“if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Today is Palm Sunday. As I read the relevant passage from the Gospel of Luke recounting Jesus' triumphal return to Jerusalem, this part really caught my attention:

37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19, NIV)

This is the positive form of a theme we find in many scriptures, in which the elements of creation praise the Creator. Psalm 148 is a great example of this

1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights.
2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
11 Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
12 Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord. (Psalm 148)

Here are a few of the thoughts I had as I studied:

1. As we are spiritually recreated in His image, we will echo these same sentiments. We will praise Him in our thoughts and our actions. In this sense, good works are an effect of the spiritual recreation, not its cause.
2. Psalm 148:5 applies equally to the physical creation of the world and the spiritual recreation of man. The physical creation took place by the power of the word (see John 1:1-3; Hebrews 11:3). It was prepared from the beginning to create a probationary state for mankind, to allow for repentance (see Abraham 3:25). The spiritual creation which then occurs in the heart of man takes place as we each heed God's commands and participate in sacred ordinances, also performed by the power of the word. In both cases, "He command[s] and they [are created]."

Once again, we find harmony between the doctrines of creation and covenant-making. There is a deep connection between these concepts, so much so that they share a primitive Hebrew root. It is just as natural for the children of Christ (see Mosiah 5:7) to praise Him as it is for the sun, moon, stars, and mountains to do so.

I'll close this post with the words of Alma-2 following his remarkable conversion, which were given to him by the Lord:

25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;

26 And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. (Mosiah 27)

"the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters"

The creation account

The phrase in the heading has always been a bit mysterious. You may recognize it from the second verse of Genesis. The creation is a fascinating account chock full of symbolism. What to make of this phrase? Two important things are worth mentioning for a start. "Spirit" in this phrase is from the Hebrew word, "ruach", which can mean spirit, breath or wind. I will get back to that. Next, the symbolism of water. This is a complex symbol in ancient Hebrew culture with both positive and negative connotation. We have the pure, living waters, the fountain of righteousness, the symbolism of the life-giving substance that can be applied to our spiritual life. But it is also used as a chaos motif, especially when it is not confined within its bounds and when the tempest is raging. This is what we see in the very early stages of the creation account. The "darkness...upon the face of the deep" was frightening. But God did not remove the water. He separated the water and dry land and then "God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:10).

Noah and the flood

I have begun to understand how fundamental the creation account was in the Israelite culture. It keeps getting referenced, both in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, sometimes more subtly than others. This post shows some examples of how the story about Noah and the flood refers to the creation account. It is another story where the chaos motif of water is used, but also with a positive connotation because the earth was baptized and got a new start. But there was no spirit moving upon the waters. Or was there? In Genesis 8:1

God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged

Recall that wind and spirit is the same word in Hebrew. Ruach is used both in Genesis 8:1 and 1:2, only translated differently into English. So in both cases we have a "ruach" before the separation of water and land. Just to underscore the reference to the creation account, the next sentence in Genesis 8:2 starts with "the fountains...of the deep". "Deep" is translated from the Hebrew "tehom" that is also found in Genesis 1:2. It can also be translated into "sea" and is therefore synonymous with "waters" (Hebr. mayim). But it has a more negative connotation (it is also sometimes translated into "abyss").

Moses and the parting of the Red Sea

This 'ruach' of God turns up again in Exodus 14 prior to separation of waters and land

And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind [Hebr. ruach] all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. (Exodus 14:21)

In English, the "Spirit of God" and the "east wind" sound like two completely different things. Not in Hebrew. As mentioned, both spirit and wind is the same, but in addition, the 'east' signifies that it comes from God. Same pattern again, quite unmistakably, especially when the "deep" (tehom) is referenced once more as the Israelites sing about their redemption from the Egyptians.

4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.

5 The depths [Hebr. tehom] have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone.

6 Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. (Exodus 15)

Summary of the three accounts

We have three accounts where the ruach of God turns up right before the beneficial separation of water and dry land contrasted by the frightening tehom. The table below shows the contrasting context for these Hebrew words in the three stories.

Hebrew word	Creation account	Noah and the flood	Moses and the parting of the Red Sea
Tehom	Darkness (Genesis 1:2)	Broke up to cause a great flood (Genesis 7:11)	Egyptians drowning (Exodus 15:5)
Ruach	Preceding the separation of water and dry land, pronounced “good” (Genesis 1:2, 10)	Causing the flood to recede and redeem Noah and his family (Genesis 8:1)	Causing the Red Sea to divide and redeem Israel (Exodus 14:21)

There is a clear pattern. But what does it all mean? I don't know if I really have the full answer to that, but the New Testament offers intriguing insight. 

Birth/creation and rebirth/new creation

Recall when Jesus was baptized. The Spirit descended upon the waters of Jordan in the from of a dove. I don't think it is coincidence that familiar symbolism from the Old Testament accounts discussed above shows up at this event. Even though the New Testament is written in Greek and not Hebrew, there is still the same spirit/wind dualism. "Pneuma" means both and is the word used for "Spirit" in John 1:32

And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

The Spirit from heaven reminds us of the "ruach" from God in the Old Testament accounts, but especially Noah. After the earth had been baptized, Noah sent forth a dove that we can imagine moving upon the face of the waters. The last time the dove was sent out, it did not return and Noah never saw it again. One can speculate if the authors of the Gospels wanted to indicate symbolically that Noah's dove finally found its "rest" on the Savior.

In any case, this symbolism shows up again a couple of chapters later. In John 3, Nicodemus comes to Jesus to ask him questions. Jesus teaches him about birth and rebirth.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3)

Jesus himself had been born of water and Spirit by John the baptist as quoted, and thereby set an example. He teaches Nicodemus that he set an example that everyone must follow to enter the kingdom of God. Then he goes on to say

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)

Jesus uses a wordplay here since "wind" and "Spirit" both are the same word (not only in Greek, but also in Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke).

These teachings by Jesus as recorded in John provides an excellent perspective into the passages from the Old Testament that we have discussed. The creation account is the birth of the earth. It is born of water and spirit. Later, at the time of Noah, we read about the rebirth of the earth, by water and spirit. Notice the similarity between the Hebrew "ruach" and "nuach" by the way, the latter meaning (divine) rest, a prevalent theme in the story of Noah from which also his name is derived. Even later, in Exodus, we learn about the spiritual rebirth of a covenant people, Israel. Again, water and "ruach" are the central components. The waters are a blessing and new beginning for the covenant people and a destructive force, the abyss ("tehom"), for the unrepentant sinners.

Jesus invites us to follow his example by becoming a new creation and entering into a covenant at the waters of baptism. The Old Testament teaches about these truths through deep symbolism.

The Only Begotten -- Part 2 (full of grace and truth)

When studying the use of the "Only Begotten" in the scriptures (posted as part 1 of this series), I noticed a strong correlation with the phrase, "full of grace and truth". Almost without exception, when grace and truth are used together in the scriptures it is in one of the passages naming the Son as the Only Begotten. 

Let us go back to the Pearl of Great Price again, where this expression is used the most. In Moses 1, we find this twice:

And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the Savior, for he is full of grace and truth (Moses 1:6)

And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth. (Moses 1:32)

If we count Moses 1 as the beginning of our scriptures, since it is preceding the creation account that we find in Genesis 1, we see that the Only Begotten who is full of grace and truth is introduced in the very beginning. But we could also look at it chronologically based on a timeline. After all, Moses 1 is God speaking to Moses. We could go back to Adam and the first instance of introducing the Savior of the world, as recorded in the scriptures. I quoted it in the last post and it is unique to the Book of Moses

And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth. (Moses 5:7)

Sure enough, there it is. This is speculative, but my preliminary theory is that what we read in Moses 5:5-8 was highly significant among believers during the first temple period among the Jews and anyone who kept this tradition after the Deuteronomist reform where such talk about the Only Begotten was censored from scripture. Adam had just been cast out of the Garden of Eden. He was asked to sacrifice and after showing his obedience, he got the explanation along with an introduction of the Savior of mankind. He is introduced as "the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth". This is a key passage that remains in oral traditions, scriptures and cultural heritage of later prophets.

One of the few uses of "Only Begotten" in the Bible is found in John 1:14. This is also interesting because John starts out with "in the beginning", which is a metaleptic reference to the creation account. Here is the verse:

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

With the additional knowledge found in the Book of Moses about how God revealed the creation account to Moses and how Adam was taught about the ultimate sacrifice by the Savior, these highlighted terms may also be viewed as metalepsis.

In part 1, I demonstrated that 6 out of 9 Book of Mormon uses of "Only Begotten" are in the context of referring back to ancient times. The other 3 lack that context but guess what: 2 out of those also link "Only Begotten" with grace and truth. Here they are:

I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say unto you, concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name. (Alma 5:48)

And not many days hence the Son of God shall come in his glory; and his glory shall be the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people and to answer their prayers. (Alma 9:26)

In both these verses, Alma and Amulek are talking about things to come. But I wonder if the wording they use have particular meaning to an audience who have read the brass plates. That which was soon to come was what had been taught from the beginning, by the mouth of angels, who visited Adam and others revealing the plan of redemption through the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 

 

The power of the name -- Part 1

There are multiple posts on this blog (too many to link) discussing the power of "the word". It is clear from the scriptures that the word is much more than a string of letters. It is the means of creation and salvation. It is quick and powerful and sharper than a double edged sword. It is sometimes equated with Christ.

I have noticed something similar about "the name". In many ancient cultures, including Israel, your name was not just something that people could say to have you respond. It was connected to your character and it was always a word with a specific meaning in that language (like some English names  today, like Faith, Charity, Joy). Your name was more important in many respects than what is the case today in the Western world. 

The name, Jesus Christ, also has specific meaning. Jesus comes from the Hebrew, Yeshua, and is the same name as the one transliterated as Joshua. As a side note, the fact that this was the name of the successor of Moses is interesting in the context of Jesus as the second Moses. Christ is the anglicized form of the Greek, chrīstós, which in turn is the translation of the Hebrew, Messiah. It means "anointed one" and refers to the tradition of anointing kings. He is the anointed one, the king, who brings salvation to mankind. 

But when it comes to the name of Christ, I think there is even more to it than its literal meaning. The name of Christ is the only name under heaven whereby man can be saved. The scriptures frequently admonish to believe in his name, rather than just believe in Him. We are asked to take upon us his name. Miracles and ordinances have been and are performed in his name. There is great power in the name.

One particular aspect I found as I studied this, is how the name is the means to bind us to him. Through the name we become his sons and daughters or his sheep, and are granted a place at his right hand. This is taught very clearly in the Book of Mormon. I will give several examples below

18 Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine.
19 And because thou hast inquired of me concerning the transgressor, thou art blessed.
20 Thou art my servant; and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life; and thou shalt serve me and go forth in my name, and shalt gather together my sheep.
21 And he that will hear my voice shall be my sheep; and him shall ye receive into the church, and him will I also receive.
22 For behold, this is my church; whosoever is baptized shall be baptized unto repentance. And whomsoever ye receive shall believe in my name; and him will I freely forgive.
23 For it is I that taketh upon me the sins of the world; for it is I that hath created them; and it is I that granteth unto him that believeth unto the end a place at my right hand.
24 For behold, in my name are they called; and if they know me they shall come forth, and shall have a place eternally at my right hand. (Mosiah 26)

And as many as have received me, to them have I given to become the sons of God; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me redemption cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled. (3 Nephi 9:17)

And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you. (Moroni 7:26)

And blessed is he that is found faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. And behold it is I that hath spoken it. Amen. (Ether 4:19)

5 Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day;
6 And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day. (3 Nephi 27)

There are numerous examples like this. When we bear his name, believe in his name, have faith in his name and are faithful unto his name, we are his, we are his sheep, we become his sons and daughters, we have a place at his right hand and are lifted up to dwell in his kingdom. Here are a couple of examples from other standard works:

I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am one in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one. (D&C 35:2)

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1)

Ancient Israelites used patronymic names, which means that they were identified by their personal name and who was their father. For instance, we have "John the son of Zacharias" (Luke 3:2), "David the son of Jesse" (2 Chronicles 23:1) and "Manasseh the son of Joseph" (Joshua 17:2). So did the Nephites: "Amaleki, the son of Abinadom." (Omni 1:12), "Nephi the son of Helaman" (Helaman 7:1), "Ammon the son of Mosiah" (Alma 48:18), etc.

From their perspective, it is therefore natural that taking upon us the name of Christ means that we become his sons and daughters. We are born of him and even become one with him. Imagine being called <first name> the son/daughter of Christ! This is something King Benjamin wants for his people and this concept is detailed in the early chapters of Mosiah more than anywhere else in the scriptures. We will spend the next post going through that. But I will close this with a final example from Moses 6. In verse 52, God speaks to Adam

And he also said unto him: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.

In verses 59-60, God goes on to describe this spiritual rebirth, after which Adam is baptized. When he comes out of the water, God speaks to him again

Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons

"Left by the hands of those who slew them to molder" versus "grafted into the true vine" (Creation-in-reverse)

My last post ended with a brief discussion of "creation-in-reverse," which is my term for a process described in the scriptures in two different ways.

Here is a very brief summary of each type:

1. Covenant makers experience "creation-in-reverse" by "rend[ing] that veil of unbelief" (see Ether 4:15) and experiencing the "light of the glory of God" (see Alma 19:6). This joyful process is symbolically represented in ancient temple worship. 
2. Covenant breakers experience "creation-in-reverse" of a different sort, in that their wickedness leaves them unprotected and "cut off" from God's presence. The decay of their bodies is often described in detail, often emphasizing the return to dust (see Alma 16:10-11; Alma 28:11; Mormon 6:15) or being buried in the deep (see Alma 44:22). 

Compare Genesis 1:2-4

Let's review the earliest description of the creation process:

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1)

Before the addition of light, and the division of light and darkness, the creation was:

• without form (tohu)
• void (bohu)
• dark (choshek)

When we reject the covenant, we simultaneously reject the purpose of the creation. In a sense, our soul becomes formless, void, and dark. The creation spoils around us.

And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? (Jeremiah 4:30)

Jeremiah preaches against Israel's wickedness and connects their covenant-breaking with a spoiling of the creation around them:

22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger.
27 For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. (Jeremiah 4)

Notice how Jeremiah uses those same three descriptors for the earth from Genesis 1:2, positioned between a description of the covenant people's wickedness and the description of the creation's response. (Notice also that in verses 25-28, there is a mention of the elements of creation in reverse order -- "man" then "bird" then "fruitful place" then "land" then "heavens" becoming "black.")

Connecting "creation-in-reverse" and scriptural descriptions of hell

This leads into a bigger topic of study, one that I've been working on for several weeks. It began as I was working in my yard. My wife and I had lopped off some dead branches from a tree we are trying to revive (using Jacob 5 as our instruction manual, of course, even though it isn't an olive tree).

One Saturday, my task was to decide the fate of this pile of dead branches.  I chose fire. For about an hour, I stood in front of the firepit, gradually feeding in these dead branches. As I worked I entertained two thought processes at once: chemistry and scripture. The chemical reaction we call fire involves the breaking down of the "organized" hydrocarbon elements of the wood into more fundamental elements: water vapor, carbon dioxide, and, well, dust. 

At the same, I thought of Mormon lamenting the fate of his people:

...and their flesh, and bones, and blood lay upon the face of the earth, being left by the hands of those who slew them to molder upon the land, and to crumble and to return to their mother earth. (Mormon 6:15)

I hadn't ever thought of this description of the fate of the bodies of the wicked as a symbol of hell, but it fits. 

Consider other related phrases, such as "hewn down and cast into the fire." King Benjamin (and others) describe the result of rejecting the word: 

25 ... if they be evil they are consigned to an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord into a state of misery and endless torment, from whence they can no more return; therefore they have drunk damnation to their own souls.
26 Therefore, they have drunk out of the cup of the wrath of God, which justice could no more deny unto them than it could deny that Adam should fall because of his partaking of the forbidden fruit; therefore, mercy could have claim on them no more forever.
27 And their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever.

There is a lot to unpack in these verses, including references to justice and Adam.   I'll pick this up in a future post, but for now it's enough to point out that the fire of guilt and torment that afflicts the wicked who knowingly reject the word is a result of their decision to reject the plan of mercy. Thus we can reinforce that the purposes of mortality have much to do with the plan of mercy.

Connection to 'The Two Ways'

Mormon also summarizes the contrast between the righteous and the wicked very nicely after describing the aftermath of a war:

10 And from the first year to the fifteenth has brought to pass the destruction of many thousand lives; yea, it has brought to pass an awful scene of bloodshed.
11 And the bodies of many thousands are laid low in the earth, while the bodies of many thousands are moldering in heaps upon the face of the earth; yea, and many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred, because they have reason to fear, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are consigned to a state of endless wo.
12 While many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never-ending happiness.
13 And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men.
14 And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life. (Alma 28)

Light versus darkness

The symbolism here boils ties in with the very fundamental elements of creation -- light versus darkness. This fundamental contrast is emphasized multiple times in the scriptures.  Here is a notable example:

23 And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.

24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

25 And again, verily I say unto you, and I say it that you may know the truth, that you may chase darkness from among you;

26 He that is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the greatest, notwithstanding he is the least and the servant of all.

27 Wherefore, he is possessor of all things; for all things are subject unto him, both in heaven and on the earth, the life and the light, the Spirit and the power, sent forth by the will of the Father through Jesus Christ, his Son. (Doctrine & Covenants 50)

See also Doctrine & Covenant 88:6-13.

Choosing the light is the way of life. Jesus Christ, of course, is both the light and life of the world (John 8:12 and John 1:4).

Conclusion

Once again we connect the temple covenant with the creation, quite directly. God created the light as He separated the light from the darkness. "Let there be light" may be seen by us as a divine injunction in addition to a declaration by God during the creation process. Mortality is all about seeking the light and cleaving to it. When we do, God promises to send us more and more, until the day comes when we can rend the veil of unbelief and experience the "marvelous light of [God's] goodness—yea, this light [which] infuse[s] such joy into [our] soul, ... that the light of everlasting life [becomes] lit up in [our] soul ... overcom[ing] [our] natural frame, and [we are] carried away in God" (Alma 19:6).