EXALTATION AND THE MILLENNIUM

The restored gospel provides a comforting message regarding all those who are born with mental handicaps. President Joseph Fielding Smith put it this way: “Mentally deficient persons, those who are incompetent of understanding, are classed among those who are redeemed as little children through the Atonement of our Savior.”

In the Encyclopedia of Mormonism by Daniel Ludlow we read: “Latter-day Saints believe in the ‘infinite and eternal power of the Atonement, that it will bring to all mankind an end to the basic effects of the Fall of Adam: it automatically forgives the sins of those who are…children under the age of eight, or mentally handicapped.”

This is from Dr. Alonzo Gaskill, a frequent presenter at BYU education week and assistant professor of Church History and Doctrine at BYU: “It seems reasonable to me that if one who has a mental handicap is on an intellectual level of someone less than eight years of age, that person, upon death will also be exalted ….guaranteed!... In fact an incredibly large number of Father’s children will be exalted in the celestial kingdom.

The Millennium will play a significant role in the number of those exalted. Why? Because so many will be born during that thousand year period when Satan is bound and righteousness reigns.
From the book, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, by Bruce R. McConkie we hear: “More people will live on earth during the Millennium than in all prior ages combined, many times over.”

SHOW ME A SIGN

(From the book, Verse by Verse, The Book of Mormon by Skinner & Ogden, pg. 283)

“The Prophet Joseph Smith said, ‘Whenever you see a man seeking after a sign, you may set it down that he is an adulterous man.’ There is a difference, of course, between those who are sincerely seeking a sign, meaning a spiritual confirmation or witness of heavenly truth and those who are just looking to satisfy their vain curiosity. The prophets condemn the latter.

…The message of secular learning today is that logic dictates that there is no such thing as predictive prophecy or supernatural events. If you can’t see it or quantify it, it isn’t true (an unfortunate inheritance from the Age of Reason). Such is the basic premise of all unbelievers….

President Joseph F. Smith wrote concerning sign seekers: ‘…Show me Latter-day Saints who have to feed upon miracles, signs and visions in order to keep them steadfast in the Church and I will show you members of the Church who are not in good standing before God and who are walking in slippery paths.

It is not by marvelous manifestations unto us that we shall be established in the truth, but it is by humility and faithful obedience to the commandments and laws of God.’

Elder George A. Smith recounted an occasion when a preacher came to Joseph Smith and, to be convinced of the Prophet’s message, requested a sign, some spectacular manifestation of the power of God. Said the preacher:

‘I want to see a notable miracle performed and if you perform such a one, then I will believe with all my heart and soul and will exert all my power and all my extensive influence to convince others and if you will not perform a miracle of this kind, then I am your worst and bitterest enemy.’

‘Well,’ said Joseph, ‘what will you have done? Will you be struck blind or dumb? Will you be paralyzed, or will you have one hand withered? Take your choice, choose which you please and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ it shall be done.’ That, of course, was not the kind of miracle he wanted.”

The following story was told by Dr. Andrew Skinner, former Dean of Religious Education at BYU:

I testify that our Father in Heaven cares about each of us, individually and personally. There are many examples of this doctrine that I could share, but my son Mark recently reminded me of one. Mark served a mission to Mongolia. He served with and developed a deep love for a senior missionary couple from Idaho. They used an interpreter their entire 18-month mission.

Their interpreter——a Mongolian sister——had an important story to tell. She grew up in Mongolia. The missionaries found her and baptized her. When she joined the Church, she started saving money for a full-time mission. She received a call to one of the missions in the United States, but at that time she spoke almost no English. She got on a plane in Mongolia to come to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, knowing only three sentences in English:

“I am from Mongolia.”
“I am a missionary.”
“Please help me.”

When she got on the plane, no one had explained to her that she needed to change planes to complete the flight to Utah. She landed in Chicago, but, naturally, there was no one there to meet her and she didn’t know the language. She found a chair, sat down, and prayed to Heavenly Father to know what to do. She then got up to try to find help. As she was attempting to explain her predicament to a ticket agent (using her three English sentences), a man tapped her on the shoulder, pulled out his temple recommend, and showed it to her.

She recognized the temple recommend because she had been given one before she left, so she knew this man at her side was a member of the Church. He motioned for her to wait. Ten minutes later he handed her his cell phone, and on the other end of the line was the missionary who had taught her the gospel in Mongolia. The missionary told her to follow the man to the plane to Salt Lake City and get on board. He told her there would be people to meet her in Salt Lake City——and there were!


Our Father in Heaven truly watches out for His children——very often through others. But that’s not the end of the story. The man in the Chicago airport was a businessman who has flown all over the world. He was upset that day because it was the first time he had missed his connecting flight to Salt Lake City. But because he was there at the Chicago airport, he overheard this Mongolian sister trying to get help, and he knew he could help her.

I testify, as others have, that our Father in Heaven not only answers prayers but at times chooses to micro manage the details of His kingdom. This, too, is part of His divine nature. But herein lies an important lesson. It is our Heavenly Father who chooses; we do not dictate to Him time, place, or circumstance. Still, we may rest assured that our Father knows all things and He does all that He does out of love. And He does what is best for us from an eternal perspective. He asks of us our loyalty, our willingness to help others, and our repentance——for which He will reward us with the riches of eternity.