The diagram above is a graphic representation of the
Tree of Life. It is a graphic pathway of
ascension leading from this world (Malkuth) to the Throne of God (Kether). The Book of Mormon as a record records this
ancient knowledge as passed down through the House of Joseph preserved to come
forth in the Latter-Days.
Moroni Chapter 10 is a prophetic summary of these
teachings contained within the Book of Mormon. Written in true Hebraic form
this chapter contains a summary of all the great and marvelous teachings of the
fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Yehoshuah Messiah). Those great and marvelous teachings are the
instructions of ascending back into the presence of God and into a condition of
oneness with him. Using the keys of the science of ancient Israel in examining
Moroni’s message reveals a greater ending to the Book of Mormon than most
gentile critics see.
“And I seal up these records, after I have spoken a few words by way of exhortation unto you. Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.” (Moroni 2-3)
In these verses Moroni states that he is sealing up
the records in his possession. When we think of a sealed book, we often see
images of ancient scrolls or plates bound by some kind of material or metal
band that forbids a person from opening the book. While this is one type of seal, to the mind
of an Israelite a sealed record can also be a record whose true meaning and
interpretation is not yet understood or revealed. The Book of Mormon is such a
record. It is a sealed record to many because while the literal (peshat)
account is the literal story of Lehi and his descendants, we miss the deeper
dimensions of light hidden in plain sight.
Moroni reminds the reader that these records and the
great and marvelous things contained therein are a gift of mercy from God. To
unseal these records to our understanding we must “ponder it in your hearts”
which is a Hebraic expression for contemplative meditation. In other words, the words of the book and
specifically the marvelous summary of the message contained will remain sealed
to the understanding of the people until they approach the record in
contemplative meditation as the ancients did.
For over a century this verse has often been referred
to as, “The Book of Mormon Promise”. It has been taught to many a convert that
if they pray about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon that they will get a
confirming feeling about the record being an authentic message from God. This
interpretation is correct, but it pales in comparison to the Israelite
understanding of the promise. In Hebraic
thought Moroni is confirming that if the reader approaches the message of the book
in Contemplative Meditation with “real intent” (heb. Kavannah-intent or desire)
having faith in Christ (or a desire for oneness/unity with him) then the truth
would be manifest by the power (gevurah) of the Holy Ghost (the Ruach Elohiym-
the breath, essence or mind of God). It is the Ruach Elohiym than comes forth
from the throne of God in revealing the truth of all things. This “truth of all
things” is the knowledge or experiencing of the Throne of God and the ascent
into his presence.
In true Israelite fashion the Prophet Joseph Smith
revealed:
“Ye were also in the beginning with the Father; that
which is Spirit, even the Spirit of truth; And truth is knowledge of things as
they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;” (D&C 93:24)
When we see the word truth in our culture, we often
think of something that is “factual”. In
Israelite thought truth is a knowledge of things as they are, and as they were,
and as they are to come. All things
being an eternal “present” or “now”.
This phrase “things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to
come” in Israelite thought refers to the Throne of God (Kether) and the
boundless “worlds without end” in Israelite thought termed Ain Soph (boundless,
infinity, worlds without end) as illustrated below:
This is the dimension or condition to which the
Prophet Joseph was referring to when he revealed the conditions of those in the
telestial glory:
“And they (telestial) shall be servants of the Most
High; but where God and Christ dwell (Kether) they cannot come, worlds without
end (Ain Soph).” (D&C 76;112)
When Moroni uses the phrase, “And by the power of the
Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” He is stating that by the
power of the Holy Ghost we may know (experience) Kether (the throne of God) and
Ain Soph (boundless, infinity, worlds without end) – or the place where God
dwells.
If I were to retranslate The Book of Mormon Promise,
it might read something like this:
“And when you shall receive these things, I would
exhort you that you would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Messiah,
if these things are not true; and if you shall contemplatively pray and
meditate with a sincere heart, with real intent (kavannah-desire and intent)
for trusting oneness with Messiah, he will manifest the truth of it unto you,
by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may come
into the presence of the Throne of God (Kether) /worlds without end (Ain Soph).”
(Moroni10:4-5)
Moroni goes on:
“And whatsoever thing is good is just and
true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth
that he is. And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost;
wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh
by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and
tomorrow, and forever.” (Moroni 10:6-7)
A person has no capacity to do good by oneself, but
needs to receive grace or empowerment from heaven. The knowledge of the Fathers
consists of the teachings to receive from God to bestow love upon God and
mankind. This knowledge gives the person a connecting link with the Spirit of
God and the Powers of Heaven. One can then receive the grace and empowerment
from Heaven and elevate himself and the world around him. In Israelite thought that which is good is
that which leads us to fulfill God’s commandments and to be one with him. That
which is evil leads us away from keeping and fulfilling God’s commandments. By
the power of the Holy Ghost (Ruach Elohiym) we may know or experience the
presence or existence of God. This power (gevurah) of God being manifest
according to the trusting loyalty and desire for oneness with him from men and
women.
The Gifts of God- Ascending the Tree of Life into His Presence:
“And again, I exhort you, my brethren,
that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the
same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but
it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the
manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them.
For behold, to one is given by the Spirit
of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom; And to another, that he may teach
the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; And to another, exceedingly great
faith; and to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; And again, to
another, that he may work mighty miracles; And again, to another, that he may
prophesy concerning all things; And again, to another, the beholding of angels
and ministering spirits; And again, to another, all kinds of tongues; And
again, to another, the interpretation of languages and of divers kinds of
tongues.” (Moroni 10:8-16)
Mankind in and of itself cannot ascend back into the
presence of God. It requires help or
assistance. It also requires a roadmap so that we know the path we are to take
in our journey. The Gifts of the Spirit are one of the most debated
topics. The power of the Gifts of the
Spirit is the most coveted and the most counterfeited. Our Adversary goes to great length to
counterfeit these gifts in the forms of false prophets, false healers, the fake
gibberish of those who think they have the gifts of tongues, among many
others. It makes sense that we have such
confusion along these matters. If the
true Gifts of the Spirit empower man to ascend the ladder of Heaven back into
the presence of God, then why not confuse the subject by offering counterfeits
to keep them from truly connecting with God. How many “faith healers” do you
know that would dare to go into the cancer ward of a Children’s Hospital to
heal? How many excuses do we receive from pious men who have a form of
godliness but deny the power thereof?
All the Gifts of the Spirit are manifestations of the
Spirit of God which descends from the Throne of God (Kether). As demonstrated
by the “lighting strike” in the diagram below:
The Holy Spirit descends from the Throne of God or the
place where the Father and Son Dwell.
This same teaching was expressed by the Prophet Joseph Smith:
“There are two personages who constitute the great,
matchless, governing and supreme power over all things—by whom all things were
created and made, that are created and made, whether visible or invisible:
whether in heaven, on earth, or in the earth, under the earth, or throughout
the immensity of space—They are the Father and the Son…And he being the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, and having overcome, received
a fulness of the glory of the Father—possessing the same mind with the Father,
which mind is the Holy Spirit, that bears record of the Father and the Son, and
these three are one, or in other words, these three constitute the great,
matchless, governing and supreme power over all things: by whom all things were
created and made, that were created and made: and these three constitute the
Godhead, and are one: The Father and the Son possessing the same mind, the same
wisdom, glory, power and fulness: Filling all in all—the Son being filled with
the fulness of the Mind, glory and power, or, in other words, the Spirit, glory
and power of the Father—possessing all knowledge and glory, and the same
kingdom: sitting at the right hand of power, in the express image and likeness
of the Father—a Mediator for man—being filled with the fulness of the Mind of
the Father, or, in other words, the Spirit of the Father: which Spirit is
shed forth upon all who believe on his name and keep his commandments: and all
those who keep his commandments shall grow up from grace to grace, and become
heirs of the heavenly kingdom, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ; possessing
the same mind, being transformed into the same image or likeness, even the
express image of him who fills all in all: being filled with the fulness of his
glory, and become one in him, even as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one.”
(Lectures on Faith, Lecture 5)
The Gifts of the Spirit are both informative and
transformative. Moroni’s order in the presentation of the Gifts of the Spirit
follows the pattern of the Tree of Life and teaches us the manner and pathway of
obtaining these gifts, the how, and the why these gifts are given. He
enumerates the gifts in the following manner:
1. The
Spirit of God
2. Wisdom
3. Word
of Knowledge
4. Great
Faith
5. Healing
6. Mighty
Miracles
7. Prophecy
8. Beholding
of Angels and Spirits
9. Tongues
10. Interpretation
of Tongues
From the base of the tree which begins at Malkuth
along the center line or pillar to the top of the tree or Kether is what is
termed “The Way” (among other titles).
It represents the center pillar or the path of balance between the left-hand
pillar of grace and the right-hand pillar of strength. Its center is beauty (Tiphereth)
or what is sometimes called the secret of the son, the secret of the Messiah,
or the Only Begotten (i.e. secret of the chosen son). The reception of the
gifts of the spirit represent a pathway of Ascension that endow the son or
daughter of God grow into deeper levels of spiritual intimacy with The Father
and The Son. If we begin at the bottom, we notice that the first wrung of the
ladder is the interpretation of tongues with the second rung of the ladder
equated with the gift of tongues.
The interpretation of tongues and the gift of tongues
is not solely confined to the speaking and interpretation of the language of
this world such as Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, etc. etc. In fact, the
gift of tongues referred to here is connected with a much more ancient
understanding of the interpretation of tongues and the gift of tongues. Here
the Prophet Nephi gives us a very plain and precious restored truth regarding
these gifts:
“And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I suppose that
ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye
have entered in by the way. But, behold, why do ye ponder these things
in your hearts?
Do ye not remember that I said unto you that
after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels?
And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by
the Holy Ghost?
Angels speak by the power of the Holy
Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of
Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold,
the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” (2 Nephi
32:1-3)
The gifts of tongues being referred to has to do with
the hearing and the speaking of the tongues or language of the Angels who speak
by the power of the Holy Ghost (Ruach Elohiym). In other words, the first gift
we should seek after is the gift of interpreting or recognizing the language of
angels or the words of Christ and thereafter to be able to speak in the
language of angels or the words of Christ. In ancient Israel, it was taught
that the gift of the language of angels was manifest both internally and
externally.
We see a glimpse of how the language of angels is
manifest in Nephi’s chastisement of Lehman and Lemuel:
“Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the
Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have
heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small
voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words;
wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did
cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder.
And ye also know that by the power of his almighty
word he can cause the earth that it shall pass away; yea, and ye know that by
his word he can cause the rough places to be made smooth, and smooth places
shall be broken up. O, then, why is it, that ye can be so hard in your hearts?”
(1 Nephi 17:45)
Here the prophet Nephi displays the two ways of
manifestation of the gift of tongues or voice of angels-internally and
externally. It was taught anciently, that as a person called upon the name of
God angels were immediately sent to minister. One manner of administration was
through an internal voice of an angel. As a person opened his or her heart to
this internal voice, they began to resonate at the same level of the voice or
angel that administered to them. Being able to hear the voice and understand its
meaning was called the interpretation of the tongue or language of angels. This
internal manifestation of the gift of tongues or language of Angels was also
manifested to the Nephites who gathered at the temple in the land of Bountiful:
“And it came to pass that while they were thus
conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven;
and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which
they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice;
nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them
that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame
that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and
did cause their hearts to burn…Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.” (3 Nephi 11:3,7)
The second manner of administration was the external
voice of angels. The external voice of angels was often equated with the voice
of thunder that would cause the earth to tremble. An example of this is seen in
the appearance of the angel to the Prophet Alma:
“And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For
behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also behold me before
you? And I am sent from God.
Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of
thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how
great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has
delivered them. And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy
the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou
wilt of thyself be cast off. And now it came to pass that these were the last
words which the angel spake unto Alma, and he departed.
And now Alma and those that were with him fell again
to the earth, for great was their astonishment; for with their own eyes they
had beheld an angel of the Lord; and his voice was as thunder,
which shook the earth; and they knew that there was nothing save the power of
God that could shake the earth and cause it to tremble as though it would part
asunder.” (Mosiah 27:15-18)
“For I went about with the sons of Mosiah, seeking to
destroy the church of God; but behold, God sent his holy angel to stop us by
the way. And behold, he spake unto us, as it were the voice of thunder, and the
whole earth did atremble beneath our feet; and we all fell to the earth, for
the fear of the Lord came upon us. But behold, the voice said unto me: Arise. And
I arose and stood up, and beheld the angel. And he said unto me: If
thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God.
And it came to pass that I fell to the earth; and it
was for the space of three days and three nights that I could not open my
mouth, neither had I the use of my limbs.” (Alma 36:6-10)
The gifts of tongues or the language of Angels is tied
to the Thundering and Fires at Mount Sinai when God gave the 10
Commandments. It is also tied to the
“Cloven Tongues of Fire” that descended on 120 of the followers of the Messiah
gathered in an upper room at Shavuot (Pentecost).This same concept was also
preserved in the “Tongues of Fire” scroll found among the Hebrew Manuscripts of
the Dead Sea Scrolls. Here it was recorded that “tongues of fire” would fall
upon the High Priest and he would speak through the Urim and Thummim and the
Ephod.
This same gift was also manifest to the Messiah among
a body of people as recorded in the Book of John:
“Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice
from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The
people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others
said, An angel spake to him.” (John 12:28-29)
The manifestation of these gifts then lead the
disciple of Christ to the beholding of the Angels and Spirits which then led
the disciple along the path of the way to experience and embody the gifts and
attributes of grace back into the presence of God.
“And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren,
that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that
all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done
away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of
the children of men.
Wherefore, there must be faith; and if
there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there
must also be charity. And except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in
the kingdom of God; neither can ye be saved in the kingdom of God if ye have
not faith; neither can ye if ye have no hope. And if ye have no hope ye must
needs be in despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity.” (Moroni 10:19-22)
The center column that rises from the base (Malkuth)
of the Tree of Life to the top or crown (Kether) of the Tree of Life is called “The
Way”, the “Path of Balance”, or the “Pillar of Holiness”. It is the path the disciple takes between the
two poles of the other pillars. The connections
between our world here below and the Throne Room of God is made by the attributes
of Hope, Charity, and Faith that is often referred to as the Triad of the
Soul. But Hope, Charity, and Faith in
the minds of the ancients had a far deeper definition than those of modern Mormonism
and Christianity.
The Bow of Hope
In the minds of The Fathers, Hope was not mere wishful
thinking, but an expectation based on a promise. To claim the fruits of the
promise, certain conditions had to be met. This condition was a condition of
the soul wherein the heart of the person resonated with the conditions that
existed in the Heavens- As Above, So Below, As within, So Without. In order to connect with God, the disciple
had to be in a true alignment with the center pillar or “The Way”. It was a condition where the heart, mind, and
desire of the disciple were in a state of oneness with God. The more aligned a person was with God, the greater
the connection. In ancient Israel prayer
is equated with a bow and arrow. When
the disciple’s intention or desire was aligned with Heaven their prayer like an
arrow shot with a bow would reach the Throne of God. The diagram below depicts this relationship:
To create the condition of true beauty and balance
where Heaven and Earth can connect requires a balancing of the attributes of
God. This state of beauty or balance is
created in the condition of Charity or Tzedekah. This is why Moroni gives the true definition
of Charity or Tzedekah not just using the word “love”, but defines it by
describing the condition of what true Charity or Tzedekah looks like:
“And charity (tzedekah) suffereth long, and is kind,
and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily
provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the
truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth
all things.” (Moroni 7:45)
Charity or Tzedekah corresponds to beauty (Tiphereth)
on the Tree of life and is what is sometimes called the secret of the son, the
secret of the Messiah, or the Only Begotten (i.e. secret of the chosen son). It
is a gift of grace bestowed by God upon all who follow in the footsteps of the
Messiah and is the foundation and prerequisite for the gift of Mighty Miracles. This is why Moroni pleads with his brethren:
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father
with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he
hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye
may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for
we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified
even as he is pure. Amen.” (Moroni 7:48)
Creating the condition of Beauty through and endowment
of Charity/Tzedekah is also the secret to unlocking the Mystery of the Son described
in those who walk after the Holy Order of God:
“Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought
righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions,
and quenched the violence of fire. And thus, having been approved of God, he
was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with
Enoch, It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not
by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning
of days nor end of years; but of God; And it was delivered unto men by the
calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed
on his name.
For God having
sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that every one
being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to
break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of
their course; To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to
break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according
to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and
this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the
world. And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were
translated and taken up into heaven.” (JST Genesis 14:26-32)
It is also the key to the Mysterious statements made
to Moses when it was revealed to him:
“And behold, the glory of the YHVH was upon Moses, so
that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And
the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things.
Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me. And by the word of my power, have I
created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.
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.”
(Moses 1:31-33)
Covenant Love seeks to establish a more perfect
relationship so that as it is in Heaven even will it so be on Earth. Tzedekah
or Charity leads us to establish and experience set apart relationships with
God and with one another. As we live in a world where harmony has been broken,
it is through the love of God that these potential relationships may be
restored. Covenant Relationships and Love are based upon the pillars of the
covenant--eternal principles extended again and again as if it were one eternal
round from Father Adam, Enoch, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph in
Egypt even down to Joseph Smith. The
pillars of the covenant are steadfast, immovable, sure, and do not change. A
man may build his house upon this sure foundation and establish true power in
the priesthood upon himself and upon his posterity through all generations of
time.
“And Christ truly said unto our fathers:
If ye have faith ye can do all things which are expedient unto me. And now I
speak unto all the ends of the earth—that if the day cometh that the power and
gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief.
And wo be unto the children of men if this
be the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For
if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts
of God. And wo unto them who shall do these things away and die, for they die
in their sins, and they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God; and I speak it
according to the words of Christ; and I lie not.” (Moroni 10:23-26)
The exercising of Hope through the acquisition of
Charity/Tzedekah leads the disciple into the condition where he embodies true
faith (Emunah). In our religious culture Faith is usually perceived as a mental
belief. We hear phrases such as
"you have to have faith" or "believe more" which leaves the
believer almost dumbfounded as they try to figure out, "How do I believe
more?" The Hebrew word Emunah is an
action-oriented word. To an Israelite having faith in God does not mean
mentally believing that he exists or just acknowledging Jesus, but rather it is
that the one with faith (Emunah) will act with firmness, trust, and loyalty to
God like a subject to a King or a Wife to her Husband. True faith is not hypnotizing yourself to
believe something that isn't there, it is a decision to be loyal and trust the
Master in all things- that whether good or unpleasant, all experiences bring us
to him.
No one can do good (fulfill the commandments of God)
except he works by the power and gifts of God.
It takes an endowment from Heaven to empower the disciple in his journey
toward the Throne of God.
“And I exhort you to remember these
things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye
shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not
declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying
from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?
I declare these things unto the fulfilling
of the prophecies. And behold, they shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the
everlasting God; and his word shall hiss forth from generation to generation.
And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true.
And again I would exhort you that ye would
come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil
gift, nor the unclean thing.” (Moroni 10:27-30)
Here Moroni entreats his reader to lay hold upon “every
good gift”. The gifts of the spirit are
designed to empower us to fulfill the commandments of God. In Hebrew that which is “good” is that which
leads a person to fulfill God’s commandments.
That which is evil leads a person away from fulfilling God’s
commandments. Of interest here is that
Moroni is extending a warning that there are evil gifts of spiritual gifts from
another source that lead a person away from fulfilling God’s commandments. In
other words, there are gifts extended by the Adversary whether it be tongues, the
beholding of Angels, prophecy, miracles, etc. that are counterfeit and are
designed to lead one away from the True God of Israel and the fulfilling of his
commandments. This is why Moroni warns:
“But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil (i.e.
to not fulfill God’s commandments), and believe not in Christ, and deny him,
and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the
devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to
do good (i.e. to fulfill God’s commandments), no, not one; neither do his
angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.” (Moroni 7:17)
The case of Korihor in the Book of Mormon is one such
example of an evil gift:
“And Korihor put forth his hand and wrote, saying: I
know that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know that nothing save it were
the power of God could bring this upon me; yea, and I always knew that there
was a God. But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto
me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this
people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto
me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have
taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal
mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily
believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even
until I have brought this great curse upon me.” (Alma 30:52-53)
There are many “prophets” running to and fro claiming
they have received a divine gift or manifestation and even claiming they have
seen a being whom they claim is the Messiah himself. The litmus test of their
testimonies and their respective gifts is, “Are they leading you to fulfill the
commandments of God or are they telling you they have been done away in place
of a law they themselves have crafted?”
“And awake, and arise from the dust, O
Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and
strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more
be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto
thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.
Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in
him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of
all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is
his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ;
and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the
power of God.
And again, if ye by the grace of God are
perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by
the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the
covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy,
without spot.
And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon
go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again
reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before
the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and
dead. Amen.” (Moroni 10:31-34)
This world below labeled on the Tree of Life as Malkuth
is also spiritually termed Jerusalem or The Daughter of Zion. Those believers in this world are called the
Nukvah or the bride that needs to unite with the Bridegroom. Here Moroni is
pleading with his readers that they as the bride should ascend and purity
themselves in preparation to being perfect or one with the Messiah. To veil
herself and reflect the glory of her husband as one new creature before God. In
doing so they are set apart before the Throne of God.
When Moroni states that he bids his reader farewell as
he is going to the paradise of God he is talking of his spiritual ascent to the
worlds above this world. When he states
that his spirit and body shall reunite when he is brought forth through the
air, he is not speaking of putting on a cape and flying through the air, but of
ascending to the greater Eden or Paradise of God that stands before his throne-the
world of Beriah symbolized by the element of Air in the diagram below where the
person experiences (Daath-knowledge) the presence of God:
Moroni 10 is a summary of the hidden science of the Fathers contained in detailed in the record we call the Book of Mormon. The Grand Promise of the Book of Mormon is not in just knowing that the Book of Mormon is an authentic and factual record, but that we may learn the knowledge of The Fathers; that we may walk the path of the disciple, connect Heaven and Earth, and Know God- as one man speaks to another.
Copyright Robert Kay September 12, 2019
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