I preface what follows with my assertion that what we know about The Plan of Salvation has come to mortal men by the revelations of God the Father and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to living prophets through all generations of time tracing their lineage back to Adam and Eve. Throughout the scriptures, and embodied in the teachings of modern prophets, we are invited to participate fully in all that has been revealed for our salvation. In it all, we are promised our agency and freedom to choose.
I’ll start with Moses 1:39:
“For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”
God our Eternal Father’s eternal PURPOSE, His very reason for being is to exalt ALL His children. That means His intention is for all of us to return to live with Him, and He stated:
“I am the Beginning and the End, the Almighty God; by mine Only Begotten I created these things; yea, in the beginning I created the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest.” (Moses 2:1).
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| The Light of the World |
That Plan of Salvation was authored by Him, implemented by His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost bears witness to each of us it is true. Alma teaches us in one chapter of his writings that “there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.” (Alma 42:4). That time is our mortal estate, or the time in which we are living today.
In the same chapter he refers to The Plan of Salvation as “the great plan of happiness” (verse 8); “the plan of redemption” (verse 11); “the plan of mercy” (verse 15); “the plan of happiness” (verse 16); and “the great plan of mercy” (verse 31).
The temple endowment outlines the work of creation in detail. We learn there was a premortal council in heaven. We often hear people teach there were two plans presented in that council, but there was only ONE plan - the Father's plan. The contention arose over who the Father would send to implement the plan through the atonement.
“And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” (Abraham 3:25).
In that council, Lucifer, one of God’s pre-eminent sons, rebelled because his offer to save all mankind was rejected:
“Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
“And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.” (Moses 4:3-4).
Adam and Eve were chosen to be the first inhabitants of this earth, and were introduced into the Garden of Eden as spirits. They were not mortal yet. Satan beguiled Eve and she partook of the fruit of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and then she convinced Adam to also partake.
“And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.
“And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.” (2 Nephi 2:19-20).
Why did they partake of the forbidden fruit? Because Eve sensed they would never be able to make babies without mortal bodies, and they could not become mortal without that step being completed.
So they repented of partaking of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil by exercising their agency, something Heavenly Father had promised them they would always have.
“And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.” (2 Nephi 2:22).
In other words, Adam and Eve had to fall. Death had to be introduced into the equation. The fall of Adam and Eve was a necessary next step in the plan.
Death without a knowledge of the Plan of Salvation is often difficult for people to understand. Even for us in the Church with all the knowledge we possess, the separation from loved ones is painful and often excruciating, but it is also an integral part of the process we go through to inherit eternal life with our Father.
The period between birth and death is the period in which we now live. We are exercising our moral agency to choose between that which is good and that which is not so good, even evil. Those cumulative choices of a lifetime are what determine our joy or our misery.
I was attending an endowment session last Thursday in the Provo City Center Temple. I was struck by how many people greeted me with a smile from the moment I got out of my car in the parking lot and walked through the doors. Everyone was smiling at me with a greeting - total strangers - and it persisted all through the endowment into the celestial room, the locker room and out the door back to my car.
These were happy people who had exercised their agency their whole lives, and it had produced these results. There wasn’t a grumpy, angry or belligerent soul among them all. Their countenances told me everything about them. These ranged from young people to aged ones. Universally, they were happy souls. Their mortal probation was filled with the joy reflected in their faces. THAT was what God meant by “proving them herewith to see if they will do” all those good things He always hoped we would do.
Of course, none of us does everything perfectly, so provisions were made for a Savior when we yield to Satan’s enticing offerings, as we all do. We were offered the marvelous gift of repentance.
“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
“And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they shall have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
“Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
“And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit.” (2 Nephi 2:25-28).
When we choose eternal life, we finish life in mortality with a smile on our faces. "Men are that they might have joy." We are not anxious about what our eternal destiny might be, nor fearful of a harsh judgment from which there is no escape eternally. Rather, as we repent - daily as necessary - we may embrace joy and hope. We may live our lives in anticipation of a joyful reunion with our family members who have preceded us, died and gone into the spirit world ahead of us.
If we are in the path of discipleship when death comes, we will not fall off the covenant path after death. We will inherit eternal life, because that is what our Father in Heaven promised to us. I know that is true.
We voluntarily take upon ourselves those sacred covenants (or promises) to God based upon our agency in all things. We MUST choose for ourselves. Sometimes it seems hard to choose because Satan is very good at what he does. He’s been at this game of deception for a long time, and he is forever angry that he has been denied a physical body. He is rebellious, belligerent and unrepentant. He wasn’t doing God’s will in the pre-existence, and he certainly isn’t going to change his stripes now.
I read and see reports of all the upheaval in the world today, and I am reminded again and again that we live in this fallen world as part of the Plan of Salvation. Satan has many minions on earth today who are doing his bidding. They tend to garner all the headlines and the cable news interviews.
But as I witness the smiling faces I see in the temples, I am confident there are many of God’s children in the Church who are choosing well because they have overcome Satan’s temptations. They are happy, productive, and filled with light. They are binding Satan by their righteousness. I am content the Church is on the right path. The prophets are inspired to show us the way to eternal life. They help us avoid spiritual death:
“Wherefore, I, the Lord God, caused that he [Adam] should be cast out from the Garden of Eden, from my presence, because of his transgression, wherein he became spiritually dead, which is the first death, even that same death, which is spiritual, which shall be pronounced upon the wicked when I shall say: Depart, ye cursed.
“But, behold, I say unto you that I, the Lord God, gave unto Adam and unto his seed, that they should not die as to the temporal death, until I, the Lord God, should send forth angels to declare unto them repentance and redemption, through faith on the name of mine Only Begotten Son.” (D&C 29:41-42).
Those angels have never ceased to minister to us since Adam and Eve were cast out. Consider this testimony from Mormon’s writings as captured by Moroni:
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?
“For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.
“And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men…
“Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face of thereof to be saved?
“Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief and all is vain.” (Moroni 7:27-29; 36-37).
We, as children of the covenant in our family, are witnesses of miracles, and we KNOW angels minister among us. We cannot deny these things. We have all known of these truths. We all have personal experiences, and we have shared in our stories generously with each other. We are living our mortal probation seeking to do God’s will and to do His divine work among our brothers and sisters in and out of the Church without hesitation. I testify that you are truly among those of whom Mormon wrote, “…them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.” (See Moroni 7:30).
And then we die the temporal death in mortality. Our mortal body goes into the grave, and our spirit goes into the spirit world. We become those very angels like our departed loved ones. Alma gives us the revelation he received from an angel on this topic:
“Now concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection - Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.
“And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.” (Alma 40:11-12).
Those who were wicked are cast into “outer darkness” - also known as a “spirit prison” or "hell" - in a state of misery, being led captive by the will of the devil. This is a temporary habitation in the spirit world for those who were disobedient in mortality. In this sense, hell has an end. The spirits there will be taught the gospel, and sometime following their repentance they will be resurrected to a degree of glory of which they are worthy. Both the righteous and the wicked, we are told, “remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.” (See Alma 40:14). What is clear to me is that the spirits in paradise minister and teach those in spirit prison. There is missionary work going on there.
When the time of resurrection approaches for each of us, I always found this sermon from President Spencer W. Kimball to be very instructive (see April General Conference, 1977, p. 69):
“Any doctrine or ordinance as fundamental to man’s eternal salvation as the resurrection of the dead is of necessity regulated and performed by the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood. It is also part of the resurrection of the family. So far as the celestial kingdom is concerned, the resurrection is a family event. We would at first naturally suppose that Jesus would resurrect himself, but perhaps he did not. Jesus did not baptize himself. The clear rendering of Acts 2:22-24, 32; 3:12; 5:30 (as cited above) represents Peter saying on three separate occasions that God raised up Jesus from the dead. If we read those passages literally and combine that concept with the teachings of President Young and Elder Snow, that only a resurrected being can perform a resurrection, we may gain an insight into the resurrection process as a patriarchal family order in which a righteous resurrected father would resurrect his son, and so forth.”
He also offered this stunning insight in his sermon: “We are in possession of all the ordinances that can be administered in the flesh; but there are other ordinances and administrations that must be administered beyond this world. I know you would like to ask what they are. I will mention one. We have not, neither can we receive here, the ordinance and the keys of resurrection.”
It would seem there is sufficient time in the spirit world for progress, repentance and improvement prior to the final judgment. We learn there are three degrees of glory - telestial, terrestrial and celestial. (See D&C 76). Within the celestial glory there are three degrees. The Lord has chosen to reveal very little about the two lesser degrees, and focuses our attention almost exclusively on the celestial glory. He expects us to set our sights higher. I urge you to study that section of the Doctrine and Covenants for the details. Of the spirit world, we learn the following:
“There is a space between death and the resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or in misery until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works.” (Alma 40:21).
I treasure this teaching from the Prophet Joseph:
“The great designs of God in relation to the salvation of the human family, are very little understood by the professedly wise and intelligent generation in which we live. Various and conflicting are the opinions of men concerning the plan of salvation, the [requirements] of the Almighty, the necessary preparations for heaven, the state and condition of departed spirits, and the happiness or misery that is consequent upon the practice of righteousness and iniquity according to their several notions of virtue and vice… .
“… While one portion of the human race is judging and condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard; He views them as His offspring, and without any of those contracted feelings that influence the children of men, causes ‘His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.’ [Matthew 5:45.] He holds the reins of judgment in His hands; He is a wise Lawgiver, and will judge all men, not according to the narrow, contracted notions of men, but, ‘according to the deeds done in the body whether they be good or evil,’ or whether these deeds were done in England, America, Spain, Turkey, or India. He will judge them, ‘not according to what they have not, but according to what they have’; those who have lived without law, will be judged without law, and those who have a law, will be judged by that law. We need not doubt the wisdom and intelligence of the Great Jehovah; He will award judgment or mercy to all nations according to their several deserts, their means of obtaining intelligence, the laws by which they are governed, the facilities afforded them of obtaining correct information, and His inscrutable designs in relation to the human family; and when the designs of God shall be made manifest, and the curtain of futurity be withdrawn, we shall all of us eventually have to confess that the Judge of all the earth has done right [see Genesis 18:25].” (TPJS, pp. 217-218).
This is the reason we do baptisms for the dead. We are incapable of ascertaining the desires of the hearts of men. Only God can judge completely and accurately. We can assist them here by performing all the vicarious ordinances for them in the temples, while they progress, repent and improve upon their desires there. How merciful that God extends our time and offers salvation in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom for as long as possible! Consider further this statement:
“Our heavenly Father is more liberal in His views, and boundless in His mercies and blessings, than we are ready to believe or receive; and, at the same time, is more terrible to the workers of iniquity, more awful in the executions of His punishments, and more ready to detect every false way, than we are apt to suppose Him to be. He will be inquired of by His children. He says, ‘Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find;’ but, if you will take that which is not your own, or which I have not given you, you shall be rewarded according to your deeds; but no good thing will I withhold from them who walk uprightly before me, and do my will in all things - who will listen to my voice and to the voice of my servant whom I have sent; for I delight in those who seek diligently to know my precepts, and abide by the law of my kingdom; for all things shall be made known unto them in mine own due time, and in the end they shall have joy. (Aug. 27, 1842).” (TPJS, p. 257).
All our hopes and dreams in righteousness will be realized if we stay on the covenant path. I promise each of you a fulfillment of all you desire. I assure you of my love and the love of our Heavenly Father. Our Savior is Jesus Christ, who eagerly encourages us to “Come Follow Me.” He promises the realization of all those blessings, withholding nothing.
I am always struck with the sheer magnitude of the promised blessings in the temple ordinances. We can indeed become kings and priests, queens and priestesses in the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, and we can perpetuate our posterity through all generations of time and throughout all eternity by embracing the glorious Plan of Salvation as I’ve briefly outlined it today. I feel it now as much as I have always known it before.
“And again, verily, I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed upon them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them - Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths - then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
“Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.” (D&C 132:19-20).
I cannot conceive, nor can I even begin to write, such comprehensive and breathtaking language! This is the promise I am seeking to obtain through my faithfulness. It’s what I have learned in part about the Plan of Salvation, and what I wholeheartedly embrace as a son of God.
(On Sunday, I began teaching the temple preparation course to the graduating seniors in our ward - the bishop tells me there are sixteen whom he has invited to attend. The first of seven lessons involves the introduction to The Plan of Salvation, hence my brain dump in this post.)
