Ideas For Seminar I'M Giving On Ascensions In Bom

[Bernard Gui]

Yes, Jesus' entire sermon is focused on bringing us back to the presence of God and being one with Him.

This scripture affirms Wade's ideas above:

Repentance is unto them

that are under condemnation

and under the curse of a broken law.

And the first fruits of repentance is

baptism,

and baptism cometh by faith unto

the fulfilling the commandments;

and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth

remission of sins;

and the remission of sins bringeth

meekness and lowliness of heart;

and because of meekness and lowliness of heart

cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost,

which Comforter filleth with hope

and perfect love,

which love endureth by diligence unto prayer,

until the end shall come,

when all the saints shall dwell with God.

Moroni 8:24-26

Donald Perry identifies this passage as a parallelism, "climax."

It could also be called anadiplosis, or stair-step parallelism.

In my opinion, it indicates a rhetorical form used by Nephites

when teaching about the plan of salvation and the ascension of

man into the kingdom of God.

Other examples of ascension texts that use this structure are

Alma 42:23

Moroni 10:20-22, 31-34

2 Nephi 9:25-26

Mormon 9:11-14

In Mosiah 26: 17-25, the Lord gives Alma his calling and election and promises him

eternal life and a place at His right hand, along with all those who have endured to the end.

Bernard

Edited February 18, 2012 by Bernard Gui

[Bernard Gui]

The Nag Hammadi text, Apocalypse of Paul, contains a remarkable description

of "Paul's" ascension through the levels of heaven, including references to pre-mortal

existence ("I am going to the place from which I came) and signs given to sentinels

along the way.

http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/ascp.html

Bernard

[wenglund]

This scripture affirms Wade's ideas above:

Donald Perry identifies this passage as a parallelism, "climax."

It could also be called anadiplosis, or stair-step parallelism.

In my opinion, it indicates a rhetorical form used by Nephites

when teaching about the plan of salvation and the ascension of

man into the kingdom of God.

Other examples of ascension texts that use this structure are

Alma 42:23

Moroni 10:20-22, 31-34

2 Nephi 9:25-26

Mormon 9:11-14

In Mosiah 26: 17-25, the Lord gives Alma his calling and election and promises him

eternal life and a place at His right hand, along with all those who have endured to the end.

Bernard

This is excellent. To me, some of the more important ascension text in the scriptures, though often not viewed as such, are the creation accounts--whcih, to me, is why these accounts show up, to varying degrees in the Bible, the Pearl of Great Price, and even to some extent in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-