My ‘Own’ Miracles

I had what you might call a small miracle last Sunday. I was scheduled to work and I had a special project to do right off at 6am. On Saturday my boss called me to let me know he was going to come in just for my special project and then go home, because his boss had insisted. He didn't want to come in that Sunday; he had already told me, but the work I was doing was only going to take 30 minutes max. At 6am I started and was done in about 10 minutes. So I assumed my boss had taken off right after that, but an hour later I saw him still in his office.

He said he would be leaving shortly. I went up and watched the cameras and he literally tried to leave three times and each time as he got ready to enter his truck, he stopped, and headed back to his office. Just before each attempt he called the control room to tell them he was leaving. Something was keeping him there. Finally, he called me and asked if I had anything important going on at work I still needed to do. I let him know that I didn't. Then he said that he was going home and that I was welcome to go home too at my leisure.

Now this is out of character for my Boss. He is normally the guy that at 10am will say, "go around and see if anyone needs you today and if NOT you can go ahead and leave at 5:45pm today" when you were scheduled to work till 6pm.

It was great! I got to go to church with my family and I was able to get ahold of some people that have been really hard to get ahold of, and I even got to see our youngest take her first steps all on her own. I would have missed it had my boss not let me go early. The next day I thanked him for letting me go early and explained the highlights of my day. His response was, "You mean I did something right!" He has had a hard time at work recently and has been the direct cause of lots of roadblocks during this maintenance outage. I fact some at work were saying that every job my Boss had a hand in had failed in some way shape or form..

I had to leave really quick and head back to my desk, because I was suddenly overwhelmed with the spirit at this point. I had already thanked God for working on my Boss so that I could leave early on Sunday, but at that point I realized that the blessings of that Day where only in small part for me, but that the real reason for all those miracles was to lift my Boss' spirits, because the Lord knew how down in the dumps he felt. God knew that my Boss really needed to feel that he had hit a Homerun, and God knew I would recognize those miracles and tell my Boss. I am so thankful that the lord trusts me with the task of lifting the heads and hearts of his children.

The First Judgement

My scripture study recently came across 2 Nephi 9:7, which is a discourse by Jacob, given at the request of Nephi his older brother presumably at the Temple. In this verse there is a phrase that was unfamiliar to me, First Judgment. It makes sense to me that if there is to be a Finial Judgment then why not a First Judgment so I tried to go deeper, but really found nothing in church material that uses this term First Judgment.

7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

From the context of this singular use of the term by Jacob it appears that he is referring to something that took place with the fall of Adam. So immediately I went to the book of Moses 4:20-25

There are three Judgments proclaimed in this exchange between God and Those that dwelled on the Premortal Earth. The First Judgement is on Satan (and I would assume his followers):

20 And I, the Lord God, said unto the serpent: Because thou hast done this thou shalt be cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life;

 21 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed; and he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

The statement about being cursed above the all cattle seams really odd to me. As I pondered it I thought about how both accounts that we have are given to Moses and that just down the mountain the Israelite were building a golden calf and they had just left Egypt that has many gods that have forms of cattle. Then contrasting this to who he is speaking about, Satan. He who tried to take God's glory in exchange for making everyone pass the second estate. He wanted to be a God without the trials. I think this statement about being cursed above the cattle is that Satan will never be a god in the sense that our Heavenly Father is a God, but only a little more then a god as the cattle are. Worshiped but without any real glory or power. His progress to God hood has been stopped. In face Jacob in the next verse of 2 Nephi 9:8 tells us exactly that.

 8 O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.

"to rise no more" is defining what it means to become the devil, or in other words to stop in ones progression to becoming as god is.

The Second is the First Judgement on Woman:

 22 Unto the woman, I, the Lord God, said: I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

The Third is the First Judgement on Man:

 23 And unto Adam, I, the Lord God, said: Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the fruit of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying—Thou shalt not eat of it, cursed shall be the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.

 24 Thorns also, and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.

 25 By the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou shalt return unto the ground—for thou shalt surely die—for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou wast, and unto dust shalt thou return.

While I was studying this out I felt impressed that I might have look at the one third part being cast out of heaven with some false assumtions. While the Earth was still in its Premortal state it was still in Heaven in the presence of God the Eternal Father. So might it be that the three parts talked about are the Followers of Satan, Woman and Man. I know most people think of it as 1/3 and 2/3 but the scriptures normally say 'Part' meaning a segment or division not necessarily equal or the same. It just seams interesting to me I had never felt that impression before, but something rings true about it.

Foreordination – some thoughts

My mind has been all over the place lately and I can tell you I have been having some awesome spiritual experiences recently. Sad thing is, the situations around these experiences I’ve been in many times before but this time the whole experiences are almost surreal. If you remember in Mosiah 2:30 where King Benjamin says,

 “For even at this time, my whole frame doth tremble exceedingly while attempting to speak unto you; but the Lord God doth support me”

I feel like I have experienced that off and on.

I’m still connecting lots of dots that I never even considered before. It is like I am seeing with new eyes. We talk in the church about Foreordination which as defined by the church is different from Preordination. On the church website foreordination is explained such . . .

In the premortal spirit world, God appointed certain spirits to fulfill specific missions during their mortal lives. This is called foreordination. Foreordination does not guarantee that individuals will receive certain callings or responsibilities. Such opportunities come in this life as a result of the righteous exercise of agency, just as foreordination came as a result of righteousness in the premortal existence.

The doctrine of foreordination applies to all members of the Church, not just to the Savior and His prophets. Before the creation of the earth, faithful women were given certain responsibilities and faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood duties. As people prove themselves worthy, they will be given opportunities to fulfill the assignments they then received.

I’ve come to understand more fully what Joseph Smith meant when he taught that life is truly one eternal round.

In the Preexistence we learned our first lessons and prepared for the mortal realms. As part of this preparation we received blessings, instruction, and for the faithful foreordination in preparation for our mortal sojourns. When this journey is complete it is not intended to be the end of our progress. Yet, as we know a third part of the heavenly hosts have already ended their progress. We learn that the only realm after this life for which progress can continue is in the Glory of the Celestial Kingdom.

I have often heard it said that this life has two main events, receiving a physical body which we do at birth, and that of being tried and tested, which I’m not sure that even ends in this life or the life to come. The only thing I can relate this second item with is that of rebirth, or becoming born again through water, Spirit and blood as spoken of in Moses 6:59 which is a series of post all unto its self. The time frame for this is from mortal birth till the final judgment which takes place after the resurrection.

The only ordinance spoken of as required for entry into the Celestial kingdom is that of Baptism D&C 75:51-52 and as usual I speak of baptism as a whole (water, fire, and Spirit). I also understand that Eternal progress is possible for all in the Celestial realm not just those who receive Exaltation.

Would it not make sense that we should be prepared through instruction, blessings and foreordination in this mortal realm? The truth is we are. It happens predominantly in the Temple. Think of how the washing and anointing goes. If things are truly an eternal round and progress is only possible in the Celestial Kingdom and the only ordinance required for entry is baptism what is all the rest of the things we do in the church for. Even from birth the celestial patterns are began with the family structure. We practice just as children play house, we practice the celestial order of things in this life. We are continually preparing for higher realms.   We are to learn all we can in the second estate before we move onto the next, just as we were to do in the first estate before moving onto the one we are currently in. The more we learn here the better we will be off in the next. It is far easier for the spirit to remind us of what we once learned then to teach us those things anew.

The Patriarchal Priesthood

I noticed that in the Temple initiatory the workers “anoint you preparatory to your becoming a king and a priest unto the most high God, hereafter to rule and reign in the house of Israel forever.

In the endowment thy remind you specifically, “You have been anointed to become hereafter kings and priests unto the most high God, to rule and reign in the house of Israel forever.”  To receive this ordinances as a male you have to have received the Melchizedek priesthood. Even for a young man to enter the temple he must first have received of the Aaronic Priesthood.  Yet, even then you are not counted as a Priest unto God. The Office of Priest is as an office of the Aaronic Priesthood and High Priest is ia an office of the Melchizedek Priesthood. The King part I understand, but why not a Priest. The true name of the Melchizedek priesthood is I think key:

D&C 107 

2 Why the first is called the Melchizedek Priesthood is because Melchizedek was such a great high priest.
3 Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God.

4 But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood.

This is the Priesthood after the order of the Son, Not after the order of the Father.

It is interesting that In the Endowment you put on Aaronic Priesthood robs in the Telestial world and then change into Melchizedek Priesthood robes in preparation to enter the Terrestrial world, and yet you don’t change them again to go into the Celestial world; or do you.

The new garment that you receive in the temple is called the Garment of the Holy Priesthood. Holy is another name for God the Eternal Father, or Man of Holiness. Even in the initiatory for deceased brethren the Melchizedek Priesthood is bestowed upon them in the washing stage in preparation for the anointing which is in preparation for receiving the garment of the holy priesthood. Note the levels of progression and the roles of the members of the God Head. Let it not be confused the anointing is performed with the Melchizedek Priesthood only it is in many ways a fore-ordination into the the Order of God.

Joseph Smith taught that the true nature of the Patriarchal priesthood would be learned inside the Nauvoo Temple and urged the saints to complete it.

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Six 1843B 44, p.323

The 2nd Priesthood is Patriarchal authority. Go to and finish the temple, and God will fill it with power, and you will then receive more knowledge concerning this priesthood.

We learn that even in Moroni’s visits to Joseph that it would be Elijah that would reveal this priesthood

D&C 2

 1 Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

 2 And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.

 3 If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.

We know that it was in the Kirtland Temple that Elijah came to Joseph Smith Jr.

Again in the August of 1830 we have the lord talking about the three Priesthoods, yet he talks of the first, the last and then the second in this verse. Yet at this point only the first two priesthoods had been restored.

D&C 27

 7 And also John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he (Elias) visited and gave promise that he should have a son, and his name should be John, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias;

 8 Which John I have sent unto you, my servants, Joseph Smith, Jun., and Oliver Cowdery, to ordain you unto the first priesthood which you have received, that you might be called and ordained even as Aaron;
 9 And also Elijah, unto whom I have committed the keys of the power of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers, that the whole earth may not be smitten with a curse;
 10 And also with Joseph and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham, your fathers, by whom the promises remain;

 11 And also with Michael, or Adam, the father of all, the prince of all, the ancient of days;

 12 And also with Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles, and especial witnesses of my name, and bear the keys of your ministry and of the same things which I revealed unto them;

 13 Unto whom I have committed the keys of my kingdom, and a dispensation of the gospel for the last times; and for the fullness of times, in the which I will gather together in one all things, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth;

D&C 110 (1836)

 13 After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said:

14 Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come—

 15 To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse—

16 Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.

The Sealing Ordinance is the ordination into the Patriarchal Priesthood. It is the same priesthood given to Adam and passed down through the ages.

It would be right to say one with the Patriarchal Priesthood has the Melchizedek just as all who have the Melchizedek have the Aaronic also. To say they are three or one or even to say two Priesthoods would be correct also. Also, since we are taught that it was passed down from Adam, Melchizedek would have been the rightful heir to the Patriarchal Priesthood in the days of Abraham.

D&C 107:39-41

39 It is the duty of the Twelve, in all large branches of the church, to ordain evangelical ministers, as they shall be designated unto them by revelation--

40 The order of this priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were made.

41 This order was instituted in the days of Adam, and came down by lineage in the following manner:

We are told that the Patriarchal order is the order of heaven. Heaven is not ordered by wards and stakes as is the church is here on the earth, but by family units. In this world the Melchizedek priesthood is the Highest priesthood because it is only through Christ that we can obtain eternal life, which is the whole point of this estate, but it is through the Patriarchal priesthood that we can receive Exaltation we practice living in family units here in preparation for eternal increase and abiding in that order of the priesthood for the eternities.

We also learn that the Patriarchal priesthood can only be entered into through the sealing ordinance which requires both a Man and a Woman, because likewise women are promised similar blessings as men in the temple albeit as Queens and Priestesses. This is even hinted at in the token that is used in this ordinance. 

D&C 131

 1 In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;

 2 And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];

 3 And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.

 4 He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.

Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.257

How did Adam bring his descendants into the presence of the Lord? The answer: Adam and his descendants entered into the priesthood order of God. Today we would say they went to the house of the Lord and received their blessings. The order of priesthood spoken of in the scriptures is sometimes referred to as the patriarchal order because it came down from father to son. But this order is otherwise described in modern revelation as an order of family government wherein a man and woman enter into a covenant with God just as did Adam and Eve to be sealed for eternity, to have posterity, and to do the will and work of God throughout their mortality.

Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.1, CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN

Revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith supplement those of the New Testament to indicate that the Church of the Firstborn consists of those who have the inheritance of the Firstborn and become joint-heirs with Christ in receiving all that the Father has (Rom. 8:14-17; D&C 84:33-38; see Heirs of God). The Lord said, "If you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fullness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; I am the Firstborn; And all those who are begotten through me are partakers of the glory of the same, and are the Church of the Firstborn" (D&C 93:20-22). The Church of the Firstborn is the divine patriarchal order in its eternal form. Building the priesthood family order on this earth by receiving sealings in the temple is a preparation and foundation for this blessing in eternity (see Gospel of Abraham).

The patriarchal order is, in the words of Elder James E. Talmage, a condition where "woman shares with man the blessings of the Priesthood," where husband and wife minister, "seeing and understanding alike, and cooperating to the full in the government of their family kingdom" (Young Woman's Journal 25 [Oct. 1914]:602-603). A man cannot hold this priesthood without a wife, and a woman cannot share the blessings of this priesthood without a husband, sealed in the temple.

I think that this modern Day Parable illustrates this well.

For Time and All Eternity

Boyd K. Packer

Once a man received as his inheritance two keys. The first key, he was told, would open a vault which he must protect at all cost. The second key was to a safe within the vault which contained a priceless treasure. He was to open this safe and freely use the precious things which were stored therein. He was warned that many would seek to rob him of his inheritance. He was promised that if he used the treasure worthily, it would be replenished and never be diminished, not in all eternity. He would be tested. If he used it to benefit others, his own blessings and joy would increase.

The man went alone to the vault. His first key opened the door. He tried to unlock the treasure with the other key, but he could not, for there were two locks on the safe. His key alone would not open it. No matter how he tried, he could not open it. He was puzzled. He had been given the keys. He knew the treasure was rightfully his. He had obeyed instructions, but he could not open the safe.

In due time, there came a woman into the vault. She, too, held a key. It was noticeably different from the key he held. Her key fit the other lock. It humbled him to learn that he could not obtain his rightful inheritance without her.

They made a covenant that together they would open the treasure and, as instructed, he would watch over the vault and protect it; she would watch over the treasure. She was not concerned that, as guardian of the vault, he held two keys, for his full purpose was to see that she was safe as she watched over that which was most precious to them both. Together they opened the safe and partook of their inheritance. They rejoiced for, as promised, it replenished itself.

With great joy they found that they could pass the treasure on to their children; each could receive a full measure, undiminished to the last generation.

Perhaps some few of their posterity would not find a companion who possessed the complementary key, or one worthy and willing to keep the covenants relating to the treasure. Nevertheless, if they kept the commandments, they would not be denied even the smallest blessing.

Because some tempted them to misuse their treasure, they were careful to teach their children about keys and covenants.

There came, in due time, among their posterity some few who were deceived or jealous or selfish because one was given two keys and another only one. “Why,” the selfish ones reasoned, “cannot the treasure be mine alone to use as I desire?”

Some tried to reshape the key they had been given to resemble the other key. Perhaps, they thought, it would then fit both locks. And so it was that the safe was closed to them. Their reshaped keys were useless, and their inheritance was lost.

Those who received the treasure with gratitude and obeyed the laws concerning it knew joy without bounds through time and all eternity.

Is God losing the War?

This was a question posed in class on Sunday. At first I was confused what the Instructor was talking about. How could you think God was losing the war? The answer is clearly No, God is not losing the war and then it hit me. The instructor views winning differently than me and then something at the back of my mind, that has seemed odd to me for many years, became very clear.

In Moses 1:39 it states, “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” It has always seemed odd to me that both immortality and eternal life are included because to me eternal life requires immortality and thus restating the obvious, which is a common thing in the scripture, but as I’ve looked more into those seeming repeats I have found recently that they are not repeats at all. For example, the last one I looked at was, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” from Genesis 9:1 and other scriptures. God is NOT saying, have babies, have babies, and have more babies, but that is a topic for another time.

It was apparent to me that the instructor thinks that if the majority of Gods children here on Earth do not obtain Eternal life then God is losing the war. That thing that hit me was that in declaring what his work is; he is telling the spectrum of what he is going to do for man. Through Christ’s resurrection, all of God’s children will be resurrected, and in that regard the enemy has already lost, the only thing to determine is how badly.

Often as members of the LDS church since the existence of the church is to help people come unto Christ so they can receive Eternal Life in the Celestial Kingdom we forget that God has also prepared other Kingdoms of Glories for those that never obtain Eternal life. The battle is already over the war of the whole is over, the only thing left is the battle over the individual.

How much are we willing to turn over our wills to Gods so that he my work a truly marvels work and a wonder in us. This battle over the individual is raging on for each of us living and dead, until the second estate is completed and we receive of that first unconditional gift, The Resurrection.

The Light of Christ and the Two Trees of the Garden of Eden

I have been studying the Light of Christ recently, and found that I see connections that have never before been so at the forefront of my mind. Let me give you some example of what I’ve been reading:

“. . . This is the light of Christ . . .Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space. The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.”( D&C 88: 7,12-13)

In the following Light of Christ is referred to as the ‘Spirit of Jesus Christ’

“For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit. And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father. And the Father teacheth him of the covenant which he has renewed and confirmed upon you, which is confirmed upon you for your sakes, and not for your sakes only, but for the sake of the whole world.” (D&C 84:45-48)

TheLight of Christ – By Marion G. Romney

According to Marion G. Romney the Light of Christ has three stages:

Our Conscience which we receive at Birth

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

Our Calling and Election Made Sure or More Sure Word of Prophecy

The Light of Christ appears to be represented by the two trees in the Garden of Eden,

The Tree of Knowledge of good and evil or as stated above the Law by which all things are governed,

"For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. . . And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged. Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren,  that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ." (Moroni 7:16,18-19)

and the Tree of Life, ‘giveth life to all things’ (D&C 88:13).

 “And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life.” (Alma 28:14)

 “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” (Ephesians 5:14)

Power of God

“Wherefore, he is possessor of all things; for all things are subject unto him, both in heaven and on the earth, the life and the light, the Spirit and the power, sent forth by the will of the Father through Jesus Christ, his Son.” (D&C: 50:27)

“ . . . even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.” (D&C 88:13)

These realizations concerning the Light of Christ alter my understanding of the events of the Garden of Eden, the divine roles of Women and Men, and the Plan of Salvation.

We have been taught that Women are the givers of life and that being a wife and mother is the greatest accomplishment for a woman.

“Not with standing she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.” (Timothy 2:15)

I would like to note that Eve did not give of the tree of life, it was the tree of knowledge of good and evil, it was the law that she gave unto Adam.

It is interesting to help Eve “. . . the Lord God, said: I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” (Moses 4:22)

Her natural inclination was towards the law not life. Yet god has made women the bearers of children to educated them in the principles of life to understand its worth and value and given them the nurturing responsibilities, to teach the children good and evil and give them the law. “Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.” (The Family aProclamation to the World) I think it important to point out that giving birth is not necessary to accomplish this task. Bearing up the children of god comes with pregnancy of course, but also caring for others, bearing up the burdens and spirits of god’s children is also included.

We often think of Adam as Lord over the whole earth.

” And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26) 

Which would clearly point towards the law and the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but it wasn’t from Eve that Adam was created it was Eve from Adam.

“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.” (Genesis 2:21-22)

It is the role of Man to bring fallen man back to the tree of life or eternal life through the ordinances of the gospel. “By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.” (TheFamily a Proclamation to the World)

Men are to preside and take the lead in the home over gospel instruction because they have in general a propensity for weakness when it comes to the Law, yet they have a natural inclination towards life. Men are to provide for and protect their families because this sustains life for their families. I also must note it gets them out of the house so Mothers can teach the law by more perfect demonstration.

Now I’m sure it looks like I’m jumping all over the board with this, but here is where the pieced fit more perfectly together.

The Light of Christ is the Power of God, the power to Create Life and is given in its infant stages as a Conscience to every child brought into the world by woman. Yet the ordinances to bring the children of god to eternal life are administered through the power of god, the priesthood, to teach the law. The priesthood is a component of the Light of Christ. In Moroni 3:4 we read that:

"And after this manner did they ordain priests and teacher, according to the gifts and callings of god unto men; and they ordained them by the power of the Holy Ghost, which was in them"

And again

‘Every elder, priest, teacher, or deacon is to be ordained according to the gifts and callings of God unto him; and he is to be ordained by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is in the one who ordains him’ (D&C 20:60 emphasis added)

Each of the sexes has a responsibility for a portion of the Light of Christ The Light of Christ is the Plan of Salvation that comes from the Father, who is a Christ as well, through his Son with the assistance of the Holy Ghost as an administrator of the that light. The Plan is that all of god’s children might have the opportunity to gain in degrees as much of the light of Christ as necessary to become as Christ like as possible, Christ making up the difference along the way.

God knows each of us so perfectly he knows what we need to reach the potential he knows, yet we can’t even imagine,what lies in our capacity if we are only willing to walk in his paths and live as he directs.

What is inside - The Family a Proclamation to the World

I have often heard members of the church speak out in favor of legalizing Same-Sex marriages which always seemed in stark contrast to what I had heard Church Leaders teach. It seemed very clear that Same-Sex marriages was against the law of chastity and that the The Family a Proclamation to the World clearly states that, “His law of chastity is clear: sexual relations are proper only between a man and a woman who are legally and lawfully wedded as husband and wife. We invite all to review and understand the doctrine contained in 'The Family: A Proclamation to the World.'" Just as stated in the June 29, 2015 Official Statement by the First Presidency in response to the Supreme Court decision regarding this issue.

Or at least that is what has been taught over the pulpit on many occasions. I was challenged by our Bishop to review The Family a proclamation to the World and I did exactly that and was surprised as much by what I did find as what I did not. I have studied this document many times, but this was a new experience. I did this over several Days and what I was taught by the spirit filled me with peace.

Before I go on I want to make it clear I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and their desire to make things black and white for the members of the church and yet often find the specific word choices of the Lord through his servants are much more steeped in truth then I think the servants realize.

First this statement about the law of Chastity, “His law of chastity is clear: sexual relations are proper only between a man and a woman who are legally and lawfully wedded as husband and wife. We invite all to review and understand the doctrine contained in” I did NOT find in the proclamation. What I did find was eye opening.

WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God

The word that really stood out to me was the word Ordained. I looked up several definitions of Ordained and it appears to have two basic associations which I think both apply in this statement. It means approved of as well as having to do with priesthood authority. Civil Marriage is approved of God with regard to the law of chastity but it is not done by Priesthood authority. Granted this is from a guy who truly believes the Priesthood of God is only found within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. So the only marriage truly Ordained of God are those done with priesthood authority done in Holy Temples by an Authorized Sealer. The fact that those are only done between a man and a woman is very clear and I don’t think that will ever change especially since many of the blessings associated with that ordinance are for the children of the couple.

We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

I can imagine many reading this as I have so many times before and missing the difference between this and

“sexual relations are proper only between a man and a woman who are legally and lawfully wedded as husband and wife”

The words that really stood out to me here were the different word choices between the two statements. Sacred Powers of Procreation vs Sexual Relations: I would have to argue that the Sacred powers of Procreation can only be performed between man and woman. The term Sexual Relations is so broad and includes so many things depending on your perspective. I’ve even heard things as simple kissing and holding hands placed in this category. The Lords word are clear what he means, he means the Sacred Powers of Procreation, the process that can actually produce children not any other form of arousal. That being said I would like to point out how the Law of chastity is defined in the Temple.

“We are instructed to give unto you the law of chastity, which is that each of you shall have no sexual relations except with your husband or wife to whom you are legally and lawfully wedded.” LDS Temple Endowment present day.

Note the miss quote from The Family a Proclamation to the World states, “only between a man and a woman who are legally and lawfully wedded as husband and wife”, yet the temple states, “with your husband or wife to whom you are legally and lawfully wedded.” They are very subtle differences and I can see why if someone wanted to drive their own point home they could easily think they are saying the exact same thing when in reality the nuances are starkly different.

I would have to say that the Temple version of the Law of Chastity is most accurate yet the Church Handbook Vol 2  does give more specifics. To clarify here, the handbook is meant as guidance and not gospel so the Black and White approach is taken.

21.4.5 Chastity and Fidelity

The Lord’s law of chastity is abstinence from sexual relations outside of lawful marriage and fidelity within marriage. Sexual relations are proper only between a man and a woman who are legally and lawfully wedded as husband and wife. Adultery, fornication, homosexual or lesbian relations, and every other unholy, unnatural, or impure practice are sinful. Members who violate the Lord’s law of chastity or who influence others to do so are subject to Church discipline.

Sinful in the fact that they prevent you from receiving all that the father has to offer (Temple Marriage), yes, but as laid out here homosexual or lesbian relations are sins but they don’t appear to break the Law of Chastity if done within a legal and lawful wedding. This is NOT talking about Same Gender Attraction, that is not a Sin. Any sexual relations outside of legal and lawful marriage is the sin.

There has been much hate against other statements made in The Family a proclamation to the World.

Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

What Gender is, really depends on who you are talking about. From my own studies it has little to do with Sexual Orientation, reproductive organs (although this is a helpful indicator if you only have one set), or the activities you enjoy, (sports, knitting, makeup, building). It has to do with what you need to work on to become more Christ Like. That work generally aligned with a ‘gender role’ that you need to focus on. The next two statements help to illuminate.

By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.

I have heard many complain about this statement and how it is gender biased. It you look at the words provide and nurture. Looking at just the first definitions Google brings up

Provide: make available for use; supply,

Nurture: care for and encourage the growth or development of

I think it is interesting that for Fathers it states what and how they are to provide which really spell out what it means to nurture.

Just as I’m writing this I feel inspired to point out that Fathers are to look after the couple and the Mother the children. The next excerpt of The Family a proclamation to the World which actually comes earlier in the document actually tells us the roles are basically the same.

Other statements that actually come from the proclamation on the family that are very important at this time, yet often ignored out of ignorance or inconvenience are:

Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.

we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.