Our Heavenly Father's Kingdom Is Limited To The Milky Way Galaxy, According To The Kolob Theorem Authored By Dr. Lynn Hilton

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe in plurality of gods. This means we believe there is more than one god in the heavens, although we do not embrace polytheism, which is defined as the worship or propitiation of multiple gods. To ensure we direct our prayers only towards our designated Heavenly Father, we pray after the manner specified in Matthew 6:9.

Naturally, this triggers curiosity and speculation on how the universe is organized. Does "plurality of gods" mean each god has his own universe, or does each god merely have his own galaxy within the existing universe? A book I recently read provides a logical and persuasive speculative answer to this question. The book is entitled "The Kolob Theorem", and the author, BYU Professor Dr. Lynn M. Hilton, suggests that our Heavenly Father's kingdom is limited to the Milky Way galaxy rather than encompassing the entire universe. On page 19 of the 98-page book, Dr. Hilton makes it abundantly clear that his ideas are only theories, resulting from his attempts to study the scriptures and astronomy, as suggested by the Lord, and to try to understand them at least in part. He pretends no revelation, but awaits the glorious day, spoken of by the Lord to Joseph Smith. This means "The Kolob Theorem" is not to be considered an official publication of the LDS Church.

The book was previously online at the link specified below, but is now suddenly unavailable. No explanation is provided for its removal:

-- http://hickmanmuseum.homestead.com/the_kolob_theorem.pdf

However, I discovered two other substitute links at which the entire PDF of the book is still available:

-- http://ebookbrowse.com/the-kolob-theorem-pdf-d252542365

-- http://www.rogerknecht.com/uploads/2011/12/The_Kolob_Theorem.pdf

The book can also be purchased through Amazon. Here are some of the more significant findings; chapter 14 of the book contains brief synopses of each chapter:

(1). Our Heavenly Father's kingdom is the Milky Way galaxy: Each god has his own galaxy, and all galaxies are similarly organized. The inner circle is the celestial zone or kingdom, the middle circle is the terrestrial zone or kingdom, and the outer circle is the telestial zone or kingdom (see Chapter 6). Lanes of space dust may separate one zone from another. Dr. Hilton opines that the same pattern of organization is replicated in every galaxy. But he does not speculate on who might have organized the universe itself, or how its boundaries have been determined.

(2). Celestial Zone: Populated with celestialized worlds which have received their final glory, as well as worlds being prepared for spirits about to embark into mortality.

(3). Terrestrial Zone: Populated with terrestrial worlds which have achieved their final glory, as well as worlds transitioning from celestial glory down to terrestrial glory for the habitation of mortals. Dr. Hilton believes the planet upon which Enoch and his translated city lies is in this zone.

(4). Telestial Zone: Populated with telestial worlds which have achieved their final glory, as well as worlds currently populated by mortals.

(5). Outer Darkness: Dr. Hilton believes that Outer Darkness, the repository for Satan and his hosts as well as mortals judged to be sons of perdition, may lie outside the galaxy and be shielded from light by a curtain of space dust. He speculates that it could be a dark planet, but is uncertain whether it is immediately outside the galaxy or out in deep intergalactic space.

(6). The Geographical Applicability of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ: In Chapter 9, Dr. Hilton opines that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, although occurring only on our earth, is applicable to every earth that was experiencing its mortal phase at the time of Christ's ministry. Other sources opine that Christ was sent to our earth not only because it is the current residence of Satan and his hosts, but also because it is the only earth wicked enough to put Him to death.

(7). The Progression of our Earth: In Chapter 8, Dr. Hilton says that our planet earth was first formed in an orbit around Kolob in the celestial core of the galaxy. It migrated out through the terrestrial zone (the Garden of Eden period) for a 1,000 year period, and then took up its present position in an orbit around the sun for its mortal or telestial probation. The earth will return by being pulled away from the sun, passing again through the terrestrial ring (the Millennial period), and finally regaining its original glorious orbit about Kolob in the celestial kingdom. Dr. Hilton speculates that the cataclysmic geological disturbances expected just before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be attributable to the earth leaving its present location and beginning its transition back to the terrestrial zone.

Dr. Hilton has generously made online copies of this book free of charge. He invites those who would like to show financial gratitude to send a tax-free contribution of any size to the following address:

Middle East Foundation
Treasurer’s Office
1905 North Quincy Street
Arlington, Virginia, 22207, USA

Analysis: This book is absolute dynamite. While not every conclusion in this book is supported by formal LDS canon, there is nothing in this book that conflicts with canon. This book is just another reason why, despite being inactive in the Church for over 40 years, I could never walk away or resign from the Church. This is intellectually captivating; it shows that our possibilities are limitless. How could one leave the Church after reading a book like this? This has been a high-octane testimony builder for me, in the same category as "The First Two Thousand Years" and "Life Everlasting".

Other discussion of this book: This book has also been discussed at LDS Freedom Forum and Mormon Discussions and LDS.net and a more recent discussion on Mormon Dialogue. A copy of the entire book is embedded after the jump:

Traditional Christianity Vs. Mormon Christianity; Settle For Salvation, Or Strive For Exaltation?

To avoid the appearance of belittling a traditional Christian church in my community that I otherwise respect for publicly standing tall for traditional cultural values and taking heat from progressives because of it, I will not identify it by name in this post. But the graphic posted below is part of a Christmas flyer they produced.

Some traditional Christian churches offer you this:

Their motives are good. They ask you to bring at least one serious seeker of salvation to their church to qualify to win one of those TVs. Mind you, salvation's not a bad thing...it means you don't follow Satan into the unorganized universe, or outer darkness, for eternity. You don't become a son of perdition.


But the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offers you this:

This picks up where salvation leaves off. This can lead you to exaltation.

What exactly does that mean? It depends upon the type of eternal future you want. If you're willing to be merely a citizen of one of our Heavenly Father's innumerable kingdoms in the future, so be it; that is a completely honorable decision. We know that both the terrestrial and the telestial kingdoms are glorious far beyond what we can imagine. Why, the Prophet Joseph Smith himself was believed to have once said that if the veil came down and we could glimpse the telestial kingdom, we would commit mass suicide just to get there faster.

But if you want to be more than just a mere citizen of the Father's realms, and actually become a FULL HEIR of the Father and a JOINT HEIR with Jesus Christ, then salvation is merely the beginning. One must progress to exaltation in order to qualify to become a full heir to the Father. And if you persevere, the payoff is Godhood. The power to create and populate worlds. As Jesus Christ Himself has said, "...worlds without number have I created" (Moses 1:33).

Salvation is comparatively easy; exaltation is hard. Exaltation goes beyond faith; one must also keep commandments. Many of these commandments will distinguish you from your peers, particularly the Word of Wisdom and the Sabbath. You may have to accept apparent and obvious inequities on the surface, such as formal Priesthood being limited only to men, with only your faith that the Lord will balance the scales in the future. You may have to wrestle with the seeming paradoxes of Mormon history from time to time, and even wonder just where in heck Zarahemla really was, and accept the fact that the answer simply may not be forthcoming in this life -- not because the Lord wants to keep you ignorant, but because He might just be merciful enough not to want to burden you with that information before you're ready. But those who have been willing to strive for exaltation have always been a patient and peculiar people.

So how about it? Are you willing to settle for salvation, or do you want to take that next step -- towards exaltation. Yes, straight is the gate, narrow is the way, and few there'll be that find it. But the rewards are incalculable. Mormonism may NOT be for everyone -- but it could be for YOU! If you think you have what it takes to become one of the Few, the Proud, the Exalted, take that first step today. Go to Mormon.org and start a chat with a missionary who's ready to help you begin the journey back to the Father.