Mormon as a restoration prophet

Note: I am posting this idea because it intrigues me, not because it is necessarily true.

The (4^th) Book of Nephi

The Book of Nephi (Fourth Nephi) records what happened after Christ established His church with 12 ordained disciples. By the 35^th year, the missionary work of these 12 had established a church in every part of the land. In the 36^th year, they had succeeded in converting every single Nephite and Lamanite soul to Christ in the land, baptizing them into the church.

After the 194^th year passed, Mormon informs us that a small part of the people left the church and started calling themselves Lamanites. By this time, Amos—who was the son of Amos, who was the son of Nephi, who was the son of Nephi (one of the three translated disciples of Christ)—was the one keeping the record.

Mormon next tells us that in the 201^st year pride entered society and they started forming for-profit churches and different class structures, and denying the true church of Christ. After the 210^th year, he tells us there were many churches in the land, both ones that claimed to be of Christ and yet denied most of His gospel, and also ones that persecuted the true church of Christ and the 12 disciples. This persecution of the saints lasted until the end of the 230^th year.

In the 231^st year the people split into Nephites, who were the true believers in Christ, and Lamanites, who rejected the gospel of Christ.

After the 244^th year, Mormon tells us that the wicked Lamanites were a whole lot more numerous than the righteous Nephites. Lamanite wickedness continued to increase until 260 years had passed.

In the 261^st year, the Lamanites began to employ the plans of Gadianton and pride enters into Nephite society. From this point on, the 12 disciples began sorrowing for the sins of the world.

After the 300^th year, everyone everywhere had become exceedingly wicked except for the 12 disciples.

In the 306^th year, Amos died and his brother, Ammaron, began keeping the record. (It can be inferred from this that both Ammaron and Amos were two of the 12 disciples.)

In the 321^st year, Ammaron hid up all the sacred records, finishing The Book of Nephi (Fourth Nephi).

The Book of Mormon and Mormon’s conversion

After hiding up all the records, Ammaron went to Mormon, a ten-year old child, and gave him instructions, according to the spirit of prophecy which was in Ammaron, to perform 14 years later, when he was 24 years old, relative to the large plates of Nephi.

One year later, when Mormon was 11 years old, the Lord removed the remaining disciples and all miracles ceased in the land, with the Holy Ghost no longer coming upon any.

Four years later, though, when Mormon was 15 years old, which was about the 326^th year, he had a baptism of fire and became converted to the Lord.

Mormon was alone during an absolute apostasy

The four year interval, between 11-year old Mormon and 15-year old Mormon, represents a total apostasy among the Nephite and Lamanite people. When Mormon became converted to the Lord at 15, he represented the entire living church in that society. It is reasonable to assume that when he was visited by the Lord during his conversion, that the ordinances of the gospel were also administered to him. Thus, Mormon represented a restoration of the gospel and the church of Christ, or a new dispensation, he becoming a restoration prophet or seer.

After his conversion, the first thing Mormon desired to do was spread the good news and preach to the people, but he was forbidden by the Lord from doing so. Mormon’s conversion happened in or around the 326^th year.

False hope of repentance

In the 331^st year, the Nephites began to repent somewhat, and 20-year old Mormon began to have hope for them, but by the 345^th year, the now 34-year old began to sorrow again for them, seeing that they didn’t come to Christ and “that the day of grace was passed with them, both temporally and spiritually”. During this 14-year period, in which there was some measure of repentance, Mormon may have taken a wife.

Mormon’s decade-long ministry

In the 350^th year, Mormon was 39 years old and likely already married with children. If Moroni was his first born child, born when Mormon was a married 20-year old, he would have been 19 years old by this time. In this 350^th year, the Nephites were given a ten-year window in which to repent, build up again the church of Christ and be spared. Accordingly, Mormon’s mouth was opened and he was given permission by the Lord to preach at last to the people.

Why did the Lord wait five years after Mormon’s accurate assessment of the people that “the day of grace was passed with them” before sending him to preach to them? If grace has passed, no amount of preaching will do anything for a damned people, right? It would be like preaching to the spiritually dead souls in hell, totally useless and futile. One possibility is that it may have been a test of Mormon’s faith, to see if he could do the impossible and spiritually resurrect some of them.

Although Mormon records that his 10-year preaching stint was in vain, it is apparent from the record that he did have a measure of success. Moroni chapter 7 is a sermon he gave to converts, showing that he had succeeded in establishing and building up, once again, the church of Christ in the land, though it was likely exceedingly small. Moroni chapter 8 is an epistle he sent to his son Moroni, soon after Moroni was called to preach to the people. This indicates that he took full advantage of the opportunity to preach, including organizing a missionary force among the converts. Also, from Moroni’s words in Moroni chapter 1, written between A.D. 400 and 421, it is apparent that even at the end of Nephite civilization, there were Nephites who did not deny the Christ.

In A.D. 362, 51-year old Mormon stood as an idle witness, according to the commandments of the Lord, which meant that his preaching had stopped at that point.

Chief captains were possibly Mormon’s converts

In A.D. 385, 74-year old Mormon listed the Nephite chief captains who had fallen in battle (in Mormon chapter 6). These chief captains were possibly church members who had converted during the A.D. 350-360 restoration. Mormon, as leader of all the Nephite armies, would have appointed men who had the spirit of prophecy and revelation as the chief captains, according to the custom of the Nephites. (See 3 Ne. 3:19.)

Converts hunted until all extinct

After the great final battle, only 24 Nephite souls remained, along with some few who escaped to the south, and another unspecified small number who joined the ranks of the Lamanites. (See Mormon 6:15.) Those who fled south were hunted down and killed by the Lamanites. (See Mormon 8:2.) The remaining 24 were also hunted down by the Lamanites. These 24 and those who escaped to the south sound to me like the people who didn’t deny the Christ, mentioned by Moroni in Moroni chapter 1. Everyone was eventually killed by the Lamanites, including Mormon, except for Moroni.

The Lamanite hunt, then, was from A.D. 385 to 401. It appears that they offered up a choice to those they found: deny the Christ, join the Lamanites and live, or confess Christ and be killed.

Mormon was unique among all the prophets

Mormon was born around A.D. 311, eleven years after the church of Christ had ceased to exist. At the time of his birth, there were but 12 or less of the disciples of Christ living among the people. Eleven years later, even these were removed, leaving Mormon and the rest of the people completely alone.

Despite such dire circumstances, living in a society filled to the very brim of iniquities, a veritable sea of exceeding wickedness, Mormon somehow was able to exercise faith unto repentance and get visited by the Lord, creating a restoration of the gospel. Not only was he visited by the Lord, but the translated disciples also visited him. (See Mormon 8:11.)

Nevertheless, his mouth was shut and he was forbidden to preach. But when he finally got permission, he actually did get some measure of success, which was an impossibly miraculous feat. So we know Mormon must have been a man of jaw-dropping faith. Yet, the Lord decided to allow this Nephite branch to wither and die, to further his righteous purposes, and so Mormon was again constrained and bidden to cease to preach, resulting in the eventual extinction of the Nephites.

Why Mormon wrote the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon, then, may represent God’s compromise with his frustrated seer, Mormon, who had to sit idly by for most of his life and just watch the branch wither and die. It may have been God’s way of allowing Mormon to preach and exercise his faith to the salvation of his people. Mormon could not pray in faith for his doomed people, for God had decreed their destruction, but he could pray in faith for those of the future. The Book of Mormon, then, may have been God’s way of letting Mormon release all that pent up faith he had, that his preaching and faith and prayers would not be in vain.

When a prophet preaches in faith, believing that a people will repent, God must supply the miracle and grant according to his desires. Mormon’s situation was so hopeless, that his faith should have perished as the faith of everyone else did in that environment, but he remained fixed on Christ. Mormon’s life was like being born in hell, and living in hell for the whole duration, and then (astoundingly!) making some converts during one decade in which permission is granted to preach. Mormon’s faith was akin to those missionaries who are currently preaching in hell, who do not allow themselves to be overcome by the darkness and despair of their environment. He was rock solid in every way, but lived a life full of sorrow and woe.

And wo is me because of their wickedness; for my heart has been filled with sorrow because of their wickedness, all my days; nevertheless, I know that I shall be lifted up at the last day. (Mormon 2:19)

Mormon as the pattern of restoration

Some people make such a great impression on the Lord, that He not only chooses them as His representatives, but also co-opts their name. Melchizedek was one such person. The man’s faith was so tremendous that the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God was re-named in his honor, now being known as the Melchizedek priesthood. Aaron and Levi also got priesthoods named after them. We call the language of the Lord, given to Adam, the Adamic language, and so on and so forth.

The saints of God are called by Him saints, but the unbelievers have always called them Christians, after their belief in Christ. But today we’ve got something different. The true believers and church of Christ are now no longer called Christians, nor even saints, but are called Mormons and the Mormon church.

The Lord knew this would happen and surely it must please Him. Mormon is a pattern, or type, of Christ. He represents the very essence of restoration. His entire life was a shadow of the restoration that would take place in the days of wickedness during the latter days. To Mormon, then, goes the honor of having his name used as the new label for all the saints and church of the latter-days. Mormon’s words, in Mormon’s record, would also be used as the tool of salvation for all those of the latter-days who repented and exercised faith.

The Book of Mormon’s place in the future history of the world cannot be stressed enough. It is the tool of salvation that the Lord intends to use to restore His people. Yet, it could have been titled something else. It could have been named after Moroni or Lehi or Nephi or Alma. It could have been named merely, A Nephite Record, without mentioning a specific author. But no, the Lord chose Mormon as the author and his name as the title of the book, knowing full well that the believers of the latter-days would be called this name by the unbelievers. So, we are called Mormon by the design and foreknowledge of the Lord.

Mormon’s name

Mormon (and apparently his father, whose name was also Mormon) was named after the land of Mormon, which land was named by king Noah. It was in this land of Mormon, and the forest of Mormon, and the place of Mormon, and in the waters of Mormon, that Alma baptized and established the first church of Christ among the Lehites. Alma and his congregation of 450 converted souls essentially became the first Mormons, or people associated with the name Mormon, which name was given by an unbeliever (king Noah). The Gentiles would do the same thing, associating all Gentile converts with the name Mormon, which is why Mormon drew attention to this fact in Mosiah chapter 18. And just as the name Mormon was associated with the establishment of God’s church, signifying restoration after apostasy, so would the work and ministry of the prophet Mormon be all about restoration. Thus Mormonism and Restoration are synonymous terms, for when we speak of Mormonism, we speak of the Restoration, and when we speak of the Restoration, we are referring to Mormonism.

Mormon will convert the world

Mormon was a man whose faith was great enough to convert the entire world. This is why he got to write the Book of Mormon. This is why his book will be used to restore the tribes of Israel, including the Lamanites and the Nephites among them, and convert the Gentiles. This is why his name is used to designate the true believers. In other words, Mormon made a major impression on the Lord, and so, instead of granting him the repentance of his people, the Nephites, and his brethren, the Lamanites, who were living with him at the time, the Lord will grant him the repentance of the remnant of his people, the Nephites, and his brethren, the Lamanites, who will be living in a future time, as well as the repentance of the Gentiles and the other tribes of Israel. The faith of Mormon was intentionally re-directed by the Lord from the people of his time to the people of the future in order that the Lord could show forth the miracle of having a dead prophet speak from the dust and convert the entire world.

Joseph Smith was patterned after Mormon, in that he was alone, like Mormon, in an environment in which the church of Christ had ceased to exist, and was able to commune with God, creating a restoration of the gospel and a re-establishment and re-building of the church. The Lord visited Joseph at age 14 and Mormon at age 15, so their lives have startling parallels. The difference between the two, though, is that Mormon’s environment was orders of magnitude more wicked than Joseph’s. Mormon, then, is the standard that is held up for how to restore the gospel and the church in the midst of great wickedness, which pattern will be repeated during the second restoration act on a much grander scale.

A child prophetic prodigy

Ammaron recognized a savior of men in Mormon, when he saw him at the age of ten. Melchizedek is also noted as having had great faith at a young age. Some prophets start quite young in their prophetic direction, and Mormon appears to have been one of these prophetic, child prodigies. But, again, whereas Melchizedek likely had someone teach him the gospel, or at least had some scriptural records to rely upon, Mormon appears to have been completely alone, with no sacred records of any type. Ammaron came to him only after having hidden all the sacred records. There may have been extant copies among the population, but given the state of wickedness, the possibility exists that such records may have already been systematically destroyed, hence the need for Ammaron to hide up the sacred records, in order to protect them from destruction. Mormon, then, may have had only whatever verbal or written instruction he received from Ammaron in that one, singular visit. Even Joseph surely had more to go on, with the entire Bible as his guide.

We are often quick to note that Mormon remarkably took command of the Nephite armies at only 15 years of age, and we wonder how that could be, but if he was a prophetic prodigy, a kind of prophet’s prophet, he may have made an indelible impression on everyone, including the wicked. Ammaron seems to have been impressed with 10-year old Mormon, and if Ammaron was one of the disciples of Christ, then he would not have been all that easy to impress. So Ammaron may have recognized in Mormon a greater prophet than he himself was.

The Lord may have saved the very best for last, beginning the Nephite civilization with powerhouses in the form of Lehi, Nephi, Jacob and the rest and then finishing it off with the very greatest of the Nephite prophet-seers, Mormon. Even Moroni, who finished the record of his father, did so under direction of Mormon, meaning that he followed the commandments of Mormon in what he ended up writing, assigning all the credit to his father. Mormon, then, appears to be a dispensation head, but which one?

The dispensation of the fulness of times

His ministry seems to be a bridge between the past and the future, almost as if it was his task to gather and restore the church of Christ to earth, which he accomplished and began during that decade of his preaching, and to participate in each subsequent restoration and gathering, through his preaching as recorded in his book. In other words, his dispensation began during his life and would continue throughout time until all of Israel was finally restored and gathered, through his words. The restoration of Israel, then, which is the dispensation of the fulness of times, might be properly said to have begun with Mormon, he being that dispensation’s head, which is why he and his book and his name are held up as an ensign or standard to the nations.

Mormon’s ministry and the converts that he got, during his time, do not seem to have apostatized, but to have been killed, showing that the restoration he undertook was a true restoration, none of them ever falling away again, choosing instead to suffer death. Likewise, the restoration of Israel is prophesied to occur without any more scattering or confounding. Once they are restored, they are firmly planted and will not be uprooted again.

Mormon’s compilation and abridgment of the Nephite records is another pattern after which the dispensation of the fulness of times will be brought to pass. It is prophesied that that dispensation will have all things in heaven and on earth brought together in one, in Christ, including hidden things that never have been known. Mormon’s work is, in essence, the bringing together in one of the Nephite scriptural records, which were hidden to us. His life’s work is an unfolding pattern that will be duplicated on a much larger scale.

Joseph Smith wrote,

Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times. (D&C 128:18)

Joseph’s work was never completed, not even in our day. It is entirely appropriate to say that the dispensation of the fulness of times is still in the process of being ushered in. When the tribes of Israel are restored to the lands of their inheritance and into the fold of God, then it will have finally been ushered in. I have assumed from the above quotation that the dispensation of the fulness of times began to be ushered in only with Joseph Smith, but that assessment may have been premature. It may have begun to be ushered in with Mormon, but was interrupted by Lamanite aggression.

Joseph’s ministry, then, may have been a continuation of Mormon’s ministry, which is why Moroni was sent to him. However, since there was another interval between Mormon and Joseph, in which the gospel was lost and the church ceased to exist again, Joseph was given yet another dispensation, his being the Gentile dispensation of the last days and the last time.

For unto you, the Twelve, and those, the First Presidency, who are appointed with you to be your counselors and your leaders, is the power of this priesthood given, for the last days and for the last time, in the which is the dispensation of the fulness of times, which power you hold, in connection with all those who have received a dispensation at any time from the beginning of the creation; for verily I say unto you, the keys of the dispensation, which ye have received, have come down from the fathers, and last of all, being sent down from heaven unto you. (D&C 112:30-32)

When John the Baptist was sent to Joseph and Oliver, he stated that he acted under direction of Peter, James and John. Joseph never mentioned if Moroni ever stated he acted under the direction of someone else, but based on what he wrote in the Book of Mormon, he possibly was acting under the direction of his father, Mormon, as he did when he finished the book. Regardless of whether that is true or not, the fact that there’s an unbroken line from Mormon to Moroni to Joseph shows that Mormon’s ministry was not confined to his own time, but dealt with the future, with its main goal being the restoration of Israel.

What all this means

If any of this is true, it means that we can wholeheartedly embrace the terms Mormon, the Mormon church and Mormonism. Although these terms have been assigned to us by non-believers, it may have been done with the approval of God. The Lord likes to have his people distinguished from all others, and Mormon may be the name He has chosen for us, because of the prominent role Mormon has played and will play in the restoration of His people, he being of exceedingly high estimation in God’s sight. If Mormon was as great a prophet as I suspect he was, and is, in fact, the head of the dispensation of the fulness of times, it ought to be an honor for us to be called after his name.

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What, on Earth, are you doing, for Heaven’s sake?

God’s will is not done on Earth, as it is done in Heaven:

after this manner
therefore
you should pray

our father
who is in the sky
holy is your name
may your reign come
may your will be done
in the earth
as it is in the sky

[Matthew 6:9-10]

This is a back-handed admission that God’s will is not accomplished on Earth.  What we see in our present order of things here does not reflect the sociality which exists, coupled with eternal glory, there [D&C 130:2].  Another way to say this is that there is a disconnect between the rule and order of our heavenly Parents’ kingdom in the sky — and the rule and order of humankind on this planet.

The disconnect between Earth and Heaven is purpose-full:

and the gods also said

let there be an expanse
in the midst of the waters
and it shall divide the waters
from the waters

and the gods ordered the expanse
so that it divided the waters which were under the expanse
from the waters which were above the expanse
and it was so
even as they ordered

[Abraham 4:6-7]

This “expanse” [referred to in Moses’ accounts as a “firmament“] is the vaulted dome we see when we look up at the sky.

As an aside:

• It’s important to remember that scriptural cosmology is not taken from scientific, astronomical cosmology — but is always given from the frame of reference “upon which thou standest“.
• Therefore, you see the ancient Hebrew cosmology [as well as that of the Norse, and others] described in holy books as a flat-disk Earth with a dome-like Sky suspended over it — despite the fact that it is undisputed [scientifically] that the Earth is a sphere and the Sky is all of outer-space surrounding the Earth for billions of light-years in every direction.
• People naturally describe the Earth as flat and the Sky as a vaulted dome when they’re speaking from the frame of reference of being a human standing upon the ground.  For example, you give someone directions by telling them to go “straight” a certain distance and then to turn — despite the fact that their course would actually be “curved” on our spherical planet [if we were speaking from a context-less, scientific perspective].  And we do things like ask when the “sunrise” will be or when the stars will “come out” — despite the fact that the sun is stationary relative to Earth [so it doesn’t “rise” or “set”] and that the stars are always “out” [just visible or not].
• So there is no need to attempt to take the scriptural description of a four-cornered, flat-disk Earth under a vaulted Sky-dome as scientific fact — nor is there need to be bothered by the fact that it’s not “really” like that.  Remember that the Lord always describes cosmology from the frame of reference of what it looks like to a person standing upon the ground of this Earth.

Now back to the point at hand — the expanse or separation placed between Earth and Heaven was purposeful.  Everything God creates has purpose and value.  His creative activities of the second day were planned and were declared “good”.  Which means that the disconnect between “there” and “here” is supposed to be there.

You live upon an assortment of atoms obeying the laws of physics:

We live on a collection of minerals, and we’re housed in an arrangement of atoms that are given order by a unique string of deoxyribonucleic acids.  All these elements were forged elsewhere in interstellar factories that exploded in supernovae and moved all these heavier atoms to our corner of the galaxy, where we find ourselves today.  And all of that is totally disconnected from any meaning, purpose, order, or teleology.

Now, we should not suppose that just because our physical theories in science have given us a complete description of how we [as protons, neutrons, and electrons interacting through electromagnetism, the nuclear forces, and gravity] are governed — that everything anyone would ever want to take seriously is identifiably reducible to that thing as a collection of particles moving around in space and time according to the Standard Model.  Our physical theories might give us the correct “rules” by which everything in the universe interacts — but that can never tell us [as human-beings on planet Earth] how to “play a good game” of Life based on these “rules” — or how to deal with complex questions regarding economics, meteorology, ethics, sociology, etc.

There are no external derived “meanings”, “purposes”, or “morals” that come as a consequence of the scientific laws.  Physics and chemistry are not teleological [trending towards a certain “goal” or “desired” outcome] — atoms are not “trying” to do anything.  However human-beings, as biological systems and social animals, are.  We have a life that must have meaning for us to value it, but live in a universe with no meaning to offer.

Therefore, successfully figuring out the fundamental laws that govern how physical matter behaves was a comparatively easy task — it’s still deciding by what laws we can best act within this world that obeys the laws of physics that is the hard part [because the answer to that is nowhere found, as such, in the physical “rules”].  Knowing the rules of chess and how each piece moves doesn’t not, necessarily, make you a good chess player— but, if you’re going to be a good player, then your strategy better not include things like moving the Knight diagonally [which is inconsistent with the rules of the game].

Your test is to see how you will connect Earth with Heaven:

Even though the desire for meaning or purpose is innate in every human mind — we don’t get to make demands of the universe.  Demanding purpose or reasons out of things will not make them come about.  The two are completely disconnected [the universe from purpose, Earth from Heaven].

So — if you want to find it — then you’ll have to connect your life with meaning, purpose, and value for yourself.  That firmament, divide, or immense gulf was placed between you [here on Earth] and your meaning/purpose so that you can find it amidst the random chaos of protons, neutrons, and electrons interacting by electromagnetism, the nuclear forces, and gravity [which is all that is going on “down-here”] however you see fit.

This dark and dreary wilderness, this large and spacious field, is separated from Heaven so that we can take the images of meaning and order that we desire — and bring them into reality [our reality].  That we may take broken and scattered pieces and breathe into them the breath of life — take the Word and make it Flesh.  In us.

The fundamental activity is to personify the unconscious drives and forces within the human mind — and then bring yourself into a relationship with them consciously [by your own free-will and choice].  And that’s really what a “test” is — a space in which you may take the image of a real thing and see what you’ll do with it, or a space where someone can see if you are able to select an image that represents a real thing that’s “in play”, “out-there” from a set of false images that are empty and void and don’t have a “real” existence outside of the testing ground.

Find it in the person of Jesus Christ:

in Christ
the fullness of divinity lives
in bodily form
and in him
you find your own fulfillment

[Colossians 2:9-10]

The most basic meaning of the Hebrew “elohim” is that of “powers“.  The “god” you choose to follow will be the “power” by which you connect your Earth with Heaven [the system you use to collapse that expanse, making it “on Earth” as it is in “Heaven”].  One’s “god” will be a reflection of how their mind takes its place in the universe and how they find meaning and value in life.  Thus, if you choose to worship a violent god, then your actions and worldview will be contentious and hostile.  If your dominant god is compassionate, then you will experience your life through the lens of acceptance, mercy, and forgiveness.  Etc.

If the God that created the universe [Jehovah, YHVH — or EE-Yow-Way-EE] were to be embodied and expressed as a human-being on planet Earth — then that would look exactly like the life of Yeshua of Nazareth.  So — any human-being on planet Earth attempting to claim “God” as being in support of their behavior or upholding their beliefs must square that claim against the normative claims made by Jesus’ words and life.

For me to find my own fulfillment in Christ calls me to be committed to the basic concept of servanthood and compassion [see The Revelation of God in Jesus Christ].  In doing that, I have voluntarily bound myself to Christ and his word by my covenant to obey his every commandment.  This voluntary servanthood [or yoke] that I take upon myself binds me to the fundamental reality that “God” is to be found in being under the most, serving the most, and being connected to the most [instead of the other way around].

This, for me, makes the person of Yeshua of Nazareth the very bridge, pillar, rod, or ladder that I use to connect Earth [my life here as a physical collection of atoms bumping into other collections of atoms according to the laws of physics] with Heaven [my innate desire for meaning, purpose, value, and order that emerges from and endures beyond what I’m doing here as collection of particles moving around in space and time], and is how I bridge that firmament or expanse placed between the two.

When Jacob left the land of Beersheba and traveled towards Haran,

he arrived at a certain place
and stopped there for the night
because the sun had gone down
and he took the stones of that place
and used them for pillows
and lay down there to sleep
and he dreamed
and behold
a ladder set up on the earth
and the top of it reached to heaven
and behold
the angels of god ascend and descend upon it
and behold
YHVH was there
standing over him

[Genesis 28:12-13]

With the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ — a perpetual intercourse has been opened-up between Heaven and Earth through the mediation of him who was God manifested as a human.

and Yeshua said to Nathanael

amen
amen
I say unto you
hereafter
you will see the sky open
and the angels of god ascending and descending
upon the son of man

[John 1:51]

The angels ascending and descending “upon the Son of Man” stand as a metaphor taken from the custom of dispatching couriers [angelos or messengers] from the nobleman to an ambassador in a foreign setting — and from the ambassador back to the nobleman.  So it is the person and teachings of Jesus Christ that stands as the medium through which we are to connect on life here on Earth — with our teleological goal of Heavenly order and purpose.

Jesus was explaining to Nathanael that the “greater things” we are able witness upon becoming familiar with the person who was Jesus Christ will be the very connection/bridging of the expanse that we all experience between Heaven and Earth.  That is what he was offering Nathanael.

That was the dream/desire of Jacob when he was leaving Beersheba traveling towards Haran and he saw the ladder/pillar extending from the Earth up towards the Sky.  And this is still the dream/desire of every human-mind that looks around at the world we find ourselves born into and seek to find our own purpose/meaning in.

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The THERMODYNAMICS & ETERNODYNAMICS of DESIRE – CONTINUED

HEATING UP – COOLING DOWN

Convection creates flow of blessings for those with strong conviction, not about the institutions of this world, but strong conviction in eternodynamic principles. This is done through interplay of hot and cold principles in the house of spirit as well as in this temporal realm. In the post, Lukewarm=Good for Nothing, Justin touches on the symbolic and scientific significance of hot and cold water. He points out that:

“Hot water” would have been the kind of underground spring waters heated by geothermal radiation, and were used for medicinal purposes.  Because geothermal-heated water can hold more dissolved solids, “hot water” was prized for its high mineral content and the temperature was therapeutic for soaking aches and pains.

So how exactly are hot springs formed? As rain falls on mountain peaks, it percolates into the porous sedimentary rocks. As it descends through the rock, it picks up a variety of materials, everything from radium to sulphur. Also, as it moves further beneath the surface, it heats up from the primal heat of the Earth. Eventually it encounters a large crack or thrust fault. As water descends behind it, it forces the now heated water to ascend along the fault-line to surface as a hot or warm spring.

Now it is important to understand the connection between hot springs and offspring. The connection between geothermal and eternal principles is seen in the physical phenomenon of heat and its spiritual antecedent, desire. As mentioned earlier, offspring in any stage are eternally in need of guidance from the Father. It is true that the off-spring of the Father (spermatozoa) will reach a point where, filled with the fire of desire, they begin to move of their own volition. This is a good thing. It means they are becoming aware of the agency or free will which is in them. But without conscious guidance from the Father, that energy which might build up and spring-off will never succeed in creating a new life or making us a new creature in Christ.

Just as rain falls from the symbolic heaven above our heads onto mountain tops and percolates through layer upon layer deep into the subterranean levels then creeps back up, so it goes with the procreative powers in man. The Jewish Sages taught that, “a drop exudes from the brain and develops into semen.” (Kehillas Yaakov by Erech Holada) Modern critics may say that although the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain, does emit a hormone which signals and regulates the production of semen, still, that hormone does not actually become semen itself.

In my opinion, this is merely a case of semantics. Scriptural vernacular may not always be as exact as science would prefer it to be, but science can be very ignorant of the workings of the spirit. Information obtained through the Spirit can never be expressed fully with the limitations of human language, but scientific facts can be expressed with some degree of exactness. This is only because while science is severely limited to speaking only of one thing in one particular context, the words of spiritual revelation are eternal. Thus they speak of endlessly vast concepts wrapped in endless layers of meaning unable to be extracted accept by reading while open to the same Spirit in which the revelation was originally transmitted, received and recorded.

One such additional layer of meaning in regards to the Jewish Sages’ commentary on sperm production having a beginning in the brain, would be the fact that, during early stages of embryonic ontogenesis, the cells that become the substrate for testicular tissue begin their journey in the mostly undifferentiated embryonic mass from a location that later differentiates into brain tissue. These brain-region cells migrate through the embryonic mass, much like salmon make their way through a river, until they finally localize in what will develop into testicular tissue.

Ontogenesis

And this is only one begending of an ongoing begetting process of the Creator, the downward fall in a cycle observable from rainclouds and rivers, mountaintops and hot springs to brains and testes, adults and fetuses. Speaking of the upward part of that same cycle, Indian scholar, M. N. Dvivedi, says:

“It is a well-known physiological law that the semen has great connection with the intellect, and we might add the spirituality of man….in the many commentaries on yoga the purpose and process are veiled in quasi-scientific mythology. The ‘power’ is said to creep silently like a serpent from the lowest chakram to the highest: that is, from the testes to the brain.”

This evaporation and condensation is a map of the cyclic journey of Christ, the anointed, “He that ascended up on high, as also He descended below all things, in that he

comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth,” as stated in D&C 88:6. If Christ is in and through all things, it stands to reason that, in and through the prostate secretions, He would protect and nourish the sperm. Similarly to the warm waters of natural springs, the fluid from the prostate is endowed with a rich supply of minerals and chemicals like calcium, zinc, citric acid and albumin and these give the semen its milky appearance. Pre-ejaculate, also called Jism, prepares the way for the Chrism of prostate fluid and prostate specific antigens as Jesus set the stage for the second coming of Christ. The consecrated oil used on occasion by LDS men for the anointing of the sick and afflicted is another form of chrism through which the Light of Christ may manifest. It is often carried on the person in chrismatories aptly attached to key chains in a man’s pocket or worn about the belt.

But surely only one labeled as an “apostate” could see Christ in his prostate. This author also sees Christ in the Only Begotten who, out of many millions of sperm cells, is the One who fertilizes the egg. Geneticists also see the Light of Christ in the spermatozoa, although they might not recognize what they are looking at as Christ’s presence. Under the microscope they observe halos around the head of the sperm cells.

Sperm Halos

Healthy spermatozoa show larger halo around the sperm head while DNA fragmented spermatozoa have smaller halo or no halo around them.

A latter-day gentile with his competitive way of viewing life is likely to perceive the mass production of sperm cells in male humans as an evolutionary imperative due to sperm competition. Perhaps modern man, whether gentile or of the scattered House of Israel is so scattered in his own soul that his “little guys” are competing, even amongst themselves. The war in Heaven rages on as long as sibling considers sibling a rival against whom they must come with a viral and contentious attack of viciously jealous little expulsory Egyptian charioteers. In the end, all competitors will all be washed away and drowned in the depths.

Competition/contention is of the Devil. This type of mentality and behavior is common among insects, spiders, and reptilians, but the spiritually evolved man who fully plays a part in the gathering of the tribes on a spiritual, physiological, and literal level as per article #10 in the 13 Articles of the LDS Faith, will adopt a more Zion-like attitude of oneness with his brethren. Then unto him will be made known the greater mysteries of God – for example that unfathomably profound mystery of partible paternity, a mystery at least partially grasped by many Amazonian societies such as the Araweté, Mehinaku, Tapirapé, Xoceleng, and Wari’. There is much more to making a baby than meets the eye – especially the lustful eye of flesh.

In outer nature hot springs represent the inner nature principle of desire directed by will through love. The middle ground between these spiritual and physical processes is the union of man and woman according to God’s will and pleasure. Both processes support an abundance of life even long before they reach the “surface”. Anaerobic bacteria living deep beneath the Earth’s crust account for the “rotten egg” smell at many hotsprings. Our desires, be they more carnal or more spiritual, are also fostering life on a microscopic level, whether we know it or not. Once the springs or desires surface, they create a mini ecosystem with a micro-climate which is significantly warmer than surrounding areas. The warm water allows an abundance of bacteria and algae, amphibians and reptiles, plants and even tropical fish to flourish in what would otherwise be a cold and harsh mountainous environment. Nothing can nurture our outer nature like the proper cultivation of internal desire through the joyful joining of man and woman. Scientific experiments carried out by Cleve Baxter, Marcel Vogel and others in modern times have only confirmed what was anciently demonstrated by Krishna and his consort Radha in a bower or grove which did suddenly spring up around them whilst they made love as related in the Gita Govinda. When the Elohim tell Adam and Eve to “multiply and replenish the earth,” and to “dress this garden, take good care of it, be happy and have joy therein,” they are not so much speaking of separate tasks but of one eternal commandment whereby the gods link man, woman and “all manner of fruits, flowers, and vegetation” in an energetically balanced Eden.

An Illustration from the Gita Govinda- Krishna and Radha in a Bower or Grove which suddenly springs up around them as they make love.

It is interesting to note that the governments of this world seem to have a keen interest in snatching up land with hot springs. Once a consecrated land for the free enjoyment of all God’s children, Canada’s first national park was coveted and confiscated for its geothermal qualities as was the very first national park in the world, Yellowstone. The much sought after yellow stone – sulfur, or we could say soul-fire – features in many governmental land-grabs, and it is also present in what people have interpreted as hell. Hot water that comes in contact with sulfur and then experiences a rather rapid ascent with no time or space for oxidation will result in that pungent rotten egg odor common at many natural spring sites. While we may find this unpleasant, most would call soaking in the soothing waters of a hot spring a healthy and not a hellish experience.

How do we define Hell? Is it not a place of damnation? Damned water must be quick to find an outlet and continue its flow or become stagnant. This is why when God makes good on his promise to spew the lukewarm out of his mouth; it is not a rejection but a rescue from their stagnant state. Like the mighty geyser in Yellowstone Park, Old Faithful, God is converting the ‘not so faithful’ into a powerful force for good; whether by plunging to the depths, or rising to the heights. Movement is the key. The Almighty is, just that, almighty. He rules the rollercoaster of highs and lows, brings our souls intact through heavens and hells, and baptizes them by water and by fire.

BEING IN HOT WATER – GETTING COLD FEET

Being in “hot water” with God is nothing to fear. When flame and flood coincide it is, after all, the prelude to rebirth. Between Jesus and his crazy cousin John, we get the idea that we are to be baptized by water and by fire. Many debate whether this is one and the same baptism or can only be accomplished separately. The answer, as usual, is simply and boldly – both. That which appears to be done separately is in truth stemming from a place where it is all simultaneously combined; only our stubbornly rebellious mind’s fail to see this. Thermodynamically, mixing of such dissimilar conditions seems impossible but nothing is impossible in the eternodynamics of God’s master plan. Even a close examination of physical reality can reveal the inner workings of things to any observer who simply chooses to be aware of and open to the Holy Spirit. But what must we do in order to feel, have and maintain that Holy Spirit? We can not remain idle with a case of “cold feet” rather we must let the cold spur us to motion. In the Father’s fool-proof plan,

it is only a man’s fear of living in sin that is counted against him as in-sin-cerity. Sincere desire transforms weaknesses into strengths, but trying to avoid the appearance of evil on our exterior or resisting what we think of as evil, only sends us running from our own shadows like groundhogs that prolong their winter of suffering. If we would embrace the shadow as the nourishing substance of our cocoon we would find ourselves that much quicker breaking into the bright springtime of Zion and a thousand years of peace.

There is only one way to learn, and there is only one thing to learn – that there is only one thing, not this thing and that thing. Too much heat will consume us and too much cold will render us frozen, both forms of damnation. But interestingly we will find that the two combine for cool and collected everlasting burnings in which our spirit-bodies along with their resurrected counterparts are perfectly suited to dwell and thrive. (see King Follet Discourse) It is possible to train our physical bodies so that they may join our spirits as one in paradise. This was part of the idea behind the Native American sweat lodges where men would sweat out toxins and then immerse themselves in cold streams immediately afterwards. We must engage our desire/passion constantly with a combination of love and will, hot and cold. We are expected to always keep it moving through a subtle but firm series of covenantal course corrections. Classic lyrics from the artist formerly known as Prince give us a vivid description of how imbalance can cause the Dove of the Holy Spirit to be grieved.

Dream if you can a courtyard
An ocean of violets in bloom
Animals strike curious poses
They feel the heat
The heat between me and you

How can you just leave me standing?
Alone in a world that’s so cold? (So cold)
Maybe I’m just too demanding
Maybe I’m just like my father too bold
Maybe you’re just like my mother
She’s never satisfied (She’s never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry

The Artist Formerly Known as Prince – When Doves Cry

Alma provides us with some steadfast pointers for harnessing the Holy Spirit.

Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.  – Alma 38:12

Speaking of bridling and not idling the passions, in Walter Charleton’s Natural History of the Passions (1674) we read:

“Nothing can divorce me from the common opinion which holds that she [the rational or divine soul as distinguished from the corporeal soul] is created immediately by God, and infused into the body of human embryon, as soon as that is organized, formed and prepared to receive her….These motions or acts being thus traduced from the superior to the inferior soul and thence derived first to the brain and imagination, then to the heart, produce therein and so in the blood, the various motions that constitute such passions as we observe in ourselves, when we are most ardently urged to acts of devotion and piety, toward the supreme Being. Whence it is doubtless that Divine Love, detestation of sin, repentance, hope of salvation, fear of increasing Divine Justice and most if not all other acts or passions of devotion are commonly ascribed to the heart.” (p.78)

Charleton’s unwavering belief regarding the perfect placement of God’s will into the minds and hearts of men (in that particular order) is corroborated and further expounded by section 8 verse 2 of D&C, wherein the Lord says:

“Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.”

Again and again in the Book of Mormon we find this same correlation between desires, mind and the heart. Not only this, but we are also told that, beyond this initial outpouring of the Lord’s spirit at the moment of conception, it is possible to be periodically renewed and experience a mighty change of heart. In the Book of Mormon we are shown how the relationship between the heart and mind of God and of man are extended, through desire, into the realm of personal and collective experience with reality. Throughout the record, things so small and so simple as righteous desires of the heart are even fundamentally fused to grand occurrences like angelic visitations.

“And it came to pass that when Ammon arose he also administered unto them, and also did all the servants of Lamoni; and they did all declare unto the people the selfsame thing—that their hearts had been changed; that they had no more desire to do evil.

And behold, many did declare unto the people that they had seen angels and had conversed with them; and thus they had told them things of God, and of his righteousness.”

Alma 19:33-34

Mormon temple ritual is rife with Kabalistic principles dressed in Christian fashion. It instructs initiates in a way that is so plain it seems simultaneously cryptic. Many of the ceremonies deal with angelic visitations and are not meant to be confusing but rather to open our understanding of this topic. True understanding of the physical can grant us understanding of the spiritual and visa versa. The state of a person’s soul determines what they can access and what they are able to perceive. An individual’s awareness can either expand or limit their ability to connect with particular energies.

The human intellect likes to rely on “mechanisms” to extend perceptual limits, check impulsive imaginations, and reveal nature’s causal structure within the myriad of “forms.” There was even a slight obsession with ‘tools’ and ‘instruments’ on the part of Joseph Smith and others during the founding years of the Church. Magic tools like the Urim and Thummin and seer stones have been downplayed and in some cases almost completely covered up or overlooked till recent times. Oliver Cowdery was apparently in possession of a rod which he used for purposes of divination. It is referenced in original versions of the Doctrine and Covenants and was even said to be used in attempting translation and for receiving revelation. For all the Church’s following along with societal norms toward trends which harness the powers of belief to serve the ends of civilization but not so much the purposes of the Lord, it did not stop them from utilizing a growing number of replacement technologies to the point where the LDS Church is lauded as one of the most tech-savvy churches today.

Satan’s subtle shift has damn near stripped natural objects of all their mysterious god-given properties. Bedazzled by the devil-opment of unnatural devices, the masses have fallen out of love with their Creator, and as Hegel predicted, the intellect has succeeded in cognizing “what is intuited as a mere thing, reducing the sacred grove to mere timber.” But what is sadder still is that the natural rod or shepherd’s staff of the Governing Meridian starting at a person’s upper lip and running over the head and down the spinal cord has been hugely ignored or dismissed, not accepted as the priceless tool that God intended it to be for not only Moses or Aaron, but all of God’s people.

Governing Vessel or Meridian – The Shepherd’s Crook or Staff

We shouldn’t attribute the Original Power Source to hand-held devices any more so than to the hands which hold them. But if we understand them as symbols they can then become for us, vessels of the Lord, extensions of something far greater. For this reason the Mormon Temple Endowment dialogue focuses the mind on angelic visitations and conversing with Higher Powers while the nonverbal aspects of the ritual focus the participants on physical body awareness. The storyline and the words of the officiators carry the body of saints through the session, but the movement and flow of the thing truly turns on the axis of voluntary involvement on the part of the flesh.

BY WATER AND BY FIRE ARE HEAVEN AND EARTH BROUGHT INTO HARMONY

Charleton said that the Ruach Qodesh/Holy Spirit is “infused into the body of human embryon, as soon as that is organized, formed and prepared to receive her.” The Good News of the Gospel proclaims that the Condescension of God is not just a one-time process. Why would we want to regulate the eternal works of God to a beginning, middle, and end? Returning to the personal revelations of Walter Charleton which he doposited in Natural History of the Passions, we read:

“When in the Genital matter, swarms of active, and spiritous, chiefly sulphurous particles, predisposed to animation, have met with a less number of saline particles in a convenient focus, being as it were kindled, sometimes by another soul (as in all viviparous animals), viz., of the generant, sometimes by their own rapid motion they conceive life, or break forth into a kind of flame, which thenceforth continues to burn so long as it is constantly fed with sulphureous fewel from within, and nitrous from without….The corporeal soul, while as a flame burning within her organical body she on every side difuseth heat and light, is herself, subject to serious tremblings, noddings, eclipses, inequalities and disorderly commotions, as all flame is observed to be”

The prophet Joseph had been on a personal quest to try and reign in those inconsistencies associated with the Holy Flame of the Gods in the shaky hands of mortal man ever since that pivotal moment when the words of James 1:6 powerfully entered his heart.

“Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

Kabbalah provides a clean and systematic context for grasping this delicate balance between the fiery aspects of faith and the no less emotional but more compassionate or conforming watery properties of a complete faith. In Kabbalah, Aleph (א) represents Air – the breath of life – and it plays a role in tenderly and majestically leading both of these other two sides of faith. But if God’s powerful windpipes so much as whisper they will provoke powerful reactions. When the Air of Spirit meets with a body dominated by the Spiritual Waters there will be some choppy seas for the individual pilot of that soul. No need to fear, since the disciple is always welcome to awake the sleeping Jesus on-board and calm the waves. Kabbalah teaches that all the archetypes are in the vital body, the superior part of the physical body. However the Higher Powers often lie dormant in the hull of one’s ship.

The founder of Mormonism was inspired of God to conceptualize, for a target audience of latter-day gentiles, this kabbalistic concept of Creator endowing His creation, His children, with the same powers He possesses.  The Man Adam in the Telestial World receives all the mysteries, all the archetypes of the Word of God in potentiality. After the Fall, Adam desires to reconnect, so he constructs and altar and with arms raised utters the phrase “Pay Lay Ale” (Hebrew פה לאל – Mouth to God). In Kabbalah, A-D-A-M (Aleph- Daleth-Aleph-Mem) receives the desired divine assistance through the letter Daleth (ד) in the middle of his name. This is done via the central column of the Tree of Life diagram and is echoed in form by the mouth on the head of the speaker situated between right and left arms which reach high and then pull down in imitation of Adam at the altar of an LDS Temple.

Full System-Kabbalah-Chakra-Sacramentscopy

That central column is marked on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life by the letter Shin (ש) which represents the Spirit of God like a fire burning. In his shincere supplication, Adam also takes in heavenly influence through the right column marked by Aleph (א), the Spirit of God like a rushing wind, and through the left column marked with Mem (מ), signifying the Spirit of God like many mighty waters. These three are called the three mother letters: Aleph, Shin, and Mem, which are related with Father, Son, and Holy Ghost or Air, Fire, and Water. The condescension of God pro-seeds from formless to ever denser forms, finally settling in Malkuth (The Kingdom of God encompassing Earth). In the Christian tradition we see the same principles at work kick-starting the apostles’ ministry on the day of Pentecost with the sound of a rushing wind, the appearance of cloven tongues of fire, and all of this followed by baptismal waters for the believers.

The principles in Kabbalah have been in no way monopolized by Jewish mysticism. Nor are they unique to Mormonism. God speaks to all men in their own tongue. The Lamanite tradition, though every bit as subject to perversion over the centuries as any other tradition, preserved a deep understanding of the principles we are examining here. Water and Fire were known to them as Atl and Tlachinolli. Atl-Tlachinolli could be translated as ‘burning water’. But when written or spoken together these words took on a whole new metaphorical meaning according to a phenomenon within many Mesoamerican languages known as difrasismo. Atl-Tlachinolli

Atl-Tlachinolli – by Water and by Fire

meant ‘Sacred War’ which when comprehended from a mystical standpoint means the struggle for harmony within and amongst God’s children. It signified the blood and eventually came to be used by the Aztec elites to conquer neighboring tribes and control the masses through perpetual warfare.

This knowledge did not come merely by way of Nephite dissenters, the priests of Amulon and others who were, during particular periods, placed as teachers among certain segments of the Lamanite population. The word ‘Atl’ itself indicates a much more ancient origin for this wisdom purveyed by a civilization brought by the hand of God away from Atlantis in boats at the time of the Great Cataclysm. Laman and Lemuel were not in the habit of inquiring to know the mind of the Lord and so they did not receive or value what knowledge was had among their original people. Despising their brother Nephi for what seemed to them a “know-it-all” mentality, and unwilling to even ask the Lord to make such things known to them personally, they joined and mixed their seed with pre-existing cultures who they found living here when they arrived in the promised land.

These people were dark-skinned (hence the perceived curse as documented by prejudiced Nephite scribes), and the center of their previously established and rapidly spreading culture was located where their forefathers had landed – on the thick neck of land known today as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. That thick neck of land is mirrored by the narrow neck of land in the area where the Nephites were inspired to finally settle. Both of these now fallen empires clashed in the Mississippi River Valley.

As is the case around the globe, sacred eternal truths still stare at us through the stone ruins of fallen societies and testify to the deadly consequences suffered by past nations who rebelliously sought to stir up a spiritual evil far deeper than civil war, by severing the naturally reflecting forms of the physical and spiritual regions of God’s Kingdom. Artifacts examined in the Spirit (as the Golden Plates were and the Book of Mormon may be) will reveal that, when we speak of “fallen” empires we must realize that the “falling apart” which occurred was only the result of a rift between Spiriphysico Principles of Unified Opposition in all things – things like Light and Truth, Fire and Water, Hot and Cold. These truths were known by the founders of the Lehi-Nephi colony as well as the Olmec and Mexica groups later classified by the compilers of the Book of Mormon as simply, “The Lamanites.”

I look at my environment

And wonder where the fire went

What happened to everything we used to be?

I hear so many cry for help

Searching outside of themselves

Now I know that his strength is within me

And deep in my heart

The answer, it was in me

And I made up my

To define my own destiny

Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

TEMPERATURE AND ENTROPY – ONLY A MATTER OF TIME

As the earth and her people raise their spiritual vibration to a feverish pitch, the enemies of Zion struggle to maintain a stranglehold on Christ’s followers. They are taking measures to combat what they label “global warming” or “climate change” and demand that we do the same. But the prophets among us understand that these things are part of Earth’s glorious destiny. A sound understanding of eternodynamics allows us to see that destiny, like destination is already and always present. The true followers of Christ and the global elite class which ridicules them from within their great and spacious buildings – both groups know that this is the place.

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and our beautiful and faithful planet is destined to rise in glory. It is a matter of eternity. Postponing the fulfillment of prophesy for people positioned and trained to never roam beyond the plantation of the third dimension is the most that the wicked can manage. If they can keep us stuck in the vicious cycle set in motion by the fore-bitten fruit, they can prevent us from re-discovering our divine nature. But that is only for the time-being. An eternal being enjoys a much different relationship with reality, free from the vicious karmic cycle.

That cycle is one based entirely on the con-cept of time. In the day that Adam and Eve eat of the fruit they will surely die. Was God proved a liar, or at best extremely exaggerative in His warning to our first parents just because they did not drop dead within 24 hours of partaking from the tree of knowledge of good and evil? No, it was just a matter of time. This is why I say that states of perfection are naturally occurring as a matter of eternity, while dis-ease, death and the devil are all a matter of time.

 Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from the eternal – Dante Alighieri.

Temperature is a word that comes from similar roots as words like tempo or temporal. In many languages the word for weather and time are the same. This illustrates the connection that exists between thermodynamics and eternodynamics by pointing out a relationship between temperature and the phenomenon of time. It has been said that there is no such thing as dark, only a lack of light. Technology has not given us flashdarks which can cast a shadow shaft into a lighted area the way a flashlight casts a beam of light into darkness. It is therefore assumed that only light is real as it alone can disperse darkness and not the other way around. It has been said that to speak of cold as an energy is not correct, that it should be seen in terms of extremely low levels of heat. But since it is measured in terms of negative degrees the connection between heat and cold can be confusing.

The same is true of the false dichotomy between good and evil. However, no one working within the false dichotomy of religion and science will dare admit this. We feel more comfortable with constants, but whether scientific or theological, the only thing that seems consistent is the periodic challenges to our thinking which require us to change our so called ‘constants’. Could it be that spirit is that constant which we seek? We will never have it if we insist on splitting everything in two, labeling one side superior or at least more real than the other. Joseph Smith described spirit as matter that is merely more refined. That would make matter spirit, just less refined.

Commenting on the nature of heat, observing its effect on something like boiling water, Sir Francis Bacon wrote in The New Organon (1620):

“Heat is a motion; expansive, restrained, and acting in its strife upon the smaller particles of bodies. But the expansion is thus modified; while it expands all ways, it has at the same time an inclination upward. And the struggle in the particles is modified also; it is not sluggish, but hurried and with violence.”

Elsewhere he wrote:

“As in nature, things move violently to their place, and calmly in their place, so virtue in ambition is violent, in authority settled and calm.” – Of Great Place (1561-1626) – Francis Bacon

One is reminded of the heated debate known as the War in Heaven. Lucifer is the ambitious one, desiring to exalt himself above the other stars of the heaven and even above the throne of The Most High. Lucifer is also the violent one while God the Father and Jesus Christ are more calm and collected. Both Jesus and Lucifer and their respective teams – Christ and Satan – could be accurately described as beings of spirit, beings of light even, and if spirit and light then certainly heat was a part of their beings as well.

Can heat be harmful as well as helpful? Of course it can, then why not cold? Where is this locus of evil so that we may draw it out and separate it forever more from the forces of good? According to the Judeo-Christian narrative, that is precisely what we are attempting to do during this War in Heaven by casting Lucifer and the angels that followed him out. But if war is violence and violence is bad then how can Heaven be a place of perfection or completion?  The Mormon variation of the narrative provides some essential details but also raises more questions about the nature of Earth-life and earth as an element for constructing physical bodies for enjoying what is called the second estate.

But before reaching this earthly estate there is light and heat and presumably air, for light as form or flame burns at its outside in contact with air, and there is no combustion within the flame which is not mixed with air. And prior to making land-fall our physical forms must take a maiden voyage through water. Sounds like a good method for cooling down hot heads which have recently been engaged in a gaseous conflict of whirling hot air. But throughout all these stages of the soul’s transformation there is heat.

Heat can be a catalyst and an aid in evolution, or it can be a mechanism for tight luciferian control. The super-organism of a honeybee hive maintains an average temperature of around 32-35°C (90-95°F), a few degrees lower than that of a human being. Until recently “heater bees”, bees whose specialized behavior serves to regulate hive temperature, were thought to be fanning and spreading heat generated from young pupae incubating in cells near the hive’s center.

But a few years ago scientists discovered that the heater bees were responsible for generating the heat themselves by decoupling their wings so that the muscles that are normally used to move the wings run at full power, enabling their bodies to reach temperatures much higher than other bees in the hive. These heater bees not only manage to not cook themselves while regulating the overall temperature of the hive but by varying the temperature of developing pupae within a particular section of cells, they are able to actually determine what kind of role those pupae will later fulfill in the hive. The adult heater bees are like university professors in Masonic caps and gowns literally administering “degrees” to the future generations and thereby overseeing the division of labor. Those kept at 35°C turn into the intelligent forager bees that leave the nest in search of nectar and pollen. Those kept at 34°C emerge as “house keeper” bees, conducting chores such as feeding the larvae and cleaning the nest.

To heat is to eat. With the linguistic curiosity of h-prothesis, where speakers of Irish or Jamaican dialects of English tend to add an ‘h’ sound to words beginning with a vowel – “eat” would be pronounced identically to “heat”. The word Ramadan describes an Islamic time of fasting from sunrise till sunset and it comes from the Arabic root ramida or ar-ramad, which means scorching heat or dryness. The Hebrew noun  (lehem), meaning bread, features at the end of the town of New Testament fame – Bethlehem (House of Bread). But lehem has a much broader sense of food in general and is used in the Bible to describe sources of sustenance ranging from the mysterious manna to honey.

This is the same word that is used in a more figurative sense in a phrase like “the bread of wickedness” (Proverbs 4:17), or when Jesus refers to himself as the “Bread of Life” (John 6:35). It is even used to denote the target of a conquest (Numbers 14:9), and this makes perfect sense when we realize that it comes from the verb  (laham) – to eat, to devour, to use as food. As a verb root  (laham) can mean to do battle, to fight. This is why we see it pop up in the noun  (milhama) – battle, war – used to describe YHWH as a man of war. Continuing the correlation between feasting and battle, Psalm 23:5 says: You prepare a banquet for me while my enemies watch. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows.

Sir Francis Bacon seemed to be on to something when he associated heat with violence. And bacon from the slaughterhouse to the frying pan aside, even a raw vegan diet breaks lehem (food) down via the action of laham (eating). Speaking of “breaking down”, the semitic triliteral root,  (LHM – laham) literally breaks down to  (the preposition that usually translates into the English words – to, at), and  (heat), which is the name given to one of Noah’s supposedly cursed sons. So, ‘To Heat’ is literally ‘To Eat’.

We can use heat either wisely or foolishly, for nurturing or for destruction. You can have cold air, icy water and frozen tundra, but you can not have a frigid fire. When a human life-form chooses to repeatedly misuse the eternal flame of love/life, it will die the spiritual death. Its spirit body looses the privilege of Prometheus’ Fire and its physical body is eventually left completely cold.

The physical body is composed of cells which are counted less guilty as they were only children not properly loved by the spirit steward who was placed as their parent. Thus these cells decompose at a slower rate, gradually relinquishing their portion of spirit as they are mercifully returned to Mother Earth or are quickly caught up in purifying flames after the Master Intelligence has revoked the tainted soul’s right to his or her Second Estate. This process is accepted as natural and indeed it is a natural consequence of every Icarus who, detesting the blessing of the flesh, flies foolishly and haughtily at the hot Sun only to scorch his brash wings and fall.

The Sanskrit word – निर्वाण nirvana, literally means “extinction, blowing out“. What does one do upon reaching Nirvana (The Highest Degree within the Celestial Kingdom)? Well, according to Buddha himself, when one has ascended the ladder of enlightenment to the highest Nirvana, he does so only to look back down on mankind below and, upon beholding their suffering, immediately descend again to help his brethren. This may sound crazy, this up and down, but it is more than likely just our selfishness through which we view it that is crazy.

Maybe Mormons do not necessarily understand this concept but Mormon scripture states that Jesus ascended up on high, and also descended below all things. All things are created from energy and energy moves in waves which form both peaks and troughs. When one finds oneself at a peak, the thrill continues on the big dip of the roller-coaster called life. If one should find one’s self stalling and wallowing on the low end, eating with swine from the trough then it is time to come home, like the prodigal son. It is time to turn up the temperature and rise up the thermometer like Mercury with healing in His wings.

Entropy means turning inward (En Trope). It’s just what happens when expending and expanding energy feels restricted, says, “enough is enough”, then decides to turn itself around and take a huge inhalation for the benefit of all. Just as the exhalation of the Gods put the breath of life into man in his beginning, the inhalation of the Gods can really knock the wind out of man. When they inhale we exhale. Remember, Nirvana literally means “blowing out”. If we are not in harmony with God that exhalation could be our last breath unto extinction, hence the imperative notion of becoming one with the Father as Jesus emphasized. If we are all “hot air” the consequences of our “puffed up” haughtiness may be much more literal than we care to admit.

Scripture tells us in fairly descriptive terms that the Holy Spirit withdraws when offended. When a man is offended he typically starts a fight with the offender. But when the Holy Spirit is offended it does not engage, but rather steps back, takes a deep breath, and disengages from the beautiful strife of life. To strive does not merely mean to aspire but also to lock into a struggle. Worldly aspiration and out of sync respiration lead to expiration on our parts if we think we can prevail without a real wrestle with the Lord as Jacob did. Mormon canon repeatedly reminds us that the Spirit of the Lord will not always “strive with man” (2Nephi 26:11, Gen 6:3, Moses 8:17, D&C 1:33, Ether 2:15) Anyone who has witnessed a dying or dead corpse knows that when the Holy Spirit feels that it’s warm breath is being wasted on a cold heart it leaves the entire body to that coldness, taking its primordial heat home to the hearth in the bosom or heart of God.

Life is meant to be a house warming party that goes on and on for many days. Genesis 6:3 and Moses 8:17 say that house/body warming party can go on for up to 120 days, so why are we ending the party so early these days? Who has set these house rules and ordinances over our heads which supposedly obligate us to chase the Spirit out of the Temple by a certain hour? Who says the Holy Ghost goes to bed at midnight? Have our Holy Temples of the Lord been perverted into B.Y.U. dorms and housing? An enemy hath done this. Alien forces may scare us into asthmatic attacks which threaten our peace to destroy. But we can look to the touching climatic scenes of M. Knight Shyamalan’s masterpiece, Signs, and see a Father who holds the Son in His arms while telling Him:

“Don’t be afraid. We’ll slow this down together. Feel my chest. Feel it moving in and out. Breathe like me. Breathe like me. Come on. Stay with me. I know it hurts. Be strong baby. It’ll pass. It’ll pass. The fear is feeding him. Don’t be afraid of what’s happening. Believe it’s going to pass. Believe it. Just wait. Don’t be afraid. The air is coming. Believe. We don’t have to be afraid. It’s about to pass. Here it comes. Don’t be afraid. Here comes the air. Don’t be afraid. Feel my chest. Breathe with me. Together. The air is going in our lungs. Together. We’re the same. We’re the same.”

Individuals, tribes, nations, and empires are all equally susceptible to entropy. But the self-same air currents that threaten to sweep us off the face of the earth (Ether 2) if we refuse to repent will save us from ourselves with a breath of fresh air if we accept it with new lungs.

Just because the law of entropy may be applied to an object does not mean that object should be discarded as unworthy of our desire. Just because the law of entropy can be applied to an object does not mean that it must be applied, at least not in the way that our feeble grasp of thermodynamics and even more limited understanding of eternodynamics dictates. The point of existence is always to not get stuck but to remain free – free to enjoy EVERYTHING. There is no existence without enjoyment; there is no en-joy-ment without en-join-ment, and there can be no enjoinment without desire.

We should certainly avoid getting hung up on the flesh and other forms which are subject to entropy. And we should certainly let our desire be towards formless attributes of God such as love, joy and peace. But if those formless attributes are real and can be said to exist, even though they can not be fully explained or experienced empirically, if these are indeed the essence of God, then we should pause and think – how is it that we know or sense this? Is it not because the formless itself has eternally burning desire towards the form, far beyond that which we developing life-forms can muster?

We love, because he first loved us. – 1 John 4:19