FOR THESE THINGS AND MORE I AM GRATEFUL (8)

MILLENIA OF JOYFUL SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

When the morning stars sang together, and the sons of God shouted for joy. (Old Testament – Job 38:7)

Eons ago when the foundations of this earth were being laid and after the great Jehovah had vanquished the false plan of the adversary in defense of our Father’s Eternal Plan, He offered himself as an infinite sacrifice for the salvation of us all. Spontaneously we erupted in grateful song and joyfully shouted.

And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgressions my eyes are opened and in this life I shall have Joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God. And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never would have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.(Pearl of Great Price – Moses 5:10, 11)

As the veil of innocence faded from their eyes, our first parents started to understand and teach the beginnings of the Eternal Plan, bringing elementary understanding unto their posterity and we who looked down upon the scene felt our hearts swell our eyes brim with mist.

…They shall come forth with songs of everlasting joy. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Look, and he looked and beheld the Son of Man lifted up on the cross, after the manner of men; and he heard a loud voice; and the heavens were veiled; and all the creations of God mourned; and the rocks were rent; and the saints arose, and were crowned at the right hand of the Son of Man, with crowns of glory. (Pearl of Great Price – Moses 7:53, 55, 56)

Enoch, the grandson of Noah, expressed for us all our constantly changing emotions as we gained greater understanding of the heights of joy and the depths of despair the Redeemer’s sacrifice would bring.

And it came to pass, that Abram looked forth and saw the days of the Son of Man, and was glad, and his soul found rest, and he believed in the Lord; and the Lord counted it unto him for righteousness. (Inspired Version of the Holy Scriptures – Genesis 15:12)

He who would become the father of nations whose, posterity was to be numbered as the stars of heaven, saw the earthly mission of the Savior and through his posterity belief begins to spread over the lands of the earth. We who witnessed from our heavenly view, surely broke forth in singing as the unrolling of the good news blessed Heavenly Father’s children during their mortal probations.

The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. (Old Testament – Exodus 15:2)

The children of Israel grew in understanding that the freedom which had been wrought upon them by the Lord through his servant Moses, was not only going to free them physically from the bonds of Pharaoh, but the schoolmaster’s laws initiated upon tablets of stone, laying a foundation, which would eventually lead them to the laws of salvation written upon their hearts. We looked from on high and rejoiced.

And the angel said unto me; Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw? And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore; it is the most desirable above all things. And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul. And after he had said these words, he said unto me. Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him. (Book of Mormon – 1 Nephi 11:21-24)

As the angel of the Lord interpreted his father’s dream to Nephi, we looked down from our heavenly post and rejoiced as we saw that even the wide expanses of the seas were unable to keep the knowledge of the Eternal Plan from going forth unto the hearts and minds of those undergoing the probationary trials of mortality.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And the angel of the Lord said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord… And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men. (New Testament – Luke 2:8, 10, 11, 13)

What joy filled our hearts as we joined with the heavenly multitudes and sang songs of praise unto our Lord, to the shepherds on that hill, so near the humble place where the Savior of mankind laid swaddled. We now knew that the days had been shortened when the bonds of death introduced by Adam’s transgression would be broken and according to the Eternal Plan all would live again.

Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as y yourselves also know: Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death; because it was not possible that he should be holden of it… This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God, exalted… (New Testament – Acts 2:22, 23, 24, 32)

As testimony of those who had seen with veiled eyes was borne on earth, we sang forth with vibrant joyful sounds universally exclaiming that ‘It Was Finished.’ The great act of redeeming love had been performed and the faithful hopes of the ages now bore everlasting fruit. All generations could now taste of its sweetness, feel of its love and shout for joy as we did then and forever more.

And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded by numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God. (Book of Mormon – 1 Nephi 1:8)

Lehi saw us then and there and demonstrated that though we have descended from our heavenly home we can once again feel the overpowering joy which causes us, here and now, to break forth in song, praising our Savior for his infinite act of Redemption which opened the gates for us to be able to eternally sing of Him, of His atoning sacrifice and the universal resurrection which would make our souls whole.

TO BE CONTINUED