Category: Alma

Alma 12:9-11, LeGrand Baker – knowing when to tell

Alma 12:9-11
9 And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.

There is an eternal principle in these verses that is so important that it constitutes one of the corner stones upon which every individual must anchor the temple of his own salvation. The principle is this: When a conversation is about sacred things, it is not the understanding of the teacher, but rather it is the understanding of the learner that controls the conversation. The teacher is “under a strict command” to say nothing that the learner cannot comprehend as truth. The teacher can only know that if the Holy Ghost gives insights into the what and how the learner understands. If the teacher were to control the conversation based only on what he thinks the other ought to learn, he would violate a sacred trust and abdicate his own right to know. But if he listens as the Spirit enables him to commune with the soul of the learner, then he lets the background —but more especially the aptitude and desires— of the learner dictate the breath and depth of the conversation. When that happens, both the learner and the teacher are blessed.

One of the marks of the written words of a true prophet, is that they that may be read and understood by anyone who reads them, but —like a sacred code— they also carry a special meaning to those who know or seek to know. Thus, the secrets are revealed to only those who have a right to know, and the those same secrets that are hidden from the foundation of the world” remain hidden still. Alma explained,

10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; (v.10)

As I have commented elsewhere, in the ancient world the “heart” was the cosmic center of the human body. It was considered to be the seat of both one’s intellect and one’s emotions. A hardened heart is one that is inflexible: it can not expand to embrace new emotional or academic truths. Consequently both its unbending opinions and its emotional prejudices are rooted in the same rigid rationale. A person who cultivates such a heart renders himself incapable of accepting, assimilating —even of understanding— sacred truth, as Alma explained,

11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this [not knowing the mysteries] is what is meant by the chains of hell. (v. 11)

Alma contrasted that debilitation with the freedom of one who “will not harden his heart”— a characteristic which Ezekiel describes most eloquently with this promise from the Lord:

19And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:19-20)

Alma’s characterization is like Ezekiel’s, but even more explicit:

and, to him [who “will not harden his heart”] is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.

I suppose “in full” really means “in full.” The Prophet Joseph explained the same principle. He said,

The reason we do not have the secrets of the Lord revealed unto us, is because we do not keep them but reveal them; we do not keep our own secrets, but reveal our difficulties to the world, even to our enemies, then how would we keep the secrets of the Lord? (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 194.)

Then Joseph added a sentence that carries no presumption, but that is the very key to his power as a prophet, and to his unbounded knowledge of the mysteries of God. He said simply, “I can keep a secret till Doomsday.”

There is a reason why one must not speak out of turn. It is the same reason why it is possible “to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.” And it is the same reason why the “mysteries of godliness” are and “have been hid from the foundation of the world.” The reason is that the mysteries of God can only be taught by the Spirit of God. If one tries to teach or to learn them any other way, their simple and profound truths become lost in the entanglement of speculation and falsehood.

There is only one who can teach ordinary people eternal truth, and that teacher is the Holy Ghost. However, there are often important agents that facilitate his teaching. The first of these agents is the words of the prophets, whether spoken or written—whether ancient or contemporary. The words stimulate one’s mind, so that the Spirit may teach their true meanings—and this is important: Those meanings are always and only about one’s Self and one’s relationship with the Saviour. Let me explain: The Spirit may testify that Joseph Smith was and is a true prophet, but the impact of that testimony is only incidentally about the Prophet Joseph. One’s testimony of the Prophet is always an enhancement of one’s understanding of the gospel—of the Saviour—of one’s Self—of one’s eternal relationships with others. That is equally true of one’s testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, or of any principle that it teaches. The object of those principles—and of all of the mysteries of godliness— is to help one define one’s Self in terms of the Saviour and his atonement. As that happens, one’s soul expands to embrace all of God’s children—charity becomes the driving force of one’s being, and living the law of consecration becomes its quiet, spontaneous, powerful manifestation. When the thoughts and actions of one’s heart is charity, then, as truth was the stimulus behind the charity, so ever increasing access to truth is the most important personal product of that same charity— and so it goes in a grand and never-ending spiral— until one knows, and loves, all things..

Some of the other agents that facilitate our understand by opening our minds to new insights that the Spirit can teach and confirm, are the ordinances and covenants of the priesthood; our own experiences and our ability to repent, to experience empathy, and also to rejoice; and the dear family members and friends who open the scriptures to our understanding, and who are wise and kind enough to patiently let us taste their meanings as we will, and digest them in our own time.

The reason the mysteries are hidden and remain hidden, is that (notwithstanding the persistence—even the love—of those who would wish us to learn)— is that the whole burden of the ability to know, and of the responsibility of knowing, rests upon one’s Self. There is only one course that leads to a knowledge of the mysteries of God. The Saviour explained:

6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7 Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
8 For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened….
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (3 Nephi 14:6-8, 11)

If one asks, seeks, knocks, listens, and speaks only as one is instructed by the Spirit to speak, then the only limit placed on one’s knowing is one’s ability and willingness to assimilate what one is given to know.

Alma 12:7-8, LeGrand Baker, Zeezrom’s response

Alma 12:7-8
7 Now when Alma had spoken these words, Zeezrom began to tremble more exceedingly, for he was convinced more and more of the power of God; and he was also convinced that Alma and Amulek had a knowledge of him, for he was convinced that they knew the thoughts and intents of his heart; for power was given unto them that they might know of these things according to the spirit of prophecy.
8 And Zeezrom began to inquire of them diligently, that he might know more concerning the kingdom of God. And he said unto Alma: What does this mean which Amulek hath spoken concerning the resurrection of the dead, that all shall rise from the dead, both the just and the unjust, and are brought to stand before God to be judged according to their works? (Alma 12:7-8)

Ordinary people cannot know what another person is thinking. However, the Spirit can make one privy to other people’s thoughts. Since Mormon was not there, it is very unlikely that he, as the historian, knew such intimate details of the story unless he had access to a more full account of Zeezrom’s testimony than what he has given us. That is very likely. It is also possible that Mormon is reminding us of the message in a psalm that was sung during the Feast of Tabernacles temple drama:

11 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. {1}
12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law; (Psalms 94:11-12)

That is a two edged statement, for it not only tells us what God knows, but it also tells us what God does with what he knows. As in the case of Zeezrom, he teaches, initiates experiences, and helps us to understand. He does this in accordancee with covenants we and He made together before the foundation of the world.

Whenever our pre-mortal covenants are mentioned in the scriptures, there is also the promise that the Lord will insure that we have sufficient ability and opportunity to fulfill those covenants. That promise is always given to the prophets during a sode experience. As, for example, in the case of Jeremiah, the Lord said,

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
7 But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
9 Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. (Jeremiah 1:5-10)

But not only do the prophets have this promise of unfettered opportunity for success, but each of us has a similar promise. Isaiah wrote of that promise when he addressed, in prophecy, those of us who were to come in the last days to assist in the gathering of Israel. Speaking in first person, representing those who were assigned to participate in the gathering of Israel, he wrote,

1 And again: Hearken, O ye house of Israel, … the Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. [covenant]
2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword [the word of God is priesthood power {2}]; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me [ordination], and made me a polished shaft [anointing {3}]; in his quiver hath he hid me;
3 And said unto me [the assignment]: Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified….
5 And now, saith the Lord—that formed me from the womb that I should be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him—though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.
6 And he said: It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth. (1 Nephi 21:1-6)

One of the phrases that is most relevant to our purpose here is, “in his quiver hath he hid me.” The prophets are not hidden. They make their pronouncements for all to hear. It is the ordinary people who go about the business of living and keeping their covenants who are hidden from the world. Isaiah may well have been referring to a similar promise in the 31st Psalm.

19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!
20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. (Psalms 31:18-20)

One of the best examples of this promise is in the first chapter of Ephesians, where Paul says

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings [pre-mortal blessings] in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love…
11 In whom [the Father] also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory [the Father], who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom [the Saviour] ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (See Ephesians 1:1-23)

Paul goes on to explain that our having been “sealed by the holy Spirit of promise” was a guarantee that we will have the power to fulfill our covenants, unless we choose not to do so.

Another Old Testament example is the 45th Psalm which was enacted as a part of the drama’s depiction of events in the Council in Heaven.

The blessing given to the king and queen in Psalm 45 was extended by implication to all the people who participated in the Feast of Tabernacles drama:

The blessing was given to the person designated to become king of Israel. He was promised wonderful things, concluding with a promise of invulnerability that is couched in military phrases.

3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.
4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.
The blessing to the queen, his wife, is essentially the same without the military connotations.
10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house;
11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.
12 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift [shows obeisance]; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour. [the queen will be a judge among her people]

Neither of those blessings include anything about their future family. That blessing was reserved until the couple join each other in the last two verses of the psalm.

16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.
17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.[eternal marriage] (Psalms 45:1-17)

Psalm 82 is another psalm that represented events that took place during the Council in Heaven.

The first verse is a narrator explaining what is happening on the stage.

1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
Then the Father gives instructions to the members of the Council in Heaven:
2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked?
3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
7 But ye shall die like [other] men, and fall [in battle] like one of the princes.

The members of the Council respond: {4}

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations. (Psalms 82:1-8)

In each of those scriptural discussions of our pre-mortal covenants and fore-ordinations, there is the promise that the Lord will divert anything that would prevent us from doing what we came to this earth to do. For the enormous majority of us, that means our quietly expending our resources and our energies to support the growth of the Kingdom. What God will not do is force us to obey.

In our story, the two men who face each other in this debate are excellent examples of that principle. Alma had been told by an angel that he must either repent or suffer the pains of hell—that is, the angel gave Alma the option, but it was Alma who made the choice. Now Zeezrom is having a similar experience—but it is Alma, rather than an angel, who is delivering the ultimatum.

Both men responded the same way. They chose to suffer the pains of repentance rather than the pains of hell—but they could have chosen not to repent, gone about life as before, and refused to believe what the consequence would be. We do not have much information about Zeezrom immediately after this experience, except that it nearly killed him. Alma blessed him to recover his health, and he was baptized. (Alma 15) Later he was a missionary companion to Alma and Amulek. (Alma 31:6, 30)

Not all of us will have as dramatic a conversion experience as these two men, but many latter-day converts have had as complete a change in the direction their lives were going. For each of us, throughout our life’s experience, we remain free to do and believe what we will. In our egotism we tend to equate “truth” with whatever we choose to believe, and “falsehood” with whatever we do not choose to believe. But truth is truth, and is independent of our belief. Whether we believe a true thing or not does not impact its validity, but our believing or not believing sets the course of our lives. Embracing truth brings freedom—absolute freedom—for it unites our power with the blessings God has given us that we can succeed in our earthly mission. Embracing and defending a falsehood restricts our ability to know, uses up our energy to become, and leaves our covenant responsibilities, and their attendant blessing unfulfilled.

In the end, each one of us will have to say, as Alma and Zeezrom were able to testify, that the Lord gave us all the opportunities requisite for our knowing and keeping our eternal covenants.

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ENDNOTES

{1} Paul’s paraphrase of this psalm might almost be read as a commentary on Zeezrom’s thinking.

18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. (1 Corinthians 3:18-21)

{2} In Paul’s description of the whole armor of God, we find “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17)

{3} An arrow is polished with olive oil to keep it from warping.

{4} The phrase, “arise, O God” as translated in the King James Version reads, in the Hebrew, “arise O elohim (plural, gods).” (One stands to make a covenant, as in 2 Kings 23:1-3) The word “elohim” is the proper name for the Father of the Gods, and it is also the plural form for “ordinary” gods. An example is in the first verse of our psalm, which reads, “God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.” Both “God” and “gods” are translated from the same Hebrew word, “elohim.” The last verse of Psalm 82 would be more internally consistent if its translation showed that it was spoken by the Father to the members of the Council, so that it reads, “Arise, O gods, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.” When read that way, that last verse becomes the covenant that comes at the conclusion of the instructions the Father gives to the members of the Council—and a covenant with the promise of success.

Alma 12:5-6, LeGrand Baker, the power of an embrace

Alma 12:5-6
5  Now this was a plan of thine adversary, and he hath exercised his power in thee. Now I would that ye should remember that what I say unto thee I say unto all.
6  And behold I say unto you all that this was a snare of the adversary, which he has laid to catch this people, that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains, that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction, according to the power of his captivity.

I was only seven years old when my Grandpa Baker died, and I have only one short memory of him. There is some other recollection of the circumstances surrounding the incident, but they are memories of the context of the event, and not really of my Grandpa himself. The year was 1945 He and Grandma lived on their ranch in Boulder, Utah, far from any good doctors. Grandpa was very ill, and had come to stay with us while he saw a doctor here. The doctor put him in the hospital, and he died there. The circumstances surrounding my memory of him are these: He was sitting on a chair in our living room, and he motioned for me to come to him. When I did, he lifted me up and sat me on his lap. I remember those things, but they do not really count as memory of him. The single thing I remember about him is how I felt when I sat on his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and held me up tight against his chest—and I was encompassed in his love. I felt his love for me, and I knew that I was truly, truly loved. That hug—and the warm feeling that went all the way through my young body as I sat there enwrapped in his arms— is my only memory of the reality of my Grandpa. The memory does not fade. Whenever I think of him, or see his picture, I re-experience the overwhelming warmth of that embrace.

That seems so right to me. If I could have chosen to retain only one memory of my Grandpa, the one I would have chosen would have been the beauty of his embrace. Similarly, if I could choose to leave only one memory to my family and to my friends, that memory would be a hug.

An honest, heartfelt hug is much more than just a symbol of love. It is the way we take other people into ourselves—the way we may offer ourselves to them—an invitation to make each a part of the other’s being. The greatest of all human powers may be found in a tender, meaningful embrace. The scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, frequently celebrate the magnitude of a similar, but eternal, embrace.

One of the most beautiful testimony of the Saviour recorded anywhere in the scriptures is this reflection spoken by Lehi: “But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.” (2 Nephi 1:15)

The Lord promised a similar blessing to Oliver Cowdery,

20 Behold, thou art Oliver, and I have spoken unto thee because of thy desires; therefore treasure up these words in thy heart. Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love.
21 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (D&C 6:20-21)

The people we hug become a part of us. That is most true of the Saviour, just as Lehi said, for it projects its loving kindness into the eternities. It is an encounter with pure love, and it is above all things, the most powerful, most liberating, and most precious.

I called attention to my Grandpa’s hug and to the scriptural testimonies of the Saviour’s embrace in order to show the sharp contrast between an embrace of love and the chains of hell that Alma described to Zeezrom. Alma did not speak of loving, tender, outstretched, beckoning arms, but rather of “a snare of the adversary, which he has laid to catch this people, that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains, that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction, according to the power of his captivity.”

The prospects of the confining, restricting, damning encirclement with which Alma forewarned Zeezrom are as real a possibility as is an embrace of love. That was Alma’s message to his antagonists.

In the remainder of chapter 12, Alma drives home that contrast by describing the eternal implications of our keeping— or our not keeping— the covenants we make with God. He says that if we keep our covenants, then the expanse of eternity will open to our view and present us with limitless possibilities. But, on the other hand, if we choose not to keep our covenants, then that view of eternity will implode upon us, and its power will turn from a freedom to act according to our own wills, to the impotency of our having surrendered our wills to the devil, and letting him use the power of our personalities to accomplish his purposes.

What Alma will tell us, in this and the following chapter, is that we cannot avoid an eternal embrace, but we can choose whom we will embrace, and whose power we will assimilate into ourselves when we do.

Alma 13:3-5, LeGrand Baker, the origins of our personalities

Alma 13:3-5
3 And this is the manner after which they were ordained——being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.
4 And thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren.
5 Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son, who was prepared –

Perhaps more than any other passages of scripture, Alma chapters 12 and 13 give us a clear window through we can discover our eternal natures. We have spent all summer on Alma 12, and that should not be a surprise. Hugh Nibley said, “This is the hardest chapter in the Book of Mormon. It’s the one that separates us farthest from the world. It’s the [twelfth] chapter of Alma, where the gospel plan is given.” (Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon–Semester 1: Transcripts of Lectures Presented to an Honors Book of Mormon Class at Brigham Young University, 1988–1990 [Provo: FARMS], p. 330.)

Chapter 13 is not much simpler. It is about the origin of our personalities.

To show how I read that to be so, let me go through verse 3 again, with a slightly different emphisis from last week, then try to tie the ideas in that verse into the ideas in the two verses that follow it.

Abraham 3-5 tells about the Father’s spirit children (called the “noble and great ones” in ch.3, and “the gods” in chapters 4 and 5) who created the earth, while Alma 12-13 tells about the Father’s spirit children (called “his children in chapter 13) who were ordained to teach the unorganized intelligences about the atonement. Of those members of the Council, Abraham wrote, “God saw these souls that they were good.” Alma was much more explicit:

And this is the manner after which they were ordained – being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God,

Alma then says that “foreknowledge” was God’s ability to project what he knew about their past into what he knew about their future—that is God’s knowledge of them in sacred time. God knew their works in the past; he knew their integrity, and he knew their future. Therefore, these “children,” —

“being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works;”

That says that because of their faith (pistis – making and keeping covenants) – and good works (in James, Paul, throughout the Book of Mormon and many other places in the scriptures, “works” refer to ordinances.), that they were called and prepared. That should come as no surprise, because that is always the criteria God uses. The surprise may come in the next phrase which answers the question, When?

“in the first place being left to choose good or evil;”

The phrase “in the first place” has one of two meanings: either it is a colloquial expression that is just stuck in there and simply means “early on,” or it means precisely what it says: “in the first place.” If it is only a colloquialism one can make the chapter mean almost anything one wishes. However if it does mean “in the first place,” then these statements describe the attributes of noble and great ones when they were still intelligences. It tells why and how they qualified to be among the earliest spirit children born to our heavenly parents. In this chapter, the phrase, “in the first place” is used twice. I take them to mean exactly what they say: in the first place – as intelligences. Meaning that from “before the beginning” (the Lord’s words to Enoch) they were free to choose good or evil –

“therefore they [as intelligences] having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith [in Christ and his atonement],”

In this verse these “children” are described as having “exceeding faith and good works” and “exercising exceedingly great faith.” If “faith” simply means belief, then that speaks highly of their conviction. However, if “faith” means the same as pistis – tokens of covenants – that helps us understand how truly great these luminaries must have been. Alma says that they –

“are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.”

“Preparatory redemption” is another key phrase which helps us determine the time this was happening. “Redemption” is coming into the presence of God. In terms of this life, to be redeemed is to be brought back into his presence. (Ether 3:13-14, Helaman 14:17, 2 Nephi 2:2-4, 2 Nephi 1:15). The final redemption is being brought into the Celestial Kingdom where one may reside with God.

“Preparatory redemption” does not mean “preparing for a redemption,” it means a redemption which prepares one for something else – a redemption that is “preparatory.” In this case it would be that redemption that brought those intelligences into God’s presence the first time—being born as spirit children to our heavenly Parents. It is preparatory because it is not permanent.

We had to leave their presence again when we come into this world. Later, when we return to stay, that will be a permanent redemption. What we do in this world to prepare for that is what Alma called, in chapter 12, “the plan of redemption.”

So the first redemption, when we became spirit children was “preparatory” because there we were taught to come here and instructed about what we must do here to obtain the blessings of an eternal redemption.

4 And thus they [the “children” – members of the Council] have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith [in Christ], while others [intelligences who were not members of the Council] would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts

That phrase, “the hardness of their hearts,” had just been very carefully defined by Alma, so there could be no question in Zeezrom’s mind what it meant. In chapter 12 Alma said,

9 …It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God [“Mysteries” is the same is sode, and may refer to a real sode experience the prophets receive when they return, in vision, to the Council, or it may to the this-world version of a sode experience that the ancient Israelites received during the Feast of Tabernacles temple drama]; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this [choosing to not know the mysteries] is what is meant by the chains of hell. (Alma 12:9-11)

Alma said,

4 And thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their heartsand blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this [their refusal to know] they [the “people”— those who were not yet “children”] might have had as great privilege as their brethren [those who are the “children”].

Understanding that verse, in the full context of the atonement, may be the most important concept in the scriptures—certainly the most relevant for each of us to understand one’s Self. For, as the next verse makes it clear, the noble and great ones were not noble and great because they had some special advantages, but “on account of their exceeding faith and good works” – because of the way they exercised their free agency, their advancement as intelligences was an entirely individual matter. (Abraham 3:18-21 teaches that same thing.)

5a. Or in fine, in the first place [“In the first place” – when they were intelligences] they [the “people”] were on the same standing with their brethren [the “children”];

That is, at some point in time—in the first place—before the very beginning—in our very distant past—the intelligences whom Alma identifies as the “people” were on the same standing as the intelligences whom he identifies as “the children.” In the first place, there was nothing arbitrary about the selection of who would be the noble and great ones. They were not noble and great because they were the among the first to be born to our Heavenly Parents, but they were among the first to be born to our Heavenly Parents because as intelligences they had become noble and great.

5b thus this holy calling [the ordination mentioned in verse one] being prepared from the foundation of the world [that phrase always means at or before the Council in Heaven] for such as would not harden their hearts [when they were intelligences], [This priesthood calling] being in and through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son, who was prepared –

If I read that correctly it says that in the very beginnings of our beginning we were free to choose. Those who chose to have faith in Christ and follow him did so; those who chose to do it to the degree that it seemed convenient, did so; those who chose not to, did not do so. To accept that notion, one must also accept the idea that the atonement reaches back forever—is infinite and eternal. For if intelligences were free to make decisions, there must have also been a way provided that would enable them to correct bad decisions, thus the need for repentance, thus the need for the atonement. I accept that as truth. But in my imagination, I cannot conceive of our origin being so two dimensional as to simply assert that one only accepted Christ or not accept him. My notion is that by the time one had matured sufficiently as an “intelligence” to be ready to be born a child in the world of the spirits, one had not only developed one’s inclination to love the Lord and his children; but one had also fully, or very nearly fully, developed the whole complex system of preferences and non-preferences that we call personality. I suppose also, that all the other attributes of personality were subsets of the most important one, which was (still is) charity – one’s love for our Father and his children.

The first commandment is to Love the Lord. The second is to love your neighbor. If our this-physical-life experience was designed to see if we will love in an environment that is not conducive to love, then it was designed very well indeed. The farmer who beats his dogs and horses, and is cruel to his wife and children, is, at his core, not substantially different from the tyrant who over-taxes his people and oppresses them with unjust laws. Similarly the impoverished housewife who feeds the hungry neighbor child is not substantially different from the middle class Latter-day Saint Relief Society sister who looks after her ill neighbor because she chooses to rather than because she feels it is her duty. It seems to me that earth’s experience was designed, not just to show if we will obey, but to show why we obeyed before we came here. That is, to give us sufficient opportunity in this dark and lonely world to confirm to ourselves and all creation whether we obeyed in the spirit world because we knew which side our bread was buttered on, or whether we obeyed because we truly love the Lord and love his children.

In the Gospel of John, the beloved disciple, quotes the Saviour as saying,

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13: 34-35)

This does not imply that the command to love one another was never given before that time. In his letters John explains that the commandment is eternal, but is “new” because it is renewed in this world, but it was first given in the pre-mortal existence. He used the phrase, “from the beginning” four times in these few verses. (In D&C 132, the phrase “new and everlasting covenant” has the same connotation.)

4 He that saith, I know him [God], and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. (1 John 2: 4-10)

and

1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
2 For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.
3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.
5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. (2 John 1: 1-6)

If the object of our earth life experience was designed to that end, then human and individual history takes on a whole new meaning. Whether in the extreme of poverty and in utter obscurity, or in great wealth and reputation—or somewhere in between – the purpose of life is the same for everyone – only the specific assignments are different – in this life and, I suppose, in the spirit world which follows. Since “where much is given, much is required” is a true principle, for the rich and the poor, the well educated and the ill-educated, the opportunities for doing good in this life (and/or in the next), are ultimately worked out on a level playing field.

An example is one of the most moving autobiographies I have ever read. Martha Cox’s parents were among the first settlers in St. George, Utah. All of her life she was very poor. Near the end of her autobiography she wrote something like this: “I have always been grateful to the Lord that I had no money. I have noticed that rich people cannot give to poor people without the poor people being reluctant to accept, because they think the rich people are being condescending. But I have always been so poor that I could help whomever I wished, and they were always able to accept whatever I had to give.” (Im sorry I don’t have the exact quote. A typescript of her autobiography is at BYU library: Martha Cragun Cox, 1852-1932. MSS SC 319.)

I believe that one’s love for God and his children—one’s charity (in combination with other personality attributes), and one’s priesthood authority as they are described as a single unit in Abraham 1:2-4, and whose history is described in Alma 13, constitute the ‘law of one’s own being.’ (As I consider it, I think that the phrase “priesthood authority” is the right concept, but as we use the words, probably not the right phrase – though I have no idea what a better one would be. Considering the grand sweep and eternal scope of Abraham’s statements, I think the concept is far too big for our gender oriented phrase “priesthood authority” to say all that is necessary to say. But as I observed, I haven’t the foggiest idea what a better phrase would be.)

Alma 12:3, LeGrand Baker, “but thou hast lied unto God.”

Now Zeezrom, seeing that thou hast been taken in thy lying and craftiness, for thou hast not lied unto men only but thou hast lied unto God; for behold, he knows all thy thoughts, and thou seest that thy thoughts are made known unto us by his Spirit; (Alma 12:3)

I remember, as a boy reading the account of this interchange between Alma and Zeezrom, that I was rather ill-impressed by the logic of it. The reason was that in my naivety, it seemed to me that Alma was simply stating the obvious, so I could not understand why Zeezrom was so deeply moved by such a simple argument. However, now that I am old, I see things I did not see then. I understand that the impact did not come from the simplicity of the argument, but rather from the power of the simplicity. The indictment in those words, “for thou hast not lied unto men only but thou hast lied unto God,” are an invitation to walk through the gates of hell. It was the reality of the invitation that struck Zeezrom to the core of his being.

As a boy, I believed God knows and understands everything. So I saw Alma’s statement, “for behold, he knows all thy thoughts,” as simply an expression of the obvious. But as a boy, I had no concept of a covenantal relationship with God that requires the undeviating rectitude of our actions— but an even greater integrity of our attitudes.

The alternative to keeping one’s covenants is a spiritual disintegration —a profoundly withering, devastating effect on the soul’s capacity to know truth and do good. (Beginning with verse 9 in this chapter, Alma explains how and why that is so.)

The reason that one’s not keeping one’s covenants is so spiritually, emotionally, and mentally debilitating is easy to discover. One cannot lie to God without first lying about one’s Self to one’s Self—squeezing one’s Self in a vice of contradictions. In order for one to accept the lie, one must create an artificial Self to replace the one that is consistent with the eternal law of one’s own being. That is easily accomplished, because the lie distorts one’s memory of one’s Self, and redirects one’s attention from seeking the happiness offered by integrity and love for others, to seeking happiness by building the self-image that can sustain—and be sustained by—perpetuating and justifying a mask that has become the face of the lie. As the person behind the facade assumes the characteristics of the veneer he tries to project as his reality, the result is a kind of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde relationship, where the inner self becomes first subservient, then completely dominated, and ultimately supplanted by the shell that pretends to be the Self.

The dominant personality has become like a meaningless facade—like a termite infested building with a new brick face to present only the pretense of stability— and like the proverbial tree that looks strong on the outside, but is rotten on the inside. Eventually the tree collapses upon itself because the outer shell can no longer hold up the height, weight, and “surpassing beauty” of the tree’s rich green foliage. So the shell implodes, and foliage turns brown and dies.

When one chooses to cease keeping the covenants he has made with God, there are two ways that open to him as alternatives. They appear on the outside to be different, but to the inner consequence they are the same.

One may try to demonstrate the correctness of his choice by seeking to show that the covenants were never valid. Such people often try to justify their actions by asserting that the covenants themselves were a fraud. The idea seems to be that their own part of the covenant is void because when the covenants were made God was off somewhere else. Elder Maxwell once discussed this phenomena:

     The Prophet Joseph spoke of how apostates often bring severe persecutions upon their former friends and associates. “When once that light which was in them is taken from them they become as much darkened as they were previously enlightened, and then, no marvel, if all their power should be enlisted against the truth, and they, Judas like, seek the destruction of those who were their greatest benefactors. (HC 2:23.)
     Strange, how often defectors leave the Church, but they cannot leave it alone!”   (Neal A. Maxwell, All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979], 108.) (Italics in original.)

Jeremiah described these sorts of apostates, and intertwined his description of their actions with his own understanding of the waters of life.

11   Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.
12  Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord.
13  For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:11-13)

The Lord used that same kind of analogy when he said to the Prophet Joseph,

22  And now, verily I say unto you, that as I said that I would make known my will unto you, behold I will make it known unto you, not by the way of commandment, for there are many who observe not to keep my commandments.
23  But unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life. (D&C 63:20-26)

The other way to lie to God is to remain “active” in the Church, while selectively keeping the convenient covenants and covertly disregarding the others. As time passes, the disregarded will grow in strength and numbers, and the poor ill-defined self will be swallowed up in a morass of duplicity. The Saviour described that kind of apostasy.

27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
28  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Matthew 23:25-31)

The result is not different for those who openly rebel and those whose rebellion is a quiet subversion.

Each of us tend to look upon our Self with a prejudiced eye, having a too-intimate relation with our own imperfections. Those who do not wish to project a counterfeit of themselves, seek to uncover the sterling nature of their own reality. “But how?” one asks. “How can I judge myself when I have no one to compare the real me to? The only criterion of judgement I have is the way others appear to me to be. How can I use their public persona as a measure by which to judge the private me?”

There is a way, but it requires some honesty. Yet, if applied, its return will be greater honesty. One of the surest ways to self-judge whether one is being true to the law of one’s own being is to observe one’s Self, and ask: “How much wiggle room do I need in order to be content with the notion that I am keeping all of the necessary covenants?” The answer will reveal that the wiggle room may be a problem, but if some of the covenants are thought of as unnecessary, that is a problem indeed!

If the question is asked often enough, and with real intent, the question’s own relevance will shrink until it has no pretense to hide, and therefore no more meaning. The answer will become, “Oh, I mostly just go about being myself— I keep my covenants with an unassuming rectitude that is as unconscious as breath, and as clean as charity, and as free as happiness?” When that is the answer, one has become free of self-disparagement, because one’s Self has come to be in perfect accord with the eternal law of one’s own being.

Alma 12, LeGrand Baker, the apostasy of the people of Ammonihah

Alma and Amulek’s confrontation with the Zeezrom and the people of Ammonihah present some interesting and perplexing questions for us. We know the Ammonihahites have apostatized, but we are not told the extent or the nature of their apostasy. The reason for the perplexity is that when the prophets challenge them, they use some of the most sacred and profound teachings of the temple drama of the Feast of Tabernacles to do it.

That asks, “How is it, that they knew so much about the most sacred rites of the Law of Moses, and yet were caught up in such abject corruption that they were willing to kill innocent people just to prove that Alma and Amulek didn’t have the power to stop them.” I don’t know the answer, but it may be instructive to take a look at the evolutionary pattern of apostasy, to see that their apostasy was not unique, because the pattern of apostasy is almost always the same. Whenever anyone or any group of people leave the church, they always think their situation is justified because it is remarkable. In fact its justification is not at all remarkable, and the steps of their apostasy are very predictable. It begins with a challenge to priesthood authority. Its script may vary, but not much. It will read something like, “They do not understand as well as I do,” or “ They did something that I know was wrong.” That challenge to priesthood authority almost always an even deeper underlying cause: It is easier to criticize others than to repent of one’s own shortcomings—or else, simply: Repentance is not as attractive as sin. In the Book of Mormon, Korihor’s teachings are an excellent example. He preached,

16   Ye look forward and say that ye see a remission of your sins. But behold, it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so.
17   And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime. (Alma 30:16-17)

Or apostasy may stem from a political or economic challenge to priesthood authority. A biblical example is Jeroboam, who split the kingdom of Israel after Solomon died. (1 Kings 12) To insure that his people did not return to Jerusalem to worship, Jeroboam built his own alternative sanctuaries, established the worship of golden calves, and “And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar.” (v 32) Since it was on the 15th of the month—the same as the Feast of Tabernacles—it is reasonable to suppose he changed the temple drama enough to satisfy his own purposes.

It appears that apostate leaders who are found in the Book of Mormon had done essentially the same thing as Jeroboam. For example, since Abinadi’s recorded words are mostly about becoming an adopted child of God, it is reasonable to suppose that in the orchestrated apostasy sponsored by King Noah, the king and his priests had also retained the forms of at least the coronation scene and its promise of sonship in the temple drama. The next steps in an apostasy, after the challenge to priesthood authority, the first thing to go is a correct understanding of the atonement, then the Godhead, then the covenant meaning of the ordinances, and then other doctrines as they become inconvenient. The last things to go are the forms of the ordinances. The reason the meaning of the atonement is first, is because a correct belief in the atonement imposes the need to repent. The correct doctrine is that salvation requires repentance, and that the atonement enables one’s repentance and makes it effectual. The false doctrine that most frequently replaces it is that salvation is free, or else that it requires something less burdensome than repentance. For some, it is simply receiving the sacraments or other ordinances. For others it is having a one-time “saving experience.”

For others it is the notion that if we “do our best” somehow the Saviour will “make up the difference.” Whatever it is, it is something less invasive than repentance. Throughout history, people have shown that they are willing to pay a great deal of money to a preacher who can convincingly teach them that they need not change their lives very much in order to be saved. The following sequence is a close approximation of what happens next. Along with the change in the responsibilities imposed by the atonement and repentance, comes the question of salvation—if it is easy to come by, then what makes it worthwhile? Without the ennobling powers of repentance, salvation must be defined as something less than godhood. So it becomes a state of eternal bliss and happiness with no responsibility—some variety of Nirvana.

With that notion, the understanding of the eternal relationship between Heavenly Father and his children simply dissolves into an undefinable eternal bliss. Now, the nature of the Godhead must also be changed in order to accommodate that new undefinable relationship. Such changes are most apparent when one observes the apostasy of the post-exilic Jews, and the similar apostasy of the Christians after the death of the apostles. The Israelites of the First Temple period worshiped Elohim, the Father of the gods; and Jehovah, the God of Creation and the covenant God of Israel. The also acknowledged (but did not worship) a Heavenly Council of gods. After the Babylonian conquest, the post-exilic Jews abandoned Elohim, rejected the Council, and worshiped an unembodied, undefinable “One God” whom they called Jehovah.

About 800 years later, the Christians did essentially the same sort of thing. They redefined the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and combined them into an unembodied, undefinable “One God.” Notwithstanding the severity of the apostasy, there is almost always a desire to maintain the form of legitimacy in the changed religion, and that is most easily accomplished by keeping reasonably true to the form of the ordinances and the rituals—by continuing to do things the way they had always been done. Therefore, to some degree or other, the form of the ceremonies remain intact. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the royal coronation ceremonies. The ritualistic washing, clothing, anointing, crowning, and giving a new name, are as ancient as Egypt and Babylon. They are also as recent as the coronations of present Pope and the reigning English queen.

Again, the reason is obvious: legitimacy requires continuity. In each generation, the next king must be crowned the same way as the last king. Otherwise, eyebrows will rise and legitimacy questioned. So the form of the ritual has remained essentially the same from generation to generation for the last 5000 years. Apparently this is the situation among the people of Ammonihah. They had preserved enough of the festival drama that when Amulek spoke to them, he was able to help them relate to his words by referring to the religious festivals that they preserved. The crescendo of the ancient temple drama was when the people entered the temple in the presence of God, showing that the king (and symbolically, all the people) had been proven worthy to be coronated king and priest in his own kingdom in this world. The Book of Mormon authors sum up that entire concept with he word ‘redeem,” which means to enter the presence of God. That concept is the one Alma used to convince Zeezrom that he must repent.

Alma 11:45, LeGrand Baker, ‘they can no more see corruption’

45 Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption. (Alma 11:45)

Near the end of my comments last week, I wrote, “I believe that truth, light, and love (charity) are equivalents. If one is full of light, then one’s defining quality is love.” To that it is also necessary to add that if one is full of light, he recognizes truth, and will ultimately have access to all truth.

That is very different from this world. In this world one’s life is confined to a short movement within linear time where “truth” is transient and it changes virtually every instant. By “transient” I mean that most things that are considered to be true now, were not, and will not again be true. I can give you two simple examples: “Napoleon is emperor of France.” That was “true” in the past, is not true now, and will not be true in the future. Similarly, a statement like, “His car is the latest model on the market,” was not true in the past because his car did not exist. It will not be “true” in the future because the car will be outdated just as soon a new model comes out next year.

But in the sacred time of the celestial world, transient things are not called “truth.” Rather “truth” is that which consists with eternal reality. The Lord explained,

24 And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;
25 And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.
26 The Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: He received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth;
27 And no man receiveth a fulness unless he keepeth his commandments.
28 He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.

He further explained,

6 The angels [resurrected beings] do not reside on a planet like this earth;
7 But they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord. (D&C 130:6-7)

This promise is found repeatedly in the scriptures, and is always contingent on one’s righteousness, for example in his discussion of the priesthood, the Lord said,

19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.
20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live. (D&C 84:16-22)

The priesthood ordinances have always been the necessary keys that permits us to be where God is, and righteousness is the criterion that enables one to use those keys. When Alma was discussing the qualifications of those who were with God back in the Council of Heaven, he said.

7 This high priesthood being after the order of his Son, which order was from the foundation of the world; or in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity, according to his foreknowledge of all things—
8 Now they were ordained after this manner—being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the high priesthood of the holy order, which calling, and ordinance, and high priesthood, is without beginning or end—
9 Thus they become high priests forever, after the order of the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, who is without beginning of days or end of years, who is full of grace, equity, and truth. And thus it is. Amen. (Alma 13:7-9)

The prophets have never made a distinction between the quality of righteousness requisite to be with our Father in Heaven before we were born, and the quality of righteousness requisite to our being with him after we are resurrected. For example, while speaking at the funeral of his dear friend King Follett, the Prophet Joseph taught,

       Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power. …
When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the Gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph, 346 and 348. Italics are in original.)

On another occasion, when George Laub heard the Prophet Joseph speak, he recorded the following in his journal:

… God dwells in flaming flames and he is a consuming fire. He will consume all that is unclean and unholy, and we could not abide his presents unless pure Spirits in us. For the Blood is the corruptible part of the tabernacles. For the resurrection is devised to take away corruption and make Man perfect or in the glory which he was created for.  (Eugene England, ed., “George Laub’s Nauvoo Journal,” BYU Studies, vol. 18 (1977-1978), Number 2 – Winter 1978, 174. Original of George Laub’s Autobiography is in BYU Special Collections.)

Brigham Young was concerned that the Saints understand that principle. He said,

I would like to have all understand that the Lord has sent forth the plan of salvation expressly to enable mankind to overcome the sin sown in the flesh, and exalt themselves with the faithful who have gone before to dwell with angels and Gods. Mankind have the privilege of eternal life—the privilege to prepare themselves to dwell in the presence of the Father and Son—to dwell in eternal burnings, where all is pure and holy. No sin—no corruption can dwell there. (Journal of Discourses, 8: 127 – 128)

“Everlasting burnings,” “consuming fire,” “everlasting power.” Those were the words used to describe the light, love, and truth that is concentrated where God is, and that emanates from there throughout the immensity of space. Not only can I not comprehend, but I can hardly begin to even wonder about the quality of life in the power of that environment— the conditions of life that those in the celestial kingdom will enjoy eternally. The prophets have tried to tell us, but they cannot. The Lord explained to Edward Partridge why that is so. “Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.” Then he added this note of encouragement: “Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me.” (D&C 50:40-41) Later, he promised another of the brethren, “Continue in these things even unto the end, and you shall have a crown of eternal life at the right hand of my Father, who is full of grace and truth.” (D&C 66:12)

Just because we have been with God in the pre-mortal world, that is not a guarantee what we will all be with him again. We came to this world of forgetfulness in linear time to discover who we really are— to learn if, in this environment, we can retain the integrity of the law of our eternal being as we projected it then, or if what we were then was only pretense, and our real intent is to find a satisfaction that is different from the charity that is the necessary fruit of knowing in sacred time.

So we are here in this mortal world, confronted on every side by artificial, ephemeral, glittering things: power, prestige, money, fancy toys—confronted also by the need to serve others and to do the things we covenanted in the pre-mortal world to do while we are here. In this world, we can no longer remember those covenants or the glory of the blessings promised (for that information we must rely on the Holy Ghost), but we can see the advantages of acquiring the things that titillate and seem to satisfy. So we are now in a perfect situation to be our own judge about what we truly desire. In his kindness, God put us here so we can make that decision, unencumbered by the overriding influence of the power and glory of his immediate presence, but near enough to him and the Spirit to recall his love if we choose to.

And if we do choose to, we can return to the celestial world where God is. But to do that requires a clearly defined desire on our part, and it takes a great deal of effort. In one of the most profound revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord explained those requirements.

18 Therefore, it [the earth] must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory;
19 For after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father;
20 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.
21 And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom.
22 For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.
23 And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory.
24 And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory. (D&C 88:14-24)

So, as far as I can tell, the primary qualities (not the personalities) of all persons who inherit the celestial Kingdom are the same: they love with a radiant love—which is charity: the pure love of Christ. That is a beautiful definition. Especially so, because one cannot tie it down to a single meaning. Does it mean the love that the Saviour has for us – yes. Does it mean the love that we have for him – yes. Does it mean that we love our Father’s children as he loves them and us – yes. It means all of those things because they are all the same. If we love the Lord as he loves, and that love permeates and defines our whole being, then our resurrected bodies will be of the same quality as his— celestial in its attributes and its glory.

Modern prophets have tried to teach us how to achieve that end. Brigham Young was especially concerned that the rigors of turning a mountainous desert into a flowering garden would not divert the Saints from their real and ultimate purpose, which was to create a Zion community comprised of Zion individuals. He urged them to be true to their own identities by living to be worthy of a celestial life.

       This intelligence must endure. We must preserve our identity before the Lord, who has sent his Son and angels, and is sending the Holy Ghost, and his ministers, and revelations, to comfort, cheer, guide, and direct the affairs of his kingdom on the earth. Shall we dwindle out in our faith, and in those blessings God bestows on us at this time? No. Let us live to increase them. Let us so live, that when we receive our bodies in the resurrection, we will be received in the presence of the Father and the Son. (Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. [London: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1854-1886], 8: 155)

On another occasion he reminded the Saints,

       The Saviour sought continually to impress upon the minds of his disciples that a perfect oneness reigned among all celestial beings—that the Father and the Son and their minister, the Holy Ghost, were one in their administration in heaven and among the people pertaining to this earth….If the heavenly hosts were not one, they would be entirely unfit to dwell in eternal burnings with the Father and Ruler of the universe…. Only the line of truth and righteousness can secure to any kingdom or people, either of earthly or heavenly existence, an eternal continuation of perfect union; for only truth and those who are sanctified by it can dwell in celestial glory. (JD 7: 277-78)

Five years after Brigham Young died, Orson F. Whitney taught that the way to the celestial kingdom was well defined, but that it would take constant devotion to follow it. He described the power of the Saviour’s atonement, then added.

       Thus it is that we are gradually freed from sin, slowly burnished by the friction of experience, and surely and eternally saved in the celestial kingdom of our Father. It is only by gradually approaching that kingdom that we are able to withstand its otherwise intolerable glory. Sin cannot inherit the kingdom of God. It would consume like chaff in a devouring flame. Heaven would be a literal hell to the wicked, and even the most righteous, without a lifetime of preparation, would be utterly unable to endure the presence of the Lord….The opening words of that beautiful and stirring hymn, “The Spirit of God like a fire is burning,” are no idle simile or vain hyperbole. They speak a literal, living fact. And fortunate indeed are we, who have received the imposition of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, that only a limited portion of it was bestowed, that by degrees we might become familiar with its influence, and in due time be qualified to receive and endure a fulness. Even Christ did not possess a fulness at the first, but by faith and good works gradually became entitled to it, till finally it pleased God that in Him should all fulness dwell. It is in this fulness that He will come to reign as King of kings….Let none deceive themselves, but let the whole world prepare to be tried and proven. For it is written in the archives of heaven, and decreed in the bosom of the Eternal, that none save the meek and righteous shall inherit the earth, and none but the pure in heart can look upon God’s face and live. (Contributor, vol. 3, August, 1882, 336 – 337)

Much more recently, President Marion G. Romney was even more specific.

       Tithing is a part of the celestial law referred to in this revelation. Obedience to it is a prerequisite to being quickened in the resurrection by the fulness of the celestial glory. Without such fulness one coming into the presence of the Lord would be consumed, for God dwells in “everlasting burnings. (Marion G. Romney, Look to God and Live [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book 1971], 153)

The goal—the blessings for steadfastness in keeping our covenants—is described by the Prophet in Section 76, but I frankly admit that I can grasp only part of what it means.

50 And again we bear record—for we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just—
51 They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given—
52 That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power;
53 And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true.
54 They are they who are the church of the Firstborn.
55 They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things—
56 They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory;
57 And are priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son.
58 Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God—
59 Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
60 And they shall overcome all things.
61 Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet.
62 These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever.
63 These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven to reign on the earth over his people.

64 These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection.
65 These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just.
66 These are they who are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all.
67 These are they who have come to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn.
68 These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and Christ are the judge of all.
69 These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood.
70 These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical.

92 And thus we saw the glory of the celestial, which excels in all things—where God, even the Father, reigns upon his throne forever and ever;
93 Before whose throne all things bow in humble reverence, and give him glory forever and ever.
94 They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace;
95 And he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion. (D&C 76:50-95)

Given the glorious promises made to us about the opportunities of the celestial world, perhaps Brigham Young’s words are the most appropriate conclusion to the idea that Amulek planted in Zeezrom’s heart.

       Those who acknowledge the hand of God in all things, and abide in his commandments, are the only ones who will sustain the principles of truth and purity. If their influence upon the character is not good and pure, how will they produce that pure feeling, pure faith, and pure godliness which prepare a person to dwell in eternal burnings? Should we not abide in and be influenced by the commandments of God? We should; for, without the spirit of revelation, no man can understand the things of God, nor his dealings and designs in relation to the inhabitants of the earth. (JD 8: 115)

To that celestial environment— where the light is a consuming, everlasting burnings, and the burnings are a flood of truth— to such a place my imagination cannot reach, but the experiences I have had with the power of the Holy Ghost, and the taste of my Savior’s love, teaches me that above all else, I do long to be there.

Alma 11: 41-44, LeGrand Baker, resurrection and judgement

Alma 11: 41-44
41 Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works.
42 Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.
43 The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.
44 Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.

In these words we find a fundamental doctrine about the sequence of our eternal progression. It is that the final judgement, when we stand before the Saviour, comes after—not before— the resurrection. That doctrine is also taught elsewhere in the Book of Mormon.

Mormon was very explicit. He wrote that the Saviour brings about “the resurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his judgment-seat.” That statement, in context, reads:

5 Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.
6 And he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his judgment-seat.
7 And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end. (Mormon 7:5-7)

Moroni explained it even more fully. He wrote, “Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep… And then cometh the judgment…” In context, that statement reads:

12 Behold, he created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man.
13 And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death.
14 And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still. (Mormon 9:11-17)

That presents an interesting question. I can formulate the question and guess about the answer, but can go no further than that.

The question is, “If we already have a resurrected body, what is there left to be judged about?”

Samuel the Lamanite may have given us a clue to the answer. He seems to be saying that when we are judged by the Saviour, it will not be a preliminary judgement, but we will be judged in our entirety.

15 For behold, he surely must die that salvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord.
16 Yea, behold, this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all mankind from the first death—that spiritual death; for all mankind, by the fall of Adam being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as dead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual.
17 But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.
18 Yea, and it bringeth to pass the condition of repentance, that whosoever repenteth the same is not hewn down and cast into the fire; but whosoever repenteth not is hewn down and cast into the fire; and there cometh upon them again a spiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness.
19 Therefore repent ye, repent ye, lest by knowing these things and not doing them ye shall suffer yourselves to come under condemnation, and ye are brought down unto this second death. (Helaman 14:13-19)

Another important clue was given us by the Prophet Joseph. He taught that there is a “fundamental principle” or “fundamental parts” of our bodies that will be resurrected. Implicitly, those parts that are not “fundamental” will not be a part of our resurrected bodies. { 1 }

There is no fundamental principle belonging to a human system that ever goes into another in this world or in the world to come; I care not what the theories of men are. We have the testimony that God will raise us up, and he has the power to do it. If any one supposes that any part of our bodies, that is, the fundamental parts thereof, ever goes into another body, he is mistaken. { 2 }

Several of the brethren have explained what is, and what is not “fundamental.” For example, Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote about character traits.

If we ponder just what it is that will rise with us in the resurrection, it seems clear that our intelligence will rise with us, meaning not simply our IQ but also our capacity to receive and apply truth. Our talents, attributes, and skills will rise with us; certainly also our capacity to learn, our degree of self-discipline, and our capacity to work. Our precise form of work here may have no counterpart there, but the capacity to work will never be obsolete. { 3 }

To explain what parts of our bodies are not “fundamental,” President Harold B. Lee quoted an article that had been published in the Improvement Era. The article he quoted read:

We have bodies, fat, blood, lymph, nerves and tissues. In all these tissues there is a building up and breaking down of complex chemical compounds. These substances are made into tissues. They give form and beauty to the body, and also supply energy. They are derived from the elements in food, drink and air. These are not the fundamental parts of the body, however for they are used and then discarded, and new substances come to take their place. This is not true of the fundamental parts. They never change. { 4 }

Another important clue is found in Section 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants. There the Lord tells how we come by our resurrected bodies. In the following quote, it seems to me that the tense of the verbs are the key to understanding the meaning. So I will call attention to the verb tenses.

25 And again, verily I say unto you, the earth abideth the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and transgresseth not the law—
26 Wherefore, it [the earth] shall be sanctified; 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.
27 For notwithstanding they [the righteous] die, they also shall rise again, a spiritual [resurrected] body.
28 They who are [present tense] of a celestial spirit shall receive [future tense] the same body which was [past tense] a natural body; even ye shall receive [future tense] your bodies, and your glory shall be [future tense] that glory by which your bodies are [present tense] quickened.
29 Ye who are [present tense] quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then [future tense] receive of the same, even a fulness.
30 And they who are [present tense] quickened by a portion of the terrestrial glory shall then [futuret tense] receive of the same, even a fulness.
31 And also they who are [present tense] quickened by a portion of the telestial glory shall then [future tense] receive of the same, even a fulness.
32 And they who remain [present tense] shall also be quickened [future tense] ; nevertheless, they shall return [future tense] again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive [present tense], because they were not willing [past tense] to enjoy that which they might have received. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:25-34)

As I read that, it says that what we are now is defining the bodies we will receive at the resurrection. To me, this is what verse 28 says:

They who are [now] of a celestial spirit shall [in the resurrection] receive the same body which was [at the present time] a natural body; even ye shall receive [in the resurrection] your bodies, and your glory [in the resurrection] shall be that glory by which your bodies are quickened [during this life].

The best and most succinct way I can explain what I think that means is to quote the Saviour and Mormon. The Saviour said,

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye; if, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (3 Nephi 13:21-23)

I believe that truth, light, and love are equivalents. If one is full of light, then one’s defining quality is love. If that is true, then Mormon’s statement is essentially and expansion of what the Saviour said.

46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen. (Moroni 7:46-48)

Assuming that all of those ideas are brought together correctly, then what I understand is this: The quality of one’s love determines the purity of the body that one will pick up in the resurrection. Thus it is appropriate that after one’s resurrection, one should stand before the Saviour to be judged as a complete and total person. Lehi explained,

10  And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. (2 Nephi 2:10)

If the Saviour himself is the criterion by which we will be judged, it seems to me that we will all fall short—except in one aspect of our nature—the quality (not the quantity, but the quality) of our love for him and for his children. That is, if we love as he loves, then we may be with him forever.
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ENDNOTES

{ 1 } See: Harold B. Lee, Decisions for Successful Living (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1973), 182.

{ 2 } Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 vols., introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-1951), 5: 339.

For the original statement see Joseph Smith’s diary, as recorded by Willard Richards in, Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, eds., The Words of Joseph Smith: The Contemporary Accounts of the Nauvoo Discourses of the Prophet Joseph, (Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1980), 182.

{ 3 } Neal A. Maxwell, We Will Prove Them Herewith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book , 1982), 12.

{ 4 } Harold B. Lee, Decisions for Successful Living (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1973), 183. (The quote is from: Dr. Joseph A. Ammussen, “Science and the ‘Mormon’ Doctrine of the Resurrection,” Improvement Era, Vol. 30, No. 8, June 1927, page 701.)

Alma 10:25 – LeGrand Baker – perceiving truth and light.

But Amulek stretched forth his hand, and cried the mightier unto them, saying: O ye wicked and perverse generation, why hath Satan got such great hold upon your hearts? Why will ye yield yourselves unto him that he may have power over you, to blind your eyes, that ye will not understand the words which are spoken, according to their truth?

One might read this verse as something like a series of mixed metaphors, then just try to get the gist of its message, and read on. However an approach like that takes all the fun out of it. Besides that, it is completely out of character for Amulek to be that casual with words, and it is entirely inconsistent with Mormon’s style for him to include something of low quality on his laboriously prepared Gold Plates. Consequently, the characters of both the author and the compiler impose upon us the need to look at the statement more closely, and try to discover the depth of Amulek’s intent. I tried it, and this is what I came up with:

I began with the last phrase: It doesn’t say “according to truth.” It says, “according to their [the word’s] truth.” That seemed to be the key to the rest of what he had just said.

I read the scriptures with the belief that one can move throughout almost any of the scriptures to learn the meaning of words used in any of the other scriptures. Applying that principle, the best definition I know of truth is that it “is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.” (D&C 93:24) I understand that definition to mean that truth is a knowledge of reality — as God perceives reality as it is in sacred time. Amulek conveys the same idea by his asserting that his words are truth, meaning that the message they carry consists with eternal reality.

Truth is not an abstract, neither does its factualness vary from individual to individual. However, truth is knowledge, therefore truth exists only when and where it is known. That is, in the perception of each individual a truth does not exist until that person has knowledge of it. A simple example is that a computer is a meaningless box containing no information unless one has knowledge of how to turn it on and make it work. Even then, the abilities of the most powerful computers are actualized only according to knowledge of the user.

In our world, ephemeral reality is also called “true,” but under the Saviour’s definition it is not real truth. Let me give you an example. It is historically true that in the military of Victorian England, only officers could wear a moustache. An enlisted man would get into serious trouble if he did not shave his upper lip. That is historically true, but rules about moustaches have nothing whatever to do with eternal reality, so under the D&C definition, moustache propriety is not “truth.”

The Saviour’s atonement is truth. Our own eternal nature is truth—and the quality of that nature is a product of one’s willingness and ability to assimilate additional eternal truth. Like the computer in the hands of a learner has increasing abilities as its user’s abilities increase; so also, the saving power of the atonement toward an individual is expanded according to one’s repentance, knowledge of the Saviour, and charity—but, on the other hand, the saving powers of the atonement are limited according to one’s refusal to repent, indifference to knowledge of the Saviour, and a cantankerous nature.

In the final analysis, one’s eternal glory is a product of one’s repentance, knowledge of the Saviour, and charity. That is true because repentance brings one to the knowledge of the truth of the laws of one’s own being; knowing the Saviour gives one access to all truth; and charity is one’s being in tune with the truths that define all persons and other living beings. Consequently:

18  Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.
19  And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. (D&C 130:18-19)

What I understand Amulek to have been saying was that his words had the capacity to introduce one to the knowledge of eternal reality.

In D&C 93, there is an addendum to the definition of truth:

24  And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;
25  And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning. (D&D 93:24-25)

An example of a doctrine that is less than truth is Satan’s declaration, “I am no devil, for there is none.” (2 Nephi 28:22) An example of a doctrine that is more than truth is the notion that the Saviour will save everyone, and that he can do so because their actual conformance to celestial law is not really a requirement. That doctrine distorts both justice and mercy, and reaches far beyond the limits of truth.

The heart, in the thinking of those in the ancient world, was the cosmic center of a person, and as such, it was the seat of one’s emotions as well as of one’s intellect. If one loves God with all of his heart, the love is both emotionally supreme and academically secure. The powers, limitations, and agency of one’s heart are completely within the domain of one’s Self. It is an eternal truth that Satan has no ability to take our agency from us—but we, on the other hand, have absolute ability to give it to him. If we do so, we become his subjects and his slaves. If, as Amulek said, Satan had a great hold upon their hearts, then they were emotionally and academically shackled by his influence and refusal to understand.

In contrast, truth—when truth is assimilated by an intelligent being—empowers one’s freedom. An Intelligence (the fundamental part of each of us), when it assimilates truth, emits light—radiates an aura. The aura communicates.

For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before the face of him who sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things. (D&C 88:40)

Even in this world, the light of one person is recognizable to the perceptive eyes of another. Few have the ability to see the aura, but most have the ability to recognize the “light” that shines from honest eyes. Light does communicate with light. It is one’s eye that first perceives the truth that shines from another person. After that, it is one’s heart that assimilates that truth, making their truth a part of one’s Self. Trust and enduring friendships are the product of that kind of mutual perception. If the people of Ammonihah had been capable— even willing— to see Amulek’s light, they would have perceived the truth in this words.

So, as I understand it, Amulek was not using mixed metaphors at all. Rather he was speaking with almost absolute precision when he said,

O ye wicked and perverse generation, why hath Satan got such great hold upon your hearts? Why will ye yield yourselves unto him that he may have power over you, to blind your eyes, that ye will not understand the words which are spoken, according to their truth?

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