My depiction of the Plan of Salvation draws on the important symbols of ascent and transformation that we find in the temple.
Is any doctrine more sweet to the taste, more joyous to the soul, more comforting to the broken heart, than the knowledge of God's plan for His children? His work and glory—our immortality and eternal life. An inheritance of all that the Father has.
The typical map we draw of the Plan of Salvation is simple and easy for our investigating friends to understand. It involves a few circles and lines, reading from left to right our progression from premortality to a kingdom of glory.
And while this map is functional for teaching new friends, I always found it terrible at capturing the majesty of God's plan for us. It is my opinion that our eternal destiny deserves something a little more gripping than a powerpoint slide.
Through my life, as I have studied the Plan of Salvation and the holy temple, I have come to lament how much symbolism and beauty we were neglecting through this simple diagram; I felt there must be a way I could use art to more clearly depict what I was coming to understand.
What is featured in this article is my third attempt at this illustration over the past 5 years, and I finally feel that I've got it right. Each detail came together to tell a coherent story—our story. I can only hope that my illustration reverently captures the truths that burn in my heart.
In this article (by popular request), I will walk through my illustration and explain all of the symbolism and meaning incorporated within.
I. The Temple Map
I'll start with a bird's eye view of the composition, which should clearly show three spaces, moving upwards from dark to light. This is an intentional allusion to the temple, in which we move in three part space from a dark and dreary wilderness into the illuminated presence of God.
In fact, this entire illustration is meant to evoke the floorplan or blueprint of the ancient temple and tabernacle, which was also broken down into three-part space.
My depiction is not a perfect mirror of the temple floorplan, but it is designed with that floorplan in mind. Just as the purpose of the temple is to guide one on a journey into the dwelling place of God, the purpose of the Plan of Salvation is to guide us on our ascent into the presence of the Father. The temple is itself a map of the Plan of Salvation, and its ordinances act out that journey ritualistically.
I have also arranged the illustration so that each member of the Godhead presides over a stage of existence: The Holy Ghost guides us through mortality; The Son calls us from the dead and redeems us through His sacrifice; The Father welcomes us into His celestial presence.
Notice also my use of pillars and veils similar to those found in the ancient temple.
II. The Tree of Life
In Jewish mysticism, there is a design known as the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. It is a ten point diagram mapping different elements of reality and human nature. Broadly speaking, it represents a process of transformation and perpetural improvement.
I felt that this was a powerful motif that I could incorporate into my work. After all, the Tree of Life as a symbol is very important in Latter-day Saint scripture.
So, if you connect the ten circles in my illustration, you will find the mystic tree of life emerge, symbolizing a continuous process of ascension and spiritual development, with Jesus Christ at the very center.
III. The Premortal State
We begin at the beginning, in premortality, represented as the doorway to the temple.
In a subtle way, I have depicted the war in heaven on the walls on either side of the entryway. On the left there are two large stars, with 24 smaller stars (2/3rds) following them upward. On the right there are 12 small stars (1/3rd) following a large star down and away. This was my way of acknowledging the war in heaven as the prologue to our journey into mortality. This is the place where we chose to follow our Father and face the long upward march to exaltation.
Now, moving into the entryway, we see a white ball with a flame inside, suspended between the hands of the Lord. This flame represents the human spirit, our spirit, in it's premortal condition. It is small but bright, filled with the light and knowledge of our juvenile intelligence. The Lord's hand guides our spirit over the threshold into mortality.
The entry itself contains two pillars, just like the ancient temple. In the arch of the entry is the keystone.
And of course the journey from premortality to mortality requires passing through a veil, which removes the memories of our premortal condition. The flame of the human spirit must enter into the darkness of the unknown.
IV. The Corporeal State
Upon entering the temple, we step into mortality, the telestial world that we now inhabit. It is a wilderness.
Just as in the temple endowment, Adam and Eve are fitting symbols to represent each of us as men and women born into mortality. I use Adam and Eve throughout the illustration as a reminder that the male and female are essential counterparts in God's plan for us; we cannot reach our potential without each other. Here we observe them partaking of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This is the Fall.
On either side of the tree we see the hands of the Lord again. On one side, His hand holds the keys of the priesthood, the power and authority to act on His behalf. On the other, His hand holds the scriptures, His sacred words to His children. We progress through our mortal journey with the help of both the priesthood and the word of God.
Within the tree, I depict the world surrounded by 12 stars. These stars have three important symbolic meanings.
The Priesthood—12 stars represent 12 apostles, given authority to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole world (see 1 Nephi 1).
Mortal Time—12 stars represent the 12 periods of time each year, such as the 12 months or the 12 zodiac signs, reminding us that mortality is bound by the revolution of time.
The Tribes of Israel—The gathering of the 12 tribes of Israel, God's covenant people either by birth or by ordinance, is the mission of Christ's church in the latter days. All people are invited into this sacred inheritance.
Above the tree is the dove, representative of the Holy Ghost. It is only through the guiding influence of the Holy Ghost that we can successfully navigate through life. That influence is absolutely essential if we are to succeed on our journey back to the presence of God.
And finally death, who waits for every man. Here it is depicted in a traditional way with a skull and crossbones, reminding us that death is the only outcome of this life. We must pass once again through a veil from this state to the next.
Finally we must address one of the more cryptic symbols in my illlustration: the two triangles on either side of death. These represent the spirit world.
If you overlap the two triangles, you get the six-sided star, which we might recognize as the Star of David. This symbol is ancient, and in alchemical traditions it represented the eternal concept of opposition: as above, so below.
The triangle pointing up is paradise, where the spirits of the righteous are pointing upwards along the path of progression. The triangle pointing down is prison, where souls are trapped reverting back to the sins of their mortality. The direction of our movement is key.
The circle in the middle reminds us that paradise and prison inhabit the same sphere. We do not exist on opposite sides of a circle with a line drawn down the middle. The spirits of those in paradise live alongside those stuck in prison. But there is still the opportunity to change course.
V. The Resurrected State
Death is not the end. Because Christ conquered death, we will be restored once again body and spirit.
First we have the sacrificial lamb, symbolic of Jesus Christ, on the temple altar. The shedding of the blood of the lamb offers atonement for our sins. It is only through the blood of the lamb that we are even able to progress any further, for no man can pay the debt of his own sins.
We then see Adam and Eve here rising from their graves in resurrected bodies. The body and spirit, now in a perfect condition, will never again be separated thanks to Christ's victory over death. They reach up towards Jesus Christ, our advocate with the Father.
Below Christ is the scale of justice, where the deeds of our life are balanced. The record of these deeds is found in the Book of Life, which Christ holds in his hand. We are judged out of this book, as explained throughout the scriptures. If we accept the atonement, our sins are blotted out and we are sanctified by Jesus Christ.
Behind Christ we see the 8-point star, sometimes referred to as the seal of Melchizedek and symbolic of the holy priesthood of the Son of God. Jesus Christ is both the High Priest and the sacrifice on the altar in the symbolic temple.
VI. The Exalted State
Once resurrected and judged, we receive our inheritance, a Kingdom of Glory commmensurate with our faithfulness. These kingdoms are represented symbolically by the sun, moon, and stars. The greater light of the sun represents the Celestial Kingdom; the lesser light of the moon, the Terrestrial Kingdom; the least light of the stars, the Telestial Kingdom.
Here Adam and Eve, the prototypical man and wife, have arrived at the Celestial Kingdom. They wear priestly robes and royal crowns. They are united together in their ascent. Neither could have arrived at this destination without the other.
And here the Eternal Father welcomes them with outstretched arms into His presence. This is the Holy of Holies, the garden throne where God dwells.
Exaltation. Eternal Life. Celestial Glory. The realization of our divine potential.
So there you have it: an explanation of my depiction of the Plan of Salvation. If you like what I have to say, why not follow on me on social media, where I regularly post my artwork and my strange doctrinal musings...
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If you'd like to purchase a physical or digital copy of my artwork, check out the homepage of my site. There are many ways you can support my work.
And please leave a comment if you have any thoughts or interpretations of what I've done with this illustration. My hope is that it will generate some compelling conversations on the nature of our eternal existence.