It is amazing how the Atonement, the Timekeeping Algorithm, and Zion align, all contributing to God’s perfect plan of happiness, as we move from time into eternity.
The scriptures give us this glorious picture of the Bride meeting the Bridegroom at His coming—a Zion, pure in heart society will meet the Lord with great rejoicing. As mortals, we are all sinners because of the Fall of Adam and Eve. As we repent, we know the infinite atonement totally covers our sins and gives us a glorious resurrection. I find significant parallels between the Lord’s infinite atonement and the time generation algorithm, AT-1, that I believe the Lord gave me back in 1968, as we move from time into eternity.
When I went to Boulder, Colorado to do my graduate work at the University of Colorado, atomic clocks were relatively new and how to best use their exceptional performance was just beginning to be appreciated. The first atomic clock was an ammonia maser, and that is what I first worked on as I was hired in by the National Bureau of Standards. Because of the significant improvements available from atomic clocks for timekeeping, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) changed the definition of the length of the “second” a year earlier (13 October 1967) from astronomical to atomic. Atomic clocks have enjoyed amazing improvements and are now a billion times better than any astronomical timing technique.
The AT-1 time-scale algorithm that I believe the Lord gave me back then has impacted the world timekeeping community substantially. Fifty-four years later, with improvements by my outstanding colleagues, AT-1 is still generating official time for the USA today, UTC(NIST).
I was personally invited to help Israel and Italy with their atomic-clock timekeeping systems and gave them the AT-1 time-scale algorithm. Several other countries have followed suit. The algorithm for international time, ALGOS, generated by the BIPM, UTC (Universal Time Coordinated), has some similar features, as the folks from the international community came to Boulder, CO, to learn about AT-1 after I had developed it.
Now as we look at Zion. It is a place that has been appointed by the Lord where his followers can live in peace and serve God. Zion will be known as the “City of Holiness and Refuge”, where the Lord’s people will be protected from the evils of the world.
Coexisting Concepts For the Plan of Happiness
You will see how the fascinating features of AT-1 tie to the atonement and Zion as I share the following:
Timekeeping AT-1 Algorithm and ZION parallels
1. A fundamental assumption of the AT-1 algorithm is that every clock is wrong. Similarly, we are all sinners because of the Fall of Adam and Eve.
2. With the appropriate corrections applied to each clock’s readings, AT-1 calculates an optimum weighting for each clock resulting in a calculated time output always better than the best clock in the ensemble. Similarly, using the infinite atonement each member of the Zion society uses their time and talents optimally in helping bring about a pure in heart people of one mind and one heart. Both AT-1 and Zion people be the best that they can.
3. Even the worst clock optimally contributes to AT-1’s optimally calculated time. Similarly, even the least talented person enjoys using their time and talents optimally to bless the Zion society
4. Any abnormal behavior of a clock is detected and fixed. Similarly, when someone stumbles, everyone helps them come to Christ, who perfectly knows how to fix them.
5. Even in the short-term and in the long-term the AT-1 algorithm is optimized to be the best it can be. Similarly, the day-by-day activities of a Zion society and the long-term goal of eternal life for each member come to pass by following the Savior’s perfect example, as He brings forth Zion.
6. Each clock’s performance is measured with each measurement cycle, and the artificial intelligence of AT-1 optimizes its contribution to the ensemble to be the best it can be. Similarly, each member of the Zion society comes to his or her full potential as they optimally contribute their time and talents in everything they do and are perfected through Christ’s infinite atonement.
“Zion must increase in beauty and holiness.” (D&C 82:14) As we move from time into eternity “time will be no longer” and we will move into God’s eternity domain.
Father’s Perfect Plan of Happiness
The grand irony of Father’s perfect plan of happiness, and it is fascinating to me that just like people, every clock has a different performance, yet our goal is to be ONE with the Father and the Son; that is Zion (John Chapter 17). The Book of Mormon describes how they became so in Third Nephi Chapter 19 and in Fourth Nephi. “…there could not be a happier people” (4 Nephi 1:16). Such is Zion. We are all different, but in Christ’s infinite atonement we become ONE!
For me, it is exciting to see technology bearing witness of God. The Lord has said that all things testify of Him if we but have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to feel (Moses 6:63).
I Rejoice in the Lord
As a praying physicist, I rejoice in what the Lord has taught me. I went to the University of Colorado in hopes of earning a doctorate and returning back to BYU to teach and do research. The Lord had a much better plan for me. In 1965 He taught me how to develop the Allan variance, which is a unique time-domain method of analyzing data and determining the data’s characteristics and spectral noise properties.
It ties together, what are called the time-domain and frequency-domain analyses techniques. When scientists go to college, they typically learn how to analyze data in the frequency domain: spectral densities, Fourier series, Fourier transforms, etc., and they typically are not taught time-domain techniques.
Three years later, in 1968, when the Lord gave me AT-1 for generating time for the USA, the Allan variance was the main tool to optimize the time-domain performance of each clock so that the time output calculated by the AT-1 algorithm both in the short-term and in the long-term would be the best that it could be. Just like a Zion society functions optimally day-to-day, it also prepares all for eternal life.
These time-domain techniques from my master’s thesis and from my publications have caught on in a major way throughout the world. I believe the Lord took me in His direction instead of following my plans because He knew I would share the gospel with my book, It’s About Time. I thank Him for this grand opportunity to be of service to as many as will. My book’s website, It’sAboutTimeBook.com now has over a hundred nations visiting and 140,000 visits from across the globe. Two thousand copies of the book have been sold and two hundred of the audio renditions. THANK YOU, LORD, for letting everything testify of Your Perfect Plan of Happiness. The tic-toc of an atomic clock reminds us of our infinitely loving God.
We have enormous technological benefits from atomic clocks–systems like GPS, for example. But in the bigger picture, when the Savior brings forth Zion with a pure in heart people–motivated by the love of Christ–and enjoying that ONEness with Him, ironically, as He moves the earth into its millennial epoch then we will move into God’s time and, “then there should be time no longer” (Rev. 10:6), which I explain in detail in my new book, Time and Eternity, the End-Times and Beyond Revealed, which is my gospel outreach.
David W. Allan