Codex of Heaven and One Eternal Round

The word of God is not a divine quote book of things that God happens to have said by chance. The course of God is one eternal round.¹ What does this mean? Our phase of the plan of salvation, beginning with the fall of Adam and ending with Christ turning over the subdued creation to Heavenly Father, is a set of circumstances that can be viewed as a station in an automated factory. Every widget that comes across the belt is subjected to the same exact process. In this case, the robot is God, and the current Heavenly Father will be replaced by his successor, Jesus Christ, at the end of this round, who will do exactly what his Father did before him. Consider the following verses. "Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is one eternal round, the same today as yesterday, and forever."² Why is "he" the same today, yesterday, and forever? Well, whoever is in his role does the same thing in our course (our phase of the plan of salvation) without deviation. There is no other way to bring matter in a pre-existent state of organization to matter in the state of exaltation. As we are told, the plan is pre-defined:

For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round. (D&C 3:2)

And again,

I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round. (Alma 7:20)

Nephi explains this process duplisitically:

For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round. (1 Nephi 10:19)

Nephi's reasoning fits ancient times of old in the earthy scope as well as pre-existent times, and times to come on earth as well as times to come after earth.

The ascent of Gods is iterative. Each iteration of what we know as the creation is the same. Jesus said that "...the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."³ Joseph, remarking about this verse, said,

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. (HC 6:306)

So the Son treads the path of the Father. This is why Jesus could be told everything he would have to do as the Savior. This is how Satan knew ahead of time that Adam and Eve had to partake of the fruit as "on other worlds." Having proven that future iterations are repetitive, we must still show that past ones were as well. Abraham wrote,

...the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all. (Abraham 3:19)

Commenting on this verse, Joseph remarked:

[Suppose we have] two men on the earth, one wiser than the other, [that] would logically show that another who is wiser than the wisest may exist. Intelligences exist one above another, so that there is no end to them. (HC 6:476)

He explained,

If Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and John discovered that God the Father of Jesus Christ had a Father, you may suppose that He had a Father also. Where was there ever a son without a father? And where was there ever a father without first being a son?. If Jesus had a Father, can we not believe He had a Father also? (HC 6:476)

This is why the Lord's course is one eternal round.

With this definition of "one eternal round" in mind, it becomes clear that the word of God is a finite set of words that compose God's law in our present scope of existence. They are not only non-arbitrary, but they are pre-defined, like an instruction manual for this phase of the creation. The words that the Father speaks and that the son is given to speak are exactly the same in every iteration of creation. This is why Joseph could speak of the revelations being a "transcript from the records of the eternal world."⁴ The record of the eternal world is the codex of the word of God for our phase of this iteration of creation. Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost is the record of heaven. God's word to us consists of excerpts from that record.⁵

Besides the scriptural references to the eternal round, we have another evidence for the heavenly codex concept in a teaching from Joseph Smith. He taught that God had the foreknowledge to know exactly what to reveal to men:

The God of heaven understanding most perfectly the constitution of human nature, and the weakness of men, knew what was necessary to be revealed, and what ideas must be planted in their minds in order that they might be enabled to exercise faith in him unto eternal life. (Lectures on Faith 4:2)

A strong witness to this principle is found in observations about the words of both angels and prophets. We find that angels, whenever they appear, speak scripture. Why is that? Why does God choose to repeat himself ? Why does Christ himself quote scripture when he appears, as he did to Joseph, the Nephites, and all through his mortal ministry to the Jews? It is because the scriptures are not the work of the writers. Inasmuch as they are the word of God, they are merely quotes from the record of heaven. In other words, Jesus, angels, and prophets are all citing the same "book." For this reason, we get almost identical scriptures given by prophets who never interacted with each other. Jesus gives the same sermon to both the Jews and the Nephites. Micah and Isaiah speak of the "mountain of the Lord's house." Mormon and Paul give almost the exact same observations about faith.⁶ This pattern goes on and on:

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (Matthew 3:10)

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

And again I say unto you, the Spirit saith: Behold, the ax is laid at the root of the tree; therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire, yea, a fire which cannot be consumed, even an unquenchable fire. Behold, and remember, the Holy One hath spoken it. (Alma 5:52) Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen. (Mosiah 5:15)

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. (Malachi 4:1)

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. (1 Corinthians 12)

For behold, saith the prophet, the time cometh speedily that Satan shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men; for the day soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned. (1 Nephi 22:15)

For behold, to one is given by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom; And to another, that he may teach the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; And to another, exceedingly great faith; and to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; And again, to another, that he may work mighty miracles; And again, to another, that he may prophesy concerning all things; (Moroni 10)

Opponents would claim that these scriptures are examples of plagiarism. They are right, but not in the way they intend. The words are all taken from the same source-the record of heaven.

The idea that God's word consists of an explicit codex that is the same from eternal round to eternal round and consists of everything necessary for salvation ought to give us pause. It ought to add to the significance of what God has already said to us, say, in the scriptures. It ought to add to the distinction that we can make between the words of God and the words of men, and show that they are not interchangable or even comparable due, if for no other reason, to their genesis.

However, there is a deeper difference, which makes more significant the need for God to know what words are necessary for us to secure eternal life. Let us consider the effects of the word of God on the soul.