Making SENSE of It All – Pt. 2

HIGHER-ARCHY, LOWER-ARCHY – IT’S ALL THE SAME

Continuing down, or should we say up Avicenna’s list of inner senses, we see that there are three types of imaginative faculties. These have the responsibility of relaying information back and forth from the deeper or higher realms, depending on how you choose to describe it. In the Mormon Temple ceremony these are represented by the personages of Peter, James & John. Avicenna says they teach animals and humans what they should avoid and what they should seek in their environment. And this is indeed the same function we find Peter, James & John performing for Adam & Eve in the Telestial World. One of those things that they charge us with avoiding is “evil speaking of the Lord’s anointed.” In our fallen and fragmented psyches we will unfortunately be led to believe that this refers to respecting some hierarchy of leaders. Spiritual blindness keeps us from noticing that all who pass through the temple, not just symbolically but literally, as in every person who is born into this world has been anointed. You and I fall into the category of the Lord’s anointed. And if you speak evil of yourself you will most certainly pay the consequences. See, it is OUR WORDS that shape OUR WORLDS. So, if we “speak evil” of ourselves, putting ourselves down with negative ideas about ourselves then we have only ourselves to blame for the ‘real world’ results of not avoiding that which the heavenly messengers told us to. Remember thought is most powerful. If our thoughts are amiss we may hear a hiss. But no need for alarm, we may simply charm the S-E-R-P-E-N-T and watch as it R-E-P-E-N-T-S. It is all a matter of putting things in their proper order. To re-pent means to re-think and we need to re-think this whole false idea of hierarchy.

“There isn’t a King organ, in charge of your whole body — but you are an organ-ism — a symphony of interacting parts, working in unity. You can’t quite tell if you’re a brain who has a stomach to get food for it — or if you’re a stomach who has a brain to find food for it to eat. And your brain [the one most people think of as “in charge”] isn’t run by a King neuron, directing the trillions of its neuron-underlings — but the brain is strong because of the connections between neurons, and the number of connections you have.”

– Justin Jay in the Commentary On The Revelation of God in Jesus Christ

“If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

– 1 Corinthians 12:17

Until we can learn to esteem all flesh as one, we will reap imbalance. Zion starts with our individual cells and body parts then spreads to loved ones, near and far, overtaking everything in our path with love. WE MUST STOP THE PRACTICE OF PLACING ONE THING UPON A PEDESTAL AS IF IT WERE MORE IMPORTANT AND SETTING ANOTHER ASIDE AS UNIMPORTANT.  The Fathers will surely come to rescue the children but the inverse is also true. So in order to really receive the Spirit of Elijah both the living and those currently dead must be seen as equals. Neither male nor female, spirit nor body can be set over the other but must work together for the best results. We exist to serve God and God exists to serve us.

We must believe in all things. This is essential if we desire to unlock our spiritual senses. The temporal senses, in spite of any boastful attitudes they might have ignorantly adopted towards the spirits, are not to be considered inferior so much as put in proper perspective. The mystics teach that enlightenment can be obtained through a mix of sensory stimulation and deprivation. Any and all paths are valid and open to us. In either their physical or spiritual manifestations, we have made the mistake of arranging our sensory powers in vainly imagined pyramids. For example, the precious foundational sense of smell has been given special attention in this writing to balance the gross negligence our modern culture has traditionally had toward it. Over e-o-n-s, the  n-o-s-e have become so fine tuned in its detection capabilities that the mudra of placing one’s finger to one’s nose has come to signify accuracy. But, in this age, we mask reality from our revealing, highly reliable human olfactory with false fragrances.  One obvious targeting of the sense of smell, can be found in the recent run of advertisements for Procter&Gamble’s Febreeze (Fib-Breeze) air fresheners. They feature subjects recruited off the street for what they were told was a scent experiment and guided into stinky settings like dingy abandoned buildings or shabby wieght-lifting gyms with no windows. In every case, the blindfolded described pleasant-smelling environments nothing like what surrounded them in reality. At the end of the commercial we hear a voice-over boast, “Victory over odors for good, both here and in your home.” Through ignoring the spiritual roots of all things we have come to label many natural odors as ‘stinks’ and it has cut us off from our ‘in-stinks’ We have gone on playing ‘sour grapes’ to deny outright that we humans are supposed to have instincts just as the animals do.

A*N*I*M*A*L – ALL IN MAN

We do not merely possess a human version of instincts. We share the self same instincts of our animal cousins. Subconsciously, we are well aware of this. We do not say that one is as cunning as a lawyer but that the lawyer is as cunning as a snake. According to the Rabbi Elijah of Vilna, the Creator was addressing all of creation, bidding each creature to contribute a portion of its characteristics to the human being when He said “Let us make man in our image and after our likeness.” The beasts of the field obey their Creator’s law in the instinct which governs them. Of all the creatures that God has made upon the earth, man alone is rebellious. The [fall]ing out we experienced with our animal cousins that occurred when we lost sight of paradise has made it so we sometimes seem only capable of bringing out our animal natures in the most disgusting and vile of ways. Suppressing those parts of ourselves for so long makes it difficult to access them except in extreme circumstances. Man is a microcosm for the whole universe. And as such, God grants him the privilege of being the repository for all its powers.

Ancient Vedic Scripture says that God sleeps in stone, breathes in plants, dreams in animals and awakes in man. But those beautiful sentiments were recorded in a different time and different world. These days it would seem that M.A.N. is an acronym for Misuse of Animal Nature. We have set the tone of this dog-eat-dog world. If humanity is to awaken from its coma we will need to inhale deeply the smelling salts of the earth. To do so, we should tap into that good old olfactory that is so keen and reliable among many animals but underdeveloped for the most part in modern man. One distinct clue that the spiritual side to this particular sense is all but completely dormant is the rarity with which it occurs that we smell or even taste things in our dreams. Survey your friends, family and acquaintances and see how rare an occurrence it is. Smell being so closely linked with memory, it is no wonder we have trouble remembering our dreams most of the time.

Animals teach us about ourselves. A human fetus passes through every major category of animal forms, ranging from ‘fish in the sea’ to ‘creeping thing’ to ‘fowl of the air’ to ‘beasts of the field’ during the nine month gestational period; not to mention the worm like sperm cell that moves through the primordial waters. The human brain can be divided into seven general sectors, each corresponding to a different species.

1. Reptilian – Lower brain stem activity – Fight or flight response
2. Insect  – Medulla – Group effort – No emotional bonding  – Hive Mentality – Busywork – Ants for example are under obligation to obey the rules or suffer beheading as a penalty
3. Avian – Cerebellum –  Cerebellum means Little Brain but it’s no ‘Bird Brain’ – Birds are capable of complex cognitive processes and behaviors such as using tools and even self recognition – But recognizing one’s reflection is no replacement for Knowledge of Self –  Herein lies the Intellect – But also the Ego
4. Mammalian – Occipital – Emotions – The capacity to truly know kinesthetically what is happening anywhere in the world – where we can actually begin to access manhood, womanhood, kingship and queenship, godhood.
5. Pure intuition –  Man – The capability to perceive past present and future simultaneously- Compartmentalization due to the severe abuse, cultural conditioning has retarded this ability in us.
6. Temporal lobe –  Enlightened man – The ability to hear and see etc into other dimensions ESP
7. Frontal lobe – Immortal god – Utilizing the entire electromagnetic spectrum

In a culminating scene from the movie Zookeeper, the main character, Griff is getting a pep talk from his animal friends. The lion says, “You haven’t changed. You don’t know how to trust your instincts. You listen to us and we’ll turn you into an alpha male.” To which the lioness adds, “You’re a good man. You just need some help.” Then the monkey tells our hero, “And who better than us to help you?”

SPIDEY SENSE – OUT OF TIME

You may like the idea of summoning your totem of power animals and unlocking your animal powers. But you are probably thinking, “I don’t have time for this.” No time? You’re right. You have no time to waste. Like Noah, you and I are tasked with assembling an ark. As arc-welders we need to connect the appropriate neural pathways which create buoyant brains. Your personal ark contains what Avicenna calls the “two storehouses” of the memorative and formative faculties (Right & Left Brain). These are symbolized by Noah and his wife who, in conjunction with Shem, Ham and Japeth plus their wives harness the cooperative energy of the afore-mentioned ‘Eight’ to draw in the positive animal attributes. If you build it, the animals will come to you. The ark construction is your act of faith. So before you download one more app for your i-phone, take the time to download an animal spirit. If you are too worried about the time restraints of your busy Babylonian routine, your faith and effectiveness will be lessened. So, might I suggest that you start with something small and quick? Literally.

The spider can help us with our time troubles. In addition to its {8} legs, the spider’s basic body shape is that of a figure-eight or an hour-glass. If you stop the sands of time by laying that hour-glass on its side {∞} head and abdomen form the symbol for infinity. Time is not an issue, but rather a tissue to this skillful silk weaver. Like you she has much to do. Speedy Spidey’s secret is that she operates outside of time so she is never “out of time.” But is it really the outer rim– nigh to Kolobian star systems –where we should be searching for the end of time? NASA may scope the furthest reaches of space and never find it. Meanwhile, the secretive spider spins spirit into a web with a form which is so soundly based on the dynamics of the universal grid, it draws from the inner rim. This non-place is the nun-palace, housing the i-n-t-e-r-i-m, rearranged into i-n-r-t-i-m-e, that no man has ever seen, but the Black Widow occupies it. What is ‘it’? Why, the interval of time between one event, process, or period and another – counted as nothing by man but nonetheless constituting the bulk of the universe. So the next time you have to kill a poisonous or possibly deadly arachnid to preserve the safety of your family members and pets, do it with gratitude and purpose, in the spirit of the Lord. You will discover, like Nephi after slaying Laban, that the qualities of the slain will be yours to use in fulfilling the commandments of the Lord.

What does the spirit of the spider feel like? The best example I can think of is in an experience had by a young LDS father from the Seattle area. While playing a game of basketball this man had an experience that he describes in the following words:

“I had the ball, I jumped right by the hoop and a defending player jumped as well. Time slowed when I was in the air bumping next to the other guy. What lasted less than 2 seconds to everyone else, lasted 10 seconds to me. Look at a clock and compare those two times. That is a major difference. Actually there really wasn’t any time, I was just doing things without time. I realize that now. I could move, it was slow and precise, my senses were super heightened. I could move my arms and shoulders around and manipulate my movement and his movements. I was able to move around his arm and body to get a clear shot. I physically was able to move and twist and jump higher and with more power than ever before. Once it ended, the trainer told me, “good body control.” I have no idea how it happened. It’s not important that it happened to me, it happens to people all over. Movies try to show it, but it’s not the same because the whole being is functioning, not just what a camera can show.

When I was jumping with the basketball, the smallest things were important. I was cognizant of every part of me and what it did and could do and I used them. But time didn’t exist for me. I did everything I wanted. My senses were truly magnified and functioned properly (a la The Initiatory). The way I reacted to the other player’s body in that moment, it was different. It was like a dance. I didn’t force him, he followed my lead. I don’t think it was him mentally, but his body responded to me, harmoniously. It was very fluid.

You know when you bump in to someone by accident, you can’t recall specifically what hit, just a general area. Well, when our bodies were in contact, every patch of flesh and muscle, I was aware of and felt. It’s like they were all alive. I was very conscious of each body connection; my shoulder to my elbow and how they worked together, even though I didn’t concentrate or focus on it. My subconscious and conscious minds were one. So I could manipulate my body and move it very specifically. This also affected the other guy because I moved across his body in exact ways.

Also, my power felt whole. Not that I was super powered or super strong, just very solid, whole. I did what I wanted and it’s not like he resisted, even though to everyone else, he was throwing his body weight into me and mine was being thrown into his ~ definitely a power layup as it is called. But it wasn’t a struggle between us, more of a dance and I was the lead.”

In the aptly titled “Time Must Have a Stop” Aldous Huxley writes: “There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. ~ So you have to begin there, not outside, not on other people. That comes afterwards, when you’ve worked on your own corner.” This is the dance we are supposed to engage in. That others respond to the rhythm of our will does not constitute compulsion. It is an agreeable synchronization of spirits and that means it is happening on a higher, heavenly order than our typical earthly dealings with one another.

 ROYALTY IN REALITY – THE SECOND COMING TO OUR SENSES

There was a time when I described my‘self’ as “not really an animal person.” I considered myself better than the animals. As a self proclaimed “good person,” I of course believed that animals fell into our collective stewardship. My former self could almost be heard to say, with the voice of a posh British personality, that “Naturally, animals should be cared for, to an extent.” But as a “city slicker,” I didn’t “personally care too much for them,” both literally and figuratively. I always thought of myself as more of a “people person.” and still do to a great degree. But much of what the world today calls “people skills” are very over-rated when one takes in the bigger picture of our Father’s Plan. I can not bask in the false sense of pride I once did. I have now felt the real and royal sense of pride. That is to say, I am rapidly becoming aware of ‘pride’ in the sense that the mighty lion experiences it; as community.

That spirit of the rightful ruler inside me wishes to roar nothing save it be repentance unto this gene-ration. I issue a cautionary call and wild warning to anyone, my ‘self’ included, who would treat these things lightly. There are those who would misinterpret the humble pride of the lion of Judah, taking the King’s kindness for weakness. At this time they sit comfortably and secure, or so they suppose. But soon their townhouses will cease to provide them comfort and their gated complexes will fail to protect them from the young lions, who will go through and tear them into pieces. Not only is it foolishness to disregard the role that animals play in our lives, but it is also folly to work through  M.A.N.-Made political vehicles for the rights of animals. Never will men who place their faith in poli-tricks be able to be true advocates for the humane treatment of animals. Until they shed the so called ‘grassroots campaigns’ and feel the true grassroots echoed in the growth of their own manly manes, piercing the reality around their heads at a hundred receptive points to realize that, just as self-righteous vegetarians eat vegetables –humanitarians eat humans. If only they would be proud of their animal heritage and not prideful in their preaching of political process which profanes the symbol of the sacred eagle and prolongs suffering.

Please don’t turn up your noses at my raising a stink unless it is to catch the spiritual scent of truth. The modern gentile is indeed a self-endangering species. Any paleontologist will tell you how the larger olfactory bulbs and temporal lobes of human beings made a lot of sense for our healthier ancestors as these things contributed to kinship recognition, enhanced family relations, group cohesion and tribal learning. Ungratefully, we spend millions on plastic surgery and complain that no one even ‘nose’ their neighbors these days. The more a people reject the tribal wisdom of their past, the closer they draw to complete ex-stinktion.

We find ourselves at a critical juncture. For decades now we have been conditioned by “Diet, injections, and injunctions” just as ‘false’ prophet Bertrand Russell foretold in 1953. But we were forewarned by the Lord way back in 1833. Spiders weave webs. Men are free to use that for good or evil. Ten years after CON-SPIRIT-ors expressed the desire to make spiritual sensation “psychologically impossible,” they too, tapped into the Crazy Eight energy. They cleverly pulled us into a game of reverse psychology to see who could divest himself of all his God-given cards first for a false feeling of wining. They released Fr∞t L∞ps ™,a false fruit poison introduced by a fake foul (Toucan Sam) to a target audience of young children. It is suspicious that Toucan Sam spoke to us with a Brittish accent when this product never has been sold in England accept for a limited time in 2012. And yet, the term “fruit loop” has commonly been used in the UK to refer to a person who is mentally ill.

These evil designs, which the Word of Wisdom warns us of, were intentional and laid the groundwork for what is happening right now. Sons and daughters of the 70s to 80s are often unable to distinguish between god food and bad. And even those who try to reach back and resurrect the spirit of the 60s through protest of Genetically Modified Organisms, do err in many instances because they are led by the precepts of men, which tell them that demonocracy and political activism will or can save them from downfall. With their lips they say, “Nature knows best,” but their hearts are far from Her. For, while they may identify some advancements of the Enemy through diet and injections, a veil of vanity blocks from their view the third pillar of ‘injunction’. They are tricked into playing the central role in the plan of the Evil One by engaging with it. They may avoid artificial sweeteners but they are suckers for the sweet talk of bogus Zionists. They might be able to tell the difference between Fruit and Froot but they are unable to distinguish between Truth and Error. They consistently mistake tactics for solutions. Will they ever acknowledge that all everlasting solutions;

1. Require a change of heart and lifestyle

2. Are not dependant upon money

3. Are illegal

Animals and tribal humans alike, have an inner sense that tells them when danger is approaching. The sense of smell and many others have been better preserved in the so called lower life-forms and primitive peoples. The God of Nature is ready to restore them to us if we will but humble ourselves. If the Second Coming of Christ is to be survived by us it will have to be experienced in all its glory and power and that requires a Second Coming to our senses. But if upon feeling the senses of our souls surge to the surface, we run straight to the Doctor for a prescription to deaden the strange sensations so that we can function ‘normally’ in the ‘real’ work-a-day world — what does that say about our stance towards Christ?

The Baptism of Fire

The following is my current understanding of the baptism of fire.

One baptism in three parts

The gospel of Jesus Christ has one, tripartite baptism consisting of the baptism of water, the baptism of fire and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The purpose of baptism is to witness that there exists a covenant between God and the man being baptized. Unless all three witnesses have occurred, the covenant between him and God is not binding.

The doctrine of re-baptism applies equally to all three

Anyone who enters into an agreement with another is free to witness or affirm the fact of the agreement by attestation for as many times as desired. There is no law of man or God against this. In fact, under the law of God, we are to “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” that we may be in, even until death. So, the principle of witnessing and re-witnessing is a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The manner in which man witnesses of his covenant to serve God is through water baptism. This means that in order to re-witness his covenant, he must be re-baptized. Therefore, he may receive the baptism of water whenever and as many times as he desires and must, per his covenant, be ever ready to be re-baptized at all times and in all places, to re-attest of the validity of his covenant. This is the doctrine or principle of re-baptism and it applies equally to both water, fire and Holy Ghost baptisms.

Order: fire and Spirit, then water, then fire and Spirit, etc.

Re-baptism being a principle of the gospel, the order in which these baptisms are received is not all that important. The only necessary thing is that each one is received, for these are really three parts of one baptism. Nevertheless, the scriptural, ideal order is first the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost (see D&C 20: 37), followed by the baptism of water, followed by another baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and thereafter, any part may be repeated multiple times throughout one’s life.

Another thing that the gospel states is that after a baptism of water, the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost is supposed to follow on its heels, either right after coming out of the water, or right after confirmation by the laying on of hands.

To demonstrate these principles, Joseph Smith received a baptism of fire during the First Vision, then a baptism of fire during each of Moroni’s visits and during the visit of John the Baptist, then a water baptism by the hand of Oliver Cowdery, followed by a baptism of the Holy Ghost after he came out of the water. Later he received other baptisms of fire with the visits of Peter, James, John, Moses, Elijah, etc. He also received another water baptism after the church was legally organized, etc.

Simultaneity

A baptism of fire is always accompanied with a baptism of the Holy Ghost, but a person may be baptized with the Holy Ghost without an accompanying baptism of fire. This is why the baptism of fire is always called the baptism (singular) of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and not the baptisms (plural) of fire and of the Holy Ghost. These two parts of the tripartite baptism occur simultaneously as a single baptismal event whenever there is a baptism of fire.

Jesus alone performs the baptism of fire

Unlike the baptism of water, which can be performed by the hand of a mortal man under priesthood power and authority, the baptism of fire is reserved for Deity alone to accomplish and is based upon the state of a man’s heart and his faith in Him. (See 3 Ne. 12: 1-2; 3 Ne. 9: 20; Matt. 3: 11; Luke 3: 16; JST Mark 1: 6; JST John 1: 28.)

Confirmation is not the baptism of fire

The scriptures say that elders are “to confirm those who are baptized into the church, by the laying of of hands for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost.” This is the ordinance of confirmation. Laying hands on someone’s head for the baptism of fire does not baptize anyone with fire. Only the Lord can do that.

When the scriptures say that this ordinance is “for” the baptism of fire, it is using that word “for” to mean “indicating the end with reference to which anything is, acts, serves or is done.” Specifically, the word “for” in that sentence means “as a preparation for” or “with the object of.” So, elders lay hands as a preparation for the baptism of fire, or they lay hands with the object of the baptism of fire.

The ordinance of confirmation, then, is a preparatory ordinance, which precedes an actual baptism of fire. This ordinance is called confirmation because it is intended to confirm the believers’ faith, both that of the one being confirmed and that of those doing the confirming. This is because true priesthood is “inseparably connected with the powers of heaven,” so when true priesthood is exercised as an ordinance of the gospel, there will be a corresponding manifestation of heavenly power. So, after the ordinance of confirmation, there is supposed to be a baptism of fire that occurs, showing that the covenant of the newly baptized person is accepted of God, as well as the priesthood of the one who is doing the confirming.

Binding and accepted covenants

The baptism of fire serves to witness to the new member, to the priesthood holder(s) confirming, and to the church that is present, that the covenant that the man has entered into with his God, witnessed by his water baptism, is accepted by God and is now in force. In other words, that it is binding, both upon the man and his God.

To put another way, water baptism is man’s way of witnessing to God that he has entered into a covenant to serve Him, whereas fire baptism is God’s way of witnessing to man that He has accepted that covenantal relationship.

(Jesus said, “Whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record (witness) of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost.” See 3 Ne. 11: 35.)

Plasma is the medium

To serve as a witness to all these people, the baptism of fire must be a visual sign. The medium used is not the fire of a gas stove or match, but discharging plasma in appearance as fire. Depending upon where one is located in relation to the plasma display, it may look like the flame of fire, like a palpable or living light, like lightning, or just as immense glory or brightness.

Specifically, the baptism of fire consists of twin plasma filaments, rapidly rotating around a central axis, creating a plasma tube or sheath, or plasma column, in other words, a cylindrical shape around the person being baptized. When viewed from the outside, it appears to be “a pillar of fire.” When viewed from within the tube, the fire aspects may or may not be discerned, but its bright light or glory is apparent. Thus we have the various accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision, which was a baptism of fire, using the words “fire,” “flame,” “light,” “brightness” and “glory” to describe the discharging plasma he was witnessing.

Sometimes the twin filaments themselves can be discerned, and so we get a description of “cloven tongues of fire,” meaning twin tongues (or filaments) of plasma flame. Other descriptions are of fire “encircling” the persons being baptized, showing that the filaments rotate around the person.

All of these scriptural accounts are describing the same plasma manifestation observed from different spatial perspectives, and so accounts vary. But even with everything before a person, sometimes details can still be missed, as in 1 Ne. 15: 27.

Other aspects

Fire baptism is by complete, or cellular, immersion. Plasma both surrounds and enters the man, so that he becomes “filled with fire.” The fire can be seen and felt. To the one immersed in it, it initially feels like he is burning to death, in an incomprehensibly complete and rapid manner, as every part of the body seems to have caught on fire. Great fear instantly comes upon the man as he fully believes he is about to die. But in the next instant his mind realizes that death has not occurred, that there is no pain and that there is no apparent cellular damage or harm. The fear leaves just as suddenly as it comes, only to be replaced with a feeling of awe and gratitude as the mind realizes that this same destroying fire, which should have instantly atomized the body, is somehow keeping the body protected from its own destructive power.

The divine plasma has the effect of cleansing the heart of man, purifying it of all dross (sinful desires), so that he no longer desires to sin, but instead abhors it. In this swept clean condition, the Holy Ghost then unexpectedly and suddenly enters the man and causes the individual bits of his soul to shout for joy, because of the presence of Deity.

Fire baptism allows other heavenly manifestations to occur

The baptism of fire purifies a person’s heart and Jesus said that all the pure in heart shall see God. So, whenever a person receives a baptism of fire, chances are real good that they will also see either an angel, vision or God Himself. At the very least some revelation or prophecy will occur along with the baptism of fire, or some other manifestation of one of the gifts of the Spirit.

Fire remits sin

Whenever a person receives a baptism of fire, his sins are automatically remitted. In other words, he becomes justified, or guiltless, before the Lord. Nephi said, “For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.”

Fire brings forth a new tongue

Nephi also said that when a man receives the baptism of fire he then can speak with a new tongue, even the tongue of angels, and that “angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ.”

There are only two, definitive, scriptural examples

There are plenty of scriptural verses that mention the doctrine of baptism of fire, but there are only two accounts in our current standard works in which it is definitively stated that actual baptisms of fire occurred. Of those two accounts, only one applies to us in the latter days. They are:

Adam’s baptism of fire
After Adam was baptized by the Spirit of the Lord, as recorded in Moses 6: 64-68, he heard a voice saying, “Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost.” Nevertheless, there is no mention of any manifestation of fire in the account. Although quite interesting, this experience was, apparently, Adam specific and is not the template for the baptism of fire among the modern masses.

The Lamanites’ baptism of fire
When the Nephite missionaries Nephi and Lehi preached among the Lamanites and were imprisoned, about 300 souls received a baptism of fire, as recorded in Hel. 5: 20-49. This is the scriptural template of a baptism of fire for all mankind. We know this because the voice of Jesus Christ said so:

And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not. (3 Ne. 9: 20)

So, the Lord categorically states in the above scripture that the experience of the 300 souls was a baptism of fire. Additionally, He states that all baptisms of fire that He performs will be “even as the Lamanites… were baptized with fire.” The Lamanites’ baptism of fire, then, is the standard, the rule, and NOT the exception. It is the event that the Lord points to for us to determine whether a baptism of fire has occurred.

(The word “even” in the phrase “even as the Lamanites” means “in or to such (indicated) degree or kind.”)

What the baptism of fire consists of

Based upon the Lamanites’ experience, there are six characteristics of any baptism of fire. They are:

1. Fire encircling an individual, forming a cylindrical shape, such as a column or “pillar of fire” or plasma tube. This would be twin Birkeland currents (plasma cables or filaments) rotating rapidly around a central axis, in appearance like a fire tornado. This is the visual sign to all those witnessing the baptism.

2. The presence and ministration of angels.

3. Justification, meaning a remission of sins.

4. Purification, by fire entering the heart.

5. Sanctification, by becoming filled with (baptized in) the Holy Ghost.

6. Speaking with a new tongue (the tongue of angels, meaning speaking by the power of the Holy Ghost.)

Two more scriptural examples

Using the six characteristics above, we find two more scriptural examples of baptisms of fire which exactly match that of the Lamanites, although the text does not specifically say that they were fire baptisms. They are:

The Nephite little children’s baptism of fire
Jesus baptized little children with fire, as recorded in 3 Ne. 17: 21-25 and as witnessed by 2500 people. These children were encircled by fire, had angels minister to them and spoke in new tongues (see 3 Ne. 26: 14, 16.) Also, we know that they were justified, purified and sanctified, for they were little children and all little children are alive in Christ.

The 12 disciples’ baptism of fire
The fire baptism of these men is recorded in 3 Ne. 19: 11-15. They were encircled about by fire, filled with fire, had angels minister to them and prayed by the power of the Holy Ghost. From the text it is clear that they were justified, purified and sanctified.

Other intimated baptisms of fire

Joseph Smith’s baptisms of fire
As mentioned above, each of Joseph’s angelic ministrations was attended by a baptism of fire (plasma), including the First Vision.

For example, one First Vision account says, “A pillar of fire appeared above my head; which presently rested down upon me, and filled me with un-speakable joy. A personage appeared in the midst of this pillar of flame, which was spread all around and yet nothing consumed…I saw many angels in this vision.”

Another First Vision account says, “while in [the] attitude of calling upon the Lord [in the 16th* year of my age] a pillar of {fire} lightabove the brightness of the Sun at noon day come down fromabove and rested upon me and I was filld with the Spirit of God”. In this account Joseph couldn’t decide whether what he saw was fire or light. He finally decided on light and crossed out fire. The reason for his confusion was that he was witnessing discharging plasma.

I believe that it is reasonable to conclude that the plasma nature of the angel Moroni’s visit (see The plasma aspects of the First Vision and Moroni’s visit) was typical of all angelic ministrations to Joseph, and thus all such events in his life were likely baptisms of fire.

Moses’ vision of God
In Moses chapter 1 it says that “the glory of God was upon Moses.” That sounds to me like a plasma event and that he received a baptism of fire.

Lehi’s pillar of fire
1 Ne. 1: 6 mentions Lehi seeing a pillar of fire. It is obviously a super-duper abridgment of all that occurred, but it sounds like a baptism of fire.

Nephi’s visit from the Lord
Nephi mentions in 1 Ne. 2: 16 that he was visited by the Lord. He doesn’t elaborate but my guess is that this was Nephi’s first baptism of fire. Jesus states in 3 Ne. 11: 35 that when the Father visits people, He visits them with fire and with the Holy Ghost.

Cloven tongues on day of Pentecost
As recorded in Acts chapter 2, there appeared “cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.” They were filled with the Spirit, spoke other tongues and spoke by the power of the Holy Ghost. It’s not an exact match of the Lamanite experience (angels are missing), but pretty darn close.

Gentile cloven tongues
In Acts 11: 15 we read Peter’s words about how the Gentiles also received the Holy Ghost. He said, “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.” That, to me, seems to be saying that the Holy Ghost fell on the Gentiles in the same way that the Holy Ghost fell on the Jews, namely, with accompanying manifestation of cloven tongues like as of fire. This could explain the astonishment of the Jews who witnessed the manifestation of tongues among the Gentiles. (See Acts 10: 44-47.)

Downgrading the baptism of fire

Now, when you compare the scriptural accounts of the baptism of fire to our modern, LDS definitions, it becomes obvious that we have downgraded the sudden, rapid changes effectuated by the marvelous, visual, power displays of the real deal to something gradual, drawn out, imperceptible and nondescript. For example:

While one definition of this expression (the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost) refers to a cleansing by the Holy Spirit as if by fire, still the scriptures and the writings of the prophets indicate there is something more.

The new convert who has accepted the gift of the Holy Ghost with the right spirit will experience not only a cleansing but a feeling that will give him a new heart and make of him a new person. Sometimes this is immediate, and sometimes it happens over a period of time.

…

The scriptures, and even our church history, record miraculous instances when visible flames encircled the humble followers of Christ—literal manifestations of fire and the Holy Ghost—but more often this fire works quietly and unseen in the hearts of those who have received the gift of the Holy Ghost.

…

The witness, the change, the cleansing that comes gradually is no less powerful to the person with the right heart, and he or she is impelled to action whether the experience was a sudden, miraculous manifestation or the quiet workings of the Spirit.

(Fire and the Holy Ghost, Loren C. Dunn, Ensign, June 1995)

We have taken away the majesty of the Father’s witness and replaced it with something that goes entirely against nature. Nature is cyclic, cycling between periods of rest and periods of activity. All things work on this principle, including spiritual things. Baptism (all three parts) are designed to be moments of spiritual intensity. You cannot perform a baptism of water over a period of time, or gradually, quietly and unseen. No, you are outside of the water (which can be visually discerned), then you are immersed, and then you come out of the water. There is nothing gradual about it. A single water baptism cannot be performed over days and years. In like manner, the baptism of fire is a punctuated, spiritually intense event.

No one’s spirituality is designed to grow gradually. Gradual spiritual growth is the same as no spiritual growth. There is no such animal as gradual spiritual growth. You either have intense spiritual experiences from time to time or you are spiritually dying. This is why we are commanded to come together often, to intensify the Spirit so as to be capable of growing spiritually.

Joseph Smith’s life was meant to be an example to us. He had multiple, very intense spiritual experiences. It began with a baptism of fire, it continued with more baptisms of fire and it ended in a volley of gun fire. John Taylor said that Joseph lived for glory, died for glory and glory is his eternal reward. Glory = plasma = the baptism of fire. Joseph did, indeed, live for those fire baptism experiences. He had a lot of them, he saw a lot of angels and who knows how many visions, and he wanted to have more of the same. And he tried ceaselessly to get the saints to experience what he was experiencing. So did Moses and all true prophets.

You are either immersed in plasma or you are not. You are either in an intensity phase or in a rest phase of the cycle. There is no such thing as non-cyclic gradualness. If you think you are growing spiritually for the past ten years without any intense spiritual experiences, you are kidding yourself. It means that you have been in a spiritual rest phase of the cycle during this time. No one can remain at spiritual rest for any extended period of time before spirituality begins to decay. It is an impossibility. So, the LDS concept of a gradual, life-long, imperceptible baptism of fire is patently false and leads to spiritual death.

Everyone will receive a baptism of fire

It is not a question of if, but when and how. If a man humbles himself before the Lord and enters into a covenant to serve Him, he’ll receive a baptism of fire in this life, one that will purify and justify him. But there are other baptisms of fire that can be received. For example, one is the baptism of fire that the earth and all those that do wickedly upon her will receive at the Second Coming. Another is the baptism of fire that occurs when the sons of perdition are immersed in the lake of fire and brimstone. One way or another, we are all eventually going to have to go through some type of baptismal fire.

And they knew it not

In closing, let me address one other thing. Jesus said that the Lamanites “were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.” Some have taken that to mean that the Lamanites experienced a change upon their hearts which they did not perceive, because it happened gradually, over time. In other words, that the Lord meant that there was no great manifestation during the Lamanites’ fire and Holy Ghost baptism. And also that the Lord was not referring to the 300 Lamanites who were in prison with Nephi and Lehi, but was referring instead to other Lamanite converts.

This is an incorrect interpretation.

The real meaning of the Lord’s words is that the Lamanites (the 300 souls in that prison) had a magnificent, visual baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, but did not know what it was. That is all that the Lord meant by what He said.

Any time someone experiences a baptism of fire without first being taught about it, they go through the experience without knowing what it is. Joseph’s First Vision fire baptism was performed on him while he was still a boy totally ignorant of such a thing as a baptism of fire. In my own life, I remember that the first time that I had a baptism of fire (prior to my water baptism) I was blown away and didn’t know what it was. The missionaries that had taught me the gospel had not explained this doctrine, so it came as a complete surprise to me and it was only years later, as I studied and learned more of the gospel on my own, that I was able to determine what the hell it was. Prior to that time, it was always an anomaly to me and when talking to others about the various spiritual experiences I had had over the years, I would always set it apart by saying something like, “The second time the Holy Ghost manifested itself to me was quite different than the other times. It was, well, a really big manifestation with a lot of power and I thought I was going to die, or I did die and came back to life. I’m not really sure what happened. All I know is I was consumed in fire but somehow survived unharmed.” Such were my ignorant descriptions. But of course it was a different manifestation than the others. It was a baptism of fire, for crying out loud! But I knew it not.

And in the same manner, neither did the Lamanites.

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