Alma 38:9

And now, my son, I have told you this that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn of me that there is ^ano other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold, he is the life and the ^blight of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and ^crighteousness.

April: Through Jesus Christ, We Can be Cleansed of Sin

April is the time when we all celebrate Easter, a time to remember Jesus Christ's atonement for us. The atonement of Jesus Christ includes his suffering in Gethsemane, his death on the cross, and his triumphant resurrection. Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can be saved from physical and spiritual death, and we can be cleansed from sin.

During our life on earth, we will all make mistakes. This is inevitable. However, these mistakes need to be recompensed somehow, as the scriptures teach us that "no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of God" (see 1 Nephi 10:21 ) If the Saviour did not perform the atonement for us, we would still have had to make up for our mistakes, and we would never have been able to return to our Heavenly Father's presence. The Saviour had agreed from the beginning to take upon himself our sins, so that we will have the opportunity to repent of our sins and become clean again.

However, just because the Saviour took upon himself our sins, that does not mean that we no longer have any responsibilities. The Saviour has bought us with a price, and we must show our gratitude to him by believing in him and keeping his commandments, repenting when we have done something wrong, following in his footsteps by being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and staying true and faithful to the end of our lives.

In the next few months we will be learning more about Christ's gospel, and how Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End are so important for us in this life.

For more information on how Christ's atonement cleanses us from sin, please click here.

The Telestial Kingdom (D&C 76:81 - 88)

And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament.

These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus.

These are they who deny not the Holy spirit.

These are they who are thrust down to hell.

These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb, shall have finished his work.

These are they who receive not of his fulness in the eternal world, but of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial.

And the terrestrial through the ministration of the celestial.

And also the telestial receive it of the administering of angels who are appointed to minister for them, or who are appointed to be ministering spirits for them; for they shall be heirs of salvation.

The Terrestrial Kingdom (D&C 76: 71 - 79)

And again, we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the church of the Firstborn who have received the fulness of the Father, even as that of the moon differs from the sun in the firmament.

Behold, these are they who died without law;

And also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and preached the gospel unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh;

Who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it.

These are they who are honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men.

These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fulness.

These are they who receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the fulness of the Father.

Wherefore, they are bodies terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun.

These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God.

Those Who Enter the Celestial Kingdom (D&C 76:50 - 70)

The following revelation was given to Joseph Smith on February 16, 1832. It concerns the status of those living in the celestial, terrestrial and telestial kingdoms. These are they who will have the opportunity to live in the celestial kingdom:

And again we bear record - for we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just -

They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given -

That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true.......

............ These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever...........

.......... These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and Christ are the judge of all.

These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his blood.

These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical.

September: The Kingdoms of Glory

"There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption." - 1 Corinthians 15:40 - 42

We now approach the final stage in Heavenly Father's plan for us. Most of what I will be discussing here is modern revelation revealed to us by the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that as you study what you have read thus far on this blog, and pray to know of the truthfulness of it, you will come to find out for yourself that the things I am sharing with you now is also true...

... The following scripture from Corinthians talks about celestial bodies and telestial bodies, and how these two bodies differ in glory. Modern day revelation helps us understand what Paul was talking about in his letter to the Corinthians.

After we have been resurrected and brought before the judgment bar, we will be judged according to our thoughts and deeds. Our thoughts and our deeds in this life determine what rewards we will receive in the next life. "God rewards us according to our works an desires. Because God rewards everyone according to deeds done in the body, there are different kingdoms of glory to which we may be assigned after the Judgment (Preach My Gospel, pp. 53). The scripture in Corinthians teaches us about two of the three kingdoms of glory that we could inherit, depending on our worthiness. Modern day revelation reveals to us which kingdom of glory each of us could enter in, depending on how we have lived our lives.

There are three kingdoms in total: The Celestial Kingdom, the Terrestrial Kingdom, and the Telestial Kingdom.

Those who have been obedient, who have received the ordinances of salvation (e.g. baptism) and have been faithful to the very end will receive an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom. This is the kingdom where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ lives, and this is the Kingdom we should be aiming to live in. The glory of the Celestial Kingdom is often compared with the light of the Sun.

Those who have chosen not to take upon themselves those saving ordinances, who have not lived the Gospel to the fullest, but nevertheless have lived honourable lives will receive an inheritance in the Terrestrial Kingdom. The glory of the Terrestrial Kingdom is often compared with the light of the moon.

Those who have continued in their sins and did not repent, nor take upon themselves those saving ordinances, will go to the Telestial Kingdom. The glory of the Telestial Kingdom is compared with the light of the stars.

For a greater understanding of this and of the entire Plan of Salvation, please visit this page.

August: The Resurrection, Judgment, and Immortality

The time will come when all of us will be resurrected, to stand before the judgment bar and be judged according to our thoughts and works. Our spirits, which have been dwelling in The Spirit World will be united with a perfect, resurrected body. Our bodies and our spirits will never again be separated.

Everyone who has ever lived on the earth will be resurrected. "Immortality is a free gift to all people, whether they are righteous or wicked." (Preach My Gospel, pp. 53). However, not everyone will have the opportunity to have Eternal Life, which is "a gift of God given only to those who obey His Gospel" (Preach my Gospel, pp. 53). Eternal life is the privilege of living with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ forever, and this can only be given to those who have lived worthy of it.

The final judgment with which we go through once we are resurrected determines whether or not we are worthy of receiving this gift. Because Jesus Christ will be our judge, we can know of a surety that our judgment will be just and fair.

An explanation of what happens after the final judgment will be given in next month's post

Alma 40: 11 - 14

The Prophet Alma revealed the following to his son Corianton in the Book of Mormon, concerning the Spirit World:

Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.


Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this estate, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.

June: The Spirit World

For the past few months, we have looked at the Plan of Salvation. We have learned about a bit about our premortal life, how the earth was created, the truths about The Fall, the purpose behind our mortal existence, and how the Atonement of Jesus Christ blesses our lives. I now move on to discussing the next part of the Plan of Salvation, and that is, what happens to us after we leave mortality.

Death is something which we all must face. It is an unquestionable fact of life, and it is an essential element in Heavenly Father's plan for us. "... (D)eath is part of the process by which we are transformed from mortality to immortality" (Preach My Gospel, pp. 52). When we die, our spirit becomes separated from our physical body, and goes to a place which is called the Spirit World. The Spirit World is a place where we wait until we have the opportunity to be resurrected. This is possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, because the Atonement helps us to overcome physical death and receive a resurrected body.



In the Spirit World, our thoughts, intentions, passions and desires do not change. If we have chosen to do good in our mortal lives, we will live in a state of happiness in the Spirit World. If we have chosen to do evil in or mortal lives, we will live in a state of misery.

Those who have died without having had the chance to hear about the Gospel will have the chance to hear it in the Spirit World. They will have the opportunity to accept or reject what is being taught to them, just as we have the opportunity to accept or reject the Gospel here on earth.

For a more detailed description about the Spirit World, please click here to learn what President Brigham Young has to say on the topic.

April: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

In February's posts, we discussed our earth life,
and how we are subject to physical death and spiritual death. We learned that without the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we would never be able to overcome the effects of physical and spiritual death. Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to overcome sin and death and be able to return to live in our Heavenly Father's presence.

At the beginning of our discussion of the plan of salvation, we learned that Jesus Christ is central to Heavenly Father's plan. Heavenly Father knew that we would be subject to physical and spiritual death - physical death, because of our mortal bodies and spiritual death, because he knew we would make mistakes along our pathway in life. Jesus Christ was chosen before the foundation of the world to be our Savior and Redeemer. Apart from organizing his church, his central mission was to teach us by example how Heavenly Father wants us to live, and to lay down his life for us in order to help us overcome physical and spiritual death. This act of love, in which he willingly suffered and died for our sins, is called the Atonement.

The Atonement helps us overcome physical death, in that after three days after he was crucified, Jesus Christ arose from the tomb. Because he was the literal only-begotten Son of our Heavenly Father, he had the power to overcome physical death and become resurrected. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we will all have the opportunity to become resurrected one day (see 1 Corinthians 15:20 - 22 ).

The Atonement helps us to overcome spiritual death, in that Jesus Christ took upon himself all of our sins, pains, sicknesses and afflictions upon himself when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (see Luke 22:39 - 44 and Alma 7:9 - 12 ). Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to repent of our wrong doings and start afresh.Through the Atonement, "all that is unfair about life can be made right" (Preach My Gospel, pp. 52). When we follow Jesus Christ, keep his commandments and repent when we do something wrong, the effects of the Atonement will help us overcome spiritual death.

Last week we had Easter, the time of the year where we have the opportunity to reflect upon the atonement, and what his sacrifice means to us. I bear you my testimony that without the precious gift of the atonement, all of us would have been lost. It is through Jesus Christ that I have the opportunity to repent of my mistakes and start again. I am grateful that our Savior loved us so much and that he was obedient enough to go ahead with what he had to go through. I know that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again. And I leave this with you all in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Alma 42:2 - 10

.... After the Lord God sent our first parents forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground, from whence they were taken - yea, he drew out the man, and he placed at the east end of the garden of Eden, cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the tree of life -

Now, we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit -

And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.

For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.

But behold, it was appointed unto man to die - therefore, as they were cut off from the tree of life they should be cut off from the face of the earth - and man became lost forever, yeah, they became fallen man.

And now, ye see by this that our first parents were cut off both temporally and spiritually from the presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will.

Now behold, it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness.

Therefore, as the soul could never die, and the fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal, that is, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord, it was expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from spiritual death.

Therefore, as they had become carnal, sensual, and devillish, by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state.

Alma 34:31 - 35

Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.

For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.

For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.

2 Nephi 2:26 - 29

And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;

And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.

February: Our Life on Earth

"Our life on earth is an opportunity and a blessing" (Preach My Gospel, pp. 50).It is a time where we can learn and grow and prepare ourselves to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. We have our agency, the gift that our Heavenly Father has given us to be able to choose right from wrong. This gift helps us to learn and progress. Using our agency to make good choices helps us draw us closer to our Heavenly Father and helps us become more like him. When we use our agency to make bad choices, we distance ourselves from Heavenly Father and from our divine potential to become like him.

The purpose of our life on earth is to experience joy and happiness. We learn from the Book of Mormon that "men are, that they might have joy"(2 Nephi 2:25). We experience joy and happiness when we follow the plan that our Heavenly Father has for us.

Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, there are two obstacles in our lives that prevent us from returning to live with Heavenly father and becoming like him:

Mortality (Physical Death)
" In mortality we live in a condition where we are subject to both physical and spiritual death. God has a perfect, glorified, immortal body of flesh and bones. To become like God and return to His presence, we too must have a perfect, immortal body of flesh and bones. However, because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, every person on earth has an imperfect, mortal body and will eventually die. If not for the Savior Jesus Christ, death would end all hope for a future existence with Heavenly Father..." (Preach My Gospel, pp. 50)

Sin and Transgression (Spiritual Death):
"... While we are in mortality, we have experiences that bring us happiness. We also have experiences that bring us pain and sorrow, some of which is caused by the sinful acts of others. These experiences provide us opportunities to learn and to grow, to distinguish good from evil, and to make choices. God influences us to do good; Satan tempts us to commit sin. As with physical death, we cannot overcome the effects of sin by ourselves. We are helpless without the Atonement of Jesus Christ." (Preach My Gospel, pp.50)

The reader will notice that in both cases, these two obstacles can only be overcome through the atonement of Jesus Christ. He was the only perfect person who has lived and ever will live on the earth, and therefore the only person able to lay down his life to atone for our mistakes and our sins. He was the first person to be resurrected after being laid in the tomb for three days. Because Jesus Christ was resurrected, so shall we overcome physical death by being resurrected one day. Because Jesus Christ took it upon himself to atone for our sins, we have the opportunity and possibility to repent and overcome spiritual death.

A further explanation about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how it blesses our lives will be given in next month's posts...

Consequences of the Fall

The Fall of Adam and Eve brought two kinds of death into the world: Physical Death and Spiritual Death. These two kinds of death are obstacles that prevent us from becoming like our Heavenly Father.

Physical Death is when our spirit bodies are separated from our physical bodies. Our spirits go to the Spirit World until our resurrection and final judgement.

Spiritual Death is where we are cut off from God's presence. When we sin, we distance ourselves further away from our Heavenly Father, because "no unclean thing" can dwell in his presence ( 1 Nephi 10:21 ). Only through believing in Jesus Christ, accepting his atonement and repententing from our sins are we able to overcome Spiritual Death.

Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to overcome the consequences of the Fall. He took upon himself our sins ( Luke 22 ), so that we could avoid spiritual death, as long as we accept him as his Savior and keep his commandments. He was the first of all mankind to be resurrected ( Luke 24:36 - 39 ). He overcame physical death, so that we too would have the chance to be resurrected and overcome physical death.

To learn more about the Fall, its consequences, and how the Atonement reverses those consequences, please click here.

November - Agency and the Fall of Adam and Eve

After this Earth was created, God created Adam and Eve after his own image ( Genesis 1:27 ), and placed them in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were the first of God's children to come to earth and obtain a physical body.

God gave Adam and Eve their Agency, which is the right and ability that each of us has to make good or bad choices. He also gave them the commandment to "multiply and replenish the earth" (Genesis 1:28) and not to partake of the forbidden fruit ( Genesis 2:16 - 17 , Moses 3:16-17 ). Obeying the second commandment meant that they could dwell forever in the Garden of Eden and dwell in God's presence. However, they could not progress and learn while they were in this state, as was part of the whole reason why this earth was created. They could not know what it means to feel joy and happiness, because they could not feel sorrow or pain. Without opposition in mortality, the opportunity for Adam and Eve to learn and progress was minimal. The Book of Mormon prophet, Lehi, explains this predicament very well in 2 Nephi 2:11 - 27.

Adam and Eve used their Agency to choose to eat the forbidden fruit. Because of their choice, they were separated from God's presence, and were cast out of the Garden of Eden. However, they were now able to know right from wrong, be able to have children, and experience joy and happiness, because they could understand sorrow and pain ( Moses 5:11 ) This was part of God's plan for us.

To learn more about Agency and the Fall of Adam and Eve, please click here.

Genesis 1:31

And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good...

3 Nephi 9:15

Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are...

1 Nephi 17:36

Behold, the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it.

October: Plan of Salvation - The Creation

Under the direction of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ created the Earth. This earth has been created for us so that we can gain knowledge and experience.

When we came to earth, we obtained a physical body. We have the opportunity to make choices - good or bad.

This wonderful gift that we have is called Agency.

We have been given this gift, so we can learn and grow and be tested.

For more information about what role our Agency plays in Heavenly Father's plan for us, please Click here.