Victor L. Ludlow Quotes - 33 quotes

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Victor L. Ludlow

Victor L. Ludlow is an emeritus professor of religion at Brigham Young University (BYU) and a noted scholar on the Book of Isaiah. Victor was born 1943. He completed his undergraduate studies at BYU and served as a missionary in the Central German Mission from 1962 to 1964. Ludlow received a Danforth Scholarship and earned his PhD in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University. Ludlow is the author of several influential books, including "Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet" and "Unlocking Isaiah in the Book of Mormon". He also translated selections from the Book of Mormon into Hebrew. During his tenure at BYU, he was instrumental in organizing the annual Passover Seder. Ludlow has served in various leadership roles within the LDS Church, including as president of the Germany Frankfurt Mission.

quote icon What is the relationship between the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods? Although Latter-day Saints commonly speak of two priesthoods, Aaronic and Melchizedek, in actuality there is only one, just as there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.” (Eph. 4:5-6.) The Prophet Joseph Smith confirmed this, saying, “The Melchizedek Priesthood comprehends the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood, and is the grand head.” The great priesthood of God, however, has been divided into two orders … The Aaronic Priesthood is called the lesser priesthood “because it is an appendage to the greater, or the Melchizedek Priesthood, and has power in administering outward ordinances." (D&C 107:13-14).

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon The concept of enduring to the end is sometimes called the fifth principle of the gospel, a continuation of the set of the first four principles and ordinances of the gospel in the fourth Article of Faith.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Obedience is a requirement of heaven and, therefore, a cardinal principle of the gospel. Part of God's purpose for his children on earth is to “prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” (Abr. 3:25; D&C 98:14.) To regain Heavenly Father’s presence, we must first “listen to” or obey) all that he has commanded. Thus, “obedience is the first law of heaven, the cornerstone upon which all righteousness and progression rest.” Our compliance to God’s laws will ultimately prove our worthiness to return to live with our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ again.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Satan’s works are “works of darkness” (Hel. 6:28; see 1 Ne. 8:23-24), and darkness equates with evil, disorganization, cold, and chaos—situations existing before this earth was organized. It also refers to outer darkness, perdition, or emptiness—the final abode of Satan and his followers. Although the devil desires to rule over all people and over everything, his final kingdom will literally be dark, cold, and disorganized nothingness. (See Alma 40:13-14.).

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon As a final comparison, knowledge, faith, and works are like three cords woven together in a strong spiritual rope. Each cord is necessary; without one of them, the rope weakens and eventually breaks. As they reinforce each other and are strengthened and enlarged through the Spirit of God, they become a mighty cable of spirituality in our lives.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon According to the priesthood organization that the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith, the first, or lowest, office in the Aaronic Priesthood is that of a deacon. Deacons are “appointed to watch over the church, to be standing ministers unto the church.” (D&C 84:111.) Beginning at the age of twelve, they are very limited in the ordinances they can perform. Deacons generally pass the sacrament among the congregation, act as ushers, assist in building and grounds clean-up, and perform other tasks as assigned by the bishopric. To help accomplish the mission of the Church in an orderly manner, priesthood bearers in some offices are formed into groups called quorums. In the case of deacons, a group up to twelve form a separate quorum.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Discerning Various Spirits and Influences. We can be influenced by many spirits sharing this earth with us. Some, like ours, are in bodies of flesh and bone; others can be spirits without a body. Bruce R. McConkie tells us, “To all men in some degree and to the faithful saints in particular is given the spirit, gift, and power of discernment.” He also states, “If a man has power to part the veil and converse with angels and with the ministering spirits who dwell in the realms of light, surely this is a gift of the Spirit.” We can discern good from evil spirits with the help of the Holy Ghost and we receive this gift and the right to heavenly ministering angels if we live worthily. The Apostle John gives us advice on how to develop this gift of discernment: “Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every Spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” (1 Jn. 4:1-3.) As John tells us, a testimony of Christ quickly distinguishes between the spirits of truth and error. The gift of discernment insures that we will recognize the proper sources of truth and goodness. This gift includes knowing how spiritual gifts are administered and recognizing the various operations of the Spirit. With it, we can fully develop all the spiritual gifts of learning.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Among those who, after their sufferings, will inherit the telestial kingdom are “they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and make a lie.” (D&C 76:103.) … Living in the telestial kingdom, people of a telestial glory will be governed by the Holy Ghost, with rulers and administrators gathered from the terrestrial worlds. (See D&C 76:86, 88.) Although living in the least of the resurrected states of glory, they will enjoy an existence of far greater comfort and enjoyment than is now experienced by any mortal on this earth. In fact, the glory of a telestial existence surpasses all understanding for us mortals. (See D&C 76:89.) … In their own way, they will be “servants of the Most High; but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come.” (D&C 76:112.) The range of their experiences, however, while much better than anything on earth, will pale in comparison to the quality of life enjoyed by beings of a terrestrial order. (See D&C 76:91.)

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Crucial to our situation on the earth would be the freedom, also called agency, that God had already given us to act for ourselves. Earth life would be a time when we would be tried and tested. (See D&C 29:39.) We would have opportunities to learn good and evil and to choose our own path of righteousness or wickedness. (See D&C 101:78; Moses 5:11)

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon In another event, Christ and all the great prophets of the seven dispensations will gather at Adam-ondi-Ahman, the site where Adam anciently gathered his posterity to bless them before he died. (See D&C 107:53-57.) Through modern revelation we know that Adam-ondi-Ahman, which originally was near the Garden of Eden, is located in Daviess County, Missouri. (See D&C 116.) There will be a significant latter-day reunion or conference at this place when a select assemblage of Latter-day Saints will join these resurrected leaders. At this great gathering, the modern prophets will return their priesthood keys to the apostles and prophets from whom they received the keys. The ancient prophets, in turn, will return the keys to their predecessors until all keys are delivered to Adam himself. Adam, as the Ancient of Days, will then restore the keys to Christ, who will use them to personally establish his kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. (See Dan. 7:9-14).

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Many temples, ancient and modern, also have three distinct levels, representing our movement upward as we progress through the three degrees of glory: telestial, terrestrial, and celestial. Each building is usually mounted by one or more spires ascending into heaven, for the temple is where Saints receive revelation from God, and only through the ordinances of the temple do they gain passage to him in the celestial realm.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Mortality Unites Spirit with Flesh—We do not know exactly how long all the inhabitants of this earth existed as organized, intelligent spirit beings before entering their second estate. For those souls now living on the earth, they are at least six thousand years old, since all spirit children of God participated in the premortal council prior to his sending Adam and Eve to begin the human family. In any case, our spirits had more time to grow and develop in premortality than any of us have in mortality. What is it then—in this short, critical time of earth life—that our spirit, united with our flesh, needs to accomplish? The answer lies in realizing that for the first time in our existence, we live—albeit temporarily and imperfectly—as a complete person, with intelligence, spirit, and body. These three elements will also comprise our future immortal beings as we exist forever after the resurrection. This life, then, is the best facsimile of eternity and provides the only total, intensive training ground in which we can harmonize all the elements of our being in preparation for our final estate: “Therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state … which is after the resurrection of the dead.” (Alma 12:24.) Before we meet God and are judged by him, we must concentrate our efforts during mortality on training our mature spirits to develop, control, and utilize our relatively new and immature physical bodies. To complete this preparation and probationary period, we need to enrich ourselves in three dimensions, experiencing a new life through our physical bodies, building new families and social relations with our spirit brothers and sisters, and developing a renewed bond with our Heavenly Father, his Son, and the Holy Spirit.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Our first estate was our eternal premortal existence, which continued until we were born on this earth; we are currently in our second estate, which continues after death into the postmortal spirit world; the third estate will begin with our resurrection and continue through eternity.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon The process by which this spirit came into being is called a spirit birth, for “the spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” and joint heirs with our elder brother, Jesus Christ. (Rom. 8:16-18). As with our natural birth, two parents were involved—our Father in Heaven and a lesser-known but vital Mother in Heaven. As one Mormon writer noted, “Latter-day Saints believe that all the people of the earth … are actual spiritual offspring of God the Eternal Father (Num. 16:22; Heb. 12:9). In this perspective, parenthood requires both father and mother, whether for the creation of spirits in the premortal life or of physical tabernacles on earth. A Heavenly Mother shares parenthood with the Heavenly Father. This concept leads Latter-day Saints to believe that she is like him in glory, perfection, compassion, wisdom, and holiness.”

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Resurrection—The testimonies of apostles and the promises of scriptures reveal that the grave is not the end of existence, for all people will receive their bodies again in a resurrected state. Paul, a special witness of the resurrected Jesus, so promised: “Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept … For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:20, 22.) God has promised, as a basic element of his eternal plan, a resurrection for every one of his children who has lived on this earth. (See Alma 11:41; D&C 29:26).

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon My wife and I were interviewed some time ago by the very man who interviewed President Hinckley, Mike Wallace. We were at the open house of the Manhattan Temple. At some point in our chat with him (by the way, he had great regard for President Hinckley), he said something like this, looking at my wife: “Why are Mormon women so lovely?” We learned later that he has not had a happy married life; he’s had four wives (not simultaneously). Before Ann could answer, I thought of Parley P. Pratt, and I said, “It’s the best—kept beauty secret in the world. It is the Spirit of God.” Parley P. Pratt taught that the Spirit “develops beauty of person, form and features.” Then Mike Wallace turned to Ann, and she said, “It’s fidelity.” That’s a great answer. She had in mind fidelity in the sense of honoring and keeping our covenants with Christ, but also honoring our covenants with each other: fidelity in marriage. And she also meant faithfulness in marking and walking the path that Christ has laid out for us. That does make a difference, even in our physical appearance. I testify that that is so. I believe that in the Church itself not everyone is aware of how conspicuous that beauty and that light is in the eyes and faces of the faithful, but those who have the same spirit recognize it.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon As the early Christian church became corrupted, the Old World entered into the centuries of the Dark Ages, a period also known as the “Great Apostasy,” which continued until the final gospel restoration through the Prophet Joseph Smith in the early 1800s … Complete Apostasy. This period corresponds to the medieval period of the Dark Ages when apostate Christianity ruled the religious life of Europe. All other nations are left to their own devices, and nowhere does any prophet teach gospel truth.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Baptisms for the dead, washings and anointings, temple endowments, marriages and sealing ceremonies are performed in the temples on behalf of the living and the dead. Latter-day Saints believe that by doing this work, those who accept the gospel on the other side of the veil will be able to receive all the blessings promised to those who are faithful members of Christ’s church. This doctrine is an expression of the justice and mercy of God, for he has provided a way that all might have the opportunity to accept or reject the gospel, whether in this life or the next.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Satan’s works are “works of darkness” (Hel. 6:28; see 1 Ne. 8:23-24), and darkness equates with evil, disorganization, cold, and chaos—situations existing before this earth was organized. It also refers to outer darkness, perdition, or emptiness—the final abode of Satan and his followers. Although the devil desires to rule over all people and over everything, his final kingdom will literally be dark, cold, and disorganized nothingness. (See Alma 40:13-14).

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon After entering our second estate through mortal birth, we now experience mortality in the flesh and continue to prepare ourselves for the future through learning, trials, and experiences. The future promises two further major stages of development … First, we will experience death and enter postmortality as a spirit being in another spirit world. Eventually, we will exit the postmortal spirit world and be reunited with our physical bodies, judged, and assigned to our third and final estate.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Although our primal intelligence (or will) has always existed, our capacity to experience life’s different dimensions and to choose from a full range of options was not fully formed in the beginning. We, as spirit beings, came to earth to receive physical bodies, to develop our ability to choose good over evil, and to grow in knowledge. Like Adam and Eve, we all begin our lives in innocence and ignorance, making choices—often poor ones—without a full understanding of the consequences. Our knowledge expands rapidly as we satisfy curiosity, grow in experience, and learn from our errors. This expanded learning provides insight into our potential. Just as Adam and Eve first received knowledge of good and evil and then acquired greater freedom to experience a fuller range of growth, we too learn to act in light after we gain a vision of our opportunities. A knowledge of the truth makes us free to choose from more options. (See John 8:32)

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon The priesthood of Almighty God is an eternal, all-encompassing power through which God blesses us. Church leaders define priesthood as the power and authority of God. It existed with him in the beginning and will exist throughout all eternity. (See D&C 84:17.) By it, “he creates, sustains, governs, redeems, and exalts.” Its force was instituted “prior to the foundation of this earth.” Likewise, priesthood influence will endure beyond the end of this earth, when all other temporal institutions—both religious and secular—have passed away … Many of our blessings on earth flow through the priesthood of God. The Prophet Joseph Smith explained that it is “the channel through which all knowledge, doctrine, the plan of salvation and every important matter is revealed from heaven.”

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon All endowed Mormons have indicated a willingness to live the law of consecration—the final and highest temple covenant—as it may be asked of them. (See D&C 82:15-20.) The personal covenants made in the temple and the social structure of the Church must someday again be united, for consecration is a celestial law, “and Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself.” (D&C 105:5.).

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Obedience to the laws of nature and God increases our freedom and joy …Thus, obedience to God’s commands is no long-term sacrifice, but rather an inspired path to achieving our personal destiny and joy.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Not knowing how we would conduct ourselves in an environment so foreign to our heavenly home, we undoubtedly wondered if we had the spiritual qualities to successfully pass through this time of probation. Heavenly Father counseled us that his plan would include the means by which we could overcome our imperfections and impurities and become qualified to return to his presence …We who chose not to rebel [in premortal existence] have since become the beneficiaries of God’s plan. He has blessed us with the opportunity to come to earth, to receive a physical body, and to learn and grow in the physical, emotional, social, mental, moral, and spiritual dimensions of our lives. This earth life is our greatest reward for keeping our first estate.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Only through the priesthood are the ordinances of salvation—baptism, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, endowment in the temple, and celestial marriage—given to men. Blessings of comfort, healing, and other types of spiritual assistance are also given through the priesthood. A true priesthood ordination can only be conferred from heaven, that is, through heavenly messengers or priesthood bearers having divine authority. A person cannot seek to take the priesthood unto himself; it must be given him through God’s prophets. (See Heb. 5:4.) As stated by the Prophet Joseph Smith, “We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.” (A of F 5)

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon The dispensation of the fullness of times consists of two parts—the time of building Zion and the period of Christ’s millennial reign. Zion is built as the gospel spreads throughout the earth, the Saints establish stakes of Zion and build temples, and the Lord’s work rolls forth to fill the earth. The Lord himself will usher in the millennial reign as he demonstrates his great powers prior to governing the earth for a thousand years.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Celestial beings enjoy association directly with Heavenly Father. (See D&C 76:92.) They are governed by God himself and assisted by Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, as they bask in the Father’s celestial glory, within his heavenly mansions. (See John 14:2.) While free to serve God as kings and queens, priests and priestesses, and ministering angels of the Most High in his kingdom, celestial people also assist Jesus in his administration of the terrestrial worlds. (See D&C 76:56-60, 87.) They alone will be able to abide with the Father and the Son on this earth after it becomes a celestial sphere. (See D&C 88:19-20; 130:9.) This celestial glory is the promised, prepared destiny for those who are truly the children of God.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon The Lord entered into a special covenant relation with Abraham and promised him three great blessings: (1) his posterity would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens, (2) they would inherit the land of Canaan (Palestine), and (3) “in [him], and in [his] seed after [him] . . . shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal.” (Abr. 2:11.) As the Lord’s chosen people, Abraham's posterity was to be the light to the world as they increased in numbers and influence.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon As in the beginning, the whole face of the earth will be a delightful garden, with the major land surfaces joined together instead of separated by oceans. (See D&C 133:23-24.) The transfiguration of the earth will be so radical and complete, that it will be “a new earth.” (Isa. 65:17.) Animals of the earth will live together in harmony as the natural cycle of predator and prey will be broken: “In that day the enmity . . . of beasts, yea, the enmity of all flesh, shall cease from before my face.” (D&C 101:26.) Instead of animals eating animals, they will eat straw and other natural by-products of plant life. (See Isa. 11:6-7; 65:25; Hosea 2:18.) Thus, a harmonious relationship will exist on earth between nature, animals, and humans.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Terrestrial Glory for the Honorable People. In contrast to people living a telestial law, terrestrial beings are “they who are the honorable men of the earth.” (D&C 76:75.) They are just, good people who live a moral law above that of the jungle, caring for the needs of others and trying to improve the condition of this world. But because these “honorable” people are “blinded by the craftiness [or philosophies] of men” they remain—however just, good, and ethical they may be—uncommitted to becoming Christ’s disciples and progressing toward saintliness or godhood. (D&C 76:75.).

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon Although we do not experience constant happiness on earth, eventual, lasting happiness is God’s object and design for our existence.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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quote icon However much we value industriousness, we need to look at the purpose behind our work. Sometimes we can get so caught up in busywork that we lose the vision of our grand, divine purpose on earth, which is ultimately the same purpose of God in heaven: “This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39). All that we do should be done with an eye focused on the eternal life of ourselves and others.

- Victor L. Ludlow

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