(Artwork in this post by German artist Franz Marc, 1880-1916)

Previously in the Approaching Zion series:

Childlike Consecration
Polygamy
Beauty and the Beast
The Doctrine of Christ
The Pure in Heart
One Heart and One Mind
A Refuge from the Storm
Go Ye Out of Babylon
The Seventh Seal
Watchmen and Waste Places
The Seven Heavens
The Kingdom of God on Earth
The Destiny of America
The Mystery of the Atonement
Walking with God

Enduring or Enjoying?

The Doctrine of Christ contains a provision that is often overlooked, getting little attention.  It is "enduring to the end."

How do you understand the doctrine of enduring to the end?  There are at least two aspects to it:

   (1) What does it mean to 'endure?'
   (2) What is the 'end' referring to?

Last night I was talking to my wife about the grin-and-bear-it mentality we often have when it comes to "enduring."  Must life be endured?  Why can't we "enjoy to the end?"

But in this post, I want to focus on the second aspect, "the end."

   If ye shall press forward,
   feasting upon the words of Christ,
   and endure to the end,
   behold, thus saith the Father:
   Ye shall have eternal life.

(2 Nephi 31:20)

Our mortal natures crave finality (which is ironic, seeing as we are endless beings).

Yes, Christ is the Omega and knows something about endings, but don't forget, He is also the Alpha (3 Ne. 9:18), the first.  And what's important to understand is that He is the Alpha and Omega simultaneously.

Whenever we think we have finally 'arrived' at the end of our journey, the mists on the horizon clear and we see the road goes on.  All endings begin anew.

No one has ever explained to me what the "end" really is.

Growing up, I just assumed it was death.  I thought if I remained 'true and faithful,' the Lord would call me up and say, "It is finished" (John 19:30).

But then what?  What will we be doing for the rest of eternity?

"Look unto me"

Jesus taught the Nephites:

   (1) I am the law and the light.
   (2) Look unto me,
   (3) and endure to the end,
   (4) and ye shall live;
   for unto him that endureth
   to the end will I give eternal life.

(3 Nephi 15:9)

In just one verse (just 33 words), Jesus taught us everything we need to know in order to be equipped to endure to the end.

By contrast, last year in 2024 I wrote 121,582 words on this blog ― and all of them could not compare to those 33 simple, wonderful words.

I confess it has taken many, many years for me to finally "look unto Christ."  For most of my life, I looked to the Brethren and to the Church Handbook for guidance.

My spiritual life was a bowling ball between the bumper lanes the Church carved out for me.

But that all changed on February 10, 2017, when, while driving to work on a Friday morning, heading to the courthouse for a day of prosecuting criminals, the eyes of my understanding grew a little wider.

By then I was well on my way in deconstructing my spiritual journey.  As I drove to work that morning, I pondered on the role of the Church and my place in it.

Now, there's something about my past I don't think I've shared before.  While in graduate school, in the Fall of 2003, I was hired to teach religion at BYU as an adjunct faculty member.  I was 24 years old.  I taught religion part-time at BYU for the next 13 years.

I never loved anything so much as I loved teaching.  But as I studied the scriptures and taught my classes, I came to know enough about the gospel to realize the Church was noncompliant with its scriptural mandates.

Surely it wasn't my place to set the Church in order.  Surely the Lord had other people, better-qualified, on His payroll for such things.  But I was troubled.

As I drove to work on February 10, 2017, I reflected on the fact that even though there is much error in the Church, there was also a lot of good.

Now I understand that this is a feature among all religions: God has seeded them with enough light that we can find Him, and with enough darkness that we can become Pharisees and Jihadists if we choose.

In other words, our religions are merely mirrors that allow us to grow into the kind of person we truly want to be, with enough ambiguity that we can feel as if we're following God either way (whether we are or not).

As I drove to work that morning, I pondered the words of Nephi about baptism being a gate.

   For the gate
   by which ye should enter
   is repentance
   and baptism by water.

(2 Nephi 31:17)

I guess I had never really thought of what a "gate" meant before, but as I drove the Spirit helped me to see the way gates are used, spiritually, and what their purpose is for.

They are meant to be passed through, not as obstacles to prevent passage but as openings to allow us to progress.  We do not squat down at the foot of the gate as if we've ended our journey.  They connect separate planes which cannot be crossed except through means of the gate.

Sure, I had entered the gate.  But where was I?  And where was I headed?  Where was the straight and narrow path taking me?  Or had I wandered into strange roads?

This was accompanied by a spiritual awakening in which the Lord revealed to me in a personal way that He was okay with the fact I was growing "beyond" the Church-gate I had been raised with (that is natural).  He filled me with peace (thank goodness I didn't crash into any cars while all this was happening).

I understood that in order to reach Him I would have to travel far beyond where the Church was, and what it taught ― that this journey had no bearing on whether I remained a member or not, for where He was leading me was not of this world.

And I received the earnest of the Spirit, that there lay before us things no Church can offer, that are received directly from God: ordinances and conversations and covenants we can find nowhere else.

After all, who exactly did Nephi hear saying:

   Yea, the words of my Beloved
   are true and faithful.
   He that endureth to the end,
   the same shall be saved.

​(2 Nephi 31:15)

When we pass beyond the Pearly Gates, it will not be because we display an ordinance record showing we were baptized at age eight: it will be because we have received the words of eternal life from the lips of the Father. 

And as I pondered and prodded this new understanding (obeying all traffic laws, I assure you), the following words came alive for me as they never had before, as if the secrets of the universe had been in my grasp all this time:

   I would that ye should
   come unto Christ,
   who is the Holy One of Israel,
   and partake of his salvation,
   and the power of his redemption.

   Yea, come unto him,
   and offer your whole souls
   as an offering unto him,
   and continue in fasting
   and praying,
   and endure to the end;
   and as the Lord liveth
   ye will be saved.

(Omni 1:26)

It was the rudest of awakenings, believe me, realizing I had "offered my whole soul" to the Church, thinking it had been to Christ ― when in fact, I had been trying to serve two masters all along.

Wanted: Wisdom

If God possesses all truth, what percentage do we have?
​
If Truth were an ocean stretching across multiple worlds, spanning all generations of time, how much of it do we know?  I think we hold, perhaps, a bare thimble-full of the oceans' water.

And yet with all of our limitations, we may somehow possess a "fulness of Christ?"  Herein is a mystery.

Lehi said:

   All things have been done
   in the wisdom of him
   who knoweth all things.

(2 Nephi 2:24)

You may have noticed I've been seeking wisdom lately, writing about it.  James did not say "if any of you lack knowledge, let him ask of God" (James 1:5) ― but he said, "If any of you lack wisdom."

And so I (who lack wisdom greatly) have been asking God to help me replace some of my foolishness with wisdom so I may better serve you, and Him.

The danger we face is ending up like those Paul warned us about:

   Ever learning, and never able
   to come to the knowledge
   of the truth.

(2 Tim. 3:7) 

Where is the end of knowledge?  Where is the beginning of wisdom?  What is the highest, greatest truth?

Because it is exhausting digging through all these layers of truth, trying to uncover the bedrock of Christ's sure foundation from the flimsy furniture IKEA-like churches peddle.

The sedimentary layers of truth I once sifted through and clung to, I have set aside to keep digging.

I am not content to know the social security number of God, His address and fax number: I want to know Him intimately, as a bride on her wedding night.

Is there any end to knowing?  Is there an end to truth, where all truth becomes circumscribed into one great whole?

Love Wisely

The thing I want most to learn is how to love wisely.

You know I am a loving person.  But I love like a fool, as most fools do.

I want to love like God.

I want to have the wisdom to serve others not in the way I think best, but in the manner that God may reach out and touch them.  For what use is making you a chicken enchilada casserole if you are lactose intolerant (see, The Parable of the Five Sons)?

Love means to serve, but service rendered without wisdom can be harmful.  Nothing is more harmful than forcing a foot into a glass slipper it is ill-suited for.

I do not wish to share my blanket with those who are cold if my blanket is diseased.  What good is a little warmth if it gives you smallpox?

How does this relate to "enduring to the end?"  Because how can we render Christlike service when we don't know how our actions will end up affecting others?

It is nice to be well-intended, but I want to prove a blessing to those I love, and not an inadvertent cursing.

But we are blind to the future; our knowledge of cause-and-effect is short-sighted.

God, however, possesses the wisdom we need.  He sees the end from the beginning.  So ask Him!

For me, the end does not exist but in the dream of what God envisions for me.  Each ending is unique; no two of us share quite the same one.

   [God] doeth not anything
   save it be for the benefit
   of the world;
   for He loveth the world.

(2 Nephi 26:24)

The Church, I think, is trying to help, but many of its policies and teachings prove detrimental to the faith.

When the Church tells us to "endure to the end," what they really mean is stay true to the Church.

But let's forget the sideshows and focus on the center stage, the middle ring, the main attraction: Christ.  There are many corseted-Christians who faint, and cannot withstand, the sight of Christ's bearded women and misshapen men, His menagerie of circus children who give glory to Him in all their weirdness.

Give me the crunch of spent peanut shells beneath my feet, and the smell of elephant dung, and dancing bears on tightropes and the wonder of flint-shoed horses parading in hats on their hind legs in the center ring of the Big Tent.

Oh, give me the crazy circus we call the Celestial world, in all its variety and diversity and lovingkindess, where dragons lay flame to kettle corn carried upon a summer's night breeze.

For, the Celestial kingdom is not what we have imagined it to be, which is more akin to hell than heaven: the straight-laced lapels and neckties against starched white shirts ― such things cannot compare to a collarbone left to breathe through an open robe (JS-H 1:31).

Breathe, children, and flee Babylon's rigged carnival games that lure us with the promise of priesthood-clad stuffed animals hanging in neat, tidy rows, as we fruitlessly spend our last coin trying to win a prize that was never meant to be.

Be free in Christ, in order to know the Father as only a "freak" (as the world sees us) can.  For the wisdom of God is foolishness in the world's eyes.

When the Church calls out from the pulpit and from their councils, "This far, and no further" ― press on!  Press on!  Don't stop!

Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ!  Have hope!  Let us love God more than we love their praise and acceptance.

Press forward and keep going, until we hear the Father say: "Little one, ye shall have eternal life."

The Fulness of the Gospel

The fulness of the gospel has no ending.  It is without beginning of days or end of years.

I often hear people say at Church that we have the "fulness of the gospel."

What does that mean?  I don't think it means what we think it does.

   Blessed are you for receiving
   mine everlasting covenant,
   even the fulness of my gospel.

(D&C 66:2)

This verse shows that the fulness of the gospel is not about knowing something, but about receiving something. 

While Joseph Smith liked using the term "fulness of the gospel" (see D&C 20:9; 76:14; 90:11; 45:12), interestingly, this phrase does not appear in the New Testament.

Instead, the New Testament focuses on the "fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13).

Is there a difference between the fulness of the gospel and the fulness of Christ?  Well, I suppose it depends on the connotation: what does each phrase conjure to your mind?

   For it pleased the Father
   that in him [Christ] should
   all fulness dwell.

(1 Col. 1:19)

When I hear "the fulness of the gospel," the thing that comes to mind is, "This is what the Church teaches it alone has."

Okay, that's revealing: it reflects, I think, some of my indoctrination.  It shows I have been conditioned to view the gospel and the Church as interchangeable, as synonyms.

The Father thought it no insult to His honor to allow "all fulness" to dwell in ― and be embodied within ― Christ.  But the Church, I'm afraid, is not the same as Christ.

It is quite jarring to wake up one day and realize that salvation is not found through the ordinances and covenants of the gospel (Church), but through receiving a fulness of the Father through Christ's in-dwelling of us.

Make Room for More

Christ does not "get in" us through the rituals of the Church (I mean, for heaven's sake, has anyone in the Correlation Department even read the Book of Hebrews?). 

There is no priest or prophet who mediates between us and our "great High Priest" (Heb. 4:14).

Why is this important?  Because the "good news" is that this fulness may dwell (abide) in us (because in the Melchizedek there are no meddling middle-managers, thankfully). 

   And of his fulness
   have all we received.

(John 1:16)

Here again we see that the gospel is not something we "live": it is something we "receive."  From whom?  The Church?  No, from God.

To be clear, priestly administrators and prophets are helpful insofar as they excite our minds and hearts toward God and His hidden ways, imparting the words of life.  And fellowship in a community of believers is an essential part of the Plan.  Communities need some way to organize cooperative action.

But the landscape of modern religion is riddled with wolves, who instead of helping us dig irrigation ditches by the sweat of their brow, will sell us water shares in the irrigation company for an inflated price.

I have never treated with sandbox bullies, and neither do I take kindly to spiritual leaders casting a shadow over my Lord and Savior.

Yet the priests and prophets of Babylon are adeptly trained in the cares of the world and in the deceitfulness of riches.  They devour the flock, concerned with building budgets and fiscal reports and tithing receipts (as opposed to the mysteries of God).

Mammon's priesthood delights in big business, for the Great Apostasy is nothing other than the industrialization and commodification of religion, mass-producing priestcraft.

The current desires of the Church are best seen in its universities, not its chapels.  The reason for this is because, if we want to see the Church's true colors, we simply need to look at where it exercises the greatest control.  And so we can look at the Church's employment policies and contracts to see what it truly lusts after.  And what do we find?  Control, secrecy, and unquestioning institutional loyalty.

If you want to take the pulse of the Church, do not bother with the exalted ideals we preach on Sundays.  No, it is during the workweek we see the pounding heartbeat of the Church laid bare upon the altar of Babylon in the stock markets and in the Ecclesiastical Clearance Office of BYU (Arthur Miller, who wrote about the Salem Witch Trials in The Crucible, must be turning over in his grave).

We find in the avatar of Elder Clark Gilbert (a figurehead for the Brethren who serves as the Commissioner of Church Education) something quite disturbing.

I apologize for being critical, for I loathe any negativity, but my heart is sick as I watch the Church make a mockery of God, saying its Universities must be true to its religious mission and the gospel of Jesus Christ, when in fact its Stalinesque policies show the opposite.

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but I am ashamed of a Church that claims to possess the fulness of the gospel while trampling over its just and holy principles.

I decry the rampant hypocrisy demonstrated by the Church seeking to cure the disease of secularism with a lethal dose of sectarianism.

Watching the fear-inspired practices coming from Headquarters, we may appropriately wonder, does the Church possess a fulness of the gospel?

   The show of their countenance
   doth witness against them;
   and they declare their sin
   as Sodom, they hide it not.
   Woe unto their soul!
   for they have rewarded evil
   unto themselves.

   For Jerusalem is ruined,
   and Judah is fallen:
   because their tongue
   and their doings
   are against the Lord.

(Isaiah 3:9, 8)

But it's okay.  Because regardless of whatever monkey business is going on with the Church, the fulness of the Father in-dwells Christ ― and us (D&C 76:29).

   Share the good news!

The End (or is it?)

Returning to that Friday in February 2017, after the morning session of Court was over and we had recessed for lunch, I drove nearby to Taco Bell.  My mind was still swimming, making associations and connections I had not thought of before.

With a bean burrito in one hand, I opened up the scriptures on my phone in the other.  I read the following words, which took on a whole new meaning for me (as if their hidden meaning had been veiled my whole life, until then):

   This is the way;
   and there is none other way
   nor name given under heaven
   whereby man can be saved
   in the kingdom of God.
   
   And now, behold,
   this is the doctrine of Christ,
   [that one and] only and true   
   doctrine of the Father,
   and of the Son,
   and of the Holy Ghost,
   which is[: there is] one God,
   WITHOUT END.

   Amen.

(2 Nephi 31:21)

How odd, I thought, that Nephi, having just been told to "endure to the end," learned that God has no ending.

And that is when something fell into place.  I realized the end was now, and never, and always.  God is one, as we are all one; and that all is one in God, and ever was and will be, that great I AM.

I must have looked dumbstruck, a chalupa dangling from my mouth.  I felt beyond words that there was nowhere I could go where God would not be with me, and there was nowhere I could hide where He would not find me.  He is the Shepherd, and therefore, we are all shepherds; He is the Lamb, and therefore, so are we all.

All that God is, He gives; all that we are, He takes ― even as much as we are willing to share in His fulness, and in the fulness of what we were meant to become, without end.

This free exchange of our natures is what allows us to indwell and become One.

   And I John saw that he received
   not of the fulness at the first,
   but received grace for grace.

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

   And he received all power,
   both in heaven and on earth,
   and the glory of the Father
   was with him,
   for he dwelt in him.

(D&C 93:12, 14, 17)

This is the Doctrine, and the fulness, of Christ. 

Noah's Wife
a poem

​― For my daughter-doves, Lilian and Elisabeth

   God spake unto Noah, saying,
   Go forth of the ark, thou and thy wife,
   and thy sons, and thy sons' wives.

     ― Genesis 8:15-16

Wife of Noah, Mother of Ham: what is your name?
 
   << I am known as There are floods known only to the heart of woman
   << I am known as The Ark of mankind is found in the wisdom of the womb
 
Woman, Noah gathered animals two of every kind: what do you gather?
 
   >> I gather seeds of every plant and flower and Tree: even the clover and dandelion know my name
   >> I preserve Eden's fruit from the flame
  
Woman, Noah obtained a covenant with God: what does the rainbow show you?
 
   << It shows me the weaving of the Apron of Seven Pockets
   << It shows me all arises from the rainbow-red blood of Bethlehem
 
Woman, Noah cursed your son for uncovering his nakedness: what cause have you to rejoice?

   ―And behold, the Woman shed forth tears as the rain upon the mountains, her weeping covering all the earth, and light shone through her tears, and in the cloud God set a bow, and she said:
 
   >> Because I am Ishta
   >> Because I AM The Bearer of the Iridescent Garment given to mother Eve made from the skin of Snakes

Be Careful What You Wish For

One day an angel appeared to a university professor who was in the middle of a college class.  The professor had served his students selflessly for many years.

"To reward your good deeds," the angel said, "God will grant you a boon.  You may have your choice of eternal riches, eternal wisdom, or eternal beauty."

Without hesitation, the humble professor replied, "Eternal wisdom."

"Very well," said the angel, who disappeared through the ceiling in a pillar of light.

The students in the classroom, having witnessed this remarkable scene, were speechless.  A student on the front row, seeing the professor illuminated by a faint halo, found his courage and said, "Professor, please, share with us some eternal wisdom."

The professor sighed and said, "I should have chosen eternal riches."
   ___

I love this joke because it reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures:

   Seek not for riches
   but for wisdom,
   and behold,
   the mysteries of God
   shall be unfolded unto you,
   and then shall you be made rich.
   Behold, he that hath
   eternal life
   is rich.

(D&C 6:7)

If we reverse-engineer this verse, we find that eternal life is not just living forever (we do that anyway), but living with the secrets of God laid bare.

Wisdom is knowing God's times and seasons, His words and workings, even His hidden Way of Holiness.

   It shall be called
   The Way of Holiness:
   the unclean shall not
   pass over it;
   fools shall not err therein.

(Isaiah 35:8)

Interestingly, Isaiah says the only people who shall walk the Way are "wayfaring men" and women (Isaiah 35:8).

"Wayfaring" means "a person traveling on foot."

You see, we cannot travel the Way in a chariot, or upon celestial steeds.  We cannot be carried on the coattails of our leaders or parents.  We must each walk the Way on foot.  Specifically, we must walk with God.

Would you like to know God's mysteries?  They come with a steep price.  Everyone talks about a devil's bargain, but rarely do we count the cost of the Cross. 

But it is worth it, for he who is wise is rich.

Faith is Mental

There are a million ways to mend a broken body.  But our spirits?  Our spirits have no bones, no blood.  How does one mend a broken heart?

The balm for a wounded soul is the word of God.  As healers, our craft is love.  Faith our medicine.

This is why I write on the topics I do (though there aren't many people who are interested in high spiritual philosophy).

Our churches attempt to serve up God without requiring too much mental effort.  As a consequence, we are left with superficial platitudes, boardroom priests, and parables of pickles (and don't forget slogans like, "Think celestial!").

I am drawn to those who are mindful and contemplative; I prefer a man who wrestles with angels over him that bows to them.

The sober faith we seek requires us to delve into the mysteries of God; this is a faith that is mental.

   When a man works by faith
   he works by mental exertion
   rather than physical force.

(Lectures on Faith 7:3)

Sure, most people want to know God.  But I have found that most of us aren't looking to have our world rocked.  No, we prefer a God who resembles our particular hopes and beliefs.

Few are prepared to encounter a God who does not fit their expectations.

Weeds vs. Wildflowers

​An uncultivated mind is easily swept into error (been there, done that).

To better comprehend God, our minds must "expand" (Alma 32:34).

But how do we increase in knowledge and, more importantly, in wisdom (Luke 2:52)?  How did Jesus?

Such things cannot be forced; God cannot force-feed us the truth.  He does not cram our heads to bursting.  No, He waits patiently until we hunger and thirst, until we ask.

But God's answers are constrained by our mental architecture; He speaks to the level of our comprehension.  If we wish for greater light and truth, our minds will have to be enlarged beyond their current shape.    

God waits until we approach Him with real intent, which is a hunger deep within our spiritual bellies that would feign call out for boiled shoe leather to sate its need.

There is no better tool in our spiritual belts for plying our minds than asking God (who giveth liberally).

But we must be wise, and prepared to be answered not only by God but by lesser gods who hear our calling, and respond.

I wish to discuss angels of all sorts.

Pray with me, "Lord, help us to understand the ministering of angels in a manner that increases our light and love, in order that we might not be deceived by spiritual beings beyond the veil ― no matter how well-intentioned they may be.  We thank You for spiritual guides, and wish only to be led to You.  Grant us wisdom of heart to sift the wheat from chaff.  Give us Manna to sustain our walk as we find our Way to You.  Amen."
​
Joseph Smith said:

"The things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out. Thy mind, O man! if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens, and search into and contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity—thou must commune with God."

(Letter from Joseph Smith and others to Edward Partridge and the Church, Mar. 20, 1839, Liberty Jail; History of the Church 3:295-296.)

Great and fathomless are the mysteries of God ― but the devil has mysteries of his own.

   Which is which?

Near Death Experiences

When it comes to spiritual matters, we usually end up finding what we seek.  There are many angels in the lower heavens who are all-too-eager to conform to our view of things.

The heavens are filled with Beings who cling to their earthly distortions and beliefs, who are not much more advanced than we are in their eternal progression.

This is why most of our spiritual experiences are subjective, shaped by our contact with those on the other side who share a familiar spirit.

Have you realized that most people who have Near Death Experiences ("NDE's") generally "see" in heaven what they were expecting to find?

Is it because, in the spirit realms, followers of Mohammad create an Islamic heaven; and Mormons create LDS-Jesus-heaven; and Jews are escorted into a suitably Jewish heaven?

​This explains, I think, why the lower heavens are filled with persons who remain bonded to lesser-beings, "some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch" (D&C 76:100). 

Spiritual experiences emerge from a mix-and-mingle of our spirits and those from the "other side" ― who are often ancestral soul groups that constitute themselves there like we do here.

Nowhere is "confirmation bias" more prevalent than in the realm of the spirit; and so we find in the lower heavens just about anything we go looking for.

We can always find spirit guides who sympathize with our spiritual orientation.

"If [a man] does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other word, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power, than many men who are on the earth."

(Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 588.)

These lesser deities are all-to-happy to guide us (and I think many of them are actually trying to be helpful).

Always remember the mark (and the mark is not to commune with angels, but with God).

Joseph Smith fell victim himself to this principle at times.  Whenever you hear about an angel "with a drawn sword," it is a red flag.  For the holders of the higher priesthoods are not marshal; they do not exercise force and compulsory means at the end of a flaming bayonet. 

"[The] power & authority . . . holding the key of the power of endless life.― angels desire to look into it, but they have set up too many stakes."

(Discourse, 27 August 1843, as reported by Willard Richards)

This is why I have said that we should be the sort of person who, when an angel appears, asks to speak to their supervisor.

A Different Perspective on Aaronic Priesthood

Like Lehi, who was led into darkness by "a man dressed in a white robe" (1 Nephi 8:5), we have of necessity the need to develop a sober mind to discern true messengers from those who just want to fool around.

On May 15, 1829, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery made contact with an angel who announced himself as John, the same that is called John the Baptist (and whose English was quite good), who said to them:

   I confer the Priesthood of Aaron,
   which holds the keys
   of the ministering of angels.

(D&C 13:1)

Right away this should give us pause; anything "Aaronic" must be held lightly, like a hot potato.

While we in LDS circles have created sophisticated priesthood theologies, and employ rhetoric that characterizes the Aaronic priesthood as "preparatory" (D&C 84:26) ― in my experience we rarely progress beyond the carnal commandments and outward ordinances thereof.

This is why I do not find it profitable to justify, defend, and rationalize the principles and practices of the Aaronic order.  It becomes a sideshow as people argue over whether cigarettes or cigars are better ― when both will give you lung cancer!

Remember, whatever station we're tuned in to, there is always a greater.  There even lies beyond the Celestial kingdom higher orders, so don't become attached (D&C 130:10).

Aaronic angelics fall short of the Melchizedek priesthood (resonance) we seek, which contains a higher spiritual vibration.

Aaronic angels bring judgment, stumbling blocks, condemnation, and "wrath" (see, D&C 84:27 and Jacob 4:14).

Joseph Smith taught:

"[The] Levitical which was never able to administer a Blessing but only to bind heavy burdens which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear."

(Discourse, 27 August 1843, as reported by Franklin D. Richards)

The lesser gods that fill the Aaronic orders of heaven (to use LDS lingo) may be well-intended, but nevertheless they can easily sidetrack us from our true destination: the Most High God.

Beware the fetters that Aaronic angels bring.  And the next time you're channeling a spiritual source that tells you to commit genocide against the Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites ― well, I suggest you seek a second opinion.

Principalities and Powers and Thrones can only take us so far, and only through much bloodshed.  We must go beyond such things, and transcend such entities, to find the One True God.

It is no small task, to develop the spiritual faculties to discern between God and the pantheons of lesser Beings who populate the heavens.

Angels Among Us

But please don't misunderstand: God can work through angels.  He can work through beings at every level.  Even a telestial entity can speak celestial truth when inspired by the Holy Ghost (2 Nephi 32:3).

So an angel's status or office is not important.  We merely have to tell whether they speak the words of endless life, even "the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things" (Moses 6:61).

Now, it is important to realize that 99% of our communications with angels are not face-to-face.  Angels speak to us primarily by piggybacking on our thoughts and emotions.

Most of us are in contact with spiritual entities on a daily basis without even realizing it.

The best tool I have found to discern truth is love.  But not "love" as the world teaches.  I am talking about the love of God, which is balanced with wisdom.

In love, we may test whether the spiritual communication is imbued with God's grace and intelligence.  Does it edify (D&C 50:23)?

Does it stir the mind in new directions?  Does it fill us with wonder and hope?  Does it make us feel like we could move mountains, God willing?

Or instead, does the message come laced with subtle shadow?  Does it make us feel boxed-in?  Does it cause us to worry over the way we've set the silverware for dinner as if the king will scold us for not having the fork in the right position?

​Does it prey upon our fears?  Does it offer flattery?

Over the years I have observed that spiritual teachers receive inspiration from both negative and positive sources.  Always.  It has to be this way, for whenever the heavens open to us, so does hell.  There has to be equal opportunity to influence the person so that agency is honored.

What I find fascinating is that, over time, a spiritual teacher's voice (especially after they gain followers) generally tends toward the negative more and more, from light to shadow.

The reason for this, I think, is that once a person has been contacted by a positive entity, then negative entities come in the same guise as the positive being, pretending to be one-and-the-same.

In other words, whenever God has spoken, devils follow that attempt to clone His voice, but with small variations (usually implanting a bit of fear, a dash of negativity, a hint of flattery).

And then the prophet will assume they're still in contact with God, unaware of the bait-and-switch that has occurred.

   And the office of their ministry
   is to call men unto repentance,
   and to fulfil and to do the work
   of the covenants of the Father,
   which he hath made
   unto the children of men,
   to prepare the way
   among the children of men,
   by declaring the word of Christ.

(Moroni 7:31)

The key is to follow the "word of Christ," let it come from whence it may.  Anything that is not light-filled is not of Christ (D&C 84:45).

Everyone seems ready to detect the devil and his angels, not realizing that the greater danger is to take a lesser (Aaronic archetype) god for our guide, receiving revelation from ancestral angels or sources who are not conveying the word of Christ, but something lesser.

I share these things so that when someone says things like, "God told me," or "God showed me" ― that we will not be gullible.  Take such things for what they are: grains of sand on an endless shore.

There is always more.  The heavens are more diverse than we can imagine.

As Shakespeare said, "There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

This is why, when people dogmatically claim to know what heaven is like, I laugh (especially if the Sunday School lesson is on eternal marriage).

You and I shall dance in an endless field of wildflowers whilst they pull petals from a single sunflower.

Be believing.  May the mysteries of God unfold in our minds and hearts, so we may be rich in wisdom.

There is no greater mystery than that of God's love.

Therefore, let us be rich in His love.

Pinky Promise
​
   Do I contradict myself?
   Very well then I contradict myself,
   (I am large, I contain multitudes.)

  ​― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

Are you familiar with the concept of a "holarchy?"

A holarchy is a system composed of autonomous and intelligent individual "wholes" which combine to create the larger system.

But the interesting thing is these individual holons are not 'top to bottom' or 'bottom to top' (as in a hierarchy).  Instead, holons at one level are made up of the holons at another level.  In this way the holons are equal because they indwell each other.

Take your physical body and consider its constituent parts: "you" are composed of numerous systems, organs, cells, and processes that make up "you."  A single clock has many gears.

But you are also part of a larger ecosystem (think of your families and societies and spiritual systems).

In other words, each person is a "whole" that is comprised of smaller parts, while at the same time contributing to the workings of a greater system.

A pine tree has countless needles, and becomes itself a needle in a broader forest.

But are "you" your pinky?  Well, yes and no.  Your pinky is a part of you: if it hurts, you feel pained.  But you are much more than just a pinky!

This microcosm-macrocosm connection shows that all things are mirrors pointing towards the infinitesimal in one direction and towards infinitude in the other.

We look up and behold God.  We look down and behold God.  We look outside of ourselves and see God.  We look inside of ourselves and there He is.

   For there is no space
   in which there is no kingdom;
   and there is no kingdom
   in which there is no space.

(D&C 88:37)

We should understand that these kingdoms are not independent of one another, but are cascading mirrors on a spiritual scale. 

The "higher" kingdoms depend on the lower as much as the "lower" kingdoms require assistance from the higher.  There is balance in all things; these kingdoms interpenetrate and infuse one another.

God is everywhere, in all.  But while God is "above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things" (D&C 88:41), these "things" (here's the tricky part) are autonomous; they have agency!

Imagine if every cell in your body had a mind of its own.

  This is the mystery of God.

The Puzzling Aspects of God
​
​   And as to me, I know nothing else but miracles.

  ​― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

If there was only infinity, and nothing else, then there could not be infinity.  This is a paradox.

If infinity was all that existed, it would not be infinite because "infinity" can only be discerned against the backdrop of finitude.  A thing's opposite creates its mirror.  We are known through our reflection.

And so it is, with pleasure and pain, good and evil, light and darkness.  We call this "duality."

In a painting, the shades of color allow us to discern the objects on the canvass.  It is contrast that reveals the contours of a thing, as light silhouetting a shape.

Kingdoms are created as mirrors through which we see God in all His forms; it is through the contrast that we comprehend Him.

For who can gaze into infinity and see anything?  Infinity is incomprehensible; in its embrace all things lose individuality and uniqueness and identity; there is no "self" because there is nothing but infinity itself.

Therefore, an Infinite God can only be known to finite minds through His finite parts (and is the reason He remains hidden).

Thus we see God in a sunset, and in a baby's smile, and in the smell of cinnamon and baking bread; in the taste of lemon and peppermint; in the touch of a mother; and in the weeping of the leper and broken-hearted. 

   Unto what shall I liken
   these kingdoms,
   that ye may understand?

   Behold, all these
   are kingdoms,
   and any man who hath seen
   any or the least of these
   hath seen God.

(D&C 88:47)

Do not dismiss the face of God merely because it looks like our neighbor's.

The Danger of Plateaus

   This is thy hour O Soul, thy free flight into the wordless.

  ​― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

Now, let's stop thinking God is confined to the Celestial: for in God all of His kingdoms are reconciled as One.  (We need to think beyond our simplistic, hierarchical view of heaven).

The reason the Terrestrial and Telestial kingdoms do not receive the fulness of the Father is not because His presence is not fully manifest here (for it is): it is because our limited perception (spiritual awareness) is unable to comprehend Him, just as our eyes cannot perceive infrared and ultraviolet colors ― even though our eyeballs are inundated with them.

Now my point: the way we Know God is not by seeing Him; anything we "see" is simply a piece of Him, a finite Form.  The way we Know God is by enlarging our spiritual minds to comprehend Him.

We do not come to know a person by "seeing" them (do your coworkers who sit next to you at the office, and see you every day, really "know" who you are, your true self?).

Seeing has very little to do with "knowing" (and in fact, can become a stumbling block because our eyes can deceive us).

   He who came unto his own
   was not comprehended.
   The light shineth in darkness,
   and the darkness
   comprehendeth it not.

(D&C 88:48-49)

Our LDS culture is a bit obsessed with material manifestations of God (perhaps because we preach a fanciful version of the First Vision that has a bit of Hollywood mixed in).

Consider the following:

"Seeing or speaking to angels often has negative consequences, and this is why there are strict rules restricting their interaction with [us].

"One’s progress is markedly retarded once they 'see' angels or the 'face of the Lord' . . . because when we 'see' them . . . it is easy to get distracted [and stop progressing toward] higher and higher spheres."

(Lance Weaver, "Seeing the Face of God," Gathered in One, at https://gatheredin.one/3177/seeing-the-face-of-god)

I wonder how many times I've "received" a spiritual experience and thereafter stopped seeking, short of the mark (which mark is, of course, the Most High God).

A New Take on the Kingdoms of Glory

   Do anything, but let it produce joy
   Your very flesh shall be
   a great poem

  ​― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
​
The Celestial kingdom is here; it is now!  The Celestial kingdom is constituted and vibrant and alive and active; you don't need to wait to be resurrected to enter into it.

Time collapses in the gravity well of God's love, while space expands forever along His heart strings.

God is no more "seeable" in the next world, or in the higher kingdoms, than He is here-and-now.  We "see" God when the eyes of our understanding are opened.

   You shall see me
   and know that I AM―​
   not with the carnal
   neither natural mind,
   but with the spiritual.

(D&C 67:10)

With this understanding, we begin to appreciate the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things, at all levels.

The "higher" kingdoms emerge from, and depend upon, the "lower" ones (just as we rely on our knees to walk).  And in turn the higher kingdoms guide and direct the lower ones (telling the knees which way to go).

These kingdoms form one great whole; they are not at odds.  It is not a contest.  They are not separate as we suppose.  They are One: mirrors of the same Being, who is God, at different levels of comprehension.

No wonder God asks us to have "pure" hearts ― for how could we ever see Him in a mirror caked with mud?

The Moon Walk

   You must habit yourself to the dazzle of the light
   and of every moment of your life.

  ​― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

What's fascinating is that, as matter acquires sentience, the "higher" levels provide a framework for lower levels to develop and mature and grow, which in turn contributes to the evolution of the whole system.

This works in both positive and negative aspects, as Paul taught:

   And whether one member
   suffer, all the members
   suffer with it;
   or one member be honored,
   all the members
   rejoice with it.

(1 Cor. 12:26)

There is no glory God enjoys that we cannot share; and there is no pain we experience that does not move heaven.

The goal of God is to achieve a state of unity and harmony and integration at all levels of creation, which compose the body of Christ. 

We call this His "work" and His "glory" (Moses 1:39).  Simply stated, the work and the glory of God is to reconcile all of creation, all kingdoms, as "one."

We "walk with God" as we achieve harmony and balance between the lesser and greater parts (for if your knee is sore, you will not walk; if your head is asleep, your knees won't bend).

For did you think to "outgrow" the telestial?  We do not outgrow it as much as we increase to receive far more, and weightier, glories: but these are added upon the telestial.

Using the symbolism of D&C 76, just because we are alive in the light of the Sun (Celestial) does not diminish the beauty and wonder of the stars (Telestial); just because the stars do not exert a gravitational force upon the earth like the moon (Terrestrial) does not mean the stars are not able to provide light to those in darkness.

To "walk" with God is merely being "one" with Him, where you are, as you are.

Enoch showed us this in his anointing (remember "unction").  ​When he was 65 years old, he heard a voice from heaven saying:

   Enoch, my son . . .
   Behold my Spirit
   is upon you . . .
   thou shalt abide in me,
   and I in you;
   therefore walk with me.

(Moses 6:27, 34)

We are able to walk with God as a consequence of Him abiding in us, and us in Him.  Here, now.

This, then, explains how God can be "above" all things while also, at the same time, being "in" all things.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I have attempted a crude illustration of this principle, a spiritual holarchy, showing how we can be "in" God" even though He is greater than all.

Zion is the Pure in Heart?

   Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you.
   You must travel it by yourself.

  ​― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

I have decided Zion is here, now.  Among the pure in heart.

Zion is not the heritage of any earthly organization or church, for Zion is the heritage of the Lord ― and the promise of all who are pure in heart.

Purity of heart is the issue ― not any particular affiliation or identity.

   For this is Zion―
   THE PURE IN HEART.

(D&C 97:21)

Notice that Zion exists now, timelessly.  It is found in the lives of the pure in heart who stand in the presence of God, in whose eyes we see Him reflected.

What is the opposite of being "pure in heart?"  Well, that's what contrast is for: what does  "impurity of heart" look like?

I think we all know what physical impurity looks like (they taught us the signs in 9th Grade Health class).

The scriptures, though, are more concerned with our spiritual health.  Here is what they warn us spiritual sickness looks like:

   1. Channeling a spirit of fear; nurturing a negative mindset (in contrast to Jesus' optimism and hope)

   2. Wanting to exert authority and control over others (in contrast to Jesus' example of eschewing titles and being the least of all)

   3. Preaching principles of division; pointing the finger at 'wicked' groups; promoting separation and anger (in contrast to Jesus loving all people)

   4. Justifying inequality; believing the end justifies the means (in contrast to Jesus turning aside Satan's temptations on the Mount)

   5.  Rigid, fixed forms of thinking; extolling obedience to dogma and the commandments of men; subservience to hierarchical structures (in contrast to Jesus' example of pleasing His Father by choosing faith over Pharisaical rules)

   6. Seeking for riches; using our spiritual gifts and talents for gain; extorting tithing for temple tokens and covenants (in contrast to Jesus' example of poverty and sacrifice) 

Well, the prognosis isn't good: by every metric and measure, our churches have become impure ― or, to use Moroni's words:

   [Our] churches,
   yea, every one,
   have become polluted.

(Mormon 8:36)

But it's okay!  Let me explain why I remain cheerful, even as our churches have fallen into the embrace of Babylon, dancing a tango in the Cultural Hall, imbibing her punch ― even the wine poured out of the mouth of the Mother of Abominations, which is greed, corporatism, elitist hierarchies, inquisitional spirits, and meritocracies that mock the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Despite all that, we can proclaim from the rooftops, "Peace"; we need not be troubled.

Why?  Well, I used to think maybe, just maybe, God would right the sinking ship of religion; I hoped Jesus would send one mighty and strong and set things in order; I prayed for leaders like Captain Moroni who would raise a modern title of liberty in this kingdom of king men . . . .

But that's not how it works.  I was waiting so long for God to do something ― for God to fix things ― that I didn't realize that Christ had already fixed things.

While I was wringing my hands, waiting for external saviors to give us marching orders, I failed to see that the power of God unto salvation was already in me ― and it's in you!

I know now the truth:

   By faith,
   [we can] lay hold
   upon every good thing.

(Moroni 7:25)

I had become so programmed to hone in on keys and others' spiritual entitlements that I had allowed myself to become a slave, to be led away captive by the wiles of the devil.

But now Christ has liberated me from this error (don't worry, I have other issues I'm working on, it's a long list).

Because Christ has brought us "every good thing" (Moroni 7:22), we lack for nothing.  Well, except, perhaps, for faith to believe that in Him we "can do all things" (Phil. 4:13).

Let me assure you that everything we need, Christ has provided us already.  The power is within us, for God is in us.

Why do we look for someone else to tidy up this mess, when God has given us a broom and agency?

No more blame.  Let us take responsibility for our own walk with God.

   If we walk in the light,
   as He is in the light,
   we have fellowship
   one with another,
   and the blood
   of Jesus Christ his Son
   cleanseth us from all sin.

(1 John 1:7)

Remember, my friends, there is no such thing as "running" with God ― for He is in no hurry.  He has all the time in the universe.

Therefore, walk with Him.