Month: December 2019

There is a cryptic account in The Testimony of John“(TOJ) 12:14-16 that I want to explore. I have been thinking about the meaning of these three paragraphs, or verses, since first reading them over two years ago. The Gospel of John tells the same story, but it is told as a simple story which we have generally understood entirely at face value. The TOJ, however, reveals that the story is really a parable and there is a much deeper, more mysterious story to tell. In the Gospel of John chapter 21 we learn that after the resurrection of the Savior the Disciples are told to go to Galilee and wait. The Lord appears to them there. Peter is fishing in a boat, sees the Lord and jumps into the lake. TOJ tells the same tale, but opens our minds to a greater mystery of what really happened there. Here are the three paragraphs:

“ After this Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This is an account of that event: There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael from the city of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others, also disciples. Simon Peter said to them, I ascend to the deep. They responded to him, We go with you. They went forth, and entered into the ark; and they could not grasp anything. “

“But at the horizon of the morning star, Jesus stood at the sacred entry; however the disciples could not recognize it was Jesus for the glory about Him. Then Jesus asked them, Children, have you celebrated the ritual meal? They answered Him, No. And he directed them and said, Approach the veil to the east and you will find what you seek. They approached the veil as instructed, and now they were overcome by the multitude of what was received. Therefore the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he quickly clothed himself ( for he did not wear the apparel), and cast himself into the great deep. And the other disciples came into the ark and parted also the veil ( for they were not bound by the limits of this world).“

“As they ascended, they saw a fire burning at the offering place and the Flesh Offering was upon it, who is also the Bread of Life. Jesus said to them, Rise above the flesh you now occupy, and Simon Peter ascended, and drew the veil open, and there were ministering a hundred, and then fifty, and then three; and for these many who they beheld, yet the veil remained open.” ( Testimony of John 12:14-16)

I don’t pretend to know the meaning of these three verses, but I have done a lot of research and reading, along with some praying, to try and make sense of them. I was really stumped as to their meaning, but as I studied and read some understanding started to coalesce around these verses, at least to my mind. So, this post is an attempt to share some things I have learned to hopefully shed some light on these mysteries. At the least I hope it causes you to think about these things and do some of your own research.

It is obvious that these verses are mystical in nature, following the doctrine that some things should remain hidden from unbelievers. The TOJ has a lot in common with the Gospel of St. John in the New Testament, following the same general framework of the story of Christ’s ministry. The TOJ, however, reveals knowledge about the purpose of Christ’s life that has remained hidden from the Christian world until now. It has a more esoteric tone in describing the life of Jesus than the other accounts we have of His life. The purpose for using this mode of writing is to hide knowledge from the uninitiated or unprepared, but allow enough of a tease to cause some people to want to dig further. In order to discern the true meaning of accounts like the one we are exploring in chapter 12, you must have prepared yourself to receive and act upon the light they reveal, otherwise it is only a strange parable to you.

Before I jump in to expound on the cryptic elements of this account I want to talk about the theme or purpose of The Testimony of John. The Lord had promised in a previous revelation given to Joseph Smith that if we are faithful the full account of John’s testimony would be revealed (D&C 93: 18). The Testimony of John is the fulfillment of that promise. John’s Testimony and his Gospel were written to help all of us know Christ and the Father. Not just believe, or have faith in them, but actually come to know them personally. The express purpose of The Testimony of John is stated in paragraph 3 of the first chapter of the book: “As many as perceived the light in Him, to them He gave knowledge to enable them to follow the path to become like Him, begotten children in the family of the Most High God.” John wrote the book so that we might follow Christ and know what we must do to follow Him. On that note I think it is important we understand how crucial it is to comprehend everything John writes about in his testimony, including what John is teaching us in verses 14 and 15 in chapter 12.

Here are the cryptic elements, as I see it, in these three paragraphs:

• Paragraph 14
• There are seven “initiates” mentioned: Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel (or Bartholomew), James, John, and two other disciples.
• Peter declares he is going to ascend into the deep.
• The others declare they will join him and they entered the ark.
• They couldn’t grasp anything.

• Paragraph 15
• Jesus stood at the sacred entrance, by the horizon of the morning star
• Disciples did not recognize Jesus
• Jesus asks if they have had the sacred meal, the disciples answer, “No”
• Jesus tells them to approach the veil in the East and they will receive answers.
• They approach the veil and are overcome by knowledge
• When Peter learns it is the Lord, he clothes himself and casts himself into the deep
• The other disciples come to the ark and part the veil.

Paragraph 16

• The Bread of Life
• Rise above the flesh
• The 100, the 50, and the 3
• The veil remains open

Who Are the Initiates?

There are seven individuals that participate in the event John writes about. Peter appears to be the leader in this adventure, taking the principal part that the others follow. Peter may be alluding to this incident in 2 Peter 1:19. The second named participant is Thomas, who has some very curious credentials credited to him in early Christian writings and tradition.The Gnostics believed he was a twin of Jesus and was party to all the secret knowledge that Jesus takes him in His confidence to tell him. In The Gospel of John 14:5, Jesus explains that he was going away to prepare a heavenly home for his followers, and that one day they would join him there. Thomas asks, “Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?” In the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, this event is repeated with Thomas asking, “Show us the place where you are, since it is necessary for us to seek it” (Gospel of Thomas (24)). TOJ 12:14-16 is the fulfillment of Christ’s promise; the seven disciples are shown the way to the place where the Savior dwells in the heavens. Christ is facilitating their introduction into the “deep”.

Nathaniel is the third disciple that is mentioned in the text. Nathaniel is also known as Bartholomew in the New Testament. There is a Gnostic book attributed to him called the Gospel of Bartholomew, in which yet another account exists of the events that occur after Christ is resurrected that is very similar to the story John tells in his testimony. Gnostic texts, like the Gospel of Bartholomew, are primarily sourced from the Nag Hammadi Library discovered in 1947 in the desert in Egypt. Not all are authentic apostolic writings, consisting mostly of heretical writings. Even so, they contain echoes and shadows of true principles originally taught by the primitive Christians, but rejected by theologians and lost to us. And since we can see in the TOJ a second witness of Bartholomew’s account, we must assume that there is some truth in this Gnostic work.

The sons of Zebedee are of course, James and John. But the last two disciples are unnamed. Why? Personally, I want to believe it is because they were women. Bartholomew testifies to that, Mary being one of them (Gospel of Bartholomew, chap. 3 and 4).

What is the Deep?

• Genesis 1:2: “and darkness was upon the face of the deep“.
• Genesis 7:11: “all the fountains of the great deep were broken up“
• Psalms 69:15: “Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up…”
• Psalms 107:23-24: “They that go down to the sea in ships,…These see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.”

The Old Testament writers referred to the oceans and the great waters that surround the islands and lands as the “deep”. Noah and his family were saved from the “deep” which is the embodiment of the the waters that surround the world and the sky. The waters continue into the heavens and surround the universe behind the firmament. There is also a sense that the deep holds mysteries and wonders that man is not able to see. The deep is not only a place of mystery but a place of terror. In Luke 8:31, the devils, called Legion, plead with the Lord to not send them into the “deep”. “And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.”

The people of the ancient near east, including the Egyptians and the Hebrews, believed that the firmament was a structure that surrounded and protected the earth from the waters that permeated all space beyond. Water that pours down upon the earth as rain originates from beyond the firmament. The flood waters that covered the earth in Noah’s day also came from beyond the firmament when the flood gates and coverts were opened to allow the waters to come crashing to the earth.

To the Jews the Temple and its environs symbolized a map of the universe. The sanctuary in the temple symbolized the creation of the world. The focus of the world was like the eye having three concentric layers – The pupil, iris, and white.  First, the temple and the whole city of Jerusalem, second the land of Israel, and finally the rest of the world and the waters and oceans that constitute the deep surrounds it all.

As a metaphor, the concept of the deep is a powerful symbol of the unknown. It is full of meaning that has a broad and profound hold upon man’s imagination. Why are devils afraid of it?

“When the Holy One…was about to create the world, He detached one precious stone from underneath His Throne of Glory and plunged it into the Abyss, one end of it remaining fastened therein whilst the other end stood out above; and this other and superior head constituted the nucleus of the world, the point out of which the world started, spreading itself to right and left and into all directions, and by which it is sustained. That nucleus, that stone, is called sh’thyiah (foundation), as it was the starting point of the world.  (The Zohar, Vol IV, p. 259 2^nd ed., Soncino Press, 1984)

Another word used for the “Deep” by the Hebrews is the “Abyss”. The Zohar, a late Jewish commentary on the book of Genesis, describes the deep as the great Abyss from which God is able to draw elements to create the earth. The Abyss is a great maelstrom of chaos, where there is no order, no organization. There is no place to stand to orient oneself. It is the place where creative potential sits waiting for Gods to organize and order. The devils fear to go back to it for their fate there is dissolution. To go there and come back from it with one’s sanity requires that a soul be knowledgeable enough and powerful enough to withstand the chaotic forces that have existed for eternity. The other way to experience it is to have God’s protection – the Ark.

So why go there? Why would the disciples want to go there? Joseph wrote a letter to the church from his cell in Liberty Jail in March 1839. In it he wrote: “Your mind, O man, if you will lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost Heavens, and search into and contemplate the lowest considerations of the darkest abyss, and expand upon the broad considerations of eternal expanse.”

Here is a modern description of what one man describes as a place akin to what we are talking about:

“…one evening there began to come moments when I could feel moving into my mind, like a physical presence, the conviction that all was quite absurd. It made no sense at all that anything should exist. Something like nausea, but deeper and frightening, would grow in my stomach and chest but also at the core of my spirit, progressing like vertigo until in desperation I must jump up or talk suddenly of trivial things to break the spell and regain balance. (Eugene England, Dialogues With Myself, p.195)

Another account that describes a place very much like an “abyss”:

“When I was a teenager I had a nightmare that was more terrifying and real than anything I have ever experienced. I was taken to a place that was not on this earth, or any other planet. It was pitch black and empty, but seemingly alive–its hard to describe. I was left alone with no place to stand or even orient myself. There was no one there who would answer my cries. I was utterly and completely alone. I had this same dream about ten times over the course of a couple years, and it always terrified me. I have since come to equate the place with the outer darkness described in the Doctrine and Covenants. I can still remember it vividly even though it occurred decades ago.”

These feelings of terror of being alone in the universe is described in some intellectual circles as existential anxiety. It begs the question, Why is there existence and not nothing? These experiences highlight the notion that we are completely dependent on a being, a God who “…has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another…” (Mosiah 2:21). It is God that holds back the destructive chaos that threatens to consume us, that surrounds us and governs the inclination of things to descend into disorder or entropy. Entropy and disorder is the natural order of things without God’s influence.

The Vision of Abraham, an early Christian writing of the late 1st century AD, describes a vision that Abraham had in which he was shown the dwelling place of God, and the devil. His visit to the abyss was so frightening and chaotic to Abraham that he could not make sense of it. He could not put any order to it in his mind and had to cried out for help several times.

The Gospel of Bartholomew says this about the deep:

“And Jesus answered and said unto them: Ask me what ye will that I should teach you, and I will show it you. For yet seven days, and I ascend unto my Father, and I shall no more be seen of you in this likeness. But they, yet doubting, said unto him: Lord, show us the deep (abyss) according unto thy promise. And Jesus said unto them: It is not good for you to see the deep: notwithstanding, if ye desire it, according to my promise, come, follow me and behold. And he led them away into a place that is called Cherubim , that is the place of truth. And he beckoned unto the angels of the West and the earth was rolled up like a volume of a book and the deep was revealed unto them. And when the apostles saw it they fell on their faces upon the earth. But Jesus raised them up, saying: Said I not unto you, ‘It is not good for you to see the deep’. And again he beckoned unto the angels, and the deep was covered up.” (Gospel of Bartholomew V, para. 3-9)

The deep is a vast and infinite place. Everything beyond the physical world, beyond the veil, is unknown territory to the mortal man and woman. God dwells there somewhere in a vast dimension which is His dominion, and devils will be consigned there in the dimension that contains the abyss. The deep is the place where all knowledge can be found and where the material for creation is sourced. It is a place that is wonderful, but forbidding and terrible to the human mind. The deep is a code word or metaphor of what lies beyond the veil. To venture into the deep is to drink generously of the waters of revelation and receive from the treasure house of heaven that is the Holy Spirit, or mind of God.

The Ark

The Lord established a covenant with Noah before he entered the Ark. (Gen. 6:18). The Zohar explains that the Lord was able to establish the covenant because of Noah’s righteousness, and because of his righteousness he was allowed with his family to enter into the ark.

“Thou shalt come into the Ark. For had Noah not been Righteous, he could not have entered the ark, as only the Righteous one can become united with the ark, as Eleazer said: ‘As long as men remain attached to that ark and do not loosen their hold of it, there is no nation or language in the world that can harm them.” Zohar, Vol 1, p.219, [66b]

The Ark of the Covenant, which was symbolic of the Ark that Noah built, was placed in the Holy of Holies in the temple and represented the throne of God. His presence in the Holy place was symbolized by the smoke of the incense that was burned by the High Priest and represented the Shekinah, which was the fire and smoke that guarded the camp of the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. As long as the Ark of the Covenant was present in the temple and the people were righteous the nation was under the protection of the Lord God.

The symbol of the Ark of the Covenant and Noah’s ark is that of a vehicle, a conveyance, or a protection that not only provided safety for the righteous from physical harm but is also symbolic in allowing the righteous mortal a means of traveling through the veil and across the deep to the dwelling place of the Almighty. It is symbolic of the connection we can have with Christ and the Father. It is interesting to me that there is a strong tradition among many ancient cultures that the soul takes a journey to the spirit world after death conveyed on a boat or ark. In facsimile 2 in the Book of Abraham, the throne of God is depicted on a boat or Ark (Fig.3) and the firmament (Fig. 4)(See note 1) is depicted as Horus (the son) journeying in a boat. In Egyptian mythology, the soul is carried on its journey through eternity traveling through the cosmos on a bark or boat. (H. Nibley, Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri, Figure 47). The Greeks also envisioned the soul being transported in a boat across the river Styx to Hades.

It is clear to me that John is using a well known mythology to tell the story of what happened on the shores of the Sea of Galilee after Christ’s resurrection. He is using the same technique in his writing that Jesus used in his discourses, that is, he was explaining some unexplainable things using metaphor and parable.

There is an account in Mathew 14 where the apostles are sailing across the lake in a big storm. Jesus walks out on the lake and comes to join them. Peter sees the Lord and asks if he could join the Lord on the water. The Lord beckons him to come out on the water, which Peter does. But he soon loses faith and begins to sink below the waves. Christ reaches out and saves Peter from sinking into the deep. In the 12th chapter of the Testimony of John, the apostles are gathered on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. They enter the Ark to ascend into the deep. As they journey, Peter sees the Lord at the sacred entry and he plunges himself into the “great deep”, in remembrance of the episode with Christ walking on the water. Only now, Peter has perfect faith that Christ will not let him sink or become lost in oblivion in the deep.

The Ark is Christ. He invites us to come and drink of the waters and partake of the bread of life. And then as we approach Him he guides us and stands ready to protect us. Like Noah, and Peter, we must repent and be able to be counted among the righteous to enjoy the protection of our Father in Heaven.

The Constellation Argos (Ark)

There was a constellation in the ancient skies that is no longer shown today in modern sky maps. The constellation was called Argos Navis after the mythological ship (Ark?) that Jason and his men used to sail the sea in search of the golden fleece. It is located just on the horizon in the southeast portion of the sky. It is not visible from most of North America and Europe today, because of procession, but in ancient times it was higher up in the sky and visible from most of the Mediterranean lands. This constellation has been broken up into three different constellation on today’s star maps, but anciently it was a well known constellation. The Ancient Greek poet, Aratus in his work, Phaenomena, writes this about Argos Navis:

“Beside the tail of the Great Dog (ie: Canis Major) the ship Argo is hauled stern-foremost (backwards)….Partly in mist (ie: The Milky Way) is she borne along, and starless from the brow even to the mast, but the hull is wholly wreathed in light. Loosed is her rudder and is set beneath the hind feet of the dog (Constellation Canis Major) as he runs in front.” (Aratus, Phaenomena, translated by G.R. Mair, Loeb Classic Library, 1921)

To me, what is interesting about this description by the poet Aratus is the connections it has to our story by John. By the way, Aratus is the Greek poet that the Apostle Paul quotes in Acts 17:28: “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of our own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring‘.” Aratus was not an astronomer, but he put into prose the writings of a more ancient astronomer, Eudoxus, who reportedly was very knowledgeable of Egyptian astronomy. Bare with me on this because it leads to some pretty interesting connections pointing to the nature and purpose of the Ark, the Deep, a vision of God, and how the ancients perceived the search for meaning in the heavens.

The Argo, which I will refer to as the Ark for clarifications sake, sits on the great river, the Milky Way, that makes its way through the heavens. The Milky Way is the river course that the Ark uses to journey through the deep. It also represents the veil that separates the world from the heavens. The Ark is the gateway between the two worlds, the way through the curtain that one must pass through to cross the deep. It is significant that it was positioned right at the southern horizon at its apex in the spring, with its prow pointing to the east and its stern towards the west.

The Greek story of Jason and the Argonauts journeying on the Argo to find the Golden Fleece lends some pertinent details to our story in TOJ. The fact that Jason is seeking the Golden Fleece in order to legitimize his claim to kingship has similarities to the purpose that Peter and the disciples have for getting in the ark and going to the deep. Jason, perhaps in following Noah’s example, also uses a dove by releasing it to fly through the Dardanelles to help him through the treacherous straits. Myths and legends carry strains of older stories as cultures interact with each other. So we see patterns that emerge in the themes of myths of all the peoples along the shores of the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia, including the Hebrew peoples. In the story of Jason, we see images of Noah and his journey. In the story of Peter and the other disciples in TOJ we see images of what Noah, Jason, Abraham, Isaiah, and others experienced.

The East, The Horizon of the Morning Star

“But at the horizon of the morning star, Jesus stood at the sacred entry;”

The sacred entry to the heaven is in the east. In Egyptian Temple Theology, the great pylons at the entrance of the massive temples represent the entrance to the sacred place which is always depicted to be in the East. The two great pillars of the Temple at Jerusalem, Boaz and Jachin also symbolize entrance into the sacred precincts of the Temple of Solomon and are emblematic of the Egyptian pylons. The pillars of the Temple are the mountains that bracket the entrance way, or gate, where the morning stars and the sun first appear on the horizon.

Christ is the gateway. He is also the gatekeeper. No one enters into the realm beyond the gate without His express permission. The purpose of the temple is to prepare us to meet Christ in the flesh and ascend. The great pillars are symbolic of the gateway in the East that hints at such a great promise.

Sacred Meal and Sacred Clothing

The sacred meal appears to be the sacrament which John describes in his Gospel chapter 21. “As they ascended, they saw a fire burning at the offering place and the Flesh Offering was upon it, who is also the Bread of Life.” (verse 16) But, it isn’t clear here if partaking of the sacred meal is essential to prepare them for entering the deep, or the object of entering the deep is to receive the sacred meal. If I were to take a stab at interpreting this verse I would say that as they looked toward the Eastern gateway they saw the sun arise, a bright burning presence, and in that brilliant presence the Flesh Offering, who is Christ, was there.

The parable of the Marriage of the King’s son in Matthew 22 seems to be at play here. Guests are bidden to come to the feast, but the first invited reject the invitation and the second group invited accept and come. Some have the wedding garment, but one man doesn’t and is thrown out. Enoch declares that he “beheld the heavens open, and I was clothed upon with glory” In our story in TOJ, as well as in the Gospel of John, Peter found he was not wearing the proper apparel and quickly clothed himself in the garment. Alma stated: “no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain,” (Alma 5:21). I wonder if Peter had to repent from his having denied the Savior? In John 21:15 is an account during the sacred supper on the shore of Galilee when the Savior confronted him three times. Is repentance the cloak that we have to clothe ourselves with to be considered righteous enough to enter the Ark and the presence of God?

Questions with No Easy Answers

“Undoubtedly we have no questions to ask which are unanswerable. We must trust the perfection of the creation so far, as to believe that whatever curiosity the order of things has awakened in our minds, the order of things can satisfy.” (Emerson, Nature)

“And He directed them and said, Approach the veil to the east and you will find what you seek. They approached the veil as instructed, and now they were overcome by the multitude of what was received.” (TOJ verse 14)

What is the purpose for the Disciples wanting to come to the veil and enter into the Ark? They had questions. In the Gospel of Bartholomew is a collection of questions that the disciples ask the resurrected Lord by the shores of the Sea of Galilee. He answers their questions, but they still do not understand. In the TOJ, John writes that, ” they were overcome by the multitude of what was received.”

There is a modern twist to the story. Remember the picture above depicting the ancient constellation of Argo Navis? I want to remind you of the description by the Poet Aratus above that says: “Beside the tail of the great dog (Canis Major) [is] the ship Argo… The constellations are so close to each other that it seems the Dog is pulling the Ark backwards across the sky as the constellations move with the seasons. But where is the dog pulling the Ark? In myth the dog is chasing a very swift fox, but in the night sky he is chasing the constellation Lepus, which is a rabbit. Where is the rabbit taking us? A modern parable, Alice in Wonderland, tells us the rabbit is going to go down the rabbit hole. How deep is the rabbit hole? How deep do you want to go?

Alice had a difficult time making sense of the behavior of the characters she met in her make believe world. The disciples also had a very difficult time understanding the Savior, but it was no make-believe world that they were confronted with. I believe that what made it so difficult for them was their judging of everything they saw and heard through the filter of their understanding and learning. During His mission on earth, Christ sometimes became very frustrated with the people unable or unwilling to understand what he was trying to teach them. They were not very willing to let go of their preconceived ideas and traditions. How strange and different would the deep appear to us who have been brought up with an understanding of science and the overconfidence of a modern age man or woman?

In the mouth of the dog is the brightest star in the sky- Sirius. It is the great prize, the gem that is symbolic of the thing that we desire most. If you are to ascend into the deep, learn the mysteries behind the veil, and obtain the prize, which I believe is salvation, you have to shed preconceptions, traditions, and your gentile leanings and learnings. The universe beyond the veil does not work the way you think it does, which is why you would be entirely disoriented if you were to be subjected to it in your physical state of mind. Reality in the eternal worlds is far different then anything you have been taught in your religion. Even the spirits who die and leave mortal existence have to be conveyed to a sort of halfway house to prepare them for existence on the other side because it can be very upsetting to discover the truth, especially for religious people who have been taught to expect something entirely different.

The explanation of John, concerning the disciple’s experience, highlights the notion that the scriptures are only a gateway to truth. At first glance we see a nice story with a moral purpose, but there is a universe of truth and mystery just lurking beneath the surface begging us to ask questions. It is in the asking of questions that we demonstrate a desire to ascend.

Drawing the Veil

Simon Peter ascended, and drew the veil open, and there were ministering a hundred, and then fifty, and then three; and for these many who they beheld, yet the veil remained open.” (verse 16)

Simon Peter was the one who drew the veil open. At this point he is given the power to seal and to close. He opens the way for the others to follow, and indeed, for many others to follow.(2) The account says that the veil remains open.

In the Gospel of Bartholomew there is a very interesting discussion between the Savior and His disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee after the resurrection. The numbers 50 and 3 are mentioned which parallel TOJ 12:16. The numbers represent how few of the total number of souls born on the earth are righteous.

“Bartholomew answered and said unto him: Lord, if thirty thousand souls depart out of the world every day, how many souls out of them are found righteous? Jesus saith unto him: Hardly fifty my beloved. Again Bartholomew saith: And how do three only enter into paradise? Jesus saith unto him: The three enter into paradise or are laid up in Abraham’s bosom: but the others go into the place of the resurrection, for the three are not like unto the fifty.” (Gospel of Bartholomew, I, para 31-34)

The TOJ seems to say that the veil will remain open for the three (out of 30,000 righteous?) that they beheld in the deep. Did the disciples experience a vision of the world like other prophets before them did? The Brother of Jared was shown all the inhabitants of the world in a vision (Ether 3:25), and likewise Enoch was was given a vision of the world from beginning to end. Can it be that having been granted access through the veil once means that you have free access to pass through the veil? Can having access to the veil be a fulfillment of Moses 6:61 which says that you will be granted “the record of heaven, the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all power…” (Moses 6:61).

Summary

The Testimony of John is an example that we cannot take the scriptures at face value. There is a depth of understanding that is hidden within them, only to be revealed if we ask. We must also learn to ask the right questions. Even seemingly simple stories told about Christ and his mission in the New Testament, that we think we understand, are gateways to wisdom and knowledge, the breadth and depth of which will astound us. But the understanding is not given freely unless we ask. And in the asking we demonstrate our readiness to receive.

I hope this post has given you some tidbits that will awaken a desire to dig deeper into the mystery of what happened on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The Lord uses symbology heavily because symbols are the language of the heavens. If you think that the constellations are configured the way they are by happenstance, then you will probably not be interested in pursuing this line any further. But if you believe that the constellations were created as signs and for seasons in the heavens then you will recognize there are mysteries contained in them. If you want to know what those mysteries are, ask.

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Note 1. The symbol that Joseph Smith identified with the number 1,000 in facsimile 2 was shown by H. Nibley to indeed represent the number 1,000 in ancient Egyptian. It is interesting that Gospel Thomas identifies the number 1,000 with the fraction of one one thousandth of redeemed souls, “I shall choose you, one out of a thousand” (Gospel of Thomas (23)). This symbol recognizes that very few, tragically few, will receive salvation in this life.

Note 2. Peter is considered in Christian tradition to be the gatekeeper of heaven.

Twenty years ago the movie “The Truman Show” came out. It was a hit movie staring Jim Carey as Truman Burbank. The story is of a boy, Truman, who is born on a movie set and becomes the subject of a reality TV show following every moment of his life growing up in a giant TV studio. He doesn’t know that he is living his life in a make-belief world watched by millions of people. All of his family, friends, and even his wife are all make believe, actors hired to play parts. Only Truman doesn’t know that he is living a big deception.

Deception is a part of our lives. From the perspective of the heavens looking down on us, you could almost say that we are all living the life of Truman. Angels see the obvious deceptions and lies that we are immersed in, that surround and blind us every moment of our lives, of which we are oblivious for the most part. Like Truman we are manipulated by people. Deception is used by people to manipulate people to do things they wouldn’t normally do left on their own. We find deception used in every aspect of our lives; it is practiced skillfully in politics, war, media and advertising, business and commerce, diplomacy, schools, food production and processing, prescription drugs and the medical world, and even in religion. I wrote a previous post on deception in politics in Byzantine Rome and how it portents politics in our own day; how corrupt people manipulate the truth for their own purposes and how prevalent it is in our lives. Master deceivers create a desire for whatever they are peddling in people, then give them what they think they want. https://thenorthstarchronicle.com/2018/11/13/chariot-races-politics-and-zion/ In reality, though, we are not only subject to influence by unscrupulous people but are also being played by unseen dark forces.

The invasion of Normandy by the Allies during World War 2, in 1944, was preceded by an elaborate deception to convince the German Army that the Allies were going to land somewhere other than Normandy. This elaborate deception consisted of sending dispatches and secret messages to an army that didn’t exist, conducting whole army-sized exercises with imaginary men, and planting disinformation using double agents. They even had General Patton posted as the commander of the non-existent army because intelligence indicated the Germans believed General Patton would lead the invasion. The deception was so complete that when the Allies began the landing on the beaches of Normandy, the German High Command refused to believe that it was a real invasion, convinced the main invasion was much further north. The Allies were able to secure a beachhead and establish a successful base for the invasion of Europe. Without the deception the allies may not have been successful in their landing at Normandy.

“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. ” (Sun Tzu, The Art of War; chapter 18).

“Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” (Sun Tzu, The Art of War; chapter 3).

Our lives are constantly exposed to deception, exploitation, and conflict from people that we should be able to trust. Most of them are being deceived by not other people, but by unseen dark forces. It is important we understand all this deception is orchestrated behind the scenes by Satan. Paul wrote, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities , against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12). The deceptions perpetrated by people against us originate from and are manipulated by the adversary. He is the father of lies (John 8:44) who orchestrates everything from his self proclaimed perch “upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north” (Isaiah 14:13). The stratagems of engagement and the tactics used by the adversary have a lot in common with the military arts of warfare: surprise, timing, concentration of force, unrelenting attack, exploiting weaknesses, and deception.

The power of the Deceiver to blind and mislead us is so insidious and overpowering that I wonder how anyone can ever know any truth. His power largely originates from his knowledge, and our lack thereof. His power is so overwhelming and daunting that unless you receive some divine protection and obtain light and knowledge you will always be in his power. The thing that I have come to understand is that God intercedes when we ask Him. The Lord recognizes our free will so he will usually not interfere until we ask for His help. One of the reasons we are admonished to always pray is because, like the rudder of a ship or airplane, constant course corrections are required to stay on the path (Alma 34:39).

The thing that makes it all so tragic is that most people don’t really know what they want. People think they know what they want; they may think they want to live righteously, but are distracted either by the need to get through life or get caught up in acquiring the shiny things life has to offer. We cannot serve two masters. Satan also knows how to manipulate your desires and wants, because he has an advantage – he knows how to distract you. And so, as the scripture tells us, Satan leads some “carefully” down the road to hell (2 Nephi 28:21). This is why prayer is so important, because we need the constant help of Heaven to counteract the ever present and unrelenting pressure of the adversary (Alma 34:39). Without constant prayer and guidance we become a rudderless boat cast upon a rough sea with strong currents that will carry us to a place we don’t want to go. And so, we must really want the blessings of heaven in our lives, and we have to display or show our desire constantly through prayer and scripture study to keep our guard up.

The power given to the deceiver by the Father is purposeful in order to induce people to come to the realization they are subject to the power of the devil, who is the personification and source of sin. Once we realize this, it is expected that we throw ourselves on the mercy of the Lord to save us (Romans 11:32). “Throw” seems like a strong word here, but it is apt. In order to get to that place a person has to know what they want and learn to ignore the distractions. Not so easy as some religions might make it out to be. It is not as easy as repeating a few words or performing some ritual cleansings or ordinances, no matter how heartfelt and emotional. The Lord requires your whole heart and mind because no ceremony or recitation has the power to change a persons heart. They can only point a person to Christ, not change a lifetime of habits overnight.

After we have decided to repent and live the life of a Christian, how do we discern that deception is being practiced on us? First, we have to understand that deception exists in every aspect of our lives, perpetrated upon us to make us perceive the world in a certain way. From the time we are small children we are fed a constant flow of misinformation about how the world works. It is to the advantage of the adversary to get you to perceive the world in a false light so that he can manipulate you. It is impossible to see through this deception without divine help. You will not discern the deceptions unless you believe something is not quite right and you become a seeker of truth.

One of the great powers that Satan has is the ability to impersonate our conscious thoughts. Where the Holy Spirit will always speak truth to us, Satan will whisper things that are enticing to our ego’s or to our natural desires. He will speak to our pride or our desire to accumulate things. People receive communication from the spirit world, from both good and bad sources, and not even realize it, thinking it is their own reasoning mind working out the problems and challenges of living. Unlike the Holy Spirit, Satan’s tactic is to disguise his communication so that it seems like our own thoughts. To learn how to recognize deception you must become an efficient prayer practitioner. I could give you some tips, but the best way is to spend a lot of time on your knees and ask for guidance.

Some people have an innate or, as Immanuel Kant would put it, an “a priori” knowledge that things are not quite right with their perception of the world . There has to be more to life than eeking out a living, trying to make ends meet and accumulating stuff. There has to be a purpose to all of the vicissitudes of life, doesn’t there? Truman, in our movie, senses something is not quite right with the way the world works. He discerns that there is some deception taking place, but he can’t put a finger on it. He begins to look for the gaps, the inconsistencies, and he searches for explanations. Things are just not quite right. And thus begins the great adventure of finding a way through the haze. But unlike Truman, the vast majority of people are content. They are not keen to look behind the curtain or ask the important questions; they accept the status quo – that the world is exactly what it seems. Most would probably take the blue pill. Actually, most would not even approach the situation where they might be offered the red or the blue pill. Either they are not comfortable with challenging accepted views, even if it means they will uncover truth by doing so or they are just plain lazy. They don’t want to rock the boat; too much trouble. But our purpose in life is to rock the boat!

Why does the Lord allow this seemingly insurmountable deception to be perpetrated against everyone? Why can’t it be easier? Why does it have to be so hard? The Lord allows Satan this great power in order to wring a desire out of us to pursue truth. Through this incredible adversity he is giving us an opportunity to determine what we really want. Do we want to continue in the same mode of existence, content with the way we perceive the way the world works, or do we want to pursue truth no matter where it takes us? The Lord wants us to focus on Him, and by exercising our intentions to follow Christ, in spite of a tremendous effort on our part to swim upstream against adversity, it is the perfect way to develop faith in Him.

One of the great powers that Satan is given is his advanced knowledge. He is able to deceive people because he remembers everything, and we remember virtually nothing. Another advantage he has is he knows how to tempt us; he knows what motivates us and he knows our proclivities and weak points. Although every person is different in what motivates and drives them, His method of temptation is generally tailored to where we are in our spiritual maturity.

At a basic level, we are easily entreated to satisfy the physical needs. The urge for self protection, self promotion, and the comforts we crave, either psychological or physical, are primary motivators. Satan uses selfish self interest to tempt and deceive by promising something that is impossible to obtain- salvation through personal indulgence. People who are tempted by self interest may have altruistic desires and believe in charity, but rationalization can move them to acts of worldly self interest, many times at the expense of inflicting pain or suffering on others.

The Religious

Being religious can include belonging to any philosophy that a person clings that governs their moral behavior. It could be a church, a political ideology, saving the planet, saving animals, or anything that gives a soul a sense of higher purpose. People that have acquired religion or something equivalent recognize a need for peace in their lives and desire for God’s approval. Even some atheists create a form of religion that seeks for some sort of individual salvation. Religious people are troubled about the next life beyond the veil, but in the vast majority of people their religion only counterfeits a truly spiritual life.

Religious people acquire a world view that tends to place a religious lens on everything they see or experience. Like a polarized lens their view is restricted and completely filtered by dogma. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) wrote: “The human understanding when it has once adopted an opinion…draws all things else to support and agree with it. And though there be a greater number and weight of instances to be found on the other side, yet these it either neglects and despises.” Religious people tend to become doctrinal bigots, and it is very difficult to sway them from their ideology. They have invested so much time and effort in their religion and their view has become so entrenched and comfortable to them that it would be earth shattering to change their views. They are also filled with fear that if they strayed from the party line, they would be condemned. They are convinced that they hold the key to the mystery of life. Satan is able to use that to create an army of zealots who will fight any light and truth revealed from heaven they do not agree with. He will also convince people of a religious inclination that they are better than other people (Alma 31).

Religious people can also be tempted by riches and power in a uniquely diabolical manner. Satan will use the compliments of obtaining riches and power as proof of God’s favor. At the beginning they seek money and power in order to help others, but it will become a trap to them. The religious will sometimes follow prophets and pastors who preach prosperity to them. The deception goes something like this: “If you keep God’s commandments he will bless you with prosperity because he wants you to be happy and wealthy. Then you can shine for the rest of the world to see and be recognized as His people.” They believe that if they are wealthy they have nothing to fear- “all is well”. This is the prosperity gospel and it has gained a strong foothold in many churches in America, including the LDS church. This is especially enticing to religious people because of their need to justify their belief that they are “chosen” or “elect”.

There is a unique type of temptation that exists in the LDS Church: envy of priesthood holders having authority. By envy I mean that men in lower echelons of priesthood aspire to be Bishops, Stake Presidents, and General Authorities because of the prestige that accompanies those positions. God holds men in high regard that are called to those exalted positions. That is because of the belief that it is God Himself that appoints these leaders. It doesn’t hurt, either, that church members give these authorities rock star status. Most in the church don’t realize that this is a form of “priestcrafts” and idolatry, which Alma declared would lead to utter destruction (Alma 1:12).

Covenant Holders

Covenant people of Christ that have accepted the Doctrine of Christ have a unique temptation that they are subject to. A Fundamental Christian who has repeated the sinners prayer and felt they have been “saved” can be included as well as many who belong to various religions not caught up in the religious pitfalls discussed above. They may even have had their baptism of fire and “second comforter” experience with Christ. What motivates them, what temptations would be effective against them?

If People have not received the baptism of fire or audience with Christ, but have an expectation that they will receive because of assurances by the Holy Spirit, they become susceptible to impatience and pride. They believe they are on the “path”. Their impatience manifests in part because they believe they are worthy, so they may take matters into their own hands and try to manipulate God into giving them what they want. If they can demonstrate to God they are righteous and full of good works, then they believe heaven has to take notice of them. A lot of this thinking may not be evident, even to the person experiencing these thoughts, but lays embedded in the subconscious and motivates their behavior. The psychology of a person in this frame of mind becomes fertile ground for being deceived. A person pleading and begging for God to manifest spiritual experiences and miracles will be ripe for receiving spirit communication from any source. The dark and dreary wilderness of Lehi’s dream was full of people wandering around because they were tired of waiting for the word of God. Many of them left the path looking for a shortcut.

A person who reaches this level of spiritual maturity has experienced some or many of the gifts of the spirit. If a person is not careful, this can lead a person to believe they are better than others who have not experienced spiritual gifts, or anyone else for that matter. Pride in this case leads to judgement. People will agree or disagree with others in the fellowship or the church based on whether they think the others are worthy of their support. I have also seen where people will disagree and fight the majority simply because they were not involved in developing the policy or the idea. There is a natural tendency for a person to believe that because they are “favored” of the Lord, their opinions should be accepted by everyone else.

Another category are people who have received revelation, or believe they have received revelation. They have heard the spirit tell them things that are not common knowledge. This is a good thing if it comes from the right source and is handled with discretion. But pride will sometimes take hold of that person who then takes it upon himself/herself to correct everyone else. This is a great temptation for those who are in this category of spiritual development.

Unlike the Holy Spirit, Satan’s tactic is to disguise his communication so that it seems like our own thoughts. He will even counterfeit the voice of the Holy Spirit, which if you are not fluent (I really emphasize “fluent”) in the language of the Holy Spirit, is difficult to discern as coming from the wrong source. Even the most advanced spiritual people are deceived this way. Unless you develop the ability to discern between the two ways, you will always be subject to the power of Satan.

Unfortunately we will never reach the point where we are no longer susceptible to deception and temptation. Because the power of the Adversary to deceive us is so great, no matter at what level of spirituality we are, we must protect ourselves. We must seek to have the ability to discern the spirits.

• Oh! What a racket, what a cacophony of voices!
• Confusion, sleight of hand, innuendo,
• Chest pounding, supposition, accusation
• And confounding logic.
• How is a soul to know truth at all?

• Ha! There is no truth in the world,
• Only creation.
• There is no world, only imagination, thought, emotion;
• Faith.

• What is real?
• Love is…
• Fear is…
• Mustard is…