Our Creator's Cosmos - Neal A. Maxwell

One unique teaching of my faith is that God is the God of the entire universe and that He is not only the Father of the people of this planet but of all inhabited worlds in the cosmos.  Some faiths, at least recently, have become more and more accepting of this idea yet I have yet to find a Christian faith (aside from my own) that has embraced this doctrine from the early days of the church's inception.  In fact, many of the scriptures unique to my church openly teach of this thing, not in a mystical sense but in a real sense in that God is the grand parent of all inhabitants of the universe.  

Here are a few of the most poignant examples;

• And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him (Christ), this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!  For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father- That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.  (emphasis added) Doctrine and Covenants 76: 22-24
• And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.  Moses 1:33

It is no wonder then, that if the Lord, who is the God of the entire universe, speaks to men in our day, that he would allow us to know these things in order that we may both understand his greatness and power but also to understand the infinitesimally short nature of our time on the Earth so that we may be more compelled to keep His commandments.  The knowledge of how small the Earth is in light of the vast creations of God does not diminish my faith and it fact serves to strengthen it because I know that I am still important to God even though I am just one soul in an endless cosmos.  He is concerned enough about me to answer my prayers and to bless my life even though there are countless other things that could occupy His attention elsewhere in the Universe.  This is a humbling thought.  

As I have said before, the Lord speaks to men in our day.  He has called prophets and apostles, has given them Priesthood Authority and has inspired them though revelation so that we may know the will of the Lord for us in these days.  One of these apostles was Elder Neal A. Maxwell and he had a particular fondess of pondering on the vastness of the universe.  I found this video that gives a small overview of our position in creation and wanted to share it.  

My testimony is that no matter how small we are we are important to God and we can make a difference in the lives of many.  The size of our universe is a humbling idea but with that humility it is my hope that I will strive to make the best of the time I have here.  I know that the Lord, Jesus Christ lives and loves us all.  

Truth Filling The Earth - The Vision of Daniel

Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
Forasmuch as though sawest that stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.  (Daniel 2:44-45) 

We live during a unique time in the history of the Earth.  Most people will not deny that, whether they believe in God or not.  However, for those that do believe and that also believe in modern prophets and modern revelation, this time is particularly important.  These are the end times of the world as we know it.  Someday the Lord, Jesus Christ will return to the Earth and usher in an era of peace for both the Earth and it's inhabitants.  However, to prepare for this era of peace (and judgement) it is necessary that the knowledge of the gospel be spread throughout the world.  God has an established pattern of calling prophets and apostles to spread His kingdom on the Earth.  Sometimes the prophets are rejected and there are none for a time, however we live in a time where there are prophets.  Since 1820 there has been a living prophet, called of God by revelation, on the Earth.  The gospel of Jesus Christ has spread throughout the world and continues to gain momentum despite those that oppose it.  This kingdom will continue forward until it fills the Earth and the inhabitants thereof have the opportunity to learn of and either accept of reject the teaching of Jesus Christ.  


The prophet Joseph Smith once gave the following statement in the Wentworth Letter, a document about the church and it's teaching that he prepared for a newspaper called the Chicago Democrat.  It is now called the Standard of Truth and has been very prophetic thus far in predicting the rise and progress of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Here it is:

The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, and calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say, 'the work is done.'   (Joseph Smith - The Wentworth Letter)

The gospel will continue to spread, even to areas where it currently is not allowed such as the middle east and mainland China.  One place where the church is relatively new is India, which has a population of nearly 1.2 Billion people.  Recently Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles had the opportunity to travel to India and establish the first Stake of the Church there (Read this news article here).  A stake is one of the fundamental units of the church, which consist of multiple smaller local congregations called wards.  (For reference sake there are around nine stakes in the town in Idaho that I am from).  However, this news means that the Church is growing in India and that the knowledge of the Lord is expanding to more of the Earth.  

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

The total membership of the Church as of December 31, 2011 was 14,441,346 (source), with just over 3 million of those in the United States (as of 2008, source).  The Church also has more members outside of the United States than they do in it, which hasn't always been the case.  Now take this into perspective for a minute; if the US, with a population of roughly 312 million people, has about 3 million members of the Church, imagine what a country like India could do for Church membership if the same ratio of members to total population were reached (the US population is roughly 0.0097% Latter-day Saints).  There would be 11.5 million members of the Church in India (based on a population of 1.2 Billion x 0.0097%).  That would nearly double the membership of the church. 


Now before you think that I only feel that numbers are important I want to assure you that they aren't, so to speak.  The only reason why the larger numbers in Church membership excited me is because it means that that many more people have had an opportunity to hear the gospel, accept it and decide to become a part of it.  That is what is important.  Remember, the worth of souls is great in the sight of God (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10) and the more that can come to Him the better.  


We are living in a time and seeing the prophecy of Daniel coming to pass.  The kingdom of God has begun to fill the Earth and this Kingdom will never be destroyed because it is the truth and God is at the helm.