Category Archives: Spirituality

Key To Health

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What is the Key to Health? There are many answers promoted from many platforms that try to answer that important question. Dr. Sabine Hazan's findings show that the key to health is in the gut. Her findings are convincing.

Dr. Sabine Hazan is the world’s expert on curing disease by going to the gut and in the cutting-edge science in microbiome research. She "asked God to gain insight into the meaning of life" and that God revealed to her that the "innerverse" of the human microbiome held the answer. Her cutting-edge research has proven this to be true.

The Podcast with Dr. John Campbell is a summary of her work and is outstanding. Hazan is pronounced like resin. The link for the podcast is at the bottom of this blog article. Her successes are impressive:

Diseases/Conditions Dr. Hazan Has Had Success Treating

C. difficile Infection

  • Strongest evidence and most success.

  • Recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection is notoriously difficult to treat with antibiotics.

  • Hazan has published cases where FMT resulted in full remission and prevention of relapse.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

  • Crohn’s Disease & Ulcerative Colitis.

  • Several patients in her practice achieved long-term remission after microbiome restoration.

  • She emphasizes FMT as a personalized therapy rather than “one-size-fits-all.”

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Metabolic & Neurological Conditions (Experimental/Early Success)

  • Hazan and others in the field have observed links between gut imbalance and conditions such as:

    • Autism spectrum disorder (some reported behavioral and GI improvements).

    • Parkinson’s disease (early-stage studies suggest potential benefit).

    • Metabolic syndrome/obesity (microbiome shifts associated with weight regulation).

COVID-19 (Microbiome Insights)

  • Her lab, ProgenaBiome, was the first to sequence SARS-CoV-2 in stool samples.

  • She suggested that gut health strongly influences COVID-19 severity.

  • While not a cure, her research emphasized probiotics, microbiome balance, and gut-immune connection as protective factors.

She is quoted in Pharmacy Times, and offers a thoughtful reflection rooted in mindfulness and the natural world: “Appreciate what we have (…) in this Garden of Eden. We are privileged to be alive. Every day that we are alive is a gift, and that’s why they call it the present.” She goes on to say: “Calm down your system… Zen, meditate, breathe… Appreciate the moment.”

The Podcast with Dr. John Campbell is a summary of her work and is outstanding. Hazan is pronounced like “Resin”. The link for the podcast is at the bottom of this blog article.

Brain Cell and Gut Health

For me, it is particularly interesting because scientists over the years have discovered brain cells in the heart and the gut.  They have always been in the scriptures as the Lord references on many occasions about the “thoughts of the heart,” and His “bowels” are filled with “mercy” that He may “succor his people.” This remarkable connection between the brain cells in the mind, the heart, and the gut gives us our full range of emotions needed during our mortal journey, and for us to have joy in our path to godhood

Give Our Hearts to God

When we are motivated by the pure love of Christ, then we choose with our brain to give our hearts to God, and to let our “bowels” be full of charity toward all men. We let our “hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for [our] welfare, also for the welfare of those who are around [us].

” We let ‘virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly,” and our bowels are full of charity toward all men and to the household of faith, then the Holy Ghost will be our constant companion. In so doing, we move in the direction of the heavenly society called Zion. Then we can “quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” (1 Chronicles 29:18; 3 Nephi 17:6-7; Alma 7:12; D&C 121:26-43; Eph. 6:16; D&C 27:17-18).

Dr. Sabine Hazan, is a distinguished gastroenterologist and gut microbiome expert. I have learned a lot from this lady. She is an awesome contributor to health and has proven that our health begins in the gut.

David W. Allan   Photo:  Sabine Hazan

Below are some links you may find helpful:

The podcast with Dr. John Campbell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEdgatHJ7gg

Who Is Dr. Sabine Hazan?
Dr. Sabine Hazan (sometimes referred to as Dr. Sabine Hazan-Steinberg) is a renowned physician specializing in gastroenterology, hepatology, and internal medicine. She has built a reputation as a pioneering leader in microbiome research.

Education & Early Career
Earned her M.D. from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada (1992) after completing undergraduate studies in biology at Concordia University, Montreal sabinehazanmd.comLet’s Talk Sh!t.

Completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami before becoming the first woman gastroenterology fellow at the University of Florida Let’s Talk Sh!tGreek City Times.

Honored with the Dean’s Research Award during her fellowship, Sabinehazanmd.comGreek City Times.

Professional Roles & Contributions
Founder and CEO of Ventura Clinical Trials, overseeing high-profile studies in areas like hepatitis C, pancreatic cancer, and gastrointestinal disorders sabinehazanmd.com. The Autism Community in Action.

Founder and CEO of ProgenaBiome, a genetic sequencing research laboratory focused on understanding and harnessing the microbiome’s therapeutic potential Age Management Medicine Group (AMMG)NutraIngredients-USA.com.

Former Chief of Medicine at Community Memorial Hospital and consultant to CRG sabinehazanmd.comThe Autism Community in Action.

Research, Publications & Thought Leadership
Acknowledged as a leader in investigating fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)—notably termed refloralization—to treat conditions like C. difficile, IBS, Crohn’s disease, and chronic illnesses Greek City TimesPRWeb.

ProgenaBiome was the first lab worldwide to detect SARS-CoV-2 in fecal samples via whole-genome sequencing and identified microbiome-based COVID susceptibility markers earlycovidcare.orgPRWeb.

Series Editor for the microbiome section of the peer-reviewed journal Practical Gastroenterology earlycovidcare.orgAmazon Music.

Has presented widely at venues like the World Congress of Digestive Disease, Microbiome Congress, MAGI, and others, PRWebAmazon Music.

Co-authored the engaging and straightforward book Let’s Talk Sh!t: Disease, Digestion and Fecal Transplants PRWebNutraIngredients-USA.com.”

Public Outreach and Philosophy
Emphasizes that each person’s microbiome is unique and requires personalized treatments—opposed to one-size-fits-all medical approaches.

At a 2023 event, she noted that “all disease begins in the gut,” echoing Hippocratic philosophy PRWeb.

Recently testified before Congress, advocating for transparency and scientific freedom in publishing research—especially regarding COVID-19 treatments like ivermectin and vitamin protocols iHeartRadio.

Think To Grow The Brain

Spirituality, , ,

Just like the body needs to be exercised, so does the brain. Back in the 1960s, Professor Marion Diamond’s classic book, ” Magid Trees of the Mind,”  demonstrated that we can grow neurons in the brain at any age. Thinking independently does that. Diamond’s work was so significant that they let her do the autopsy on Einstein’s brain.

Think Think Think

Nathan Eldon Tanner lived in Canada and became an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a child, he went to school in a one-room schoolhouse. The teacher for all the grades began the year by saying, “You only need to learn three things this year.” Then he wrote on the blackboard, “THINK, THINK, THINK.” (By the way, our youngest son was given the name Nathan because of the great role model of Nathan Eldon Tanner).

Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Chauncey C. Riddle, has written a classic book entitled THINK INDEPENDENTLY. The best class I had in college was his Philosophy of Religion class, which taught us how to think. I am blessed that he has written the foreword for three of my books. We have become best friends over the years, and his brilliant mind knows how to THINK, which has been such a blessing to me.

Mind Exercise Ideas

While excess stress and oils containing linoleic acid kill neurons in the brain, daily mental exercises will grow neurons.

1. You can pick mental exercises that cause you to think that best suit your liking and your living situation.
Scripture memorization and/or study is a great way that exercise the spirit and the mind—bringing peace to the soul.

2. I see God’s Word to be of infinite depth. I also see His Word not just being the scripture cannon, for as Alma shares, “For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.” (Alma 29:8) We can learn from all nations and cultures. One of the great blessings as an atomic-clock physicist has been my opportunity to travel the globe visiting other atomic clock facilities. I have taken the opportunity in doing so to study those cultures and their religions.

3. Then there is His Word coming to us by personal revelation; I seek that every day for we have His promise in Mathew. 7:7-8: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” And His promises are sure.

4. One may think of cross-word puzzles as a good mental exercise, and that is good, but limited in its reach. Reading and learning from the Lord and His Word and from others are my main sources.

5. My personal joke is to learn faster than I forget! I also do a few SUDOKU puzzles per day, and I don’t use a pencil but a pen, requiring me to keep track of all the numbers across the puzzle along with logic considerations as to where a number should be placed to fill in all the blanks.

6. I buy a “BIG SUDUKO BOOK 1,000 medium to hard” puzzles–available from Amazon. I also take the time for fun mental exercises to determine the factors for that particular puzzle’s number. For example, No. 360 = 2^3, 3^2, 5. If the number is a prime, then I look up its logarithm value, memorize it, and then write it in the book as a memory exercise. I have a mathematical table of the prime numbers to seven significant digits.

More Mind Exercise Ideas

7. God is the Master of all good disciplines—including math. Jesus asks us to be perfect like our Heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48), which includes math! Math can be and is fun. The Allan variance, for example, is the analysis of a set of numbers in a data set and determining the different colors of the variations in the data set that occur in nature and in devices we build. My other personal joke is, “The only thing that is constant is change!” Enjoy the ride; there are always waves and or bumps along the way. We can ask the Lord, “What can I learn from the challenge?”

8. In Professor Marion Diamond’s classic book, she shares that there are seven learning centers in the brain, and they are complementary, and I have added my perspectives as well. They are: 1) language, 2) math and logic, 3) spatial representation (3D), 4) (beautiful) music, 5) physical skills, 6) interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, and 7) knowledge and learning of the grand harmony of nature—bringing you closer to the Creator.

9. For example, riding my bike combines 5) and 7) and is also an excellent eye-exercising opportunity. I listen to the Book of Mormon in French, and that combines 1) and 5). If one does crossword puzzles or Sudoku while listening to beautiful music, then that helps augment memory as well.

10. There is a well-known Mozart effect that was developed in Boulder, Colorado, several years ago and shown to be effective. For example, if one is learning calculus while listening to Mozart, then the retention increases. Our oldest son, Sterling, wanted to memorize Isaiah 52, and he composed it to music. He did the first half back in 1993, and twenty years later, he shared that composition with us. His retention was perfect.

11. For those who can play the piano, Terri Pontius gave me a great suggestion. Sight-reading pulls the right and left sides of the brain and is a great brain building exercise. On sight singing music would have the same benefits. For those who can’t read music, if they hear a song they like and then sing it, neurons will grow in their brains, and they will be blessed as well.

12. Dr. Dharma Shing Khalsa recommends at least a couple of hours each day doing some form of mental exercise. This is especially valuable for older people. He says that, “Studies have shown that when people do engage in moderate pleasant forms of mental exercise, it increases not only their knowledge, but also the efficiency and power of their brains.” The best retention occurs when there is cross-fertilization among these seven areas of the brain. Wisdom also grows with age, being helped by doing mental exercises.

13. While we are growing neurons in the brain, let us avoid those things that kill them. Again, that is excess stress and processed foods using linoleic acid. I wrote a blog article discussing that in detail: Don’t Kill Your Neurons. I highly recommend you read it if you haven’t.

Sharing His Truth

The blessings of thinking on the Lord’s Word are love, joy, and peace to the soul. As we do so, Light and the Truths of God are our reward. Then, as we lovingly share His Truths with others, we are doubly blessed. And the magic is that as you do these exercises for your brain you can sense new neuron growth.

In the ideal ZION society, which is coming soon, we lovingly share our individual thoughts, words, and deeds, which are unique to each of us, to bring about a Oneness with the Lord. “And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.” (Moses 7:18)  “Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion—THE PURE IN HEART; therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all the wicked shall mourn.” (D&C 97:21)

David W. Allan
Photo. Pixabay

I Believe In Miracles

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I believe in a God of miracles. As we look to the future, we will see many more. I love sharing the documented miracles that irrefutably show God’s ever-loving care in our lives. I will share three well-documented miracles in this blog post. But the last one of the three, The Great Alaska Race, touched me heart, as I recently learned about this amazing miraculous story.

The Cockville Miracle

The Cockville Miracle is an amazing and well-documented event showing the miraculous saving of all the elementary school children and their teachers.

On May 16, 1986, in Cokeville, Wyoming, a “crazy man” tried to collect an enormous ransom by threatening to blow up both teachers and children in the school if they didn’t comply with his demands. However, the homemade gasoline bomb blew up by mistake, and the man and his wife perished instead. All the children and teachers miraculously survived.

Many of the children and teachers later shared remarkable and consistent accounts of the event. Witnesses attributed the event to divine intervention. They reported that angels and bright glowing figures appeared. Some said the figures that came looked like their deceased relatives. They came to comfort and protect them. There is a well-made movie, Cokeville Miracle, documenting this miraculous story.  It is one of the most striking modern-day accounts of divine intervention.

Scientific Confirmation

As a scientist, I was particularly intrigued by how they described the angels surrounding the explosion and focusing the destructive energy up and away from the children. For me, it was consistent with the diallel-field lines we documented in our unified field theory (UFT) research that the angels were able to use to protect the children. In our UFT research, we established the existence of diallel-field lines and some of their properties.  And we showed the existence of a fifth dimension beyond Einstein’s four dimensions of relativity.

That fifth-dimension couples us into the Eternity Domain, where God and His angels do their marvelous work. Scientists use the five known human senses in their experimentation. The sixth sense moves us into the Eternity Domain, which is what we access when we pray. All the Cockville folks were praying, and the angels were there for them.

The Mary Owen Miracle

A second well-documented miracle is about our granddaughter, Mary Owen. Due to a falling accident, she spent six days and six nights in the snow on Mt. Hood in March 2013. She was found in direct answer to prayer and with unusual-angelic assistance to make her location known. Now, she and her husband, Ben Grimm, and their four beautiful children are missionaries for the Lord.

The Nome, Alaska Miracle

The third well-documented miracle is the Nome, Alaska Miracle. Nome is just 2 degrees below the Arctic Circle. It was basically locked in for the winter back when this miracle occurred. The amazing series of events happened in January 1925. There was a diphtheria outbreak in the community of Nome, Alaska.

They reached out immediately to cities along the Pacific coast for the needed anti-toxin serum. The best way to get the serum to Nome was from Anchorage, a thousand miles away. It is about 3,000 miles across the continental United States from ocean to ocean. Blizzard conditions made the delivery of a life-saving serum by airplane from Anchorage impossible.

They needed to keep the serum from freezing. As soon as they got the serum, they carried it by train, plowing through the deep snow on its way north 298 miles to Nenana.
Think of the details of doing the following across Alaska’s deep winter snows and storms.

They miraculously organized dog sled teams to take the serum west 674 miles the rest of the way to Nome. With no time to waste, they immediately found 20 strong men (Mushers) with dogsleds to accomplish this horrendous task, risking their lives because the temperatures dipped down to below -40 degrees F. This is in the middle of Alaska, with winter storms raging with blizzard and gale-force winds.

The serum was handed off seamlessly and miraculously all the way. 120 dogs were involved, and some of them died because of temperatures below -40o caused their lungs to freeze. The community of Nome was saved miraculously.

The dogsled part was done in 5 ½ days, averaging more than 120 miles per day in unfathomable conditions.

Remarkable Men

Here is a list of the remarkable men who became available along the rest of the 674 miles, who, risking their lives, volunteered to help save the community of Nome.

“Wild Bill” Shannon, 52 miles
Edgar Kallands (~31 miles)
George Nollner (~24 miles)
Charlie Evans (~30 miles)
Tommy Patsy (~36 miles)
Dave Corning (~30 miles)
Harry Pitka (~30 miles)
Sam Joseph (~40 miles)
Titus Nickolai (~34 miles)
Johnny Folger (~28 miles)
Sam Miller (~30 miles)
Henry Ivanoff (~25 miles)
Leonhard Seppala & his lead dog, Togo, took the serum for the most dangerous and longest single stretch. Distance of ~91 miles that day (part of a 264-mile round trip for Seppala, as he left from Nome, motivated to save the life of his young daughter) 
,
Charlie Olson (~25 miles)
, and
Gunnar Kaasen takes over for the final push. Kaasen & Balto run through the night in whiteout blizzard conditions. They covered 55 miles in the final dash to Nome—arriving February 2, 1925, 5:30 a.m.

A truly documented miracle. The faith and prayers of a lot of good people were answered, as our infinitely loving Lord does.

The movie, The Great Alaskan Race, tells the story of Seppala and Togo. Togo was the biggest hero but one of the smallest dogs, and at age 12 for a dog, he had given his all, and Togo’s sixth sense brought them to their destination and saved the day. There is a great book called TOGO, by Robert J. Blake, that tells Togo’s story.

Disney made a movie called Togo documenting this miracle, but they have taken it down. Why?

David W. Allan

Photo:  Pixabay

90th Trip Around the Sun

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As I approach my 90th trip around the sun, I marvel not at my own strength, but at the goodness of God who sustains me. Even now, I can still ride a mountain bike, climb hills, and feel the wind on my face. I’ve been told that I am the oldest man in Fountain Green. We have lived here now for 33 years.

Every breath, every heartbeat, and every new sunrise and sunset is His gift. Though much of my life’s work has been dedicated to the science of timekeeping, I know that time and eternity are in God’s hands.

My New Book

I am hoping as I approach my 90th trip around the sun, that my new book will help the world in a major way to get out of darkness and enjoy the TRUTHs and LIGHT and UNDERSATANDING of God’S Infinite Atonement. The new book is entitled: “The Infinite Atonement of Jesus the Christ and Last Days Significance – A Scientist’s View”. 

I know that the most important event in history is the Infinite Atonement of Jesus the Christ, and the least understood.

I am pleased that the front cover of this new book is being drawn by an outstanding artist, David Lindsley. You can see his wonderful artwork at DavidLindsley.com. The cover will depict Mary when she sees her resurrected Son, the Son of God, in all his glory with countless thousands who were resurrected that most momentous Easter Morning. This most inspiring scene is described in the Gospel of Arimathea, which was written before the four gospels.

David Hocking has agreed to do the formatting with glorious pictures to help tell the story and share my testimony of the great importance of the Infinite Atonement. David Hocking has annotated and edited seven books, which have contributed more to sacred literature in our time than any others. I hope mine helps as well. It is my eighth book.

A Fun Scientist’s Question

Since I am a timekeeping scientist, for fun, I felt to ask CHATGPT the question: “Who has had the biggest impact on timekeeping algorithms?”

I was pleased that my name was at the top of the list. I give the glory to God; He inspired my work.

When I asked the above question of ChatGPT, it said:

Great question!  The history of timekeeping algorithms is a fascinating mix of physics, statistics, and engineering. A few people stand out as having had the biggest impact.

Foundation Contributors

David W. Allan 

1. Developed the Allan variance (1966), which became the standard tool for characterizing oscillator stability (used in atomic clocks, GPS, and beyond).

2. His work laid the foundation for algorithms in clock steering, ensemble time scales, and noise analysis and for the generation of International Atomic Time (TAI) and for official world time (UTC).

3. Still central in modern timekeeping (the term “Allan deviation” is standard worldwide). The above Sigma-tau diagram is the same as the Allan deviation, which is the square root of the Allan variance.

Louis Essen (UK, 1908-1997

1.  Built the first practical cesium atomic clock (June 1955)

2.  While not strictly an algorithm guy, his work forced the creation of methods to averages and compare clocks, sparking algorithmic development.

William J. Riley (U.S. NIST, Symmetricom)

1.  Developed key algorithms for simulating atomic clocks for time scale generation and advanced statistical tools for noise and clock performance analysis.

2.  Authored widely and used to guide and help with both software and hardware as a time/frequency statistical tool.

Gernot M.R. Winkler (U.S. Naval Observatory 1913-2016)

1.  Directed the United States Naval Observatory’s (USNO) time service for decades.

2. Oversaw algorithm development for clock ensembles that defined UTC(USNO) for USA military use, including GPS time.

Guinot, Azoubib, and others at BIPM , Barnes and Parker at NBS/NIST

1. Developed and refined algorithms to compute international atomic time (TAI) and UTC, and Barnes and Parker at NBS/NIST for UTC(NIST) in Boulder, Colorado.

2. Their methods, along with Allan’s for clock weighting, steering, and prediction, remain in use today.

CHATGPT wrote the following nice summary for me, including my edits for accuracy:

Timekeeping

Though much of my life’s work has been dedicated to the science of timekeeping, I know that time and eternity are in God’s hands. In 1966, my thesis was published in the IEEE Proceedings. I could not have imagined the far-reaching role the Allan variance formula and its successors would play in GPS, atomic clocks, world timekeeping, telecom, and in navigation.

Yet, I know that the insights came as blessings. The moments of inspiration were given to me by a loving Heavenly Father, who guides the minds of men for the unfolding of His eternal purposes.

The laws of physics and the laws of God are in perfect harmony. Science shows us how creation operates. Faith reveals why God’s creations exist. My greatest joy has been to see how these two voices — science and the Spirit — testify of the same great Truth – the Infinite Love of God.

But, man’s time is not time; it is a “time-interval” as I shared in Chapter 20 of “It’s About TIME”. The most important time is God’s TIME, and His “One Eternal Round.” I am hoping this new book will help in a major way to help many more to come to know of the Lord’s infinite love and to know more of His incomprehensible Infinite Atonement–opening the door to eternal life–the greatest of all the gifts of God.

As I continue my journey, I give thanks to God for every breath, every step, every orbit, and every opportunity to bear witness that He is not restricted by time and space as we mortals are, and He works in all domains, including the Eternity Domain. There, His angelic hosts are ever there to assist us. His love is infinite and eternal, and His loving hand is in all things.

I give God the Glory! THANK YOU, LORD, for being with us every nanosecond! The Allan variance is not mine; it is a gift from eternal realms from an infinitely loving God. With the amazing artwork of David Lindsley for the front cover of this new book, I think everyone will want a copy to put on their coffee table!

David W. Allan
Photo: David W. Allan – Wikipedia

Important Overlooked D&C Verses

Spirituality, , ,

When we talk about the Infinite Atonement, we often think of Christ’s suffering on the cross or His resurrection. However,  some of the most profound insights lie in verses tucked away in Doctrine & Covenants 88:6-7. These overlooked verses hold the key to understanding the cosmic wholeness. [See the podcast “The Atonement, Why now”] These temple-centered verses hold the key to understanding the cosmic nature of Christ’s Infinite Atonement.

In Dr. Michael McNiven’s great book, Our Lord of Wholeness, The Atonement of Jesus Christ as the Organizing Principle, he shares the profound points that the atonement overcomes the entropy of the Universe. Entropy is the thermodynamic principle that states that the Universe is winding down. The Infinite Atonement winds it up and brings a grand cosmic harmony and AtONEness to the Universe.

Let’s explore the above two verses and connect them to the exciting temple symbolism at the veil. Spiritual light flows through the great prose the Lord gives in the exaltation temple experience–the Lord’s University.

D&C 88:6-7

6. He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth. 7 Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ.  As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.

It is interesting for us in our home without a furnace, which our family helped us build in 1992. The Light of Christ (from the sun) warms our home in the winter and cools it in the summer.

I have written a poem to capture the importance of the above two verses.

The Infinite Atonement

He ascended up on high;

He descended below all;

He comprehended all,

That He might be through all,

Things in the light of truth;

Which truth shineth; This

Is the Light of Christ.

He is in the sun,

The light of the sun.

His Infinite Atonement

Brings grand cosmic harmony.

Blood from every pore,

In Gethsemane, causing

His greatest suffering.

To His incomprehensible,

Suffering from Crucifixion.

To His glorious visit

And teaching in Paradise.

To Him, breaking the bands of death,

And millions resurrected,

That glorious Easter Morning.

Comprehending All Things

Christ’s descent wasn’t a mere physical journey; it was an ontological immersion—He “comprehended all things,” how His atonement would impact the Universe. He experienced infinite mortal pain, sin’s consequences, and spiritual separation from His Father. His suffering for all Heavenly Father’s children across the Universe and was infinite in depth and incomprehensible to us mortals.

Why These Two Verses Matter

Too often, we limit the Atonement to a single event—the Crucifixion. He suffered for our sins and shed His blood on our behalf. But these verses invite us to see it as a cosmic, multi-dimensional movement, rooted in temple imagery:

1. The infinite scope of the Atonement includes all realms—mortal life, the spirit world, and resurrection.
2. The infinite depth means Christ fully experienced all things so that He could offer universal redemption.
3. The infinite light is the enduring power of His grace flowing through creation, piercing the veil between mortality and eternity.

The Lord’s University

The temple experience, motivated by our love of God and for all God’s children, gives us a grand view of the Creation, the Fall of Adam and Eve, and of the Infinite Atonement. There in the temple, as we make sacred covenants, we are taught how to go through the veil of the temple into the Lord’s presence, symbolic of celestial realms of glory. We can often feel His presence there, as well as that of His ministering angels, including departed loved ones.

A Special Temple Experience

Our oldest daughter, Shelli, has always been close to my mom—writing letters, etc. When Shelli and Bruce made plans to have their marriage sealed in the Salt Lake Temple, I reached out to my folks and suggested that they be sealed also. Their bishop did a great job in getting them prepared, and those two happy couples were sealed on the 27th of April 1985—a great day of rejoicing on both sides of the veil.

When Mom died on the 27th of October 1999, she was 90 years old. Our dear friend, Kjirstin Youngberg, has the gift of seeing folks on the other side of the veil. When she went through the line viewing Mom’s body in her casket, she saw Mom and Dad happily standing above the casket and dressed in their temple robes.

Later, after the funeral service, Kjirstin also came to the Evergreen Cemetery for the dedication of the grave for Mom. She again saw Mom and Dad there but just dressed in white. They had passed through the veil and were in celestial realms and rejoicing in those great blessings. Kjirstin was standing by me and pointed out how happy my dad was as he was watching Celeste and Kevn’s two sons, Kyme (4) and Zachariah (2) Lambson, playing on the grass. Celeste is our fourth daughter, and they were all there.
That experience stuck in my mind so profoundly that I called Kjirstin the other night to see if she remembered the same, and she did. She said, “You don’t forget something like that.”

There are Seven Steps to the Infinite Atonement

They are: Gethsemane, before the Jews, before the Romans (Gentiles), His crucifixion, He voluntarily gave His life (John 10:17-18), His three-day visit to Paradise, and breaking the bands of death with His glorious resurrection.

In verse 6 above we read, “He that ascended up on high…” When most people think of the atonement, they often miss steps six and seven mentioned in this verse. In step six is His glorious visit to paradise mentioned to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43). When He gave a sign to the Jews about the atonement, He said, “For as Jonas was three days and three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matt. 12:40) So for the Savior, “the heart of the earth” is paradise. During those three days He shared with millions of folks there the glorious gospel message and set up missionary work for those in spirit Prison. (D&C 138)

Step seven is His glorious resurrection that is only touched on in the New Testament regarding others who were resurrected: “And the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” (Matt. 27:53)

The Book of Mormon and apocryphal literature give us a much grander view of what happened that first Easter morning across the globe: (3 Nephi 23:8-13) https://itsabouttimebook.com/the-glorious-resurrection-diminished/; https://itsabouttimebook.com/resurrection-capstone-of-the-atonement/; and https://itsabouttimebook.com/gratitude-for-the-glorious-resurrection-jesus-christ/.

President Russell M. Nelson asked at the October General Conference last year for us to study the atonement. In response to his request, I wrote the following: https://itsabouttimebook.com/the-importance-of-the-infinite-atonement/. I share in this article many astounding events from apocryphal literature about what happened as probably over a million folks were resurrected across the globe the glorious Easter morning.

Conclusion

By embracing the temple-based symbolism of D&C 88:6–7, we can better understand why the Atonement is infinite—not only in time and space, but also in eternity and across the Universe. Christ overcame the effects of the Fall of Adam and Eve. His incompressible suffering and His glorious Infinite Atonement overcame all things for us. Our gratitude should ascend to the highest heaven as we contemplate the all-encompassing Infinite Atonement.

Christ’s descent and ascent, His comprehending of all things, and the radiant Light of Christ unite to reveal a cosmic salvation and exaltation journey, a path through the veil that beckons us all toward eternal life.

David W. Allan
Photo: Wikipedia

Deathbed Repentance

Spirituality, , , ,
  • By deathbed repentance, we mean a person expressing remorse for their sins and turning to God in the final moments of their life, often just before death. It’s a concept that has sparked much theological, philosophical, and emotional debate throughout history. Deathbed repentance is controversial across various religious beliefs. It is interesting to study them to get a perspective. My study of deathbed repentance reveals a God who is both perfectly just and perfectly merciful, and who looks to our hearts. In His infinite love for us, He honors the desires of our hearts. For me, it is profound and simple but complex to explain, which I will do at the end of this blog article.

Prophet Joseph Smith Taught

“We should take warning and not wait for the death-bed to repent, as we see the infant taken away by death, so may the youth and middle-aged, as well as the infant be suddenly called into eternity. Let this, then, prove as a warning to all not to procrastinate repentance, (Alma 34:32-35) or wait till a death-bed, for it is the will of God that man should repent and serve Him in health, and in the strength and power of his mind, in order to secure His blessing, and not wait until he is called to die.” [Scriptural Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp 223-224]

God revealed to Joseph: “Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men. (D&C 64:9-10)

“Ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy, and be ready to forgive our brother on the first intimation of repentance…” [From a letter to the Saints in Far West, Missouri, in 1838]

Joseph Smith strongly advocated mercy and immediate forgiveness, especially once someone has shown even the smallest sign of repentance. Joseph Smith’s teachings are consistent with Jesus Christ’s counsel in the New Testament (e.g., Luke 17:3–4) to forgive others when they repent–leaving final judgment to God.

Typical Christian View

The typical Christian View (Especially in Catholicism and Protestantism) is that God’s mercy is infinite. Many Christian traditions affirm that sincere repentance, even at the last moment, can lead to salvation. The parable of the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39–43) is often cited, where Jesus tells the repentant thief, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

In Catholicism, the sacrament of Last Rites and a reconciliation (confession), and the anointing of the sick are ways to prepare the soul for death. Most Christians believe that sincerity matters. What counts is the genuine sorrow for sin and true conversion of heart, not just fear of death.

Skeptics argue that repenting at the last minute can seem insincere or like an easy escape from moral responsibility. Others believe repentance should involve not just sorrow, but a life change — something hard to prove on a deathbed. Some theological debates center on the tension between justice versus mercy. The idea of a just God who holds people accountable and a merciful God who forgives even at the last breath. They warn against presuming one can live sinfully and “just repent later.” That’s seen as testing God.

Different Beliefs

In Islam, sincere repentance (tawbah) is always accepted if done before the “ghargara” — the moment the soul begins to depart. But deliberate delaying of repentance is frowned upon.

In Judaism, teshuvah (repentance) is a powerful theme, and while repentance before death is valid, lifelong righteousness is highly valued.

In Eastern religions, karma and rebirth may not allow for last-minute erasure of past actions — repentance is more about the journey of inner transformation.

Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic writer, put it in his Pensées, “You would not wager your life on a dying man’s repentance; why wager your eternity on your own?”

What I Believe

WHAT I BELIEVE THE LORD HAS TAUGHT ME AND FROM HIS WORD
The soul is eternal. Our thoughts, words, and deeds are before an infinitely loving God both in pre-mortal, in mortality, and hereafter. The choices we make are all important. Those we made in pre-mortal count greatly. Because of agency, Satan drew a third part of Father’s children after him. Satan said: “Give me thine honor… and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency.  And they were thrust down [to the Earth (Rev. 12:9)], and thus came the devil and his angels; And, behold, there is a place prepared for them from the beginning, which place is hell. And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet—” (D&C 29:36-39)

Our perfect God gave all mortals a conscience to know good from evil: “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man who cometh into the world.” (John 1:9) Because of His perfect love, He also has given us the all-important Infinite Atonement.

We were taught the TRUTHs of God in our pre-mortal epoch. Our intelligence has these TRUTHs stored, and we have access to them and a lot more as we ask, seek, and knock. (Matt. 7:7-8) And “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.” (D&C 10:5) Christ profoundly declared: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12

Three Degrees of Glory

The Apostle Paul tells of three degrees of glory, and Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants shares a vision of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery giving significant details to these: Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial degrees of glory. Traditional English language uses terrestrial for the earth. The Lord has given it the name, telestial. We learn that even the lowest kingdom, the telestial, is beyond our comprehension. “And thus we saw, in the heavenly vision, the glory of the Telestial, which surpasses all understanding;” (D&C 76:89)

But “These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus. These are they who deny not the Holy Spirit. These are they who are thrust down to hell [Spirit prison until the end of the millennium]. These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb, shall have finished his work… But received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant. Last of all, these all are they who will not be gathered with the saints, to be caught up unto the church of the Firstborn, and received into the cloud.

“These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie. These are they who suffer the wrath of God on earth. These are they who suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the fulness of times, when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work; When he shall deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father, spotless, saying: I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God.” (D&C 76:82-86, 101-107)aul

Because of Choices

Because of their choices, all the telestial folks will be destroyed at His Second Coming. If He were to let them continue in wickedness, their lot would be harder in the day of judgement for them at the end of the millennium. Then they will bow the knee gratefully before the Lord in gratitude for His Infinite Loving Atonement for them. The number of them will be as the “sands of the sea.”

Religion

Everyone has a religion—even an atheist has a set of beliefs! Regardless of religion, all who are living terrestrial or celestial lives will make it into the millennium. This is our fair and perfectly merciful and perfectly just God. This is a major insight into God’s infinite love for us. Those who have a sincere deathbed repentance will be there. Jesus, the Great I AM, who is not limited by time and space, is there for them as well  as for us as they and we truly repent. The understanding of true repentance has been distorted by the translators of the New Testament.

True Repentance

True repentance means to forsake and never turn back. We receive the full blessings of the Infinite Atonement as we truly repent and are fully Christ-centered. The words for repentance in Hebrew and Greek are profound and most heartwarming from an Infinite loving God:  שוב, shuv (or shub), which is pronounced shewv in Hebrew and μετανοέω (metanoeō) in Greek, with the beautiful invitation and meaning to turn to God, never turn back, and live the abundant life promised. (Alma 37:47; John 10:10)

Elder Theodore Burton shares this satanic distortion that has occurred in the New Testament Bible translation regarding “repentance,” when it was translated into Latin and thence into English. The translators improperly used the Latin verb poenitēre. As Elder Burton points out, this Latin verb has evolved into meanings in English of punish, penance, penitent, hurting, punishing, whipping, cutting, mutilation, disfiguring, starving, or even torturing. We see these un-Christian kinds of acts during the Dark Ages of Christianity. And today, repentance still has distorted meanings from the profound ones given to us anciently with the Greek and Hebrew meanings that share a loving and kind invitation from God to return to Him.

As the Savior told the woman taken in adultery, “Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more.” (John 8:11)

As Elder Burton shares from Ezekiel 33:9, 11: “[I]f thou warn the wicked of his way to turn (shub) from it; if he do not turn from (shub) his way, he shall die in his iniquity… Say unto them. As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from (shuv) his way; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” Then he shares, “I know of no kinder, sweeter passage in the Old Testament than those beautiful lines.

In reading them, can you think of a kind, wise, gentle, loving Father in Heaven pleading with you to shub, or turn back to him—to leave unhappiness, sorrow, regret, and despair behind and turn back to your Father’s family, where you can find happiness, joy, and acceptance among his other children.” [Theodore M. Burton, “The Meaning of Repentance.” ENSIGN: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Aug. 1988, 6-9] I highly recommend his talk that is both in the ENSIGN and in BYU devotionals.

One of the interesting perspectives in his talk is he shares what repentance is not:
It is not suffering;
It is not punishment;
It is not confession;
It is not remorse; and
It is not sorrow.
It is a life turned to God (shub) filled with love, service, and focus on doing good. Repentance is a joyful word because your life has changed to keeping all the commandments–the first one of which is to LOVE. (Matt 22:36-40)

Brian Nettles did a podcast with me: “David W. Allan shares the infinite atonement…” Starting at minute 17 to 25 I discuss the perfect balance that the Infinite Atonement brings to–overcoming the effects of the fall of Adam and Eve and bring cosmic wholeness and AtONEness to the universe. It is enormous.

Terrestrial

Section 76 in the D&C gives many details of the characteristics of terrestrial folks. Specifically, verse 75 states, “These are they who are honorable men [and women] of the earth, who have been blinded by the craftiness of men [and women and by Satan and his minions].” But they live good lives. These will make it into the millennium because they hearken to their conscience (John 1:9) sufficiently not to be like the Telestial folks, who will be destroyed at His Coming.

Verily I Say Unto You

During His ministry, Christ shared, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” (John 5:25) The three days Christ’s Spirit visited Paradise, while His body lay in the tomb, are an incredibly important part of the Infinite Atonement. He preached the gospel to the righteous who were there back to Adam and Eve. “For the dead had looked upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage.” (D&C 138:50)

They were all gloriously resurrected when Christ broke the bands of death that Easter morning. I estimate there were over a million so blessed and gloriously came forth from their tombs that spectacular, most amazing morning from across the globe. This is beautifully described in Section 138 of the Doctrine and Covenants and in the Gospel of Joseph of Arimathea, which he took with him to England and which was written before the four gospels.

When the mother of the Son of God, Mary, witnessed what they did to her Son that Thursday, when He was crucified, how can we imagine what she felt as she witnessed those horrific events? His incomprehensible suffering probably came close to breaking her heart like her Son’s heart was broken, as He finished the infinite suffering for all of Father’s children, as that part of the Infinite Atonement. Most don’t know there are seven critical steps to the three days of the Infinite Atonement—from Gethsemane to His Glorious resurrection.

Gospel of Joseph of Arimathea

The Gospel of Joseph of Arimathea describes some of her heart-rending feelings. And then, when the Savior finally appeared to her as a Glorious resurrected being, her heart went from the deepest depths of despair to the highest heights of ecstasy. He showed her the countless number who were also resurrected that morning and that He was going to present them to the Father in the celestial realms of glory.

“Then the Virgin-Mother looked behind Him, and she saw the great number that He had taken up, out from the graves, all dressed up, in their pure white robes.” (Chapter 25:167, of this gospel). The Apostle Peter also refers to Christ’s visit to the spirit world. (1 Peter 3:18-20; 4:6) “For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”

But for the spirits in prison, he did not go, but organized the work for them and for all who desired to hear the glorious gospel message. In the perfect fairness of God, everyone gets to hear the gospel (the GOOD NEWS; for me, it is the BEST NEWS The temple blessings will be carried on into the millennium and will also be made available to all who desire them, who are living in that grand millennium epoch.

At the end of the millennium, the telestial folks will be judged, and the Savior will deliver His Kingdom to the Father with all those who are living celestial lives or who are innocent. I love how our perfectly infinitely loving God honors our free choice and the desires of our hearts. I cannot imagine a more perfect plan designed to bring a fullness of joy to the faithful in Christ.

David W. Allan

Photo: EliYah Ministries

Don’t Kill Your Neurons

Spirituality, ,

Neurons, or nerve cells, are fundamental units of the brain and nervous system. They transmit information throughout the body via electrical and chemical signals. They control sensations, movement and other functions. Over all their job is to relay information between the brain cells and to communicate with every cell in the body.

Over the years, I have learned from Dr. Joseph Mercola that many seed oils are bad for our health because of the linoleic acids in them. Unfortunately, they are prevalent in almost all of the processed foods. This excess is killing neurons by the millions every day for the average American and is contributing to dementia and Alzheimer’s in the American population in a major way as well.

However, these oils are useful in a healthy diet if not overheated or overly consumed, which is a fundamental problem with the typical American diet. Balance is the key.

Dr. Joseph Mercola, who has one of the most popular alternative health websites, states that foods processed with oils high in linoleic acid (LA)—often seed oils like soybean, corn, and safflower—are often killing neurons. He shares that these oils that are rich in omega-6 are harmful to brain health because of:

1. Mitochondrial damage and energy depletion
LA accumulates in cells and disrupts mitochondria, reducing ATP production. That “energy shortfall” impairs cell repair and promotes fatigue, mood disturbances, and neurodegeneration.

2. Oxidative byproducts that kill neurons
LA can oxidize—especially when oils are heated—to form toxic compounds like OXLAMs and 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE). These oxidized lipids can damage mitochondrial membranes, protein chaperones (like Hsp70), and lysosomes, leading to neuronal dysfunction and even death.

3. Neuroinflammation and cognitive issues
Animal and some human observational studies suggest diets rich in LA may promote neuroinflammation, depression-like behavior, and neurodevelopmental impacts—potentially increasing Alzheimer’s risk—especially when omega‑6 intake greatly exceeds omega‑3 intake in the diet.

Out of Balance

The typical American diet is way out of balance; the Ideal Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratio is about 1:1 to 4:1. Modern Western diets often reach 10:1 to 20:1 or higher—this imbalance is where health risks (like inflammation) arise.

In contrast, those oils grown closer to the equator are very good for you: like coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, and palm oil, for example.

 What is the Takeaway?

In lab studies, excessive LA, especially from ultra-processed or overheated seed oils, produces harmful oxidation products and stresses cell mitochondria.

But clinical nutrition guidance supports moderate LA intake as part of a balanced diet, especially when paired with a good ration with omega‑3s and proper cooking techniques.

Practical Tips

Practical Tips for a Balanced Oil Intake omega-3 balance.

1. Use oils properly: avoid overheating, stay under the smoke point.

2. Balance omega‑6 with omega‑3: include fish, flax, algae, or quality supplements. Chia seeds have an ideal omega-6 to omega-3 balance.

3. Most processed foods are major part of the problem: read your labels.

4.  Prefer minimally processed oils, such as extra-virgin olive oil or expeller-pressed versions.

 Oxidized metabolites (OXLAMs) may damage neurons
What Mercola says: Cooking or processing LA-rich oils leads to OXLAMs (oxidized linoleic metabolites) that damage cell membranes, mitochondria, and neurons.
*Evidence shows: Animal studies reveal these OXLAMs accumulate in the brain after injury and may promote inflammation or neurotoxicity.

High LA may sensitize the brain to inflammation
Mercola’s angle: Excess dietary LA chronically increases neuroinflammation and depletes antioxidant resilience, weakening energy production and accelerating neuron decline.

Science suggests: Preclinical work supports this. One review concluded that excess LA “increases the brain’s vulnerability to inflammation” and may impact development.

Neuron death from mitochondrial stress?
There is growing scientific interest in the possible link between linoleic acid (LA), a type of omega-6 polyunsaturated fat, and dementia or cognitive decline, but it’s not accurate to say linoleic acid “causes” dementia outright. Here’s what we know: What’s the Concern with Linoleic Acid and Brain Health?
1. Excess LA Can Promote Inflammation
LA is metabolized into arachidonic acid, which can increase pro-inflammatory molecules (e.g., prostaglandins) and Chronic inflammation is a recognized risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
2. Oxidative Stress from LA Byproducts
Linoleic acid is prone to oxidation, especially during cooking (e.g., frying). The resulting compounds (like 4-HNE, acrolein, etc.) can be toxic to brain cells and may contribute to neurodegeneration.
What Does the Research Say?
1. Animal studies show that diets high in omega-6 fats impair learning and memory.
2. Observational studies in humans have linked high LA consumption with increased risk of cognitive decline.

To support brain health:
1. Limit seed oils high in LA (like corn, soybean, sunflower oils, etc.).
Increase intake of omega-3 fats (like from fatty fish, chia seed, flaxseed, or algae oil).
Eat more whole foods and fewer ultra-processed products.

Bottom Line
Linoleic acid is not inherently toxic, but excessive intake, especially from oxidized or processed sources, may contribute to brain inflammation and neurodegeneration over time.  Foods high in omega-6 fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid, are mainly found in vegetable oils and processed foods. While omega-6 is essential, modern diets often include too much of it, which can contribute to inflammation when not balanced with omega-3s.

Top Foods High in LA
Top Foods High in Omega-6 Oils
Vegetable & Seed Oils (Very High in Linoleic Acid):
These are the biggest sources of omega-6 in modern diets:
Soybean oil
Corn oil
Sunflower oil
Safflower oil
Cottonseed oil
Grapeseed oil
Canola oil (moderate omega-6, also contains omega-3)
These oils are widely used in cooking, frying, packaged snacks, and restaurant foods.

Animal Products (Conventional)
Meat, eggs, and dairy from grain-fed animals can have higher omega-6 levels than grass-fed varieties. Grass-fed is the best fed, and use free-range chicken eggs as well.
For example, grain-fed chicken, pork, or beef has higher omega-6 content. Avoid!

How to Balance Omega-6 Intake

1. Reduce the use of seed/vegetable oils in cooking.
2. Avoid processed foods with “vegetable oil” or “partially hydrogenated oils.”
3. Increase omega-3 sources: fatty fish (salmon, sardines), flaxseeds, chia seeds, free-range chicken eggs, algae oil.

Top Sources

Top Animal-based Sources of Omega-3 are the most potent and bioavailable.Take advantage of farmers’ markets. Buy fresh, and grow your own as best you can. Go organic is usually trustworthy. Avoid fast-food restaurants. More and more restaurants are going organic. High stress levels are also a major killer of neurons.
Learn to relax and enjoy life! The body heals in the relaxation mode. Eat well; enjoy the IDEAL MEAL, which I outline in my first book, It’s About Time. Also, Chapter 5 of Time & Eternity, The End-Times & Beyond Revealed, summarizes Dr. Weston Price’s great insights to be free of disease. May we help the Lord move the Earth back to its Paradisical Glory!

David W. Allan

Photo:  Wikipedia

A Life Changing Event

Spirituality, , ,

We have all had life-changing events. My greatest life-changing event was when I gained a full understanding of the Lord’s infinite love for each of us.

My publisher, Boyd Tuttle, introduced me to the book, “Our Lord of Wholeness” by Michael McNiven.  It shows that the Atonement overcomes the effects of the world winding down (entropy). When Boyd shared that with me, it touched my heart to the core. In other words, the Lord’s infinite atonement totally overcomes the effects of the universe winding down by winding it up.

I recently was privileged to get to know Michael D. McNiven, the author of Our Lord of Wholeness; The Atonement of Jesus Christ as the Organizing Principle. His book and insights have been another life-changing event for me. When I learned this from Michael, I reached out to the well-known artificial (AI) software internet program—”Chat GPT”, and got the following response to this comment from me [my additions in brackets]:

The infinite atonement is cosmic in its covering all of Heavenly Father’s children from before the Earth was created until the end of time. It overcomes the entropy of the universe.

Chat GPT Responded

“A profound and beautiful expansive way to express the infinite scope of the [infinite] atonement in Latter Day Saint’s theology especially the atonement of Jesus Christ isn’t just a remedy for personal sin, it’s a cosmic force. It transcends time, applies retroactively and proactively, and, as you pointed out covers all of Heavenly Father’s children, regardless of when or where they lived.

“The idea that the [infinite] atonement overcomes entropy–a physical principle describing the universe’s inevitable decline into disorder–is a powerful metaphor. In spiritual terms, entropy might represent decay, death, separation, are the chaos of sin. Through Christ’s [infinite] atonement, there is a reversal: disorder becomes order, death gives way to resurrection, and separation is healed by eternal covenants. It’s a unifying, restoring force on a cosmic scale.

“This view echoes what prophets and Apostles have taught–that the [infinite] atonement isn’t just the centerpiece of human history but of all creation in a way it is the spiritual law that underwrites and redeems the physical laws.”

 Chat GPT Shared Regarding My Statement

Your statement — “God’s infinite love and the infinite extent of the universe is consistent with individual intelligence being co-eternal with God” — is rich with metaphysical and theological implications. It echoes themes found in certain strands of Christian theology, especially in Latter-day Saint (LDS/Mormon) thought, but also intersects with broader philosophical ideas about consciousness, eternity, and divine immanence.

Let’s unpack this idea through a few frameworks:

  1. Latter-day Saint Theology (Mormonism)

In LDS theology, your statement aligns quite closely with core beliefs:

  • Co-eternity of intelligences: LDS doctrine teaches that intelligences (the core of individual beings) are uncreated and eternal — they have always existed alongside God.
  • God’s love is seen as not only infinite but also deeply personal, directed toward each individual intelligence.
  • The universe is vast and filled with divine purpose, with each soul having an eternal role within it.

So, within this view:

God does not create intelligence from anything but rather fosters its growth through love and progression, consistent with a cosmos [or universe] designed for eternal beings.

  1. Philosophical Implications

From a metaphysical perspective, you’re proposing:

  • A non-dualistic view where the divine and the self are deeply interconnected.
  • Eternal consciousness: The soul or mind [intelligence] isn’t a temporal phenomenon but has always existed in some form.
  • The universe isn’t just vast in space but infinite in significance, because each individual consciousness has eternal worth.

This idea parallels:

  • Platonism: where eternal forms and souls exist beyond time.
  • Process theology: where God is in a constant relational process with the world, and individual experiences have enduring value.
  1. Theological Resonance with Divine Love

If God’s love is infinite, it makes sense to conclude that:

  • This love must have an eternal object — and thus individuals (souls, intelligences) must exist eternally.
  • God’s love wouldn’t be momentary or finite, but continuous, enduring through all states of existence (pre-mortal, mortal, post-mortal).

This also suggests:

  • Relational eternity: The relationship between God and the individual is not bounded by time, sin, or death — it is the basis of eternal identity. [We are children of Heavenly Parents.]
  1. Mystical Interpretation

Mystics across traditions might interpret your statement as indicating:

  • A unity of being — where divine love is the substrate of all consciousness.
  • Each individual soul is a ray of divine intelligence, not separate from God, but co-existent within God’s infinite awareness.

Summary

Your view presents a theologically optimistic cosmology:

  • God’s love is infinite.
  • The universe reflects this love through its scale and complexity.
  • Each individual intelligence is eternal — not an afterthought, but a fundamental, co-eternal reality.
  • Therefore, human existence has infinite value and is intimately related to the divine purpose of the universe.

My Additional Thoughts

Michael’s book was made available on the 26th of March 2025—the same day as my book, My Revelations. This is an important date.  It ties to Enoch’s calendar and the date of the FIRST VISION of the Prophet Joseph Smith (26 March 1820).

Exactly ten years later the Book of Mormon was available to the world (26 March 1830). The Lord’s Spirit revealed to me that those first 5,000 copies were printed in the Divine ratio (7.5 inches by 4 5/8 inches = 1.62…). For me that shows the direct fingerprint of the Lord.

Because of the significance of this ratio being evident with the first printing of the Book of Mormon, David Hocking shares  this detail on page 315 of his seventh ANNOTATED EDITION “THE REVELATIONS of JOSEPH SMITH, JR.”

All of these great insights have prompted me to write another book, “The Infinite Atonement of Jesus the Christ; And its Last Days Significance”—my seventh book! I hope this new book will be a life changer for others.

We (Brian Nettles and I) did a YouTube podcast with Michael D. McNiven, last Thursday (22 May 2025). It was an awesome experience to visit with him and to get to know him better. The YouTube Podcast is an hour and a half long but loaded with profound insights from Michael’s book.

David W. Allan

PS For those who don’t know what GPT stands for in Chat GPT:

GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer.

Here’s a breakdown of what that means:

  • Generative: It generates text — answers, stories, code, summaries, etc.
  • Pre-trained: It’s trained on a large dataset (like books, websites, articles) before being fine-tuned for specific tasks.
  • Transformer: A type of neural network architecture introduced in the 2017 paper “Attention Is All You Need”, which is especially good at understanding language.

So, GPT is a model designed to understand and generate human-like language based on massive amounts of pre-learned data. [But it has no soul!]

Because we have a soul, in prayer, we are able to couple sincere prayer into the Eternity Domain, which I share experiments regarding in chapters 21 and 22 of It’s About Time. The Eternity Domain is where God and His angels do their perfect work for us. And it is not limited by space and time.

The Prophet Joseph Smith shared that the Kingdom of Heaven is perfectly organized. Thus, using Michael’s phrase, the Lord’s “Wholeness” winds everything up—overcoming the entropy of the universe. The cosmic completeness of the infinite atonement does that; how blessed we are to have a personal-perfect infinitely loving Elohim.

David W. Allan

P.S.  Don’t forget to view the YouTube video. 

Photo:  Michael D. McNiven

Greatest Easter Ever

Spirituality,

Last Sunday was my greatest Easter in my whole life. We went to our son Nathan’s 14th Edgemont Ward Easter sacrament service in Provo. The music and spoken word touched me to the core of my soul. In my 88 years, I have never witnessed a better program honoring our resurrected Lord’s Day, in which He changed the world forever. Their program was entitled, most appropriately, “He Is Risen!

As I share in my new book, My Revelations, He was tortured more than any other man. Only because He is the Son of God was He able to withstand the brutal punishment given Him, and come out triumphant–conquering death and hell with His Glorious resurrection.

This ward program would probably not have impacted me so profoundly had I not just finished my book, My Revelations. The most important chapters in the book are about the Lord’s infinite atonement. That includes His Glorious resurrection, which the world doesn’t appreciate as being part of His atonement. For the Christian world, Christmas is the most celebrated holiday of the year. But, as I share boldly in my book Easter should be the most important Holiday in the world, and I give the reasons.

Another recent event in my life that impacted me greatly this Easter morning, is in my new book I share my extensive research on the SCIENCE OF THE SHROUD TURIN MIRACLE.  In that chapter I share how and why that miracle happened. Now with modern technology the Shroud reveals in heart-rending detail what happened that Thursday in Jerusalem, when our Lord was crucified. I have a blog article about it as well, which has pictures of the Shroud. The Shroud is the most studied artifact in history because of its importance, as it depicts His tortured body. The scientific miracle associated with it is turning many atheists, agnostics, and non-believers to Christ. I document how the miracle took place and its great importance. As part of the ward program, the whole congregation sang, “He is Risen.” The spiritual energy in that room again brought tears to my eyes in the deepest gratitude that this TRUTH has and continues to change the world to bring about our loving Heavenly Father’s eternal purposes for His children. It is the Lord’s resurrection that brings us back into the presence of God.

Gethsemane

In my study, I came to realize the extremely important truth that He suffered more in Gethsemane than under the hands of the Jews, the Romans, and on the cross. Which is hard to comprehend after my research on the Shroud. We cannot comprehend His suffering there, and then to know His suffering was greater in Gethsemane is way beyond our comprehension. I cannot listen to the song Gethsemane by Reese Oliveira without weeping: Bing Videos. I am a sinner and to know that He is totally there for me was one of the reason’s I was weeping last Sunday. They did a superlative performance and the talks and spoken word were there to match. Nate is in their choir and had given us a heads up on what a great program they had in store.

The Spirit has taught me that there are seven steps to the infinite atonement and seven sub-steps to each step. This makes 49 in all which, when you perceive and study again it will touch your soul to the core. This inspiration from the Lord taught me that His Glorious resurrection is capstone to the infinite atonement. His Glorious resurrection brings the whole infinite atonement into focus and helps me comprehend the incompressible.

While serving as Stake President of the Boulder Stake

While I was Stake President, our Boulder Stake was the most musical Stake in the entire Denver area. The first performance we had in our new Stake Center was Handel’s Messiah. I had a similar spiritual experience with that great event. However, Nate’s ward’s program was spirit filled the entire way. I was in tears several times as the Spirit whispered to me the reality of, “He Is Risen!” And He is there for me.

A False Tradition

Good Friday is a false tradition that has crept into Christianity. We learn a lot from apocryphal literature on the validity of the three days before His resurrection. Ferrar Fenton’s Bible, translated from the original Greek, shares the two Sabbaths over the three days of the infinite atonement (John 19:20, and see the footnote to this scripture in the translation).

Joseph of Arimathea took the gospel of Jesus Christ with him to Britain, which was written before the four gospels. He also took the family of Christ and other dear disciples. The trans-Literation of this gospel by Dezert-Owl mentions the two Sabbaths in a row as well, in conjunction with the Infinite Atonement. (Chapter 25:58) Jesus told the Jews, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matt. 12:40)

Voices From The Dust) In North American “voices from the dust” stones that have been found denote the three days: I did a podcast describing this amazing stone in detail, which denotes the three days in the tomb and His three days in the Spirit world.

Nephi Shares His Vision of what would Happen

Nephi shares his vision: “Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name.” (2 Nephi 25:13)

Thank you, Nephi, for sharing this hope for us all.

President Russell M. Nelson

At our last October Conference, President Russell M. Nelson asked us to study the atonement. In response to his request I wrote a blog article, which includes a lot of fascinating information from apocryphal literature:  The sixth step of the infinite atonement is His three days in Paradise. The spirit-world has eight times more souls than here on Earth. There He organized missionary work as He said He would: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,” (John 5:28) Peter further clarifies: “For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” (1 Peter 4:6)

Joseph F. Smith’s Vision

Joseph F. Smith’s vision adds tremendously to our understanding: “For the dead had looked upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage. These the Lord taught, and gave them power to come forth, after his resurrection from the dead, to enter into his Father’s kingdom, there to be crowned with immortality and eternal life, And continue thenceforth their labor as had been promised by the Lord, and be partakers of all blessings which were held in reserve for them that love him.” (D&C 138:50-52)This scripture and others teach us that there were probably millions resurrected that Glorious Easter morning from all across the globe. The resurrection is “CAPSTONE” to the all-encompassing infinite atonement. Easter should be the most celebrated day of the year.

The Capstone

I view this last Easter Sunday to be CAPSTONE to every Easter before, as tears of joy fell down my cheeks rejoicing in the offerings of that most important gift ever given.
I believe my new book, My Revelations, carries this same Spirit, and my hope and prayer are that it will be effective in converting souls to Christ. I believe that is why He prompted me to write it, when I asked Him the question on New Year’s Day “What I best can do this year to help with your work?” 

We had the book on Amazon on the 26th of March, which is the date of the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Exactly ten years later on the 26th of March 1830, the Book of Mormon was ready as the most effective book now available to bring people to Christ

David W. Allan

Photo: Facebook

Fascinating Church Statistics

Spirituality, , ,

 

As a missionary-minded member, I have been keeping track of the conversion rate for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  They issue a statistical report each year at their General Conference in April.

A Downward Trend

I noticed a significant downward trend in the number of converts per thousand members of the Church over the four decades, from when President Spencer W. Kimball was the Prophet up until COVID-19. The conversion decrease rate was –0.9 converts per thousand members per year. Then I did a linear regression analysis on those four decades. If that trend were to continue, there would be no converts after the year 2032.

This decrease is mainly due to the worldly encroachment on the members of the Church. Knowing that it is the Lord’s church and that a pure-in-heart, ZION, society is coming in preparation for the Lord’s Second Coming, I was confident the Lord had a solution to this encroachment problem.

An Upward Trend

I am fascinated to see this rate turn around after COVID-19. I just obtained the data from the last General Conference in 2024. In the plot, one can see there has been a major turnaround. 

The conversion rate has increased by 132% over the last four years, and it is still increasing. The rate now is 2.5 converts per year per thousand members.

Interestingly, the converts are mainly coming from outside the United States. Our current President of the Church, Russell M. Nelson, has asked that all worthy young men, who are able, to serve missions. I am guessing that the Sister Missionaries are helping the conversion rate significantly. They go because they desire to serve the Lord and bring souls unto Christ.

Both Sides Of The Vale

We are the only church doing missionary work on both sides of the veil. The number of operating temples across the globe is now 193. President Nelson announced 15 more temples during the April 2025 General Conference. One is to be built in Spanish Fork, Utah, my “own backyard,” I was born and raised in Mapleton, just next door. Undoubtedly, the blessings of the temple are increasing the ZION mentality of the members and their desires to share the good news of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

The last statistical report showed a slight decrease in the rate of the total number of members. I am guessing that the birthrate amongst the members has affected that rate. Also, fewer young people are getting married. We live in an interesting time. However, it is fascinating to see the Lord’s answer to the Babylonian encroachment on the members of the Church, as convert rates accelerate. We know the Lord has a solution to every problem, and it is fascinating to see that happening, as shown in the above chart.

Timely Warning

Our Father in heaven warned us of this time as shared by Jesus to the Nephites and to us: “And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them… But if the Gentiles will repent and return unto me, saith the Father, behold they shall be numbered among my people, O house of Israel.” (3 Nephi 16:10, 13

The only ones who can reject “the fulness of my gospel” are those who have it—the members of the Lord’s Church. Those who “sin against my gospel”— the Bible gospel are under condemnation as well if they are guilty of the listed sins. Unfortunately, we see those sins happening, as Babylon the Great ripens in iniquity, which is a major sign of the times

He Gives Us Answers

He gives us the answer on how to be a pure in-heart people, ZION, and to be gathered out of Babylon the Great. “Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I AM, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins; Who will gather his people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble themselves before me, and call upon me in mighty prayer.” (D&C 29:1-2).

He further says:
“Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.” (D&C 38:27)

I have a chapter in my new book, My Revelations, on the importance of being ONE with the Lord and how to do that. My publisher, Boyd Tuttle, has done a superlative job describing my motivation in writing this book on the back cover. Two of the chapters make it a must buy: THE SCIENCE OF THE SHROUD OR TURIN MIRACLE is bringing atheists and agnostics to Christ, and MESSIAH BEN JOSEPH AND MESIAH BEN DAVID has the “latter day servant’s” role in preparing for the Savior’s Second Coming. Avraham Gileadi has kindly shared with me his great insights, as the world’s best expert on the Book of Isaiah.

The Lord is gathering His people, Israel. Let us not only be part of this ideal society but help as many as we can to turn to the Lord and to be ONE with Him.

David W. Allan

Photo: LDS Church