The Plan of Salvation (part 2)

One of the first doctrines that Satan tries to hide in an apostasy is the doctrine of pre-earth life. By so doing he can "rearrange the furniture" and separate the type of being man is from the type of being God is. He is also able to hide the great effort of many in their pre-earth preparations to accomplish their missions in mortality. In an earlier post, February 9, I used this quote from President Kimball about pre-earth life,

"A passage of scripture familiar to all of you . . . reads as follows: '. . . intelligences that were organized before the world was and among all these were many of the noble and great ones . . . and he said: These I will make my rulers;' These leaders whom Abraham referred to were noble, good and they had been proven, thus God could entrust them with great responsibilities in his Kingdom on this earth. Were you among those who were noble, good, and tested? The Prophet Joseph Smith said, ' Every man who has a call was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of Heaven.' Yes, you were among those rulers . . ." quoted from a Church filmstrip entitled, "These I Will Make My Rulers." (1978)

Long after the Prophet had received D&C 76 on the three degrees of glory, he quoted from a revelation that he had received, which makes further comment on the apparent state of all those who are not married and in the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom,

D&C 132:15-17 15 Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world. 16 Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory. 17 For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.

Here we see that those who are exalted in the married state receive a "far more" and "exceeding" and "eternal weight of glory" than any others. Others are depicted as:

1. cannot be enlarged (no posterity)
2. remain separate and single (why the two different terms?)
3. without exaltation
4. in a saved condition
5. to all eternity
6. not gods
7. angels of God forever and ever.

The Lord may still give further clarification on these statements, but they do give us pause to reflect on the great plan of happiness and our position in it. Do our own personal lives reflect our devotion to our God and the building up of his Kingdom.