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The Son of God The Only Begotten Son
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Some say that Jesus was fathered of the Holy Ghost - this is not so. He is the Only Begotten Son of the Father *in the flesh*.
(Remember, Adam was born immortal, without blood, Celestial Mother and Father)
We do not believe in reincarnation. A resurrected body is NEVER to be again divided, spirit from Temple.
We believe in Eternal Identity and Progression.
I reject vehemently the psuedo-esoteric-LDS doctrine of "multiple probation" - it is in direct opposition to Resurrection.
This snip is not from Doctrines of Salvation [DoS] - but from a Hugh Nibley article on the Pearl of Great Price.
He speaks to how the Early Church and popular minds then and more anciently believed that we have memory of a pre-existence - they use reincarnation to explain it >
Nibley responds to their claims that premortal memories prove reincarnation with an appeal to the doctrine of eternal identity/progression.
"This is no satisfaction because if you change your identity completely, you are somebody else and you really haven’t continued to exist."
He continues:
"The Egyptians are particularly strong on this. That’s why this emphasis on the NAME. It was the NAME to help preserve his identity. It was himself and nobody else that continued. You had to have hereafter, but you had to preserve your identity as well."
One last Nibley quote insert here from me regarding pre-mortal memory or recollection.
We are remembering who we are and what we knew before taking this 2nd Estate and probationary birth into Mortality.
The Temple is a RE-MEMBERing tool. It puts the body of Truth back together.
Side Note: NAMES are fundamental in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as well as in every imitation 'priesthood' or mystery/magical order.
I plan to make a thread about "Name Doctrine" someday as I have an entire chapter dedicated to it in my White Stone Thesis.
For another time...
Back to DoS 》
The Chapter then goes on for several paragraphs to contest a few false doctrines promulgated by the Reorganized Church.
It is false doctrine to teach that Jesus Christ was Fathered by the Holy Ghost.
These passages clarify the Virgin being "overshadowed" by the "Power of the Holy Ghost" and the Lord's title as "The ONLY begotten IN THE FLESH".
Jesus is literally the son of a mortal Mary and the Celestial Resurrected Father. The only Spirit fathered thus
While we don't know exactly how it is accomplished - the Holy Ghost facilitated the necessary connection between a mortal Mary and a Celestial Father, so that the mortal was Transfigured to endure and receive the Father's presence and seed.
The Only Begotten in the Flesh
Moving on - the next topic addressed is the Old Testament prophecy of "Shiloh" (who is Christ) and it's fulfillment.
Christ is the promised seed of Eve to crush the Head of Satan.
The Sanhedrin were the last and corrupted line of Judaic lawgivers - Christ superceded them bigly.
I want to include these definitions - pondering on them will enhance your understanding of this Prophecy and the mission and authority of Jesus Christ.
"He whose it is"
"Pacificator"
"To extract"
"To be at prosperous rest" (It is good...)
》The Brazen Serpent of the Exodus is a symbol of Christ and his mission as Shiloh. There are lots of great sources to learn more about the symbolism of the Serpent as an archetype of Christ.
Remember that Satan usurps and imitates Christ's authority. Think of the Garden.
I recommend this article by Skinner if you would like a bit further or fuller insight into the serpent symbolism.
>> scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol10/iss…
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*There's also a COSMIC tangent here to help understand what exactly might have induced "flying venomous serpents" I won't detail here
》Animal sacrifice was done in similitude of the future sacrifice that Christ would perform as the Lamb of God, free of blemish - a universal atoning Sacrifice for the redemption of all creation.
Modern ignorant people have no clue and presentism is a plague of the Devil
》Up next - President Smith will read and make commentary on the 53rd Chapter of Isaiah - which we know to be about the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ.
Read along - it is a short chapter and compare to Mosiah 14 and the context in which it is included in our Book of Mormon
"and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him."
He did not show as a glorified angel or as the giant men of renown - he took on the form of Flesh, of Man. He looked just like us and grew line upon line until he attained the "fullness".
"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
Oh Israel, oh Israel - you who reject the Prophets!
President Smith continues his breakdown of Isaiah 53.
Isaiah was a true Prophet of God.
Jesus the Christ is the Promised Messiah and ultimate sacrifice for our sins - he suffered for you and for me, so that we may receive forgiveness and reconciliation with God's justice
"He shall see His seed"
Those who believe in and follow Jesus Christ are his "seed" - his children. It is only by performing and keeping covenants through Priesthood ordinances that we can become like him, before we can be "Born again" to His Resurrection which is the Father's
Halelujah for the Book of Mormon! It (and especially the Book of Mosiah) clarifies and highlights this brilliant and eternal doctrine of the Seed of Christ.
This is easily confused amongst the Gentiles and mainstream Christianity and especially those who believe in Trinity.
Adam did literally walk with the Father in the Garden before the Fall. He spoke the Adamic language.
It was the transgression of a Celestial command that brought about the Fall/Banishment and introduction of Death, physical and spiritual (separation from the presence of God)
Christ - our Elder Brother was chosen to fix this dilemma.
He is the "adapter" between a Celestial Sphere we fell from, and the current Spheres we currently find ourselves wandering through.
He is our Mediator!
He is our Advocate!
He is our Victory over ALL Death!
Praise Him!
All revelation since the fall has come through Jesus Christ, who is the Jehovah of the Old Testament.
The Father has never dealt with man directly and personally since the fall, and he has never appeared except to introduce and bear record of the Son
Christ may and does often speak "As the Father" or a messenger for Him under His Authority.
This is the same as how Prophets have authority and do often speak "As Christ" - this is called speaking "Messianically" or as if they were the Messiah, delivering His messages
The 1st Vision of Joseph Smith conforms to these fundamental principles of revelation.
If Joseph had described the interaction differently - we could have easily identified a fraud. He didn't though - everything he stated is supported by the truth and the scriptures.
Recall that our current Prophet @NelsonRussellM in his first address as Prophet of the Church, explicitly cited the 1st Vision as our template for seeking and recieving revelation.
These are eternal laws!
The next few sections of DoS elaborate more on the topic I've already highlighted, that Jesus Christ is considered both the "Father" and the "Son".
Because of Christ's unique Birth - Death and all things were subject unto him, but he suffered for our sins and died willingly
Christ is the Father because he recieved the "fullness of the Father's Glory".
Notice again the importance of a NAME of the Father being titled to Christ, granting certain ability/power.
He is also the Father through His Creative works - He literally created all in our Universe
》Next, with this understanding of Christ's nature - President JFS goes on to "debunk" a false Christian notion derived from a misinterpretation of 1 Timothy 6:15-16 - where some believe that only Christ is or can be Immortal.
"Soul-Sleepers" deny immortality.
Christ came to this Earth just like all of us - naked and dependent and needing to work out our Salvation through obedience.
He was perfectly obedient. He didn't get any free passes - but he also grew line upon line, precept upon precept - just like we do and are required
He gained knowledge and wisdom in the same manner in which we are commanded to receive the same.
His foundation stone was laid upon the Rock of Revelation. Is ours? Or are we relying wholly on what other mortals have told us?
Go directly to the source for LIGHT and TRUTH
"The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do"
Those misguided teachers who would entertain ideas of "multiple probation" misinterpret this saying badly. You know who you are. Stop it.
Listen to the explanation of a Prophet of God in simplicity
Christ had not received the fulness of the Father until he got a resurrected body.
The perpetuation of Eternal Seed requires a Resurrected Body. Without this, we cannot attain unto a fulness of Glory like unto the Father.
This is the purpose of the Plan of Salvation.
To those who teach that Jesus was just a "good teacher" or merely a man - the most severe of consequences awaits you.
This is heavy. This is the murder of souls and the leading them away from the only means of Exaltation.
》Next, a few words on the historical reality of Jesus Christ.
Our focus is to point to the Book of Mormon - that was preserved and brought forth in these days with the express written purpose of witnessing to the reality and divinity of Jesus the Christ.
He is real, He LIVES
"However, we are not dependent upon the writings and the testimony of men who lived and wrote in ancient times. Although we accept their sayings, we have the testimony of witnesses of our own time."
Furthermore - YOU don't have to rely on the witnesses and testimonies of so many.
You can and need to seek the Lord's face yourself.
Our current Prophet has hinted that only those who seek the Lord this way will have the Power necessary for the next Great Work of the 2nd Coming
To end this Chapter - President Smith illuminates just how special the Lord's revelation to the Brother of Jared was.
We will all know with much more clarity how special that relationship was when the Sealed Portion and his writings are delivered by the Hand of the Lord to us
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The Character, Attributes, and Perfections of God
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Who/what is the Godhead?
We believe they are 3 distinct Divine and related individuals who are unified in purpose and nature through a Covenant and who govern the Universe.
Two have bodies of Flesh and Bone while the Holy Ghost only a Spirit Body currently.
The Head Presiding God is God the Eternal Father.
He had a Resurrected and Celestially Glorified body before our spiritual birth to Him. He is literally the Father of our Spirit Bodies which were born into these [temporal] bodies and will be raised to immortality through Christ
My cosmic commentary and highlights on the late Hugh Nibley's article titled "The Compass and the Square"
Join me.
Before we begin - I will say this: I take these things seriously and invite all to seek God through the Temple by learning His language of symbolism and prophecy.
Endowed members will vividly recognize 3 fundamental symbols of creation and order.
1) The Compass 2) The Square 3) The Ruler/Reed/Rod/Plumb
With these 3 tools all shapes of sacred geometry can be derived.
I encourage you to study these 3 symbols in perpetuity - they are profound, because they are fundamental elements of God's language of symbolsim, which he has encoded in and through all things as a testament of His work and glory.
If you want to test and learn more about the Restored Cosmology I speak of as "Cosmism" - read it. The term was used by Nibley himself. That's why I use it.
We all can understand Nibley and without 12 PhDs, if we understand Cosmism
A recent conversation I had this week prompted me to revisit a specific article in the "Temple" portion of this book called "The Circle and the Square".
I am putting together a thread as I revisit it to share that article and how it harmonizes with things you get from me
I invite you to read it with me. If you don't have a physical copy of the book - you can read it online in the Deseret Bookshelf Plus app if you have that.
Otherwise - I will post the article in my thread, but you'll have to wait
How can He change "times and the seasons" without a coherence and obedience from the heavenly hosts?
Are the seasons and our reckoning of time not caused by the movement and position of heavenly bodies?
Rhetorical
Also note proximity of topic re: times and seasons + Kingship
Yea, but Jesus Christ and His Light are the very power of all spheres and bodies in existence.
He is their Creator and Master
I rejoice in God and His infinite wisdom and mercy to have restored and to be revealing all things in this magnificent dispensation of fullness of TIME
The scriptures bring me happiness and joy and I rejoice in the Plan of Salvation that our God freely shares and invites all to "come and see".
I wish I could read and study and expand and share and ponder all my days - but these temporal chains of probation are heavy
If you watched my Daniel 7 lecture are excited for the sequel - please listen/read and reflect on this hallmark and prophetic sermon from the pulpit by Ezra Taft Benson.
His Prophetic warnings are again a crucial data point in understanding M.Babylon
I will be going over this talk in tandem with a review and conversation around ancient Ezra's Eagle prophecy of the Latter-days and how the two Ezra's testimonies support one another.