Opinion: Full Gospel Doctrines for Fulness of Faith

The Garden of Eden

By Chadwick LaVerl Hyde

There are those in the LDS faith that believe their heavenly father, their god and the only god with which they have to do is Michael-Adam—first man!  

They believe that he lived over 900 years on the earth during the earth’s terrestrial state as it sunk into its telestial state.  He lived celestial law, and was surrounded by a terrestrial presence and never, ever sunk into the telestial order.  Not ever!  

He created the earth with the godhead of his previous life; both Elohim (a title for his father in heaven or his first man, Adam) and Jehovah (a title for his Messiah).  But what is rarely discussed and of the most important consequence is how Adam, and quite possibly his son Seth, his wives and others of his children resurrected without the grace of his “only begotten” son—our Savior, Jesus Christ.  This is the crux of exaltation.  To die and resurrect without someone to atone for you.  This is the celestial kingdom and knowing or understanding this is crucial to later practicing it.  I want to discuss this.

There are those that would say that what I am about to discuss cannot comport with the “you can go down one kingdom but cannot ever go up a kingdom” doctrine so clearly preached by Joseph Smith Jr.  However, it not only agrees with it, but it explains its importance.  If Michael was a celestial (and he was) and he went down into a terrestrial world (and he did) then he would have to maintain a terrestrial area around him where no telestial influence could reside (and he did).  Everywhere he existed was a terrestrial area that allowed visitation from the celestial order.  The telestial order that came about was either ostracized (as in the case of the telestial murderer, Cain), or they departed away from it (as the City of Enoch did).  The celestial kingdom cannot, does not and will not reside with the telestial.  It will instruct terrestrials to minister to that kingdom (as discussed in the Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants), but these two kingdoms cannot co-exist in the same place together.

The huge and looming question for those new or tender to the fulness of the gospel is how Jesus Christ was sired by Michael-Adam.  To understand this one must understand four very important facts.  First, the primordial generation of Adam were gods.  Brigham explained them in this fashion, and they came to this earth to organize it, to seed it with humanity and to reside for a time in its paradisiacal glory.  Second, Adam, Seth and others resurrected by the “Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood” which is the magnifying of priesthood unto “the renewing of the flesh”.  This was done without the atonement of Jesus Christ, but through the administration of Jehovah at a higher law and higher understanding.  

The scriptures state that there are “just men made holy in the Lord” and that they will “endure the buffetings of Satan” for a time and then will return to the presence of the Lord “after they have paid the uttermost farthing” for their own sins.  These are celestials and they have existed on the earth—as the earth was created by them.  Third, Michael-Adam did not sin, but rather he transgressed celestial law to go down into a terrestrial order for a time.  This means he partook of terrestrial fruit or foodstuff and became captive for a time to a terrestrial order.  He went down a kingdom and was allowed (through the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood) to go back up.  Fourth and finally, the term “only begotten son” means the only son born on this earth with Adam’s self-resurrected body.  Jesus Christ is the literal flesh son of Michael-Adam who resurrected by the Oath and Covenant of the priesthood and returned to sire him with the virgin maiden Miriam.

The natural conclusions from understanding this is that earth now, or the telestial fallen operate under a system of repentance and forgiveness in Jesus Christ that allows us to raise up unto the primordial system of the “oath and covenant of the priesthood”.  Our telestial sins must be atoned for by Jesus Christ.  They must be removed and abated.  We must be redeemed unto a system or law of celestial order in which we seek self-resurrection under the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.  It must happen during this life!  And Jesus Christ is available to fallen beings like us to raise us to a terrestrial order to participate in the covenants that lead to the glories of celestial exaltation being ministered by celestials themselves.

When the temple say “we now follow Adam into the telestial world” it was not telestial where Adam immediate resided and abode.  It was at worst the terrestrial kingdom and at best the celestial kingdom.  Remember that Jehovah (Adam’s redeemer from a prior world) had a covering placed upon him so that while Jehovah was removed from sight, Adam could see his powerful light and hear his voice.  That is the celestial kingdom ministering to the terrestrial.  Cherubim and a flaming sword did guard and occlude the tree of life—meaning his trusted redeemer Jehovah.  Through the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood his body was once again restored in the presence of the celestials through magnification of his priesthood.  Remember Adam stayed on earth to obey the express command of his heavenly father Elohim to remain with Eve and have seed.  This was the mission and he obeyed.  

Eve desired knowledge from Lucifer and fell.  Adam stayed and partook of terrestrial food and became terrestrial for a time.  Through Adam, Eve was saved back up unto Jehovah and Elohim (thus the Law of the Lord and the Law of Elohim are fully explained as it relates to husbands and wives—as well as the doctrines preached by Joseph Smith Jr that women are saved in righteous child birthing and their righteous husbands resurrect them).

There is no truth more precious than this to the fulness of the gospel—because it explains what Jesus Christ is trying to do for us.  It tells us what he has in store for us.  It is the exaltation in the presence of “the father” that he wants for us.  He wants us to be like Adam in worlds to come.  “This is life eternal”, the scriptures state, “to know thee the only wise and living god and Jesus Christ whom thou (Michel-Adam) hath sent.”

To some fundamentalists, this may be shocking in its brazenness.  Like tearing open the curtains to the windows of the most intimate rooms of the house for the public to see.  But I say without this understanding there is not the faith sufficient to exalt.  The salvation of Christ is neutered, and people sink into philosophical trash heaps of ministerial condescension and the gentilism that ensues.  Such is the consequence of those that throw away celestial law for the praise of men, statehood, bureaucracy or social expedience (as the mainstream LDS appear to do).  I do not want to embarrass or place undue scrutiny upon the pious fundamentalist LDS.  To those that believe, hope and practice what they preach I want to galvanize the doctrine into a creed of faith that leads them to worlds without end.  Because that is what Joseph, Brigham and other restoration prophets did.  

We cannot exalt without plural marriage, the Council of 50 or Kingdom of God, and the United Order (or Cities of Zion as I call them).  Without these things the gospel of Jesus Christ is incomplete.  It renders it vain and futile.  Or less, not full.

Again, I state unequivocally that earth’s first generation had men that resurrected themselves and their wives and children.  Also, I state that “translation” of men is a segue to this through the atonement of Jesus Christ and a precursor for those that fell into the sins that warranted Jesus Christ to pull them out of telestial languishing.  The gospel is that Jesus Christ came to “save us”.  The fulness of the gospel is that Jesus Christ intends as Paul states, to make us “joint heirs unto the father…” who was Adam.  The facts listed above will reinforce the faith needed to accomplish this.  Remember we are to love Michael-Adam with all our hearts, might, minds and strengths.  Jesus Christ is the tool to accomplish this.  The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood is our goal, and the blessings are to devolve upon our plural families.

I testify of these things to you, my fellow believers in the fulness of the gospel, in his holy name, even Jesus Christ, Amen.

You can reach Chad at fundamnentalistmag@gmail.com.