P I L L A R O F F I N A L J U D G M E N T | ||
An Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ has set out that there are 'Three Pillars of
Eternity.' (I) The Creation of the heavens and worlds without number;
(II) The Fall of man from the presence of God, and (III) The
Atonement of Jesus Christ that brings man back to God. The Aposlte of
God in more intelligent than I am and suredly he is more near to the influences of God
than I am.
There is a Hubble Space Telescope photo of what has been named the Eagle Nebula. It has also been dubbed the "Pillars of Creation" bring to mind the Apostle's stated 'Three Pillars of Eternity.' They are very impresive and beautiful, and are much beyond my comprehension in the scheme of Creation. My mind works on a much simpler scale of understanding.
It is in connection with the simple concept of the four pillar legged table that I would like to suggest a 'Fourth Pillar of Eternity.' The pillar of creation is quite most obviously seen, as is also the fellow pillars of the Fall of Adam and the subsequently required Atonement of Jesus Christ. But not so obviouly as essential, often out of direct relationary sight of vision, there is also a fourth Pillar of Eternity without which the model of and purposes of Eternity are lost. That fourth necessary and required Pillar of Eternity is that of the Justice of God. It is the high moral standards attached to the ways of God, God's righteous commandments and Standards by which men are measured and may be found wanting. When left out and forgotten the 'squared table of eternities righteous foundation' crumbles. Without a recognition of such many teach that it does not matter what a man does in life, for it is soley by the grace and mercy of Christ that men are thought to be save. Without judgement and justice, many consider that it mattereth not that a man might murder, steal, rape and treaturously take advantage of another. In fact the law of the jungle of the survival of the fittest, which turns out to be the 'unfittest' that some teach as does prevail. Truely I would not joust with an Apostle of God, for certainly I would consider that he does include justice and righteousnes as a part of his three Pillars as well. It just is from the perspective of my simple mind I see the need for the functioning Pillar of God's Justice and high standards of truth and perfection. And with that fourth table leg introduced the concept of the workings of a four legged table with only three of its legs can be introduce and the required columar leg of the necessity of God's justice may be visually included in the model of eternity. -drh |
When I consider the pillars of eternity my understanding works on a less grander scale,
and in conjunction with such an item as a simple four legged table. From many views
and perspectives, three of the table's legs are very prominate and noticeable while
the fourth is often obscured or not seen at all. Yet just as frequently the fact of
the fourth leg is impliedly understood. It is here that one comes to understand that
a four legged table would function very poorly without that often unseen fourth leg or
pillar to stand on. And so my simple mind considers the same to be true of the Pillars
of Eternity. The Creation, Fall and Atonement do not function very well or completly
without an additional Fourth Pillar of Eternity.
It is God the Father, the LORD GOD of hosts, who reconfirms his covenant charge to His Firstborn Spirit Son, Jehovah, that places Jehovah as Jesus Christ to be the ultimate Final Judge over all of God's children in the end of days. Thus Zechariah records it of his forth vision of the 'Determination Council' held in the preexistant Heaven just prior to or just as Lucifer is to be cast out of Heaven.
"Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by." ~ Zechariah 3:7
In that 'Determination Council' in Heaven, which followed after the Grand Council of Heaven in the pre-mortal world, is when 'Jehovah the Deliverer' [Jehoshua] the high priest and Lucifer as Satan stood before 'The LORD GOD ELOHIM' who is God the Father of Spirits (Zechariah 3:1). In that 'Determination Council' our LORD GOD ELOHIM covenanted unto JESUS CHRIST/JEHOVAH THE DELIVERER that if he would do as GOD the FATHER had set out for him to do as Jehoshua [JESUS - Jehovah the Redeemer], that he JESUS/Jehoshua/Jehovah the Deliverer would judge the whole house of God and keep God's courts. Lost to most people's understanding is that the fourth vision of Zechariah (Zechariah chapter 3) is wherein Zechariah witnessed in vision this event in the pre-councils of Heaven taking place. After that event Lucifer, therein named as Satan, was cast out of Heaven. The key point here is, as we know from many other sources as well, that the Final Judgment of all of mankind is in the hands and under the authority of Jesus Christ at all times and at that end of the great Millennial Day.
For it is Jesus who stands in the stead of the Father in all things (Leviticus 16:32) as the Mediator of the 'New and Everlasting Covenant' (Hebrews 12:22-24). And he Jesus, it is that is the Head of the Church of the Firstborn [He being the Firstborn] as it is written in Heaven. And it is he Jesus/Jehovah who will be our Ministering God in the name of the Father, in the stead of our Father of our Spirits, and he Jesus/Jehovah will Judge all mankind. And this is the 'end' unto which the earth was made, that man might be judged of God and rewarded an everlasting and eternal reward accordingly.
"For judgment I am come into this world . . . ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. . . . God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. . . . for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. . . . ye must stand to be judged of your works, whether they be good or evil;" ~ John 9:39;Acts 10:42; Romans 2:16; Romans 14:10; Mormon 3:20; Mormon 6:21)
In the course of death and resurrection, there is an order specified up until and through the final judgment. First note that it is called the 'Final Judgment' implying that there is logically degrees of prior judgment(s) which build up to the final judgment. And there is that specific period between the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Final Judgment, which lasts for a thousand years called the 'Millennium'. The Millennium comes before the end and that 'final' Final Judgment which concludes the ages of time which end just prior to the 're-emergence' of eternity. And thus a review is in order to include the various stages or phases of judgment in relationship to the final judgment. This will start with what happens to a man at death.
Physical Death
"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." ~ Alma 40:11
When it states 'that God who gave them life' an explanation of
clarification is in order. Certainly God the Celestial Father of all the spirits
of men, namely Elohim, is one God who could be deemed as one who gave life
unto his spirit children. However that is not 'that God who gave them
life' who is being spoken of here. Before the foundation of the world, God the
Father of Spirits did sellect and empower his Firstborn spirit son Jehovah to
be our 'Ministering God' to this temporal creation. And the 'life' being
spoken of here is not the life of 'spirit birth' but the life of a 'temporal
birth', which Jehovah brought about as part of the temporal creation which he
performed under the direction of God the Father of Spirits. And as was
revealed to Mohonri Moriancumer by Jesus Christ/Jehovah (Ether 3:14-15 (7-21)),
it was Jesus Christ/Jehovah who formed the temporal bodies of Adam and Eve
and placed their spirits in those bodies giving unto them the breath of life
by that power of God given him by the Father.
Thus 'that God who gave them life' refers to Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ. And it is speaking relative to that day when the tabernacles of temporal physical man were formed in the Garden of Eden. Thus when a man dies, whether he is good or evil, his spirit, now separated from the physical body, is 'taken home' to stand in the presence of our Lord God Jesus Christ, to under go one of those initial 'courts' if partial judgment spoken of in Zechariah 3:7. And this initial court will determine where that person, their spirit, will be regulated to next and for what cause and/or reasons. And it will be Jesus Christ, Jehovah, who determines that and no one else; not Saint Peter or any other but Jesus Christ as he is the Judge in the Final Judgment and in all the 'courts' leading up to that Final Judgment.
Now while Jesus will be the Judge, there are various matters which will be considered. A short list of those would include whether the required gospel ordinance work has be performed for a person such as a proper 'Baptism' by one in authority which is required to enter into the Kingdom of God. And thus this is why the living are baptised for the dead (1 Corinthians 15:29 (20-58); John 3:5). Now from death to the resurrection there are some lapses of time. If one is not totally prepared both in righteousness as well as in the gospel ordiancnes, then the spirit must remain in the spirit world either as a part of 'Spirit Prison' of the wicked or as a part of 'Spirit Paradise' of the righteous. The Spirit World is were the spirits of men await their apointed resurrections. Even Jesus went there for 3 days until his resurrection.
The wicked and non-repentant who do not receive and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be held in the Spirit Prison 'captive' of that rebellion, wickedness and sin, which will keep them there until the Final Judgment as long as it persists. Only those who have had their Gospel Ordinances performed and who are repentant and righteous and reconciled unto Christ will be in Spirit Paradise until the day of their resurrections, which day will come as the Lord determines, most of which will be in the 'morning of the first resurrection' and thus many will be raised to live in and during that Great Millennial Day when and where Christ himself will rule and reign and when Lucifer and his followers will be bound having no influence over man.
And thus it is according to the logistics of the Plan of God and the Everlasting Covenant that men are saved by living the laws and commandments of God. And thus during the Millennial Day wave upon wave of the Lord's justified followers will be resurrected to live and aid in the work and the glory of the Millennium. That 'resurrection' will be an 'initial resurrection' unto immortality and of a Millennial level of body. Yet none will have yet been raised unto that eventual Celestial Glory as the Millennial glory is not of that of the Celestial glory. And as and until the Final Judgment is and is yet to come upon man, the Celestial glory is not. After the end of the Final Judgment then the various rewards of those Final Rewards of Judgment will be bestowed. Now, this is not to say that some will or will not, that some may or may not, have previously had their final determination bestowed upon them. For certainly such as Adam and Noah have received of their eternal position and glory. But it is to say that it will be by the end of the Millennium and the marked end of the Final Judgment of man that all will have been finally judged and rewarded and enter into not only their immortal but their eternal glory and judgment as well.
A Doctrinally Solid Basic Plan of Salvation Article
by Elder Robert D. Hales
by Elder Robert D. Hales
There are many perspectives of the Everlasting Covenant ~ The Promises of God to His children:
'I Will Judge the World'
Our Heavenly Father Elohim Empowered His Son Jehovah to be our
Promised Redeemer Jesus, who would in the Meridian of Time perform the
Atonement opening the way for man to return to God from the Fall of Man.
The Father set Son to be His Ministering God to act in His stead in all
things from the Creation to the Final Judgment. Thus Jehovah was by Devine
Investiture to have charge over the Creation, Fall, Atonement, and Final
Judgment of man under Elohim's direction.
'I Will Judge the World'