The Everlasting Covenant points Flashcards
**Section 1 Doctrine &Covenants **
15 For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant;
(they are not at the tree, enjoying the love that is offered there, –they are on other paths that has a sword is hanging over it.
16 They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness,
They are a not seeking/ coming unto the Lord (the tree of life) which is the symbol for Jesus
By coming unto the tree, receiving ordinances/the everlasting covenant - righteouness is established. We are in the right relationship with God.
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
The living waters represent the continue flow of divine love, gifts and powers that come to those who are in a covenenat relationship with God. Without being in this everlasting coneneant relationship no other means are avilbl eofr one to reciee these blassing, gifts from God ther is only one god can provie this.
“The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant” (Isaiah 24:5).
the strait and narrow path as the covenant path of discipleship leading to the tree of life. What that means is simply this: God has prepared a way, a path, that can bring us, his children, back into his presence in a state of immortality. That way is through the Atonement of Christ and the covenantal system that he has set up (see Articles of Faith 1:3, 4). Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet state that in the vision of the tree of life, “partaking of the fruit of the tree . . . represent[s] the partaking of the powers of Christ and his atonement: forgiveness of sins, as well as feelings of peace, joy, and gratitude. Ultimately, through partaking of the powers of the gospel one is qualified to partake of the greatest fruit of the Atonement—the blessings associated with eternal life.” [2] Thus there is a difference between the immediate and future occurrences of partaking of the fruit associated with the covenantal nature inherent in the process. Elder Bruce R. McConkie elucidates the meaning of the final partaking of the fruit: “To eat thereof is to inherit eternal life in the kingdom of God.” [3]
Through the vision of the tree of life, we enter the world of symbolism underlying the necessary discipleship that leads to exaltation. If we carefully examine the vision, the pathway leading to the tree of life seems to reflect the covenant road (which leads to eternal salvation in God’s presence) rather than to describe the rough roads of life (where we are to do good and avoid temptations to the best of our ability). Thus, on the path of discipleship, “enduring to the end” has a greater covenantal significance. In discussing Lehi’s dream, it should be stated that the covenant path not only symbolizes ordinances and covenants but also represents the lifestyle of one who has entered, and continues to enter, into those ordinances and covenants with God throughout the course of life—one who moves forward on that path and attempts to stay faithful to the end of this mortal journey. The strait and narrow path and the iron rod are components of the dream that make obtaining the fruit of the tree possible
The gospel’s rich and true doctrines combine to constitute a call to a new and more abundant life, but this is a lengthy process. It requires much time, experiencing the relevant learning experiences, the keeping of covenants, and the receiving of the essential ordinances—all in order to spur us along the discipleship path of personal progression. [4]
Neal Maxwell
The people partaking of the fruit of the tree are a representation of individuals who had taken upon themselves all of the ordinances and covenants necessary to qualify for eternal life (thus receiving conditional blessings contingent upon obedience and enduring to the end).
President Joseph F. Smith highlighted the meaning of entering into the Lord’s rest in both immediate and future contexts:
What does it mean to enter into the rest of the Lord? Speaking for myself, it means that through the love of God I have been won over to Him, so that I can feel at rest in Christ, that I may no more be disturbed by every wind of doctrine, by the cunning and craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; and that I am established in the knowledge and testimony of Jesus Christ, so that no power can turn me aside from the straight and narrow path that leads back into the presence of God, to enjoy exaltation in His glorious kingdom; that from this time henceforth I shall enjoy that rest until I shall rest with Him in the heavens. [5]
even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;
For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified. (Moses 6:59–60)
In the Vita Adae et Evae, Adam is told, after partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, that he would return to partake of the fruit of the tree of life after his resurrection:
And the Lord turned and said to Adam, “From now on I will not allow you to be in Paradise.” And Adam answered and said, “Lord, give me from the tree of life that I might eat before I am cast out.” Then the Lord spoke to Adam, “You shall not now take from it; for it was appointed to the cherubim and the flaming sword which turns to guard it because of you, that you might not taste of it and be immortal forever, but that you might have the strife which the enemy has placed in you. But when you come out of Paradise, if you guard yourself from all evil, preferring death to it, at the time of the resurrection I will raise you again, and then there shall be given to you from the tree of life, and you shall be immortal forever.” [21]
For Adam and Eve, the journey back to the presence of God was (and is for each of us) to take place on the road of discipleship, a road that would lead them to partake of the fruit of the tree in this life and in the life to come. [22]
Elder L. Tom Perry further clarifies the concept that baptism, both by water and by fire, gets one on the path:
The ordinance of baptism by water and fire is described as a gate by Nephi (see 2 Nephi 31:17). Why is baptism a gate? Because it is an ordinance denoting entry into a sacred and binding covenant between God and man. Men promise to forsake the world, love and serve their fellowmen, visit the fatherless and the widows in their afflictions, proclaim peace, preach the gospel, serve the Lord, and keep His commandments. The Lord promises to “pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon [us]” (Mosiah 18:10), redeem His Saints both temporally and spiritually, number them with those of the First Resurrection and offer life eternal. Baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost are the prescribed ways to enter the strait and narrow path to eternal life. [23]
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did exhort my brethren, with all diligence, to keep the commandments of the Lord. And it came to pass that they did humble themselves before the Lord; insomuch that I had joy and great hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness. Now, all these things were said and done as my father dwelt in a tent in the valley which he called Lemuel” (1 Nephi 16:4–6). [35]
This everlasting covenant of love is transformational taking us from a natural man to a saint. It is done by receiving gifts, gifts of knowledge, gifts of light, gifts of truth which transform us. By this love we reach our full divine potiral and desteny.the highest of what we can become and which God wants us to become for which the saviour suffered for us to become.
The book of Revelation teaches us about true worship of God, which is expressing our love and appreciation and acknowledgment of God’s great goodness to us.
Fulness of joy in the Eternitys is about loving relationships. Family sealed together us becoming not only the sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. But this new creature that’s been created very significant that there is a father and that is the Savior or his and his atonement. That is what has transformed us created us. So he is the father of that and we are sealed to him as we are sealed to our heavenly parents who was responsible for our spirit body and our parents earthly parents who are responsible for a physical body and the Savior who is responsible for this new creature rear sealed to all three for eternity.
