Thank you for visiting Hopes of Glory! This site is records my personal journey to discover Jesus Christ (our many Hopes of Glory) and his gospel. I share my personal research, discoveries, thoughts, and faith expansion. This is a personal blog documenting my spiritual journey and religious ponderings.
Over 100 older posts about religious symbolisms can be accessed here. There is also a page containing my collection of more than 1,000 symbols, names, and titles for Jesus that I have correlated within the Book of Mormon. As I find more, I add them to the online collection. A few times a year, I upload a new research and discovery essay about Jesus, my spiritual journey, and various gospel topics. My faith journey is a work in progress and my understanding continues to grow over time. Sometimes the faith expansion process includes unlearning and letting go, in order to make room for something newer and truer in a rebirth or resurrection cycle.
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My sign for the “No King Trump Protest”
“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me….And [Jesus] the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:31-46 -
I am the God of Israel
Moses Parting the Red Sea. Image from the 1956 film the Ten Commandments. 10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.
11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.
12 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.
13 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying:
14 Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.
15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.
16 And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying:
17 Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him.
Jesus is the God of Israel. He created the earth. He appeared to Moses at the burning bush. He parted the Red Sea. He wrote the ten commandments with his spiritual finger onto Moses’ tablets. He is the eternal light that overshadowed Israel in the wilderness. He is the manna from heaven and the bread of life. During his mortal ministry he walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead, and forgave sins. He is the God of the whole earth [all humanity] and parts the seas to allow us to escape the shadow armies of sin and death. When he returns, he will save Israel and all the earth [all of humanity] again. Then all the world will recognize him as both Jesus and Jehovah the God of Israel. Everyone will know his names Jehovah and Jesus.
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Good From Evil
And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you [the spirit of Christ] A Knowledge and he hath made you free [in Christ].
He hath given unto you that ye might know [Jesus] Good from Evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose Life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto [Jesus] That which is Good, or have that which is Good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.
The spirit of Christ is given to every person to know good from evil. Jesus is the eternal judge and he judges between that which is good and that which is evil. A small portion of his spirit of judgement is within us. He is the light that penetrates the darkness and illuminates that which is hidden. He is our source of freedom. He is the good delicious fruit that enlarges our souls. He is all that is good. Every good gift comes from him!
Jesus is the Great Creator. Out of the cosmic chaos, he created order. He created the universe. From the dust and from death he created, continues to create, and will create life. He will resurrect humanity at the last day. If we humbly give him our sins and failures, he creates growth, empathy, and a greater capacity for love, mercy, and forgiveness within us. Jesus takes what is broken and makes it into something better. He turns water into wine. He is the knowledge of good from evil and he also creates, extracts, and transforms good from evil.
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Great Lights In Heaven
And Behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be Great Lights in Heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day. Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born. And behold, there shall a new star arise, such as one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you. And behold this is not all, there shall be many signs and wonders in heaven…And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall believe on the Son of God, the same shall have everlasting life.
Helaman 14:3-8
Jesus is our many Great Lights in Heaven that shine down on us. He is our new star. He is our daylight in the night. He is a light that can not be darkened. He is the light of life. Through him, we can both see anew and live anew in heaven’s bright and radiant love.
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Wisdom’s Paths
O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world! Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in Wisdom’s Paths! Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their Guide. O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth.
Jesus is our Guide. He is Wisdom’s Paths. He is The Way. He leads us to a better life of divine light and love. His wisdom is great. To be humble and willing to repent is the beginning of wisdom which allows us to unlearn error and walk in Wisdom’s Paths. Through Jesus we grow from grace to grace discovering divine truth, beauty, light, life, and love. -
He Is God And He Is With Them
… yea, they [the righteous prophets who have died] have testified of the coming of Christ, and have looked forward, and have rejoiced in his day which is to come. And behold, [Jesus] He is God, And He Is With Them, and he did manifest himself unto them, that they were redeemed by him; and they gave unto him glory, because of that which is to come.
Jesus is Emmanuel which means, “God with us.” The mission of Jesus is to be with us. He created humanity. He descended from his throne in heaven to live among us. His spirit enlivens us during times of trouble. When we die, we are welcomed into his arms. He is our Good Shepherd and seeks to gather us and be with us even when we stray. His eternal love means that he will not abandon us and he desires us to be with him. This is the invitation of his intercessory prayer so that may all be one with him and for him to be with us.
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Brazen Serpent In The Wilderness
Yea, did he not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he [Moses] lifted up the Brazen Serpent in the Wilderness, even so shall he [the Messiah] be lifted up who should come. And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal.
In the ancient world, the serpent was a symbol for God. The great imitator and deceiver then impersonated Christ by taking the form of a serpent. The serpent was a symbol of judgment, life, and death. The serpent had power over life as a bite could kill. It also symbolized power over death as the skin of a snake was shed and a renewed serpent emerged as if it had been resurrected. It was a symbol of wisdom and the creation of the cosmos.
When Moses visited with the premortal Jesus known as Jehovah at the burning bush, Moses was given power over life and over the waters. When Moses came to Pharoah, Jesus transformed his staff into a serpent. The court magicians through their trickery and false mimicry also turned their staffs into serpents. Moses’ serpent then consumed the serpents of the magicians symbolizing the future Messiah’s triumph over false imitations. After the hosts of Israel left Egypt, they were in the wilderness and poisonous snakes bit them. Moses created a brass serpent and lifted it up, symbolizing the future Messiah. Anyone who would look to the brass serpent in faith was healed from the poisonous bite. In like manner, when we fall into deception and sin, if we look to Christ in faith we will be healed.Behold, he [the Messiah] was spoken of by Moses; yea, and behold a type [and symbol] was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live. But few understood the meaning of those things… O my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly… then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works.
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Rock of Our Redeemer
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the Rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the Rock upon which ye are built, which is a Sure Foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
If we secure our house of faith on Jesus, we build on a sure foundation that won’t erode away. If we hold onto Him, his love is stronger than mighty storms. We may be beaten and drenched but we will be secure in his arms. His love for us is stronger than all the world. His love for us endures past hopelessness, sickness, tragedy, injustice, persecution, sin, death, and the powers of hell. He has already descended below all things and has overcome all things for us because of his infinite and enduring love for us. He is there to walk with us and be with us through every trial. He is the truest friend.
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Blessed
And it came to pass that there were two hundred, out of my two thousand and sixty, who had fainted because of the loss of blood; nevertheless, according to the Goodness of God [Jesus], and to our great astonishment, and also the joy of our whole army, there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and neither was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds.
And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the Miraculous Power of God [Jesus], because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe [in Jesus]—that there was a Just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his Marvelous Power [who is Jesus].
And behold, we are again delivered out of the hands of our enemies. And Blessed is the name of our God; for behold, it is he that has delivered us; yea, that has done this great thing for us.
Now it came to pass that when I, Helaman, had heard these words of Gid, I was filled with exceeding joy because of the Goodness of God [Jesus] in preserving us, that we might not all perish; yea, and I trust that the souls of them who have been slain have entered into the Rest of their God [in Jesus].
In spiritual war, all of us will receive wounds. We all sin, stray, stumble, fall, doubt, despair, and our faith waivers. However, Jesus is our deliverer. He will preserve us and save us by his miraculous power if we trust in him. If we have exceeding faith and trust in him, we will be supported in life’s trials with his love.
Whether in life or in death, Jesus will redeem all those who seek him. Whether we receive miracles in this life or whether we receive them in the next, we are blessed because of Him. We will enter into his rest and He will raise us up in the resurrection healed of all wounds. Blessed be the name of Jesus.
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Word of God
…the Sacred Word of God [Jesus], to which we owe all our happiness;
…by the Power [Holy Ghost] and Word [Jesus] of God, they had been converted unto the Lord [Jesus];
And now, as the preaching of the Word [Jesus] had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue [spiritual power and goodness] of the Word of God [Jesus].
Yea, and many did preach [Jesus the Word] with exceedingly great power and authority [of the Holy Ghost], unto the bringing down many of them into the depths of humility [to repent and turn their hearts to Jesus], to be the humble followers of God and the Lamb.
Jesus is symbolized as God’s Living Word. The Holy Ghost bears witness that Jesus is our savior from sin and our way of redemption. He breaks down our walls and heals our hearts. He inspires us to a more glorious future. He is our transformation and our way of new beginnings.
Older posts can be found here.
Hopes of Glory 