Kingdom of God
Since rebirth is essential to
entering the kingdom of God, we need to define what that kingdom is so that we
will know what a person must be born into.
What is the kingdom of God?
Joseph answered: “Where there is a prophet, a priest, or a righteous man
unto whom God gives His oracles, there is the kingdom of God; and where the
oracles of God are not, there the kingdom of God is not.” [TJPS, p. 272,
emphasis added) Again from Joseph: “It is evident the kingdom of God [referred
to in John 3:3-5] was on the earth.” (TPJS, p. 272) According to these
statements, the kingdom of God exists on earth, and although some have quoted John
3:3-5 to prove that baptism admits a person into the first level of the
celestial kingdom, Joseph here states that Christ was speaking of a kingdom on
earth, not in heaven, and that baptism admits a person into the earthly
kingdom. (Christ was speaking to Cornelius, a non-member, instructing him that
he would have to adhere to the articles of adoption in order to enter the
kingdom of God. As saints today know, additional temple ordinances are
necessary to pass through the celestial veil into the first level of the
celestial kingdom. Baptism merely puts a person on the path leading to it [See
2 Nephi 31:17-20])
Since the kingdom of God was on
the earth at that time, what constituted that kingdom? Joseph said:
Some say the kingdom of God was not
set up on the earth until the day of Pentecost, and that John did not preach
the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; but I say, in the name of
the Lord, that the kingdom of God was set up on the earth from the days of Adam
to the present time. Whenever there has been a righteous man on earth unto whom
God revealed His word and gave power and authority to administer in His name,
and where there is a priest—a minister who has power and authority from God to
administer in the ordinances of the gospel and officiate in the priesthood of God
there is the kingdom of God. (TPJS, p. 271. Adam was a righteous man and held
the fulness of the priesthood. Within him rested the kingdom of God. John the
baptist only held a portion of the priesthood, known as the Aaronic priesthood.
Yet because heh was the only righteous man on earth unto whom God had given his
authority, there dwelt in the kingdom of God.)
From this statement, we find the
kingdom of God has always existed on earth, from the days of Adam and Eve,
throughout the centuries of time, even when there was only one man on earth who
held the power of God. We also discover that the kingdom of God is not
necessarily a Church of Christ. The kingdom of God can apparently exist without
a church organization. For example, at the time John the Baptist was preaching
and baptizing, the Church of Jesus Christ did not exist on earth, for the
Savior had not yet organized his church. Yet John’s converts were being
baptized into the kingdom of God, according to Joseph. (See TPJS, p. 274) Perhaps
this is why the Savior said: “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation [no
outward organization]: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for,
behold, the kingdom of God is within you”. (Luke 17:20-21). (Richard A. Ware, “The
Doctrine of Being Born Again: Becoming the Sons and Daughters of God with Power
to Become the Sons and Daughters of God,” The Research Report 1, no. 2
[September/October 1989]: 25)
Seeing
the Kingdom
After discussing John 3:3-5,
Joseph Smith said: “it is one thing to see the kingdom of God, and
another thing to enter it. We must have a change of heart to see the
kingdom of God, [but] subscribe to the articles of adoption to enter therein.”
(TPJS, p. 328. Although Joseph did not specify that the articles of adoption were,
we can surmise from the statement that he meant baptism of water and reception
of the gift of the Holy Ghost, since that is what is required froor entrance
into the kingdom of God on earth) Thus a non-member of the church who investigates
the gospel, and who reads and prays about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon
and the gospel, cane come to “see” (spiritually speaking), in his heart, the
kingdom of God. According to Moroni, such a person can know, by the power of
the Holy Ghost, that the things which he has spiritually seen are true. (Moroni
10:4-5) This is the case with Cornelius before he was baptized. Joseph said
that Cornelius:
received the Holy Ghost before he
was baptized, which was the convincing power of God unto him of the truth of
the Gospel, but he could not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost until after he
was baptized. Had he not taken this sign of ordinance upon him, the Holy Ghost which
convinced him of the truth of God, would have left him. (TPJS, p. 199)
There are other scriptural
accounts of individuals who, like Cornelius, received the outpouring of the
Holy Ghost prior to their baptism, and became changed in the inner person. For
instance, after hearing the gospel preached to him by Ammon, King Lamoni repented
of his sins and then “fell unto the earth, as if he were dead”. During the two
days and two nights that he lay motionless, Ammon “knew that the dark veil of unbelief
was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind .
. . had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God.” On the
morning of the third day, King Lamoni arose and said: “For as sure as thou
livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer . . .” The king’s heart was swollen and
he sank “again with joy”, and the queen also “sunk down, being overpowered by
the spirit.” Ammon was also overcome and sunk to the earth. Later, after
arising, King Lamoni and his wife, along with all the king’s servants, declared
“that their hearts had been changed; that they had no more desire to do evil.”
All those who believed on the words of Ammon and King Lamoni “were baptized and
they became a righteous people, and they did establish a church among them.”
(Alma 19:1-36)
It is important to note that at
the time of their spiritual conversion, all these people had not yet been
baptized yet they had been changed in the inner person. They had been
spiritually changed. However, if they had not gone ahead and received the
articles of adoption, the Holy Ghost would have left them, according to Joseph’s
statement. (Richard A. Ware, “The Doctrine of Being Born Again: Becoming the
Sons and Daughters of God with Power to Become the Sons and Daughters of God,” The
Research Report 1, no. 2 [September/October 1989]: 26-27)
