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Ample provision

"The great Jehovah contemplated the whole of the events connected with the earth, pertaining to the plan of salvation, before it rolled into existence, or ever 'the morning stars sang together' for joy; the past, the present and the future were and are, with Him, one eternal 'now'; He knew of the fall of Adam, the iniquities of the antediluvians, of the depth of iniquity that would be connected with the human family, their weakness and strength, their power and glory, apostasies, their crimes, their righteousness and iniquity; He comprehended the fall of man and his redemption; He knew the Plan of Salvation and pointed it out; He was acquainted with the situation of all nations and with their destiny; He ordered all things according to the council of His own will; He knows the situation of both the living and the dead, and has made ample provision for their redemption, according to their several circumstances, and the laws of the kingdom of God, whether in this world, or in the world to come." (emphasis added)

Joseph Smith, Scriptural Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 249


“The Prophet Joseph Smith assured us, and the revelations confirm, that God lives in an eternal now, where the past, present and future are continually before Him.  He does not exist in time as do we.  He sees the end from the beginning.  However, you and I are in what I call the ‘muddled mortal middle’ of that process.  And when we are discouraged, the Prophet Joseph Smith has taught us that God has made (and this is a nifty phrase of the Prophet) “ample provision”.  Ample provision to accomplish His purposes, even in the midst of human wickedness, it’s part of His plan, He has taken it into account beforehand.  And so God’s purposes will all be finally achieved.  It is in this way and with this faith that you can live comforted and assured in the midst of some of the devastating trends that will beset the times in which you live.”

Neal A. Maxwell, “Days Never To Be Forgotten”, C.E.S. Fireside 1995

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