Stairway to Heaven, Highway to Hell

If in fact, there is only a stairway to Heaven and a highway to Hell, then perhaps, this has a lot to say about anticipated traffic statistics to different locations. The numbers of individuals and the patterns that emerge in various journeys is both surprising and astounding, especially to those who were participants, but later look back with a different and more clear perspective.

Here are some verses of scripture that may enlighten possibilities for you and perhaps helps describe what regulates the position of someone being among the “few” or among the “many” and what it means:

“For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me. But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also. This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law. Broad is the gate, and wide the way that leadeth to the deaths; and many there are that go in thereat, because they receive me not, neither do they abide in my law.” (D&C 132:22-25)

“But behold, verily I say unto you, that there are many who have been ordained among you, whom I have called but few of them are chosen. They who are not chosen have sinned a very grievous sin, in that they are walking in darkness at noon-day. Nevertheless, my servants sinned a very grievous sin; and contentions arose in the school of the prophets; which was very grievous unto me, saith your Lord; therefore I sent them forth to be chastened. (D&C 95:5-6,10)

“Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson— That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness. That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man. Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God. We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion. Hence many are called, but few are chosen. No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—” (D&C 121:34-42)

“Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am;” (D&C 93:1)

“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14:23)

“John 14:23—The appearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse, is a personal appearance; and the idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man’s heart is an old sectarian notion, and is false.” (D&C 130:3)

Christ's promise recorded in D&C 93:1 will actually happen and you will see Christ's face. This is the fullness of the Gospel and redemption comes by personally knowing God for yourself.

“And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life. When men are called unto mine everlasting gospel, and covenant with an everlasting covenant, they are accounted as the salt of the earth and the savor of men;” (D&C 101:38-39)

“And now I, Moroni, bid farewell unto the Gentiles, yea, and also unto my brethren whom I love, until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ, where all men shall know that my garments are not spotted with your blood. And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things; And only a few have I written, because of my weakness in writing. And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen.” (Ether 12:38-41)

“And the Lord said unto him (Brother of Jared): Believest thou the words which I shall speak? And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie. And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you. Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.” (Ether 3:11-14)

“And now, as I, Moroni, said I could not make a full account of these things which are written, therefore it sufficeth me to say that Jesus showed himself unto this man in the spirit, even after the manner and in the likeness of the same body even as he showed himself unto the Nephites. And he ministered unto him even as he ministered unto the Nephites; and all this, that this man might know that he was God, because of the many great works which the Lord had showed unto him. And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting. Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him.” (Ether 3:17-20)

“And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” (Exodus 33:11)

2 And he saw God face to face, and he talked with him, and the glory of God was upon Moses; therefore Moses could endure his presence.

11 But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him.

31 And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me. (Moses 1:2,11,31)

“And I (Enoch) saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face; and he said unto me: Look, and I will show unto thee the world for the space of many generations.” (Moses 7:4)

“Enoch was twenty-five years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam; and he was sixty-five and Adam blessed him. And he saw the Lord, and he walked with him, and was before his face continually; and he walked with God three hundred and sixty-five years, making him four hundred and thirty years old when he was translated.” (D&C 107:48-49)

“Thus I, Abraham, talked with the Lord, face to face, as one man talketh with another; and he told me of the works which his hands had made;” (Abraham 3:11)

“Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.” (Psalms 27:7-8)

“When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the gospel--you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave.” (Joseph Smith - HC 6:306-307)

To “pass through the veil”, are you required to die first? Or can it be accomplished in mortality? The Brother of Jared, obtaining and having this perfect knowledge of God, could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him … while he was yet mortal and alive. Piercing the veil, without experiencing death, may prove not only possible, but of great worth.

While alive in this world (in mortality), is it possible to be aware of and be seeing another world, be learning in another world, and be actively participating in the great work of receiving more knowledge about your salvation and exaltation while in the spirit in another world? Something to consider that may be of great value! 

Hopefully in this life, in this round, at least a few will hear, recognize, accept and receive what God offers, embrace grace that is available, know God, and be redeemed. Then, do as Nephi taught, “And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.” (2 Nephi 32:6)

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon declared, as do many prophets, that we cannot teach or reveal to you everything that we saw. You've got to approach God and see it yourself through Him. Here are their words recorded, “This is the end of the vision which we saw, which we were commanded to write while we were yet in the Spirit. But great and marvelous are the works of the Lord, and the mysteries of his kingdom which he showed unto us, which surpass all understanding in glory, and in might, and in dominion; Which he commanded us we should not write while we were yet in the Spirit, and are not lawful for man to utter; Neither is man capable to make them known, for they are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him, and purify themselves before him; To whom he grants this privilege of seeing and knowing for themselves; That through the power and manifestation of the Spirit, while in the flesh, they may be able to bear his presence in the world of glory. And to God and the Lamb be glory, and honor, and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (D&C 76:113-119)

Eyewitness Account of Christ in Gethsemane

“And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things;” (Ether 12:39)

Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Moses, Abraham, Alma, Brother of Jared, Mormon, Peter, Enoch, Joseph Smith, Melchizedek, Adam, and many others have talked with the Lord face to face and are witnesses of Christ, His atonement, and His works.

Today, a latter-day witness, who has talked with the Lord face to face and bears witness of Christ, declares an account of Christ in Gethsemane. Here is the link: Gethsemane

Ceremony of Recognition and Witnessing

In 3 Nephi Chapter 11, we have the account when the Father introduces His Son to the Nephites in the land of Bountiful, Jesus Christ appears, and the people are asked to perform a ceremony of recognition and witnessing.

“And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them: Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him. And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them. And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying: Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. 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. 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. And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying: 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. 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.” (3 Nephi 11:6-15)

From the Book, “The Second Comforter – Conversing with The Lord Through the Veil” on Pages 170-171 we read:

“He tells them to come, one by one, to feel the wounds in his side, and hands, and feet. One by one is how he directs. No person who is present is to have this witness through another. All of them are to be equally qualified as Witnesses of Him. there is nothing vicarious about this meeting. They are asked to perform a ceremony of recognition and witnessing. They first feel his side. To do this they must embrace the Lord, for you cannot feel his side without embracing Him. Embracing Him is an essential part of the ceremony of recognition. Ceremony and holiness are connected with each other. Recognize you are reading about a ceremony, as all encounters involved with God are in one way or another.

Having embraced the Lord and felt his side, the witnesses are asked to take a step back and feel His hands. Feeling the Lord's hands is also a part of the ceremonial process. At an arm's length, holding his hands, you feel the marks of the nails.

Then, having touched the secret emblems of the Atonement, you are permitted to kneel and feel the prints in His feet. This part of the ceremony is the easiest for men to observe. For kneeling at his feet is the natural position for anyone who has witnessed for themselves the price He paid on their behalf and feels the love within Him.

This is ceremony, and this is ritual, but it employs such rich witnesses in the body of the Lord as to be convincing beyond all doubt that He is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Deliverer, and the Holy One of Israel!

Every person will be given the same experience at some point as the scriptures record in 2 Nephi 9:41: "O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.” This statement by Nephi concerns the final judgement. But it needn't be delayed. He is the One through whom salvation comes. And He employs no servant to do these things. This encounter can be here, now, in mortality.”

The scriptures are loaded with testimonies of individuals who actually experience this type of encounter with God ... while still mortal!

In the Book of Mormon, you only need to read 5-6 verses to find the account where Lehi prayed unto the Lord and received an answer. There came a pillar of fire and he did quake and tremble. Lehi was overcome with the spirit, carried away in a vision, saw the heavens open, and saw and heard much.

“Thus I, Abraham, talked with the Lord, face to face, as one man talketh with another; and he told me of the works which his hands had made; And he said unto me: My son, my son (and his hand was stretched out), behold I will show you all these. And he put his hand upon mine eyes, and I saw those things which his hands had made, which were many; and they multiplied before mine eyes, and I could not see the end thereof.” (Abraham 3:11-12)

“And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you. Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.” (Ether 3:13-14)

I don't think it is wise to allow another person to stand between you and Christ in any form or fashion, nor to be deceived into believing that this connection, embrace, and ceremony with Christ is merely meant for afterlife. You needn't wait until after death to meet Christ face to face, be redeemed by the Redeemer, and receive the testimony of Jesus, promising you eternal life, by His own voice.