Our Unique Earth

Volume Three—Chapter Nineteen OUR UNIQUE EARTH

#The Dilemma

I recall an experience when I was in my mid-teens. One of my teachers, probably a Sunday School teacher or a priesthood adviser, had just taught an important principle. Jesus Christ, under the direction of his Father, created our universe. Not only did Jesus create our earth, but he also created countless other worlds, even “worlds without number.” I don’t recall the specifics of his lesson that day, but he might well have quoted:

And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten. And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many. But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them. And it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying: Be merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant will be content. And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine (Moses 1:33-37).

During the lesson, a question occurred to me, and I inquired of the teacher: “If Jesus created innumerable worlds, why is it that he happened to choose, or be assigned by the Father, to live out his mortal life on our particular earth?” The teacher, of course, was unable to provide a satisfactory answer. I began to be troubled by this question. I knew enough of mathematical probabilities to realize that the odds of this happening by chance were very small. It seemed, frankly, illogical to think that the Savior just happened to be born here, ministered here, and was crucified here. There had to be a reason. There had to be something unique and distinctive about our particular earth. Being a headstrong young man, the whole issue became something of a problem for me. I was frustrated that no else seemed to regard the question as important. I felt all alone in this matter. I’m afraid I became a little defensive. I decided if any individual were to advocate the idea that Jesus lived on our particular earth purely fortuitously, that individual would surely be gullible, naïve, or both. The improbability of it all was just too much. How could we on earth just happen to be fortunate enough, or blessed enough, to come to the very same world on which the Savior lived?

I struggled in various ways to resolve the issue. I wondered: perhaps these “worlds without number” are not all inhabited by our Father’s children. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon reported that they were and are: “We heard the voice bearing record that He is the Only Begotten of the Father—that by him [i.e., Christ], and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof [that is, the inhabitants of these many worlds] are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:22-24). Then I wondered if perhaps each world has its own Savior. I inquired and learned that our Savior’s sacrifice redeems all of the Father’s children including those on the other worlds. This is made clear in Joseph Smith’s poetic version of Doctrine and Covenants section 76:

And I heard a great voice bearing record from heav’n.

He’s the Saviour and Only Begotten of God;

By Him, of Him, and through Him, the worlds were all made,

Even all that career in the heavens so broad.

Whose inhabitants, too, from the first to the last,

Are sav’d by the very same Saviour as ours;

And of course, are begotten God’s daughters and sons

By the very same truths and the very same powers (Times and Seasons, February 1, 1843, 82-83).

I decided to refuse to accept the “by chance” explanation. I just had to. I was left with the idea that our particular earth must be, in some important way, unique among all of the creations of God. I longed to know just how it is unique. Then I might come to understand more clearly just what type of person, among all God’s offspring, comes to this earth. I might even gain insight into what I am doing here. I ran into dead ends at every turn. I finally had to simply put the question on a shelf. I despaired of ever finding a satisfactory answer.

#Our Unique Earth

A few years ago, my interest in the question was again piqued following a discussion with some friends. The idea that our particular earth just had to be unique and different from all the others began again to nag at me. I began to wonder if our earth’s uniqueness might be the very reason the Savior came here to live out his mortal experience.

Satan and his angels abide only on our earth. Brigham Young taught of Satan and his minions: “The spirits that were cast out of heaven, which you know are recorded to have been one-third part, were thrust down to this earth, and have been here all the time, with Lucifer, the Son of the Morning at their head (Discourses of Brigham Young, 68, emphasis added). Brigham further taught: “When the revolt took place in heaven, when Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, was cast out . . . where did he go? He came here, and one-third part of the spirits in heaven came with him. . . . They forsook Jesus Christ, the rightful heir, and joined with Lucifer, the son of the Morning, and came to this earth; they got here first. As soon as Mother Eve made her appearance in the Garden of Eden, the Devil was on hand (Ibid.).

If Satan and his minions all came here, that would certainly constitute a unique characteristic of our earth. Might it be that the trial on this earth is consequently more difficult than on any of the other innumerable worlds because of Satan and his wiles? Might we encounter significantly more spiritual hazard and risk here than is experienced by those on other worlds?

This notion appealed to a friend, Chris Clark. She was somehow comforted by it and wrote in a note to me:

I desperately want that to be true . . . that this world is the “armpit of the universe”; that ours is the only world that is so depraved, so hideously evil in almost every respect. I could never see the point of a plan that would provide God’s spirit children with such a miserable experience in mortality, where the majority of this world’s inhabitants suffer lives of “quiet desperation” with the spirit world being the main focus of hope for any understanding of true doctrine. I find it very comforting to think of this world as a special case, very different from any other world and the only one that has to deal with Satan (personal communication).

A different type of test. I came across the following excerpt from the recollections of Anson Call, a contemporary of the prophet Joseph:

On one occasion, when Brother Joseph was cutting wood, there came to him some brethren, and I was among them. We said, “Brother Joseph, we have some questions to ask, and will cut your wood while you answer them.” “All right,” said Joseph, and we went into the house. Joseph placed his arms across his knees, bent over as if in meditation, and then said, “Now for your questions.”

We said to him, “What about the creation of this world, how was it inhabited?” Joseph answered and said, “I will tell you how it was. You and I were in the spirit world at the grand council, and there were spirits together. We saw and heard that council and heard them talk of the formation of the world, and we were among those when the morning stars sang together and when the sons of God shouted for joy [this could well have been the enthusiastic acclamation that came in the premortal grand council when the decision was reached to create an earth where those assembled might come and prove themselves willing to keep their second estate that they might “have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever” (Abraham 3:26)]. We were among those who had more courage than others, and therefore we came down here and took bodies. Some who did not have the courage said, ‘Father, we have fought Satan face-toface here in the spirit world and helped to cast him down there and now, to go down and fight him again face-to-face, we are afraid we shall never return to thy presence and would prefer a lesser degree of glory and go to some other of your creations where we are sure of returning.” Yes, you and I had more courage and came down here of our own agency and choice (quoted in John Mills Whitaker’s, Reflections, Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University, Special Collections, call number BX 8670.1 W58r).

This statement seems to answer a few questions but actually raises others. It corroborates the idea that Satan and his minions, after being banished from heaven, all came to this earth. It also suggests we had the right to choose whether or not to come to this earth or go to some other world. Additionally, it implies that coming to this earth carries a certain risk not present in the other worlds. But, are we to infer that exaltation is not possible for those who choose to serve out their mortal probation on the other worlds? Are they really limited to a “lesser degree of glory”? While we have no direct information on these two questions, it seems highly unlikely that they would be so limited. Then, why did some choose to come here?

#Who Came Here?

As mentioned, Anson Call’s quotation implies that we were allowed our agency. It seems likely we had our options. We were free to decide to come to this earth or go to some other world. If that indeed was the case, who is it that elected to come to this earth? What types of spirits in the premortal world elected a mortal experience here? And why did they so choose? What were their motivations in coming here? Are we the most righteous? The most wicked? The most courageous? The most foolhardy? Brother Call’s quotation of Joseph Smith, after all, suggests it is spiritually more risky here.

Might it be that we have the opportunity to rise higher here because the temptations are greater? This earth may offer the opportunity for more, and perhaps more rapid, spiritual growth. We may also be more apt to falter or fall. One cannot help but think of the “wintry doctrine” Christ taught in his Sermon on the Mount: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14, cf. 3 Nephi 27:33).

Could it be that both the most righteous and the most wicked—those most unsure of their spiritual future—elected this earth? Perhaps the most righteous and spiritually advanced came because of the greater possibilities for spiritual advancement. They would have the opportunity to grow in an environment that presented more challenge, more opposition, and more risk. And perhaps the least righteous realized their difficult spiritual plight. Perhaps this earth with its rigorous trials was their only chance for lofty spiritual accomplishment. Possibly this earth offered them their only hope for exaltation, though perhaps it will turn out that many may have hoped in vain.

There is evidence that the righteous are here. In notes from his article, “Treasures in the Heavens” by Hugh Nibley (Dialogue, volume 8), Dr. Nibley draws from the apocryphal writings including those of Qumran, Nag Hammadi, and the Mandaeans and suggests that God’s elect chose to come to this earth:

The Creation drama which is reflected in the great year-rites all over the ancient world, does not take place in a vacuum but “in the presence of God,” seated in the midst of “His holy ones” with whom he takes counsel, they being his mind and mouth on the occasion as he is theirs. Though the Plan from first to last is entirely God’s own, he discusses it with others, “consulting with the souls of the righteous before deciding to create the world,” not because he needs their advice, but because the Plan concerns them and requires their maximum participation in it. The discussion was a lively one—apart from those rebellious angels who rejected it entirely, there was a general protest that the Plan would be too painful for some parties and too risky for all; it was the generous voluntary offering of the Son of God that settled the question. Those who embrace the Plan wholeheartedly on this earth are the Elect, “the people of the Plan,” chosen “from the foundation of the world”; they form on earth a community dedicated to “the faithful working out of God’s Plan” in close cooperation with the heavenly hosts; they alone have access to the heavenly hidden Treasure, because they alone covet and seek it. . . .

When Clement of Alexandria recalls that “God knew us before the foundation of the world, and chose us for our faithfulness,” he is attesting a well-known teaching of the early Church. . . . Pre-existent man had been around a long time before it was decided to create this earth; the whole thing was produced, when the time came, for his benefit (77-78).

Apparently the wicked are also here. The Lord said to Enoch:

Wherefore, I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also, and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren. But behold, their sins shall be upon the heads of their fathers; Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer? (Moses 7:36-37).

Brigham Young spoke of the spiritual darkness of men on this earth. At the same time, he implied that this darkness might present an opportunity for some of those who live here to progress more rapidly:

I suppose that God never organized an earth and peopled it that was ever reduced to a lower state of darkness, sin and ignorance than this. I suppose this is one of the lowest kingdoms that ever the Lord Almighty created, and on that account is capable of becoming exalted to be one of the highest kingdoms that has ever had an exaltation in all the eternities. In proportion as it has been reduced so it will be exalted, with that portion of its inhabitants who in their humiliation have cleaved to righteousness and acknowledged God in all things. In proportion to our fall through sin, so shall we be exalted in the presence of our Father and God, through Jesus Christ and by living the righteousness of his Gospel (JD, 10:175).

#Why Did Christ Live Out His Mortal Experience On This Earth?

A full explanation of Christ’s purposes in coming to this earth to make his infinite atonement is not found in the scriptures. One reason for his coming may be the state of wickedness that has often prevailed upon this earth. Joseph Fielding Smith, referring to the Lord’s indictment given through Enoch of the wicked of the earth (quoted above in Moses 7:36-37), said: “This is a terrible arraignment against the inhabitants of this earth. Perhaps this is the reason Jesus Christ was sent here instead of to some other world, for in some other world they would not have crucified Him, and His presence was needed here because of the extreme wickedness of the inhabitants of this earth” (The Signs of the Times, 12).

#What of the Other Worlds?

We Know Little or Nothing About the Other Worlds Jesus Created. Do They Know Anything of Us? Since Christ is the Redeemer for all of the worlds he has created, it is logical to conclude that resurrection of individuals on other spheres must have been delayed until Christ made his infinite atonement here.

Referring to the innumerable worlds he created, the Lord said to Moses: “But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them” (Moses 1:35). The Lord suggests he has withheld from us, here on earth, knowledge of the other worlds, their inhabitants, and their happenings.

Though we know little or nothing about them, there is some evidence that the other worlds know about us and feel sorry for the wickedness we endure. It seems likely they have been taught about us because the Savior was born here and worked out his atonement here. Here is a fascinating quote from Hugh Nibley:

In the millions of worlds that God has made for his son, every world is different from the others and wonderful in its own radiance. Quoting the Odes of Solomon: “Hence, one of the joys of existence is that the worlds constantly exchange with each other what they have, each possessing something different and peculiar to itself. There is nothing superfluous anywhere, which means that nothing is a mere duplication of something else.”

You may wonder why we are not sharing the fun here on earth. That’s because we have been quarantined. We’ve been isolated for a special testing situation. Remember, that’s what the Lord told Enoch when he was talking about the world. He had created “worlds without number,” and yet he told Enoch, “Among all the workmanship of my hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren” (Moses 7:36). So when you are here, you are getting a real test. They talk a lot about that—this test being so much harder (The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, 6:146).

Dr. Nibley further discusses this idea that we on earth live in relative isolation from the rest of God’s universe. All the other worlds share in a common fellowship from which we, for reasons not entirely clear, are excluded. He also emphasizes that just as our particular earth is unique, so is each of the other worlds unique in its own way. Each contributes a type of uniqueness to the whole:

In our texts we often find “worlds,” “earths,” and “cosmoses” in the plural. It is only the Fallen Angels, in fact, led by the blind Samael, who insist: “We are alone and there is none beside us!” To the Sons of Light, on the other hand, there is opened up the grandiose vision of the “worlds” united in the common knowledge of Him who made them, exchanging joyful and affectionate messages as they “keep faith with one another” in the common Plan and “talk to each other . . . and establish concord, each contributing something of its own” to the common interest. The members of the vast complex are kept in perfect accord by the sustaining Word of God which reaches all alike, since it possesses . . . the capacity for traveling for unlimited distances with inexpressible speed. This Word is also the Son, who “has betaken himself to the numberless hidden worlds which have come to know him.” The messages may also be borne by special messengers and inspectors, angels with special assignments and marvelous powers of getting around, who constantly go forth on their missions and return with their reports.

With all its perfect unity and harmony, the system presents a scene not of monotonous uniformity but rather of endless and delightful variety: “. . . they are all different from each other, and He has not made one of them superfluous; hence each one has good things to exchange with its neighbors.” “If any were superfluous or any lacking, the whole body would suffer, for the worlds counterpoise one another like the elements of a single organism.” The worlds go on forever: “they come and come and cease not, they ever increase and are multiplied, yet are not brought to an end nor do they decrease” (“Treasures in Heaven,” 81-84).

Dr. Nibley concludes:

We on earth are not aware of all this because we comprehend only what we are like. Not only is God rendered invisible by the impenetrable veil of light that surrounds him, but he has purposely “placed veils between the worlds,” that all treasure may be hid from those who do not seek them in the proper way. . . . The veil quarantines this polluted world mercifully from the rest (Ibid., italics added).

Obviously many questions remain. It is truly exciting to anticipate that future time when all our questions will be answered!