Parallels between the Creation Drama, Israel’s History and Personal Progression
The Garden of Eden is dualistically a type of pre-mortal life in nearly all types.
Adam/Abel-Seth/Noah/Abraham – The covenant is first established in the Garden of Eden/Holy Land/Temple Mount/Etc, promised made to Adam/Abram’s posterity for obedience (first Aaronic Covenent), Abram pays tithes/Adam makes sacrifice, Abel & Noah also, a sign given in return (rainbow, promise of seed, appearance of God), Abram/Isaac & Adam/Abel put on the alter by father, Noah & Moses put in an Arc (corresponding to the law being put in the Arc of the covenant, covered with a Kapora/mercy covering). Animal skin/12 fig leaves sown to cover Adam & Eves nakedness, promise of 12 seed given to Abraham and Sara (each given a gem & color matching the colors of the rainbow, ex 28:21,rev 21:19,ezek 28:13), etc, etc.
Moses/Christ- The covenant is established/renewed (second Aaronic Covenant) Moses takes off his shoes, Israel given the law of the gospel/preparatory Aaronic law. Each covenant has two parts an Elias and Elijah, a preparer and a renewer, each is multi-dimensional and multi-applicable. Once people’s Elias is anther’s Elijah (Christ was an Elias to the Gentiles but Elijah to the house of Israel in one respect, and in another John was the Elias and Christ the Elijah, in another the First man Adam the Elias, and the Second Man Adam the Elijah (cor 15), etc, etc..)
Elijah/Christ – New testament/covenant established, Israel taught to stop whoring after false Gods (law of chastity) in conjunction with the Higher law/priesthood (first Melchizedek Covenant). Israel (Christ’s bride) meets in person its betrothed spouse. In one respect they are married in another they are betrothed Old law becomes dead, new law brings life, puts Israel/Christ on the right hand of God (as his robes of righteousness). Symbolized by crucifixion, Christ overcomes the tests and crushes the serpents head, he is dismissed from amidst the true saints. End of the cycle brings world into new era/chamber. The “true character” of the Priesthood and its officiators is revealed, after man (Judas) is tempted to sell Christ for money. World meets and recognizes Peter, James and John, and are told by “last man Adam” that they are true messengers of God. (major dualism here, as these things occur before receiving the second Aaron law renewal, they reoccur with each new dispensation and dispensational head, but are especially seen historically at the time of Christ)
Christ/Second Coming Christ – Renewal of the covenant, which is “made sure” symbolized by sure placed nail, Christ’s bride/betrothed bride covenants and finally learns the final steps to family translation into the celestial kingdom (the law of consecration as taught by Joseph smith). Once Adam and Eve gather their righteous posterity into Zion, being one heart and one mind with no poor or ill feelings among them and pray with one voice and one song to the father displaying their mastery in obedience & sacrifice of all laws of the priesthood the veil is lifted and saints are caught up into the Celestial kingdom with Enoch & Melchizedek to be true brides and grooms of the One high God.
The more I am studying Hindu, Buddhist and New Age mysticism the more I see that all truth truly is circumscribed into one whole, and the temple touches lightly on just about all the major aspects of symbology and mysticism as revealed by not only the dispensational heads of Israel, but all with the gifts of prophesy and revelation. But as the temple teaches, its best to not get caught up or talk about such things much, so take all this with a grain of salt.
Our lives must parallel the same periods on our personal roads to the celestial kingdom, but as to the highest of the three degrees of the celestial kingdom, not only can no one enter who has not established an eternal marriage, but they cannot enter until they have also married themselves to a faith or “brotherhood”. That is a place of collective consciousness where people are connected with a oneness that is hard for us on earth to fully understand and achieve. But as the temple teaches we must be baptized by water (born on earth/etc) and spirit (born into the spirit world/etc), be washed clean of the blood and sins of our generation with water (absolve bad karma), have our body and its various parts anointed with oil (this dives into things that the Kabbalah tries to teach with the tree of life and eastern religions try to teach with chakras but will be better understood during the millennium, but lets just say we must discover and awaken our gifts of the Body & Spirit). We then learn the powers and significance of names and stones as we go through the creation of ourselves and in doing so co-create with God the destiny of this earth (in a manner symbolized by the seven periods of creation. In my opinion these days, earthly times/ numeric symbols are types of heavenly dimensions [there is no time in eternity]. So the seven periods of creation and seven thousand years of earth’s temporal existence typify seven eternal dimensions or densities or levels or kingdoms or states of progression/creation or whatever you want to call it. Many also try to extend this type to the seven chakras or spiritual gifts which we need to sequentially awaken or learn the use of as well as seven periods of seven years in our lives which are spent focusing on specific spiritual truths we need to learn/awaken. In the church this is taught by the differing offices of the priesthood which correspond to stages of life and are designed to lead us through differing aspects of temporal and spiritual power. ) Our ability to create physically and spiritually depends upon our “purity” and selflessness so if we wish to be more powerful creators we go through the process of putting on robes of righteousness through our pre-mortal, mortal and post-mortal cycles until we attain unto a celestial resurrection. The Gospel offers us a fast track to the higher heavens if we use it to serve others, but most will first gain a terrestrial resurrection at the beginning of the millennium and just as Adam reigned for 1000 years with his posterity, preparing them for their translation into the celestial kingdom with Enoch, so too will Christ reign over many of us, preparing his “posterity” to go through the veil and become brides and grooms, co-creators with God.
Being born of water and of the spirit, in one respect, has to do with the fact that part of our progression is earthly and part of it is spiritual. Likewise part of it must be accomplished in mortality and part in the spirit world. Part taught by earthly teachers and part by spirit teachers. The history of Israel shows this dualistic symbolism by its “apostasy”. It existed on earth from Abraham to Christ, being taught the Aaronic or temporal law by prophets here on earth. At the time of Christ, the night came and Israel, just like the body of Jesus before the resurrection, laid in the tomb for parts of three days or a cycle/time in order to “rest” from its earthly mission and begin its spiritual mission of progressing in the spirit world. Thus just as Christ did not “rest” but instead went and organized missionary work in the spirit world so also Israel was sent to work in the spirit bringing life to the gentiles by their spirit work. The church being driven into the “wilderness” or spirit-world to do the necessary spiritual part of its progression. Thus being born of the waters of mortality with Noah, Abraham and Moses and being born/initiated in the spirit with Enoch, Melchizedek and Christ.
In one respect Adam and Eve are a symbols of Christ and his Bride (the church), the sinless Christ having to partake of mortality to save her, because the father had bound them together.. (The woman thou gavest me, and commandest that she should remain with me, she gave me of the fruit of the tree and I did eat- Moses 4:18). In other words, the bride that thou gavest me (the church/Israel) and commanded that I stay with her (we become bound to those we teach, lead and love by laws decreed by the Father), she partook of the fruit (she took the law which is the knowledge of good and evil, and in doing so became knowledgeable of her own guilt/nakedness which now prevents her from re-entering God’s presence by her own self-condemnation), she gave it to me and I ate because I saw that it was the only way we could obey the command to stay together and become co-creators with the Father. But being part of God’s plan, “the Last man Adam” came to free us from the deathly effects of the law and raise us unto salvation by faith in his name.
In another respect, Adam and Eve are actually symbolic of our higher and lower selves. Our fallen/mortal/veiled self and our true spirit’s consciousness which has a full knowledge of God’s plan and a full memory of all our pre-existent states. As Paul taught “now we see through a glass darkly… for we shall be like him” (or we shall see that we were/are just like him).