No Coincidences

Tag: prosperity

  • 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.

  • The Glory of the Sun

    The Glory of the Sun

    I recently finished a book that was so packed with wisdom I couldn’t come close to taking it all in.  Every page provided a new insight.  Every thought was provoking.  It is amazing to walk through the minds of men and women so in touch with the spirit or some form of knowledge I don’t yet have.  It’s my favorite part of reading.  From reading his words and thoughts I could feel his closeness to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and therefore come closer to them myself.

    The name of the book was The glory of the sun which refers to 1 Corinthians 15:41:

    “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.”

    Doctrine and Covenants 76:70 reads:

    “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.”

    Sterling W. Sill, author of this book, was a general authority in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He was asked to share a series of gospel messages each week for a year over the radio.  The series was called “Sunday Evening from Temple Square.”  Those 52 addresses were put into this book.  It’s amazing to see that so many unique and powerful messages can come from one individual. 

    Sterling W. Sill

    Every message was so good, I could randomly turn to a page and share an important thought.  There was one in particular I found pertinent to our current moment in history.

    Elder Sill shared his messages at the height of the cold war so there is an emphasis of freedom and liberty throughout. 

    In one of his addresses titled “Five grains of Corn” Elder Sill reviewed the custom of Thanksgiving.  Elder Sill pointed out that Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday.  It is a day we give thanks to our ancestors who bravely came here and suffered through much hunger, affliction, and death.  He reminded me that during Thanksgiving we give “deep gratitude.. for the rich productivity of American soil.”

    I believe it is important for us to remember the blessed nation we are fortunate to live in.  The United States of America is a chosen land.  One thought Elder Sill presented was the idea that we live more lavishly and comfortably today than any king in history.  He pointed out that if we had to live as King Solomon, even in all the glory of his palace and kingdom, it would be a great hardship to us.

    What a thought!  The average person in America lives with more comfort than any historical king!  How blessed we are and how often we take for granted this great nation we live in.  It truly is a promised land. 

    What has always separated America from any other nation is our freedom – the freedom that gives us the ability to worship our God however we please. If you look at the short history of the United States it becomes quickly apparent what separates us.  It is the freedom we enjoy, particularly religious freedom.  It saddens me that as a nation we are turning from the God who has so blessed us.  It is part of the agency God has given us, the freedom this nation is founded on, that currently allows so many to turn from God.

    This paragraph from the book rings so familiar to our current landscape that I will quote it in whole.  Elder Sill says:

    “In the United States we have just gone through a great political election to decide who would represent us in the governing councils of our country for the next four years.  We have been sharply divided on issues and people.  We have settled the matter by an appeal to the ballot box.  No blood was shed, no life was in danger, no one had any thought of trying to liquidate his opponent.  No one even pounded with his shoe or threatened to throw it at anyone.  Now all Americans will settle down and give full support to the government that they, under God, have created.  Now we will all unite in building a greater America and help to carry out our divine mission to promote freedom, justice, and happiness in the world.”

    Election day is tomorrow.  It is my sincere prayer that we as a nation can unite and support whoever wins this election.  It is my prayer that there is no bloodshed, danger, threats, or pounding of feat.

    The final and important point Elder Sill gives in this message is about our faith in God that I have already mentioned.  Specifically, the devotion to His Son, Jesus Christ. 

    The Mayflower Compact, written by those coming to settle a new America reads, “We whose names are underwritten have undertaken for the glory of God to establish in Virginia the first colony for the advancement of the Christian faith.”

    The New England Federation Compact Agreement reads similarly, “We all have come into these parts of America with one and the same end, namely to advance the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

    I hope we can remember our Thanksgiving for this promised land.  I hope we can remember the freedoms and liberties we enjoy, and how great it is to be a part of the democratic process.  Finally, I hope we can remember who it is our ancestors came to America to serve, who’s kingdom they wished to establish. 

    “America was established as a kind of laboratory or experiment station to show what would happen to any people who cared and dared to follow Jesus Christ.” – Elder Sill.

    How blessed our ancestors were and how blessed we’ve been as we’ve looked to Jesus Christ.  I hope that can continue.