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