Personal/Practical Application of Elias, Elijah, Messiah
The template of Elias, Elijah, Messiah applies to our personal lives as well as a tool for studying the scriptures. A person serious about discipleship as well as Church membership could apply this template to them selves. Conceptually, one would to determine what level of the template you are living relative to the covenants you have made. First, think about the covenants you have made. Analyze them in terms of Priesthood like; baptism is performed under the authority of the Aaronic Priesthood. The remaining ordinances are associated with the Melchizedek Priesthood. The ordinances are designed to reflect a progression in commitment and devotion to God.
Following baptism, a bearer of the Melchizedek Priesthood confirms the recipient a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and extends to them the first commandment following baptism, “Receive the Holy Ghost.”[i] If the newly baptized member truly repents and seeks to keep the commandments of God they are promised reception of the Holy Ghost which will “show unto you all things what ye should do.”[ii] Included in the reception of the Holy Ghost is the ability to “Speak with the tongue of angels”[iii] which, as a natural consequence opens channels of communication between the recipient, angels and God.
Once the Holy Spirit is received, the recipient is led through a series of covenants in both the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood endowment, eventually leading them beyond vicarious representation (Aaronic/law of Moses) to direct, personal representation before the Father at the veil. Everything in this process after baptism would be characterized as Melchizedek Priesthood within the realm of the spirit of Elijah. When a person increases in both righteousness and knowledge they are invited to pass through the veil into the presence of both the Father and the Son. Complete knowledge of these two is by scriptural definition “Eternal Life.”[iv]
This process is the “mystery of Godliness” that reveals both the knowledge and process by which a person, (through the righteous exercise of agency and the Grace of Jesus Christ) can receive a change of heart that converts carnal, sensual and devilish beings into Godly souls. The extent to which we pursue these blessing determines the level of eternal felicity and advancement we experience both here and in the next life.
The challenge facing each of us is to ask the Lord to reveal to us who we really are as opposed to who we think we are. Our spirituality advances as we reflectively ponder answers to specific questions about what we think, what we feel and how we spend our time. One way to determine if you live under the spirit of Elias or the spirit of Elijah is to assess what covenants you have made and then ask yourself a series of questions.
- What is my definition of following the Prophet? Do I believe following the Prophet is listening to conference twice a year, reading the Ensign Magazine and attending Church and firesides? As positive as all of these actions are, you are living the Aaronic Covenant. The Prophet and General Authorities are righteous, inspired men who try to encourage us through the process discussed. Their guidance is of a general nature but was never designed to replace your personal supplication and interaction with God. In fact, their lives exemplify and teach that life should be a constant pursuit to learn and apply the “mystery of Godliness” so when the Savior appears before you, (in this life or the next) you will see Him as he is and you will be like Him.[v]
- Do we realize the endowment is an invitation to represent ourselves before the Lord at the veil? When we attend the Temple do we take that invitation seriously and seek communion with God? Remember, Moses plainly taught this principle[vi] to the children of Israel and they rejected it by saying in effect, “Moses, we kind of like things the way they are. Why don’t you go to the mount and come back and tell us what the Lord has to say? That attitude led to the dissolution of Israel and their loss of covenant status with the Lord. Are we in jeopardy of the same type of rejection? That is a serious question every member of the Church should reflect deeply on.
- Do we pursue Priesthood blessings as actively as Abraham did?[vii]
- A few comments by Joseph Smith to ponder: “We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed in the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, until his mind is capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality, and consistency of the same…, it is necessary for men to receive an understanding concerning the laws of the heavenly kingdom, before they are permitted to enter it: we mean the celestial glory…, but the conditions of God’s kingdom are such, that all who are made partakers of that glory, are under the necessity of learning something respecting it previous to their entering into it.”[viii] “Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light. And every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation.”[ix]
Summary
Application of the Elias, Elijah, Messiah Template makes us “insiders” in our understanding of the order God uses to bring about the salvation of man. When applied in scripture study the template gives greater insight into the mind of the Lord and His servants. Knowledge of the Elias, Elijah, Messiah Template is a valuable tool for evaluating our spiritual progression and offers encouragement and hope for attaining the same heights inspired men and women reached before us.
One of the most important aspirations for all is to add to our membership the heart of a true disciple of Jesus Christ, diligently seeking self representation before the Lord and understanding how the mystery of Godliness transforms us into the image of Christ. It is a three step process, Elias, Elijah and Messiah.
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