No Coincidences

Author: Brayden Quackenbush

  • Satan is Jesus’s Older Brother

    Satan is Jesus’s Older Brother

    Stay with me.

    Before I go down this path let me acknowledge some things:

    1. We don’t understand how time works in eternity. It’s likely everything I’m about to say is nonsense from the eternal perspective. Still, have some fun with me. I know I got your attention with that title.
      • It’s very possible that God “adopted” billions of intelligences at the same time. Meaning, It didn’t go Satan, then Jesus, then Moses, then you, then me, etc. It’s probably not that simple. Anyways…

    Now that’s out of the way, I think there is a fun thought experiment/argument to be had that despite Jesus Christ having the title of “Firstborn”, Satan might be “older” than Jesus.

    Everything in this world symbolizes Jesus Christ. Everything points to Him (Moses 6:63, 2 Nephi 11:4). 

    There are some individuals from history that are clear types and shadows of Jesus Christ.

    Examples:

    1. Joseph of Egypt
      • Savior of his people and all of Egypt
    2. Moses
      • Liberator of Israel
    3. Nephi
      • Led his people to the Promised Land
    4. David
      • King of Israel
    5. Isaac
      • Inheritor of all that Abraham had and father of Israel (Jacob)
    6. Jacob (Israel)
      • Father of the covenant people of Earth
    7. Joseph Smith
      • Restorer of the Gospel on Earth (through Jesus Christ, of course)
    8. Peter
      • Leader of Christ’s church after Christ’s ascension
    9. Abel
      • In the likeness of his father, hearkened to the voice of the Lord
    10. Ephraim
      • Received the birthright, descendents are responsible for the gathering of Israel

    All of these men represent Jesus Christ in different but very clear and obvious ways. 

    What do all these men have in common? None of them are the oldest in their family. None of them are the firstborn.

    Interesting, right?

    “Well, but, the scriptures say Jesus Christ is the firstborn of God. Clear as day,” said a hypothetical someone arguing against my point.

    What if “firstborn” has meaning closer to heir, covenant son, preeminent one?

    Psalm 89:27 speaking of David, King of Israel, reads:

    “I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.”

    David was the youngest son in his family.

    In Genesis 22:2 God says to Abraham:

    “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest…”  

    But Isaac wasn’t Abraham’s only son. He also had Ishmael. Maybe Isaac was his covenant son. 

    Jeremiah 31:9 reads:

    “For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.”

    None of Ephraim, David, or Isaac were the firstborn. Yet they were each described as such in varying ways.

    Now Jesus’s words about Himself:

    “I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn” (D&C 93).

    This is a captivating feature of scripture. There is a repeated theme of an older brother rejecting His younger brother who receives stewardship over him. 

    Cain opposed Abel.

    Ishmael yielded to Isaac.

    Esau opposeed Jacob.

    Joseph of Egypt was rejected by his older brothers.

    David was initially overlooked by his older brothers.

    Are these older brothers representative of Satan, the way the younger brother is representative of Jesus?

    Sound familiar? (Satan’s Story and Satan’s Story Continued)

    Maybe all these examples are meant to teach us something. It’s hard to be an older brother and yield leadership to your younger brother. What if Satan had taken another route and humbly accepted Jesus Christ? What if he accepted Jesus Christ’s position as “firstborn of the Father”, the chosen one, God’s beloved? What if Cain didn’t oppose Abel? Where would Cain be now?

    Also, what if Joseph of Egypt’s brothers accepted his position of power over them from the beginning? Joseph wouldn’t have been able to complete his earthly mission of saving all of Egypt. Sometimes, maybe, we need opposition (2 Nephi 11).

    But what happens when older brothers do humbly yield to their younger brother? Joseph Smith’s older brothers were legendarily supportive of his calling as God’s prophet. Esau famously humbled himself and reconciled with Jacob. Moses’s older brother Aaron appears to have accepted Moses’s role as prophet most of the time. Amazing things happen when older brothers can humble themselves.

    What if Laman and Lemuel could have humbled themselves before Nephi? Think of the love, peace, and prosperity that could have existed among the Nephites in the Americas. But then we wouldn’t have had all the lessons the Book of Mormon teaches us about opposition.

    God’s plan is perfect.

    It’s fascinating to look at scripture from a broader perspective, look for patterns, and try to grasp all that God wants us to learn and understand.

    While I prefaced this post saying it could be somewhat silly of an exercise, I stand by it. I think it’s a good exercise to review the scriptures in out-of-the-box ways and try to see the patterns God may be trying to teach us.

    Wherever in the birth order Jesus Christ and Satan landed, we know they were “older.” We know that God chose Jesus Christ to be His Son, the Redeemer of the world, the Savior of mankind. We know God doesn’t make mistakes. I’m grateful for what the scriptures teach me about Jesus Christ and that they can constantly strengthen my testimony of Him and all that He did for me.

  • Repentance

    Repentance

    3 Nephi 11:32 reads: 

    “And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men everywhere to repent and believe in me.” 

    3 Nephi 11:37-38 reads:

    “And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things. 

    And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.” 

    These were some of the first recorded words Jesus Christ spoke to His other flock in the Americas (John 10:16).

    Hugh Nibley says, 

    “Who is righteous in the Book of Mormon? There’s a very simple definition of righteousness in the Book of Mormon, as in the book of Ezekiel. One is righteous because he is repentant, and a person who is not repenting is a person who is not righteous. That’s all there is to it, because we’re all wicked and we all need to repent all the time. “Say nothing but repentance to this generation” (D&C 6:9). The first word of the Lord to the Nephites was, “This is my doctrine…and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere to repent…” (3 Nephi 11:32). You have to do that. And as Ezekiel tells us, if a person has been righteous all his life but he’s not repenting any more, he’s wicked (see Ezekiel 18:20-32). Of course, he may have been wicked all of his life, and if he’s repenting now, he’s righteous. It makes no difference. So, always repent, always keep repenting. “But behold, all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people shall dwell safely in the Holy One of Israel if it so be that they will repent” (1 Nephi 22:28).

    I’ve thought a lot about that Hugh Nibley quote since I read it. 

    Can it be that simple? Is it that black and white? 

    Good person = someone repenting 

    Bad person = someone not repenting 

    Does this mean deathbed confessions are adequate? Does this mean if you confess your sins and repent the day before you die that you are righteous? 

    Yes and no. 

    I believe Hugh Nibley’s point is powerful. Repentance=righteousness. Unrepentance=unrighteousness.  

    There’s another part of this equation. Repentance=change. 

    I think back on the eight years I was inactive from church. One of the most distinct aspects of that time period was not praying. I never prayed. Praying made me feel guilty. Since I was not praying, naturally I was also not repenting. At the time I couldn’t repent. Not only due to the fact that I wasn’t praying, but also because I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t going to stop doing the things I was doing. I couldn’t repent and then go continue to do what I was doing. I hope I’ve never taken for granted the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know I do. But I try so hard not to. 

    As I’ve been back at church these last 10 years, I haven’t missed a day of repentance. I repent at least once and sometimes two or three or four times a day. My nightly prayers have a consistent feature, no matter what – asking for forgiveness for the mistakes I’ve made. I often try to think back through my day and think of the mistakes I made and the things I could have done better. 

    Repentance causes change. If I repented during the years of my inappropriate behavior, it would have been insincere, or it would have led to change. I wouldn’t have been trying to change. My repentance started when I was ready to change. That isn’t to say I should have waited as long as I did. But I do believe Heavenly Father has an unimaginable amount of patience with us. I think we’ll one day marvel at how much love and patience He possesses.  

    Repentance has a negative connotation. It shouldn’t. Repentance makes us better. As Ivy put it one day when I asked her, “Why do we want to be like Jesus?” 

    “Because He is nice.” Repentance makes us nicer. Repentance makes us better. It isn’t a negative thing at all.  

    Are there nice people that don’t “repent.” Of course. But repentance is bigger than that. It’s a humility. It’s recognizing our faults. It’s recognizing we have nothing without all that God has given us. It is a desire to change and be even better than we were the day before. 

    So are deathbed confessions valid? That’s not for me to decide. I know repentance results in change. Ultimately God will decide. It’s not for us to judge. And that’s the most important point to make. When someone shows up to church for the first time, someone who has made a million mistakes and a million bad life choices; when that person shows up to church, you love them. You love and accept and forgive. Leave the rest for God to decide. A person coming to church and trying to change should be shown as much love as a church congregation can muster.

    The miracle of the Atonement is that it is eternal – backwards and forwards. Forever. Christ is always there waiting for us when we’re ready. When we’re ready to start repenting, then we are ready to start changing, and then we can start to be ready to go see Him again. Hopefully, through so much repentance, we can become like Him. That’s the ultimate goal.  

  • Abraham’s Faith

    Abraham’s Faith

    I had a thought (shocker).

    I shared last week about Abraham’s shared experience of almost being sacrificed by his father.

    Here’s another way to look at it.

    We marvel at the faith of Abraham to sacrifice his son. He didn’t know that God would stop him moments before he went through with it. For all Abraham knew, his son would be dead, gone. And yet, he was still willing to do what God asked him to do.

    We marvel at this faith to do the impossible.

    What about God, when it came to sacrificing His only Son? Well, we would say, God knew the end. He knew His Son would conquer death and be resurrected. He knew His Son’s death would only be temporary. He’s God. He has nothing to worry about. Abraham was just a man. Abraham had no such knowledge.

    Or did he? 

    Faith is the “assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith, by its nature, is to not have a perfect knowledge of things. Was Abraham’s faith so perfect that he did know, just like God knew with Jesus Christ, that everything would be ok?

    Abraham had a promise from God. God promised Abraham that his seed would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens and the sands of the sea. Abraham had some understanding of the eternities. It didn’t matter to him when the promises of God would be fulfilled. He trusted God. He had a perfect knowledge that God would keep his promises. 

    Now. The gut-wrenching, heart-tearing, indescribable and impossible act of losing your son. The pain. What about that? Abraham had faith that God would even make that right. Abraham had faith that God would only allow him to do what ultimately he needed to do to become who he could become. Abraham trusted God enough to do anything. Why? I think because he knew God loved him. Abraham didn’t have faith that God loved him, didn’t hope that God loved him, didn’t believe that God loved him. He knew. 

    Maybe faith proceeds knowledge.

    If we truly understand God’s love for us, His children, we can do anything, and endure anything.

    Abraham didn’t know the exact result of the sacrifice of his son. But he did know that God kept His promises. And hew knew that God loved him. And whatever the result, it would all work out for their benefit, glory, and growth in the long run. 

    That is faith.

  • Abraham’s Sacrifice

    Abraham’s Sacrifice

    “Yet Abraham himself came from a troubled family – his father, who had abandoned the true worship of God, tried to have Abraham sacrificed to false gods.”

    Come Follow Me Curriculum

    And you thought your parents were bad. They ever try to sacrifice you to false gods? 

    When I read that above quote, I thought about something I’d never connected in my mind before.  

    The story of Abraham almost sacrificing his son Isaac is a well-known biblical story of true faith. What I’d never connected with this, though, was the almost sacrifice of Abraham by his father many years prior. 

    There’s a lot to unravel there. 

    What occurred to me was this: Not only was this an unbearably difficult test Abraham was given; to sacrifice and kill his most precious, only son. It also, likely, spurred up painful memories of when Abraham’s father offered him as a sacrifice. (If all things are a type and a shadow of greater things, and Abraham represents God in sacrificing His only begotten son, what does this say about God?) 

    In that moment, with the added guilt and pain of losing his precious son, did Abraham also wonder about the damage he was causing his son? If by some miracle Isaac surived, how would he feel about almost being sacrificed? Abraham went through the same with his father.

    Another way to think about this – Abraham’s father is demonized for his part in almost sacrificing his son. Abraham is revered for his almost role in sacrificing his son. What is the difference? Well, the difference, I assume, is the intent, the heart, and the being to whom the sacrifice was being offered. 

    But how, in that moment, did Abraham have such faith, such trust, such knowledge, such understanding to know he was doing the right thing and sacrificing his son to the right God? Didn’t his father believe the same thing once upon a time? 

    This is one of those blog posts where I don’t have answers to my own questions. This is something I will have to ponder upon, research, and think more about.   

    If anyone has comments or can enlighten me, please do. 

  • RSVP

    RSVP

    I recently attended a wedding that had 100 people RSVP. Of those 100 RSVPs, 90 people showed up.

    A few years ago Beth put a ton of effort into planning a semi-surprise birthday party for me. It was semi-surprise because I knew we were gathering, I just thought it was with her family at their home. What I didn’t know is that she had invited 30 or so other people to celebrate.

    Beth gathered RSVPs a few weeks ahead of time. She planned activities. She got cake and catered food to feed the 30 RSVPs plus family. She put a ton of effort into preparing the event.

    The days leading up to the party, unbeknownst to me, Beth started getting an influx of texts from those 30 RSVPs. “I’m sick.” “My kids are sick.” “My dog is sick.” “I forgot it was Saturday.” Etc. Etc.  

    I’m sure Beth felt like she was living the parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew chapter 22. If my closest friends weren’t interested in coming to the party they RSVP’d for, maybe people off the street would have interest in celebrating. At least they’d be there to eat the food and say surprise.

    Those 30 RSVPs turned into 8 real people. You can imagine Beth’s disappointment when she put so much effort into this surprise and then just over 25% of the people who said they would come actually came. We were eating good that day. We had food for 30+ people and only 8 to eat it. 

    It stung, quite a bit.

    Since then Beth has planned birthday parties for our daughters. She hesitates to do RSVPs anymore. What’s the point of doing an RSVP if 10% who say they’re going to come don’t ultimately show up? How about if 75% don’t show up? Can’t really plan for that margin of error. What’s the point of an RSVP at that point?

    Beth and I had a conversation recently about our family values. What’s important to us that other people know about us? What do we want our girls to know about our family as they grow older?

    We discussed a lot of family values but one of the most important was doing the things we say we’ll do. Keeping our commitments is important to our family. Beth and I pride ourselves on the fact that if we say we’re going to do something, we do it.

    Are we perfect? No. Do things happen? Of course. But we try.

    There’s a distinction I like to make. Excuses versus reasons. So many people provide excuses for why they can’t make it to something they’ve committed to. I don’t think there should ever be “excuses.” There are excuses and there are reasons. If I can’t be somewhere, it better be for a reason and not for an excuse.

    Here’s the thing, excuse givers think their excuses are reasons. Oftentimes they’re not. Oftentimes, the person could make their committment. They’ve just found an excuse not to. The next time you try to back out of something you said you were going to do, ask yourself: Is this an excuse or a reason? If it is a true reason, you CAN NOT make it to your committment, be honest with yourself, let the person you previously communicated committment to know with sincere apology, and move on. If it’s an excuse, look in the mirror.

    Now this isn’t to be high and mighty. This isn’t to toot our horn. This isn’t to imply that we’re better than anyone else. Far from it. This is something we pride ourselves on. Yes. This is a commitment we’ve made to keep our commitments. That’s just who we want to be. 

    I don’t ever want to make people feel bad. That’s the last thing in the world I EVER want to do. But after this wedding where 10% of the people who said they were going to come didn’t come, I decided I wanted to write on this topic. 

    If you’re reading this and feeling a pang of guilt about something you recently committed to and then didn’t show up, good. You should feel a pang of guilt.

    I don’t know if it’s always been this way. I don’t know if RSVPs in the 90s were considered optional. To Beth and I, and I know in the family I was raised in, if you said you were going to be somewhere you just showed up. Nobody wanted to clean the church, I never wanted to go to scout activities, I sometimes hated church, but you showed up. I think society could do a little better keeping their commitments.

    I think something has shifted. I think obligations are optional and commitments are made to be set aside when ultimately it’s inconvenient and you don’t want to go. In a world where you can just relax and watch that addictive episode on Netflix instead of get ready, pack into the car, drive a distance, and have to be around people you may not be in the mood to talk to, Netflix starts to look nice. And a lot of people choose Netflix.

    Here’s the thing. Then don’t RSVP. Here is my public service announcement. If you’re a person that can’t keep commitments, don’t RSVP.

    Again, Beth and I aren’t perfect. There have been times we have fallen short. All we can do is try to be better the next time.

    There are too many excuses nowadays.

    Everyone’s child, dog, or self is always sick.

    Now that we have three kids, we get it. It’s hard to get those three little (sometimes) monsters ready and loaded into a vehicle and transported to some thing we really don’t want to go to. There have been many times that Beth has gotten really sick and I’ve had to take three girls by myself to something. Is it hard? Yes. Does it suck sometimes? Yes. But it doesn’t matter. A commitment is a commitment. 

    A good example comes to mind. Our family had committed to meeting the Matthews family at the zoo one Saturday morning. As the time to leave approached Beth started to get a terrible headache and feel nauseous. The girls were grumpy and screaming. Beth went upstairs to get some reprieve. I couldn’t find the car keys. I almost gave up. But the Matthews are one of those rare people that have been there for us with 100% consistency. They showed up to that birthday party. When they say they’ll be somewhere I have no doubt they will show up.

    So Ivy and I searched and prayed and searched for those keys for almost two hours. We found them. We threw together a diaper bag of snacks and headed off to the zoo almost 3 hours later than we planned on. But we showed up.

    For the record, I haven’t always been a person who kept his commitments. I don’t think I’ve always been a person who could be relied upon. I think I used to be flaky. When I was younger, I might commit to something and not show up. I might say I’d be somewhere without being sure I’d actually go. At some point I decided to change. At some point I decided I wanted to be someone who showed up. This was a concious decision and it took concerted effort. Anyone can do it. It’s not in someone’s DNA to bail on plans just as it’s not in someone’s DNA to keep committments. It’s a decision everyday. That’s all.

    For me personally, I think this has come with maturity. My high school basketball coach used to make us clean our hotel rooms before leaving. This made no sense to me. Isn’t that the point of housekeeping? He pointed out that if we left our rooms a disaster someone else had to pick it up. “Isn’t that their job?” We would ask. He would say we didn’t have to make anyone’s job harder that it needed to be. Picking up after ourselves was the right thing to do. I think doing what you say you’re going to do is the right thing to do. Only as I’ve gotten older have I appreciated these two considerations.

    There are always reasons not to keep commitments. 

    Again, if you’re reading this and feeling offended, maybe you’re even one of those people that didn’t show up to that birthday party years ago (unlikely you remember, but whatever), if you’re reading this and feeling upset by what you’re reading…..good. That’s very unlike me to say. It’s kind of hard for me to say. But good. If me writing this makes one person keep one commitment they make, it will have been worth it.

    We need people to keep commitments in this world. 

    Things will always come up. There’s always a good reason not to show up. But do you show up anyway?

    I mentioned the Matthews and there are other people I trust that when they say they’ll do something, they’ll do it. 

    To be honest, those people are few and far between. 

    There are people that are there for me and amazing people and I love them so much. But I just don’t trust if they say they’ll show up that they’ll actually be there.

    I know we’re all busy. If I’ve ever not kept a serious commitment it’s likely more due to disorganization than inconsideration. But ultimately, I’m responsible for my schedule. And if I’m that busy, then I shouldn’t RSVP. Not being organized can’t be an excuse for being inconsiderate, and not showing up.

    Life will always be busy and it only gets busier.

    I know things come up. I get it. I still love you.

    But if you’re a person that doesn’t show up, I encourage you to think about what values are important to you and what you want people to think when they think about you.

    Do you show up?