Teach Us Thy Statutes, Thy Laws: Part IV

"I Used to be a Rovin' Lad"

In the musical Brigadoon, two New Yorkers wander into a Scottish village where the people are acting strange.  Turns out (spoiler alert) that their minister prayed to God to have Brigadoon disappear two hundred years ago, and the miracle was granted: Brigadoon reappears for just one day every hundred years.

But there was a catch.  If any of the residents of Brigadoon crossed over the borders of the village to leave, then it would disappear forever.

That seems like a pretty important condition -- one that should not get lost in the fine print. 

What if there were conditions, or laws, just as important for you and me?

What are those?

We're Not in Kansas, Anymore

First we need to figure out where we are.

          And unto every kingdom
          is given a law;
          and unto every law
          there are certain bounds
          also and conditions.

(D&C 88:38)

If we can discover what kingdom we're in, then we can learn the laws that govern here. 

But first we've got to know where "here" is!  If this is Timbuktu, then what are the laws of Timbuktu?  If this is Willy Wonka's workshop, then we better know that (and avoid the blueberry gum).

          All kingdoms have a law given;
          And there are many kingdoms;
          for there is no space
          in which there is no kingdom;
          and there is no kingdom
          in which there is no space,
          either a greater or a lesser kingdom.

(D&C 88:36-37)

"If It Please the Court"

I am going to build a case to show what kingdom we're in by introducing some facts and evidence.  If you find the evidence persuasive, then great.  If not, no worries.

Exhibit A:  The earth we find ourselves on is really special.  I mean, super-duper-special.  

           The earth abideth the law
           of a celestial kingdom,
           for it filleth the measure of its creation
           and transgresseth not the law --

           Wherefore, it shall be sanctified . . .
           That bodies who are of the celestial kingdom
           may possess it forever and ever;
           for, for this intent was it made and created,
           and for this intent are they sanctified.

(D&C 88:25, 26, 20)

There's a lot to unpack there.  Let's just say for now that this earth is destined to become our heaven:

          This earth, in its sanctified 
          and immortal state,
          will be made like unto crystal
          and will be a Urim and Thummim
          to the inhabitants that dwell thereon.

(D&C 130:9)

Exhibit B:  Those who won the War in Heaven got to come to earth with physical bodies.

But . . . where did these physical bodies come from?  

Well, we are carbon-based life forms, aren't we?  60% water?  Lots of hydrogen and oxygen, and in my case, beef jerky. 

Our physical bodies came from the elements of this earth.  We are made of the same stuff as the earth.  Like Christ, we are all of the same substance.

To be technical, our first parents came from this earth before the Fall, when it was called "good" (Moses 2:10).

          And I, the Lord God, had created
          all the children of men;
          and not yet a man to till the ground
          for in heaven created I them;
          and there was not yet flesh 
          upon the earth.

         And I, the Lord God, formed man
         from the dust of the ground.

(Moses 3:5, 7)  

Exhibit C:  Surprise!  We are not alone here.  The losers of the War in Heaven got to come to earth, too (without physical bodies).  Hmmm.

Exhibit D:  It is necessary, as part of God's plan, that the earth die. 

Yes, that's right.

          Yea, notwithstanding it shall die,
          it shall be quickened again,
          and shall abide the power
          by which it is quickened,
          and the righteous shall inherit it.

(D&C 88:26)

Exhibit E:  Death as we understand it is not possible in a celestial state.  Houston, we have a problem. 

As part of the Fall of Mankind, the earth fell from the place of its creation and ultimately came to reside here, in this solar system, orbiting a minor star in the Milky Way Galaxy, in what is the ghetto of the universe. 

The earth is slumming it.  

So while the earth is living a celestial law (like Christ), it is also mortal: we all find ourselves in a fallen condition, earth included. 

Exhibit F:  Due to the Fall, the kingdom we're currently in is a "lesser" kingdom. 

But which kingdom?  

Well, this should come as no surprise.  The people on this planet murdered their King, didn't they?  

          Those who are the more wicked part
          of the world . . . shall crucify him . . .
          and there is none other nation
          on earth that would crucify
          their God.​

(2 Nephi 10:3)

In what kingdom do we find murderers, liars, adulterers, and those those who are "thrust down to hell" (D&C 76:84).  

The Telestial Kingdom.

Exhibit G:  Here we are cut off from God's presence.  We can die and turn to dust.  We suffer temporal and spiritual death.

          And by the law no flesh is justified;
          or, by the law men are cut off. 
          Yea, by the temporal law
          they were cut off;
          and also, by the spiritual law
          they perish.

(2 Nephi 2:5)

Exhibit H:  We are stuck here in this Telestial Kingdom.  I don't think we talk about this fact nearly enough. 

We are literally stranded here. 

          If the flesh should rise no more
          our spirits must become subject
          to that angel who fell 
          from before the presence of the Eternal
          God . . . . And our spirits
          must have become like unto him,
          and we become devils,
          angels to a devil,
          to be shut out 
          from the presence of our God.

(2 Nephi 9:8-9)

So it is not just our bodies that are stuck here, but also our spirits.  When we die, our spirits enter the spirit world . . . which is still "here."

Exhibit I:   Where do we send criminals, like murderers and robbers?  Well, Prophets describe our home here as:
        
          "Prison" (1 Peter 3:19)
          "Bondage" (D&C 138:50)
          "Outer Darkness (D&C 101:91)
          "Captivity" (Alma 12:6)
          "Darkness" (Alma 40:14)
          "Hell" (2 Nephi 9:12)

Let's take a closer look at that last one: hell.

          Spiritual death is hell;
          wherefore, death and hell
          must deliver up their dead,
          and hell must deliver
          up its captive spirits,
          and the grave must deliver
          up its captive bodies . . .
          by the power of the resurrection.

(2 Nephi 9:12)

Exhibit J:   Here's an intriguing piece of evidence:  Satan is permitted to be in charge here as the "prince of this world" (John 14:30).

Closing Argument

Well, we've marshaled the evidence.  I hope you've realized something profound: 

We are in hell.

Really.

Highway to Hell

Jesus showed us the only way to heaven is through hell.

          He descended
          below all 
          things,

          in that he comprehendeth all
          things, that he might be
          in all and through all 
          things, the light of truth.

(D&C 88:6)

We are "serving time" here on earth.  We fell short of the glory of God and have been placed on parole. 

At least we have been given the opportunity of "work release."

          And the days of the children of men
          were prolonged, according to the will
          of God, that they might repent
          while in the flesh;
          wherefore, their state became
          a state of probation.

(2 Nephi 2:21)

One of the purposes of coming here was to be cleansed again through the baptism of birth. 

We were all pardoned when we entered this world, and we will all be resurrected because of it, thanks to Christ.

          Every spirit of man was innocent
          in the beginning; 
          and God having redeemed man
          from the fall, men became again,
          in their infant state, 
          innocent before God.

(D&C 93:38)

So, was it possible for us to sin before we were born?  What sort of crimes could we have committed in the premortal world? 

          And those priests were ordained
          after the order of his Son . . . 
          from the foundation of the world . . .
          on account of their exceeding faith
          and good works . . . 
          while others would reject the Spirit
          of God on account of the hardness
          of their hearts and blindness 
          of their minds.

(Alma 13:2-4)

Sounds to me as though things were not so different.

Prison Life

Our warden, Satan, wants us to serve out our life sentence (and considering we are eternal beings, that is a very long time).

The devil wants us to forget where we are, and so he's created this world -- our prison-kingdom -- to be filled with sinful diversions. 

Babylon has so many pleasures we may forget we are in bondage at all.

Remember, the most perfect prison is the one we never want to leave. 

          Men loved darkness
          rather than light,
          because their deeds
          were evil.

(John 3:19) 

Lucifer seeks to lull us to sleep in carnal security.  "Shhhh.  All is well.  This place ain't so bad . . ." 

Jesus to the Rescue

What was Jesus's first sermon about?  What did he say about his mission?

          He hath anointed me
          to preach the gospel
          to the poor; 
          he hath sent me
          to heal the brokenhearted,
          to preach deliverance
          to the captives,
          and recovering sight
          to the blind,
          to set at liberty
          them that are bruised.

(Luke 4:18)
​
We must wake up! 

​Jesus came to unlock the gate and set us free. 

His mission was to lead us in a prison break.  ​