Mystery Of The Tennessee Cannery

There is an intriguing "He said/She said" brewing in cyberspace, and in this instance the LDS Church is playing the part of the denier. As for who is actually telling the truth in this matter -well, you can decide for yourself. I'll just tell you what I think.

Earlier this month, retired Marine Sargeant Rand Cardwell logged the following report at OathKeepers.org:

"A fellow veteran contacted me concerning a new and disturbing development. He had been utilizing a Mormon cannery near his home to purchase bulk food supplies. The man that manages the facility relayed to him that federal agents had visited the facility and demanded a list of individuals that had been purchasing bulk food.  The Manager informed the agents that the facility kept no such records and that all transactions were conducted on a cash and carry basis.  The agents pressed for any record of personal checks, credit card transactions, etc., but the manager could provide no such record. The agents appeared to become very agitated and after several minutes of questioning finally left with no information."

Now here is a key point: Cardwell concludes by saying "I contacted the manager and personally confirmed this information."

This report went viral on alternative news sites and created quite a bit of consternation among Mormons and non-Mormons alike.  Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes gave an interview on the Alex Jones show about this and similarly alarming federal encroachments occuring around the country. Church headquarters was flooded with calls from Members wanting to know what our leaders were planning to do about this invasive encroachment on church sovereignty.

And then suddenly...the cannery director recanted his story.  There had been no visit from federal agents after all, he insisted. In fact, suddenly the good brother could not even recall having spoken to anyone from Oath Keepers about it.  Sargeant Cardwell's source had turned into Sargeant Schultz.  The manager knew nothing. Nuuuh-THING!





It didn't take long before bloggers everywhere declared the incident had been "a complete and total fabrication."  How did they know this? They called the cannery and no one answered, or they heard from someone else who said they heard it was a hoax, proof positive for some people that the whole thing was made up.

It didn't help that some websites that ran with the story changed the headline, distorting a simple visit by two agents into some massive "federal raid."  Among the hub-bub, it was nearly impossible to come to an intelligent conclusion about what happened because the manager by now had clammed up.  The corporate Church's public relations department issued a terse denial, and that was that.

With their source no longer willing to go on the record, OathKeepers did the honorable thing and pulled the story. Ironically, this was further proof to the cynics that the story had been retracted.  But that's not what Oath Keepers was saying. This is:

"We have pulled this story about the Mormon cannery being visited by federal agents because the source of the information at the cannery is now denying that he ever told us that event occurred. 

"From now on, we will NOT post any such story based on what we are told by other people unless, and until, they are willing to go on video or at least on an audio recording with their info. That way, in case someone starts to crumble under the public attention or other pressures, and wants to deny what they told us, we have video or audio proof.

"We get all kinds of scary intel, all the time, and we rarely pass it on because we don’t have confirming documentation. In this case, we were relying on a confirmed eye witness who is now denying it. We will not do that again without a recording.

"We still welcome such tips, but unless you are willing to go on recorded record, using your name, we will not pass it on to the public, but will instead use it only for our own knowledge and internal analysis among our leadership with the caveat that it is not for public dissemination. Otherwise, we risk having people flake on what they told us, and that makes us look bad. People who send us information often times don’t realize the kind of public attention they may wind up experiencing, or the kinds of pressures they may come under behind the scenes. Another consideration is the real possibility that a person could be threatened with prosecution under the USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001 for making public the fact that they were contacted by Federal agents demanding private records. We need witnesses to be willing to go on recording right up front so they cannot later recant.

"We will always respect the privacy and anonymity of sources, as we have done in this case, but will simply not run such stories in the future without video proof AND someone who is willing to be identified in the story. Anonymous tips will be used only for internal analysis.

"NO SUCH STORY WILL BE POSTED ON THIS SITE AGAIN WITHOUT VIDEO OR AUDIO OF THE EYE WITNESS(S) SO WE CAN PROVE THEY TOLD IT TO US -No matter how urgent or important the information. As far as we are concerned, without such a recording, we will not consider it a real source, but just scuttlebutt. 

"Thus, now that we no longer have an eye witness willing to stick with his story, we no longer have a story we feel comfortable having on our site and we have pulled this story so we are not accused of still disseminating it."

(Although pulled from OathKeepers.org, the original post has been cached here. You might want to read it before it's gone for good. You'll note within the piece that Sargeant Cardwell claims to have gone to the cannery and confirmed the story with the manager in person.)

Is The Story Credible? 
OathKeepers was formed largely as a response from veterans and active duty military personnel who saw a dangerous precedent following hurricane Katrina, when the army was sent door to door in a New Orleans neighborhood that was unaffected by the flooding.  News cameras were on hand to record the soldiers pulling citizens from their homes, cuffing them on their front lawns, then ransacking their houses and stealing their weapons. To many observers, the most fearful thugs and looters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina were the ones sent in by FEMA.

Here is the statement of purpose from the Oath Keepers website:

Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of currently serving military, reserves, National Guard, veterans, Peace Officers, and Fire Fighters who will fulfill the Oath we swore, with the support of like minded citizens who take an Oath to stand with us, to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help us God. Our Oath is to the Constitution.

 Our motto is "Not on our watch!"

Are you wondering where the real soldiers are today, the men of honor and integrity? You want true patriots? These are your guys. Men who take their oaths seriously are the ones you want standing between you and tyranny. Conversely, they are the men most feared and despised by corrupt politicians and banker puppets, because they will not allow themselves to be used like Stalin's army or Hitler's Storm Troopers if ordered to turn their guns on their fellow citizens.

It's no wonder Homeland Security classified returning veterans as potential terrorists.  Most of these poor saps were told they were being sent overseas to defend America's freedoms, yet when they came home they found many of those freedoms had been stolen in their absence.  Soldiers like these are a threat to tyrants, because they are awake. And they are pissed off.

If you want to understand what motivates the men who took the Oath Keeper's pledge, it's not about what they'll stand for, it's what they won't stand for.  There is a list of ten important items, and you can see them here.

The Tennessee Waltz
The reason rumors of federal agents asking questions at a Church cannery in Tennessee are so credible is because we know that in Madison County Tennessee last month, as reported on Nashville's News Channel Five, state health officials had been going door to door inquiring about resident's personal food storage.  The program was sold as a means of encouraging the populace to be prepared for emergencies, but it clearly was was a program of interrogation to ascertain just who in the area had stockpiles of food, and how much they owned.  I reported in greater detail on this "assessment" program just this morning in another venue .

If bureaucrats in Tennessee would go door to door asking prying questions about random people's private stockpiles, how much of a stretch is it to believe the same inquiry could have been made at a Church facility in the same state?  Not much of a stretch at all.

I don't believe Sergeant Cardwell made up the story of federal agents making inquiries at the cannery.   I know enough about this guy to trust him at his word.  So if the cannery manager denied ever saying anything about a visit from the feds, the question is, why? Something or someone must have put the fear in him.

Of course, there's always the possibility that the manager just made it all up when he was chatting with the original member veteran.  If so, is it reasonable to believe he would repeat the incident in detail to a total stranger who calls to confirm it for publication?  Does this sound like the actions of a responsible Church administrator? I think it is more likely he was relating an actual incident that he himself found to be an incredible overreach of authority, and that he was appalled, as anyone would be, that government agents would show up unannounced at a Church facility fishing for information without so much as a warrant or a reason.

So why the sudden reversal? Why back off the story?

Those of us in the Church know that no one who works for the Church makes these kinds of decisions without receiving instruction from on high.  After the story exploded on the net, someone somewhere had to have sat this guy down and told him to ix-nay on the ory-stay. Let's just put this on the shelf, shall we, brother?

So who was it who leaned on him? Was it someone high up in the Church, or someone in government? Or could it have been both?

We know that the egregious piece of legislation known as the Patriot Act includes a gag order provision that prohibits anyone who has been visited by the FBI to talk about that visit to anyone else on penalty of imprisonment.  This is, of course, an outrageous prohibition on free speech that cannot stand.  Still, though the Patriot Act cannot cancel out the first and fourth amendments to the Constitution, how many American middle managers have the guts or resources to challenge that provision all the way to the supreme court? Far easier and safer for most people to just sit down, shut up, and do as they're told.

What I wonder about is the conversation that took place between the cannery manager and his masters at Church headquarters? If the manager was telling the truth about the visit, why didn't the Church back him up? LDS, Inc pays its lawyers hundreds of millions of dollars a year to defend against all manner of petty nuisance suits.  Wouldn't this have been a great opportunity to take a stand against the whore of Babylon herself?

But I guess that's just wishful thinking.

Failing In Our Mission
We have all heard about the threefold mission of the Church:

To proclaim the gospel
To perfect the Saints
To redeem the dead.

You may not remember this, but there used to be a fourth one: "To put evil underfoot." But that was such a long time ago that after making a cursory search on the internet, I can't even find it referenced anymore.

The mission of the church these days no longer includes putting evil under foot, but instead just rolling over and letting evil have its way. "Don't make waves" has been our unofficial motto ever since we got our fingers burned by the feds back in 1890.  Now we prefer to just go along to get along.

As President Hinckley put it when asked about the Mormon Church's reaction to the violent persecution being heaped upon the Branch Davidian Church by the United States government, "We don't get involved with them. If the law chooses to take care of them, that's the law's basic right. We just plow our own furrow and go forward."


In other words, the modern Church of Jesus Christ prefers to remain oblivious to the injustices swirling all around it. We don't just plow our own furrow, we plow it with blinders on.  Hinckley's cavalier dismissal of a group of Christians who were murdered by their own government reminds one of the words of Martin Van Buren to Joseph Smith, "Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you."


We seek in vain for any institutional Church objection when the US government steps out of line, even when that encroachment occurs on our own Church property.


Do I believe the testimony of Oath Keeper's Rand Cardwell over the denial of that anonymous Mormon cannery manager?  Yes I do. The only thing I don't know is who got to that guy and convinced him he should forget what he saw and heard with his own eyes and ears? Was it the men in black from Washington D.C, or the men in black from Salt Lake City?
 

[A note about leaving comments: Many readers have posted as "Anonymous" even though they don't wish to, only because they see no other option. If you don't have a Google, Wordpress, or other username among those listed, you can enter a username in the dropdown box that reads "Name/URL."  Put your name in the "Name" box, ignore the request for a URL, and you should be good to go.

I have a pretty firm policy of never censoring or deleting comments,so if your comment does not immediately appear, it probably means it is being held in the spam filter, which seems to lock in arbitrarily on some posts for reasons unknown.  If you have submitted a comment and it doesn't immediately show up, give me a nudge at RockWaterman@gmail.com and I'll knock it loose. -Rock]                               _

Infallible Authority, Chapter Twelve

The Fullness of the Gospel

by J.J. Dewey

(To read the previous entry, click here. To start this series at the beginning, click here.)

Moroni wrote, “Wherefore I know by this thing which thou hast said, that if the Gentiles have not charity, because of our weakness, that thou wilt prove them, and take away their talent, yea, even that which they have received, and give it unto them who shall have more abundantly.” (Ether 12:35)

Did not Nephi warn, “Wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion! Wo be unto him that crieth all is well ... Wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more.” (2 Nephi 28:25 & 27)

Church members like to think that this scripture applies to the non-Mormons who reject the Book of Mormon, but who is “at ease in Zion”? If we keep in mind the fact that it could only be the Latter-Day Saints that are at ease in Zion, then we must face the fact that the rest of the prophecy applies to them.
Of course, the devotee would argue the belief that God will yet reveal many great and important things and believe in modern revelation. Yes, this is true in theory in the Church, but not in practice; for how many  times do we hear people in the Church say things like, “Leave the mysteries alone. Do not delve into them.” “We have more than we can handle with what we have.” “Stay with the basics.” “You don’t even know all there is to know about faith yet; why do you want to delve into deeper things?”

Then when one talks about receiving more of the word of God, they will say that it pertains to the future when we are ready, but not now. We forget that, while most are content with the status quo, there are many in the Church and world who are ready for more of the word of God. Anyone who would call the present conference reports modern-day scripture is obviously not prepared for real scripture, for how can the quoting of old scripture be new scripture?

Let us follow Nephi a little further:

 “And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.” (Verse 28)

This prophecy shall be fulfilled in our day. Many will be angry when they receive the revelations and teachings of real modern prophets and others which are to come, but the righteous will receive them with joy for the time is verily coming when the words of Isaiah will be fulfilled:

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isa. 52:7)

I would hope to be counted among those who bring you good tidings of good and declare that God does reign and that Zion will yet be built by the power of God. Indeed, since the Church has been driven in the wilderness again, it has almost appeared that God does not reign, for the Church has had to give up many of its basic principles mentioned earlier, but this is because of the folly of man. God does reign over His inner Church and soon it will again come out of the wilderness with great glory and power and after a manner which ye know not.

In the next verse, Nephi repeats his warning:

 “Wo be unto him that shall say, We have received the word of God [meaning the Bible and LDS scriptures], and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!” (Verse 29)

In practice is this not the cry of the Church today: “We have enough!” If you do not believe it, just try and expound on a deep doctrine or mystery in Sunday School. As I said the excommunication of my nephew and I began with the simple exploration of progression from lower to higher kingdoms.

Nephi ends his chapter with, “Wo be unto the Gentiles saith the Lord of hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out my arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me.” (Verse 32)

Do the Latter-Day Saints deny God? Do they deny revelations given by the Spirit of God to various people in and out of the church? Yes, they do because of the mistaken notion that God will only reveal mysteries through the president of the church. If they do not come through him they are to be rejected.

When Jesus was speaking before the multitudes in Jerusalem, he warned them, “Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under the foot of men.” (Matt. 5:13)

What did Jesus mean by this? He told the followers of Moses that they were the salt of the earth. To help us understand a little better let us use the ancient Jews as a correspondence to salt and the earth as a correspondence to a steak. The percentage of the steak that is salt is very small, yet its influence is so strong that it will greatly enhance the flavor of the whole thing. Yet we find that the sea salt that the Jews used, if left to stagnate, will lose its flavoring ability and become completely tasteless. If this were to happen to the salt, who in the world would want to put it on a steak? It would become worthless. The Master would then seek for other salt with taste, for the first salt is, “thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under the foot of men.”

Did the ancient Jews heed this warning? No! They lost their savor and the Master sought for other salt in the Gentiles. Consequently, the Jews were trodden under foot by the Romans and great were their lamentations.

Does the Lord promise members today that they are salt that cannot lose their savor? No, verily we see that the Lord speaks to the Church today the same as He did yesterday: “But inasmuch as they keep not my commandments, and hearken not to observe all my words, the kingdoms of the world shall prevail against them [the Church]. For they were set to be a light unto the world, and to be saviors of men; and inasmuch as they are not saviors of men, they are as salt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.” (D&C 103:8- 10)

Ask yourself: Has the Church lost its savor? Are they being the saviors of men as required to keep this savor? Some may answer yes, but we forget that the kingdom was set up for the temporal salvation of men as well as the spiritual. Of course, all religions argue that they are the spiritual saviors. Anyone who preaches about Jesus can claim that, but have they followed the course set out by Joseph Smith to be the physical saviors of mankind and preserve the freedoms of the world?

No! The Council of Fifty has been completely abandoned as well as all other efforts to preserve the principles of freedom in the Constitution.

Other groups outside the Church are being much better salt than the LDS are because some of them do not fear the criticism of the world.

Thus the Lord said, “Verily, I say unto you, that after all this and I have caused my people who are of the house of Israel to be smitten and to be afflicted, and to be slain, and to be cast out from among them, and to become hated by them, and to become a hiss and a byword among them -And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fullness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I WILL BRING THE FULLNESS OF MY GOSPEL FROM AMONG THEM.” (3 Nephi 16:9-10)

Have we reached a time that the fullness of the Gospel has been taken from the church?

Before this question can be answered we must ask another question:
What is the Fullness of the Gospel?

If we know not what the fullness of the gospel is then we have no way of knowing if it has been taken away or not.

Many members believe the fullness of the Gospel includes all the laws and ordinances of the current church. The Fundamentalists go a step further and claim it includes plural marriage, the united order and other items, and no member has a fullness unless he is incorporating every item introduced by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.
Both of these ideas miss the mark. Is it possible that after all these years and examination of the scriptures that no one has clearly explained what a fullness of the Gospel is?

 Perhaps. The scriptures clearly reveal what the fullness of the Gospel is not.

For instance, the Lord said: “And I have sent forth the fulness of my gospel by the hand of my servant Joseph; and in weakness I have blessed him.” (D&C 35:17)

This revelation was given in 1830, long before plural marriage, the United Order, temple work and many other items that both groups of believers maintain is a part of the fullness. Consider this:

“And gave him power from on high, by the means which were before prepared, to translate the Book of Mormon; Which contains a record of a fallen people, and the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and to the Jews also.” (D&C 20:8)

 Conclusion: The Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel.

And consider this:

“And the angel of the Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.” I Nephi 13:24

Conclusion: The Bible as it was written contains the fullness of the gospel.

Consider this:

“And again, the elders, priests and teachers of this church shall teach the principles of my gospel, which are in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, in which is the fullness of the gospel.” D&C 42:12

Conclusion – both the Bible and the book of Mormon have the fullness of the gospel.

Is the Book of Mormon and the Bible, as a whole, representative of the fullness of the gospel or is it some teaching or principle within them that is the true fullness? Since we are told that a fullness is in both of them, then that which is a fullness must be something which is common to both books.

The next few verses give a clue:

“And they shall observe the covenants and church articles to do them, and these shall be their teachings, as they shall be directed by the Spirit. And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach.” (D&C 42:13-14)

How shall the fullness be taught?
Answer: By the Spirit, for without the Spirit, the fullness cannot be taught.

A couple sections later we read:

“And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the FULNESS of my gospel; But they receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men.” (D&C 45:28-29)

Here we are clearly told that the fullness of the gospel came to the Gentiles (those who receive the Book of Mormon) and that this fullness is a “light” which is not perceived, but rejected “because of the precepts of men.”

What is that light? Another clue is given in a revelation where the gospel is actually defined:

“And this is my gospel--repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teaches the peaceable things of the Kingdom. Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on my name, and you shall receive my Spirit, and a blessing so great as you never have known.”(D&C 39:6&10)

In addition to speaking of the fullness of the gospel, the scriptures also speak of “the fullness of time,” “the fullness of the Gentiles,” and “the fullness of the wrath of God.”

Does the “fullness of time” mean that everything in time is included? No. Neither does the fullness of the Gospel imply that all the teachings of the prophets are included.

A fullness implies a maximum quality or attainment. Which of these is greater and brings more fullness of joy:

To have the fire of the Holy Spirit, or to have an office in the church?

To have the Spirit, or to live the United Order?

To have the Spirit, or to have more than one wife?

To have the Spirit, or to visit the temple?

The great mystery which should not be a mystery is this: To have the fullness of the Gospel is to have the fire of the Holy Spirit, the end product of the first and basic principles of the gospel. This is the underlying principle taught in the Bible and Book of Mormon and the reason they are said to contain the fullness.

He who has the Spirit has what?
Answer: The power of revelation and thus the current Will of God is manifest to him.

This is the “Rock” upon which the true church of Christ has been, is, and will be built and this is also one of the “stones” the builders rejected.

Is this Rock upon which the church is built anything less than a fullness?
Verily no.

Without revelation through the gift of the Holy Spirit, there is no fullness of the Gospel; and since the Church excommunicates those who have claimed to receive the revelation of the Spirit, then we have a church which receives not of the fullness of the gospel as predicted in D&C 45:28-29, previously quoted.

Verily, the Spirit does testify to all: “Come up higher and drink freely of the waters of the Spirit that you may remain always in the fullness of the bosom of the Eternal God, that your work will be a fullness of your potential, being God working in you and speaking to the souls of humanity.”

Copyright J.J. Dewey, used with permission.

[A note from Rock about leaving comments: Many readers have posted as "Anonymous" even though they don't wish to, only because they see no other option. If you don't have a Google, Wordpress, or other username among those listed, you can enter a username in the dropdown box that reads "Name/URL."  Put your name in the "Name" box, ignore the request for a URL, and you should be good to go.

I have a pretty firm policy of never censoring or deleting comments,so if your comment does not immediately appear, it probably means it is being held in the spam filter, which seems to lock in arbitrarily on some posts for reasons unknown.  If you have submitted a comment and it doesn't immediately show up, give me a nudge at RockWaterman@gmail.com and I'll knock it loose. -Rock]

Infallible Authority, Chapter Eleven

Warnings from the Past

by J.J. Dewey

(To read the previous chapter, click here. To start this series at the beginning, click here.)

Hundreds of the greatest lights in the church have been excommunicated, not for any sin or proven wrongdoing, but for thinking outside the box.

Those who were persecuted became themselves persecutors after 1890 when the church compromised with the government to change it’s doctrine. From that point on those who studied, taught, and practiced the originating doctrines of the church were told to step in line with the new emphasis or suffer the consequences.

At first, the Church’s wrath seemed to focus mainly on those who practiced the controversial doctrine of plural marriage. Since that time the member seeking greater light is risking his membership if he does something like:

(1) Associate with those whose beliefs run contrary to the LDS church.

(2) Publish accurate information about some of the early history of the church that the Brethren want swept under the rug.

(3) Openly share views of some of the mysteries with other church members.

(4) Have any type of unauthorized study class in your home.

(5) State that the Prophet could be wrong on doctrine.

(6) Have unacceptable political views.

(7) Criticize the General Authorities.

The list does not stop here. The excommunication of my nephew and I was begun because they merely found our “thinking” was not in harmony. We were both obeying all the rules of the church, and I was teaching several classes and always taught orthodox doctrine. When the member is not allowed to have his own private controversial thoughts about the mysteries, then, indeed, the church has gone too far.

Will those who are led by the Spirit of God ever persecute their brethren? All those who have an ounce of the light of Christ in them must exclaim, NO! A thousand times no! The roll of the adversary is to belittle, tear down, stamp out with force, use the full arm of the law with no mercy, “wear out the Saints,” force them to deny what they believe in, make good appear evil and evil good, persecute, destroy!

Those on the left hand path cannot let their works be shown in the light of day, or their apparent righteousness will dissolve with the morning rays of the sun and finally the mid-day sun will scorch them in its strength.
Yes, therefore, the leaders today do “exercise power and authority over the disciples of Jesus.” They have not yet filled up their measure as the ancient Nephites did, but they will soon be given their chance. There are numerous inspired teachings breaking forth outside the realm of the General Authorities, and the contrast between the light in the church and the light outside of the church is growing exponentially. The day is soon coming that this contrast will no longer be possible to sweep under the rug and ignore.

It will be as Jesus said, “For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” (Matt. 10:35-36) Then will the leaders say of the true followers as King Noah said of Abinadi, “He has said these things that he might stir up my people to anger one with another, and to raise contentions among my people.” (Mos. 11:28)

Are we going to be like King Noah and call “evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness”? (2 Nephi 15:20) Or are we going to be like the five wise virgins and have our lamps filled with the Holy Spirit and not lean on the arm of flesh?

The time is soon coming when every person who calls himself a Saint will have to choose between following the Holy Spirit or the arm of flesh; and if he chooses the latter, the spirit of the Lord will withdraw and that man will be easily confounded before the least of the followers of light. His only remedy then is to become as the Pharisees and Saducees and spiritually join the great and abominable church and try to stamp out the light; but these will dig a pit for themselves in which to fall in, and wonderful will be their punishment.

Do I rejoice to see these things at the doors? No. I respect the church and the people in it, and many of the leaders are trying to do right, but God wants us to glory in His work and not man’s, and we are told “every man’s work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” (I Cor. 3:13)

As time progressed, we find that the Nephites became more hardened and eventually became “even as the Jews at Jerusalem.” (Verse 31) After they reached this state, “there arose a people who were called the Nephites (the fundamental believers of the day) and they were true believers in Christ.” (Verse 36) After this separation of the righteous from the wicked, a frightful thing happened. “They did not dwindle in unbelief, but they did willfully rebel against the gospel of Christ.” (Verse 38) The seeds for a willful rebellion have been sown, but the plant is not yet clearly visible.

The groundwork has truly been set for a willful rebellion against the light, for the truth of new revelation will become so clear that the Saints will either willfully rebel, or join the light; and to join the light one must admit he has been deceived - which thing is hard for a man to do.

What happened after they willfully rebelled? Then they “began again to build up the secret oaths and combinations of Gadianton.” (Verse 42) Could that happen to us? Verily, yes. Did not the Lord say, “Beware of pride lest ye become as the Nephites of old”? (D&C 38:39)

Isn’t that a far cry from that often-thundered statement from the pulpit: “the Church will never fall!”? My dear brother, it can fall. Be as Paul, and let the scales drop from your eyes. Do as the Laodiceans were commanded and anoint thine eyes with eye salve that thou mayest see.” (Rev. 3:18) “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” (Rev. 3:17)

To the Church the Lord said, “Inasmuch as ye do it not [keep the commandments], it shall be taken, even that which ye have received.” (D&C 43:10)

“Be faithful in keeping my commandments lest judgments come upon you, and your faith fail you, and your enemies triumph over you.” (D&C 136:42) It doesn’t sound like the Lord has an overabundance of confidence in the church, does it? Why should He? After all, hasn’t He watched Israel fail generation after generation? Even God does not force men to do right.

Why did Joseph warn that the Lord may take away the Church’s “talent, and give it to those who have no talent, and shall prevent them from ever obtaining a place of refuge, or an inheritance upon the land of Zion”? (DHC 2:48)

Who are those that “have no talent”? The Book of Mormon tells us clearly, but before we quote, we must clarify the meaning of the word Gentile as used in the book. Most LDS believe that the Gentiles prophesied of are those who will not join the Church in the last days, but is this the case? The Nephites used the word in its purest sense, as did the Bible writers, for the Greek word for Gentiles is Ethnos which means “foreigner.” Thus when the Nephites wrote of the Gentiles, they were speaking of the foreign peoples who would eventually possess the land, and the foreign peoples who would possess the Book of Mormon and the fullness of the gospel.

Those who would say other than this must either deny or rewrite the scriptures, for how do you explain the following: “Now these words, O Lord, we have spoken before thee, concerning the revelations and commandments which thou hast given unto us, who are identified with the Gentiles.” (D&C 109:60)

Who are identified with the Gentiles? Who received the “revelations and commandments”? The LDS people, of course.

Does not the title page of the Book of Mormon make clear who the Lord meant by “Gentile”? We are told it was written “to Jew and Gentile” and that it was “to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile -the interpretation thereof by the gift of God.”

Was Joseph Smith, by whom the book came forth, a Gentile? He was. Were the people who assisted him also Gentiles? Yes. The scriptures do not lie. We are clearly told that the Book of Mormon, which contains the truth and the word of God – “is my word to the Gentile, that soon it may go to the Jew, of whom the Lamanites are a remnant.” (D&C 19:27)

Who is the Lord speaking of when He talks about “those who embrace my gospel among the Gentiles”? (D&C 42:39) You really have to be desperate to say that applies to the non-Mormons. The Lord even tells us clearly that He calls the “heathen nations,” or the gentiles, the house of Joseph.” (D&C 90:10)

For more clarity, we quote: “Wherefore, it is wisdom that the land should be purchased by the saints, and also every tract lying westward, even unto the line running directly between Jew and Gentile. (D&C 57:4)
We are also told “that the seed of this people (the Lamanites) may more fully believe this gospel, which shall go forth unto them from the Gentiles.” (Mormon 5:15) Also the Gentiles “have care for the house of Israel.” (Mormon 5:10) Here we are told clearly as word can be that the Gentiles will take the gospel to the Lamanites. Do you see any non-Mormons doing this? How can anyone deny that the LDS people are the Gentiles prophesied in the Book of Mormon?

Nephi gives us more confirmation. He says, “Then shall the fullness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed.” (I Nephi 15:13)

We see clearly then that the prophets in the Book of Mormon spoke not only to the inhabitants, as a whole, who would possess this land, but more particularly those who would receive and read the Book of Mormon. Why would the prophets waste energy in warning the “Gentiles” who would not even be reading the book? Why do we fool ourselves in thinking that the admonitions to the Gentiles are for the non-Mormon who doesn’t know they exist?

And what type of warning did the prophets give to the “Gentiles” who would possess the Book of Mormon? Moroni sums up the matter thus:

 “And this [The Book of Mormon] cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God - that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fullness come, that ye may not bring down the fullness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.” (Ether 2:11)

Now, we can pass the buck and say that Moroni’s warning pertains to all those sinful non-Mormons, but who has received the warning through the Book of Mormon? Therefore who has the responsibility? The answer is obvious. Who does the Lord condemn for the great destructions in the Book of Mormon days? Wasn’t it those who possessed the gospel? It was.

“Wherefore, O ye gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain - and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, TO YOUR OVERTHROW if ye suffer these things to be.” (Ether 8:23)

When Mormon compiled the Book of Mormon, he had hundreds of times more records than we now have and had to be quite selective about what to include. What criteria did he use for his selection? He (as well as his son) tried to include words that would be of benefit to the Gentiles who would receive the book. He knew that the Gentiles would suffer the same pitfalls as his people except they be given a warning; so he compiled the whole Book of Mormon around the idea of warning the Gentiles by showing them what had happened to his people so we could avoid the same mistakes.

In the above two quotes Moroni summarizes the basic purpose of the book for the Gentiles. Why then do we bury our heads in the sand and exclaim that the Gentiles are the non-Mormons who do not have the slightest idea of what is in the book? Is God such a fool that not one intended person should hear His warning?

I’m sure it is a great comfort for many who tell themselves that the following scripture applies to the non Mormons: “Therefore, wo be unto the Gentiles if it so be that they harden their hearts against the Lamb of God. For the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and marvelous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on one hand or the other - either to the convincing of them unto peace and eternal life, or unto the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both TEMPORALLY and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil, of which I have spoken.” (I Nephi 14:6-7)

Here is another scripture that many like to think applies to the non- Mormons:

 “And now, we behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fullness of His wrath shall come upon them. And the fullness of His wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fullness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off. And this [the Book of Mormon] cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles [obviously referring to those who have the book], that YE MAY KNOW the decrees of God - that ye may repent, and not continue in iniquities until the fullness come, that ye may not bring down the fullness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.” (Ether 2:9-11)

Thus the responsibility for preserving freedom in this land is supposed to rest on the shoulders of the Mormon Elders, for they are the ones who have received the book - they are the ones that must serve the God of the land. Did not Joseph Smith say that the Constitution of this country would hang as it were on a single thread, and if it were saved at all it would be done by the Mormon Elders?

What are the Elders doing to save the Constitution?

Is it enough to advise members to get involved and elect good men to office? Is that not the same advice that is given out to all people in all democratic countries everywhere? Do you know anyone who says he voted for the man who he believed to be the worst candidate? Such advice is no sign of wisdom, for all people from the greatest to the least already believe it.

Well did Isaiah prophesy: “His watchmen are blind, they are ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark.” (Isa. 56:10) This is strong language, but it is not mine. Is it not true that authorities today cannot bark or sound forth a clear warning? President Benson tried to get involved in preserving our freedoms a few years ago, but received much criticism and had to withdraw from the scene before he could let out a good bark or two. Thus all of our leaders leave politics alone and do not bark, but sit back and watch our freedoms deteriorate while declaring that Zion is prospering as never before.

But behold, a shaking is coming on the house of God, and they that dwell securely shall become very unsettled, and men’s hearts will fail them.

Copyright J.J. Dewey, used with permission.

To continue on to chapter twelve, click here.

[A note from Rock about leaving comments: Many readers have posted as "Anonymous" even though they don't wish to, only because they see no other option. If you don't have a Google, Wordpress, or other username among those listed, you can enter a username in the dropdown box that reads "Name/URL."  Put your name in the "Name" box, ignore the request for a URL, and you should be good to go.

I have a pretty firm policy of never censoring or deleting comments,so if your comment does not immediately appear, it probably means it is being held in the spam filter, which seems to lock in arbitrarily on some posts for reasons unknown.  If you have submitted a comment and it doesn't immediately show up, give me a nudge at RockWaterman@gmail.com and I'll knock it loose. -Rock]

Infallible Authority, Chapter Ten

Eternal Progression

by J.J. Dewey

(To read the previous entry, click here. To start this series at the beginning, click here.)

I am including in the next chapter the text of the article I gave to Curtis. Because he shared its contents with a few members of his ward, he was immediately relieved of all his jobs and told he would be tried by the High Council for his membership and given only three days for which to prepare.


This simple exploration of a truth, which has never been that controversial in the church, brought us both to trial before the thought police who then probed us and found, not our actions, but our thinking to be incorrect according to their judgment. This incorrect thinking was not tolerated by them and, following advice from higher authority in the church, they excommunicated us both.


This is the article which started it all. Read it for yourself and see whether you think it devil-spawned as was the judgment of church leaders.


Logical Doctrine
It has been said by many, from the greatest to the least, that, after the resurrection, when one is assigned to a kingdom that he remains in that kingdom for eternity. He may go down to the lower kingdoms, temporarily, but he cannot go up. Most believe that he can merely progress within the kingdom to which he is assigned.

Some believe that the progression in the three kingdoms is like three cars all going at different speeds. The celestial car is going the fastest, something like one hundred miles per hour; the terrestrial trailing at sixty; and the telestial creeping along at thirty miles per hour. This continues for all eternity.

Consequently, those in the lower kingdoms will never catch up to those in the higher, but eventually those in the lower will reach the point where the higher has been.

Interestingly, Joseph Fielding Smith pointed out in Doctrines of Salvation that this notion is a fallacy. He accurately stated that if a telestial being reached a state in progression which had formerly belonged to a celestial person, then that person would be in the celestial kingdom and would no longer be a telestial being. Assuming therefore the idea that a telestial person can never leave his assigned kingdom, President Smith stated that the telestial beings will never in all eternity reach the celestial and only progress within a limited sphere within their own kingdom.

Both of the above reasonings have a certain degree of accuracy, but if sound reasoning is based on a false premise then the greatest logic in the world will produce false doctrine. And what is that false premise?

The false premise is that which disagrees with the scriptures.

And what is that?

It is the false teaching that those in the lower kingdoms cannot progress to the higher as we shall proceed to prove from the Standard Works, the writings of Joseph Smith, and with good old down-to-earth common sense.

It is amazing that so many in the church today universally proclaim that the inheritor of each kingdom is doomed to that kingdom forever and ever, especially since this teaching is contrary to the scriptures. Some of the Brethren have come forth and proclaimed such doctrine in their own name with no logic, reasoning, or scripture to back them up. Is a doctrine proclaimed in an authority’s own name to be taken as infallible truth?

No.

Even the leaders of the church decry the doctrine of the infallibility of the Pope; so surely the church authorities’ opinions are no better than our own if we have the Spirit. Joseph Smith told the General Authorities of his day: “Advance no principle but what you can prove, for one scriptural proof is worth ten thousand opinions.” (DHC 3:396)

The belief of eternal confinement to a kingdom is a carry-over from the Protestant belief in the eternal hell. Until Joseph Smith came along nearly all of Christianity believed that once you went to hell you stayed there forever and ever. However, the Lord explained in a revelation that he allowed the scriptures to be written to sound that way in order to scare people into repentance: “Nevertheless, it is not written that there shall be no end to this torment, but it is written endless torment. Again, it is written eternal damnation; wherefore it is more express than other scriptures, that it might work upon the hearts of the children of men, altogether for my names glory... Behold, I am endless, and punishment which is given from my hand is endless punishment, FOR ENDLESS IS MY NAME.” D&C 19:6-7, 10 The Lord clearly tells us here that “It is not written that there shall be no end to this torment.”

Complementing this, Joseph clearly taught that if a thing has a beginning then it must have an end. He said:

 “I take my ring from my finger and liken it unto the mind of man -the immortal part, because it had no beginning. Suppose you cut it in two; then it has a beginning and an end; but join it again, and it continues one eternal round. So with the spirit of man. AS THE LORD LIVETH, IF IT HAD A BEGINNING, IT WILL HAVE AN END. All the fools and learned and wise men from the beginning of creation, who say the spirit of man had a beginning, PROVE that it must have an end; and if that doctrine is true, then the doctrine of annihilation would be true.” (DHC 6:311)

Joseph was as sure “as the Lord liveth” of this doctrine. He could have easily elaborated on this principle and said: If the spirit of man began at birth it will have an end and be no more, but if it has always existed then it will exist forever. If a punishment has a beginning then it will have an end. The only way a punishment can last for eternity is if it never had a beginning. Similarly, if we have a beginning to our habitation of the telestial, terrestrial, or celestial kingdoms then “as God lives” there will be an end.

The doctrine of eternal confinement to a kingdom is quite comparable to the Christian doctrine of hell for similarly, on the first reading it does sound as if one will be confined to his assigned kingdom forever. Consequently, it does “work upon the hearts of the children of men” to cause some to try harder. Yet when one does cease being a child and mature a bit spiritually, then scare tactics are no longer necessary and it will be to his benefit to learn the truth.

All Judgements Are Not Given
In speaking of those who do not regain the presence of God the Lord said:

“And now behold, I say unto you, never at any time have I declared from mine own mouth that they (the wicked) should return, for where I am they cannot come, for they have no power. BUT REMEMBER THAT ALL MY JUDGEMENTS ARE NOT GIVEN UNTO MEN...” (D&C 29:29-30)

Here the Lord leaves the field wide open. He does not say the wicked will not someday learn their lessons and return to his presence, but he merely says he has not stated such a thing and woe unto him that would condemn a man to the telestial kingdom for an eternity, for he has made a wreckless judgement in an area where “My judgements are not given unto men.”

When many lift up their heads in the telestial kingdom they will certainly pray that their “eternal damnation” will not last forever. In all the scriptures there are two that indicate that those who fall short of the celestial glory or Godhood will seemingly never attain it.. The first reads as follows:

 “And they (the telestial inhabitants) shall be servants of the most High; but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end.” (D&C 76:112)

This scripture is easily explained. As long as the telestial inhabitants live the telestial law they will dwell in the telestial kingdom, and as long as they are in this state they cannot join God and Christ in the Celestial kingdom worlds without end.

There are worlds without end in all three of the kingdoms and as long as one is attracted to the laws of the lower kingdom he is stuck there; but as soon as he begins living the higher laws, he moves to the higher kingdom in spirit. For instance, this earth is part of the telestial kingdom but as soon as we live the celestial laws our spirit has already entered the celestial kingdom, and after judgement our consciousness will be transferred from a telestial world to a terrestrial or celestial one.

There are also worlds without end toward which the God and Christ set over us are aspiring; and if one waits too long to live the higher laws then he may have to wait for the next eternal round and be subject to another Christ and another God who will be appointed over them in the far future. Thus a person may be separated from our present God and his Christ for what might as well be forever from our point of view. The second scripture mentioned reads as follows:

“Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven; which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceedingly, and an eternal weight of glory. For these angels did not abide by my law; therefore they cannot be enlarged, but remain separate and singly, and from henceforth are not Gods, but angels of God forever and ever.” (D&C 132:16-17)

This scripture is somewhat easy to misinterpret similar to the way the world does Bible teaching that the wicked “shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Rev. 20:10) The Doctrine and Covenants teaches us that in reality the wicked will not be tormented eternally but all punishments have an end. We are told that punishments were made to sound eternal so it would have a greater effect.

This scripture we have just quoted was also written for effect. Those who do not abide the highest celestial law will be separate and single forever as long as they live the lower law. On the other hand, there is eternal progression which means eternal opportunity, and when these angels learn and live the higher law then they will go to the higher kingdom.

They are only confined to a lower kingdom forever and ever as long as they do not abide the higher law.
Joseph Smith taught this very principle and said that all men would eventually return to the presence of God and that there is no such thing as a punishment without an end. (See DHC 4:79)

Let us stretch our minds and try and comprehend some of the concepts Joseph Smith taught and see what direction they take us. As we mentioned Joseph stated over and over that that which has a beginning “as God lives” will have an end, and if a thing endures forever then it could have never had a beginning. He further stated “That which has a beginning will surely have an end...If the soul of man had a beginning it will surely have an end.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Page 181)

“ANYTHING created cannot be eternal.” (DHC 3:387) “The intelligence of spirits never had a beginning neither will it have an end...That which has a beginning may have an end.” (DHC 6:311)

Let us use the Prophet's logic and see where it takes us. We are told that “Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.” (D&C 93:29)  Joseph further stated that at this time our spirits were “co-equal with our Father in heaven.” (DHC 6:311)

When we were with God and “co-equal” with him, how long of a period did we dwell with him? We are told that neither us or God had a beginning, so obviously we were with God for an eternity as indicated in God's word to Adam: “And thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from ALL eternity to ALL eternity.” (Moses 6:67) Remember we are speaking of our intelligence and not the spirit body.

We thus establish from the writings of Joseph Smith that man and God are co-equal and both are from eternity; both had their intelligence together for that infinite period. All things that are created have an end; and that which has no beginning will have no end.

According to Joseph then, was there a beginning to man's union with God?
No.

Therefore, will there ever be a permanent end to man's union with God? Could he ever be eternally separated from him?
No.

According to Joseph was there a beginning point for all men when they were separated from God?
Yes.

Because there was a beginning to the separation does that mean there has to be an end to it?
Yes. Joseph said that if there is a beginning there has to be an end.

Therefore, is the scripture literally true which reads that God “will have ALL men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”? (I Tim 2:4) Does God truly have power to fulfill his will and eventually bring everyone to the knowledge of the truth and back into his presence?

Yes. If Joseph is a prophet this doctrine must be true. According to Joseph's logic if a person has a beginning to his separation from God, then he will have an end. Man has been with God for eternity and eventually he shall be with him for eternity again. Water vapor in the air may condense and fall on the earth, but sooner or later it will evaporate and return to its source, but all the molecules do not return at the same time, each returns in its order.

Ask For A Fish
We are supposed to believe that God is our Father and we are his sons and daughters and that God loves us even more than we love our children. If this is the case then we should examine the good we try to do for our children and then expect that God, being our Father, would do an even greater good for us as his sons and daughters.

If a child fails the first grade do we condemn him to stay in the first grade for all eternity, or even a lifetime? No. We have pity on the child and try and help him as much or more than ever and when he finally attains the second grade we rejoice at his progress.

If an earthly parent is this good in his thoughts then what about God? The scriptures answer:

“Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your father which is in heaven give good gifts to them that ask him?” (Matt 7:9-11)

 We are commanded to “ask and it shall be given you.” (Matt 7:7) This scripture doesn't apply to this life only, but for all eternity. God did not put a limit on it. Therefore if a man in the telestial kingdom asks for the means to go higher, will not God provide a way? If you were with God and that person in the telestial kingdom asking was your son would not you rejoice in providing him with the opportunity to join you? If we are that good in seeking the welfare and progression of our children would God not go one better? Will God give a stone of eternal damnation to a son in the telestial kingdom who seeks to go up?

Are we capable of greater good than God?

But, says one, "God has his hands tied and he is subject to laws." But we ask: What laws are you talking about? Why bind God by laws that do not exist? Where is this law written that we hear rumored about the church and who established it? Would it not have been God? But if it was God why would a loving Father establish such a damning and unjust law?

Alas! We know there is no such law, but such a law is thought up by those who feel secure in their own salvation and exaltation and want to limit opportunity to their own sphere. They are like established doctors and lawyers who are secure in their income and want to establish rules for newcomers so difficult that few will make the grade, thus eliminating competition.

We forget that on God's endless worlds there is room for all and as soon as a man “asks” the opportunity will be given for God “will have all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (I Tim 2:4) “Even so it is NOT THE WILL of your Father which is in heaven that ONE of these little ones should perish.” (Matt 18:14)

People who doubt the scripture will say that God's will is not always done, but they forget that “with God NOTHING shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)  They also forget the prayer of Jesus: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10)

I contend that if it is the will of God that none shall perish, or that all shall eventually be exalted, then nothing can hold back that Will from being accomplished. If God “allotteth unto men according to their wills” (Alma 29:4), then he shall surely be able to fulfill his own will. If God cannot fulfill his own will then you and I have great reason to tremble and fear for he may not have power to save us even if we repent! Behold, the Spirit testifies that God can save and exalt whoever will use his free agency to conform to the appropriate laws, regardless of whether that decision was yesterday, today, or a million years from now.

There is much about the Plan of Salvation that has not yet been clearly revealed as indicated by Joseph Smith: “I have never had the opportunity to give them (the Saints) the plan that God has revealed to me.” (DHC 3:286)

Joseph also said:

“Paul ascended into the third heavens and he could understand the THREE PRINCIPLE ROUNDS of Jacobs ladder - the telestial, the terrestrial, and the celestial glories or kingdoms, when Paul saw and heard things which were not lawful to utter. I COULD EXPLAIN A HUNDREDFOLD MORE THAN I EVER HAVE of the glories of the kingdoms manifested to me in the vision were I permitted and were the people ready to receive them.” (DHC 5:402)

It is very interesting that Jacob's ladder has THREE ROUNDS to it. In other words the three kingdoms are merely three rounds to one ladder that both Jacob and Joseph Smith saw. Jacob's ladder has three groups of steps on it: The three kingdoms. Would God build a ladder with three sets of steps and force his children to stay on the first? If a man has better sense than to do such a thing then surely God does also. The ladder of God would have been made to climb up all the steps each person desires until he reaches the top.

Another question to keep in mind is where does Jacob's ladder take us if the celestial kingdom is the third step? That indicates there is something above the third step for a ladder is merely a bridge that leads us to something higher. We will discuss what is above the celestial in a moment.

I will first give more evidence that the Lord does not always mean “forever” when he says “everlasting”, “eternal”, “perpetual”, “without end”, or “forever”.

We have already elaborated on “eternal damnation”. In another case Moses was told that a slave should serve his master “forever”. Exodus 21:6 Here, of course, he meant until the end of his life. The Lord said that certain ordinances in the law of Moses was to last “forever” (Num 18:19), but of course they did not. The law of sacrifice was to be a perpetual statute (See Leviticus 3:17; 7:34, 36; 16:31). On the other hand, it is not now required. Circumcision also was an everlasting covenant (Gen 17:13), but the law of circumcision is now done away. Since nothing with a beginning can actually last forever the Lord has to speak relatively when using such words.

If you discovered that you or your children did not have a prayer of entering the celestial kingdom on the day of judgement, but may have to go to the terrestrial or telestial, would you not hope that God in his mercy would somehow grant you another opportunity? Actually, very few members of the Church now possess spirits in a celestial condition and if the truth were known of the true percentage that are worthy of the presence of God, the cry would be long and loud for another chance to progress.

Interestingly, Brigham Young taught that even the sons of perdition will have another chance at the celestial kingdom. He said that “They will be THROWN BACK TO THEIR NATIVE ELEMENT from which they originated, to be WORKED OVER AGAIN.” (Journal of Discourses 2:12)

He also said that this process would take “myriads of years” but sooner or later they would be back where they started which would of course mean that they would have another chance at the kingdom of God.

If the son of perdition eventually gets another chance then surely the telestial and terrestrial people will someday move up higher and enter the presence of God.

Celestial Candidates?
If the average church member could be convinced that the chances are that he, in most probability, is not worthy of the celestial glory, then perhaps he would be a bit more open minded to the reality of true eternal progression for all. Let us see the caliber of person we must be to enter that glory. John Taylor said:

“If any man or woman expects to enter into the celestial kingdom of our God without being tested to the very uttermost, they have not understood the Gospel. If there is a weak spot in our nature, or if there is a fiber that can be made to quiver or to shrink, we may rest assured it will be tested.” (The Kingdom Or Nothing by Samuel W. Taylor; Page 345)

How many have been tested to the uttermost or still have a fiber of their being that can be made to quiver? If you are with the majority here then it is off to the telestial or terrestrial kingdom you go. Those who make it as high as the terrestrial will be fortunate, for one must be honorable, honest, and receive a real testimony of Christ to even go there.

Those who go to the celestial glory are to receive a crown. Suppose the angel at the gate asks you what you have done to be worthy of a crown? What will you say?

“I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth? Or do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say -Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth and that he will save you?” Alma 5:16-17

We are also told that we must be “valiant” to go to the celestial kingdom. If the Lord were to ask you what valiant acts you have done, what would you say? How long would be your list? What valiant testimonies have you born? How can you claim a kingdom with Abinadi who stood alone in bearing a testimony at great risk to the wayward church leaders of his day?

We are told that you must be “overcome by faith.” D&C 76:53 Are you overcome by faith? Tell us your deeds that put you in the same class as Nephi, Abinadi, Alma, Mormon, Moroni, Daniel, Noah, Job, Paul, and others who were overcome with such faith. How many do you see in the church about you that are overcome by this faith? Even if you are, is your family? Are you going to have to go to the celestial kingdom alone?

It wouldn't really be heaven if you couldn't have your family would it?

If you have one wayward son, daughter, parent, or friend who is separated from you forever in a lower kingdom with no chance of eternal union how can you still love them and enjoy any type of exaltation for yourself? If the doctrine of eternal separation were true, one would have to deny the pure love of Christ to let oneself have any joy in an exaltation while seeing our loved ones have no hope of joining.
Another qualification of entering the celestial kingdom is to be “sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise.” (D&C 76:53)

 Going to the temple does not fulfill that - only having the Holy Spirit come to you and seal you his does. Has this happened to you? When?

You must be one of those “into whose hands the Father has given all things.” D&C 76:55 Has this happened to you?

We must receive a “manifestation of the Spirit, WHILE IN THE FLESH, (that) they may be able to bear his presence in the world of glory.” (D&C 76:118)

We are told that this is more than a mere warm feeling, but it includes having things revealed to him that is “not lawful for a man to utter.” (Verse 115) These are things “seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (D&C 76:116) Have you received this manifestation? Then how do you expect to enter the world of glory?

Joseph Smith said: “Any person who is exalted to the highest mansion has to abide a celestial law, and the whole law too.” (DHC 6:185) Have you lived the whole law? How about the United Order? How do you expect to hop into obedience to that law in the celestial glory when you have not been tested on earth as to whether or not you can live it?

Did not Joseph say: “To get salvation we must not only do some things, but everything which God has commanded.”? (DHC 6:223) He also said: If a man would attain to the keys of the kingdom of an endless life; he must sacrifice all things.” (DHC 5:555)

Have you sacrificed all things? Look around you. How many fellow church members do you know who are worthy of a celestial glory? Obviously, the scripture is true which states “many are called, but few are chosen.”(D&C 121:34)

Those who now cry the loudest that the less valiant will be damned forever in the lower kingdoms will be the first to find themselves unworthy for the celestial glory, and on their lips will be a prayer hoping that they were wrong about eternal separation and this treatise is correct.

Basic Accepted Truths
Now let us take the truths we see to be self evident and see where they lead us:

1. We acknowledge that God has given to all men and women their free agency. This agency is given not only for time, but for eternity. We have no indication that God will ever take it away, even from the least of souls. God even allows the devil to do what he pleases.

2. All church authorities acknowledge that there is eternal progression within all the kingdoms. Both the telestial and terrestrial persons receive ministers from higher kingdoms (D&C 76:86-88), so they must advance.

3. God, being a loving Father would never forcefully prevent a man from receiving more knowledge, but encourages it through the ministrations mentioned above.

4. We are commanded to “ask and ye shall receive.”

These four statements that are presently accepted by the church can lead to some interesting conclusions indeed.

First, free agency is an eternal principle. We know it existed before we came to the earth because that was what the war in heaven was all about and we also know that Christ will win the fight to establish the principle forever.

Therefore, if a man in the telestial kingdom desires to begin living the higher terrestrial laws, what is to prevent him from exercising his free agency and doing so? After all, they are ministered to by angels. (D&C 76:88) Do you think the angels are teaching them the telestial laws they are already living, or something higher?

This earth is a telestial world. This is acknowledged by authoritative church teachings and is taught in the temple. Do the angels that administer to us teach us earthly laws or something higher?

Something higher, of course.

The terrestrial inhabitants are ministered to by the celestial (D&C 76:87). Now will these celestial people be teaching them the terrestrial laws already being lived, or the higher celestial law? The answer is obvious.

If then a group of telestial people begin living terrestrial laws, they begin to form a terrestrial kingdom; and if a group of terrestrial inhabitants live celestial laws, they begin to form a celestial kingdom. This very principle will be demonstrated on the earth which is now in a telestial state. When enough of us live the terrestrial laws the great millennium will come and the earth will be changed to a terrestrial state. After that Satan is loosed for a short period, and then destroyed; the inhabitants will live celestial laws and the earth will be changed again and become part of the celestial kingdom.

Is it not obvious that when a group of people use their free agency to live the higher laws, that the kingdom they are in is changed? In examining statement two, all people must concede that there is some type of eternal progression for everyone. And what are they progressing to? Of course, everyone wants to become like God. If three people have a goal of reaching a point ten miles away and they are all heading toward it at different rates, then as long as no one gives up they will all arrive there, but at different times.

Obviously, if there is eternal progression for all, then all will eventually reach their goal.

Statement three tells us that God will not stop a person from receiving more knowledge. Joseph Smith said that “A man is saved no faster than he gains knowledge.” He also said: “In knowledge there is power. God has more power than all other beings BECAUSE HE HAS GREATER KNOWLEDGE; and hence he knows how to subject all other beings to him.” (DHC 5:340)

This is indeed interesting. God obtained his power through knowledge. Therefore if we obtained the knowledge of God we could obtain the power of God.

Now we are all gaining knowledge, but at different rates. Let us suppose that at death, John Jones merely had enough knowledge to obtain the telestial kingdom. Even though he obtained the lowest glory, that is no reason to assume that he will not gain more knowledge. Therefore, Mr. Jones will continue to increase in knowledge even though it may be at a slower pace than the inhabitants of the higher kingdoms.

Let us suppose, for instance, that it would take a trillion pieces of knowledge to obtain the knowledge of God necessary for celestial glory. Even if this telestial inhabitant only gains one new piece of knowledge a year, he could still obtain the celestial powers in a trillion years.

Isn't it obvious that if there is, in reality, eternal progression, then all goals are obtainable by everyone? Being eternally damned because of one short lifetime of error is like being refused a higher education and sent to the coal mines for your entire life just because you flunked a one hour exam. Would that be fair? Of course not, yet many say that it is justice to send a man to the telestial kingdom for eternity because he flunked his test in this life, which is less than a minute in relation to eternity. Is common sense yet alive in Israel?

Fourth, we are commanded to ask and we will receive. Now if you were in the celestial kingdom and you had all power, and you had a son in the telestial kingdom and upon visiting him with tears in his eyes asked you to open up the way for him so he could join you in the celestial kingdom, what would you do? If you had all power would you not open the way for your own son? If you, being evil, are that good, would not God equal or better you?

After all did not the Lord say: “There is NO END to my works, neither to my words. For behold, this is my work and my glory -to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:38-39)

The Lord clearly tells us that there is “no end” to his works to bring about our eternal life and the scriptures plainly tell us that part of his work involves an organization of ministering to the terrestrial and telestial kingdoms. Obviously the work of God in the lower kingdoms is for the purpose of bringing about the “immortality and eternal life” of the inhabitants.

Let us at least hope this is the case because church members are clearly taught that we are in the telestial kingdom even now. During the temple ceremony in the telestial room the speaker reveals:

“Brethren and sisters, this room represents the telestial kingdom, OR THE WORLD IN WHICH WE NOW LIVE.”

 In addition, various church leaders in the past have pointed out that the earth is in a telestial state now. If then the place in which we now live is a part of the telestial kingdom, are we going to stay here forever? Do we not have a hope of going to the celestial?

In the temple, members advance from the telestial room to the terrestrial, and finally through the veil to the celestial. Why is there such a ceremony if there is no such advancement from kingdom to kingdom? How the whole church can fail to grasp the meaning of such a simple teaching from the Lord is an amazing thing.

Joseph Smith gave us some startling information about the inhabitants of the terrestrial kingdom: “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death...Many have supposed that the doctrine of translation was a doctrine whereby men were taken immediately into the presence of God, and into an eternal fullness, but this is a mistaken idea. Their place of habitation is that of a TERRESTRIAL ORDER, and a place prepared for such characters he held in reserve to be ministering angels unto many planets...But we shall leave this subject of terrestrial bodies for another time.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Pages 170-171)

This is indeed interesting for we find that a righteous man like Enoch and his people are as yet only in the terrestrial kingdom. Apparently they have not yet made it to the celestial. Is Enoch and his people doomed to the terrestrial kingdom for eternity, or is God going to continue his work and bring about their immortality and eternal life?

If assignments to the various kingdoms is permanent and Enoch has only made it to the terrestrial, how in God's name do members of the church expect to fare better? What great works has any church member done that would cause him to go higher than Enoch?

Obviously Enoch will make it to the celestial kingdom in due time simply because there is progression from kingdom to kingdom.

“But”, says one, “You're talking about circumstances before the resurrection. Things are different afterwards.”

They are? Who told you that? Where is it written? Nowhere does it tell us that movement from kingdom to kingdom will ever cease, but we are told that the works of the Lord are “one eternal round” which indicates an eternal cyclic effort of the Lord to advance all men. The belief that the resurrection changes eternal principles is patterned after tradition similar to the belief patterns of the Lamanites.

Kingdoms Higher Than The Celestial
If the reader still insists that there is no progression from kingdom to kingdom, we would like to see how they explain the following scripture:

“The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim. This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state (the celestial), will be like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummin to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order (the telestial and terrestrial kingdoms), will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ's. Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17 will become a Urim and Thummin to each individual who receives one, whereby THINGS PERTAINING TO A HIGHER ORDER OF KINGDOMS WILL KNOWN; and a white stone is given to each of those who come into the CELESTIAL KINGDOM.” (D&C 130:8-11)

What's this? Higher kingdoms than the celestial?!

Nonsense, you say. But how do you explain the scripture where it is written as plain as the nose on your face? If you still maintain there is no progression from kingdom to kingdom, then you are damning yourself to at least the celestial where you will not be permitted to attain the “higher order of kingdoms.”

We are plainly told that those who live the new and everlasting covenant will not merely inherit one kingdom, but many: “Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms (Plural), principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths.” (D&C 132:19)

Just as Enoch left the telestial and is now in the terrestrial and waiting to go to the celestial and then to the “higher order of kingdoms,” so are we who keep the new and everlasting covenant promised that we shall inherit “kingdomS”. We are not destined to go to one kingdom, but through many. Now we see why Jacob's ladder had a kingdom for each set of steps and how we will eventually go up many steps. How can one claim to believe the scriptures and deny this?

It looks like they will also have to deny the words of Joseph, the prophet:

“What did Jesus do? Why I do the things I saw my Father do when worlds came rolling into existence. My Father worked out his kingdom with fear and trembling, and I must do the same; and when I get my kingdom, I shall present it to my Father, so that he may obtain kingdom upon kingdom, and it will exalt him in glory. He will then take a HIGHER EXALTATION, and I will take his place, and thereby become exalted myself.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Pages 347-8)

The prophet also said: “Paul saw the third heavens AND I MORE.” (DHC 5:392) If Joseph saw more than the third heaven (or the celestial kingdom) then there must be a forth, a fifth, and probably more, for do we not believe in eternal progression? Do we not believe that if there is a beginning to our entering the celestial or third kingdom, then there must be an end? Someday there will be an end to our stay in whatever kingdom we are assigned and go on to the “higher order of kingdoms,” worlds without end.

In speaking of the higher kingdoms Joseph said: “Many persons think a prophet must be a good deal better than anybody else. Suppose I would condescend - yes, I will call it condescend, to be a great deal better than any of you. I would be RAISED TO THE HIGHEST HEAVEN; and who should I have to accompany me?” (DHC 5:401)

What was this highest heaven where there would be no one to accompany the Prophet? It was not the celestial kingdom, for that was the goal of the saints, and Joseph expected company there. He knew of higher orders of kingdoms to which none of the saints could yet obtain.

Are we going to continue to damn ourselves by clinging to the selfish, ungodlike, separative belief that each individual is doomed forever to his assigned kingdom after the resurrection? Even if we make it to the celestial do we want our progression to higher kingdoms damned by such a belief? After all, we are told that “as a man thinketh in his heart SO IS HE.” (Proverbs 23:7) If you think your progression is damned or ended, then it will be.

Isn't it obvious to the mind as well as the heart that God allows all to progress in both time and eternity according to their labor and desire? The challenge goes out to all in harmony with the words of the prophet Joseph: “The scriptures say it, and I defy all the learning and wisdom and all the combined powers of earth and hell together to refute it.”

This challenge can be made on any truth. As Joseph said: “truth will cut its own way”. Once a truth is presented in an enlightened manner, it will then forever on hold its own, for those who have the Spirit will discern it and create a nucleus of light which will eventually enlighten all.

Remember to apply Moroni 10:4-5.

Copyright J.J. Dewey, used with permission.

(To continue on to chapter eleven, click here.)

[A note from Rock about leaving comments: Many readers have posted as "Anonymous" even though they don't wish to, only because they see no other option. If you don't have a Google, Wordpress, or other username among those listed, you can enter a username in the dropdown box that reads "Name/URL."  Put your name in the "Name" box, ignore the request for a URL, and you should be good to go.

I have a pretty firm policy of never censoring or deleting comments.  If your comment does not immediately appear, it probably means it is being held in the spam filter, which seems to lock in arbitrarily on some posts for reasons I can't fathom.  If you have submitted a comment and it doesn't immediately show up, give me a nudge at RockWaterman@gmail.com and I'll knock it loose. -Rock]