All About Family

       I love the ideas about family in a small set of verses in the Book of Isaiah:
      “And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
      “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in." (Isaiah 58:11-12)
      In our Lewis family, we often recite what we call our Lewis Family Creed: “We seek successive generations of grandparents, parents and children who are grounded in the Gospel of Christ and sealed in his holy temple.”  Here is the original Lewis Family Creed in its full form: “Raise up the foundation of many generations.  We seek successive generations of grandparents, parents, and children who are grounded, rooted, settled, and established (Ephesians 3:16-19) in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and sealed in His Holy Temple.”
      To “raise up the foundations of many generations”, have the faith and courage to marry and build a family.  Find your Rebecca or your Isaac (Julie Beck CES talk, Aug. 4, 2009), who is your eternal marriage and family partner.  Try your best to establish and possess a family culture which emphasizes Godly qualities such as compassion, appreciation, and forgiveness (Elder Bragg 2017 Conference talk) and in which people thrive and are motivated to be their best.
      Sometimes people wander away from the way of God.  If needed in your generation, be an Abraham or Sarah and seek again, for your own family, “the blessings of the fathers” and your “appointment unto the priesthood.” (Abraham 1:2,4)   
      Sometimes families fracture or sever relationships.  Be a “repairer of the breach” in your family and establish and maintain caring, supportive relationships with all.  
      In some families, bad choices are learned and repeated in successive generations.  Be a “restorer of paths to dwell in” by erasing toxic practices or attitudes in your family line in your generation.

On Our Progress Toward Eternity, the Gardening Metaphor

    I have come to believe that there are two components or levels that exist in the relationship we have as individuals with our Heavenly Father and our standing with Him.  I see this as analogous to growing a garden.  
    First, in a garden one must prepare the soil including pulling or removing weeds that may encroach upon the garden space.  In a characterlogical sense, pulling weeds might be called repentance.  The initial process for our coming to God is to arrive at a belief in him and his commandments, recognize those areas in which we fall short, make needed changes (repentance), and be baptized.  This step entitles us to membership in His Church, to the forgiveness for the sins we have committed, and to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  The Holy Ghost will then confirm the remission of our sins and bless us in a great many other ways, including support for all the steps in our progress toward God.
    We will never outgrow the need to continue to pull weeds (repent) as we make mistakes or as we deepen our understanding of Heavenly Father’s commandments.  And as we do this, the companionship of the Holy Ghost will continue with us and testify of our continuing standing with God as being in a state of grace or forgiveness.
    This initial step on the strait and narrow path is foundational for all other kinds of spiritual growth.  It is described by the prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon as planting the seed of faith (Alma 32:28) and confirming that this was a “good seed” (Alma 32:30-32).  But that is just a successful beginning.  According to Alma, there is a second process that the gardener must undertake to reap the fruit of this initial planting.  Otherwise, “if you neglect the tree and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root, and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it... it withers away and ye pluck it up and cast it out.” (Alma 32:38)
    So, there exists a second process that is required so as create “a tree springing up unto everlasting life,” in order for us to reap and feast upon the fruit of our spiritual gardening.
     “But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
     “And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.” (Alma 32:41-42)
    This is the process of full salvation (or better stated, exaltation), the progressive development available to each of us to become “a just and holy being,” as Joseph Smith taught in the Lectures on Faith.  It is learning how to become “partakers in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), and to acquire the very characteristics of Christ, “but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3, also see Moroni 7:48)
    There is often a difference in the way that these two processes are expressed.  The first might be thought of as represented by the Ten Commandments, the majority of which are presented as “Thou Shalt Nots,” while the second is generally stated more positively as “Thou Shalts”, succinctly defined by Christ as the Great Commandment, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart...[and] thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matt 22:37-39).  This difference is suggestive of the Mosaic law as opposed to the higher law of Christ and also of the distinction between the Aaronic priesthood or preparatory gospel and that which is administered by the Melchizedek priesthood:
     “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.
     “Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
     “And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
     “For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.”  (D&C 84:19-22)
    Regarding the second process, there are specific laws and principles which allow us to master and incorporate into our very being the essential characteristics that encompass the two broad Thou Shalts of the Great Commandment.  These detailed instructions are found in the principles or laws, ordinances and covenants of our temple endowment.  President Ezra Taft Benson has taught, “The celestial kingdom, residence of God, our Eternal Father, is comprised of men and women who have complied with divine law...  They are just men [and women] made perfect through the mediation and atonement of Jesus Christ... They are obedient to celestial law...  Celestial laws, embodied in certain ordinances belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, are complied with by voluntary covenants.  The laws are spiritual.  Thus, our Father in Heaven has ordained certain holy sanctuaries, called temples, in which these laws may be fully explained, the laws include the law of obedience and sacrifice, the law of the gospel, the law of chastity, and the law of consecration.” (Ezra Taft Benson, A Vision and Hope for the Youth of Zion, April 12, 1977 BYU address)
    So, the progressive mastery of these highest celestial laws, aided by the Spirit and supported by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, constitute the second component of our progress toward a divine destiny.  In our quest for spiritual development and progress, we must both pull the weeds that sprout and grow in our personal garden and we must also plant and nourish our tree of eternal life.

Some Speculations about Our Temple Endowment

     I have concluded that our temple endowment is very important and is designed by our leaders under inspiration to provide the necessary and sufficient tools, understanding, and most importantly, the spiritual growth required to become Christ-like and live ultimately in celestial glory.  Along with temple sealings, these Melchizedek Priesthood ordinances manifest and are enabling to us to access the power of godliness (D & C 84:19-21).  The high celestial laws associated with covenants of the endowment ceremony are the very attributes of Christ that will allow us to live eternally with him.
     These temple ordinances have been a regular part of the spiritual offering of the restored Church since its early history and been administered to thousand, perhaps millions, of living persons and also for many more individuals who have died.  There is a  question one might ask about prophets ancient and more modern as to how they themselves participated in and perhaps acquired the understanding to administer these ordinances which we understand to be essential.  This especially might be asked in regard to prophets who were heads or instigators of new dispensations or who lived as many of the Old Testament prophets did in a time when the Aaronic Priesthood administered the Church, making the Melchizedek Priesthood ordinances and instruction to not be routinely available though the currently existing Church structure.  Most of the ideas that follow come from a presentation by Stephen Smoot in a 2021 Interpreter Foundation conference on the Book of Moses.
     1. The Divine Council, Heavenly Ascension, and other prophetic Revelatory Experiences
     Ancient Israelites believed that God resided in heaven, surrounded by his heavenly council, a variety of heavenly beings, sons of god (Psalms 89:7, Job 38:7), gods (Psalms 58:1, 82:1, 97:7, 138:1), the stars (38:7), members of the council of God (Job 15:8), members of the assembly of holy ones (Psalms 89:5-6, Job 5:1), and angels.
     The divine council in ancient Israel could admit mortal prophets with whom were shared heavenly secrets (Amos 3:7) and with whom God consulted regarding earthly affairs or commissions to carry out the will of the council (Gen. 1:26, I Kings 22:19-23, Job 1-2, 15:8, Psalms 82, Isaiah 6:1-8).  In becoming members of God’s council, Old Testament prophets become in effect angels (messengers).  Several prophets experienced divine theophanies or “heavenly ascension” experiences that introduced them into the divine council: Micaiah (1 Kings 22), Isaiah (Isaiah 6), Zechariah (Zechariah 1,3), Daniel (Daniel 7-8), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:16-22).  
     Some of the “heavenly ascensions” of these prophets occurred on or from “exceedingly high mountains” (for example, see Moses 1:1, 1 Nephi 11).  Also see the Mount of Transfiguration experience of the former-day First Presidency Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17).  The scriptures identify other intense but parallel experiences of ancient prophets , Abraham (several occasions Abraham 1, 3, 4), Jacob (being shown the heavenly ladder/staircase/covenant path, Genesis 28), Lehi (1 Nephi 1), Nephi (1 Nephi 11-14).  Recognize that it was not unusual for prophets to not provide all the details of their  revelatory experiences (see for example 1 Nephi 14:25-30), so many details and specifics of the experiences may have been withheld.
     The prophet Joseph Smith referenced such a divine council in his King Follett discourse, “The head God brought forth the Gods in grand council... The grand counsellors sat in yonder heavens, and contemplated the creation of worlds that were created at that time.”  There are references to such a council in each of our standard works, although we might believe that the purposes and membership of the council might differ from the ancient Israelite view, in that at the large pre-mortal council just prior to the start of our earth we all participated and sustained the Father’s plan for mortal life.
      2. The Divine Council and Heavenly Ascensions in relation to the temple
      The Divine Council and prophetic Heavenly Ascension experiences were both symbolically linked to the temple in ancient temple rituals.  These tended to portray a figurative journey into the presence of God.  Elder Bruce R. Mcconkie’s Temple doctrine of “Three Pillars of Eternity”:
1) Understanding the Creation of this world
2) Understanding the Fall, and the challenges, purposes, and blessings of mortal life.
3) Accessing the Atonement of Christ, including instruction and covenants to lead us in the process of mastering the specific celestial laws or principles that will enable us to grow to be like Christ and achieve exaltation and eternal life.
     John Welsh and other scholars have suggested that there are also scriptural passages that specifically cover these three Pillars of Eternity.  They have called the passages “Temple Texts”.
Specific examples are 1) the Book of Moses in the Pearl of  Great Price, 2) Christ’s sermon at the Temple in 3 Nephi 12-14, and 3) King Benjamin’s sermon at the temple recorded in Mosiah 2-5.
     Brother Smoot suggests that these prophetic Divine Council or Heavenly Ascension experiences might include or serve as an ancient counterpart to the our current temple endowment and described them using the term “proto-endowment”, “Proto”, meaning original, earliest or foremost model.
     3. Was the First Vision a proto-endowment for Joseph Smith in some sense?
     Note that in the 1835 account of Joseph’s First Vision, when he received his prophetic call, he described seeing many angels in addition to the Father and the Son.  
     It seems reasonable that Joseph would have received the Three Pillars instruction and preparation.