Ice, the Great Deep, a Highway and the Lost Tribes By Brandt Neider

“And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves; and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence.

And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep.”   -Doctrine and Covenants 133:26-27

God and Science By Brandt Neider

The scientific community's arguments against God have always baffled me. They seem to believe that every discovery they make is further proof that the universe exists and functions independent of a divine creator, as if a God would prefer waving wands and casting spells to the laws of physics. In an interview with the Spanish publication "El Mundo" the late Stephen Hawking said:

"Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation.”

Dark Matter and Spirit By Brandt Neider

7 There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes;

8 We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter. Doctrine and Covenants 131:7-8

In general, the scientific community turns its nose up at the idea of a spiritual existence. Spirits, ghosts, or intelligent life in any form other than something resembling what we’ve already observed is the wishful thinking of the ignorant. 

Brigham Young and Planetary Migration By Brandt Neider

One of the most criticized statements made by Brigham Young was "When the earth was framed and brought into existence and man was placed upon it, it was near the throne of our Father in heaven. And when man fell the earth fell into space and took up its abode in this planetary system, and the sun became our light." The idea that a planet could migrate was insane until 4 years ago when we caught one rolling through empty space. Now we know that the planets in our galaxy do this on a regular basis. This clip is from one of my favorite documentaries "How the Universe Works" and without any exaggeration, Brigham Young was explaining this phenomenon over 100 years before the rest of the world would even consider it.

The Solar Eclipse and the New Jerusalem By Brandt Neider

It's only been a few weeks since the solar eclipse but considering all that's happened since August 21st it feels like it happened months ago. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the earthquake in Mexico, and North Korea pushing the world to the brink of nuclear war have all happened within the short time since the sun and moon aligned.

Now, I’m not promoting astrology, however, the scriptures make it clear that there is a connection between the events in heaven and earth. When the Savior was born a star appeared in the sky, after the crucifixion our sun disappeared over the new world for three days, and before the second coming the moon will turn to blood and the stars will fall from the sky. Countless other “heavenly” events have been recognized as divine acknowledgment such as the rainbow after the flood, the storms after the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, and the armies seen in the sky by Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball on the night Joseph Smith received the plates.

The Great Ones By Brandt Neider

"2 And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it;

3 And the Lord said unto me: These are the governing ones and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto me, for I am the Lord thy God: I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest." (Abraham 3:2-3)

The Night Before the Dawn By Brandt Neider

Of everything that is to happen before the return of the Lord, there is one event that seems nearly impossible. Isaiah, Nephi (quoting Isaiah), Joseph Smith and the Lord Himself all warn us that the "sun shall be darkened." 

10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. Isaiah 13:10

10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 2Nephi 23:10

The Big Bang: Convincing But Not Conclusive By Brandt Neider

Although the Big Bang theory works out really well on paper it has also taken several hits since it was first introduced in 1927, or 1929 depending on who you ask. But with each new problem that arises for the theory alternative explanations are sought rather than questioning the long-held explanation scientists have used to explain the origin of our universe.

One of the more recent discoveries casting a shadow on the Big Bang is the discovery of Black Holes that are billions of times more massive than our sun. This is a problem because astronomers say the universe is only 14 billion years old which is not enough time for a black hole to have consumed enough matter to grow that large. One black hole was discovered to be 12 billion times more massive than the sun when the universe was supposedly less than a billion years old.

"The Kolob Theorem" By Brandt Neider

"The Kolob Theorem" and similar books suggest that the Lord's kingdom is confined to the Milky Way galaxy and that our pre-mortal life was, and eventual kingdoms of glory will exist within its boundaries. This makes sense for a lot of reasons, but there are 3 major problems with it.

First, galaxies are known to collide and merge together in what is known as "Galactic Cannibalism" and our galaxy is currently on a collision course with the Andromeda galaxy. If kingdoms are separated into galaxies how would this cannibalistic behavior fit into our understanding of exaltation?

The Astronomy of the Restoration By Brandt Neider

The Astronomy that came through the Restoration was well ahead of its time. The science of that day understood the Milky Way Galaxy to be the entire universe. The Big Bang and theory of relativity were still nearly a hundred years away and the total number of planets that existed was 7 since Neptune and Pluto (which is no longer considered a planet) had yet to be discovered.

The universe we know today, filled with countless stars, planets, and galaxies wouldn't begin to be realized until the turn of the century when scientists like Albert Einstein and Edwin Hubble would turn everything we thought we knew about the universe upside down. It was during this time of limited knowledge that the prophet Joseph Smith was making some very conclusive statements about the Cosmos and even claiming these ideas came from God. With all that we know about our universe today, how does the astronomy of Joseph Smith stack up against today's science?

Earth’s Magnetic Field: A Transfiguration By Brandt Neider

Without protection, the earth could not survive being in the presence of the sun. Through what are known as solar winds and flares the sun is constantly heaving the equivalent of 1 billion megatons of TNT at the earth. This can occur several times a day and without something to shield us our atmosphere would be ripped apart and earth would be scorched. 

So why has Earth survived the sun's presence when planets like Mars have not? The earth’s iron core, which is over 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, stirs its liquid outer core and when combined with the planet’s rotation, a magnetic field is generated. This field is the cause of the northern lights and the reason a compass points to the north. But more importantly, it acts as a shield against the charged particles flying at us from the sun that would rip apart our atmosphere and destroy life on earth. 

The Lights of the World By Brandt Neider

“all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth… all things bear record of me.” Moses 6:63

The image of Christ is woven into all of creation. This is why we are able to see Him through the gentleness of the lamb, the steadiness in rocks, and in the bread and water during the sacrament. But when the Lord said “I am the light of the world” it meant something more.

“This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.” "As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made;" “Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space." Doctrine and Covenants 88:7-13