Mutiple Mortal Probations

Multiple Mortal Probations

Disclaimer

This article is not official, publicly held doctrine of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This article reflects my own journey to receive line upon line as laid out in 2 Nephi 28:30, and I have felt impressed to share my thoughts and feelings on Multiple Mortal Probations. Please pray before reading for the guidance of The Holy Ghost who reveals all truth and ultimately all error. 


Introduction

Many LDS believe that as long as we are baptized, keep the commandments, are sealed in the Holy Temple, and endure to the end we will become Gods in short order after this one life. Of course, all of that is true except for the final statement, “in short order after this one life.” In fact, “after this one life” is false, which I will demonstrate in this article.

“Multiple Mortal Probations” is the doctrine of multiple mortal lives. The doctrine does not specify whether there are 2 or 957,972 lives—only that there are more than one. I have debated this issue only where those who resist this truth attempt to claim modern prophets have declared this doctrine to be false. However, this is not the case!

Joseph Fielding Smith’s quote is a bit troubling as he was a prophet of the church and seems to be speaking directly against “multiple mortal probations:”

Every once in a while, believers in reincarnation spring some story about persons who have returned to earth in another body. The Prophet Joseph Smith says that reincarnation is a doctrine of the devil and have you not read that the devil would deceive even the elect? Put your time on your work and seek for the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord and forget about supernatural visions that never took place. ~ Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, vol. 5

Yikes. Case closed? Not so fast. There are three important points to consider. First, Joseph Fielding Smith was not The Prophet when he published Answers to Gospel Questions. Second, the basis of the quote is false—Joseph Smith Jr. never says reincarnation is a doctrine of the devil. In the case of our founding prophet, he cited the doctrine of the “transmigration of souls” – or the doctrine of a soul of a father passing on to the son – to be false (Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 Vols. 2:307 or TPJS, pp. 104-105.) So, the basis of this conclusion is … baseless. Third, there were a lot of other early LDS, some apostles as well who lived closer in time and proximity to Joseph Smith who believed in “multiple mortal probations.” Here is one:

"What I do not to-day, when the sun goes down, I lay down to sleep, which is typical of death; and in the morning I rise and commence my work where I left it yesterday. That course is typical of the probations we take. ...This day's work is typical of this probation, and the sleep of every night is typical of death, and rising in the morning is typical of the resurrection. Brethren, this is the course we have to take; it is a progressive work from one day to another, and from one week to another; and if we advance this year, we are so far advanced in preparation to better go through the next year." ~ Heber C. Kimball, JD:4-329

Heber C. Kimball was one of the original twelve apostles—so this apostolic quote is closer in time and proximity to the beloved prophet Joseph Smith. Indeed, every day is a deep, rich symbol of eternal lives. We lie down at night, we rise again in the morning with the rising sun. There are seven days to a full period. Repeat. There are many more symbols, but this article will focus more on the scriptural and prophetic evidence of Multiple Mortal Probations.

There are more than three counterpoints to the claim that the doctrine of MMP is false, of course. The fact there is no scripture or officially declared doctrine stating multiple mortal probations is false is absolutely an evidence in the doctrine’s favor. In this article, I will demonstrate that there are far more scriptures and quotes supporting the doctrine of Multiple Mortal Probations than there are against it. Whether I err or not, I strongly encourage you to pray sincerely for the spirit of truth to guide you as you read. I know why I personally resisted some of these truths at first—thinking about just how long it takes to become perfect through agency, thinking I’m somehow minimizing the Savior … these are just a few. As you pray, I encourage you to be honest with yourself as to the true reasons why you may resist accepting new truth.


Part I As God Once Was

“As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be." (Lorenzo Snow, In Eliza R. Snow Smith, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow)

Lorenzo Snow is both a prophet and a man who was in close proximity to the prophet Joseph Smith. Many LDS try to dismiss this quote. Why? Perhaps they dismiss the quote because it doesn’t take long to ride this logic train to its obvious conclusion.

John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

Aha! The Son only has done what he saw the Father do. So, if God was once like man and God once was a Savior, well then that’s at least two mortal probations! So, we’re now three railcars down the logic train.

Railcar 1. God was once a man.
Railcar 2. We may become God.
Railcar 3. God was once a Savior himself.

It’s almost humorous how many people resist the MMP logic train. Some stop at the third railcar and say, “Well God the Father was not a Savior. When we become Gods then we will have a Savior over our own creation.” Well there’s a major problem with this thought—the moment that Savior receives all the father hath and steps foot into his Father’s kingdom, the Father would then be subservient to the Savior—the Savior having accomplished something the Father never had. Another problem is how can the Savior do the works of the Father and do only what he seeth his Father do if the Father never did the works himself? Also, who saved the Father? Have you ever wondered that before?

Then there’s the fourth railcar stop. One accepts the idea the Father was a Savior as well, but we certainly won’t be Saviors ourselves. Blasphemy! The Savior Himself thought it was not robbery to be equal with God, and we LDS do not think it robbery to be equal with God!

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

There are even more problems with this fourth railcar stop. First, the thinking here is that becoming a Heavenly Father is not blasphemy yet becoming a Son is? Second, there would have to be at least two plans of exaltation, two paths to godhood—one path that God the Father and Jesus Christ took and the one path we take. We would then be lesser gods and though we would be joint heirs with Christ, we would be the lesser heirs. The third problem is if we then have Only Begotten Sons who are chosen to save our creations, whose works will they follow? When speaking to their apostles, who will be the model they say they follow? “I only do the works that my father’s Father doeth. For whatsoever things my father’s Father doeth, these also doeth the son’s Son.” See what I mean? Let’s look at our railcars so far on this logic train:

Railcar 1: God Was Once a Man
Railcar 2: We May Become Gods
Railcar 3: God Was Once a Savior
Railcar 4: We May Become Saviors

Fortunately, both of these railcar stops that would derail this logic train are easily refuted with the King Follet Discourse, which we will cover in the next section. Before we get back on the logic train, let’s look at a couple of quotes from Joseph Smith that prove that there is a path to Godhood, and that the Holy Ghost himself is on that path:

But the Holy Ghost is yet a spiritual body and waiting to take to himself a body, as the Savior did or as God did or the gods before them took bodies; for the Savior says the work that my Father did do I also. . . . He took himself a body and then laid down his life that he might take it up again. ~ Joseph Smith, The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 382

Joseph also said that the Holy Ghost is now in a state of probation which if he should perform in righteousness he may pass through the same or a similar course of things that the Son has. ~ Joseph Smith, The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 245 (From Franklin D. Richards Journal)

The above quotes demonstrate that there is yet another logic railcar—one that is easily understood. One must overcome a probation as Holy Ghost before one can become a Son of God. Being a Holy Ghost is a step in the process of becoming a Son of God:

Railcar 5: The Holy Ghost will be a Savior if he succeeds

The next railcar on this logic train is now very simple by extension:

Railcar 6: The Savior was once a Holy Ghost

If we look at the pattern thus far, we can extend the binary pattern that began at extremities that are now growing closer together. Let’s replace railcars 5 and 6 with the opposite ends of the path to Godhood.

Railcar 1: God Was Once a Man
Railcar 2: We May Become Gods
Railcar 3: God Was Once a Savior
Railcar 4: We May Become Saviors
Railcar 5: God Was Once a Holy Ghost
Railcar 6: We May Become Holy Ghosts

Isn’t this just crazy??? No! Some saints dismiss this or that quote as it doesn’t fit with their own personal logic train, usually derailed somewhere between cars 3 and 4. They’ll say this quote only has one source in one person’s journal and is unverified, such as the “White Horse” prophesy. However, the King Follet Sermon irrefutably verifies the above logic train and is a verified sermon attended by 20,000 saints—and is even published on lds.org (see further reading at the end for the link.) There is one path to godhood – the same path that all gods before us have taken. The same path we must take.


Part II The King Follet Discourse

The King Follet Sermon was attended by twenty thousand Saints on April 7, 1844. The sermon was given by Joseph Smith at the funeral for Elder King Follet—death, resurrection, and eternal progression were the obvious topics on the prophet’s mind. Let’s review the godhood logic train Here are excerpts from the King Follet Sermon with commentary:

I am going to tell you how God came to be God. ~ Joseph Smith, King Follet Sermon

Wow. That’s pretty clear-cut!

We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see. These ideas are incomprehensible to some, but they are simple. It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses with another, and that He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did; and I will show it from the Bible. ~ Joseph Smith, King Follet Sermon

Railcar 1 confirmed. God was once a man like us. God once dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ Himself did—Railcar 2 confirmed!

I wish I was in a suitable place to tell it, and that I had the trump of an archangel, so that I could tell the story in such a manner that persecution would cease forever. What did Jesus say? (Mark it, Elder Rigdon!) The scriptures inform us that Jesus said, as the Father hath power in himself, even so hath the Son power—to do what? Why, what the Father did. The answer is obvious—in a manner to lay down his body and take it up again. Jesus, what are you going to do? To lay down my life as my Father did, and take it up again. Do you believe it? If you do not believe it you do not believe the Bible. The scriptures say it, and I defy all the learning and wisdom and all the combined powers of earth and hell together to refute it. ~ Joseph Smith, King Follet Sermon

The Father was once a Savior! Railcar 3 confirmed. I certainly can appreciate the enthusiasm of our beloved prophet who wish he could declare this truth with the trump of an archangel! These truths are so beautiful in their simplicity, yet so many resist them!

Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power. ~ Joseph Smith, King Follet Sermon

Railcars 4 – 6 confirmed. No, really. There is one path to Godhood. The Holy Ghost step precedes the Savior step as we see in two quotes from Joseph Smith in the prior section. The Savior step precedes becoming a Father.

How long does this process take? The short answer is, of course, I don’t know! However, there is a tremendous clue in the previous quote. We have to learn to become Gods. We have to go from a small capacity to a great one. If you cannot run a donut shop, then you cannot run a galaxy or a universe for agency is how we learn. Knowledge is not handed to us. Experience is not handed to us. We must learn and experience to become gods!

The most important clue about how long this process takes is when Joseph Smith states that we must go “from grace to grace” and from “exaltation to exaltation.” As far as we know the Savior, isn’t the only being that provides grace in any creation (John 14:6?) Bear that in mind when you read the four simple words, “from grace to grace.” “From exaltation to exaltation,” to me means to the end of one creation where worlds and people are exalted to the next creation where worlds and people are exalted. It is my opinion that through agency, anyone can step off this train and accept their lot—however much they’ve attained. I do believe that Adam and Eve had attained their own world and gave the ultimate example of The Law of Consecration when they consecrated their inheritance—and their immortality—to the children of God for their progression. Becoming an Adam and an Eve is yet another railcar on this logic train of eternal progression. Think of the temple in this light. The temple is Adam and Eve school! Men are asked to close their eyes as though they are Adam…. but that is an article for another day.

Doctrine and Covenant 93 is the perfect companion to the King Follet Sermon. A careful study of D&C 93 not only reveals these same truths but also reveals the mindset of the Savior Himself as He reveals these words to Joseph Smith!


Part III Doctrine & Covenants 93

After reading from the King Follet Sermon, D&C 93 read more clearly.

D&C 93:11 And I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us.
12 And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace;

Again, what is grace and who is the only being who provide grace. Let’s restate this. Jesus Christ did not receive the fulness at first but received grace for grace.  Let’s substitute the word “grace” for “mercy.” And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received “mercy” for “mercy”;

13 And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness;

Verse 13 is repeated in verse 14, albeit slightly differently:

14 And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first.

This time, John assigns the title “Son of God” and explains why Jesus was called the Son of God—he received not of the fulness at first. But, that makes sense, doesn’t it? A Son is not a Father. A Father must be a Son before He can be a Father!

15 And I, John, bear record, and lo, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove, and sat upon him, and there came a voice out of heaven saying: This is my beloved Son.
16 And I, John, bear record that he received a fulness of the glory of the Father;
17 And he received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him.

At some point the Son receives the fulness of the Father which at least partly consists of is all power, both in heaven and on earth and the glory of the Father dwelling in Him. I love the next verse, which reveals an indication to both the Lord’s desire and hesitation:

18 And it shall come to pass, that if you are faithful you shall receive the fulness of the record of John.

The Lord is about to spell this all out explicitly, but He hesitates! He stops and says, well if you want to hear more you will need to be faithful to receive the fulness of the record of John. He’s starting to spell out Multiple Mortal Probations, which is very likely explicitly detailed not only in John’s sealed testimony but in the sealed portion of the golden plates! If MMP is true doctrine, then of course the sealed portion would reveal the doctrine! The next verses solidify the Lord’s hesitation and desire:

19 I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.

So, the Lord breaks his narrative basically saying, “I was about to reveal more of John’s words, but you all are not ready. But if you’re faithful, this will all be spelled out to you in the sealed testimony of John.” Then He gives unto us these sayings that we may understand and know how to worship, and know what we worship. We are worshiping an exalted man! And, He reveals this truth unto us so that in due time we can receive of the fulness—this knowledge is an essential step on the journey to godhood, of receiving a fulness ourselves.

20 For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace.

Finally, the Lord gives the key that unlocks the mystery. Back in verse 12, John tells us the Lord’s journey to fulness began by receiving grace for grace. The Lord now tells us we receive a fulness by the exact same process—by beginning to receive grace for grace. Grace is Mercy: Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy! Just as importantly, in verse 20 the Lord says we shall receive of a fulness and be glorified in Jesus as Jesus is glorified in the Father. “As,” means to the same degree or extent. We are glorified “as” Jesus is glorified—the same way and the same process. There are not two paths to Godhood—there is one!


Part IV Perfection

Speaking of the word “as,” the Lord commands us to be perfect and tells us how to do it in the sermon on the mount—in fact this is the conclusion of the portion of His sermon that begins with the beatitudes, which may themselves be a series of progressive trials on the path to exaltation.

Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Of course, none of us can comply with this command in this life, but we know from 1 Nephi 3:7 that the Lord always provides a way to keep His commandments. But how? “Be perfect as the Father,” does not just mean, “be the same type of perfect,” but “perfect yourselves the same way.” Bearing in mind what Joseph Smith and Lorenzo Snow said about God being a man once, the teaching becomes clear. This is how my Father became perfect. This is how you will become perfect.

After the Atonement was accomplished in the Garden of Gethsemane and after the crucifixion and resurrection, the Lord visited the ancient Americans and taught them the same sermon. There was a subtle difference at this same point in the sermon:

3 Nephi 12:48 Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.

Now the Lord refers to Himself as perfect for the first time. Though He was leading a sinless life, He could not claim perfection until after descending below all things and after achieving the resurrection as He does in 3 Nephi 12:48.

Alma 7:12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

“Be perfect as I OR your Father. Take your pick, for we reached perfection the same way,” the Lord is essentially saying. We are commanded to follow this same process. Yet, there are many aspects to perfection.

Perfection is not just living a sinless life. You must be the perfect judge with the perfect amount of mercy with perfect patience and even perfect anger. All these lessons must be learned within the bounds of agency and independence. None of these attributes of perfection are gifted to us—they must be learned by following the same plan—the same path—of exaltation.

D&C 93:30 All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence.

The above scripture is from that same revelation in D&C 93 where the Lord is about to reveal the nitty gritty of Multiple Mortal Probations. God is independent just like us. He was once a man just like us. Nobody made him perfect. He perfected himself through the plan just as we do. He passed his final test by living a sinless live and by atoning for and providing a resurrection for a creation.

D&C 50:24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

There is one plan and one path to receive light until the perfect day. From D&C 93 again:

D&C 93:27 And no man receiveth a fulness unless he keepeth his commandments.
28 He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.

“Be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect,” said the Lord Jesus Christ. Become perfect the same way we did. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.


Part V The Levels of Mankind

The next time you go through the Temple Endowment, I challenge you to watch with these principles in mind—that there is but one path to Godhood and that being an Adam an Eve is a step on this one ladder. Peter, James, and John are also on this path. The symbolism in the Temple Endowment is deep and rich and indicates that Adam went through these steps himself. He was called Michael in his body and went back to sleep and rose again to be called Adam. This is a symbol of Multiple Mortal Probations. Lucifer tells Adam that this is a new world like the previous world they both came from. Multiple Mortal Probations.

The more advanced souls – the noble and great ones from Abraham 3 – are not noble because they just learned better or faster in their spirit bodies. We LDS believe that only so much progression can be made after this life—that without our bodies certain lessons take longer to learn. Why wouldn’t that principle apply to us before we took upon ourselves bodies?

In my series of articles on the Seven Levels of Mankind, I discuss the scriptures and truths that unmistakably reveal that the souls who have attained more light and perfection progress simultaneously along with the younger souls, or souls who have not attained much light or knowledge yet. The lesser souls need the higher souls and vice versa. To learn to become a God you must learn by doing – by administering, by teaching, by comforting, and by governing. If there is any doubt left in your heart about this process consider this:

There are eight uses of the word “overcometh” in the Book of Revelation as I discuss in my first article on the Seven Levels of Mankind. The first seven are given at the end of the Lord’s address to the angels of the seven churches in Asia. Each promise is a progressive step as evidenced by the first two promises aligned to salvation from death and from sin respectively. There is significant evidence these promises align to the dispensation heads themselves and with the laws given in the temple. The first seven uses are all covered in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation. The eighth use is given near the end and is aligned to the level of Christ Himself. This short, simple verse sums up the logic train that leads to the conclusion of Multiple Mortal Probations:

Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

How did Christ inherit all things? He – Christ will be our God and we will be his sons. This is how he inherited. This is how we inherit. There is one path and one plan that leads to Godhood. Whether there are many or few mortal probations on this path, we can know with a certainty there is more than one.

Mosiah 5:7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.

By becoming sons and daughters to Christ—begotten spiritually as King Benjamin demonstrates in Mosiah 5—we are taken with Him to His full inheritance where we become the noble and great ones assisting with the younger souls of His new creation that He will achieve through His Only Begotten Son. Some will be new to being a noble and great one, and others will have attained a higher capacity. Consider this principle while reading from the great intercessory prayer from John 17:

John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Verse 3 ties in nicely to D&C 93:19 that was covered above:

D&C 93:19 I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.

D&C 93:19 and John 17:3 tie into D&C 132:24 which gives a very important grammatical clue as to how long this process takes and what the process entails:

D&C 132:24 This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law.

Back to John 17:

John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

Verse 6 is huge. Elohim “gave” Jehovah these men out of the world. “Thine they were.” How so? They were Elohim’s because they were ransomed by Elohim while Elohim was working out his own kingdom as revealed by Joseph Smith in the King Follet Sermon. “They have kept thy word.” What word is this? Could it be the covenants they made when they become spiritually begotten sons and daughters to Elohim the same way we become spiritually begotten sons and daughters to Christ?

John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

The Lord specifically excludes the world from this prayer, why? Because, these are the souls who traversed a prior creation—assisting with the governance of this generation of souls. They are the Church of the Firstborn. A church is a congregation of souls. These are they who have embarked on journey that began when they joined the Holy Order After the Order of the Son of God.

D&C 93:22 And all those who are begotten through me are partakers of the glory of the same, and are the church of the Firstborn.

The Church of the Firstborn are partakers of the same glory—not a similar glory. That glory is earned the same way as all who have come before. They are all High Priests Forever, after the Order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7.) Why forever? Because, they continue on as long as they honor the oath and covenant of their Priesthood to increase their light and knowledge until that perfect day—and from there they ascend to higher and higher exaltations forever as taught by Joseph Smith in the King Follet Sermon. The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood isn’t just about honoring and magnifying your calling—it’s about magnifying every single aspect of your soul line upon line, and precept upon precept until that perfect day.

D&C 84:33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.
34 They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.
35 And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord;
36 For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me;
37 And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;
38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.
39 And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.
40 Therefore, all those who receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved.
41 But whoso breaketh this covenant after he hath received it, and altogether turneth therefrom, shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come.

D&C 84:33-41 align nicely with all the points discussed thus far, especially John 17:

John 17:10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

D&C 84:41 and John 17:12 both discuss those who break the oath and covenant of the Priesthood. Think about this next time this is discussed in your Priesthood Quorum. The breadth, depth, and scope of the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood isn’t just magnifying your calling. Sure, that’s part of it, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The heavens wept because Lucifer, a Son of the Morning—a being who had advanced through the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood fell. His Priesthood robes are still being worn by him in the temple endowment!


Part VI Conclusion and Further Reading

I hope the scriptures take on a new meaning after reading this article—that becoming spiritually begotten sons and daughters to Christ takes on new meaning. Who will be the noble and great ones of His creation of spirits?

I hope “Born Again” even takes on new meaning as revealed in John (Isn’t it interesting that the Beloved Apostle who had a full vision like the Brother of Jared has so many scriptures that reinforce these eternal doctrines?) You’ve read this story and heard of it countless times. Read it one more time with all of this in mind:

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

Let’s set aside for a moment the fact that Jesus never corrected Nicodemus when Nicodemus says, “can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb?” Of course, the sermon reads like Jesus is teaching that we must be born physically and spiritually, and I do believe that is certainly one of the meanings. However, read verse 13 again with all that has been discussed in mind:

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

No man has ascended up to heaven except he follow the steps of the Son of Man. Like so many of the Master’s teachings, these verses are layered with truth. To see the kingdom of God we must be born again. To ascend above all we must descend below all as the Son of Man has done.

Below you will find further reading and links that I hope will help you on your journey of light. I may write a follow-up on this article depending on feedback and, of course, should the Spirit nudge me in that direction. I started to write a series of articles on the Book of Enoch and the Davidic Servant. I believe the Davidic Servant is tied very much into the revelation of these truths. He is the hidden servant himself, and I believe he is hidden for the same reason John’s testimony is hidden. Knowing who the Davidic Servant is, what his mission is, and most importantly – how his mission fits into eternal progression is to know these mysteries. He must be hidden for the world, and even the saints, are not ready for these truths yet. Below is an excerpt from the Book of Enoch that underscores Multiple Mortal Probations. Chapter 61 of the Ethopian Book of Enoch closely parallels many scriptures in Isaiah about the Davidic Servant who becomes a prince forever over Israel. In this chapter “the son of man” is referring to the Elect One, or the Davidic Servant:

Enoch 61:17 And with this Son of man shall they dwell, eat, lie down, and rise up, for ever and ever.

Though we eventually will likely stop lying down, this order continues on forever as this is the plan of exaltation.


Further Reading:

I have written a follow-up to this article: Multiple Mortal Probations II

Below is a link to the Book of Enoch chapter 61 as mentioned above. Compare with similar verses in Isaiah that reference the spirit of righteousness, the words of the mouth destroying the sinners, the kings being judged by him, the woman in travail, etc. etc. There is also a link to an excellent book called “Melchizedek Seal and Scroll” by Alan Mitchell who shares prophecies about “Melchizedek” that are about Jesus Christ as well as apocryphal works that indicates Melchizedek and Christ may be the same person! D&C 132 speaks of eternal marriage and how that factors into “eternal lives” plural. Verse 26 of D&C 132 speaks of how those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise and can commit all manner of sins other than shedding innocent blood will still come forth in the first resurrection and enter their exaltation. Few understand how this scripture can be – Multiple Mortal Probations is the answer.

http://book-ofenoch.com/chapter-61/
Melchizedek's Seal and Scroll by Alan Rex Mitchell 
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/132?lang=eng
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/17?lang=eng
.. and just about any article I’ve written linked to the left.