Unraveling the Prophecy of Malachi and the Mystery of Elijah - Part 5 : How Elijah’s Return Turns Our Hearts to the Fathers
Enoch was shown when Christ would return to earth:
“. . . As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfill the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah. And the day shall come that the earth shall rest. But before that day, the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth. And great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve. . .“ [1]
Enoch’s description of latter-day conditions on earth is a cause of concern for all. The Lord does not sit idly by as mankind descends further from Him. Like the days of Noah, the Lord prepares a second flood to cover earth. Not to destroy men but deliver them.
“And righteousness will I send down out of Heaven. Truth will I send forth out of the earth to bear testimony of my Only Begotten, his resurrection from the dead, yea, and also the resurrection of all men. And righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out my own elect from the four quarters of the earth unto a place which I shall prepare, a holy city, that my people may gird up their loins and be looking forth for the time of my coming. For there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem” (RE Genesis 4:22; emphasis added).
Righteousness descending from Heaven is the Lord sending Elijah to restore a permanent connection between the kingdoms of God on earth and Heaven. Righteousness and truth sweep the four quarters of earth to gather “my people” to “Zion, a New Jerusalem.”
Wickedness and darkness cover the earth because many reject the flood of truth and their rebellion leads to withdrawal of the Holy Spirit. God maintains equilibrium between good and evil on earth. Wickedness and darkness are countered by the flood of righteousness and truth brought to light by the Lord. Embracing the flood of truth and light chases away darkness.[2]
When the gathering of both sides is in process contention and conflict arises among the wicked. Among the righteous peace and harmony is found in the New Jerusalem. It becomes the Lord’s dwelling or “beach head” on earth. As the wicked ripen in iniquity the Lord sends the Patriarchal Fathers to follow Elijah down to preserve their posterity against the day of burning foretold in Malachi.
Accomplishing the gathering of the Lord’s people to Zion requires a substantial display of divine power. Righteousness is the key to accessing divine power.
“Look, accomplishing the will of God is not to be done haphazardly, insincerely, and without deliberate, careful, solemn thought. I don't... I don't blame people for their... light-heartedness, which I believe to be a good thing. But I think light-mindedness is another thing. It really does take focused attention and hard pursuit to accomplish the things that God has accomplished on occasion through others. There's never been a great man. There have been a number of great servants who have faithfully done what the Lord has asked. And the Lord, through faithful servants, has accomplished remarkable things. So now here's the rub. He's going to accomplish really remarkable things before the second coming. You can be part of that. If he'll just measure up, if he'll just submit to his will, if he'll just carefully, solemnly, not perfunctorily, not rapidly, not quickly. If you'll just soberly and carefully approach learning the will of God. Because you can't do anything that conforms to God's will if you don't understand what the will of God to be. We have a set of the greatest scriptures that have ever been entrusted into any generation since Father Adam's Book of Remembrance. But we got them. How much time do you spend searching and parsing them? . . . because what I have learned is for the Book of Mormon, Covenant of Christ, for that book, the more you bring to read the text, the more that text is going to tell you, you can find shocking material. Inside the covenant of Christ, if you'll bring enough with you to employ when you read the text, it is a fountain to be drunk from. It's a Urim and Thummim. It's an ongoing revelation. But it requires careful and solemn and ponderous thought to find it out. I believe every one of you is capable of it, particularly the younger people who still at this point in life have an opportunity to set a course that is more sober-minded than the course that many of the fathers here have set for themselves. I think there are remarkable things to be accomplished. Frightening things to be done, extraordinary enemies to be defeated. But I can tell you based upon a recent flood in Nepal, I can tell you that the forces of nature can overwhelm anything that any military on earth can throw at it. If the forces of nature are employed by the Almighty to accomplish His protection. I think in the Revelation to us, the Lord has referred to what He intends to do to protect the people of Zion. I think He calls it a pavilion, which, you know, sounds as if it might be somewhat flimsy. But if the pavilion is just a safe space, over which God's hand looks. And if outside the pavilion what you have looks like what happened in Napalm, It's okay to just be protected by a mere pavilion provided by God. . .” (Men’s Retreat Talk, Denver Snuffer Jr., pp.7-9; emphasis added, from an unedited transcript believed to be accurate).
Learning God’s will for this and future days can be accomplished by diligent study of the most complete scriptures in modern history. When we think of God’s will, the tendency is to think “What is God’s will for me?” When Joseph Smith sought answers to that question his question was largely ignored. Instead Joseph Smith was instructed in what the Lord intended to accomplish with the implication he would play some role in completing it.
The prophecy of the Lord sending Elijah prior to the Second Coming to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers is presumed to be fulfilled by the work for the dead in Temples. While there are elements of truth in that presumption, it falls far short of addressing the work to be accomplished when Elijah is sent to earth by the Lord.
The work following Elijah’s descent must elevate the Lord’s people to a standard of living consistent with those dwelling in Heaven. Otherwise the earth will burn when those dwelling in the kingdom of God in Heaven join the Savior in His descent to earth.
Metaphor for Turning the Hearts of the Children to the Fathers
There is a long black wire extending from a pole in my backyard to my house. Through the wire electricity flows to outlets throughout our house. When I plug the toaster into the wall it cooks toast. When I plug in my washer or dryer I can wash or dry clothing. The furnace, air conditioning, refrigerator, and all electric appliances draw power from the black line extending from the pole to my home. To operate any of the appliances I have to connect a cord from the appliance to one of several outlets.
Like the wire transporting electricity, the priesthood acts the same. For each of us divine power is centered in our Heavenly Father. He is the source enabling mankind to exercise His power in harmony with His will. There is no other power source from which to draw.
“There's no power in the words of any man at any time in any generation. And Jesus himself made it clear. It was the Father's work. Now this is a description in the context of Melchizedek's life, but this is a description of a covenant God had made earlier with Enoch, but it appears in the context of a description of Melchizedek in the book of Genesis. And so it's referring back to Enoch as an earlier event. For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself [no greater power to swear by] that everyone 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 God's will according to His God's command, subdue principalities and powers, and this by the will of the Son of God, which was from before the foundation of the world. So. In the case of perhaps the two greatest characters [Jesus and Enoch], we have a clear statement that Jesus did what Jesus did because he was meticulously, scrupulously following what the Father told him to do and he spoke the words the Father gave to him. And Enoch likewise did exactly the same thing. Understand when Enoch was first approached by the Lord, he said I'm but a lad in slow speech He didn't feel himself to be the ideal character to be accomplishing anything much less stand in the presence of God and yet the Lord used Enoch to accomplish that and if you're making a hierarchy and some would substitute the next character for Enoch, but certainly within the same [category], you'd put Moses up there. Because look, what did Moses achieve? Moses tore down the greatest empire that existed on earth by going and visiting them with plagues. But if you read carefully the account, there wasn't a single thing that Moses did that the Lord didn't require him to go and to do and to say what was sent and what was done. In fact, Moses, in the account, makes it pretty darn clear that he didn't even view himself as a suitable candidate for any of this. So what do we get in the Book of Numbers as a description of Moses, the great, the lawgiver, the guy whose statue appears? not only in Rome, but in Washington DC and in London as the great lawgiver, Moses, the imposing father of multiple religions. Now the man, Moses, was very meek above all the men who were upon the face of the earth. It almost seems completely incongruent that you would have a man that brings the world's strongest empire to its knees, and yet he's the meekest man upon the face of the earth. There's an account in, I want to use the covenant of Christ. There's an account in... of Nephi son of Helaman who was entrusted by the Lord with the sealing power to be able to command the elements.[3] And this is what the Lord said to him when he is called and given the commission. You're blessed Nephi because of the things you've done. I've seen how you've tirelessly declared the word I gave to this people. You haven't been afraid of them. and haven't tried to save your own life, but have tried to learn my will and to keep my commandments. Now, because you've done this so tirelessly, I'll bless you forever and I'll make you powerful in word and deed and faith and works so that all things will happen to you as you ask, since you won't ask anything contrary to my will. And he goes and he causes drought, which results in a war that was then underway, being incapable of being perpetuated because of the Word of the Lord. So what about us? This was a revelation that was given in 1831, pretty early on. It's in the T and C, section 36. And again, truly I say unto you, I say it that you may know the truth, that you may chase darkness from among you. For he that is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the greatest. Nevertheless, He's the least and the servant of all. Wherefore, He is possessor of all things, for all things are subject unto Him, both heaven and on earth. The life and the light, the spirit and the power sent forth by the will of the Father through Jesus Christ, His Son. But no man is possessor of all things except he be purified and cleansed from all sin. And if you are purified and cleansed from all sin, you shall ask whatever you will in the name of Jesus Christ, and it shall be done. But know this, it shall be given you what you shall ask. So you can ask for anything and God will do it, but God will tell you what you're to ask for. We tend to think that great empowered characters in scripture were given the kind of authority that the Gentiles long to exercise over one another. That you get to heal promiscuously whomever you would want to heal. That you get to cause whatever you would like to see happen, you get to have your prayers answered and your vain ambition gratified, and you get to have wealth and power and influence and notoriety. You don't get any of that stuff. You don't even get to keep your own life. You don't get to say anything you want to say. You don't get to teach anything you want to teach. Even if it is given unto you to know the mysteries of God, you're laid under a strict command that you shall not impart, only according to the heed and diligence that others give. Everything, when it comes to the things of God, are more serious, are more confined, are more regulated than I suppose most now living could ever imagine. It was God the Father that accomplished through Jesus Christ the Atonement. It was Jesus Christ who begged at the end for the cup to be taken from him, nevertheless not His will, but the Father's will be done. How hard to bear, you know not. He submitted the only way for a godly man, which was what I was asked to address, the only way a godly man can exist is in subordination to the will of the Father, period. You may be able to keep your sense of humor and you may be able to be irreverent on occasion. You just can't piss him off. Now, see, there's, it's given to some to have miracles to be healed, it's given to others to have faith to heal, given the working of miracles, others given to prophecy, others to discerning of spirits, some to speak with tongues. but all these things are done according to the will of God. So. On occasion, we get to be present when a miracle happens. And on occasion, we get to be a participant, but by voicing the will of God. And in voicing the will of God, a miracle occurs. But the miracle does not happen because we have power. It happens because the power of God was employed to accomplish God's will and we were permitted to be present at the moment when it happened. . .” (Men’s Retreat Talk, Denver Snuffer Jr., pp.6-7; emphasis added, taken from an unedited transcript believed to be accurate).
There are times in scripture where two scriptures with differing verbiage speak of the same thing. This discussion of the ministries of Jesus, Enoch, Moses, and Nephi the son of Helaman relate to a revelation the Lord gave to Joseph Smith regarding access to priesthood power.
“Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen, and why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson — that the rights of the Priesthood [power and privileges] are inseparably connected with the Powers of Heaven [Patriarchal Priesthood] and that the Powers of Heaven cannot be controlled nor handled, only upon the principles of righteousness. . .” (RE T&C 139:5; emphasis added).
In the context of Denver’s remarks at the Men’s Retreat careful consideration should be given to the definition of “righteousness.” Righteousness may not be defined by the Lord in the way man defines it. Righteousness, that Enoch said God would send down from Heaven in the last days may defined differently. Righteousness is not limited to doing benevolent acts to our fellow man. Righteousness is subordinating our will to the will of the Father who is in Heaven, the most righteous of all. Our ability to access the “Powers of Heaven” is contingent on first understanding what the Lord intends to do in the last days and then aligning our desires with His objective.
When His people “learn this one lesson” they are like the men spoken of by Denver:
“For God, having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself that everyone 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” (RE Genesis 7:19; emphasis added).
These Priesthood powers given to Enoch and his posterity by oath sworn by God are binding in time and eternity. The corridor between Heaven and earth opens to them. They participate in Heavenly councils and receive knowledge that cannot be shared with others.
Backward Engineering Priesthood Order
One of the ten talks was on Priesthood. Denver Snuffer addresses a quote by Joseph Smith on priesthood order that is controversial for some. From his talk titled “Priesthood”:
“Now there is a controversy, in which, almost to a man, all of those who is researched the subject have reached the conclusion that, Melchizedek priesthood is greater than patriarchal priesthood, and that Levitical priesthood is inferior to them all. So that if he [Joseph Smith] were, as those who have researched it, ranking them, he would say it would be Levitical at the lowest, then patriarchal authority as a second level, and then Melchizedek at the highest. That is the way in which it is parsed by those who have studied the words of the note takers. For my purposes in setting this topic out I am going to disagree with that ranking. I disagree with that for two reasons. First of all, I do not believe that this talk, given by Joseph Smith, in the order in which he expresses it, requires the conclusion that he ranked these three in order from top, then to middle, then to bottom. I believe it can be instead ranked as middle first, then top next, and then he picks up the bottom with Levitical. Before you lock in a different arrangement, you would either need to be absolutely confident the note takers were correct, and that you know Joseph was trying to explain it in the way in which the note takers have left the record for us. The other reason why I think patriarchal ought to be viewed as the highest form, is because the priesthood which began with Adam was a single form of priesthood which was a Holy Order after the Order of the Son of God. That priesthood after the Order of the Son of God descended from Adam down to the time of Enoch, and then it got renamed the priesthood after the order of Enoch. These are the “Patriarchs” and therefore their priesthood, in the original form of the Holy Order, can be rightly named “Patriarchal priesthood” because it was the priesthood of the original Patriarchs of mankind” (Priesthood, Denver Snuffer Jr., p.21; emphasis added).
Another reason to consider the Patriarchal Priesthood as the Highest Priesthood is the possibility points to an association with the Highest of all, Heavenly Father. He is transcendent above the Son of God of whom the Melchizedek Priesthood is substituted for “The Priesthood After the Order of the Son of God.”
In the same Priesthood talk Denver explains the definition of Priesthood:
“. . . So I want to suggest to you, that the real definition of priesthood is an association between, mankind on the one hand, and those on the other side of the veil on the other hand. It is a brotherhood” (Priesthood, Denver Snuffer Jr., p.11; emphasis added).
The priesthood held by a person is not the function of laying hands on another person and pronouncing a transfer of authority by God. That may be part of a process of “calling” a person to priesthood but it does not presume the person is “chosen.” With the Melchizedek Priesthood one may only be “chosen” by God’s voice.[4]
According to the definition of priesthood given by Denver, one determines their true level of priesthood by considering who they associate with from the other side of the veil. Levitical or Aaronic are angels[5] who prepare us to converse with the Lord through the veil. After receiving direction and mentoring through the veil the Lord extends His hand and draws us into a complete association with the Son of God. But that is not the end of the matter.
Prior to His crucifixion the Savior said this to His disciples:
“Do not allow your heart to be troubled. You are devoted to God [the Father] and are also devoted to me [Jesus]. In the journey through my Father’s realms are many stages with temporary abodes. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare an abode for your upward journey [upward to where? The Father]. And when I arise, I will prepare places for you, but I will be your companion again and visit each of you, so that where I travel you may journey to also [to the Father]. And the path I follow upward you know, and the way of ascent you also know. Thomas said to him, Lord, we don’t know where you are going; how can we know the way? You have not told us. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the record of the truth, and the means for Eternal lives, worlds without end: no man comes to the Throne of the Father without me. If you follow me, you will come to the Father’s Throne through me and will thereafter be like him forever” (RE T&C 171, Testimony of Saint John 10:9; emphasis added).
If our eventual end is to arrive at the Father’s throne and become like Him, our association will be with both He and the Savior. Lectures on Faith explains exactly what that is like:
“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: the Father being a personage of spirit, glory, and power: possessing all perfection and fullness; the Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, a personage of tabernacle, made or fashioned like unto man, or being in the form and likeness of man, or rather, man was formed after his likeness and in his image — he is also the express image and likeness of the personage of the Father, possessing all the fullness of the Father, or the same fullness with the Father, being begotten of him, and was ordained from before the foundation of the world to be a propitiation for the sins of all those who should believe on his name, and is called the Son because of the flesh — and descended in suffering below that which man can suffer, or in other words, suffered greater sufferings and was exposed to more powerful contradictions than any man can be. But notwithstanding all this, he kept the law of God [the law that transforms man from their natural state to godliness by strict obedience] and remained without sin, showing thereby that it is in the power of man to keep the law and remain also without sin. And also, that by him a righteous judgment might come upon all flesh [The Savior becomes the standard by which all may be judged], and that all who walk not in the law of God may justly be condemned by the law and have no excuse for their sins [because sinlessness is within their ability to achieve. He accomplished this facing greater contradictions and adversity than any accountable mortal man]. And he being the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, and having overcome, received a fullness 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 [three because once the spirit of man becomes sanctified and receives the mind of the Father, they join with the Father and Son to inherit “All that the Father hath”[6] because their spirit becomes a “Holy Ghost”] constitute the great matchless, governing, and supreme power over all things, by whom all things were created and made that were created and made.[7] And these three constitute the Godhead and are one: the Father and the Son possessing the same mind, the same wisdom, glory, power, and fullness, filling all in all — the Son being filled with the fullness 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 fullness 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 [law of God]. And all those who keep his commandments shall grow up from grace to grace and become heirs of the Heavenly kingdom [of the Father] 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 [the Father]: being filled with the fullness of his glory,[8] and become one in him, even as the Father, Son, and holy spirit are one” (RE T&C 110, Lectures on Faith, Lecture 5:2; emphasis added).
Condescension and Adoption
The Son of God was “like unto God” in pre-mortality.[9] The Savior consented to condescend to earth with others whom the Father gave Him. They teach and nurture mankind through patience and long-suffering to learn and obey the “law of God.” This is how they overcome the fall of Adam and begin their ascent back to the Father’s throne and Kingdom. The process required the condescension of the “noble and great” with the Lord to teach and exemplify the law of God “in word and deed.”[10]
Those who did not harden their hearts against the “High Priests” after the “Holy Order” are able to “rise up” by following the same “law of God” elevating all the faithful in Christ.
Because not all mankind is the same, the “law of God” accommodates all of mankind at whatever level they find themselves. Christ having ascended from below all accountable people.
The ascension of mankind was explained to the Pharisee’s but their hearts were hardened toward the Lord and failed to understand the Savior’s teachings.
“Then Jesus repeated to them, I will continue onward following the path of my Father, and you will not accompany me, but will instead die under the burden of your sins. Therefore you cannot go where I will be. Then the Sanhedrin scornfully asked, Does he plan to kill himself? Is that why he said, The path he will take we will not join? And Jesus responded to them, You are from a lower estate. I am from the Heavens. You are stuck in this world, and I am not of this world. Because of this I said to you that you will die burdened with sins. If you do not believe that I am sent by the Most High God, bringing light and life with me, you will die burdened with sins. They said to him, So tell us who you claim to be. And Jesus answered them, I am the same as I told you from the beginning [pre-mortality]. I have many things to teach that will be used to judge you; and the one who sent me is the Source of all truth [the Father]. I am teaching what he has sent me to teach and he provided my message. They did not understand that he was speaking the words of Father Ahman. Then Jesus added, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am Son Ahman, and that I have done nothing on my own; but as my Father has taught me, I repeat his words. He sent me and accompanies me here; the Father has never abandoned my side. I always do the things that please him. When he spoke these words, many believed on him. Then Jesus addressed those Jews who believed on him, Only if you continue to follow my teachings will you be my students indeed, because you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. The leaders interrupted to claim, We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been slaves to any man. Why do you say we will become free? Jesus answered them, In the name of Father Ahman I say unto you, Whoever misses the mark is the slave of errors. And such a slave will not be allowed to be within Abraham’s house in the resurrection, but the Son will remain part of God’s Family forever. If the Son sets you free from sin, you are free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you conspire to kill me because my teachings have no place within you. I teach you what the Father has shown to me while I was in his presence, and you follow the teaching of your father. They answered and said to him, Abraham is our father. Jesus replied to them, If you were really Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But instead you plan to kill me. And why do you plan to kill me: I am a man that has only told you the truth that I have heard from the Most High God; Abraham would never do such a thing. You follow the example of your real father. Then they said to him, You are the product of extramarital fornication involving an unknown number of men, and we are not. We have one Father, even God. Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love me, for I am sent by and represent God. I am not speaking my own words or pursuing my own agenda, but the Father’s words and agenda. Why do you fail to comprehend my words? Your refusal to hearken and submit to my teachings makes you deaf indeed. Your father is the accuser, and you share the envy and rebellion of your father. He was a rebellious destroyer from the beginning [pre-mortality], and fought against the truth, because he prefers lies. When he spreads a lie, he advances his agenda. He is the source of deceit in this fallen world. And because I am the Source of truth, you are unable to believe me. Which of you can truthfully show that I have missed the mark? And if I teach the truth, why do you refuse to believe me? Everyone who follows the Most High God hearkens to God’s words. Because you do not follow the Most High God, you cannot hear him” (RE T&C 171, Testimony of Saint John 6:15-20; emphasis added).
What may be overlooked is a foundational principle of the “law of God.” In God’s kingdom patriarchy is not determined by lineage as in mortality. Our works and willingness to hear the Lord’s word, have faith, repent and obey His commandments determines our spiritual lineage. The Pharisee’s claimed to be Abraham’s posterity but the Savior discarded that notion when He said, “If you were Abraham’s seed you would do the works of Abraham.”
Speaking to His disciples in preparation for His death, Jesus summarized the Father’s benevolent system established for the salvation of man:
“In the name of Father Ahman I declare to you, No servant is greater than his Lord, nor am I who have been sent greater than my Father, who sent me. Since you know these things, you will have joy if you follow them. I do not expect all of you to do as I have shown you. I know whom I have chosen, but the Psalm prophesies that my familiar and trusted friend, who ate bread with me, has lifted up his heel against me. I am telling you this beforehand so that when I am betrayed you do not lose your belief in me. I am the Messiah. In the name of Father Ahman I declare to you, He that accepts my word spoken by whomever I send with my word receives me, and he that receives me receives him that sent me, even my Father” (RE T&C 171, Testimony of Saint John 10:4; emphasis added).
This provides a framework for how the Father applies covenants and adoption to uplift and build His children. Like His words in the Testimony of Saint John, Matthew records the Savior’s words in the following manner:
“He who receives you, receives me. And he who receives me, receives him who sent me. He that receives a prophet, in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he that receives a righteous man, in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, truly I say unto you, he shall by no means lose his reward” (RE Matthew 5:8; emphasis added).
At almost every level God seeks to reward everyone who responds by hearing righteous men and following their example. How is it just for God to reward a person with the same blessings reserved for the prophet who speaks to them? It is through a system of covenant promises given by our Father in Heaven. At various levels Heavenly Father, the source of all power, cannot lie and His promises are immutable in time and eternity.
When the Father offers a covenant to a righteous man, the covenant has a contingency extending His promised blessings to the man’s posterity. We see that repeatedly with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and others. Men who obtain those promises from the Father have them sealed upon them for time and eternity. Their posterity also obtaining promises from the Father that they may continue to progress beyond this mortal life.
Through the Father’s benevolence He provides a Savior to Atone for our sins if we repent. Jesus is God’s Son because He does exactly, precisely as the Father has done. His obedience to the Father’s words is what qualifies the Son of God for the title, “The Word.”
When the Lord calls a servant or prophet and they hearken to His words, they are adopted into His family becoming His sons or daughters.
“Now these are the words king Benjamin hoped to hear from them. Therefore he told them: You’ve said the words I wanted to hear, and the covenant you’ve made is a righteous covenant. Now because of the covenant you’ve made, you’ll be called the sons and daughters of Jesus Christ. Today, He has spiritually begotten you. You’ve said your hearts have changed through faith in His name [they obtained the “mind of the Father and become “One” with He and the Father]. As a result, you’re born of Him [adoption] and have become His sons and daughters. You’re now free under His wings [through His Atonement], and there’s no other Savior under whose wings you can be sheltered. There’s no other name given through which salvation comes. Therefore all of you who have made the covenant with God to be obedient for the remainder of your lives, take upon yourselves the name of Christ. Those who do this will be found at the right hand of God and will answer to the name of Christ” (CofC Mosiah 3:2; emphasis added).
King Benjamin shows the eventual gateway through which all who repent will eventually pass. Because of the Savior’s Atonement all may obtain their own covenant from the Lord at His discretion. Until the time we personally obtain a covenant with the Lord, we receive blessings through the Lord’s promises to righteous Patriarch’s. The Father extends their blessings to us when we receive the words of Christ through them.
These blessings extend to the person offering a cool drink of water to someone associated with the Savior’s disciples. Wherever we may stand in our upward
progression, God offers us opportunities to continue to ascend back to His presence. The process may require eons of time to complete; but time doesn’t exist with Him and that is why He is endlessly patient and charitable. We are His work and His glory, His source of joyful rejoicing as we learn to embrace attributes we inherit from Him.
This is an imperfect explanation of a simple yet complex system our Father in Heaven has created to “bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” It is also a partial fulfillment of prophecy recorded by Joseph of Egypt when the records of Joseph and Judah “grow together” and Joseph Smith’s ministry becomes strong:
“Therefore your offspring will write, and Judah’s offspring will write. The Lord says: The things your offspring write, and the things Judah’s offspring write, will grow together in order to expose false doctrines, settle disputes, and establish peace among your offspring and bring them, in the last days, to understanding their ancestors [Patriarchal Fathers] and comprehending My covenants. The Lord said: His weakness [Joseph Smith’s] will be made strong. My work will then begin among all My people. I’ll restore you, O house of Israel” (CofC 2 Nephi 2:4; emphasis added).
With increased understanding of the Father and Son’s covenants our hearts should turn to all our Father’s (and Mother’s) in Heaven for their eternal efforts to preserve our right to ascend to become like them.
Our minds only contemplate prophetic events as if they are fantasy or a mere dream. Our hearts only turn to the Patriarchal Fathers when Elijah is sent to open the portal between Heaven and earth and with him the Patriarchal Father’s return. They preserve their posterity against the wiles of the “Accuser.” Enoch saw conditions prior to his city’s ascension. They represent a type of the last days when Elijah and those in Heaven descend to earth. It is recorded in RE Genesis:
“. . . And after Zion was taken up into Heaven, Enoch beheld, and lo, all the nations of the earth were before him, and there came generation upon generation. And Enoch was high and lifted up, even in the bosom of the Father and the Son of Man. And behold, the powers of Satan were upon all the face of the earth. And he saw angels descending out of Heaven, and he heard a loud voice saying, Woe, woe unto the inhabitants of the earth.[11] And he beheld Satan, and he had a great chain[12] in his hand, and he veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he looked up and laughed, and his angels rejoiced. And Enoch beheld angels descending out of Heaven bearing testimony of the Father and Son. And the holy ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the Powers of Heaven[13] into Zion” (Re Genesis 4:15; emphasis added).
In the example of the city of Enoch it is interesting to note it was the “Powers of Heaven” who caught up those who received the Holy Ghost and became sanctified. In the last days example it is their condescension to earth with Elijah that establishes Zion. Under their umbrella of covenant promises the righteous will be preserved and continue ascending to the presence of the Father and Son. In immeasurable gratitude we fall upon their necks and they on ours, rejoicing in the salvation provided by our God and His Son.
[1] “And Enoch wept and cried unto the Lord again, saying, When shall the earth rest? And Enoch beheld the Son of Man ascend up unto the Father, and he called unto the Lord, saying, Will you not come again upon the earth? For inasmuch as you are God, and I know you, and you have sworn unto me and commanded me that I should ask in the name of your Only Begotten, you have made me, and given unto me a right to your throne, and not of myself, but through your own grace. Wherefore, I ask you if you will not come again on the earth. And the Lord said unto Enoch, As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfill the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah. And the day shall come that the earth shall rest. But before that day, the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth. And great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve. And righteousness will I send down out of Heaven. Truth will I send forth out of the earth to bear testimony of my Only Begotten, his resurrection from the dead, yea, and also the resurrection of all men. And righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out my own elect from the four quarters of the earth unto a place which I shall prepare, a holy city, that my people may gird up their loins and be looking forth for the time of my coming. For there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem. And the Lord said unto Enoch, Then shall you and all your city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom. And they shall see us, and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other; and there shall be my abode. And it shall be Zion which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made, and for the space of a thousand years shall the earth rest” (RE Genesis 4:22; emphasis added).
[2] “And again, truly I say unto you, and I say it that you may know the truth, that you may chase darkness from among you” (RE T&C 36:5; emphasis added).
“The glory of God is intelligence, or in other words, light and truth. Light and truth forsake that evil one” (RE T&C 93:11; emphasis added).
[3] “This resulted in an argument among the people, so they split up, going away and leaving Nephi standing alone. Nephi went to return to his own house, pondering about what the Lord had shown him. As he was pondering this, regretting the Nephites’ wickedness, their secret works of darkness, murders, robberies, and all their iniquities; reviewing these in his heart, a voice spoke to him, saying: You are blessed, Nephi, because of the things you’ve done. I’ve seen how you’ve tirelessly declared the word I gave you to this people. You haven’t been afraid of them and haven’t tried to save your own life, but have tried to learn My will and to keep My commandments. Now because you’ve done this so tirelessly, I’ll bless you forever. And I’ll make you powerful in word and deed, in faith and works, so that all things will happen to you as you ask, since you won’t ask anything contrary to My will. You are Nephi and I Am God. I declare this to you in front of My angels as witnesses: You are given power over this people and will strike the earth with famine, disease, and destruction in response to this people’s wickedness. Indeed, I give you power that whatever you seal on earth will be sealed in heaven, and whatever you set loose on earth will be set loose in heaven, and so you will hold this power over this people. And so if you say to this temple: Split in two! — it will happen. And if you say to this mountain: Fall down and be leveled! — it will happen. And if you say for God to afflict this people, it will happen. Now I command you to go and warn these people that the Lord God, the All-Powerful One, decrees: Unless you repent, you will be afflicted and destroyed” (CofC Helaman 3:19; emphasis added).
[4] “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 a 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 men, 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” (RE Genesis 7:18; emphasis added).
[5] “We still continued the work of translation when, in the ensuing month (May, eighteen hundred and twenty-nine), we on a certain day went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins as we found mentioned in the translation of the plates. While we were thus employed praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from Heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us, saying unto us, Upon you, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. And this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness” (RE T&C 1, Joseph Smith History 14:1; emphasis added).
[6] “Jesus said bluntly to them, I am the bread that gives life; he that follows the path with me will never hunger for light; and any who believe on me shall never thirst for truth. Unfortunately, as I have already told you, even though you have seen me, you do not believe me. But my Father has provided some who will heed my words, and those who follow me I will safely keep. I am descended from above as a Messenger sent to follow Father Ahman’s plan. Father’s plan is that by completing my ascent I will have the power to rescue creation, losing nothing. Moreover, those who are here on this journey with me will be added upon for evermore if they have faith in me. They will rise up to likewise generate endless lives, worlds without end” (TE T&C 171, Testimony of Saint John 5:16; emphasis added).
[7] That is why the temple endowment portrays Adam or “Michael” as a participant in the creation of earth for the salvation of mankind. As Adam, he and Eve represent all patrons seeking to obey the “law of God” or law that leads a mortal to godliness. Obedience to the “law of God” is the “mystery of godliness.”
[8] “The glory of God is intelligence, or in other words, light and truth. Light and truth forsake that evil one. . .”
(RE T&C 93:11; emphasis added).
[9] “And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him, We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell. And we will prove them herewith to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them [“law of God”]. And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon, and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever” (RE T&C 145, Abraham 6:2; emphasis added).
[10] “In addition, my people, I would remind you of the moment the Lord God gave His children these commandments. Remember the Lord God ordained priests according to His Holy Order, which was according to the Order of His Son, to teach the people these things. Such priests were ordained to the Order of His Son in such a way, so that by it the people would recognize how to look forward to His Son for redemption. And this is how they were ordained: they were called and prepared from the foundation of creation according to God’s foreknowledge, because of their great faith and good works. In the first place, since they were permitted to choose good or evil, they chose to do good and exercised great faith [“noble and great”]. As a result, they’re called with a holy calling that had been prepared with and according to the planned redemption for those who qualified. Therefore they were and are called to this holy calling because of their faith, while others chose to reject the Spirit of God because of their hard hearts and blind minds, and if it hadn’t been for this, they could have had the same status as their brothers. Or to be brief: in the first place they had the same opportunity as the others and this holy calling was available from the beginning of creation for any who chose not to harden their hearts. It was made available by the Only Begotten Son who was prepared to provide the atonement. So they’re called by this holy calling and ordained to the High Priesthood of the Holy Order of God to teach His commandments to mankind, so they also could enter His rest. This High Priesthood is according to the Order of His Son, which Order existed from the foundation of creation. In other words, it is without beginning of days or end of years, having been prepared from eternity to all eternity according to His foreknowledge [knowledge of prior cycles of development] of all things. Now this is how they were ordained: having qualified to receive a holy calling, they were ordained with a holy ordinance which confers upon them the High Priesthood of the Holy Order — which calling, ordinance, and High Priesthood has no beginning or end. So they become high priests forever conforming to the Order of the Son, the Father’s Only Begotten, who has no beginning of days or end of years, and who’s full of grace, fairness, and truth. And so it is. Amen" (CofC Alma 9:10; emphasis added).
[11] “Question: What are we to understand by the four angels spoken of by John, 7th chapter and 1st verse of Revelation [Rev. 2:13]?
Answer: We are to understand that they are four angels sent forth from God, to whom is given power over the four parts of the earth, to save life and to destroy. These are they who have the everlasting gospel to commit to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, having power to shut up the heavens, to seal up unto life, or to cast down to the regions of darkness” (RE T&C 74:8; emphasis added).
[12] “. . . However those who harden their hearts are given less of His word, until they know nothing about His mysteries. Then the accuser captures them and leads them by his will down to destruction. This is what the chains of hell mean” (CofC Alma 9:3; emphasis added).
[13] A title referring to a specific group [of people] with status on the other side of the veil; a proper noun, not just an abstraction. In the afterlife there are different rungs on Jacob’s ladder where different Powers are fixed: Angel, Archangel, Principality, Power, Dominion, Throne, Cherubim, and Seraphim — they may all be called Powers of Heaven. These Powers have no desire to control or compel others to rise on Jacob’s ladder. Each rung is a developmental stage of growth through which all must pass if they want to ascend nearer to God. Each individual [mortal] on Jacob’s ladder should be moving toward perfection” (A Glossary of Gospel Terms, Powers of Heaven, p.248; emphasis added).
Scott Roderick
9/25/2026
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