And those who keep their second estate…. (Abraham 3:26)

 Websters 1820 dictionary has multiple pertinent examples of the meaning of the word "keep", of course.

This use of the word in the book of Genesis struck me:

"And the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it." Genesis 2:15.

Here, in this verse, keeping the garden meant taking care of it, helping it to flourish.

Keeping can also mean diligence in the tasks one is given: "There were shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night".

It can also mean protecting, as a goal keeper helps his teammates to prevail as he prevents the opposition from kicking the soccer ball into the goal he guards.

So today, with those meanings in my mind, I am thinking about what "keeping" this second estate means. Not just asking myself if I am personally "obeying, or 'keeping' the commandments", but instead...

Am I responding and/or caring for others; to help them to flourish and to bloom?

Am I diligent and committed to God's work and the watchcare over others and their needs that He has given me to do?

Am I acting on the responsibility given to me to assist other disciples who depend upon me in our mutual work of faith and hope towards God and charity towards others, and doing so both by

a) seeking to prevent damage by those who, with hate or fear or insecurity in their hearts, actively fight against that work

and also by

b) assisting my fellow disciples in our mutual efforts to be engaged, together, in the work He has given us to do?

Good for me to consider today.

Worry is fear spread thin

“Worry is fear spread thin.”  ~Bruce Chalmers
“God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  ~Timothy
“Love casts out fear” ~ John

A friend asked me what enables me, personally, to maintain supportive, peaceful, mutual, relationships with people who are dear and/or important to me, regardless of changes that result from personal differences in our opinions, purpose, or worldviews, or life choices.  It made me stop and reflect for a for a bit.

I think that one of the reasons that dear relationships falter when the individuals involved chose different points of view on issues that are important to them is the introduction of fear into the equation: fear of what may happen as a result of the other person's decisions, fear for their salvation, fear in the face of our inability to be able to help or guide them, fear that they will suffer negative consequences, etc. That fear is most commonly manifested as worry or anxious concern. 

Bruce Chalmers wrote that “worry is fear spread thin”.

David O. Mckay said that worry (fear spread thin) is one of four things that makes receiving personal revelation difficult.

(The others were jealousy, avarice, and self-indulgence).

My job is to love and receive divine revelation as to how to bless. Worry makes that much harder to do. 

It is possible, I have found, to hand those feelings of worry/concern to God in prayer, and that He will take them if I am willing to give up the adrenaline rush and consuming sense of  urgency that feels so important to me at the time.

And yes, when I do that, the revelation comes along, accompanied by increased trust in Him and peace within.

Constitution prayer in times of persecution...

It is interesting to me to read some of the words of a prayer written by Joseph Smith during a time of violent persecution of newcomers that was ignored by the federal government and even encouraged by some state and local politicians:

"Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever."

Though always appreciative, I have never been a gung-ho worshipper of the Constitution. But certainly these days my gratitude for it has exponentially increased. 

And how does praying for mercy upon government officials who are ignoring or justifying persecution fit into all of this?

When the lawless and violent oppress

 Considering God's counsel in an earlier era when, long ago, a government became complicit in tyranny, violence, persecution, foul incarceration, and oppression.

Doctrine and Covenants 103: 3-9

"For I have suffered them this far, that they might fill up the measure if their iniquities, that their cup might be full; and that those who call themselves after my name might be chastened for a little season with a sore and grievous chastisement, because they did not hearken altogether unto the precepts and commandments which I gave unto them. 

"But verily I say unto you, that I have decreed a decree which my people shall realize, inasmuch as they hearken from this very hour unto the counsel which I, the Lord their God, shall give unto them. 

"Behold they shall, for I have decreed it, begin to prevail against mine enemies from this very hour.  And by hearkening to observe all the words which I, the Lord their God, shall speak unto them, they shall never cease to prevail until the kingdoms of the world are subdued under my feet...

"But inasmuch as they keep not my commandments, and hearken not to observe all my words, the kingdoms of the world shall prevail against them.  For they were set to be a light unto the world, and to be the saviors of the world."

Be a light. Live truth. Fear not. Be wise. Love and help like He does. And listen and hearken to His counsel and guidance.

Why I Am Not Giving Up on American Democracy, by Kati Marton, published in the New York Times and The Salt Lake City Tribune, December 1, 2024

 

Opinion: Why I’m not giving up on American democracy

By Kati Marton | For The New York Times

Reposted on the Salt Lake City Tribune

  | Dec. 1, 2024, 8:00 a.m.

Comment

In his dank Budapest prison cell in the mid-1950s, my father imagined he heard Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony. Though no one in my family had ever set foot in the actual New World, just knowing it existed brought my father solace during his nearly two-year incarceration.

Locked up in Soviet-occupied Hungary’s notorious Fo Street fortress, my father was blessedly still unaware that his wife — my mother, a reporter for United Press International — occupied a nearby cell. Nor did he know that his two small children, myself and my older sister, were living with strangers paid to look after them by the American wire services, my parents’ employer. Their crime was reporting on the show trials and jailing of priests, nuns and dissidents that Stalinist satellites of the postwar era used to clamp down on dissent.

My parents would find it bitterly disappointing that American conservatives, including Donald Trump, have come to admire their small European homeland, with its habit of choosing the wrong side of history, and even to see it as a role model. Prime Minister Viktor Orban has branded Hungary an “illiberal democracy” as he systematically rolls back hard-won freedoms, reinvents its less than glorious past and cozies up to Russia, Hungary’s former occupying power and my parents’ jailer.

I recall a different Orban.

On June 1989, I stood with tens of thousands of Hungarians in Budapest’s Heroes’ Square during the reburial of the fallen leaders of the 1956 uprising against the Soviet-controlled government. From the podium, a bearded, skinny youth captured our attention with a fiery speech. “If we are sufficiently determined, we can force the ruling party to face free elections,” he shouted, urging negotiations for the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungary. “If we are courageous enough, then and only then, can we fulfill the will of the revolution.” The 26-year-old speaker’s name was Viktor Orban.

The events of 1989, when several members of the Eastern Bloc were throwing off the Soviet yoke, were thrilling. Hungary was taking small steps toward democracy, something that I experienced very personally. At my wedding in 1995 in Budapest, my husband, the diplomat Richard Holbrooke, announced in his toast, “In marrying Kati, I also welcome Hungary to the family of democracies.” Hungary’s president, Arpad Goncz, four years into his work to democratize the country, was also present.

For a time, Mr. Orban, no longer bearded or skinny, head of the youth party Fidesz, befriended Richard and me. He invited us to dinner and the opera, and we hosted him in our New York apartment at a return dinner. (As it happens, the financier and philanthropist George Soros — whom Mr. Orban has aggressively attacked in recent years — was also present on that occasion.)

Beyond showering praise him, Mr. Trump has already ripped pages from Mr. Orban’s playbook: threatening to revoke the broadcast licenses of news channels he derides as “fake,” striving to bypass the Senate’s confirmation process and appointing lackeys to high positions. Expect much more along lines that Mr. Orban has followed as he’s turned Hungary from a fledgling democracy into one of the world’s new authoritarian regimes. Even as American journalists debate whether to take Mr. Trump seriously or literally, I recall Voltaire’s warning, “He who can persuade you to believe absurdities can persuade you to commit atrocities.”

Neither individuals nor nations escape history for long, and with Mr. Trump’s election, history threatens to barge into our American democratic sanctuary with a vengeance.

No American child has yet had to open her front door, as I did in 1955, to face three secret policemen, disguised in workers’ overalls, declaring, “Your mother called about the meter. Go get her.” I called out, “Mama!” returned to my room and my playmate, and did not see my mother for a year. There was no one to report my parents’ arrest to the world, since they were the last independent journalists, and now they were silent inmates.

As much as I miss my parents, these days I am almost relieved that they are not alive to see the current version of the country they considered the greatest on earth, the United States. They would now barely recognize it.

A chapter of my parents’ past opened in 2005, when, after their death, I got access to the files that the secret police had kept on my family during the years of Soviet domination (even the drawings I made as a 6-year-old merited a place in the Marton dossier). Imagine my pride when I found a document stating that under brutal interrogation my parents “did not compromise a single Hungarian citizen.” In his “confession,” which I also found in the files, my father had written how 10 years earlier, under the Nazis and their Hungarian allies, “we lost pretty much everything we owned, and I have absolutely no hope that in my lifetime I can rebuild again.” Most shockingly, I learned that in his despair my father attempted to commit suicide.

Even though they were victims of the two worst experiments on humankind, Nazism and the Communism, my parents did rebuild again, here in the New World.

I recall that America.

In Cold War Budapest, the first American I ever met was the man who showed up in his shiny black Buick, the Stars and Stripes waving on the fender, to visit me and my sister in our foster home on the outskirts of Budapest. He’d brought us unheard-of luxuries: oranges and American-style T-shirts and (bizarrely) frilly party dresses. His name was Christian Ravndal, and he was Washington’s envoy to Budapest, the face of America, the decent. It was a time when few Hungarians called on us. Fear is a potent weapon and as children of “enemies of the people” we were deemed toxic.

Today, I do not contemplate leaving the New World, which allowed us to restart our lives several decades ago. As my parents’ daughter, I will not flee into the silence of internal exile, but hold tight to my first glimpse of America: an offering of oranges for a little girl temporarily orphaned by an indecent state.

Kati Marton is the author, most recently, of “The Chancellor — the Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel.” She is at work on a biography of the Zionist founder Theodore Herzl. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

"because of their exceedingly great riches and their prosperity"

 Helaman 3

We tend to think of "exceedingly great riches" in verse 36 as that which is comparable in society to that which is held by the multi-millionaires, or billionaires in our country today: those who live in great wealth. But actually, when taking into consideration the world-wide economy, and poverty levels, it refers to the wealth that is held by  ANYONE who has enough money to pay rent, feed and clothe their family, and who has access to medical care.  If I and my family fall into this category, this verse is a serious warning for me:

"And it came to pass that the fifty and second year ended in peace also, save it were the exceedingly great pride which had gotten into the hearts of the people; and it was because of their exceedingly great riches and their prosperity in the land; and it did grow up on them from day to day."

This warning is not just aimed at what we term "the rich and famous" whose pride turns their hearts to selfishness, increasing wealth, public approval and dismissiveness towards the challenges faced by those in society who cannot feed, clothe and house their families without outside assistance. It is aimed at ANYONE who has enough to support their family and who also engages in that selfishness, or whose focus is on wealth accumulation, or is not engaged, in some consistent way, in helping to assist those in need.

Pointing fingers is counterproductive. No matter what our profession, our status in society, our political inclinations, or our level of income, if I am making enough money to provide the basic needs of our family, this warning of the possibility of falling into the sin of pride is for me to consider.

The tragic slide from dissent, to outrage, to fear, ...to war

 "...there were dissenters who went up...and they succeeded with those others in stirring them up to anger...and they were all that year preparing for war."

~ Helaman 4

Corianton and the second worst sin that isn't what you might have been told it is

  Before we begin, we need to define something:

Definition of "spiritual death":  "spiritual death" comes as a result of our own disobedience. Our sins make us unclean and unable to dwell in the presence of God. Through His perfect Atonement for sin, Jesus Christ offers us redemption from this spiritual death.

Knowing Christ and his infinite atonement, the process of repentance and ongoing humble efforts to live a disciple's life, on our part, creates connection with God and leads to forgiveness of sin and to spiritual life.

           **************************

People tend to assume that Corianton’s one big sin was extramarital sexual relations.

It wasn’t (even though that is a sin).

Let’s parse out the statements made by Alma, Corianton’s father, in verses in Alma 39.

Corianton’s father calls him out on five sins:

a) verse 2: boasting in his strength and wisdom (pride)

b) verse 3: forsaking the ministry (abandoning the work God has called him to do)

c) verse 3: seeking out the services of a harlot (extramarital sexual relations)

d) verse 3 and 4: excusing his extramarital sexual relations by saying that many other people were doing it (justification of sin)

e) verse 4: doing all of the above when he was in a calling that involved preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ with his father and brothers.

Alma uses the plural “these things”, not “this thing” in verse 5 when referring to what Coriantion has done. It’s not just a single sin.

And Alma says that this whole combination of sins is not as serious as murdering someone, or denying the Holy Ghost (Joseph Smith defined the latter as “have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against Him. . . . He has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it; he has got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to describe  the plan of salvation with his eyes open to the truth of it” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith 358)). But Alma does  say that it’s nearly as bad. (verse 5).

In  verse 6, Alma gives a name to what has resulted from Corianton’s combination of sins that he has indulged in.  He calls it “murdering against the light and knowledge of God”.

So, what exactly is "murdering against the light and knowledge of God"?

Alma knows what that sin is because he, himself, fell into a variation of that sin as a young man. (Alma chapter 36) Writing about the fomenting of antipathy and prejudice and derision against Christ and His gospel and His church, which fomenting he, himself, actively engaged in when he was  a young man, he wrote, “Yea, and I had  murdered many of  his [God’s]  children, or rather, had led them  away unto destruction”.  (Alma 36:14)

We tend to think of Alma’s persecution of believers when he was younger only in terms of the hurt it caused to believers.  And we overlook the fact that he was also actively acting in a way that encouraged others who were truth seekers to not want to have anything to do with the church that embraced the gospel. In his case, he was committing two sins, the second one as a result of the first.

Those were: 1) fomenting and encouraging derision and persecution of church members and 2) making anyone’s conversion an automatic opening to being persecuted in pretty nasty ways.  

If that’s going on in your town, you are likely to be either 1) lured into joining the thrill of engaging in arrogant persecution of others (in this case, pesrcuting believers) and/or 2) totally uninterested in the gospel of Jesus Christ that Alma had been deriding because you see the persecution that would be heaped upon you if you do start learning it. Either one of those two courses of action will result in your falling  into “being led toward destruction” (which Alma also called being “murdered”)  rather than being led toward  salvation (“everlasting life”). Alma is talking about the results of his own actions fostering spiritual death: God's children further distancing themselves from the opportunity to recognize and embrace Jesus Christ and salvation.

Alma is referring to how his words and actions as a young man had made it significantly harder for people to recognize or embrace the truth of the gospel and of salvation.  He is saying that Corianton’s sins, though different from his own sins, have caused, and resulted in, the same damage to others that his own sinful  actions did.

 We sometimes recognize this Corianton effect in our society today.  For example: Imagine a pastor of a large community church in your  town or city who, having committed himself to spreading the word of God engages in the activity of advertising and publishing information about the church, inviting all and anyone to attend those church services, and preaches the gospel, and encourages  its  members to share their faith with others, (in other words, preaching the word and engaged in missionary work). And then, imagine that a little later, it then becomes apparent to all that this pastor has been caught actively soliciting the services of a highly sought after prostitute in the next town over.

What happens? Naturally, suddenly, almost no one in your town is inclined, at all, to listen to the gospel he preached or attend the church in which he serves.  And it is likely that many who were in his congregation will abandon it out of the sense of  betrayal and deception that they experience from the pastor’s duplicity, his abandonment of the ministry while still claiming religious authority, and his involvement in activity that is generally known to be totally contrary to what he was preaching.  The pastor’s actions have attacked, and in some cases completely killed (murdered) whatever level of faith or interest in the gospel unbelievers may have had or might have been inclined to explore.

God’s whole work is to bring forth the happiness, salvation, and eternal life of His children.  The pastor’s actions do not only affect himself, they create a mega setback in the process of increasing light and enlightenment and comprehension of many of His beloved children who heard his preaching or and understood that he was taking on the role of disciple and minister of God. And God does not  take such actions lightly.

And  Alma is very clear about that in his words to Corianton:

“Oh,, my son,  how great iniquity you brought among the Zoramites;  for when  they saw your conduct, [playing the role of a disciple and called and set apart as minister  representing the Lord, and simultaneously indulging in sins that show that your integrity and honesty is not to be trusted] they would not believe in my words.

“And the Spirit  of the Lord doth say unto  me: Command they children to do good, lest they lead  away the hearts of many people to destruction: therefore I command you, my son,  that ye  refrain  from your iniquities (plural); that ye turn to the Lord with all your mind, might and strength; that ye lead away the hearts of no more to do wickedly,  and acknowledge your faults and that wrong which ye have done.”(Alma 39:11–13)

It is not fornication or adultery that is “most abominable above all sins  save it be the shedding of innocent blood  or denying the Holy Ghost” (vs. 5), though those are serious sins.  Rather, Alma declares what he has been talking about is the sin of consciously acting  with duplicity and actively choosing to commit sins (five specific ones in Corianton's case that seriously erode trust) when you have been specifically called and have committed yourself to represent God’s work and love and faithfulness. 

 Alma knows that indulging in sin while one is representing oneself  as a minister and follower of Christ (which mission and calling Corianton was called to and serving in)  makes it extremely hard, if not nearly impossible,  for other of God’s children  to trust your words about Him and the salvation and truth that He offers to them.

Knowing God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and the amazing gift of Christ's atonement for our sins is the foundation and of eternal life.  (John 17:3)  The act of committing sins that actively thwart the gaining of that knowledge on the part of others (be those sins  Alma’s sins, or Corianton’s sins, or any others) is the serious accusation that Alma lays at his son's feet.

Alma knows, from personal experience, the consequences of doing that.

He is explaining the seriousness and reality of that sin of  "murdering of many of  his [God’s] children, or rather, leading them  away unto destruction", in this case the specific group of consciously chosen unrighteous decisions and sinful actions that had resulted in Corianton commiting that sin.

The sin second in awfulness to actions that hasten the physical death of another (murder) is not the sin of fornication or adultery. 

It looks to me that, in reality, Alma is saying that the sin second to actions that hasten the physical death of someone else (murder)  is the sin of engaging in sinful actions that further the spiritual death of someone else. 

Stuff

 For me to consider:

"The bottom line is this: You can’t take your stuff with you. And chances are, when you get to the end of your life, you’re not going to wish you had more of it. Moments of connection, beauty, and generosity are the “things” worth collecting as we journey through life.

"Consider Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 6:7: 'For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.'

"Or Francis of Assisi’s words: “When you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received—only what you have given.”

~ Julia Ubbenga, "Rich in What Matters"

"In about 50 years, you’ll be gone. They’ll sell your stuff at a garage sale. Or toss it in a dump. But, your kids will still be around—even your grandkids. They won’t remember your stuff. But they’ll remember you. Pursue the things that matter 200 years from now."
~ Jared Lopez

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Know history. What do we learn from previous perilous times? How do we prepare?

Germany - Italy - Japan, 1934 - 1938    (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany–Japan_relations)

Ninety years later:  

Russia - North Korea - China, 2024 - ?

Sobering.

Being reminded of my baptismal covenants

An Except from "Friends of the Last Supper",  by Sarah Perkins 

 I think there is some tendency to talk about baptismal covenants in individual terms. Your sins are washed away. The Spirit will guide you in your life. It’s a step in your development of following Jesus’ example and hoisting yourself towards heaven. And that’s not inaccurate. But I think it is incomplete.

If Alma’s sermon (which, for my money is the most moving treatise on baptism in all of scripture) is any indication, taking the name of Jesus upon you is less about living a super righteous life than it is about putting yourself on the roads that Jesus walked, and committing to the same work of mourning, comforting, bearing, suffering. It’s about becoming involved with the marginalized, the sinful, the broken, the sad.

Of course, we’re not always very good at it. So we recommit ourselves every week.

Every week, we gather together like the friends of the last supper. We eat together, sing together, worship together, try together to be more like Jesus, and commit ourselves once more to His work, knowing we will fail again. Inevitably, we will betray, deny, reject, squabble, and have to come back to the table once again the next week to face each other and our God with dirty feet. The sacrament, like baptism, is an exercise in committing ourselves to a community as broken, imperfect, and beloved as we are.

Still, we try to call each other friends, brother, sister, and to really believe it. We break the bread into as many pieces as it takes to feed everyone, with some left over — five loaves feeding 5,000. And after the prayer, we carry this work out the chapel and into the world, a world bursting at the seams with capacious beauty and cruelty.

I looked at these precious children [in our Primary class]. There’s so much ahead of them. So much joy and sorrow. Life and death. Grieving and rejoicing. My time with them is so brief. Ten years from now when their life becomes heavy, they won’t remember me.

But they will find people. Strangers who will sit with them, and sing with them, and worship with them. Strangers who will call them friend, brother, sister, and try to make it so. Strangers who will break the bread and pour the water again and again until everyone is fed and their cups runneth over. This is the promise and the miracle of Christianity.

At the end of class, we helped our primary kiddos translate this scripture:

As ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death.

This is what we came up with:

It seems that you want to join the church and be called a Christian. This is what that takes: help people carry what is hard in their lives, share their happiness and sadness, try to feel their sorrows, try to be a support and to be like Jesus wherever you are and whoever you are with for however long you live.

Commentary on Doctrine and Covenants 132 (it's really long) Just thinking and parsing some verses

 Doctrine and Covenants 132

verse 15 

Therefore, if a ^aman marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world.

A marriage ceremony that creates a marriage that is "not by me nor by my word", i.e. that is neither confirmed by God nor reflective of His word (His gospel, which is anchored in love of God and love fellow men, ) is not a marriage that He will force anyone to honor in the next life.  And this reflects what is written in verse 7, that covenants made that are not "sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise" are not enforced in the next life.  You are not bound by that marriage ceremony, you are not forced to continue the marriage.

"Sealed", in Websters 1828 dictionary, is defined as "having the seal or stamp of authority placed upon it"  in that edition which was from the same era as the writing of this section of the Doctrine and Covenants.  However, for some reason in our common speaking of sealing ordinances in the temple we have reduced the definition to a 20th century definition of sealing. We 21st century folks tend to think only of it in terms of being "attached, glued, connected" or "being together forever" rather than the marriage "being recognized authoritatively by God as righteous and good".  Probably an error on our part.  

Marriage sealings in the temple do not bind people to be together forever, rather they signify that the couple is committed to creating a marriage that would meet godly standards of love and holiness and are commencing that journey, seeking God's blessings and approval as they do so,  (some of which blessings are sealed upon them in that ceremony conditional upon their individual faithfulness to God).

verse 16

Therefore, if a ^aman marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world.

If you married a spouse and you neither married him or her with God's approval, nor did you create a marriage that reflects His word, His gospel of faith, hope and charity, then neither one of you is obligated (bound) to remain married to each other after this life.

verse 17

Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in ^amarriage; but are appointed angels in ^bheaven, which angels are ministering ^cservants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.

17 For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are ^aangels of God forever and ever.

Joseph Smith taught that an angel is a "resurrected or translated body, with its spirit, ministering to embodied spirits" (embodied spirits are what you and I are here, on earth.).  (Conference discourse  delivered Sunday 3 October 1841, summarized in Times and Seasons 15 October 1841) The scriptures teach that, when we receive resurrection, we will receive glory that reflects our nature, be that celestial, terrestrial, or telestial (Doctrine and Covenants 76:70-81). If that is so, then these verses about marrying and giving in marriage are talking about a stage of existence that is BOTH post mortality AND post-resurrection. 

The scriptures also teach that the period between our mortal death and our resurrection for the vast majority of us is very long, and that we will spend a lot of time continuing to learn and grow and develop into the kind of person we really want to be.  So, it seems that these verses that talk about angels remaining separately and singly  are describing  a period of time that is after one's experience with Millennium and after one's resurrection (and the judgment that comes with resurrection).  

The Millennium blessedly affords us the the opportunity for more time to learn and grow in light and love.  That's a marvelous help to us as we seek to continue to learn and love as God does. 

It looks like verse 17, which is about angels, is referring to experiences and ways of being that occur post-resurrection (aka post judgment), and not during our time as spirits still learning during the Millennium. 

So it seems likely that the "angels [who] did not abide my law [and] therefore they cannot be enlarged but remain singly..." refers to individuals who, even after a Millenium of growth and change, have discovered that marriage for eternity with all of it's work, joy, grief, effort, responsibility, and care on a scale far greater that what an earthly marriage experience can be, means an eternity of marriage with all the challenges and sorrow (as well as joy) on an exalted scale and that it may not be what they think, or God knows, is best for them.  

Some people think of eternal marriage in a celestial existence as an eternity of bliss.  It does include joy, for sure, but, if you read God's experiences with his unruly children on earth, you also learn that a God's life on a universal scale also includes a tremendous amount of sorrow over His children as He witnesses the destruction and hatred and violence that they way too often descend into on earth.  He weeps.  And miscreants "experience his wrath". His existence is not just bliss.

verse 18

And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that ^acovenant is not by me or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid neither of force when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; 

If a man marries a wife, and makes a covenant with her for all eternity, and it is not approved by God, and does not include living lives that reflect God's word, his counsel and teachings about living a godly, loving, forgiving etc. etc. life, and also is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise (the sealing power of the Holy Spirit is the power given to the Holy Spirit to ratify and approve the righteous acts of men and women so that those acts will be binding on earth and heaven), the marriage will not be binding after death.  God does not obligate people to be married.  He offers opportunities to create a heavenly marriage (see commentary on verse 17), but he does not obligate his children to stay in a marriage that is not based and lived on righteous principles and actions and thoughts.

verse 19

And again, verily I say unto you, if a man ^amarry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the ^bnew and everlasting covenant, and it is ^csealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of ^dpromise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the ^ekeys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection;...it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world;

On the other hand, if a marriage is  lived according God's law AND according to the gospel of love and faith and hope taught by Jesus Christ (the new and everlasting covenant) AND sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise (see above, that's critical) then that marriage may become the kind of marriage that has the strength that can last throughout eternity in amazing ways, far beyond our earthly comprehension and survive immense challenges, responding always with wisdom, love and full attention.  (Which state of marriage, I would posit, many, many, many of us will not have enough time, or wisdom or experience to create in this life even if we wish for it. I've been living and loving for decades with a terrific husband and I am still clearly not there yet. Which makes me believe that if we do wish for it, we will be grateful for a millennium of time to try, with God's grace, to create it.)

It all makes sense considering God's amazing grace, and even more if you remember one other thing.

For some reason some people believe that the above messages about marriage indicate that if you do not fall into the category of "marriage lived according to God's law and the new and everlasting covenant, and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise" you won't be together, even if you still are both good friends, or love each other, and both might wish to continue your good relationship.  

But that can't be correct, simply because we are also told that "the same sociality that exists among us here [earth life], will exist among us there [post-earth life] only it will be accompanied by eternal glory" Doctrine and Covenants 130:2. And, according to Doctrine and Covenants 76: 70-81) eternal glory, its various degrees, comes with resurrection. (Doctrine and Covenants 76:70-81)  

If this is true, then the experience of judgment and resurrection (the latter of which is always accompanied by eternal glory of various types) does not create forced loss of "sociality".  We are still free to choose to connect with those we love to spend time with (and who enjoy it too).

(Heavenly angels appearing to mere mortal earthly types is just one example of many that belies that false assumption of imposed separation between God's children who are at various stages of righteousness or wickedness or glory in their eternal existence.)  

Definition of the word "Christ"

Encountering the word in my reading again this week, and not quite remembering the dictionary definition, I looked it up again.

Webster's 1820 Dictionary:

Christ

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CHRIST, noun THE ANOINTED; an appellation given to the Savior of the World, and synonymous with the Hebrew Messiah. It was a custom of antiquity to consecrate persons to the sacerdotal and regal offices by anointing them with oil.

Knowledge: Gnosis and Epignosis in 2nd Peter 2:1-8

 

In 2 Peter 1:1-8, there there are two words translated into English as "knowledge".

The two words generally translated as 'knowledge' are 'gnosis' and 'epignosis'. Whereas 'gnosis' conveys the idea of just 'knowing', 'epignosis' is a knowledge that involves a 'full discernment', which is 'to become fully acquainted with' or to have a full understanding of something.

Here is the text:

"Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge (epignosis/full discernment) of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge (epignosis/full discernment) of him that has called us to glory and virtue:

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;(gnosis/knowing)

And to knowledge (gnosis/knowing) temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

"For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge (epignosis/full discernment) of our Lord Jesus Christ.(II Peter 1:1-8)

It seems that Peter is saying that we are called as disciples to do more than just know the gospel, or to know that it is real and good and accept it and follow "the commandments or the words of the prophets", but rather the message here is that it is essential that we continue, all our lives, to grow in  faith, virtue, further general knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity/love in order to truly comprehend Christ and to comprehend and live His gospel.

(You can read more about that in this link: 

https://biblefocus.net/living-word/knowledge/index.html       )

Being able to say "I know the gospel is true", or "I know that [insert anything you think is true] is true', is not what we are called to aspire to be able to do. That is not the "requirement for an  acceptable level of sufficient belief or knowledge" that we must aspire to, or worry about if we cannot honestly declare it.

What is required? That we welcome the Lord into our life in a way that opens us to learning, from Him (how to become more like Him in faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity towards others), and that as we engage in that communion with Him and in His work we, by his grace, increase our capacity to see as He sees, know as He knows, and show forth grace (a ready willingness to help) towards others as He does.

That's what we are called to when God speaks about "knowledge". It is not an "I have arrived, I know such and such" kind of thing. It is a lifelong communion with God and His grace in our discipleship.