Saint Peter

"I'm rather a failure" is a wide open statement. A failure at what? School? Work? Finding love? Finding friends? To which I would respond, nobody is a nobody to the Lord. He died for you and your faults as well as me and mine. You have talents, polish them. You have faults? So do we all. Lose yourself in service to others, seeking nothing  in return and you will will discover friends among the friendless, friends among the helpless, and at times, friends among the hopeless.
 
The mirror is an enemy, its how your seen reflected in the eyes of others where truth is.
 
Consider the following verses:
 
 Matt. 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
 
Luke 14:12-14 “Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”
 
Mosiah 4:16 “And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.”
 
How can one be a failure when they are helping others...often we have a misplaced view of what true success and failure is.
 
Take care,
John

"Figurative" and "symbolic" do not mean "unreal" or "pretend".
 
Consider the sacrament. It is symbolic of Christ's sacrifice, which is a real thing. It is also symbolic of the meal we will eat with Christ when we sit down with him in his kingdom. Yet the sacrament is a real meal -- only a token meal, to be sure, but it involves real food and real drink. That it is symbolic of other, higher things does not make it any less real or literal.
 
I do not know the nature of the garden of Eden or of the trees therein. I am absolutely confident that Adam and Eve were real, literal people, and I feel pretty sure that the garden of Eden was an actual place or location of some sort. Were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil actual arboreal organisms? Were their fruits literally edible reproductive parts that grew off of them? When Eve partook of the fruit that had been forbidden her by the commandment of God, did she actually pick and eat a piece of fruit from off a tree?
 
I don't know. Maybe. But she did something, whether it was biting into a piece of fruit or some other action. Whatever actions the symbols represent, those symbols do represent something real, some actual occurrence. Personally, although I am curious, I am not too wrapped up in what the nature of "the forbidden fruit" was, or what exactly was Eve's actions that led to their fall and expulsion from their paradisiacal state. For now, it suffices me to know that it happened and that the consequences of that fall necessitate an atoning sacrifice.

I am a proponent of understanding scripture through symbolism.   I also believe that the Latter-day saints have a great advantage – both because of modern revelation and the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  I believe that all things in scripture, in some way, relate to the Plan of Salvation.  Thus the “Tree of Life” is a symbolic representation to a particular part or parts of the Plan of Salvation.  The reason that symbolism is used, to my thinking, is so that as we learn we can understand more and continue to add to our understanding – never arriving (symbolically) but always continuing a great journey.
 
I believe that to best understand the symbolism of the Tree of Life one needs to understand the symbolism of the Cherubim.  The following is information that is provided in scripture and from language background concerning Cherubim:
 
The term Cherubim is plural for Cherub which BTW is a Greek term that is not translated into any English word in scripture.  The ancient Greek understanding of the term Cherub is a kind or type of g-d not a type of angel as generally understood in Christian circles.  
In Biblical scriptures Cherubim always come in pares of two.  I submit that there are two Cherubim associated with the Tree of Life.  
Cherubim do not guard the Tree of Life – this is a mistake and misunderstanding of scripture.  The charge or purpose of the Cherubim is to “KEEP” the way or path to the Tree of Life.  
In a symbolic reference to a wicked earthly king (Suzerain or g-d type) Satan is identified both as one of the Cherubim and as “anointed”.  Note that the terms Messiah and Christ mean “anointed”.  Messiah being a Hebrew term and Christ being Latin or Greek.  
A very important symbolic reference to the two Cherubim in scripture is in reference to the “Arc of the Covenant” or “Mercy Seat”.  One Cherub occupies the left hand position to G-d and the other occupies the right hand position of G-d.  Since Satan is identified as a Cherub this is where the idea of Satan being the left hand of G-d – and the idea that those that follow Satan will be at the left hand of G-d.  
The scripture that identifies the Cherubim on the Arc are described in scripture.  The translation in English says that the Cherubim “face” each other.  An alternate reading that is never referenced (but has strong LDS application) is “the two brothers oppose each other”.  
As near as I have been able to determine – Jesus fulfills all the positive references to a Cherub.  For example Jesus says he is the “way” (keeper of the way to the Tree of Life), Jesus was seen by Stephen at the right hand of G-d and Jesus when he comes in glory (Revelation 19) comes with a flame of fire and sword.  
I believe the Tree of Life is eternal life with G-d the Father and that the way or path to the Tree of Life is the atonement of Jesus the Christ – which makes Jesus the Keeper of the way.

Tree of life.
A tree in the garden of Eden. The Bible does not indicate that it had inherent life-giving qualities in its fruit; instead, it represented God’s guarantee of everlasting life to those he would allow to eat of its fruit.—Ge 2:9; 3:22.
Tree of the knowledge of good and bad.
A tree in the garden of Eden that God used as a symbol of his right to set the standards for mankind as to what is “good” and what is “bad.”—Ge 2:9, 17.

From a letter written by Mormon to Moroni:
"18 O the depravity of my people! They are without order and without mercy. Behold, I am but a man, and I have but the strength of a man, and I cannot any longer enforce my commands.
19 And they have become strong in their perversion; and they are alike brutal, sparing none, neither old nor young; and they delight in everything save that which is good; and the suffering of our women and our children upon all the face of this land doth exceed everything; yea, tongue cannot tell, neither can it be written.
20 And now, my son, I dwell no longer upon this horrible scene. Behold, thou knowest the wickedness of this people; thou knowest that they are without principle, and past feeling; "
From Neal A. Maxwell:
"Do we really expect those presently “past feeling” to fashion an acceptable future? Gross sin not only dulls the feelings, it also impairs the intellect. After murdering Abel, Cain ironically boasted, “I am free”! (Moses 5:33.) Did the herd of Gadarene swine similarly console themselves, thinking that they were actually rugged individualists as they raced down the hill to their destruction?"
More and more people are "beyond feeling". It usually happens slowly with subtle, nearly imperceptible changes that clearly undermine the spiritual foundation of one's soul until all of the sudden, a complete collapse of character occurs.

Saint Peter - If you read my post (#19) on this thread you may have a more complete understanding.  The error is introduced by translating text and not understanding customs to which the text make reference.

"Does Christ himself know when he will come? This question comes up occasionally, perhaps because of what is stated in the Gospel of Mark: 'Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father' (Mark 13:31-32; emphasis added). The phrase 'neither the Son' is not found in Matthew nor Luke. Christ knows all things; he possesses the fulness of the glory and power of the Father (see D&C 93:16-17). Surely he knows when he will return. If he did not know the exact day or time of his return in glory when the Olivet Prophecy was uttered, then certainly after his resurrection and glorification he came to know. It is worth noting that the Joseph Smith Translation of this verse omits the disputed phrase." (Robert L. Millet, Selected Writings of Robert L. Millet: Gospel Scholars Series [salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 2000], 556

I think the above elaborate quote is an introduction, a precursor to the actual ordinance.  Similar to a bishop perhaps expounding on the event.  Or perhaps like a temple wedding when the officiator may give advice or expound on the significance of eternal families, but then the actual ordinance is very simple.  So, in short, it's a preamble to the ordniance.