{"chapter_no":"52","chapter_title":"Revelation Library in the Heavens","book_id":"3","book_name":"Springville","subchapter_no":"0","page_no":"636","page_number":"1","verses_count":0,"total_pages":7,"page_content":"

 <\/p>

Chapter 52<\/p>

Revelation Library in the Heavens<\/h1><\/p>

 <\/p>

The Williams' family room is the scene of a glorious vision of a celestial<\/i>ized<\/i> Christmas tree—A
vast library in the heavens containing the revelations of God is open to the <\/i>public<\/i>—<\/i>Coco and the kittens<\/i> <\/i>
see a vision through the Spirit custom-made for those of the animal kingdom.<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

It was 3:20 AM and still early on Christmas Day. Carolyn turned off the light in her
office and headed back to her bedroom. Seeing the lights of the Christmas tree in the family
room, however, she quickly changed her mind, deciding instead to sit by the tree for a while. In
the bedroom, Grant had now awakened. Arising from bed, he put on his slippers and robe and
went to the kitchen for a glass of water. On his return, he saw Carolyn on the couch and decided
to sit with her. No words were spoken, nor did there need to be; gazing upon the family
Christmas tree together in the quiet, early hours of Christmas morning was a reward all its own.
Carolyn lay her head on Grant’s shoulder, and he in turn put his arm around her. It was a
beautiful moment in time, like they were walking among the Christmas lights of Temple Square.<\/p>

 <\/p>

The new “guests” to the family room did not go unnoticed to Coco. Finished with his
latest catnap, he arose from the blanket, stretched his legs out in front of him, yawned, and then
walked over to the couch. With a quick leap, he was on Carolyn’s lap and made himself
comfortable there. Looking up warmly with eyes, nose, and whiskers to Carolyn, he waited to be
petted. She quickly obliged, running her hands along the soft fur on his head and then a couple of
strokes across his back. Coco, too, was now relaxed and settled in; like Grant and Carolyn, he
could focus his attention on the lights of the tree.<\/p>

 <\/p>

It was not long until the two kittens had joined them in the room, making it a full
gathering of the immediate family. The kittens took up places close to the presents under the tree.
One of the packages had a colorful green bow that caught Tiger’s attention. She nibbled on it and
used her paw to move it around a little. Soon, however, both she and Chestnut were motionless
like everyone else, resting quietly and gazing at the tree. <\/p>

 <\/p>

The tree was a wonderful spectacle. Carolyn had set up and decorated the tree as one
might expect of her, complete with traditional ornaments from Germany that she hung on the
higher branches out of kitten-reach. Just beyond the tree and visible through the window,
colorful lights hung down from the roof outside. The wind had stopped blowing, but a light snow
was falling—nature’s way of sanctifying the earth.<\/p>

Ten minutes passed; the ticking sound of the wall clock was all that was heard in the
room. Something caught Coco's eye—a small, flickering ornament in the center of the tree. His
tired eyes opened and closed slowly, seeing the light flicker each time. A slight mist entered the
room, obscuring the light and making it harder to see. The mist became thicker and less
transparent. After a while, Coco could see almost nothing in the room anymore when his eyes
opened, only the mist. The same was true for all of the others in the room, people and kittens
both, as they looked wearily upon the tree amidst moments of sleep.<\/p>

 <\/p>

Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash of light and sound, and the eyes and ears of all were
fully opened by the Spirit. Sleep fled from their eyes, and they could see, as it were, the opening
of the veil of the celestial kingdom. Behind the veil, they saw what appeared to be a Christmas
tree, one of unspeakable beauty. The author can scarcely describe with words what was
witnessed at this moment. The colors, the ornaments, and the lights were so overpowering in
their majesty and beauty, that in seeing them, one's only desire was to leave earth and be drawn
up into the heavens in closer proximity. The feeling was like that of seeing one’s childhood
home after many years of being away, a feeling of familiarity and of belonging to something that
was not extraordinary, but natural, a feeling of what life on earth and life in the eternal world was
always meant to be. The beauty of the scene brought a fulness of peace to the onlooker, making
the cares of the world disappear. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Beside the tree were the riches of eternity, filling to overflowing a great treasure chest
that was there. Beneath the tree were exquisitely wrapped packages—gifts from God, the gifts of
the Spirit, the powers of heaven shared with man. The tree was exceedingly bright and seemed to
sparkle. The radiance, in fact, almost blinded the eyes of Coco such that for the first time in his
life the thought of food almost entirely left his mind. The eyes of all looked upon this marvelous
tree, one seemingly very near to the throne of God. Unspeakable, overpowering, beautiful, and
yet peaceful it was. A Christmas tree, a tree of life, a tree of Zion, all of these––a representation
of the love of God and His great and marvelous restored gospel here on earth.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

The mist returned to the room, and the bright lights of the heavenly scene disappeared.
Within seconds, however, the outline of the tree became transparent, and as they looked upon
it—like Nephi looking upon the Spirit—their eyes were quickened, and a second vision burst
before their eyes.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

They beheld a great room filled with many large bookcases, a vast celestial library
containing the revelations of God. In the room's main lobby individual books of the present-day
Bible, as well as many other books of that era unknown to us, filled the bookshelves. It seemed
that if one had a library card, and a little bit of faith in God, he or she could come here at any
time of day and check out one of these books for free. It was a library open to the public.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

In the middle of the room, a beautiful spiral staircase (finely crafted, like those seen in the
temples of the Church) led to a second floor, where even more bookcases were located.
Individual books of the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, and all the sections of the
Doctrine and Covenants, along with several others, were assembled on the first bookshelf. These
were the books of the New World, just as those on the first floor were the books of the Old
World. Yet there were many more bookshelves on both floors than just these; one could look in <\/p>

almost any direction and see more and more. The books containing the revelations of God were
endless, and all were available for anyone to check out. Thus, it was possible for the knowledge
of God to be shared with man. One could interact with God on a daily basis until, ultimately, he
or she came to know the truth of all things.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Caught up in the vision, as though standing on the second floor of the library, a closer
view of some of the revelations was presented to Grant and Carolyn, as well as to Coco, Tiger,
and Chestnut, and even to a small mouse that had been skulking around in the room.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

On a large sturdy table were collections of writings stored on plates of gold. Written by
the finger of the Lord in the language of the Spirit, and interpretable in every tongue, the plates
contained completely new scriptures that were to be revealed to the world at a later date at the
discretion of the Lord. In other words, \"speaking forth His words according to His own
pleasure.\" <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

The title page of the first collection of plates had the caption:<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

The Gospel Volume II, Another <\/i>Testament of Jesus Christ<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Following this came a page entitled \"Testimony of the Three Witnesses,\" which was
signed as follows:<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

God, The Eternal Father<\/i><\/span><\/p>

Jesus Christ, the Son of God<\/i><\/span><\/p>

The Holy Ghost<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Next came the table of contents:<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

First Book of Jesus Christ<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

-<\/i>O My Father<\/i><\/span><\/p>

-The <\/i>Plan of Salvation<\/i><\/span><\/p>

-The Creation<\/i><\/span><\/p>

-<\/i>The Eastern Hemisphere<\/i> <\/i><\/span><\/p>

-The Western Hemisphere<\/i><\/span><\/p>

-The Atonement<\/i> and t<\/i>he <\/i>Resurrection<\/i><\/span><\/p>

-The Last Days, the Millennium, and Final Judgment<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

These were the personal writings of Jesus Christ—His telling of the history of the world
from His perspective; His journal, year by year, prophet by prophet, and nation by nation; His
expounding of gospel principles and His providing more complete stories with His own
commentary blended in; and His sharing of His hopes and dreams for humanity. One can only
imagine the great and marvelous first-person writings of the Lord Jesus Christ! The mere thought
increases one's love of the scriptures we already do have.<\/span><\/p>

<\/p>

<\/span><\/p>

Next to the first was a second collection of gold plates of equal size, and also a third.
Both books contained the personal writings of Jesus Christ continued on from the first volume, a
vastness of things about eternal life and the celestial world that we cannot even dream about. The
title pages of these two books read:<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

The Gospel Volume II<\/i>I<\/i>, Another <\/i>Testament of Jesus Christ<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

The Gospel Volume IV<\/i>, Another <\/i>Testament of Jesus Christ<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Before they were able to see anything inside these other two volumes of plates, the eyes
of all in the room were drawn to something else––notes inscribed on a single gold sheet that sat
nearby on the table, editor-type notes that corresponded to the gold leaves of the current Latter-
day Saint scriptures. The notes read as follows: <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Old Testament: <\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

-No changes on this edition. <\/i>Major <\/i>updates<\/i> planned for<\/i> next release. ETA<\/i>:<\/i> 50-60 years.<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

New Testament:<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

-<\/i>Revisions to all <\/i>four<\/i> gospels; <\/i>however, King James Version left intact for consistency
with <\/i>other religions<\/i>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>

-JST = Joseph Smith Translation footnotes left intact for consistency with past versions<\/i>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>

-JCT = Jesus Christ Translation and commentary added as footnotes; significant <\/i>
background <\/i>being added <\/i>to better understand the<\/i> verses and <\/i>the <\/i>narrative. <\/i>Further<\/i> insight into
the original meanings of the words<\/i>, verses, and stories<\/i>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>

-New chapters added to all <\/i>four<\/i> gospels, appended at <\/i>the <\/i>end. <\/i><\/span><\/p>

-<\/i>Three <\/i>new<\/i> <\/i>e<\/i>pistles of Paul<\/i>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>

-<\/i>Ten o<\/i>ther books of teachings and acts of the <\/i>apostles added. Major updates also
planned here<\/i> for<\/i> the next release.<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Book of Mormon:<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

-<\/i>Book of <\/i>Lehi reinstated in original order. <\/i><\/span><\/p>

-<\/i>Ten <\/i>c<\/i>hapters<\/i> added to the book of Jacob<\/i>, f<\/i>our<\/i> of these being new chapters of Isaiah
followed by Jacob's analysis of the same<\/i>. Five<\/i> other chapters of<\/i> Jacob that follow 2 Nephi
C<\/i>hap<\/i>ter 9; therefore, there will be a need to renumber chapters in 2<\/i>nd<\/i> Nephi. Certain <\/i>C<\/i>hurch
publications and education materials will need to be changed to reflect the new numbering
sequence.<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Doctrine & Covenants:<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

-70 new sections<\/i> added to the end. Revelations<\/i> pertaining to the b<\/i>uilding up of Zion on
the earth.<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Pearl of Great Price:<\/i><\/p>

<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

-Book of Enoch: 55 chapters<\/i> added in a new book.<\/i><\/span><\/p>

-Book of Melchizedek: 2<\/i>1<\/i> chapters<\/i> added in a new book.<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Sealed Plates<\/i>: Previously separated from <\/i>the <\/i>current version of <\/i>the <\/i>standard works<\/i>; <\/i>will
be released later<\/i> as a standalone volume. ETA for <\/i>release—<\/i>not available at this time<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Realizing that Coco and the little kittens were not able to read and were, therefore, unable
to appreciate the significance of what they were seeing, the Spirit wrought a change upon their
eyes alone, giving them a vision more appropriate to those of the animal kingdom. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Thus, for Coco, the kittens, and the mouse, the scene changed. They beheld another great
room, but one like an auditorium. In it, they saw a man dressed in white—an angel of God—
opening a curtain. When the curtain had fully opened, they saw a stage, and on the stage was a
delightful collection of miniature animals, many of which were only two or three feet high,
parading around as though performing a Broadway play. There was a horse, a cow, a tiger, a
lion, a giraffe, a zebra, an elephant, a deer, a chicken, a duck, a brown bear, a donkey, a turkey, a
pelican, and many others––some fifty or sixty animals in total. There were even miniaturized
dinosaurs taking part in the show, although they were generally larger than the others, and their
heads, sometimes reaching twenty feet high, almost touched the top of the stage. Although
smaller than their usual size, the animals were very lifelike, and it was only after Coco saw the
strings attached to them from above that he could discern that they were only puppets and not
real animals like himself. The animals sang and danced and performed a melody of songs. The
Spirit, very well-versed in the art of ventriloquism, provided the voice-overs for their singing and
used the strings to control their intricate dance steps.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Coco was greatly entertained: What a delight<\/i>! Animals<\/i> <\/i>are so wonderful<\/i> to see<\/i>!<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

He was most fascinated by the large dinosaurs: What <\/i>fantastic<\/i> creatures<\/i>!<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

<\/i>They were the largest and also the most curious looking. He was glad to be a good
distance from the stage, thinking some of these creatures might reach out with their large jaws
and take a bite at him.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Caught up in the same vision, the two kittens probed with their paws and soon discovered
that they could actually enter this auditorium-sized room themselves. The curious kittens entered,
moving up to within only a few feet of the stage and close to the angel who stood near the
curtain. Coco watched them enter, but he was more cautious, thinking it best not to get under
anyone’s feet, whether it was an angel of heaven or not.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Once the music had stopped, three other kittens hopped down from the stage to meet up
with Tiger and Chestnut on the floor. Seeing the new kittens, Coco’s immediate reaction was one
of chagrin.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Aug<\/i>h! More kitt<\/i>ens! I hope Carolyn doesn’t see<\/i> them. <\/i>W<\/i>e already have <\/i>two kittens<\/i> in the
house<\/i>,<\/i> and<\/i> we<\/i> don’t need any more of them.<\/i><\/p>

<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Facing each other, there was somewhat of a territorial standoff between the two groups of
kittens. The reader may recall Tiger being likened to the Bible and Chestnut to the Book of
Mormon. The three kittens, in contrast, each sporting a red ribbon bow, represented the
aforementioned new testaments of Jesus Christ: The<\/i> Gospel Volume II,<\/i> The Gospel Volume III
and The Gospel Volume IV<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Tiger addressed the newly arrived kittens first, exclaiming loudly: <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

“A Bible! A Bible! We already have a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.”<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Chestnut quickly followed, raising his voice in earnest:<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

“A Book of Mormon! A Book of Mormon! We already have a Book of Mormon, and
there cannot be any more Book of Mormon.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

In response, the three kittens spoke softly in unison, “We love Jesus.”<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

It’s worth noting here, in general discussion, a significant point about revelation from
God. While it’s always nice to have newly released revelation (scripture) from God referred to
and, in fact, prophesized about by earlier prophets and scriptures, it would seem that this is not
really necessary or important at all. Revelation from God is revelation from God, regardless of
whether it was referred to or not by prior scriptures. The New Testament was true regardless of
what was written in the Old Testament. The Book of Mormon was true regardless of what was
written in either the Old or New Testaments. Jesus Christ was the Son of God regardless of
whether that fact was prophesized beforehand by prophets who came before him on earth; He
didn’t need to find himself mentioned within the writings of Moses or Isaiah to somehow feel
vindicated before the eyes of the people. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God regardless of
whether or not Abraham was a prophet, and Abraham was a prophet of God regardless of any of
the prophets who came before him.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

We sometimes tie ourselves up in knots trying to show investigators (via scriptures that
touch upon the subject in varying degrees of clarity) how the Bible makes references to the Book
of Mormon. On the other hand, we don’t really worry much about that when discussing the
Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, probably because our desire is to first build
a foundation of knowledge with them using the Book of Mormon, which, of course, is a good
thing. Linking the Book of Mormon to the Bible via scriptures is also a good thing, helping
investigators see prophecies inside scriptures they already accept as true pointing to the new
volume of scripture we are showing to them for the first time; the reference to “sheep of another
fold” is one example of this. On the other hand, we should not become skittish or feel the need to
apologize to investigators for the emergence of the Book of Mormon, as another testimony of
Jesus Christ, whether there are satisfying references in the Bible of it or not. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

The Book of Mormon’s mission in these latter days is not to weakly stand by as a second
fiddle to the Bible. It was not restored to earth to be something hidden away in our missionary
teaching materials and quietly slid under the door as we leave—with us worrying that the <\/p>

investigator family might notice it by mistake, read it, and have the Spirit of God chased away
from their home as they pray about its truthfulness. This is true whether the missionary
companionship is meeting with them for the first, the second, or the third time. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

<\/span>The Book of Mormon stands by itself. It does not need the Bible as a foundation to stand
upon, although the two books obviously share the same common ancestry and teach many of the
same core gospel truths. The same, however, is not true the other way around. The Bible does
not contain the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It needs modern-day revealed scripture, like
the Book of Mormon, to bolster it and give it the power it was always meant to have.<\/p>

 <\/p>

But it’s also true that all of the scriptures we have today—the Bible, the Book of
Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price—are not the pinnacle of
revelations from God. They are only the starting point. Like our individual patriarchal blessings
that are written down or printed for us on paper, these scriptures are only the opening bid by the
Lord, hinting at what is available in the heavens and what He still has in store for us.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

The ability of the Lord Jesus Christ to interact with us daily as individuals, and as a
Church, to reveal to us the things of heaven of a nature and scope that can truly stun the world,
this is not theory, it's reality. <\/span><\/p>

<\/p>"}