is it any
wonder, the Savior told the Prophet Joseph Smith, as he suffered in the Liberty
Jail? –
“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine
adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment...” (Doctrine and
Covenants | Section 121:7)
Yes, from an eternal perspective, obviously, this
life is but a small moment when compared to the eternities, even though at
times, it may not seem as such. But the Lord
promised –
“…if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee
on high…” (Doctrine and Covenants |
Section 121:8)
Even though, in our limited mortal perspective,
this life many not seem like a moment, the Lord has lovingly said –
"Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes,
for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which
shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.
4 For after much tribulation come the
blessings...." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 58:3 – 4)
For us to have a so called "high
mountain" experience, we must step away for our day-to-day activities and
find time and a place to let the solemnities of eternity rest upon our
minds. Obviously, one "high
mountain" where we can step away too would be the "Mountain of the Lord's
House" or His holy temple. It is
there that we are taught and reminded of "the plan" and the eternal
nature of things.
Other high mountain or holy places may be in
the home, where we may study and ponder the scriptures, kneel in personal and family
prayer, and take to time to have meaningful conversations.
Another holy place where we may have a high
mountain experience might be during the prelude music of sacrament meeting and in
the administration of the sacrament. Of
course, to have this high mountain experience during the prelude music would
require many of us to come to Church a little bit earlier, wouldn't it?
And you may also find other personal holy
places where you can quietly ponder the solemnities of eternity.
Much like my flight into the Salt Lake
airport, a similar experience can be had as one departs the airport to a
distant destination. Again, just for a
moment, one may again see one's life pass before them as they are fly off to
some foreign destination.
As we again make an analogy of this experience
in relationship to the purpose of life and eternities, our final destination in
the eternities will be determined by how we keep His commandments and endure the
tribulations of this life.
Those that end up being judged as "the
wicked”, because they will not repent, believe it or not, will receive an
eternal reward of glory. I believe that they
have earned such a glorious reward because of the manner of their progression
“from eternity”. Obviously, they must
have earned some kind of reward.
But it is important to understand that they
will only receive this glory after they have suffered for their own sins. It has always been then that way. Those that will not repent must suffer for
their own sins…even as it has been established from the eternities. This is
called the law of justice. After their
resurrection, their glory will be limited though, even as that of the stars as compared
to the sun.
I confess this evening that I have a personal obsession
and weakness when it comes to sports and competition. I admit that I get too wrapped up in sports
and in winning and losing. When a team I
want to win loses, something deep inside me seems to burn and irritate the heck
out of me and even I times, I can’t get to sleep.
My mind logically reasons that a loss in sport
really doesn't matter and has no importance or impact in my life. But even as I try to talk myself out of it, the
frustration and burning tends to remains.
What I’ve come to realize is that which is
really bothering me is the idea “of what could have been”, that is , how much more
happier and content I would have been had they only won. I admit that this frustration usually lasts a
day or two and then it goes away.
But sometimes it doesn’t go away so easy. To this day, I still don’t like hearing the
name of Michael Jordan...it tends to recall some painful memories. I sometimes experience the same feelings with
politics where I find myself thinking again "oh, how much better things
would have been, if only..." I will
avoid going into any more detail on that this evening.
Considering the final state of the wicked, It
is my personal opinion that even though the impenitent will receive a
comparative glory of the stars, I believe that these are they that will live
for an eternity of with “what could have been”.
In my mind, that is why the Lord described it as –
"...the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and
all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death."
(New Testament | Revelation 21:8)
“…whose
flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever, which
lake of fire and brimstone is endless torment.”
(Book of Mormon | Jacob 6:10)
Again, it is my personal opinion that this “forever
and ever” lake of fire and brimstone will be the haunting eternal question of
"what could have been?"
There is also another group that will receive
glory which we know is much greater when compared to the stars, but which glory
is that of the moon as compared to the sun.
The scriptures describe several types of groups and individuals that may
qualify for this glory. But of all these
individuals, He summarizes the key condition that qualifies, or better said,
limits an individual to this glory is –
“These are they who are not valiant in the
testimony of Jesus…” (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 76:79)
Obviously then, these are they that at some
point, whether in this life or the next, received a testimony of Jesus, but then
chose to not be valiant in that testimony.
In my mind, those that are not valiant in the
testimony of Jesus would be those that give up, who harden their hearts(Jacob
6:4). These are they then that fail to
strive to keep the commandments and their covenants, or in other words, they
take them lightly...as well as, they fail to endure to the end. Of these that are not valiant, the Lord said
–
"...it shall be tolerable for them." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 45:54)
How would you like to spend the rest of eternity
having received a glory that is only "tolerable"? In my mind, an eternal life that would barely
tolerable would be like being assigned to teach Jr. High School forever and
ever.
Maybe, one of the logical reasons that this
glory will be barely tolerable throughout eternity will because the joy and happiness
that comes through family life will be lost.
For me, not having the blessing of family would be intolerable and
unbearable.
But the greatest destination or glory would be
that of eternal life and exaltation –
"...which is the greatest of all the
gifts of God..."(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 6:13)
Those that receive this glory are they that
are valiant being defined as these –
"...are they who received the testimony
of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his
burial…
52 That
by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their
sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is
ordained and sealed unto this power;
53 And
who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the
Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 76:51 - 53)
This is the doctrine of Christ. This is being valiant in the testimony of
Jesus. These are they that continue to strive to keep their covenants.
Of the valiant, the promises are, these are –
"...they who keep their second estate
shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever." (Pearl of Great Price | Abraham 3:26)
Where –
"...all that my Father hath shall be
given unto [them]." (Doctrine and
Covenants | Section 84:38)
These are they that –
"...shall come forth in the first
resurrection...and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers,
dominions, all heights and depths...to their exaltation and glory in all things...which
glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever."
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 132:19)
In other words, families will be forever,
for –
"...that same sociality which exists
among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal
glory..." (Doctrine and Covenants |
Section 130:2)
Where –
"...[their] dominion shall be an everlasting
dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto [them] forever and
ever." (Doctrine and Covenants |
Section 121:46)
"This is eternal lives..." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 132:24)
This is what can be for each of us for the eternities.
I would like to return back to the basement dungeon
of Liberty Jail. As the suffering Prophet
Joseph Smith began writing an inspired letter to the saints, he lamented -
"O GOD, where art thou? And where is the
pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?...3 Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them?" (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 121:1 - 3)
He even pleaded "Oh our God" –
"Remember thy suffering saints..." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 121:6)
And then, as he continued to write this letter, he had a "high mountain" experience, even in an underground dungeon, the Lord revealed some of the most profound doctrines of this dispensation we now know as sections 121, 122, 123 of the Doctrine and Covenants. It was as he was writing this inspired letter; he was inspired to write –
"...because the things of God are of deep
import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts
can only find them out. Thy mind, O man! if thou wilt lead a soul unto
salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens, and search into and
contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity—thou must
commune with God...." (Letter to
the Saints)
It was at the conclusion of this grand experience,
having now received a much higher perspective, even God's perspective, that a
marvelous transformation seem to take place in the Prophet. Whereas a discouraged Prophet began his
letter, a more positive Prophet finished this letter with –
"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let
us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power..." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 123:17)
Having had a high mountain experience, or
seeing things as God sees them, the Prophet had miraculously transformed from
" O GOD, where art thou? Remember thy suffering saints" to "let
us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power".
The Prophet would later write –
"...as for the perils which I am called
to pass through, they seem but a small thing to me..." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 127:2)
This transformation can happen in all of us. What
great wisdom may be had as we pause to have high mountain experiences, receiving
an eternal perspective, allowing –
"...the solemnities of eternity [to] rest
upon [our] minds." (Doctrine and
Covenants | Section 43:34)
As a stake presidency, we are somewhat aware
of your challenges, your afflictions, your trials and tribulations. We pray for you regularly. We even pray for many of you that may be silently
suffering.
But in all your afflictions and tribulations, we
hope and pray that you will continue to contemplate the solemnities of eternity
that you will strive to have "high mountain" experiences. And in doing so, we pray that you will remember
the words of the Savior –
"...peace be unto thy soul; thine
adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
8 And
then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high..." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 121:7 - 8)
"...the hour is not yet, but is nigh at
hand." (Doctrine and Covenants |
Section 58:4)
Therefore, I conclude this evening with a comforting
promise of the Savior –
"...even yet the kingdom is yours, and
shall be forever, if you fall not from your steadfastness." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 82:24)
posted by Jason | 9:34 AM
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