Quickening, Resurrection, Ectoplasm

Dear Readers,

After some studying I have been putting some concepts together that are worth sharing. First, lets talk about "Quickening"!

Back in October of 2015 I came across a scripture that mentioned "quick" which made me think of  "quicken". Psalms 119 uses the word quite a bit: 25 "...quicken thou me according to thy word.", 37 "...quicken thou me in thy way.", 40 "...quicken me in thy righteousness.", 88 "Quicken me after thy lovingkindess..." et cetera.  Now, I found no bible dictionary definition for quicken and dictionary.com was fairly obvious: "to make more rapid; accelerate; hasten... stir up, rouse, or stimulate... revive, restore life to". I am more than willing to accept that as the secular definition, but is that all for the scriptural meaning?

As I continued to study, I found that quite often quickening is caused by the Holy Ghost. "For  Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" (1 Peter 3:18) "For no man has seen God at any time in the flesh, except quickened by the Spirit of God." (Doctrine and Covenants 67:11). This got me thinking that maybe quickening is the Spirit changing our bodies. Reviving us. Restoring us, Stirring us up and accelerating us. Yet I think that it is more than simply giving us more energy. To enable us to stand in the presence of God, or even see God, it must be an actual change in our bodies from experiencing the Holy Ghost so intensely that we are molding into beings that can behold even a portion of His glory.

I rather enjoyed the Highlander movies, in particular, Highlander Endgame. Spoiler alert! You have been warned! Connor MacLeod forces Duncan MacLeod to slay him, absorbing his essence in an event called the quickening, in order to make Duncan powerful enough to kill the evil immortal Jacob Kell. When the stronger Duncan faces off with Jacob, Duncan's countenance suddenly changes as Connor's spirit acts with Duncan's and gives him the strength to slay Jacob. This would mean that the essence, at least part of it, was Connor's spirit.

This makes the "quickening" all the more fantastic to think that we can be quickened by the Holy Ghost and physically become stronger and more than what we are now. I have already had a post about terms, like "ghost" vs "spirit" to which I have determined that a ghost is a spirit interacting with the physical matter. Our spirits within ourselves become a ghost, thus when we die we give up the ghost. (Genesis 25:8) Also, the Holy Spirit of God becomes the Holy Ghost as He interacts with us.

With these definitions in mind, "ghost" being a spirit's interaction with physical matter, and "quicken" the Holy Ghost changing our hearts and bodies, we can continue.


Doctrine and Covenants 88:28-32
"They who are of the celestial spirit shall receive the same body which was a natural body; even ye shall receive your bodies, and your glory shall be that glory by which your bodies are quickened.
"Ye who are quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.
"And they who are quickened by a portion of the terrestrial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.
"And also they who are quickened by a portion of the telestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.
"And they who remain shall also be quickened; nevertheless, they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing ot enjoy that which they might have received.

Therefore, how much of the glory of God we allow to "quicken" us through the Holy Ghost is what we will receive further of hereafter. The glory of the celestial being compared to the sun, terrestrial to the moon, and telestial to the stars (1 Corinthians 15:40-42). I find it interesting that the sun produces light, like a candle, so be quickened by the celestial we have to let Christ's light shine through us (Matthew 5:14-16). Now the terrestrial is compared to that of the moon, which merely reflects the light from the sun. Thus those in the terrestrial reflect Christ's light, but it has little part in them. Now, stars, technically, produce their own light just like the sun, however, like Neil Degrasse Tyson said,

most of what we call stars are actually planets, which do indeed reflect light like the moon, and because of how far away they are from the source of light, they reflect less light than that of the terrestrial.

So, as we are quickened by these different proportions of God's glory, due to how much we let the Holy Ghost into our lives, our bodies will be at different degrees after the resurrection.

In The Teaching of the Prophet Brigham Young manual it says, "The blood he spille dupon Mount Calvary he did not receive again" referring to Christ, "into his veins. That was poured out, and when he was resurrected, another element took the place of the blood. It will be so with every person who receives a resurrection; the blood will not be resurrected with the body, being designed only to sustain the life of the present organization. When that is dissolved, and we again obtain our bodies by the power of the resurrection that which we now call the life of the body, and which is formed from the food we eat and the water we drink will be supplanted by another element; for flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God" (chapter 37)

The Life and Teaching of Jesus and His Apostles manual chapter 36 adds, quoting Howard W Hunter, "The natural body is flesh and blood, but quickened by the spirit instead of blood, it can and will enter the kingdom."

In the same chapter, Joseph Smith is quoted with this, "As concerning the resurrection,... all will be raised by the power of God, having spirit in their bodies and not blood."

I found that BYU (Brigham Young University) quoted Joseph Smith with a subtle clarifying change. "The resurrected body is tangible, but when the flesh is quickened by the Spirit there will be 'spirit in their [veins] and not blood'".

Thus with the resurrection, blood will be done away and will will have spirit matter of some kind coursing through our circulatory system, likely what ever type of glorified spirit matter that correlates with the glory we have accepted into us.

Now, what do we call this fluid. It is spirit matter, that is obviously interacting with our physical immortal bodies to sustain life. Spirit interacting with physical matter, that sounds like something ghostly... For those who are supernatural and paranormal enthusiasts, you have probably heard of the term ectoplasm.

Ectoplasm is the viscus substance that makes up the manifested "bodies" of ghosts in the Ghostbuster and Casper series. Thus, if it is ghost fluids or blood, it makes sense that we could use it here. Not to mention hemoglobin plasma (blood) and ectoplasm have been closely related.  Resurrected immortal bodies will have ectoplasm coursing through their veins. How awesome is that????

I hope that you enjoyed this post, let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

Love,
Jacobugoth

Hellraiser, Evil Dead

Dear Readers,

This is a much darker post because I will be taking quite a bit about the demonic realm and my understanding of it. Yet, I hope that an increased understanding can be gained from this. Because of this darker nature and some of the pictures and subject matter, I am putting up a WARNING for MATURE CONTENT! My subject today are the demoniacs from Hellraiser and Evil Dead.


Hellraiser Puzzle Box Image Link

First up is Hellraiser. Now, for those who are unfamiliar with this movie franchise, Clive Barker created a very intriguing new world. The premise is that there are puzzle boxes created that when opened, summon Cenobites or demon possessed bodies to drag the summoner to "hell".

storypick.com hell Image Link

I put "hell" in parenthesis because hell needs to be defined. So, hell to most Christians is an eternal everlasting pit of fire that awaits non believers after this life. However, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we compare hell to two different things. First, the state of unbelievers after death. this is a first judgment in which a spirit is either received into paradise or spirit prison (hell). Most Christians settle this as heaven or hell. However, spirit prison is more like purgatory for spirits. The real, ever lasting, hell would be what Mormons call Outer Darkness. This is where the Devil and his angels will dwell for eternity with those select few who become Sons of Perdition by denying and fighting against Christ while having a full perfect knowledge of who He is. Thus, denying the Holy Ghost place in their hearts.

Admittedly, in the LDS Church, there is one more place or state of being that could be considered hell. This would be the Telestial Kingdom, though it is technically still part of the Kingdom of Heaven, this is where the murderers and adulterers go. I talk more about this in my Bleach Blog about the kingdoms.


Hellraiser Labyrinth Image Link

So, what is hell in Hellraiser? It is a separate dimension, like the hell dimensions form the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. This dimension is called, The Labyrinth. It is basically a giant maze filled with corridors of the damned.

Cenobites Image Link

The rulers, and the eventual evolution of these damned souls, are the Cenobites under the direction of the Leviathan. I define Cenobites as demon possessed humans because, in Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth, the Cenobite Pinhead begins to have his former human self, or his human spirit, Captain Elliot Spencer try to help stop the demon possessing his body from creating hell on earth. Clearly there are two separate entities inhabiting each body, a demon and the host spirit who was "worthy" of hell.

Another classic line of these Cenobites is wanting to "experience" other's flesh. Because demons never have and never will have bodies of their own, they experience sins, pleasures, and pains through us. This is further verified with the demoniac named Legion from Mark 5. He "... always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones." (Mark 5:5). They enjoy the pain we feel because they can never experience pain for themselves, the same with pleasure. However, like an addict, they are never satisfied with their own flesh, and want to torture others as well, again to "experience" their flesh.

It is for this cause that when the puzzle box is opened, the Cenobites come forth from the Labyrinth to drag the sinner to their world. I also find it of note worth importance to mention that the one who gives the sinner the box always tells them that the box was always theirs. Though, I do not think that in the moment our choices are set in stone, God does know the end from the beginning and does indeed know who among His children will be saved. Does that mean that He is exempt from having to offer each and every one of us the opportunity to choose Him? No. Indeed, they only reason any of His children would not return to His presence is if they reject Him and their Savior Jesus Christ even after having every possible opportunity. Simply put, they have to prove what God already knows.


Dr. Manhattan from the movie Watchmen Image Link

A second way of thinking of this, or explaining it would be with Dr. Manhattan from the DC movie Watchmen. he simultaneously sees his life from beginning to end. This made it difficult for Laurie Jupiter aka Silk Spectre II, his girlfriend, to understand him. Even though he knows everything that will happen to him, including Laurie's admitting that she cheated on him with Nite Owl II, it is not real until that very moment. A way to compare this would be if you know you are going to get fired at work, yet the full impact of your emotions and feelings to not strike quite as potent until your boss tells you that you are fired. It is truly amazing how much weight of emotion there is in a moment, as opposed to simply ideal or knowledge in the mind.

It is this way that these sinners own the puzzle box, though their life was always meant to cross with the box, it takes receiving the box to solidify that choice and feel the full impact of their life long actions. Another curious point to make is that the box "wants" to be opened and that it is the "desire" that calls the Cenobites. Now, this is simply my speculation, but wouldn't it be interesting if the box houses the demonic spirit that is wanting to possess the sinner's body? Thus the box would want to be opened. Also, the sinner's desire to "experience" new highs of pain and pleasure.

Hellraiser Leviathan Image Link

Anyway, the Leviathan's place in all of this is yet a mystery, as far as I am aware. My own suspicions is that it is the vessel or cage for Lucifer himself. I find it interesting that in the LDS version of the scriptures, the heading for Job 41 says that the Lord is describing His powers as similar to the Leviathan's. However, when I was simply reading this chapter on my own, I saw the possible correlation with the Leviathan and Satan. Read it for yourselves and see the comparisons from your own perspective. As for me, Job 41:34 said it simply "... he is a king over all the children of pride." This brings me to a quick point I would like to make, money is not the root of all evil. That saying or cliché is false. Pride is the root of all evil and is the source of all sin. For more information on pride, you could check out my Pride Post.

Frank raising from the dead Image Link

There is one last element of Clive Barker's Hellraiser world I would like to comment on before I wrap it up. A major aspect of the sinners being damned is if living blood falls upon the place or object they were dragged to this hell, that blood acts as a source of life to raise them again in the "real" world. This aspect made for a very intriguing scene when Frank came back from hell. I must admit, it was pretty awesome and gruesome. Alas, though the sinner is now in the "real" world of Hellraiser, they need more blood to become stronger. Thus, the sinner coaxes others to commit murder to give them blood. However, no matter how rejuvenated the damned person becomes, they cannot regrow their skin. Thus, they kill and claim the skin of the one helping them. "...and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell." (Alma 30:60).

Now that I have covered the Hellraiser world, I would like to declare what the Labyrinth is. For simplicity, it is a hell dimension. However, in a drawn comparison with true reality, it would be outer darkness. This is where the Devil and his angels abound and after the final battle following the millennium, those Sons of Perdition who now have resurrected bodies will be cast into this never ending darkness to be tabernacles or vesicles for Satan and his angels forever. Never dying in their perpetual agony which they have chosen for themselves. "...for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world." (Alma 34:34).

Well, after rambling on about Hellraiser, I would like to quickly talk about Evil Dead.

Deadite Ed Getley from Evil Dead 2 Image Link

In Evil Dead the Cenobites from Hellraiser are now Deadites. Again, they are demon possessed human bodies, yet, as with Evil Dead 2, Ash exhibited how he still had his own spirit. Indeed that evil spirit which possessed him continued to play a part in his life, unrelentingly striving to retake its former house (Ash's body).

Ash's possessed hand from Evil Dead 2 Image Link

Deadites cannot be killed by normal means, indeed the only way, seemingly, to stop them is by dismembering and or burning their bodies. Like Dracula's line from Hotel Transylvania about getting staked in the heart, "Well, who wouldn't that kill?".

Possessed hand from Idle Hands Image Link

However, even the dismembered body parts can act on their own. Much like the hand from Idle Hands, these limbs act like they have a mind of their own. Like a demonic version of Thing from The Adams Family.

Patrick Swayze moving a penny in Ghost  Image Link

Alas, in my own hypothesis on how our spirits interact with our bodies, through brain tissue or at least the central nerve cluster in the brain, this would be impossible. However, as far as I know, spirits can interact with object in the physical world, though this requires much energy. Like the emotional energy used in the movie Ghost. With this kind of spiritual physical interaction, it could indeed be possible for a spirit, even a demonic spirit, to interact with and use a dismembered hand.

Now, with all of the time-traveling, alternate timelines and inter-dimensional stuff, including Ash's mechanical hand, I am leaving that to the reader to figure out, or I might use it in a post about Back to the Future... I am not sure yet.

Anyway, I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post, whether or not you have seen the movies mentioned. Feel free to leave a comment below. Luckily we know that good will defeat evil, God will win, but like Dr. Manhattan, maybe this knowledge does not feel real until Christ actually comes again. Yet, I assure you, Christ will come again. I know this to be true.

Love,
Jacobugoth

Ghost, Spirit, Soul

Dear Readers,

I just wanted to have a quick post about some differences in terms. Being of a firm belief that no two words, at least in the same language, mean exactly the same thing, I like to figure out and discover what those meanings are. This is probably due to a deep seated desire I have to be understood.

Anyway, my words for this post are "ghost", "spirit", and "soul". Though I have listed "ghost" first, I will be saving it for last, because it is the most intriguing in my personal view. So, let us begin with "spirit".

The "spirit" is the "...part of the living being which exists before mortal birth, which dwells in the physical body during mortality, and which exists after death as a separate being until the resurrection." (The Guide to the Scriptures: Spirit). I find it extremely hard to define it further. However, there are some attributes or at least details about the "spirit" that are worth mentioning. First: spirit is matter (Doctrine and Covenants 131:7).
Second: our spirit bodies look like our physical bodies, meaning human if we are human (Ether 3:15-16) and animals for animals (Doctrine and Covenants 77:2), etc.
Third: all humans have a spirit, animals as well, plants too, and even the very earth itself (Moses 3:4-5)
Fourth: physical matter, like our bodies, do not "feel" spirit bodies when contact is made (Doctrine and Covenants 129:8)
Fifth: multiple spirits can inhabit the same body, as with the countless cases of demons, devils, and unclean spirits possessing people which Christ cured by casting the spirits out. (Mark 1:27, 34, 39) One of the most notable ones being a being by the name of Legion in whom about 2,000 "devils" were residing. (Mark 5:9-13)
Sixth: not only can multiple spirit beings inhabit the same physical body, but spirit beings of different orders can inhabit different bodies. I say "order" instead of "species" because as far as I know the criteria for a species no longer applies to a spirit being. Anyway, it makes sense to me that spirit beings of a higher order could take possession of bodies of an equal or lower order. As evidence of this, there is, again, Legion, "devils" or "demons" who are personages of spirit and thus humanoid inhabiting either a human body or the bodies of swine. (Mark 5:13). Now, as far as I know, an animal spirit cannot inhabit a human body, but that would be kind of cool if it could. I am unaware of any scriptures or revelation on that subject.
Seventh: This is a big one. The Holy Ghost, the name of a distinct, individual spirit being can "dwell in us" (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22-23). The gift of the Holy Ghost, meaning the Holy Ghost's very presence, is given to every member of the Church after their baptism. This means that one spirit being can be within several people at the same time. I plan on sharing my theories as to how this could be possible in another post, but it sufficeth me to say that this is so.

Okay, so now that "spirit" is defined to the best of my ability, now is time for "soul". Though most religions, and the television show Supernatural, consider "soul" to be completely interchangeable with "spirit", that is not the case. In the most straight forward way, "...the spirit and the body are the soul of man." (Doctrine and Covenants 88:15). This is verified in the Old Testament when Adam gained life: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground," meaning the physical body "and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;" the spirit "and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7).

Now, what is the purpose of a "soul"? If we have spirits that exist with or without our physical bodies, then why is it important that we have these bodies? Doctrine and Covenants 93:33-34 answers it quite simply, "For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy; And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy." We have bodies, or are souls, because we want joy, and a fullness of joy only comes from having our spirits "inseparably" connected with our bodies. This only comes after we are resurrected and we gain true immortality. Resurrection is different than raising the dead in that, as with the example of Lazarus, he was still mortal and would die again (John 11), while a resurrected being, like when Christ rose from the tomb, will never die again.

Lastly, now is the time for "ghost". I find this the most intriguing because "ghost" is not used very often in the scriptures or in the LDS Church except for in The Holy Ghost which has been used seemingly interchangeably with Holy Spirit or Spirit of God. I also have not been able to find any scriptural or doctrinal definition for "ghost". Thus, this definition is my own and is fun to think about.

image link

Google defines "ghost" as "an apparition of a dead person that is believed to appear or become manifest to the living, typically as a nebulous image." Though this is an interesting definition, I do not think it is quite right. Why does a "ghost" have to be a dead person? The Holy Ghost has never received a body, thus He is a pre-mortal being who has never died. Also, why can't a "ghost" be a clear image of the person instead of a "nebulous image"?

To answer these questions, I have come up with my own definition, "a 'ghost' is the manifestation of a spirit to the senses." By this definition, either a "nebulous image" or a full length spirit being appearing would be a ghost. Also, smells, sounds, et cetera. Using this definition, a separation can now be made between Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit is the being Himself while The Holy Ghost is The Holy Spirit in us. Working through us, manifesting in us, and speaking with us.

Now, I am not saying that you should blindly accept this definition, but it works for me, and it brings a deeper meaning our, and my own, relationship with the Holy Ghost. Especially when I pray for the Holy Ghost to be with me.

Alas, there is an interesting scriptural use of "ghost". This may either be appropriate or inaccurate, however I have no way of knowing. John 19:30 gives the account of Christ's death in the verbiage of "...gave up the ghost." This is a way of expressing death given several times in the scriptures. However, with my definition of "ghost" it gives it new meaning. On the extreme end of the spectrum, what if Christ's "Ghost" was actually visually seen leaving His body? How awesome would that be? Alas, because of how frequently and casually it is used, it could more easily be correlated with the "lights going out in their eyes" which would be a visual manifestation of the spirit leaving.

There are so many mysteries in this world, and death is not the least of them. I just feel that I have tried to make sense of my ideas and the world around me by defining words in the language I am fluent in. Take this as you will. Please leave your ideas and comments on this subject.

Love,
Jacobugoth