How do you comprehend the incomprehensible? As mortals, we cannot! But let us seek with body, mind, and spirit to internalize the Lord’s infinite atonement, then we are promised Eternal Life–the greatest of all the gifts of God. Seven is the number of perfection or completeness in the Lord’s arithmetic, and there are seven steps in the infinite atonement. I have found seven sub-steps for each of the seven steps, and I will share those here with scriptural references.
In addition to the scriptures, Nephi tells us of “other books” (1 Nephi 13:39) to come forth in our day and we are seeing that happen in amazing ways to help us better understand the “Infinite Atonement.” Dezert-Owl, who has become a good friend, has over 30 Tranz-Literations and several supporting dictionaries on Amazon, on LULU.com, and on KOBO.com. HIs GOSPEL OF THE WISE-STRANGERS by Joseph of Aramathia is 247 pages of GOLD. And Dezert’s “The CRUCIFIXION REPORT of PONTUS PILOT to: TIBERIUS CAESAR” is a major contribution. Ferrar Fenton, M.R.A.S. (1832-1920) was a London businessman, a manufacturer, and financial organizer. He is perhaps most well known for his translation of The Bible in Modern English, which is commonly referred to as the Ferrar Fenton Bible. Fenton made translation of the Bible a lifetime avocation, spending approximately fifty years working on his translation, with the goal “to study the Bible absolutely in its original languages, to ascertain what its writers actually said and thought.” Ferrar Fenton – Wikipedia. The AQUARIAN GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST by Levi is a monumental contribution covering the Savior’s life from birth until Pentecost. The above books go far beyond the traditional apocrypha that one finds in some Bibles, and there are others we could mention as well.
Essentially all Christians miss the richness of our Lord’s infinite and perfect atonement. Most in my own church as well. I hear members and leaders express gratitude for the atoning sacrifice, and last General Conference (1-2 April 2023) I heard several express gratitude for the atoning sacrifice and the resurrection–missing the Lord’s glorious visit to the Spirit world as the sixth step in the infinite atonement–opening up missionary work there and letting the prisoners go free. There are nearly ten times more folks there than here below.
In a world that is turning upside down, as Satan knows it is his last hour and while anticipating the glorious return of our Lord and Savior, there is nothing more important for us to do than to come unto Him. Those who do not will be “cut-off” at His Coming. As we contemplate what He has done, is doing, and will do for us, it fills our souls with the deepest of gratitude. As we come unto Him and repent, mercy is extended to us satisfying the demands of justice and totally overcoming the effects of the fall of Adam and Eve. He is the way, the truth, and the life to bring us back to the Father. (John 14:6) We praise Him and adore Him forever. And our souls reach to their depths as we thank the Father for the gift of His Son, who worked out this perfect and infinite atonement bringing perfection to Father’s perfect plan of happiness. Our gratitude is overflowing. Think of it, His infinite atonement opens the door to perfection for us along with a fullness of joy and perfection for the earth as well. Satan is increasing the moral decay in the world because he knows it is his last hour.
Let us look at these SEVEN INCREDIBLE STEPS IN HIS INFINITE ATONEMENT. My hope is that like the disciples who walked with Him on the road to Emmaus, “Did not our hearts burn with delight while he was talking to us by the way…” “while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, Section XXI, Chapter 174:24; Luke 24:32)
THE SEVEN STEPS TO THE INFINITE ATONEMENT OF JESUS THE CHRIST
GETHSEMANE (Alone)
- [Christ] Went a little further and fell on his face – being in agony; (Mt.26:36-44)
- Cried, if it be possible let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, Thy will not mine be done. (Mt. 26:39)
- Which suffering caused myself, even God,… to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and would that I might not drink of the bitter cup and shrink. (Lk 22:44; Mosiah 3:7-10)
- Angel (the Father) strengthened Him. (Lk 22:43)
- Three times He went alone to finish what had to be done for all of us. (Matt. 26:44)
- Alone and totally voluntarily, He suffered for all of our sins, every pain, our sorrows, and every mistreatment. (D&C 19:18)
- And, because He loves us, He will take all of these burdens, if we will learn of Him and come unto Him. (Mt.11:28-30)
BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN (Rejected by His own, Israel)
- Betrayed by one of the Twelve. (Mt. 26:21)
- “And so they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.” (Zech. 11:12-13)
- “We stone thee for blasphemy, because thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” (John 10:33)
- They were guilty of the sin of which He was condemned (the penalty for which was death).
- Spit in His face, buffeted Him, and smote Him, saying, “Prophesy, who smote thee?” (Mt. 26:67)
- Peter denied him thrice with an oath. (Mt. 26:33-34)
- “His blood be upon us and our children.” (Mt. 27:25)
“Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets…” and the Only Begotten and first-born of our Heavenly Father. (Mt. 23:37; Heb. 1:6)
BEFORE THE ROMANS (Rejected by the Gentiles, the world)
- Art thou king of the Jews? (Mk. 15:2)
- Scourge Him (40 lashes minus 1) (Mk. 15:15)
- Crown Him (crown of platted thorns, John 19:2).
- Mockingly, put on Him a scarlet robe, (John 19:2)
- And a reed for a scepter. “Hail, King of the Jews.” (Mt. 27:29)
- Smite Him, mock Him and spit upon Him. (Mt. 27:29-31)
- Pilot said, “I have power to crucify Thee.” Jesus responded, “Thou hast no power except it be given thee from above.” (John 19:10-11)
SEVEN SAYINGS ON THE CROSS (All of the previous suffering came on Him, and this time He bore them alone)
- “Forgive them… Father,…they know not what they do.” (Lk. 23:24)
- “Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” (Lk. 23:43)
- “Mother, behold thy son.” “Behold thy mother.” ((John 19:26-27)
- “I thirst!” (John 19:28)
- “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:1; Mk. 15:34; Mt. 27:46)
- And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, “Into Thy hands I commend my spirit.” (Lk. 23:46)
- “It is finished!” (John 19:30) In the apocryphal literature, we read: “KHELLOAY! KHELLOAY! Lama Shabachthani: My Light of the True Power! My Mother-Father! This is my Chosen Destiny !!!” (The Final Hours of the Messiah’s Un-Told Story, by Dezert Owl)
GAVE HIS LIFE VOLUNTARILY (He did perfectly the will of the Father)
- “No man taketh it from me; but I lay it down of myself.” (John 10:18)
- “I came to do the will of the Father.” (John 5:30; 6:38)
- We go up to Jerusalem; Son of Man, betrayed, mocked, scourged, crucified, and will rise the third day. (Mt. 20:18-19)
- “For this purpose came I into the world.” (John 18:37)
- And they thrust in the spear and out gushed blood and water for He was already dead. (John 19:34)
- He literally died of a broken heart for the sins of all of us–the children of our Heavenly parents.
- His spilt blood ran down an earthquake crack onto the “mercy seat” of the Ark of the Covenant hid in Jeremiah’s grotto below where the cross was placed on the Calvary Road just outside the wall of the Old City of Jerusalem.
VISIT TO THE SPIRIT WORLD (There are nearly 10 times more souls there than here)
- The hour is coming when all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God. (John 5:25) We read in the “Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ” by Levi: Section XX Chapter 172:15-23; “Jesus did not sleep within the tomb… And in the realms of souls…the Lord went forth and taught… In council all the masters sat and talked about the revelations of the coming age.”
- Story of Lazarus and the rich man: great gulf fixed (Luke 16:19-31)
- The Savior bridged the gulf – organizing the enormous missionary work there.
- Great rejoicing over all the dispensations back to Adam – gathered and proclaimed the goodness of God. (Doctrine Covenants 138)
- Prison doors opened and the prisoners go free as they come to Christ. (1 Peter. 3:18-20; 4:6; Doctrine & Covenants 138:22)
- They that hear shall live. Live according to God in the spirit; judged according to men in the flesh. (John 5:25-29; 1 Pet. 4:6)
- Fathers hearts turned to the children and children’s hearts to the fathers; otherwise, the purpose of the earth wasted at His Coming. (Malachi 4:5-6)
GLORIOUS RESURRECTION (The best documented miracle in history)
- Three days earlier, He was laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (by his great uncle) Joseph and by Nicodemus – wrapped in linen with spices. (John 19:38-42) Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome came to the empty tomb at the rising of the sun on Sunday morning. The stone having been rolled away, the angel greeted them with the glorious announcement: ”Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen.” (Mt. 28:1-8; Mk. 16:6) Peter and John ran to the tomb and saw the clothes folded. (John 20:1-9) Mary Magdalene lingered and saw the risen Lord. When he says, “Mary,” her heart went from the deepest depths of despair to the heights of ecstasy. (John 20:11-18) She became one of the best missionaries — converting a large number of people in France and England.
- We learn from the GOSPEL OF THE WISE-STANGERS by Joseph of Arimathea Tranz-Literation by Dezert-Owl that Jesus first appeared to His mother, Mary, then to Miriam, His sister, and then to Mary Magdalene. He then appears to the women who came to the tomb. (Mt. 28:8-9)
- He then appears to Peter. (Lk. 24:34)
- He walks with two disciples, one of whom was Cleopas, on the road to Emmaus, and He opens up to them the meaning of the scriptures, “Ought not Christ have suffered these things and entered into His glory,” and He ate with them. They said, “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” They then went back to Jerusalem and told the Apostles and others, who were gathered together. (Lk. 24:13-35)
- He then appeared to the Apostles in the upper room without Thomas and then a week later with Thomas. While they are gathered, he uses all of the five senses to show them the reality of the resurrection. They feel His wounds; they smell the fish and honey comb; they taste with Him the food; they see and hear Him explain the scriptures. He then takes them out to Bethany, which is about three kilometers east of Jerusalem and tells them of Pentecost before ascending. (Lk. 24:36-53)
- Peter, Thomas called Didymus, and Nathaniel, and James and John go fishing in the Sea of Galilee all night and catch nothing. The resurrected Lord called from the shore and asks them, “Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.” Then Jesus asks Peter three times the far reaching question, “Lovest thou me more than these?” (John 21:1-17) He then appeared to the Apostles in a mountain in Galilee and instructs them there. (Mt. 28:16-20; Mk. 16:15-18)
- And later to five hundred at once and ascended from the Mount Olives after proclaiming that the Apostles will take the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. Angels proclaim, “As ye have seen him go… he shall come in like manner. The atonement is the most important event in all the history of the Earth – overcoming physical and spiritual death. In Him alone can we and nations be free, and no man cometh unto the Father but by Him. Luke reports, “…He showed himself alive after his sufferings by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:… commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem , but wait the promise of the Father… ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth,” which happened at Pentecost — 50 days after Passover. (Acts 1:1-12; Acts 2:1-47)
Professor Hugh Nibley shares that Acts 1:3 is one of the most unusual verses in all of our scriptures: “[Christ] showed himself alive after his sufferings by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” In this blog article I share a link to a two-hour lecture Nibley provides from apocryphal literature how he taught the temple ceremony and that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. The Christian community believes that Good Friday commemorates the day of Christ’s crucifixion. I prove this tradition wrong in the following blog article, as He was crucified on Thursday and was three days in the tomb: https://itsabouttimebook.com/two-hundred-names-for-jesus/
He Visited Other Lands as well after His Resurrection
The people of Finland have a very strong oral tradition, which was recently recorded telling of the Savior visiting them after His resurrection. In 1981 I was giving a three week lecture tour in China. When visiting Xian, I was walking around in a museum of stelae, and this one stela caught my eye as it had a Hebrew robed figure with a nap sack on his shoulder. Then I noticed his feet were bare and he was standing above water. Then I saw the marks in his feet. I immediately asked my tour guide if she could read the inscription with the man, and she replied, “It was in ancient Chinese,” and she couldn’t read it. I of course, took a picture, which I have in my personal files. My witness is that the Savior visited them and there are other artifacts in China suggesting the same.
L. Taylor Hansen researched the legends of the native Americans for 25 years and wrote a book, He Walked the Americas. When I got the book, I couldn’t put it down and stayed up all night reading it. She is not a member of the Mormon Church, but what she shares in story and picture form aligns up amazingly with the visit of Christ as a resurrected being to America, as described in the Book of Mormon. (3 Nephi Chapters 11-30)
The Savior prophesied, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” John 10:16 So we have the witness of the resurrected Christ all around the world. When He was in America, he proclaimed, “And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister. For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them. But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them.” (3 Nephi 16:1-3) We wonder how many other peoples He visited, whose stories are yet to be told? The AQUARIAN GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST by Levi tells of several others that he visited after His resurrection.
The Best News
The infinite Atonement – completed by the glorious resurrection – opening resurrection for all and perfection of the earth — gives the greatest hope possible to all of Father’s children in His perfect plan of happiness in this fallen world. As Paul announced, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:19-22)
The gospel is not only the “good news;” it is the best news. “For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy;” (Doctrine and Covenants 93:33) It is because of the resurrection that the fullness of joy is possible.
How can we tell the wonders of His ways and the magnitude of His infinite atonement?
The Scriptures are replete in the telling. The more we ponder, pray, and study the importance of what He has done, and is doing for us, and will do for us, the more we want to share this NEWS with rejoicing with the whole world – shout it from the roof-tops.
His glorious resurrection is the capstone to the infinite atonement, and is the best documented miracle in the history of the earth. When it happened that early Sunday morning, it was witnessed by the hundred Jewish soldiers standing guard as a brilliant light came down from the heavens, and over the night they heard three times: “Adon Mashich Cumi,” which means, “Lord Christ arise.”
The last time was just before sunrise. “the heavens blazed with light… And then the white-robed form tramped on the Roman seal, and then he tore it into shreds; he took the mighty stone in hand as though it were a pebble from the brook, and cast it to the side. And Jesus opened up his eyes and said, ‘All hail the rising sun! the coming of the day of righteousness!’
“They saw the body of the Nazarene transmute they saw it change from mortal to immortal form, and then disappeared. The soldiers heard a voice from some where; yea, from every-where, it said, ‘Peace, peace on earth; good will to men.'” (Chapter 172:26-41)
In Pontius Pilot’s account, he sent his trusted secretary, MALCUS, “He said that at about the beginning of the fourth watch, They Saw A Soft And a Beautiful-Lyght Up Above the Sepulcher… The Entire Place was Lit-Up and there seemed to be A Crowd Of The Dead Walking around in their grave-clothes. Each Of Them Seemed To Be Shouting And Filled With Ecstasy while All Around And Above, was Heard, The Most Beautiful Music he had ever experienced: And The Whole Sky Seemed To Be Full Of Voices Praising: YHV: Yahll’Vol’Hay/God. At This Time there seemed to be a reeling and rocking back-and forth of The Entire-Earth…” (THE CRUCIFIXION REPORT OF PONTUS PILOT TO: TIBERIUS CAESAR, verses 147-151.)
Gratitude
The best way we can show our gratitude for the Infinite Atonement is to have total faith in Him who gave us this enormous and most important gift, to repent of all our sins, to share this glorious message of the gospel, to live the law of love, which is equivalent to obedience to all the commandments. If He had not completed all seven steps of the infinite atonement, all would be lost. If we lived the law of love of God with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength and our neighbor as ourselves, the doing on the part of us all would solve all the world’s problems. Completely receiving and Internalizing the infinite atonement is the doorway to the greatest happiness in this life and a fullness of joy in the world to come. We cannot comprehend “INFINITE,” but the more we do the closer we draw to Him who perfectly completed it for all of us because of His infinite love for each of us, and because of Heavenly Father’s and Heavenly Mother’s infinite love for us to give us the gift of Their Beloved Son.
David W Allan
PS Did you know that the “Last Supper” Passover meal for the Twelve Apostles where Jesus shares the importance of the sacrament and washes the disciples feet was hosted by Nicodemus? (Chapter 160 of the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ by Levi)