The Ministry of Angels

1 Nephi 11:30, NC 1 Nephi 3 par. 12


And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying, Look. And I looked, and I beheld the Heavens open again, and I saw angels descending upon the children of men, and they did minister unto them.

The Stick of Joseph in the Hand of Ephraim 1 Nefi 3 par. 11

And it came to pass that the angel spoke unto me, saying, Look. And I looked, and I beheld the Heavens open again, and I saw angels descending upon the children of men, and they did minister unto them.

There is a part of the paragraph of the preceding post that I would like to present for further consideration a little further on.  It is the part where Nephi states, "And I also beheld twelve others following him." but we will continue here with the ministration of angels.

One thing that I hope comes through in this blog as I ask questions and share my present understanding of things is that I am not declaring that what I presently understand must be true or right.

I consider that until I actually experience the things that are occurring in the Book of Mormon for myself that I am unable to speak with authority on any matter.

What I am sharing and asking questions about constitute, as I have said before, ideas that I presently believe are true, ideas that make sense to me, ideas that are delicious to me, ideas that have brought me increased light and understanding, ideas that cause me to ask more and more questions, ideas that have, by their compelling nature, inspired me to act.

I hope that will always be the case.

I agree with what has been taught that even though my understanding is exceedingly limited and flawed that I can still be diligently obedient to what the Lord in His mercy has given and He can fix my understanding.

I believe that He wants me to look into these things.  I believe that He wants every man, woman and child to look into these things.

With these things that I share I want only to invite and persuade people to, in a thoughtful patient way,  look into these matters themselves contained right before us in the Book of Mormon.

Why right smack dab in the middle of showing Nephi concerning the Lord and His mortal life and ministry does the angel show Nephi the ministry of angels?

Why is Nephi's vision ordered this way?

Is the ministry of angels so important that it requires attention here?

The following is from the prophet Mormon.  

It is a discussion on the ministry of angels and how that ministry is related to faith.

And now my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing? And now I come to that faith of which I said I would speak, and I will tell you the way whereby ye may lay hold on every good thing. For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ, and in Christ there should come every good thing. And God also declared unto prophets by his own mouth that Christ should come. And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men which were good, and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise, men were fallen and there could no good thing come unto them. Wherefore, by the ministering of angels and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith they did lay hold upon every good thing, and thus it was until the coming of Christ; and after that he came, men also were saved by faith in his name. And by faith they become the sons of God.

And as sure as Christ liveth, he spake these words unto our fathers, saying, Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, hath miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into Heaven? And hath sit down on the right hand of God to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men? For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing. Wherefore, he advocateth the cause of the children of men. And he dwelleth eternally in the Heavens.

And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, hath miracles ceased? Behold, I say unto you, nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men. For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, shewing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness. And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfill and to do the work of the covenants of the Father which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him; and by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the holy ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men. And Christ hath said, If ye will have faith in me, ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me. And he hath said, Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved.

And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case, that these things are true which I have spoken unto you — and God will shew unto you with power and great glory at the last day that they are true — and if they are true, have the day of miracles ceased? Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the holy ghost from them? Or will he so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved? Behold, I say unto you, nay. For it is by faith that miracles are wrought, and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men. Wherefore, if these things have ceased, woe be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain. For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name. Wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also, and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made. (Moroni 7:20 - 38, NC Moroni 7 pars. 4 - 7)

From the very beginning, Adam and Eve, who was sent to give them understanding concerning the command they were obeying to offer sacrifice?

For anyone who has been through an LDS temple endowment, who are Adam and Eve waiting for?

Who are "true" messengers from the Father?

If we are to consider ourselves as if we were respectively Adam and Eve then who should we be waiting for?

Mormon taught that by the ministering of angels, as well as every word that proceeded forth from the mouth of God, men began to have faith in Christ.

Does that mean that "faith" is inseparably connected with the ministry of angels?

Mormon declared, "...it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men. Wherefore, if these things have ceased, woe be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain. For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name. Wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also, and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made."

That is a very serious statement isn't it?

By who's will do the angels minister unto the children of men?

Can the angels (true messengers) be conjured or summoned by us?

Can we or should we request according to our own will that angels be sent to minister to us?

By God's will who is it that the angels are sent to minister to?

What does it mean to be of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness?

If they show themselves to those of strong faith, how do we move from belief to "faith"?

What happened with Adam and Eve?

And Adam called upon the name of the Lord, and Eve also, his wife; and they heard the voice of the Lord from the way toward the Garden of Eden speaking unto them, and they saw him not, for they were shut out from his presence. And he gave unto them commandment that they should worship the Lord their God and should offer the firstlings of their flocks for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord.  And after many days, an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying, Why do you offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him, I know not but the Lord commanded me. And then the angel spoke, saying, This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father who is full of grace and truth. Wherefore, you shall do all that you do in the name of the Son. And you shall repent and call upon God in the name of the Son for ever more. (Moses 5:4 - 8, OC Genesis 3 pars. 2 - 3)

Is this following the pattern that Mormon described?

Did Adam and Eve first hear the voice of God giving them commandments?

Were those words that proceeded forth out of the mouth of God?

Were they diligently obedient to the command even though they did not understand why they were obeying it?

Does "many days" mean weeks, months, years, decades; how long were Adam and Eve diligently obedient to the commands of God?

I have heard it taught, and I believe it, that many generations passed; Adam and Eve had grandchildren and great-grandchildren before the angel was sent to give them understanding of why they were sacrificing.

Are the scriptures words that have proceeded forth from the mouth of God?

Am I able to hear God's voice speaking to me and giving me commandments for me?

If I am diligently obedient for "many days", whatever time that would entail, to the commands of God (not the commands of men) to me through the scriptures and by hearing His voice as He speaks to me personally, even if I do not understand why He has commanded me to do something, will I move from "belief" to "faith" like Adam and Eve?

Is it diligent obedience to God's commands for many days what would bring me to the point where I would have a firm mind in every form of godliness?

If I am a person of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness, why would the angels need to declare repentance to me?

What would I gain from communication with angels?

How would that bring me to God and cause me to repent?

How did Adam and Eve or anyone else for that matter gain anything important from communication with angels?

The Prophet Joseph stated, 

The Hebrew Church "came unto the spirits of just men made perfect, and unto an innumerable company of angels, unto God the Father of all, and to Jesus Christ the mediator of the new covenant."  What did they learn by coming to the spirits of just men made perfect? Is it written? No. What they learned has not been and could not have been written.  What object was gained by this communication with the spirits of the just?  It was the established order of the kingdom of God: The keys of power and knowledge were with them to communicate to the Saints. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.325)

Nephi declared,

Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore they speak the words of Christ.  Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. (2 Nephi 32:3, NC 2 Nephi 14 par. 1)

Who speaks the words of Christ?  

Who's words are we to feast on because they will tell us all things what ye should do? 

Is it possible that the answer to both of the above questions is the angels?

Are all things what we should do associated with keys of power and knowledge that pertain to the established order of the kingdom of God?

And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom.  He who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory." (D&C 88:21-22, Teachings and Commandments Section 86 par. 3)

The established order of the kingdom of God (the law of Christ, the law which sanctifies), which any individual must have information about and live according to those principles in order to be saved in that kingdom, cannot be communicated mortal to mortal. The Prophet Joseph said they are not written. They must be communicated to the Saints (revealed) by the angels.  They are the words of Christ we are to feast upon after entering into the way.

But how does what the angels have to give to good people of firm faith in Christ relate to those good people repenting?

The Hebrew word for repentance is "shuv" (I think pronounced shube).

If I understand correctly, in Hebrew "shuv" literally means to turn around or face another direction or used in context to turn around and face God.

If an individual who has already developed strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness receives from the angels that which man cannot teach, the established order of the kingdom of God, which allows them to move even more in the direction of God aren't they ever turning towards God or "repenting"?

Do we have an example of this type of "repentance"?

Abraham speaks a little concerning himself at the beginning of the book of Abraham.

...having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge...and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir,..."(Abraham 1:2, Teachings and Commandments, Section 145, the Book of Abraham 1 par. 1)

Is it possible that repentance or turning to face God has everything to do with what Abraham did by gaining greater and greater knowledge to go from a follower of righteousness to a greater follower of righteousness?

When an individual voluntarily submits to the will of the Lord in the scriptures are they repenting and turning to face God? 

Do they become a follower of righteousness and receive knowledge at this point? 

Is it possible that once God has proven the individual faithful in the line and precept they have received from scripture God will begin to reveal His ways that cannot be written in scripture neither is it lawful for man to utter by sending His angels, true messengers, to teach these things? 

The ways of God or the order of God's kingdom cannot be written remember. 

As an individual responds and follows what they are given by revelation from the angels are they repenting more? 

Are they turning, even more, to face God to follow the established order of His kingdom?  

Are they becoming greater followers of righteousness and desiring greater knowledge? 

If we become strong in faith and firm in our minds in every form of godliness so that we qualify to be ministered to by the angels, according to the will of God, and then we feast upon the words they are sent to deliver, will we find ourselves at some point ready to come back into the presence of the Lord?

If we look at the record of the brother of Jared coming back into the presence of the Lord don't we learn from the Lord Himself that that is what it means to be redeemed from the fall?

If we don't at some point come back into the presence of the Lord in mortality, like the brother of Jared and many many others, does that mean that we have not been redeemed?

Would that be like unto being in a situation where there had been no redemption made?

Remember what Mormon said?

Wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also, and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made.

According to what Mormon taught, is it possible to be redeemed without the ministry of angels?

Can any individual have revealed to them the established order of the kingdom of God: The keys of power and knowledge that are necessary for an individual to enter into in order to be a part of the kingdom of God without this ministry?

What about "unbelief"?

Mormon declared that if the ministry of angels ceases it is because we find ourselves in a state of unbelief.

What constitutes "unbelief"?

I agree with what the glossary of terms in the Teachings and Commandments states about "unbelief".

As used in the Book of Mormon, it means one does not understand and has not accepted true doctrine. The word unbelief means to accept false doctrine or to have an incomplete and inaccurate understanding of correct doctrine. Unbelief is often used in conjunction with losing truth, forsaking doctrine, and “dwindling.” The phrase dwindling in unbelief is the Book of Mormon’s way to describe moving from a state of belief, with true and complete doctrine, to a state of unbelief, where the truth has been discarded. Miracles end because men dwindle in unbelief.

Is it possible for our traditions or for the commandments of men to create a situation of "unbelief" where we find ourselves unable to develop "faith"?

There is so very much concerning this subject and there are so many scriptural examples of this ministry among men, women, and children in the scriptures.

I wonder if the indispensable nature of this ministry is what qualified this subject to be recorded in Nephi's vision at this point.