Chapter 4—Light and Knowledge
The difference between exaltation in the highest kingdom and everlasting misery in outer darkness is light. Having “degrees of glory” means a spectrum of light and glory exists. Outer darkness is utter darkness, the farthest location from the light of God’s glorious throne.
Darkness begins as imperceptible mists that diminish light. These “temptations of the devil” (1 Nephi 12:17) intend “to deceive and to blind men and to lead them captive at his will” (Moses 4:4). Satan seeks “to turn their hearts away from the truth that they become blinded and understand not the things which are prepared for them” (D&C 78:10).
The proud and hardhearted cannot understand God’s word even when it is made plain. Nephi was “left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men. For they will not search knowledge nor understand great knowledge when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be” (2 Nephi 32:7).
“Wherever light shone, it stirred up darkness.” His gospel is offered to those who are in darkness, for Christ “setteth an end to darkness” (Job 28:3). “The Father chargeth Him to deliver us from darkness and to prepare a holy people for Himself” (Barnabas 14:6). “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Light, understanding, and wisdom are the spirit of God, but they “rebelled against the works of God and condemned the counsel of the Most High” (JST Psalm 107:10–11). “How blind and impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men; for they will not seek wisdom, neither do they desire that she should rule over them!” (Mosiah 8:20).
“John was very particular to tell people he was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.” After John was wrongfully imprisoned then murdered, Jesus went to Galilee where He fulfilled Isaiah’s words:
The commandment to “seek learning by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118) involves searching, pondering, treasuring up, and feasting on His word to enlighten our minds. Such an endowment comes only from God, the giver of light. “The light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings” (D&C 88:11). The righteous testify, “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
We are invited to be His lamps, enlightened by His spirit, “set on a candlestick” (Mark 4:21). Israel’s sanctuary had several holy pieces, including a candlestick menorah made of pure gold. “Six branches come out of the sides of it: three branches of the candlestick out of the one side and three branches of the candlestick out of the other” (Exodus 25:31–32)—a lamp before the Lord, a sign of His spirit in the temple.
Created “according to the pattern which the Lord had shewed Moses” (Numbers 8:4), its branches had “bowls made after the fashion of almonds with a knop and a flower” (Exodus 37:19). “The rod of Aaron,” a symbol of priesthood authority, had “budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds” (Numbers 17:8). Jeremiah’s vision of hastening judgment had imagery of “a rod of an almond tree” (Jeremiah 1:11).
Almond derives from shaked (H8245), which is to be alert, watchful, or awake. Typically almonds blossom in January, so they ‘awaken’ while others remain ‘asleep.’ Being awake and watchful are conditions and duties of priesthood so we are urged to not let sleep overtake us.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner . . . We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”
Menorah or candlestick imagery also represents “churches” that will be cursed if they do not return and do “the first works.” Menorah is from manor (H4501), a beam or yoke for plowing. Similar theme is found in the word lamp, its root means to till or break up soil (H5214, 5216). God commanded mankind to till the ground and take His yoke upon them—veiled references to gaining light and knowledge. “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me” (Matthew 11:29). “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Connecting yoke to menorah helps us understand that His work or burden is light—to enlighten the faithful that they may become a lamp, even a tree of life, a symbol of wisdom.
When our eye is single to God, “your whole bodies shall be filled with light and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things” (D&C 88:67). We exude light when “the glory of the Lord is risen upon” us (Isaiah 60:1). “He that receiveth light and continueth in God receiveth more light” (D&C 50:24) until he is fully endowed. “Then shall ye know that ye have seen me, that I am, and that I am the true light that is in you, and that you are in me; otherwise ye could not abound” (D&C 88:50). To all who “continue to be a faithful witness and a light unto the church, I have prepared a crown for him in the mansions of my father” (D&C 106:8).
Christ is “the true light” (D&C 93:2), the only way to the Father. There is no other way. “I am the light; I have set an example for you” (3 Nephi 18:16). “Hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do” (3 Nephi 18:24).
Darkness begins as imperceptible mists that diminish light. These “temptations of the devil” (1 Nephi 12:17) intend “to deceive and to blind men and to lead them captive at his will” (Moses 4:4). Satan seeks “to turn their hearts away from the truth that they become blinded and understand not the things which are prepared for them” (D&C 78:10).
They have not known nor understood . . . and none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding . . . A deceived heart hath turned him aside that he cannot deliver his soul. (Isaiah 44:18–20)Knowledge of God begins as we recognize our own sins and accept our desperate need to repent, but this vital truth often escapes us. Vanity and unbelief cloud our vision and cause us to stray from His straight course. Only “when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind” will the “great and marvelous things” be revealed to our understanding. “When ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know” (Ether 4:15).
The proud and hardhearted cannot understand God’s word even when it is made plain. Nephi was “left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men. For they will not search knowledge nor understand great knowledge when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be” (2 Nephi 32:7).
The Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly for the salvation of our souls.
God hath taken away his plainness from them and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble. (Jacob 4:13–14)Plainness is taken when we do not receive His Spirit. The “Spirit of Christ is given to every man that he may know good from evil” (Moroni 7:16). Christ is “the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9), but His spirit withdraws when we choose darkness. “I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the same that came unto mine own and mine own received me not. I am the light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not” (D&C 6:21). He is “the law” and “the life and the light of the world,” the center of the great plan of redemption (3 Nephi 15:9, 11:11).
“Wherever light shone, it stirred up darkness.” His gospel is offered to those who are in darkness, for Christ “setteth an end to darkness” (Job 28:3). “The Father chargeth Him to deliver us from darkness and to prepare a holy people for Himself” (Barnabas 14:6). “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Light, understanding, and wisdom are the spirit of God, but they “rebelled against the works of God and condemned the counsel of the Most High” (JST Psalm 107:10–11). “How blind and impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men; for they will not seek wisdom, neither do they desire that she should rule over them!” (Mosiah 8:20).
He that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way? If it be some other way, it is not of God. (D&C 50:19–20)“It is for us to be righteous, that we may be wise and understand.” “Wisdom summons you in her goodness saying, ‘Come to me, all of ye, O foolish ones, that you may receive a gift, the understanding which is good and excellent.” Wisdom distinguishes good from evil, truth from error. The wise sought wisdom and have light because (1) they “have received the truth,” (2) they “have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide,” and (3) they “have not been deceived” (D&C 45:57). The foolish reject truth and light. They are blind (do not perceive His light), deaf (do not hear His voice), and dumb (do not understand His ways). The Lord will heal us if we come to Him (3 Nephi 17:9).
If ye cannot understand, it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light but must perish in the dark. (2 Nephi 32:4)To refuse light is to refuse Him. His glory is the light that overcomes darkness, the light that guides our steps. “By his light I walked through darkness” (Job 29:3) but without it, we will stumble and fall. “Give glory to the Lord your God before he causes darkness and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death and make it gross darkness” (Jeremiah 13:16), even “a land of darkness . . . without any order and where the light is as darkness” (Job 10:21–22). Remember, John the Baptist was ordained “to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Luke 1:79)—the chosen ones, the Israelites!
“John was very particular to tell people he was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.” After John was wrongfully imprisoned then murdered, Jesus went to Galilee where He fulfilled Isaiah’s words:
People who walk in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwell in the land of deep darkness a light has shined upon them. Henceforth Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.Repentance overcomes darkness, so taking Him lightly keeps us in darkness. “The gospel of Jesus Christ” removes the “scales of darkness” from our eyes of understanding.
The commandment to “seek learning by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118) involves searching, pondering, treasuring up, and feasting on His word to enlighten our minds. Such an endowment comes only from God, the giver of light. “The light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings” (D&C 88:11). The righteous testify, “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
We are invited to be His lamps, enlightened by His spirit, “set on a candlestick” (Mark 4:21). Israel’s sanctuary had several holy pieces, including a candlestick menorah made of pure gold. “Six branches come out of the sides of it: three branches of the candlestick out of the one side and three branches of the candlestick out of the other” (Exodus 25:31–32)—a lamp before the Lord, a sign of His spirit in the temple.
Created “according to the pattern which the Lord had shewed Moses” (Numbers 8:4), its branches had “bowls made after the fashion of almonds with a knop and a flower” (Exodus 37:19). “The rod of Aaron,” a symbol of priesthood authority, had “budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds” (Numbers 17:8). Jeremiah’s vision of hastening judgment had imagery of “a rod of an almond tree” (Jeremiah 1:11).
Almond derives from shaked (H8245), which is to be alert, watchful, or awake. Typically almonds blossom in January, so they ‘awaken’ while others remain ‘asleep.’ Being awake and watchful are conditions and duties of priesthood so we are urged to not let sleep overtake us.
It is high time for a Christian world to awake out of sleep and cry mightily day and night to that God whose anger we have justly incurred. Are not these things a sufficient stimulant to arouse the faculties, and call forth the energies of every man, woman, or child that possesses feelings of sympathy for their fellows, or that is in any degree endeared to the budding cause of our glorious Lord? . . . Awake to righteousness and sin not; let your light shine and show yourselves workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Apply yourselves diligently to study, that your minds may be stored with all necessary information.We must ‘awake and arise’ before we can ‘arise and shine’—and there is no time to waste. ““Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will” (Romans 12:2, NIV).
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner . . . We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”
Menorah or candlestick imagery also represents “churches” that will be cursed if they do not return and do “the first works.” Menorah is from manor (H4501), a beam or yoke for plowing. Similar theme is found in the word lamp, its root means to till or break up soil (H5214, 5216). God commanded mankind to till the ground and take His yoke upon them—veiled references to gaining light and knowledge. “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me” (Matthew 11:29). “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Connecting yoke to menorah helps us understand that His work or burden is light—to enlighten the faithful that they may become a lamp, even a tree of life, a symbol of wisdom.
I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell, even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will. (Alma 33:23)We must remove darkness to be a light. “Choose, therefore, for yourselves either the light or the darkness, either the law of the Lord or the works of” evil (Testament of Levi 19:1). “For ye were sometimes in darkness but now are ye light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8–10). The way is given:
Seek to know God . . . Follow the directions of the Book of Mormon and pray . . . Ask the blessing of God upon all your labors and everything that you engage in. Be virtuous and pure; be men of integrity and truth; keep the commandments of God; and then you will be able more perfectly to understand the difference between right and wrong—between the things of God and the things of men; and your path will be like that of the just, which shineth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.Jesus said to the faithful, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house” (Matthew 5:14–16) “that they which come in may see the light” (Luke 11:33). Light helps us discern good from evil, truth from error, wisdom from foolishness, and the spirit of God from a spirit of darkness. Discernment is a necessary part of the Lord’s great work.
When our eye is single to God, “your whole bodies shall be filled with light and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things” (D&C 88:67). We exude light when “the glory of the Lord is risen upon” us (Isaiah 60:1). “He that receiveth light and continueth in God receiveth more light” (D&C 50:24) until he is fully endowed. “Then shall ye know that ye have seen me, that I am, and that I am the true light that is in you, and that you are in me; otherwise ye could not abound” (D&C 88:50). To all who “continue to be a faithful witness and a light unto the church, I have prepared a crown for him in the mansions of my father” (D&C 106:8).
Christ is “the true light” (D&C 93:2), the only way to the Father. There is no other way. “I am the light; I have set an example for you” (3 Nephi 18:16). “Hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do” (3 Nephi 18:24).
This is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do. (3 Nephi 27:21)
For footnotes and references, click HERE.