LDS Freedom Forum

Ok, I never post on here, but lurk all the time. I enjoy reading and learning from all of you, but I'm not as smart as you folks.

I've always wondered about the Holy Ghost; who is he, will he ever get a body? I've read the recent posts on the half hour silence in heaven. This may be a stupid idea, but would if the silence were due to the Holy Ghost getting a body? Please don't tell me how dumb I am, but I'd like to know your thoughts on the Holy Ghost. Thanks.

From Joseph Fielding Smith

How Can a Spirit Be a Member of the Godhead?

Question: "How do you account for the Holy Ghost being a Spirit also being a member of the Godhead, since we are taught that the spirit without the body cannot receive a fulness of joy? Will the time ever come when the Holy Ghost will receive a body?"

Answer: There is so much in relation to the gospel that we are required to do and so many commandments to observe and ordinances to receive in order that we may obtain an exaltation in the kingdom of God, that we should have no time to enter into speculation in relation to the Holy Ghost. The third member of the Godhead has been assigned to certain duties which are essential in the plan of redemption. We, the members of the Church, should so live that we may have his companionship and thus have our minds quickened, our knowledge increased, and our salvation assured. Without this companionship we are nothing; our minds could not be enlightened; and our comprehension of the everlasting gospel would be impaired. Why not leave matters which in no way concern us alone, and devote our time in gaining knowledge essential to our salvation through the inspired guidance of the Holy Ghost?

NO TIME TO SPECULATE

One of the wisest counsels the Prophet Joseph Smith gave to the members of the Church is to let mysteries alone. In fact we have no time to waste on such things if we employ our time to the essential things in relation to our salvation.

We read in the Pearl of Great Price (Moses 1) that the Savior did a marvelous work as a Spirit. At the command of his Father he created worlds, evidently similar to our own, for the purpose of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. It was Jesus who gave commandments to Adam after he was driven out of the Garden of Eden and who directed Enoch and Noah before the flood. It was Christ who named Abraham and made the covenant with him that through his posterity all nations would be blessed. He, it was, who called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt and who wrote with his finger on the tables of stone. He had no body until he was born in Bethlehem. If Christ could do these things as a Spirit, the Holy Ghost can carry out the mind and will of the Father and the Son as a Spirit. We are taught plainly that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are one God, that is one Godhead; that the Holy Ghost knows the mind and will of the Father and the Son and has the mission to teach those who keep the covenants they make with the Lord. We cannot compare ourselves and our destiny with the Holy Ghost and the position he occupies. Speculation on such things is not edifying.

MISSION OF THE HOLY GHOST

After Jesus returned to his Father, the Holy Ghost was sent to his disciples to teach them and bring back things to their minds. Jesus said to them in these words a few hours before he was delivered to his enemies that he would send the Holy Ghost to them:

If ye love me keep my commandments.

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (John l4:15-17.)

The religious world is without the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Many of the people think they have that great gift, but without baptism by divine authority and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost this gift and guidance are not given, for the Lord most definitely has spoken it. They do have the guidance which comes from the Spirit of Christ, and this gift will lead them to the truth if they will but hearken to it. (D. & C. 84:45-53; Moroni 7:16.) The only exception is that spoken of by Moroni to all who will sincerely read the Book of Mormon with a prayerful heart.

SEEK FOR THAT WHICH HAS BEEN REVEALED

Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (Moroni 10:3-5.)

According to the Prophet Joseph Smith the Lord will manifest his truth to the sincere seeker after truth, just as he did with Cornelius, but after the testimony is given, and the person rejects it, there will come no further manifestation.

Too many members of the Church bother themselves about something which does not concern us and which has not been revealed. They neglect the weightier matters and fail to seek for the light and truth which is revealed and also to obtain and be true to the ordinances and covenants so essential to our salvation.


(Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957-1966], 2: 145.)

It's not a dumb question , and it is true speculation doesn't do one much good to "know" what the answer is.

However, the answer can be given to you.

In D&C 107:19 we receive the promise that we can come to a point to have a right "To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven"

As we go to the Temple and study, and I mean STUDY (feast upon) the scriptures, the answer is there, and we will be shown the answer to this vital (yes, I said vital) question.

nyone who has progressed to the point that this is "vital" would have been translated long ago. Joseph Fielding Smith above lays it out pretty clear - there is so much that we should be DOING, we should not have the time to speculate on this. Notice he didn;t say "don't speculate about any of the mysteries" but he does single this piece of speculation as something very clearly NOT vital ( at least at this time.)

During mortality why in the world would this be vital?

NGL,
Joseph did not teach them to leave the mysteries alone. He told them to quit speculating and to go to the source of knowledge. He constantly pressed for them to recieve their calling and election to be made. Why would you do that, I know that when you do you will have the "mysteries" taught to you. In John He told them He would send the initial comforter (Holy Ghost), however if you were to read one more verse He told them what? John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. How does one leave them confortless if he sends them a comforter or as He clearly dictates will come himself?? He promises you the mysteries right there, they are only mysteries to those that do not know about them. So do not ever let the mysteries be just mysteries. Use every faculty in your body and mind to seek knowledge. You want to know about the Holy Ghost Charley.......ask the right questions that can be found by prayerful study on your knees. He will tell you if it is right

I've posted this widely known quote from Joseph Smith elsewhere, but appropriate here as well:

The Holy Ghost is yet a spiritual body and is waiting to take to himself a body, as the Savior did or as god did or the gods before them took bodies (George Laub Journal, 16 June 1844).

Spiritual body being a resurrected body that has spirit, not blood, flowing in the veins (not to be confused with a spirit body, which he is right now). Your speculation is not stupid. The Holy Ghost will yet get a body just as all other gods took them bodies, eventually. However I don't imagine it would take very long, say 21-22 years or a half hour, though right? But who knows. Interesting thought.

Original_Intent wrote:nyone who has progressed to the point that this is "vital" would have been translated long ago. Joseph Fielding Smith above lays it out pretty clear - there is so much that we should be DOING, we should not have the time to speculate on this. Notice he didn;t say "don't speculate about any of the mysteries" but he does single this piece of speculation as something very clearly NOT vital ( at least at this time.)

During mortality why in the world would this be vital?

Brigham Young taught that it would prove a mans damnation or salvation to know his God. How can you let someone you have no idea who they are testify to you. You have every right to know who causes a burning in your bosom. If you are expected to decipher the true spirit I would believe that would include knowing him. This question is a great one. Why do people take the spirit for what it is?

Why not leave matters which in no way concern us alone,

The End

Sure there are things about the Holy Ghost that we need to understand. He's the third member of the Godhead! But is knowing when the Holy Ghost will get a body helpful to us at this stage of our development? If it is helpful, why the mild rebuke from JFS?

Maybe the rebuke was to people that write in for a testimony rather than get it themselves. If you read most of his gospel questions they are things that are plainly taught or written. People are just lazy and want the prophet to give them a testimony. I am sure that "blog" got old for him.

http://www.gigapan.org/gigapans/fullscreen/69520/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; The Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost are "Christ"

Original_Intent wrote:nyone who has progressed to the point that this is "vital" would have been translated long ago. Joseph Fielding Smith above lays it out pretty clear - there is so much that we should be DOING, we should not have the time to speculate on this. Notice he didn;t say "don't speculate about any of the mysteries" but he does single this piece of speculation as something very clearly NOT vital ( at least at this time.)

During mortality why in the world would this be vital?

Vital all depends on where you're at - I'm not sure that means you're at a point of being translated or not.

That being said, I'll throw out an interesting tidbit.

My mother once knew a member of a ward she was in who, being the type to study and ponder the scriptures, developed a theory about the Holy Ghost. He told her of a discussion he had with a GA (didn't say which one) to whom he presented this:

The Holy Ghost is an office that, at times, has been held by different spirits in their pre-mortal state to gain experience in heavenly operations.

The GA responded by saying he was close, but that he needed to be working on other things.

FWIW.

I've always had the thought that the Holy Ghost was a role filled by those spirits who have not yet received a body but await to be born. During our lives, they act as our "guardian angels" by protecting us, giving us promptings, and communicating thoughts and impressions, and even answering our prayers. If the adversary has his minions hovering over us all the time whispering bad thoughts into our minds to tempt us, why can't Heavenly Father have his spirits to be there with us also... even fending off those evil spirits when necessary.

gruden2.0 wrote:
Vital all depends on where you're at - I'm not sure that means you're at a point of being translated or not.

That being said, I'll throw out an interesting tidbit.

My mother once knew a member of a ward she was in who, being the type to study and ponder the scriptures, developed a theory about the Holy Ghost. He told her of a discussion he had with a GA (didn't say which one) to whom he presented this:

The Holy Ghost is an office that, at times, has been held by different spirits in their pre-mortal state to gain experience in heavenly operations.

The GA responded by saying he was close, but that he needed to be working on other things.

FWIW.

Maybe he "was close" because he limited the office to those in the pre-mortal world and did not include post-mortal non-resurrected beings? Or would post-mortal spirits more likely appear to the person?

Sun. Moon. Stars. One Father. One Son. Many Holy Ghosts.

I've heard it compared to a bishop's deacon messenger boy. Usually the person with the most interest in the matter. (Example: A man is "impressed" to marry a certain girl. Could be his unborn children giving him the impressions. ...or Example: A family's assets are not being used wisely. The deceased parents give impressions on what to change.)

And yes, vital is relative. It's curious to me when people get all fired up at the idea that someone has progressed beyond what they themselves have done here.

This explains more about the Holy Ghost than you ever imagined. Not from some guru, or something made up. From the Prophet Joseph and going to the Temple, this shows it very clearly

Yes, that's correct, the Holy Ghost, will receive a body eventually and be replaced by another perfected spirit when the time comes, of necessity since a spirit is not bound by the same laws of time and space that a physical body is. D&C speaks of the other thing you mentioned from the Book of Revelation. It's speaks of the time when the powers of darkness are reining upon the earth, and that causes the silence in heaven. The half hour could possibly have reference to a half hour of God's time. If it doe, then if 1 day were 1000 years then 1/2 hour would be a little over 20 years.

Mahonri...the round Abraham picture...what is it?