From the Throne of God

"...which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things." - D&C 88:13

The LDS endowment ceremony teaches us the preeminence of God's word. It is God's word that causes the organization of our world,¹ as well as all things that occupy it. It is God's word that causes a man's sins to be forgiven. It is obedience to God's word that sanctifies man. It is God's word that brings a man back into God's presence.

Throughout the endowment, we are exposed to a system for the distribution of God's word. We see Heavenly Father speaking to Jesus Christ. We see Jesus Christ speaking to angels. We see angels speaking to men. Through each messenger, the word of God remains true to its original content. Neither Jesus nor his angels add to, take away from, or modify the message they receive. There is not an individual in that series who is authorized to remove from, alter, or invent, even when the chain is augmented by adding a final link of a human messenger. Were removal, modification, or invention to occur, the changed portion would cease to be God's word and there would be no power in it. All happiness is found in the word of God.²

The Lord commands us to heed his word:

And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God. (D&C 98:11)

It is exceedingly important for us to obey this commandment. After all, the righteous are not those who profess a particular creed or are members of a particular culture, but those who serve God.³ To serve God, one must seek, discern, and heed his word. Understanding the origin of God's word, where we receive it from, and how we receive it is essential to being counted among the righteous. This chapter explores just how the word proceeds forth from the mouth of God.

Jesus Christ

The first few verses of John in the King James Bible read,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3)

The Inspired Version reads:

In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made which was made. In him was the gospel, and the gospel was the life, and the life was the light of men; (John 1:1-4, Inspired Version)

There is an alternate translation that reads, "in the ruling council there was a spokesman, and the spokesman was among the gods, and the spokesman was a god."⁴

The concept of Jesus Christ as God's messenger is in accordance with what we know through Joseph's revelations about the premortal council of the gods.

I shall comment on the very first Hebrew word in the Bible....It read first, "The head one of the Gods brought forth the Gods." That is the true meaning of the words. In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it. (TPJS, p. 349)

John described the Savior's role by saying:

And he bore record, saying: I saw his glory, that he was in the beginning, before the world was; Therefore, in the beginning the Word was, for he was the Word, even the messenger of salvation- The light and the Redeemer of the world; the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men. (D&C 93:7-9)

All of these scriptures teach us that Jesus Christ is the spokesperson for Heavenly Father. With exceedingly few exceptions,⁵ most of the recorded words of the Father in the scriptures came through Christ. Significantly, the Father calls the Son the word of his power: "And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth."⁶ All of God's power that we experience is a result of his word flowing through Jesus Christ.

Man can come to the point where he receives God's word directly from Christ face to face as Moses did. He can come to the point where he walks with Christ as Enoch did. This point is always preceded by the occasional receipt of the voice of Christ. The scriptures are full of examples of Jesus dispensing the word of Heavenly Father to end recipients such as Joseph Smith and his associates, the brother of Jared, Moses, Enoch, and many many others. However, not all of God's word is delivered to the end recipient directly through Christ. The purpose of the Holy Ghost, angels, and human messengers is to bring a man to the point where he can converse with Jesus face to face. Until then, Jesus dispenses his word through the Holy Ghost, angels and men.

Angels

Christ has charge over the angels. He assigns them to send his words forth to men.

And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned. (Alma 32:23)

And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfill and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him. (Moroni 7:31)

In scriptural instances where God has shown people his throne, we have the common description of the throne being surrounded by angels. Lehi says that God's throne is surrounded by "numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God."⁷ Alma Jr.'s description of the throne concurs with Lehi's: "I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels..."⁸. John also describes angels surrounding the throne.⁹ These are the agents of transmission of God's word from Christ to men.

Recipients of angels do not need to have any church office or responsibility. The people of Lamoni's court-common folks in both the ecclesiastic as well as civic sense-saw angels and conversed with them, and were taught things of God (see Alma 19:34). Prisoners in jail with Nephi and Lehi also were taught by angels (see Helaman 5:48). Women and children can receive angels just as readily as men: "And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also." (Alma 32:23).

As God's words do not cease, God's angels do not cease to minister. "And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men."¹⁰ Angels are just as vital to the transmittence of God's word today as they ever have been.

Holy Ghost

The word of the Lord comes to men by the Holy Ghost.¹¹ Nephi taught that "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."¹² There is much to this verse. Does the power of the Holy Ghost give angels what to say, such as it does when a preacher is preaching by the Holy Ghost? In other words, is it the medium by which the words of Christ flow to the recipient through the angel, like a straw is the means whereby liquid travels into the mouth of the user? Or, is it the means by which the individual receives the words of Christ delivered by an angel, just as we receive mortal communications through our eyes or ears? There are scriptures that support both applications.

Moroni teaches that the Lord intends for the content of meetings in the church to be indicated by the power of the Holy Ghost.¹³ In this sense, the power of the Holy Ghost is able to tell you what to say or do. Therefore, if angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, they are told what to say via the Holy Ghost.

Nephi says that "when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men."¹⁴ Therefore, the Holy Ghost can be the medium of delivery from the angel to the man.

Nephi also tells us that it was through the power of the Holy Ghost that he received his visions.

And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father...I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men. (1 Nephi 10:17)

His visions were seen not with his mortal eyes, but with his spritual eyes. It was received by the Holy Ghost within him.

The Holy Ghost is the mind of God. "Not a desire, act, wish, or thought does the Holy Ghost indulge in contrary to that which is dictated by the Father."¹⁵ As symbolically presented in the endowment ceremony, the Lord, through his mind-the spirit of God-transmits messages to and through angels into the spirits of the recipients. Sometimes these messengers are visible, and sometimes they are not. Sometimes they are heard, and sometimes they are felt. Sometimes they come when the recipient is awake, and sometimes when the recipient is asleep. Many times, recipients are not able to receive angels, and so God amply puts to use human messengers.

Man

During his mortal ministry, Jesus provided the perfect example of a righteous mortal messenger of God's word. Of his message he said, "the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me."¹⁶ God transmits his word through Christ to angels to true messengers. The message is always limited to God's word.

John was also a messenger. In his vision,

...the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. (Revelation 10:8-11)

John delivered God's words as they were delivered to him. John understood that, as Joseph Smith taught, "God will not acknowledge that which He has not called, ordained, and chosen."

Ezekiel saw the throne and was told by God: "Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll."¹⁷ God delivered to Ezekiel all the words that he wanted Ezekiel to say to Israel. Ezekiel was not authorized to speak his mind, nor improvise. If he had, all those words which were his own would have fallen to the earth null and void. However, because Ezekiel was given God's word, he could be assured that God's authority backed his words. He was a messenger.

Every true messenger in scripture was commanded by God to give a set message-from Samuel the Lamanite and King Benjamin, whose message was given by angels, to the Savior himself, who spoke only what Heavenly Father told him to speak.

Conclusion

Jesus taught that he is the true vine. He is the root that connects us to the Father. Without him, we are nothing.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15:1-6)

The nutrients of a vine flow from its root. We receive nourishment from God's word through Christ. Inasmuch as we seek after and accept that word, we are grafted into the true vine;¹⁸ we abide in him; we bear the fruits of his word. However, inasmuch as we do not seek and accept his word, we become withered, devoid of nourishment. Here Jesus alludes to the time when those who have not made a sure connection with God through his word will be gathered by the angels and burned.¹⁹ As Jesus states, without the word of God, we are nothing. This is because everything of worth has to come as a result of the acceptation of words transmitted from God's throne through some combination of Christ, angels, and men to the recipient. Most are aware that salvation can only come through Christ's word, but how many realize that anything that will endure past his coming must also be by his word, or it shall be "shaken and destroyed"?²⁰

We ought to give pause to these subjects, perhaps among the most important in the gospel. Treating lightly God's word, which certainly includes misunderstanding what it is and what it isn't, was described by Nephi as trampling God under our feet.

`And by this you may know they are under the bondage of sin, because they come not unto me. For whoso cometh not unto me is under the bondage of sin. And whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me. And by this you may know the righteous from the wicked, and that the whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now. (D&C 84:50-53)

This condition, God said, is due to "treating lightly the things [we] have received."²¹ Thus we read the admonition of Jacob:

Behold, great and marvelous are the works of the Lord. How unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that man should find out all his ways. And no man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God. For behold, by the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word. Wherefore, if God being able to speak and the world was, and to speak and man was created, O then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon the face of it, according to his will and pleasure? Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works. (Jacob 4:8-10)

Jacob reminds us that God has all power, that his word is the device of his power, and that revelation is the means appointed to receive his word. He suggests that the logical conclusion of an understanding of these facts is to seek and heed God's word. The rest of the book is dedicated to the same purpose as Jacob's. I sincerely hope it is of service to you in your journey back to God.