Calling and Election

1999-12-18 10:49:00

Sterling asks another question that may be of general interest.

"What would he say, for example, about the second anointing or calling and election being made sure? This is a teaching that few outside Mormonism understand let alone mention. "Any comments on this too, J J?"

This idea of "calling and election" is also mentioned in the Bible by Peter. II Peter 1:10 "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall."

Regular Christianity usually interprets this with the idea that when you have totally given your life to Christ you have a secure salvation from which you cannot fall. They pretty much believe that a person can commit horrendous sins after obtaining such a salvation yet still go to heaven. It is pretty black and white with them. You go to heaven or hell and you're either completely saved or you are not.

Now Mormonism has more differentiations in the afterlife and in eternal rewards. They believe in three kingdoms of Glory and one with no glory. The Kingdom with no glory, or light, is the dwelling place of the Dark Brothers. The Telestial, or the glory of the stars, is not really an afterlife, but is this physical earth where we arrive through reincarnation. It could also include the lower astral realms. The Terrestrial is the higher astral.

The Celestial, with its three divisions, is the higher worlds of mind, the highest of the worlds of form. This is where the LDS hope to go if his calling and election is made sure.

Most Mormons do not realize that there are kingdoms higher than the Celestial as hinted at by Joseph Smith:

D&C 130:9 This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ's.

D&C 130:10 Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known;

D&C 130:11 And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word.

Notice that a white stone is given to those who enter the Celestial world and this stone is a key that reveals "a higher order of kingdoms" than the Celestial.

Now the Celestial is the highest of the worlds of form, so what could be higher than that? In esoteric literature these are called the formless worlds. The first above the plane of mind is the Intuitional, or Buddhic plane, followed by the Spiritual or Atmic, then Monadic and finally the Divine.

These formless worlds are difficult for us to understand in our earthly state and, from a higher point of view, have form as ideas have form. They provide the foundations from which all the lower worlds of concrete form are created.

Once entering the formless worlds, which are high states of consciousness, one can always descend back into matter and manifest in physical form if some purpose requires it.

So if receiving a mighty change of heart and walking the spiritual path is the first initiation, what is this guarantee, that we will not fall from the path but have our entry into the higher worlds, assured? This comes with the third initiation when we encounter the Dweller on the Threshold that we talked about earlier.

We will eventually cover the initiations in depth but we'll just mention the first three briefly here.

The first is the birth of the Christ in the heart accompanied by a decision to walk the Spiritual path as the disciple sees it. During this period he becomes a master of his physical passions and desires and subjects them to the purpose of God as he sees it.

To pass the second initiation he must master his emotions. He does not do away with emotion as some teach, but he learns to not attach his decision making to emotional feeling and instead subjects them to the plane of the mind. By subjecting emotion to mind he learns to render emotion harmless from a spiritual viewpoint.

These first two initiations are covered by the symbology of baptism (the birth of the life of Christ) and the reception of the Holy Spirit replacing the domination of the lower emotions.

The third initiation is called the transfiguration and was demonstrated by Christ on the Mount so named. Moses was also passing through this initiation on Mount Sinai, as did Joseph Smith when the pillar of light descended upon him.

To reach this the disciple must learn to see through illusion and subject his mind to the will of Spirit. Only when the seeker learns to see through illusion can he be trusted to permanently keep his mind centered in the light. When this initiation is passed, then definite decision has been made to follow the light and nothing in the world of illusion can tempt the disciple to retreat.

From this point on he is considered a coworker by the Brotherhood and is trusted with certain responsibilities.