BEING IN THE WORLD, BUT NOT OF THE WORLD: BECOMING TRANSLATED
And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my ajoy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because
A1 they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
B1 15 I pray not that thou SHOULDEST take them out of the aworld,
A2 16 They are not of the aworld, even as I am not of the world. John 17 :13 - 16
The above verses 14, 15 and 16 form a small chiasm[1] . Verses 14 and 16 are repetitive, which means the Lord wants to emphasize a point and verse 15 is the focal point in the cross hairs which I have made in bold. Who is not of the world? Any disciple or follower of Christ who truly seeks to hearken to observe to do what he says. Once a disciple (all true followers) has been chosen out of the world, they remain physically in the world, as did the Savior during his mortal ministry, but they are not of the world. To be of the world means to become part of its carnal and fallen nature. To become partakers of all the world has to offer that is devilish and contrary to the way of God and his son, Jesus Christ. To be of the world means to be subject to all of the effects of the fall and to be subject to the self-appointed god of this world, even Satan, the wicked one.
Verse 15 is extremely important because the Savior is not asking the Father to take them out of the world, by separating their spirit from their body through death as a way to be free from their enemies and the evil that is imposed on them, rather, he is asking the Father to “keep them from the evil”. That is, to protect them, to deliver them from evil, while they remain physically in the world. Protect is a synonym of keep. This is another testimony that death as a means for achieving release from pain and suffering caused by the author of pain and suffering, even the wicked one, is not the preferred path. Nor is death the preferred path for having greater power and ability to serve.
Verse 13 is important also. What is the “joy” to which the Savior refers? “Adam fell that men might be, men are that they might have joy.” Men must come into the fallen world that they might have joy. But if men are not of the world, then the world will hate them, will seek to destroy them and in every way possible, try to make them have pain and be miserable. The joy does not come from being hated and constantly looking over the shoulder for fear of what the enemy can do. Joy is not compatible with fear. Nor is joy compatible with frequent pain caused by those who hate us. The joy that the Savior is requesting for his beloved followers, comes from the knowledge that the Father will “keep them from the evil”. By knowing that the Father and the Savior (one who saves) will keep them from the power of all things evil, adds to their security and increases their desire to be in, but not of the world. Death, therefore, is not the ultimate form of “enduring to the end” and the long sought after release from this cruel world. Being kept from evil while still in the world is the ultimate goal.
Another chiasm:
B2 even so have I also sent them into the world.
Verses 17 and 19 parallel each other and refer to sanctification through the truth. “Thy word is truth”. Who is his word? The word is Jesus himself. The word was made flesh. Jesus is the word of the Father and is his truth. His followers are sanctified through him. Jesus sanctified himself by coming into the fallen world and being in it but not of it.
The focal point in verse 18 is “sent into the world”. Jesus was sent into the world to be sanctified for “their sakes” so that he might send others to also be sanctified. Jesus was in the beginning with the Father, and he was the word, who the Father sent into the world. Jesus, in turn, sent “them” (his true followers) into the world to be in it, but not of it. The focal point that the Savior wants us to get here is that his followers, like him, have been sent into the world to be a light unto the world. To bring the world truth and to become sanctified through this truth. As ones who are sent into the world, they are to be kept from evil in order to fulfill their missions. Being kept from evil is open ended, that is, there is no “until death do us part”. Jesus is not asking his followers to be kept from evil for a limited time, until their mission is completed at which time the promise of being protected from evil is revoked and they can now “seal their testimonies with their blood” and their death serve as the end of the promise of earthly protection. Like eternal marriage, all covenants with the Lord are eternal, they are not temporal in nature. The protection from evil is effective for as long as the true follower remains sanctified and continues to repent of any transgression and call upon the name of Jesus Christ continually.
The word sanctify, comes from the same root as “sanctuary” which means refuge and protection. It is also related to the word “Saint” or that which is holy and whole and integrated. The word “sanction” has come to mean some kind of penalty or punishment but its original root is from the same root as sanctify, that is, to become purified and free from transgression through adherence to truth and righteousness. In summary, to be sanctified is to be purified, to be made holy and whole, to be healed and to be protected, or in other words, to be kept from all evil.
How did Christ sanctify himself for their sakes? By descending below all things and overcoming the world. Christ voluntarily subjected himself to all of the effects of the fall, he took the full brunt of all of the buffetings and rage of the enemy, the devil, Satan, the great and abominable church, and drank of the bitter cup which came with this voluntary submission to everything that Satan and the powers of darkness could dish out. They hoped that the infinite suffering of Christ would give them power, infinite power, for it is through the misery and suffering of others, that they are able to feed the powers of darkness. By allowing them to have their way with him, to run amok in an orgy[2] of mockery, torture and humiliation in which they had no restraints or limits, they, in effect, expended all of their resources on him, the unblemished lamb of God.
Satan and his minions were like the prodigal son by squandering all that they had and all that they had been given, but did not seek to come back like the prodigal son, but remained in their filthiness and gross darkness. When the work was finished, when Jesus went through the winepress alone, when he finished drinking the bitter cup, when he descended below all things, then the price was paid, mercy paid the price to justice and he redeemed all men who so choose it, to be free forever to act but not be acted upon.[3] What Satan and the powers of darkness had squandered was their free agency to do evil to those who were redeemed. They expended it in their unbridled lust to extract the maximum suffering from the sinless Son of God. By so doing, they squandered their free agency to extract further pain and suffering from the Savior and his followers. They can no longer lay claim to their right to exercise free agency against the true followers of Jesus Christ. Since they are powerless to “act upon” the righteous, they become their footstool. Therefore, it behooves Satan and his followers to trick the followers of Jesus into thinking that they cannot be kept from evil. As long as people believe that the unrighteous exercise of free agency for the purpose of causing pain and suffering is a sacred right that cannot be violated, then they, the wicked, can go about creating victims and feast upon their pain.[4]
The Redeemer promised us that his joy would be fulfilled in us, that is, that we would experience his joy. As there is an opposite in all things, Satan, the devil, derives joy and rejoicing in his work.[5] He laughs at the torment and pain of others just as he reveled in the pain and humiliation of the Savior. However, this joy and laughter is not just for entertainment or recreational value but because he derives power from it. This power is the mighty chain that Enoch saw to enslave others and to continue to cause them to suffer and be miserable like him.
The wages of sin are death.[6] Those wages of sin were paid for by the Savior to all those who lay claim to his redemption and become sanctified through his word but to those who openly put the Savior to shame and crucify him, remain unredeemed and their destiny is death of body and soul. Their master, the Devil, is able to pay them their wages which is death. All men and women who repent, who come unto Christ, who hearken to observe to do his word and commandments and who lay claim on his redemption, are forever free from the effects of the free agency of the author of all suffering and their destiny is eternal life.
The powers of darkness know that they can have no power over those who have repented and laid claim to the redemption of Christ. But the vast majority of mankind has not fully repented nor have they laid claim to this great gift to be kept from all evil. They are denied this gift through blindness, through centuries of programming, through pride, through apathy, through unbelief, through false traditions, through the teachings of men and through lies and deceptions. As long as Satan and the powers of darkness can keep us in darkness and can keep us miserable like him[7], then he can continue to exercise his free agency against us and derive power from us through our being subject to him and the afflictions he authors.
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. Helaman 5:12
TRANSLATION
A synonym to the word “transfer”, meaning to remove from one place to another or to be carried over, translate did not come to mean a change from one language to another language until later. I propose that the main mission of the Savior and Redeemer of the world was to teach us how to be translated. Essentially, he was teaching us how to be removed from the effects of the fall, brought about by our being “in” the world through physical birth, and moving us to a safe place of power, that is, where we are physically “in” the world but not “of” the world, and thus, kept from all evil and the effects of the corruption of the world.
Jesus frequently referred to overcoming death and destruction. It was not his purpose to teach us how to be righteous so we could live a good life until we died a natural death wherein our spirits go to another dimension and our physical, tangible bodies decompose on the earth. Rather, he was teaching us that our physical, tangible bodies are a temple that is meant to stand and remain in a physical, tangible state. Jesus’ allowed his body to be broken and his blood shed and his spirit separated from his “temple” as part of his special mission to suffer the pain of death so that we would not have to. I assert that Jesus had become translated prior to his crucifixion, probably during the experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, wherein a mighty change took place in his mortal body. It was that change that led him to say,
10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?
11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no apower at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater bsin. John 19
And,
18 No man ataketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have bpower to lay it down, and I have cpower to take it again. This commandment have I dreceived of my Father. John 10
As a translated being, Jesus had power of life and death. No man had power to take his life. Jesus had the option of not drinking the bitter cup and not being subject to the power of his enemies. However, he VOLUNTARILY drank of the bitter cup and rendered full submission to his enemies. That is the essence of being a Redeemer and Savior, the voluntary submission to his enemies so that his followers would not have to be subject to their enemies. Otherwise, what did he gain from all of his sacrifice if his followers are called upon to suffer like him or to have to lay down their lives in the same fashion?
Jesus asked his father to remove the bitter cup from him, as nothing was impossible for the father. However, Jesus, recognizing his role as a Savior God and as a Redeemer, chose VOLUNTARILY not to have the bitter cup removed from him and thus was able to work out the redemption and salvation of all mankind. In contrast, Jesus did ask the father to remove the bitter cup from his followers when he asked the father to “keep them from all evil.” For his children, there is no bitter cup, only salvation and protection. The fullness of this protection and salvation is manifested in the “gift of translation”.
The gift of translation, of being in the world but not of the world, is freely given by Jesus but is obtained by few. I assert that Jesus was referring to the gift of translation when he spoke of the strait gate and narrow way that leads to eternal life but few there be that find it. On the other hand, wide is the gate and broad is the path that leadeth to destruction and many go therein. Jesus was about Life, Salvation, Redemption, Integrity, Exaltation, Freedom, Liberty, Victory, Sanctification, Purity, Hope, Love and Service. The world and its self-appointed master, the devil, is about everything that is opposite of the Savior and like the “D” in the word Devil, he promotes the dreaded descriptions developed from D:
Destruction
Death
Disease
Disintegration
Dissolution
Decay
Decomposition
Disability
Despair
Disappointment
Dread
Deceit
Dependency
Despondency
Dolor (Spanish for pain)
Depression
Denial
Dirty
And….
Damnation
There is frequent mention of the “sting of death” and the “victory of the grave” in the scriptures. I assert that these concepts are referring to the gift of translation. Abinidi was referring to translation when he said,
7 And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no asting, there could have been no resurrection.
8 But there is a aresurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of bdeath is swallowed up in Christ.
9 He is the alight and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death. Mosiah 16
Think about it. Millions grow old and die or they die from a myriad of other reasons. Seldom is dying without some sting. Even those who die in their sleep, go through some kind of sting. The vast majority must suffer some pain upon dying, definitely some kind of sting. The grave has victory because the body, the temple, goes through a decaying process.
Mankind has always had immortality. Since the time of Adam and even pre-Adamic civilizations, all living beings enjoyed immortality, life after death, when their spirit left their body to go to another dimension. We know that all those who died in the flood went to a spirit world, not to nothingness or oblivion. So, what was the gift that Jesus was giving us that we didn’t already have? Where is the gift if we already had life after death?
Jesus was offering us a “resurrection” or in other words, “translation”, transcending both the physical and spiritual worlds. Being in the physical world of flesh and corruption but not of it. Also being in the spiritual world of spiritual beings and being of it. Through the process of translation, we avoid the sting of death and the grave has no victory because our bodies are not laid in the grave to be decomposed.
Resurrection and translation are very closely related. Abinidi tells us what the difference is:
10 Even this mortal shall put on aimmortality, and this bcorruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to cstand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works whether they be good or whether they be evil—
11 If they be good, to the resurrection of aendless life and bhappiness; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of cendless damnation, being delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them, which is damnation— Mosiah 16
Those who have been translated, have already been clothed with immortality and incorruption and have already been judged according to their works and have been found to be worthy of a resurrection of endless life (lives) and happiness. The wicked, who have enjoyed dominion over their victims in the world, will find themselves in a state of immortality wherein they are unable to enjoy the immunity from the consequences of their evil nor can they commit suicide and have the sweet release of death and will be forever subject to the devil and the torment of their souls from which the devil derives so much energy and power.
The powerful words of Abinidi converted Alma and he comprehended the full implication of Abinidi’s words and taught them to his son, Alma the Younger. While the record seems to show that Alma, the Senior, died of natural causes, it is highly probable that Alma the Younger was translated and did not suffer traditional death:
18 And when Alma had done this he departed out of the land of Zarahemla, as if to go into the land of Melek. And it came to pass that he was never heard of more; as to his death or burial we know not of.
19 Behold, this we know, that he was a righteous man; and the saying went abroad in the church that he was taken up by the aSpirit, or bburied by the hand of the Lord, even as Moses. But behold, the scriptures saith the Lord took Moses unto himself; and we suppose that he has also received Alma in the spirit, unto himself; therefore, for this cause we know nothing concerning his death and burial. Alma 45
Alma, Jr. seemed to pick up where his father left off. It is unlikely that Alma, Jr. would die en route to his destination, only to have his body eaten by animals. It puts at naught the promises of God and the words of Abinidi. I assert that Alma, like Moses, was translated and that we can learn from their examples. What is appealing to me is that, Alma, like Moses, was the vilest of sinners. Moses had murdered an Egyptian guard and committed other transgressions throughout his life. Yet, in spite of their grave sins, they sought and received forgiveness from the Redeemer and grew in righteousness until they achieved the greatest of all gifts, even eternal life, victory over death and all power over their enemies while in this life. Our past sins are not an acceptable excuse to hold us back from achieving translation. Alma, Jr. said,
32 Yea, even wo unto all ye aworkers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it!
33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto aall men, for the barms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.
34 Yea, he saith: aCome unto me and ye shall partake of the bfruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the cbread and the waters of life dfreely; Alma 5
Freely! What greater gift than that? We should not wait for some “keys” of translation to be restored. The gift is being offered now. If keys are needed, they will be given to us according to our need and readiness. The invitation is to all, “Eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely.”
Jesus had said that,
“Your fathers did eat manna in the desert: and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven: that if any man eat of it, he may not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven.”
He may not die! That is only possible through translation. Traditional death with a funeral and graveside ceremony is not what the Savior is talking about here. No form of twisted logic or rationalization can refer to physical death as not dying. While it is true, that the righteous can avoid a spiritual death, or a second death, the Savior is not talking about a second death. He is talking about any kind of death, physical or spiritual.
He also told the woman at the well,
“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
Physical death, eulogies at funerals, nice caskets and viewings, can be very spiritual experiences, but in no way, shape or form, is a funeral compatible with “springing up into everlasting life”. Nor are funerals compatible with the following words of Jesus,
“And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
Never say never unless you really mean it. The Savior really meant it. “Shall never die.” If we experience traditional death, we are not in compliance with this statement.
One of the profound comments made by Alma is as follows,
7 Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the abands of death, and the bchains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them.
Translation is a process, and the first step is to be awakened out of a deep sleep and awaken unto God. It is not enough to be awakened, we must be aware of how deep our sleep is made possible by centuries of false teachings and programming. To awaken unto God is to eat of the living bread and drink of the living waters which allow us to begin the translation process which break the bands of death and lead to everlasting life. The illumination by the light of the everlasting word allows us to find the strait gate and narrow way which so few have found.
Alma then gives a key to the gift of translation,
“He changed their hearts”.
13 And behold, he apreached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their btrust in the true and cliving God. And behold, they were faithful until the dend; therefore they were saved.
14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye aspiritually been bborn of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty cchange in your hearts?
One of the keys to translation is the heart. Both physically and spiritually, the heart plays a key role in becoming translated. We want to have this mighty change, but how do we do it? Do we chant special words from a prayer? Do we use certain words or tokens from a ceremony? The key to the heart are the First and Second Great Commandments. To love the Lord thy God with all of thy heart and with all of thy being. But first comes the heart. How do we put the First Commandment in action? By loving our neighbor as ourselves. How do we love our neighbor and ourselves? Through service and seeking the best interests of others first.
Loving ourselves is important. We will have many setbacks. We will still be sinners and transgressors. We will still be “of” the world and we will make mistakes. The key is constant repentance. Alma says,
“they were faithful until the dend; therefore they were saved.”
Being faithful until the end means not giving up. It means loving ourselves so that when we make mistakes, we push onward and seek the mercy and forgiveness of the One who will always receive us. In fact, the best way to show that we love God with all of our hearts is to constantly come unto him for forgiveness. Remember, Alma was the vilest of sinners and he labored long and hard to reach his “end” point.
The end does not refer to our traditional notion of death and our nice funeral. The end refers to the day that we can say that we are no longer “of” the world. It is when we are told by the Savior that we are good and faithful servants and that we can join those who have entered the strait gate and narrow way leading to eternal life (not death and funerals). We are saved and being saved means not experiencing death.
As we obey and keep the Two Great Commandments, we will become like the One to whom we love with all of our hearts. As we become like him, we will have a mighty change in heart and his image will literally be in our countenances. The light of Christ that is born with us, will grow and will literally take on his image. As we obtain that image, we are on the road to translation.
Finally, we have to ask for translation. We have to want it and we have to believe it is possible. We have to call upon the Lord continually, seeking to receive the gift of translation. We can follow one who was translated, even Alma the Younger:
15 Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who acreated you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption braised in incorruption, to stand before God to be cjudged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal (pre-translated) body?
16 I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye ablessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?
Alma recognized that the effort was extraordinary when he said,
45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I aknow of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?
46 Behold, I say unto you they are made aknown unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have bfasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of crevelation which is in me.
Fasting and prayer is a form of VOLUNTARY humiliation. Because it is voluntary, we are able to offer up a sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. However, with fasting and prayer, we are taking on us his easy yoke and his light burden that will lead to his rest. Far greater is the yoke and the burden if we are humbled after a crisis or after we are forced to face it through an untimely or unplanned physical death.
In future writings, we will explore why it is that so few people have been translated, especially in our life times. Why is translation so vital and important and what can we do with it?
In the meantime, I leave you with the words of the Savior and Redeemer:
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. BELIEVEST THOU THIS?”
[1] A chiasm is a special literary technique used by the ancients and has been known as the “finger of God” in that it usually happens under inspiration. Chiasm comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is similar to an “X”. It begins and ends with the same idea with a focal point where the cross or X intersects. Typically, the focal point at the intersection of the parallel ideas is what the Lord wishes to emphasize.
[2] From the Greek word meaning “secret rites”. I personally believe that the crucifixion of Jesus was part of a secret rite conducted by secret combinations.
[3] 2 Nephi 2:26
[4] 3 Nephi 27:11
[5] Moses 7:26, 3 Nephi 9:2
[6] Alma 5:42
[7] 2 Nephi 2:27
No comments:
Post a Comment