D&C 76:20-29

76:20-24 - Here we start the section that DJR entitles “The Glory of the Son.” JS says that “the Lord touched the eyes of our understanding and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about.” They saw Jesus standing on the right hand of his Father, the holy angels, worshipping God.” I really like the comments that DJR makes here because this mirrors the thoughts that I have had. He says “The idea in the scriptures of worshipping God ‘forever and ever’ is often misunderstood. It has caused some to wonder if they even want to go to heaven. It conjures up visions of standing on clouds, playing harps forever, and becoming terribly bored. However, when we realize that ‘worshipping God’ includes doing things that bring Him honor and glory, such as serving others, even creating our own worlds and using the same Plan of Salvation for our spirit children that He used for us, the term ‘worship’ becomes exciting and fascinating, the complete opposite of boredom.” I thought that I was the worst person in the world for thinking that “worshipping God forever and ever” the way that DJR initially described it, sounded like an awful existence. This is actually a very validating moment for me. Small victories. JS gives a powerful testimony of Christ saying, “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God;… That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created.” The IM teaches, “This testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon is a modern witness of the reality of the existence of the Father and the Son. Joseph and Sidney not only saw but heard, and their testimonies stand as a witness to all people. The phrase ‘last of all’ is explained by Smith and Sjodahl as follows: ‘This is the last testimony to the fact that He lives, a resurrected and glorified Being; not the final testimony but the last up to the time of this vision.’ Elder Bruce R. McConkie, commenting on Jesus as the Creator, said that ‘our Lord’s jurisdiction and power extended far beyond the limits of this one small earth on which we dwell. He is, under the Father, the Creator of worlds without number… Those who have ears to hear, find this doctrine taught in the following scripture: (D&C 76:20-24)/ In addition to the plain meaning of this passage, we have an explanation of it given by the Prophet Joseph Smith. He paraphrased, in poetical rhyme, the entire record of the Vision, and his words covering this portion were: ‘…And I heard a great voice bearing record from heav’n, He’s the Saviour and Only Begotten of God; by him, of him, and through him, the worlds were all made, Even all that careen in the heavens so broad.’”  

76:25-29 - The next portion is entitled “The Fall of Lucifer.” I wondered why the Lord would start with this subject instead of starting with the celestial kingdom, but after thinking about it, this gives a foundation of understanding of the opposition in all things, the purpose of it and the results of it. JS says that they saw “an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of god, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son… was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son.” The IM teaches, “President George Q. Cannon, commenting on Satan’s title as a son of the morning, said: ‘Some have called him the son of the morning, but here it is a son of the morning- one among, many doubtless. This angel was a mighty personage, without doubt. The record that is given to us concerning him clearly shows that he occupied a very high position; that he was thought a great deal of, and that he was mighty in his sphere, so much so that when the matter was debated concerning the earth and the plan of salvation, he was of sufficient importance to have a plan, which he proposed as the plan by which this earth should be peopled and the inhabitants thereof redeemed. His plan, however, was not accepted; but it was so plausible and so attractive that out of the whole hosts of heaven one-third accepted his plan and were willing to cast their lot with him. Now, the difference between Jesus and Lucifer was this: Jesus was willing to submit to the Father.’” I think that a lot of us can relate to Lucifer’s concept of making our choices for us and having us be obedient so that we don’t experience pain. I say that because we all see other people making terrible choices and think “that’s so stupid! Don’t do that, you’re ruining your life.” And we want to force them to make the right choice, but we feel this way because we love them and know the misery that is waiting for them and we want to spare them that heart ache. But Lucifer’s motivation wasn’t love, though he has made us believe that it was, he didn’t want to spare us pain or to ensure our happiness. His motivation was power and control, he wanted slaves, he wanted people to worship him and be recognized and revered, and that’s the part of the plan that he has cleverly kept hidden from us. The revelation continues that Lucifer “was called perdition, for the heavens wept over him… and lo, he is fallen! Is fallen, even a son of the morning!... we beheld Satan, that old serpent, even the devil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our God and his Christ- Wherefore, he maketh war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about.” There’s a part in my patriarchal blessing that talks about the war in heaven, about the people who were on the fence about who to follow and my part in that conversation, and the more I think about that, I think that if I was involved in persuading some to stay with Heavenly Father, then there must have been some who I couldn’t persuade, that there must have been those that I loved who turned away. And while I thought about it, I imagined what it must have been like to watch the exodus of spirits who followed Satan, I don’t think that it would have been possible to be present for that and not have it be an absolutely heart wrenching experience, probably one of the worst things I’ve experienced in my whole existence, and honestly, I’m glad that I can’t remember. Imagine the all-encompassing pain that that moment caused the Savior during the atonement. The IM teaches, “Lucifer’s name means ‘light bearer’ or ‘shining one.’ The word perdition means ‘loss or destruction.’ Lucifer fell from his position as a glorious being to a position of utter loss and destruction. Knowing that one of Satan’s names is Perdition helps us understand the title ‘son of perdition.” When the revelation says that Satan “maketh war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about,” the IM says, “This verse warns that Satan will seek to make war with the Saints. Although Satan has great power, it is limited. The Prophet Joseph Smith stated: ‘There are three independent principles; the Spirit of God, the spirit of man, and the spirit of the devil. All men have power to resist the devil. They who have tabernacles, have power over those who have not.’ President George Q. Cannon testified that every man has power enough to resist Satan. ‘The Lord our God has sent us here to get experience in these things so that we may know the good from the evil and be able to closer our hearts against the evil… It is true that some have greater power of resistance than others, but everyone has the power to close his heart against doubt, against darkness, against unbelief, against depression, against anger, against hatred, against jealousy, against malice, against envy. God has given this power unto all of us, and we can gain still greater power by calling upon Him for that which we lack. If it were not so, how could we be condemned for giving way to wrong influences? There could be no condemnation for our wrong doing what we could not help; but we can help yielding to wrong influences and being quarrelsome and selfish. We can help giving way to the spirit of theft, and we can resist the spirit of lust. God has given us power to resist these things, that our hearts may be kept free from them and also from doubt; and when Satan comes and assails us, it is our privilege to say ‘Get thee behind me, Satan, for I have no lot nor portion in you, and you have no part in me. I am in the service of God, and I am going to serve Him, and you can do what you please. It is no use you presenting yourself with your blandishments to me. You come and try to insinuate into my heart evil thoughts about the servants of God or about the world of God, and I will not listen to you; I will close my heart against you… Whenever darkness fills our minds, we may know that we are not possessed of the Spirit of God, and we must get rid of it. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, we are filled with joy, with peace and with happiness no matter what our circumstances may be; for it is a spirit of cheerfulness and of happiness.’” I love this, and I think that it’s so fitting for what’s going on in the Church right now, with the new policy changes, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect about them and what they really mean. The point of this life isn’t to fall in love, the point of this life is to learn to be obedient, to learn to serve others, to learn how to love like the Savior loves. If we pursue these endeavors and we happen to find someone to fall in love with who shares the same goals, the same love of God and the gospel, then added bonus. The concept that “you don’t choose who you love,” might be true, but you sure can choose who you spend your time with, who you invest in emotionally. Does that person help you become closer to the Savior? Does that person meet the criteria that God set forth? And what if you can’t find a person to fit those requirements in this life time, like is very likely to be the case for me? Am I doomed to misery in this life because I probably will be single for the rest of my mortal life? Not at all. Like Elder Cannon said here, the spirit of God is cheerfulness and happiness regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. I will be treasured by a priesthood honoring man who I marry in the temple, or I will be single, and either way is fine because I will be happy and live a fulfilling life, because I know that a significant other doesn’t make that happen, a relationship with Jesus Christ does. He’s showed me how I can have an amazing experience in mortality, regardless of whether or not I’m single or married, and I intend on living that way with the Savior by my side regardless of what else happens. And I’m grateful for the opportunity.