Saturday Night Thoughts: A Series of Dissertations on Spiritual, Historical, and Philosophic ThemesWhitney, Orson F. (Orson Ferguson)
Religion
Saturday Night Thoughts: A Series of Dissertations on Spiritual, Historical, and Philosophic Themes
Whitney, Orson F. (Orson Ferguson)
Latter Day Saint churches
"These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection.
"These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just.
"These are they who are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the
living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all.
"These are they who have come to an innumerable company of angels, to
the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the first-born.
"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 own 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." [5]
In other words--if the maritime metaphor be allowed--they were
first-cabin passengers over the sea of mortal life. They gave to the
great Captain the fulness of their obedience, and received from him the
fulness of recognition and reward. All privileges, all possessions, are
theirs. They associate with divine beings, and are themselves divine.
Terrestrial Glory.--Concerning those who attain to a terrestrial
sphere, "whose glory differs from that of the Church of the First-Born,
as the moon differs from the sun," the Vision goes on to say:
"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." [6]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account