Your Life Is A Parable

Your life is a parable. Your life is scripture.







The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I have a key by which I understand the scriptures. I enquire, what was the question which drew out the answer or caused Jesus to utter the parable?” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1938, pp, 276–77.)




In order for you to understand your life you must do as Joseph said. What is the question which drew out the answer or caused Jesus (Spirit) to utter the parable (Body) or the manifestation of your physical life? Once your life is given the correct interpretation then you will experience "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7).

The First Vision Rediscovered

Greetings, peace, and blessings to all. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. As we consider the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith it is easy for Mormons as well as those who hate the church to only look at the First Vision through natural or carnal eyes. While I do know that Joseph Smith was indeed a true prophet and that the First Vision is true, I have come to see the event through millennial eyes. It has blessed my life in new and profound ways and has created the dawning of a new millennial day within my temple.

Nephi spoke well when he said: "Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him" (2Nephi 11:4). This important scripture plainly shows that symbolism of Christ is truly all around us. We are constantly being invited to come unto Christ and become prefected in Him. Nephi was blessed because he recognized that the multitude of laws within the law of Moses were customized sign posts for the stiffnecked children of Israel. Moses saught diligently to have his people perfected in Christ and enter into the rest of the Lord but they wanted Moses to speak on their behalf. As a result, they were given extensive carnal commandments until they were ready to awaken to who they really are. These carnal commandments all pointed to Christ. However, because the natural and literal man or woman becomes lost in the physical world of the senses, he or she ends up worshiping the symbols, instead of comprehending the meaning behind the symbols and applying the meaning to his or her own life.

Joseph was really no different than Moses. We as modern children of Israel are very similar to the ancient children of Israel. Stiffnecked literalists who wanted to be told exactly what to do. Joseph clearly wanted us to enter into the rest of the Lord and have the same experiences he had but history repeated itself and rather than Joseph being more like Enoch or Melchizedek he became more like Moses because of us and what we needed at the time. We really were not ready to learn who we are. As a result we received more and more commandments and doctrines that are camflouged in symbolism and allegory. The temple endowment is one of the more elegant and layered symbols that Joseph gave us. It is heavily layered in multiple levels of deep symbolism. This is in contrast to the straightforward school of the prophets and lectures on faith. The lectures on faith were eventually decanonized or "taken from our midst" because we as a people were not ready for them. Instead we received layer upon layer of complex structure, rules, laws, and commandments much like the children of Israel. It will continue to be this way until we are ready.

The First Vision is beautiful in its simplicity. When we go to this SOURCE of the RESTORATION and understand the profound symbolism of this event, then we will be RESTORED and connected with SOURCE. The First Vision is one of the most important symbols that is the typifying of Christ. When viewed through spirtual eyes we begin to comprehend our own nature and how we can be a blessing to all nations, kindreds, tongues and people.

As, I have mentioned in previous posts, when you see three individuals in unity and harmony, you are receiving a beautiful lesson concerning Jesus Christ and ultimately yourself. Jesus Christ is perfect and our great Exemplar as you know. He is Holy or in other words Whole-ly. Although, He was born into the world with a physical body like you and I and He had the same 5 senses and similar temptations, He did not succumb. He was directed purely by His Heavenly Father (Divine Intelligence). This Source of Intelligence and Purity was the revelation that guided his WHOLE life. As the Father spoke to His Spirit and His Spirit spoke to His body and senses, He was able to change the world forever. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of the triune nature of each one of us.

INTELLIGENCE ---> SPIRIT ---> BODY

Sometimes it is called:

MIND ---> SPIRIT ---> BODY

Or as I have mentioned before:

GOD ---> ADAM ---> EVE

Thus, to take upon ourselves, the name of Chirst, is to have an awareness of this principle and then to live in such a way. When we fail to do this, we choose another path that usually leads to partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. As we partake of this fruit from moment to moment in our lives, our body and senses call the shots, and our spirit ends up going along for the ride and then judging all things as either a great threat or giving us undisturbed pleasure. This fragmented perspective is in direct opposition to the Tree of Life which is about unity and oneness. Partaking of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is a moment to moment occurence that leads to anxiety, fear, hiding, covering up, and blame. These feelings lead to an expansion of misery and take their toxic toll on our physical bodies and our minds which leads to death and decay. We fall into an illusion of a fragmented world of lone-ness, dreary-ness, and separateness. The Lord, in his mercy, puts cheribim and a flaming sword to guard the Tree of Life until we are ready to consecrate or give up this illusion. Once we give up the illusion, we are then free and can partake of the unity and AT-ONE-MENT of the Tree of Life. Jesus the Christ showed us the way. The First Vision event also gives us the clear "first vision" of who we really are so we can partake of the Tree of Life.

In the First Vision, you have a young uneducated farm boy going into a secluded grove of trees to pray. James 1:5 was a major influence on Joseph and gave him the courage to seek God in prayer and to ask questions. It was his first "uttered prayer" alone and as he opens his physical mouth, Satan attempts to foil his prayer and "thick darkness" gathered around him. Thus we see that worldy education and scholarship, as mighty as they may be, cannot answer the truly important questions of life. They will never be able to tell us who we are and in some ways we need to (as Yoda says) "unlearn what we have learned." Thus we see that the scriptures (dead and living prophets) point the way to God and personal revelation. Until we decide to "venture" (Joseph Smith History 1:13) as Joseph did, our spiritual journey will remain incomplete. Thus we see that "uttered prayer" because it uses physical voice, can be heard by Satan. When we ask God to physically hear the words that come from our physical mouth we may inadvertantly invite Satan to make an attempt to darken our minds. Thus we see that the territory of the physical and the senses is where Lucifer tries to influence. The prayer of the heart however, is always heard by God before we even have a chance to utter it with physical voice. As the Apostle Paul said: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Romans 8:26).

As Joseph's tongue was bound and he was about to yield to this unseen dark force, the Spirit interceded and a pillar of light descended above his head. It was above the brightness of the sun. Pure Light. He saw two personages standing above him. One pointed to the other and said this is my Beloved Son. Hear Him. Thus we see that Joseph was on the cusp of succumbing to darkness but endured until the light came. Even so, we may feel as though our lives are filled with confusion and darkness. We may recognize that our senses cannot be relied upon to save us and are ineffective. Thus we see that our physical senses are easily manipulated by Lucifer. But our Spirit cannot be controlled by him unless we let it. Thus we see that the power of God to illuminate the darkness is superior to Satan's power. Thus we see our spirit being awakened. Pure intelligence flowing into us.

Thus we see who we are:

God the Father ---> Jesus Christ ---> Joseph Smith

Intelligence ---> Spirit ---> Body

When we awaken to this fact about ourselves we enter a brighter world and leave the darkness and confusion behind us. God the Father represents pure intelligence that is infinite, co-eternal and can never be created or destroyed. Jesus Christ represents our obedient and submissive spirit that seeks only to do the will of the Father. Joseph Smith represents our body that materializes God's will in the physical world. This is who we are. This is the source of all creation. We are not merely the created but we are awakening to our role as creator. We are not merely acted upon but we are awakening to act and create. When we live in harmony with our triadic nature, we have joy and create that which is good. When our body and senses are lied to, controlled, and tricked by Lucifer, and our Spirit loses awareness, and fails to judge properly, then Divine Intelligence gives us curses (for our sake) and misery to let us know that we are going in the wrong direction. Or in other words, we are walking in darkness when it is really brighter then noon day. We will need dead or living messengers to guide us back to Christ. We will need His AT-ONE-MENT. We will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set us free.

I thank God for the prophet Joseph Smith. I thank God for this First Vision that happened in a "garden" eastward. The East symbolizes light and enlightenment. The symbol of the West symbolizes darkness, death and confusion. Though the church grew as it moved West, so did the number of external (carnal) commandments. These carnal commandments point the way back to the East. They point the way to Christ. We must go to the "SOURCE" of the "RESTORATION". That is why almost every temple's entrance points East. Towards the source of light. Even so, may we now turn towards the simplicity and brilliance of the First Vision to see who we truly are and awaken to a new millennial morning within our temples.

God bless you my friends.

I'm Sorry But It Appears You've Been Damned

In the prophet Joseph Smith's final sermon on this Earth he said "I believe all that God ever revealed, and I never hear of a man being damned for believing too much; but they are damned for unbelief" (King Follet Discourse). This profound statement should come as great comfort to Millennial Mormons everywhere. Millennial Mormons are in a great position to avoid being damned because they believe that personal revelation is absolutely essential to spiritual growth and development. They are open to receiving truth wherever it may come from. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, they seek after these things wherever they may be.


On the other hand, Nicodemus Mormons are only content to have Apostles, Prophets, Stake Presidents and Bishops tell them what they should do, even as Moses did with the Children of Israel. As a result they receive a rebuke and a warning from the Lord: "For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward" (D&C 58:26). Nicodemus Mormons are more uncomfortable with personal revelation and listening to the still small voice. Instead, hearing the physical voice of the Lord's servants is more comforting. Though the Lord rebukes and warns us about being commanded and compelled in all things, He understands that this is a necessary step in our spiritual journey and it is certainly better than wandering in spiritual darkness (the world). Accepting living prophets or messengers is an essential step in our journey but it is not the end of the journey. As we begin to create a personal millennium within ourselves we recognize, like Joseph, that we too believe all that God ever revealed, all that He has now revealed and that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God.



The one thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from history. "Not us" we say. We're different and special. We won't fall into the same trap as those who came before us. Well, let's look at history and see if we can see any patterns.



When Jesus came to teach His gospel he encountered a people who were largely unprepared to accept what he was teaching. You will recall that the Pharisees at that time were looking for a physical/carnal Messiah who would deliver them from Roman captivity. They clung to the dead prophets (whom many of their ancestors killed ironically) in the scriptures and the law as found in the Torah. Most did not believe that there would be any new prophets or revelation and so they rejected John the Baptist and subsequently many rejected Jesus in the process. You could say that the Pharisees said "A Torah! A Torah! We have got a Torah and there cannot be anymore Torah." In the end, they were so outraged at what He taught, they sought to kill Him. Tradition is so powerful. Jesus voluntarily gave up his life to complete the Atonement (At-ONE-ment) and show us the way.


For those who were ready, the floodgates of new revelation burst forth. The canon of scripture was once again open. Living Apostles and Prophets returned to the earth and miracles were common. As time went on, history repeated itself. The Apostles and Prophets were killed. The canon of scripture began to close somewhere around the 4th century. Miracles were less common. Thus, the Dark Ages were ushered in.


And then, a new day began to dawn. A young uneducated farm boy asked a question of God which ushered in the Restoration of the Gospel. Miracles became common again. Many of the sectarian Christians were not prepared for such an event. They believed that Apostles and Prophets were a thing of the past and that there would be no new revelations. The Bible was closed and had been that way for centuries. God had been gagged and would not say anymore than what was in the Bible--after all that's what the Book of Revelations says right??!! In the end, tradition was too powerful and they became outraged at what Joseph taught. They sought to kill him and succeeded. Even in his final moments, the prophet Joseph Smith pointed the way to Christ.


Nephi identifies their thinking well when he says "A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible" (see 2 Nephi 29: 3-4, 9). Nephi goes a step further when he speaks on behalf of God and states this in regard to those who reject new revelation: "For unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have" (2 Nephi 28:30).

History once again repeats itself.


Is it possible today that history could be repeating itself again with members of our own church? Could Nicodemus Mormons today be saying: "Living Prophet! Living Prophet! We have got a living prophet". Might they not recognize that living prophets and previous scriptures have their role in preparing the way to Christ? They are not ends in themselves. Ironically, Nicodemus Mormons find themselves in the unenviable position as the Pharisees did and many Christians do today. They no longer ask, seek or knock. They have enough! Will tradition once again override new revelation?

Even temple attending members of the church, if they look at the endowment in superficial and carnal levels, will fail to make progress in their spiritual journey. They will be like the children of Israel prior to the Babylonian captivity who trusted in the temple (carnally and superficially) and found their world come crashing down around them. Jeremiah warned them by saying this: "Trust not in lying words saying , The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these" (Jeremiah 7:4).
Let me be clear. Having the scriptures, a living prophet, and the temple are wonderful blessings. They are essential aspects of the gospel. As Jesus said, he did not come to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill (FULL-FILL) them. Living prophets, scriptures and even the temple can only take us so far. They all do the same thing--point the way to Christ. Until we are ready to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and live by personal revelation then we will continue to wander in the wilderness. As Joseph said, a man is damned for unbelief.

But Millennial Mormon! Don't we have the fullness of the gospel?! Yes, we absolutely do. What that means though is that we have everything we need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We have everything we need to begin to become like Him. Whether we choose to do that or not is up to us. If we are to become like him as the Bible and the Book of Mormon teach, then we must begin to live as He did which was by personal revelation from His Father in Heaven. (Many Christians today believe that it is blasphemy and robbery that we could ever become like Jesus Christ or our Heavenly Father. This is one of the reasons why they killed Joseph. It was a hard saying. Who could hear it?)

Millennial Mormons recognize the 9th article of Faith as extremely relevant each and every day. It says: "We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God" (Articles of Faith). Most Nicodemus Mormons won't really comprehend that this article of faith has any personal meaning for them right at this very moment. They would only see this article of faith as pertaining to the living prophets revealing doctrine for the church rather than personal revelation. As a result of their dependence on living prophets and listening to their physical voice, many Nicodemus Mormons are not always well practiced at listening to the still small voice and continue to wander in the wilderness or are damned until they learn these lessons from history.

Eventually, as we embrace the Savior, come to know Him, take up our cross, and actually follow Him, we will "believe all things" (Article of Faith 13) and the internal millennium will begin. When that day comes, the words of the Apostle John will be fulfilled in your ears: "Beloved, now are we the sons (or daughters) of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2).


Peace and blessing to all of you my friends. May God be with you.



EPILOGUE:
I just realized that some people may be misinterpreting how I am using the word damned. Most of you probably know what I mean but for all those literalists out there I had better clarify. I am using it the same way Joseph meant it. What I do not mean is that damned means that you will burn in a literal fire, in a literal hell for literally all eternity. What Joseph and I do mean is that damned means you are temporarily stuck in your eternal journey until you understand these principles that God is trying to teach you. Take your time and learn for yourself.