6 The angels do not reside on a planet like this earth;
7 But they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord.
8 The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.
9 This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s.
10 Then the white stone mentioned in Revelation 2:17, will become a Urim and Thummim to each individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known;
11 And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it. The new name is the key word. (D&C 130)
When I was growing up, one thing that I loved about the gospel was that it seemed never-ending. There was always more you could learn and incorporate. I loved scriptures like the one above because of the fact that I didn’t understand them. It meant that there was a discovery ahead, and I grew to love searching things out and then having the Lord reveal things to my understanding.
One can determine that there are specific meanings to the things talked about in these verses, because we are given clues as to how the things in these verses pertain to things of a celestial nature. But there are also patterns in everything that God does, and I see a fractal, of sorts, in what we read above—a description of a process that can help us understand what is required of us as we ascend towards God.
This will probably be a series of posts.
Let’s start with stones and work backwards. There are many scriptures about stones that convey various concepts, but only a few will be quoted here, and some will be saved for future posts in the series.
The Law of Moses was given to Israel on tables of stone.
12 And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. (Exodus 24)
Interestingly, these laws were written by the finger of God.
We also read how receiving God’s laws on stone tablets is not the same as receiving God’s laws in your heart.
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3:3)
These laws are written “with the Spirit of the living God.”
Verse 10, above, refers to Revelation 2:17, which says:
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (Revelation 2:17)
Verse 10 goes on to explain that the “white stone” becomes a Urim and Thummim to the person who receives it, “whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known.”
When we receive laws from God, that are not yet written in our hearts, they are written “in stone.” We receive laws from God when we have obeyed the laws that he has previously given to us. These new laws will always be laws that help us ascend, from the point at which we are to a point that is closer to him. It is by obedience to these commands that we come to know “things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms.”
On the stone is written a “new name.” I wrote a blogpost about names a while back. In ancient times, names were more than just a means of identifying someone. Names told you something about the individual, and obedience to new laws that we receive is meant to change us into someone who did not exist before. Furthermore, you can only really know—or, in other words, comprehend—the new name—or the individual you become—by not only obeying the law that is given to you on the “stone,” but also by having it written on your heart—or on the seat of your desires.