Book of Mormon Evidence

President Russell M. Nelson closed the October 2019 general conference with an invitation for Latter-day Saints to prepare for the subsequent April 2020 general conference, 200 years since Joseph Smith’s First Vision.

“The year 2020 will be designated as a bicentennial year. General conference next April will be different from any previous conference,” President Nelson announced at the end of the Sunday afternoon session.

“In the next six months, I hope that every member and every family will prepare for a unique conference that will commemorate the very foundations of the restored gospel.”

In previewing plans for the coming year, President Nelson recounted those “very foundations.”…

President Nelson invited Church members to read Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision as recorded in the Pearl of Great Price, noting that next year’s Come, Follow Me course of study is the Book of Mormon…

He suggested incorporating the new Book of Mormon Videos into individual and family study.

“Select your own questions,” President Nelson continued. “Design your own plan. Immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration. As you do, general conference next April will be not only memorable; it will be unforgettable.”

I am sure the Prophet anticipated some great happenings in 2020, including new celebrations and the Prophet also expected some real challenges. Every time something righteous happens, Satan turns that into a crisis as well. Whose side are we on? Now is the time to know.

You realize this year we celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims and Puritans who established a new religious freedom at Plymouth Rock?

You know 2020 is the 200th year of when the Father and the Son came back to earth to visit the Prophet Joseph Smith? The Restoration began. Source:

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How Did We Do in 2020?

How was a bicentennial year an unusual year for you?
Was it a more unique Conference than ever before?
Did you immerse yourself in the Restoration message?
Was your family study better than ever?

Did what you learned this year, help you during the following challenges?
Pandemic with thousand of deaths.
Protests and Riots
Impeachment of a president
Lies about Russia
Lack of understanding the Deep ties China has to our government
Lack of respect for the Police and desire to defund them
Sanctuary cities and autonomous zones
Police shootings
Division between the Right and the Left?
Radical policies, Black Lives Matter, 1619 Doctrine, White Fragility
Cancel Culture, Loss of First Amendment rights?
Covid-19 shutdowns with many losing jobs
Unrighteous government raises its ugly head. Unconstitutional laws
Lack of respect for our country. Kneeling at anthem, burning flag.
Bitter hate and evil speaking amongst two highly divided sides.
Fraud election. Stuffed ballots, dead voting, computer malfeasants
Socialism, Marxism, Communism vs. Capitalism and Freedom

Who is Your Hero?

Everyone in this world wants a hero or may want to be one. We all want to follow a popular and charismatic leader and we spend our life trying to find one. We look for different leaders for different aspects of our lives. Are we looking for the right type of leader and hero”

My best friend and sweetheart is Stacy my eternal companion.
The man and woman I look up to the most is my Father and Mother
The baseball player I love the most is Willie Mays
My favorite singer is Amy Grant
The most free and my favorite nation is the United States of America
My favorite Prophet’s are Joseph Smith and Spencer W. Kimball
My ultimate hero and Savior is Jesus Christ.

Spirit of Christ is Given to Every Man

“Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.

For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.” Moroni 7:14, 16-17

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The Wrong Hero

“Now, one of the things that I have learned about Hillary Clinton is that one of her heroes, her mentors was Saul Alinsky. And, her senior thesis was about Saul Alinsky. This was someone that she greatly admired and that affected all of her philosophies subsequently. Now, interestingly enough, let me tell you something about Saul Alinsky. He wrote a book called, “Rules for Radicals.” On the dedication page it acknowledges Lucifer, the original radical who gained his own kingdom. Now, think about that, this is a nation where our founding document, the Declaration of Independence talked about certain inalienable rights that come from our creator. This is a nation where our Pledge of Allegiance says we are one nation under God.” Dr. Ben Carson Conservative Forbes Magazine

Wayne Allen Root says,
“Saul Alinsky is one of Obama’s heroes and mentors. His book “Rules for Radicals,” is Obama’s bible, even though Alinsky’s masterpiece is dedicated to Lucifer, the Devil. Funny, I’ve never heard the media mention that little fact.

“Alinsky’s philosophy is to destroy and discredit any conservative who dares to question you by demonizing him. The strategy is to call him vile names and tell lies, because the end justifies the means. Humiliate and intimidate them so badly, they will hide under the covers, never to be seen again…” Alinsky Now Blog

Saul Alinsky Is the Cause of Our Political Divisions

Feb. 26, 2018 11:29 am ET

Regarding Mike Gecan’s “Better Call Saul: The U.S. Needs Radicalism, Not Extremism” (op-ed, Feb. 17): To understand President Obama and Hillary Clinton, one must understand Saul Alinsky. At the top of a short presidential resume in 2008, then- Sen. Barack Obama touted himself a “community organizer,” a construct of Saul Alinsky. In 1969 Hillary Clinton wrote a fawning senior thesis on Alinsky. In Alinsky’s 1971 book “Rules for Radicals,” in the chapter titled “Tactics,” he divides the electorate into demographic groups (today’s identity politics) and says the organizer must “rub raw the resentments of the people.” This cynical tactic may win elections but serves as a poison pill for our national cohesion. After eight years of Obama-Clinton we are left to wonder why our culture is so divided and filled with resentment.

Enter Mr. Gecan to offer Alinsky as the cultural solution to the problem he helped create.

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I still greatly pray for Trump’s 2nd term. If not watch the new Biden administration for the same type of strategies as Hillary and Obama. Who’s side are they on? This side of freedom and Capitalism, or the side of government guarantees and Socialism? See for yourself. It’s either the Lord’s way or No-Way!

We sure are divided in this country. What will it take to come together? Just two things!
Love the Lord and Love Thy Neighbor. Can we do it?

Isn’t there a happy Medium? Freedom vs. Safety? Government vs Freedom? Self awareness vs Self importance? Control vs Shaming? You choose!

A Complacent Country

“We live in an enormous country, the third largest country in the world. We sit between two oceans, and clock in with the third largest population over 300 million people. Not everything affects us the same way. Those who live in Texas process life differently than those who live in Hawaii. The economy, the neighborhood, the laws, they differ from place to place but there are things that happen to all of us that should make us angry. But many Americans just sit there and take it. Why, this isn’t who we are it’s not who our forefathers were?

It’s not the American spirit. China recklessly released the virus into America. They lied about it and covered it up and even blamed us for it. And many people believe we should consider this an act of war. Has China paid the price? Have our people demanded our leaders do something about this? No, we’re just sitting here on our iPhone made in China ordering take out, because we’re told we can’t go out to dinner because of a virus also made in China.

Congress held a hearing or two and then nothing happened. The media even praised China for how it handled the pandemic. That’s like praising an arsonist who set your house on fire. Our politicians told us to stay inside don’t go to work and we complied in the beginning. That’s fine.

But what broke us out of the lockdowns anymore and reopened their stores so they could put food on the table for their families? Politicians had him arrested, a salon owner in Texas handcuffed. But, the speaker of the house forces a salon to open in San Francisco while she just strolls inside without a mask.

Gym owners, pub owners arrested, not a peep. A few lockdown protests pop up here and there but the media makes them out to be domestic terrorists. And we just nod our heads. All the lies pile up from the press. But we still keep watching.

If the weatherman told you it was going to be sunny and every day it rained, would you still watch? No, but we still watch the fake news, collusion hoaxes, post office hoaxes, impeachment hoaxes, gang rape hoaxes, hundreds of eyewitnesses come forward and testify they saw election fraud, and poll watchers were kicked out of the count rooms. The Republican establishment just fades into the background. A few brave fighters are left out on the front lines totally outgunned by their political enemies. People in your party you thought were in your foxhole went AWOL after everything Donald Trump had accomplished for the country and for the Republican Party. The Republican establishment went silent when we needed them most.

Trump was there for you when you needed him. Cavanaugh, Coney Barret, Isis, Mideast peace, and North Korea. Tax relief, energy independence, border security, and a vaccine, but we just threw in the towel before the bell had wrung. Now we’re facing a second wave and Democrat lockdowns are punishing Americans. Congress thought cutting us 600 bucks before they go on vacation was a win when companies were giving a thousand dollar bonuses to workers after the Trump tax cuts. Nancy called that crumbs, so what’s six hundred dollars Nancy? But it’s even more devious than that. Politicians took your tax dollars while we’re suffering during a pandemic and sent tens of billions of dollars to a third world slush fund. 10 million dollars to Pakistan for gender studies, 700 million to Sudan for G__ knows what? 506 million to Central America to fight corruption. Probably just goes straight into the police chief’s bank account. 300 million to Caribbean countries to study how many fish are in the sea. 500 million to build a border wall between Jordan and Syria. Didn’t the Democrats tell us walls don’t work? 86 million to Cambodia. How about we send that to the Carolinas instead? Okay 1.3 billion to Egypt who’s just going to use it to buy weapons from Russia. The politicians are stealing our money and sending it to other countries. This doesn’t make us safer it’s just credit card therapy for insecure guilty congressmen. It’s our money. It should go to America first after the year we’ve had.

Rand Paul tracked the waste this year and found stuff that’s going to drive you crazy. 54 billion in waste. Here’s some highlights.

1.3 million to study if Americans will eat bugs? No, I just saved you 1.3. 2 million to study if going in a hot tub reduces stress. The answer is yes. 1 million to get people to get over their fear of going to the dentist. 150,000 on Kenyan art classes. 37 million to get Filipino students to stop playing hooky. Three million to send Russians to American community colleges. That’s smart. 1.5 million to walk lizards on a treadmill. First it was shrimp now it’s lizards. And 715 million dollars for equipment that was lost training Syrian rebels. Six million to build a place to park your bike in DC. 4.5 million to spray alcoholic rats with bobcat urine.

Now it’s kind of funny but it’s gallows humor. Americans are struggling, dying, and congress is picking our pocket. There’s hundreds of examples like this. Nobody cares. This is so d___ disrespectful. It’s debasing the dollar too. A million here a billion there, while our countrymen scrape by because politicians won’t let them work. They close our restaurants and then sneak out for a five course meal when they think no one’s watching.

Our country careens from crisis to crisis. Debt ceiling fiscal cliff, great recession, pandemic, government shutdowns, and they just play chicken with each other, and horse trade with our money, and at the very last second in the dark at night, jammed through a trillion in pork that gets laundered through bureaucrats and donors and corrupt foreign nationals, before hardworking taxpayers see a real dime. And nobody reads the bill it’s 5 000 pages rushed through written by lobbyists and special interests. But it’s a crisis so we have to pass it as fast as possible. It’s a criminally corrupt practice. It happens every year. The politicians pass it, pat themselves on the back, and then they go home and ask for your vote again. And guess what? You vote for him again. We must deserve it.

You get the government you deserve. We elect these people and rarely demand change and when they sabotage a president who actually changes things we don’t rebel. We don’t march, we don’t resist. We watch it on TV. Our form of protest is just changing the channel. DC just mocks us and kicks us when we’re down. We used to storm the castle over abuses of power like this. Now we just raid the fridge. So, in 2021 let’s relight that great American Spirit. Let’s stand up to this den of thieves, because they’ll just keep robbing us blind, until we actually do something about it!” Fox News Watters Word Dec 26, 2020 Deleted words added.

View Full Video Below: A Complacent Country

Ezra Taft Benson
How to Overcome Complacency

I thank God for freedom—the right of choice. I am grateful for this great nation in which we meet. Every true Latter-day Saint throughout the world loves the USA. The Constitution of this land is part of every Latter-day Saint’s religious faith.

To us, this is not just another nation, not just a member of the family of nations. This is a great and glorious nation with a divine mission and a prophetic history and future. It has been brought into being under the inspiration of heaven.

It is our firm belief, as Latter-day Saints, that the Constitution of this land was established by men whom the God of heaven raised up unto that very purpose. It is our conviction also that the God of heaven guided the founding fathers in establishing it for his particular purpose.

The founders of this republic were deeply spiritual men. They believed men are capable of self-government and that it is the job of government to protect freedom and foster private initiative.

Our earliest American fathers came here with a common objective—freedom of worship and liberty of conscience. Familiar with the sacred scriptures, they believed that liberty is a gift of heaven. To them, man as a child of God, emphasized the sacredness of the individual and the interest of a kind Providence in the affairs of men and nations. These leaders recognized the need for divine guidance and the importance of vital religion and morality in the affairs of men and nations.

To the peoples who should inhabit this blessed land of the Americas, the Western Hemisphere, an ancient prophet uttered this significant promise and solemn warning: “Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ . . .

“For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands, wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God” (see (Ether 2:12,10).

Ancient American prophets six hundred years before Christ foresaw the coming of Columbus and those who followed. These prophets saw the establishment of the colonies (1 Ne. 13:12-13), the war for independence (1 Ne. 13:17-19), and predicted the outcome. These prophecies are contained in a volume of scripture called the Book of Mormon. This sacred record, a companion volume to the Holy Bible, which it confirms, is an added witness to the divine mission of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Redeemer of the world.

How I wish every American and every living soul would read the Book of Mormon. I testify to you that it is true. It tells about the prophetic history and mission of America. It gives the comforting assurance that God has kept this great nation, as it were, in the hollow of his hand in preparation for its great mission.

Yes, the Lord planned it all. Why? So America could serve as a beacon of liberty and in preparation for the opening of a new gospel dispensation—the last and greatest of all dispensations in preparation for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. To achieve his purposes the Lord had to have a base of operations. Later he revealed to a modern prophet that the Constitution of this land was established by “wise men” whom the Lord “raised up unto this very purpose” (see (D&C 101:80). The Lord also directed that the constitutional laws of the land, supporting the principle of freedom, should be upheld and that honest and wise men should be sought for and upheld in public office.

The establishment of this great Christian nation, with a spiritual foundation, was all in preparation for the restoration of the gospel, following the long night of apostasy. Then in 1820 the time had arrived. God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ made their glorious appearance. I give you a few words from the Prophet Joseph Smith, who was the instrument in God’s hands in restoring the gospel and establishing the true Church of Christ again upon the earth. In response to humble prayer Joseph relates: “. . . I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

“. . . When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JS—H 1:16-17).

To me this is the greatest event that has occurred in this world since the resurrection of the Master—and it happened in America.

Later, other heavenly messengers came to restore the authority of the Holy Priesthood and important keys essential to the opening of the final gospel dispensation. The Church was organized in 1830. Immediately, in response to divine command, missionary-messengers began to carry the important message of salvation throughout the world. It is a world message intended for all of God’s children. And so, once this nation was well established, then the Church was restored and from here the message of the restored gospel has gone forth. All according to divine plan.

This then becomes the Lord’s base of operations in these latter days. And this base will not be shifted out of its place—the land of America. This nation will, in a measure at least, fulfil its mission even though it may face serious and troublesome days. The degree to which it achieves its full mission depends upon the righteousness of its people. God has, through his power, established a free people in this land as a means of helping to carry forward his purposes.

“It was his latter-day purpose to bring forth his gospel in America, not in any other place. It was in America where the Book of Mormon plates were deposited. That was no accident. It was his design. It was in this same America where they were brought to light by angelic ministry. It was” . . . [here] “where he organized his modern Church, where he, himself made a modern personal appearance” (Editorial, Church News).

Yes, it was here under a free government and a strong nation that protection was provided for his restored Church. Now God will not permit his base of operations—America—to be destroyed. He has promised protection to this land if we will but serve the God of the land. He has also promised protection to the righteous even, if necessary, to send fire from heaven to destroy their enemies (1 Ne. 22:17; Ether 2:12).

No, God’s base of operations will not be destroyed. But it may be weakened and made less effective. One of the first rules of war strategy—and we are at war with the adversary and his agents—is to protect the base of operations. This we must do if we are to build up the kingdom throughout the world and safeguard our God-given freedom.

How will we protect this base of operations?

We must protect this base of operations from every threat—from sin, from unrighteousness, immorality, from desecration of the Sabbath day, from lawlessness, from parental and juvenile delinquency.

We must protect it from dirty movies, filthy advertising, from salacious and suggestive TV programs, magazines, and books.

We must protect this base from idleness, subsidies, doles, and soft governmental paternalism which weakens initiative, discourages industry, destroys character, and demoralizes people.

We must protect this base from complacency—from the dangerous feeling that all is well—from being lulled away into a false security. We must protect this American base from the brainwashing, increasingly administered to our youth in many educational institutions across the land, by some misinformed instructors and some wolves in sheep’s clothing. Their false indoctrination, often perpetrated behind the front of so-called academic freedom, is leaving behind many faithless students, socialist-oriented, who are easy subjects for state tyranny.

“At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected?” asked Abraham Lincoln, and answered, “. . . If it ever reaches us, it must spring up among us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time or die by suicide.” (Springfield, Ill., Jan. 27, 1837.)

The only threat to the liberty and independence of the American people from abroad is the threat of world communism spreading from its base in the Soviet Union. But the best authorities are confident that the Soviets will not provoke a major war. Their economy would not support it.

Lenin said, “The soundest strategy in war is to postpone operations until the moral disintegration of the enemy renders the mortal blow possible and easy.” Commenting on Lenin’s statement the Indianapolis Star adds: “Where then does the real danger lie? It lies with us—the American people . . .

“Other great civilizations have died by suicide. The first free people, the Greeks, died thus.

“And why did Greece fall: ‘A slackness and softness finally came over them to their ruin. In the end more than they wanted freedom they wanted security, a comfortable life, and they lost all—security, comfort and freedom.’

“It is the same with Americans today. The danger that threatens us is an internal danger. It lies in our hearts and minds and not in the hands of Khrushchev.

“It is our own ignorance—ignorance of our own history and our heritage of liberty that threatens us. It is our ignorance of the true nature of our enemy, socialistic communism, that threatens us . . . Our own lack of faith in freedom and ourselves, our own lack of confidence in the greatness of America and all that she stands for, morally and materially, is what puts us in mortal danger.

“Too many of us are afraid—afraid of atomic war, afraid of the disapproval of our allies or the neutrals, afraid of the threats and boasts of the bloated tyrants in the Kremlin, afraid to offend others by taking action to defend ourselves.”

Yes, we are afraid to live righteously according to eternal principles—economic, moral, and spiritual. This is our danger. We must never forget that nations may—and usually do—sow the seeds of their own destruction while enjoying unprecedented prosperity. As Jenkin Lloyd Jones said, “It is time we hit the sawdust trail. It is time we revived the idea that there is such a thing as sin—just plain old willful sin. It is time we brought self-discipline back into style . . .

“I am fed up with the educationists and pseudo-scientists who have underrated our potential as a people . . . I am tired of seeing America debased and low-rated in the eyes of foreigners. I am genuinely disturbed that to idealistic youth in many countries the fraud of Communism appears synonymous with morality, while we, the chief repository of real freedom, are regarded as being in the last stages of decay.

“In this hour of fear, confusion and self-doubt . . . let there be a fresh breeze, a breeze of new honesty, new idealism, new integrity.”

To protect this base we must protect the soul of America—we must return to a love and respect for the basic spiritual concepts upon which this nation has been established. We must study the Constitution and the writings of the founding fathers.

Yes, we must protect the Lord’s base of operations by moving away from unsound economic policies which encourage creeping socialism and its companion, insidious, atheistic communism. If we are to protect this important base, we must as a nation live within our means, balance our budgets, and pay our debts. We must establish sound monetary policies and take needed steps to compete in world markets.

If we are to protect this American base, we must realize that all things, including information disseminated by our schools, churches, and government, should be judged according to the words of the prophets, especially the living prophet. This procedure coupled with the understanding which will come through the Spirit of the Lord, if we are living in compliance with the scriptures, is the only sure foundation and basis of judgment. Any other course of action leaves us muddled, despondent, wandering in shades of gray, easy targets for Satan.

We must not fail in these pressing and important matters. We must not fall short of the great mission the Lord has proffered and outlined for America and for his divinely restored Church.

Yes, this is a choice land—a nation with a prophetic history.

God bless America and her leaders and all the free world. And may God protect his latter-day base of operation that his glorious message of salvation may go forth to all the world, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.” The Lord’s Base of Operations by Elder Ezra Taft Benson Of the Council of the Twelve Apostles Conference Report, April 1962, pp. 103-106

Merry Christmas from Rod Meldrum, Rian Nelson and all of us from the FIRM Foundation. May the Lord bless you and your family.

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YEA, come unto Christ, and be perfected in Him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is His grace sufficient for you, that by His grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. (Moroni 10:32)

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“AND He shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith, ‘He will take upon Him the pains and the sicknesses of His people.’*

And He will take upon Him death, that He may loose the bands of death which bind His people; and He will take upon Him their infirmities, that His bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that He may know according to the flesh how to succor His people according to their infirmities.” (Alma 7:11–12; *see Isaiah 53:4; cf. Matthew 8:17)

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The Prophet Joseph Smith was born on Mon 23 Dec 1805. That is close to the winter solstice, which usually occurs on 21 December, which has led to the suggestion that his birth symbolized the time when darkness would begin to recede and that the light would return to the earth. But that date is about two days off, according to our calendar. When we looked at the Savior’s birth and death dates, we saw that his birth was timed down to the quarter-day period before the midnight which commenced Thu 6 Apr 1 BC. Similarly, his resurrection must have been after midnight and before dawn on the morning of Sun 3 Apr AD 33. If the Savior’s birth and death were timed so precisely, we might expect that of Joseph Smith to have been also. At this point it might be well to remember that the Lord tends to use the calendars which he has revealed, rather than the one originating with Julius Caesar, which we currently employ. On the Hebrew Calendar, the four seasonal markers are the first days of the months Nisan (spring), Tammuz (summer), Tishri (autumn) and Tebeth (winter).

What was the day 23 Dec 1805 on the Hebrew Calendar? While the true Hebrew Calendar is not yet perfectly understood, all indications are that the evening of 23 Dec 1805 began the Hebrew day 1 Tebeth, the precise day of the winter solstice on that calendar. The identification of Joseph Smith as one of the four angels associated with the four seasons suggests that his birth date was carefully planned to coincide with one of the four seasonal markers on a calendar which God has endorsed. On the Hebrew calendar, the first day of every month is considered a holy day, so Joseph Smith was not only born on a holy day, but apparently was the standard bearer for the day of the winter solstice throughout all time. Source

“I love puzzles, science, math, calendars, and enjoy connecting ideas from a wide variety of disciplines. I have bachelor’s degrees in physics and math from the U. of Utah, and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the U. of Arizona. I taught astronomy at a state college and keep notes for that class on this web site. I also do computer programming, have three software patents, and host a few websites.” John Pratt

This editor has read John Pratt’s material for many years. He is a very brilliant man, but reader beware. Some of his ideas are so hard to understand. I love the prophet Joseph and I use these Pratt quotes about Joseph Smith’s birthday, as an example of how special a man Joseph Smith is. Using the signs in the heavens, it is interesting to me how the Lord can speak to us truth through various signs and wonders in heaven. Be prayerful.

The date on the Star Calendar for the birth of the Prophet Joseph is 10 Sgr. That corresponds to a star in the bow of the Archer (Sagittarius). With so many constellations available representing him, the birth date seemed surprising at first.

The blessings given to his twelve sons by Jacob have many references to constellations in them. Reuben is called unstable as water (Waterbearer), Dan is a serpent which bites heels (Scorpion) and Judah is a Lion. In the later blessing by Moses, Joseph is referred to as a wild ox (the Bull, mistranslated “unicorn” in KJV), with his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh being the two horns (Deut. 33:17).

What was Jacob’s blessing to Joseph? Here is part of it:

But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob (Gen. 49:24)

We know a lot of detail about the life of Joseph of Egypt. Having his bow be strong does not sound like a highlight of his life. It might refer to his descendants being mighty warriors. But it is well known that many of these blessings have obscure and/or multiple meanings. Consider the possibility that another intended meaning of this blessing could be a reference to the Prophet Joseph Smith being the “bow”. If so, then the word “his” in “arms of his hands” could refer to the strength of Joseph Smith. He was known for his great strength, which allowed him to become a champion wrestler.

In any case, it seems possible that Joseph Smith could indeed be symbolized by the Bow of the Archer. If so, then Joseph was born on a day representing him. That star is called the “Bow” in my work now. The day proposed in my work for the date of the death of Isaac was also on the day of the Bow, so Joseph is in good company. Source

One of Joseph Smith’s greatest accomplishments was of course the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon. We celebrate the Prophet’s role with the entire restoration when we celebrate his birthday. Next to Christ Himself there has not been a greater man on this earth.

Where the Book of Mormon Went to Press

Visitors to the Grandin Building can see how the book was first printed.

In 1830, a small publisher in Palmyra, New York, printed the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon. Since then, millions of copies have been printed in 78 languages. These pages showcase the building—now a visitors’ center—where the book was printed.

The press printed sheets with eight pages on each side. At top speed, an operator could run about four sheets on one side per minute. After one side of a sheet was printed, the sheet was hung on a line to dry before the other side was printed. Since the ink became slightly sticky, an inked sheet sometimes pulled type out of the press plate. An assistant periodically checked for missing letters. Because of letter dropouts and corrections, it is possible that no two copies of the book are exactly the same.

To print 5,000 copies of the first edition of the 590-page Book of Mormon, the printer printed a minimum of 185,000 sheets, not counting mistakes and extras. The typesetting, printing, and binding took from August 1829 to 26 March 1830. Even if the press ran continuously, the print run would have taken 129 days to complete. This estimate is based on twelve-hour work days, since the pressmen assigned to the job worked from sunup to sundown. Source

Book of Mormon Printing Miracle

“The Lord is in the details of our lives. The printing of the Book of Mormon was truly a miracle. The details of the life of Gordon L. Weight, who died in 2004 at the age of 72, is another case in point. He wrote the booklet, “Miracle on Palmyra’s Main Street,” the year before he died.

Gordon is probably the only person on the planet that could have written with authenticity this booklet with subtitle, “An ‘Old-Time’ Printer’s Perspective on Printing the Original Copies of the Book of Mormon.”

The Book of Mormon has been criticized and praised for nearly 200 years.  Now it is well recognized by many non-LDS scholars and religious leaders (view BYU-TV “A New Day for the Book of Mormon” available on line).

We have the book physically before us. What Gordon Wright has done is to show in its first printing we have a documented miracle. It would have been impossible for it to be printed as it was without “Divine assistance” – thus showing this second witness of Christ – companion to the Bible – was brought forth with God’s help because of its great importance in preparation for the coming of our Lord.

For example, Joseph specified both the kind of type and the kind of paper for the Book of Mormon, but the printer had neither or access to same, but they were provided miraculously.  The massive amount of ink for the printing of the 5,000 copies was also miraculously provided.  Brother Weight, who had the expertise to say so, estimates a minimum of 22 ½ months to print and bind these 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon, and Grandin Press had other printing responsibilities in addition – a newspaper and other customer jobs.

Yet the 5,000 printed copies were ready in time for the Lord to organize His Church on the 6^th of April 1830.  They were printed and bound in a little over 6 months – a clear documented miracle.  It is like what George Washington said when we should not have won the Revolutionary War, but we did.  He summarized it in two words, “Divine intervention.”  This is like water into wine at Cana of Galilee. (John 2)

I was pondering these miracles in the early morning hours of the Vernal Equinox (20 March 2017, 4:28 AM MST), and had the impression that the dimensions of this first printing were in the Divine ratio or Golden Mean = 1.618…  Having a replica of these, I got up and measured it.  It was exact.  Another fingerprint of the Lord.  I have found no other book in our library with these exact dimensions and we have well over two thousand books.

Copies of Gordon’s booklet on the Book of Mormon miracle can be obtained from Dorotha Wright: 4649 S. 345 E. Murray, UT 84107, (801) 262-9290 or [email protected].”

Faithfully yours, David W. Allan website here

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What people might have missed at the 2017 solar eclipse

By Tim Adams author of “Similitudes Typology of Our Day”

At the end of 1999 there was great hysteria over the fact that as the year came to an end would our modern-day computers be able to move from the 1900s to a new number of 2000s?  Computers never had gaped anything this big on its own, because computers never had performed as they did in our day.  Would the computer move on numerically on to the 2000s or would we wake up the next day in 1900?  Logically the experts told us they thought all would go fine.  But pop culture gave us other ideas.  Prince had written a popular song saying he was going to party like its 1999.  2000 was going to lead us into the Millennium.  But before the Millennium there was thought that a great destruction would come first, as Prince sang “had to run from my destruction, you know I didn’t even care!”  Was the Millennium really coming already?  There was a little bit of fear and trepidation until the next day we woke up and saw 2000 really came and went!  Nothing happened at all!  Eat drink and be merry, or party on!

            I however was focusing on other possibilities.  2012 we were being told was the end of the Mayan calendar.  It was said to be the most accurate calendar and with its end we were told all things would change and become new again.  A great collapse was to occur and then the world would start a new period would be ushered in.  I sort of was in that camp; and wondered if history would begin anew.  I read many things on the internet about this Mayan calendar and the Mayan prophecies affiliated with the end.

            In 2017 I had gone to a Christian fireside and felt like I had an understanding about iconography, and maybe I could add some insights to the symbology of the constellations.  It took just two and a half years to write; and by then I saw something much more compelling than the end of an old calendar system.

            Someone told of a series of four red lunar moons that were going to show up two years in a row falling on the Jewish holidays!  This I had to see.  By then I had purchased a computer program of the night sky called Starry night enthusiast.  First, I went to the NASA site to find out exactly when these events were going to take place.  They were called a tetrad. April 15^th, 2014 and October 8^th. Then on April 4^th, 2015 and the 28^th of September 2015

            The two April lunar eclipse happened on the Jewish holidays of Passover, and the October 8^th, 2014, and the September 28^th of 2015 both fell on Feast of Tabernacles.  Let’s not forget that I know of no other Christian Church that keeps the feast similar to that of the Jews except for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We hold our April and October conferences similar to the Jewish Holidays.  They keep theirs by following the lunar cycles, while we generally follow the next closest Sunday to their cycles.  The scriptures teach:

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. (Joel 2:30-32)

19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Acts 2;19-21)

            In addition to these four lunar eclipses that fell on the four Jewish holidays there is yet another compelling view others could not see.  The background constellations during those eclipses have meaning.  The two in April had Virgo behind them and the two in the fall had Pisces behind them.  Virgo is a representation of the Church:

1 And there appeared a great sign in heaven, in the likeness of things on the earth; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. (Revelation 12:1)

            Wandle Mace one of the great men in Church History who helped build the Nauvoo Temple stated:

            “The order of the architecture was unlike anything in existence: it was purely original, being a representation of the Church, the Bride, the Lamb’s wife.  This is portrayed in the beautifully cut stone of this grand Temple”.

            The symbol of the woman in the heavens and in the scriptures is a clear representation of the Church.  The two lunar eclipses in the fall had the constellation of Pisces behind them, also a representation of the Church.  Think of the Savior directing his disciples “I will make you fishers of men”.  The fish has long been a symbol of the church.  So then why blood red moons with the symbols of the church behind them?  Why did these 4 eclipses happen across America.  A lot of commentators rejected these signs because they did not occur over Israel, but over America. 

I believe these signs were meant for the Latter-day Church if they had eyes to see them.  And the Latter-day Church resides in America; are we not a tribe of Israel?  Like Israel of old, we hold our feast (think of spiritual food) at the time of Passover (April conference) and (October conference).  If it is a message, then we should be the ones to see them.

             But what of the sun being turned to darkness?  Two years later August 21, 2017 we had a spectacular solar eclipse that passed from one end of our country to the other.  Its shadow began off the cost of Oregon and went from Depot bay across the country exiting in South Carolina.  I saw it myself with my wife Katy and Jacqueline in Dallas Oregon. This picture is moments before the solar eclipse. 

            I had gone onto my astronomy program back in 2012 or 2013 and I saw something to do with this eclipse that just floored me.  I noticed that the path, or center line of the path of the eclipse traveled through Jackson County Missouri.  The center line went in between the Temple block of Independence and Adam-Ondi-Ahman to the north.  But that is not all.  I decided to take a look at the constellation that would be behind it and saw that it was Leo the Lion.  Or the Lion of the tribe of Judah!  Zooming into the program I saw a bright star near the solar eclipse, it was Regulas the king star!  Regulas is where we get the word “regal” from, it means “prince” So think of this….  The brightest time of the day (just after 2pm) September 21^st the sky was darkened such that at the zenith of the eclipse it was dark enough to see with the naked eye the king star Regulas, (with the longest duration) over the top of the land of the New Jerusalem.  The star of the prince was directly over Jackson County, Missouri; if a line was to be drawn at the center of the line of the eclipse, the path of that line was exactly between the Temple lot to the south in Independence and Adam-Ondi-Ahman to the north.  I was not so interested in the solar eclipse as I was to see Regulas in broad daylight.  When the sun went into full darkness, I took off my solar glasses and saw with my own two eyes Regulas.  Not me alone but my daughter Jacqueline also saw it.  In the picture below Regulas is the star to the left.

            I have not as of this day heard of anyone else who may have noticed it, but that was the only thing worth looking at.  What a wonder in the heavens!  What mathematics would have been needed to calculate the positioning of such an event.  We were two eyewitnesses, which made the event spectacular, and for the record, part of the reason why I felt I needed and was compelled to write this account.  I have come to see the Lord’s hands in all things, perfection!

    I believe this to be the sign of the eminent return of The Messiah to his people. And then what happened?  Nothing!  Signs are just that.  Signs.  When driving on the way to Salt Lake City for instance, we see signs telling us information, distances to reaching the city.  As such these heavenly signs are just that.  For those who are alert they can “see” where they are at in relation to another place, time, or event.  How grateful I am that I was allowed to see these things.  In His previous first coming, the sign of his coming occurred nearly 31years before his ministry. 

First look at the 2024 total solar eclipse

Posted by Michael Bakich
on Sunday, September 23, 2018

2,024 days to go. I’m posting this blog September 23, 2018, and, yes, there are 2,024 days until the next great American total eclipse, which will occur April 8, 2024. Citizens of and visitors to the United States are still abuzz about the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse. Videos, photos, and social media reports still abound. I hope you saw it. But maybe you missed it — at least the total part.

Why you may have missed it doesn’t matter. Whether you were serving on a submarine at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, just awoke in a hospital after a bad dream, or were hampered by the thickest (and darkest!) clouds anyone ever saw, you failed to experience the awesome wonder of the 2017 total solar eclipse.

Now what? Well, perhaps you’ll want to plan a trip to South America for the next two such events. Or Antarctica. I urge you, however, to look carefully at April 8, 2024. And although 2,024 days from this post sounds like a lot, it’s much shorter than the average time between eclipses in a specific location (330 years in the Northern Hemisphere and 550 years for locations south of the equator).

A few details

The length of totality varies from one eclipse to the next. The reason is that Earth is not always the same distance from the Sun, and the Moon is not always the same distance from Earth. The Earth-Sun distance varies by 3 percent and the Moon-Earth distance by 12 percent. The result is that the maximum duration of totality from 2000 B.C. to AD., 3000 is 7 minutes, 29 seconds. (That eclipse will occur July 16, 2186, so don’t get too excited for it.)

While the maximum length of totality during the April 8, 2024, eclipse won’t be that long, it’s still a worthy chunk of time: 4 minutes, 28 seconds — 67 percent longer than the one in 2017. And as with that one, everyone in the contiguous U.S. will see at least a partial eclipse. In fact, as long as you have clear skies on eclipse day, the Moon will cover at least 16.15 percent of the Sun’s brilliant surface. That minimum comes at Tatoosh Island, a tiny speck of land west of Neah Bay, Washington. And although our satellite covering any part of the Sun’s disk sounds cool, you need to aim higher.

Likening a partial eclipse to a total eclipse is like comparing almost dying to dying. If you’re outside during a solar eclipse with 16 percent coverage, you won’t even notice it getting dark. And it doesn’t matter whether the partial eclipse above your location is 16, 56, or 96 percent. Only totality reveals the true celestial spectacles: the two diamond rings, the Sun’s glorious corona, 360° of sunset colors, and solar prominences (through a Hydrogen-alpha filter).

To see any of these, you must be in the path of totality. That said, your next goal is to be as close to the center line as possible. The fact that the Moon’s shadow is round means that the longest eclipse occurs at its center line because that’s where you’ll experience the lunar shadow’s full width.

The big day

On April 8, 2024, the Moon’s shadow first touches Earth just north of Penrhyn Island, one of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. That location will experience a 98-percent partial eclipse. Seventy-three minutes later, totality first strikes land at Socorro Island, a possession of Mexico. If, for some reason, you choose that location to view the eclipse, be sure to position yourself at the island’s far southeastern tip — you’ll enjoy an extra 34 seconds of totality there. (The span is 3 minutes, 36 seconds.)

The shadow’s path covers a few more tiny islands before it encounters North America just southeast of Mazatlán, Mexico. Hey! That city was my base of operations for the 1991 total solar eclipse. Viewers from that location will enjoy 4 minutes, 27 seconds of totality. And if you wish to stay in Mazatlán, you’ll lose only 10 seconds off that span.

The greatest duration of totality — 4 minutes, 28.1 seconds — occurs when the shadow reaches San Martín, north of Torreón and roughly half the distance from the coast to the Mexican border with Texas. In fact, the duration of totality along the center line is never more than 1 second less than this maximum during the shadow’s more than 550-mile (885 kilometers) voyage through Mexico.

Border crossing

Totality first occurs in the United States as the shadow crosses the Rio Grande River at the wonderfully named Radar Base, Texas, which lies in Maverick County. There, totality lasts 4 minutes, 27 seconds. As the eclipse progresses through the Lone Star State, a huge number of people won’t have to travel anywhere to see it. That said, just a few miles’ journey to the center line can increase their duration of totality.

San Antonio, Austin, Waco (Baylor University will enjoy 4 minutes, 10 seconds of darkness), Dallas, and Fort Worth all lie under the shadow, although none is on the center line. Still, that’s more than 11 million people who can experience the total phase of the eclipse by simply walking outside. And we’re not even out of Texas yet.

The center line then passes through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Vermont, and Maine. Those wishing to observe the eclipse from the same location the center line crossed during the August 21, 2017, eclipse should head to a location near Makanda, Illinois, which lies just south of Carbondale. A word of warning, if I may: The weather in Illinois in April — and here I’m specifically talking about cloud cover — will be a lot different from what it was for the August 2017 event. Your chances of actually seeing the 2024 eclipse increase dramatically as you head to the southwest. Not to mention that you’ll pick up an extra 15 seconds of totality from center line locations near San Antonio.

Other cities in the path include Little Rock, Arkansas; Indianapolis; Dayton and Cleveland, Ohio (with northwestern parts of Cincinnati and Columbus under the shadow); Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, New York; and about half of Montréal, Québec, Canada.

This spectacular photographic sequence around totality shows some of the features you’ll see if your sky is clear and you’re in the path of totality April 8, 2024.

Be there!

If you miss the 2024 total solar eclipse, you’ll have a 20-year wait until August 23, 2044, for the next one that touches the lower 48 states. That eclipse will be visible only in northeastern Montana and a tiny segment of North Dakota. Its greatest duration of totality, 2 minutes, 4 seconds, happens over Canada’s Northwest Territories.

For those of you who stood beneath the Moon’s umbra in August 2017, no convincing is necessary to get you to darkness in 2024. It’s a sight you’ll never rate as anything other than awesome. Just be sure to check the weather first.

 While “we” may think of Pisecs is a constellation to itself, nonetheless it is part of a bigger picture tied to the the neck of Cetus.   Below are pictures of the 2024 solar eclipse with the constellations behind it.  One can see the solar eclipse cuts or relases the second fish cord from the monster Cetus.  The second pic not so bright shows it on the cord line (subjective, although there are stars forming the cord when zoomed in all the way connected to the second fish). 

              The constellation of Pisces we know are part of the 12 signs of the zodiac.  As discussed in the book “Pattern of the Heavens” by this same author; the twelve signs cordinate with the twelve ensigns for each tribe of the sons of Jacob.  Pisces is the ensign for the tribe of Lehi.  Remember it was the tribe of Lehi that was the “priestly class”.  As such God would have us to be a nation of Kings and Priests.  Of all the signs in the heavens two are types of the church.  Virgo the Virgin with her linen garments clean and white, a representation of the righteousness of the saints[1].  These representations, like the scriptures are of ancient date.  We say “symbols are the language of the spirit; if this is so, lets see what the scriptures have to say about these symbols we are looking at in the Heavens. 

            10 O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.

            19 O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, and death, and hell, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment. (2 Nephi 9:10, 19)

            7 Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the bands of death, and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them.

            9 And again I ask, were the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love. And I say unto you that they are saved.

            10 And now I ask of you on what conditions are they saved? Yea, what grounds had they to hope for salvation? What is the cause of their being loosed from the bands of death, yea, and also the chains of hell? (Alma 5: 7,9,10)

16 ¶ Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.(Jeremiah 16:16)

            19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19)

The monster = the Devil,
Death = the end of our temporal lives (thus our lives are temporary)
Hell = spiritual death
God = he who breaks the bands and frees His saints
Fish = his saints

            How amazing that the symbol of the Latter-day Church being released from that awful monster the adversary is the center sign of the saints coming out of darkness with the soon or imminent return of Christ.  Also that there is a seven year space from the first Solar Eclipse across America to the second.  And that North America only gets two eclipses on average at the same location every 330 years.  The X marks the spot will be twice in seven years, not ever to happen again in our lifetimes! 

[1] Revelation 19:8

Tim Adams Husband, Father, Author, Iconology Expert

Tim Adams is first and foremost a father of six children and married to the love of his life Katy Ann MacArthur.  Raised and lived around the US spending middle and High school years in Upstate New York.  I remember well camping as a boy scout on the backside of the Hill Cumorah.  Sneaking out at night as our leaders slept, digging with sticks looking for that stone box that held the plates.  Professors hadn’t taught me yet that New York’s Hill was the wrong one.  Nonetheless we moved there when I was 13; and I identified strongly with the boy prophet.  My Father became a professor of Art History working on organizing an iconografical index for the Cathedral of Chartres.  Having read a few of my Fathers papers and having him as a Seminary teacher trained me to “see” what the scriptures looked like in stone. Latter served a mission in the Netherlands Amsterdam mission, where I had fun with my companions seeing if they could identify the apostles and prophets in the large Catholic churches.

Tim attended Ricks College as it was then known; and found his girlfriend Katy MacAurthur (and yes; she is related to that famous General), and married her in the Washington DC Temple.

Tim attended a meeting in Portland Oregon where he lives; where a Christian man gave a presentation on the constellations, and how they testified of Christ.  Having an acute interest in Greek mythology, I thought how strange that he fears using the icons that are Greek to testify of Christ’s godliness.  Someone should write a book about it that understands iconology.  So “Pattern of the Heavens” became my first book written in 2009.  This year in March I completed a second book called “Similitude’s”.  One could call it the iconology of Old Testament stories.  This new book is a twist on a topic about typology, taking it to new places it has yet to go.

Tim graduated from Ricks College earning an associate degree in general education.  He has not gone on to further his studies in any direction.  No masters degree, no PHD, preferring instead to be a self made man; husband, Father, follower of Christ, and yes a dreamer.

Purchase Tim’s new book today: Similitudes: Typology of our Day

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Anticipating the Aug 2024 Eclipse!
Center of the Land. X marks the spot?

Notice that the eclipse of 2024 will be going directly over Kirtland, Ohio and the Hill Cumorah. The eclipse of 2017 went right over Adam-Ondi-Ahman and Independence, Missouri. These are probably not just coincidences.

In year 16-18 AD, Lachoneus gathered all the people to the center of the land. 3 Nep 3:21-24. We believe the center of the land to be at the southern tip of Illinois. There is perfect protection with the Mississippi River on the west and the Ohio River or the Wabash River on the East. In the tip of Illinois is an escarpment and remains of old fortifications and walls all the way across. The article below talks all about those stone walls and fortifications of southern Illinois.

See Blog here about Makanda, Illinois Stone Walls https://bookofmormonevidence.org/stone-walls-of-southern-illinois/

This article seems to be quite reliable as why the world and or ancient churches celebrated Christmas on December 25th. Although I can’t vouch for its total reliability it comes from a man of science. I am grateful for the Gospel and the reliance we have on revelation from our Prophets and Apostles who have told us that April 6th is the correct date of the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and of the Savior’s birth.

Mr. Kidger ends his article by saying, “that the Nativity certainly did not happen on December 25^th, but was indeed probably between March and September.

At the end we also quote President Gordon B. Hinckley who says, “In ancient times Christmas, commemorating the birth of the Christ child, was celebrated at this solstice season [on December 25]. Men had no knowledge of the time of His birth, and so they came to bond the celebration of Christmas with the celebration of the return of the sun. While we now know through revelation the time of the Savior’s birth, we observe the 25th of December with the rest of the Christian world.”

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Star of Bethlehem IV: Why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25?

By Mark R. Kidger. European Space Agency

Why do we celebrate Christmas in December? It is actually a long and quite complicated story. Most people do not realise that the date that we celebrate Christmas Day now is not the same as it was in times of Christopher Columbus. Similarly, they do not realise that many of our Christmas traditions were imported from Germany in the 19^th Century, but reproduce closely a pagan festival that was old even in Roman times.

We have seen how the Moon provides, in the form of an eclipse, a major clue about the date of the Nativity. There is a big astronomical connection, again involving the Moon, in how the modern calendar was set.

It is often said that Charles Dickens rescued Christmas. He popularised the celebration in his novels at a time when its celebration was becoming increasingly unimportant. However, traditions such as the Christmas tree, which is obligatory in almost every house now, were popularised by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. Albert missed many of the traditions of his country when he went to live in London and  introduced them in the British royal family; the population imitated the celebrations of Victoria and Albert and now these traditions have spread around the world.

What do we associate with Christmas?

• A religious celebration
• The most important public holiday of the year.
• Parades in the streets.
• Giving and receiving of gifts.
• Special meals and feasts.
• Decorating houses with green bows.
  
  Actually, these were the ways that the festival of Sol Invictus, or Saturnalia (the festival of  Saturn) were celebrated. It was the most important festivity in Rome, marking the shortest day of the year and had been celebrated by the Celts even before the Romans from at least 1000BC. Therefore, rather than abolish a popular holiday, the traditional view (although challenged in recent decades by revisionists) is that the early Christian church adopted it and adapted it as their own second most important celebration.

Over the centuries the religious aspects of Christmas have taken a back seat leaving a celebration that would feel familiar to a Roman from the time of Julius Caesar: drop a Roman into a modern Christmas and he would very much at home in many ways. Religious celebration on December 16^th; giving and receiving of presents on the 19^th – Sigliaria, a day when children received toys and adults could receive anything from a token clay ornament from an acquaintance to a slave from a very close friend; and a lot of eating, drinking and noisy celebration.

What do we know about the formal origins of December 25^th as Christmas Day?

The transformation of December 25^th seems to have started with the decree of Emperor Aurelius in 274 AD. After fifty years without celebrating the cult of the Sun he set this day as the celebration of Sol Invictus. The date became so important that in one of his Christmas sermons, Augustine of Hippo (St Augustine, 354-430 AD) declared:

We celebrate this day as a holiday, not in the name of the Sun, worshiped by its believers as much as by us, but in the name of he who created the Sun.

The calendar of Filocalus, also known as the Chronography of 354, contains what seems to be the first written reference to Christmas as a holiday. While it refers to December 25^th as the celebration of “Natalis Invicti” (Sol Invictus), in Chapter 12 we find the dates of the celebration of the martyrs, starting with:

VIII kal. Ian, natus Christus in Betleem Iudeae

(Eighth day before the Kalends of January (December 25^th), birth of Christ in Bethlehem, Judea)

Although we know that Christians celebrated December 25^th before the 4^th Century, it was a celebration that was accepted only gradually as the early church had a belief that the celebration of birthdays was a sin. Origen of Alexandria (184/185-253/254), theologist and early Christian philosopher wrote, based on Old Testament beliefs, that

Only a sinner celebrates his own birthday

The extension of this belief between Christians that celebrating a birthday was a pagan practice makes us believe that until the mid-3^rd Century Christmas Day was not celebrated, even though Epiphany was. Some authors believe that the celebration of Christmas began to gain ground in the 3^rd Century as an alternative to the existing pagan practices.

What we know for certain is that from 221 AD Sextus Julius Africanus (c. 160 – c. 240) popularised December 25^th as the date of birth of Jesus through his work “The Chronicle”, published in Greek as Χρονογαφιαι “Chronographiai”. We know that the Council of Nicea in 325 AD debated the dates of Christmas and Epiphany, but that by then the Alexandrian church had fixed “Díes nativitatis et epifaníae” and the dates seemed to be fairly widely accepted, if not celebrated. Certainly we know that Dionisius Exiguus set out a reasoning for Christmas Day being December 25^th based on Jesus’s life story and, by then Christmas was an established part of the Christian calendar.

In between these first references and Dionisius we know that Emperor Constantine I, although a Christian, was also a great admirer of the Sun and decreed that dies solis – the Day of the Sun – should henceforth be a day of rest. As recently as the reign of Diocletian, twenty thousand Christians had been put to death between 303 and 311 AD. One of the first acts of Constantine on becoming recognised as emperor in both the eastern and western empire was the Edict of Milan, introducing religious tolerance and ending this persecution.

In a world in which Christians had been distrusted and often persecuted for centuries, getting the average Roman to accept Christian beliefs suddenly would have been the hardest of hard sells however, by making dies solis the Christian Sunday and Sol Invictus, Christmas, the change was sweetened. It is like a wonderful scene in the film “Chariots of Fire”:

We remember how a boy, who was playing football outside the church, runs into Eric Liddle when he was leaving it after the Sunday service. Eric reproaches him for his lack of respect for the Sabbath and offers to play him before work on Monday instead. When Eric’s friends question this, Eric responds “do you want him to grow up thinking that God’s a spoilsport?”

As Augustine of Hippo pointed out, pagans would keep their favourite celebrations and, slowly, would become accustomed to the Christian celebration both of Sunday and of Christmas. This was typical of the way that the early church christianised pagan practices.

Editors Note:
Many of today’s celebrations of Christ have been adopted and ridiculed by evil people and pagans. Obviously there is the greater good we look upon for Easter and Christmas. For example here is a pagan tradition that has been held over from the Bible.

In Jeremiah we are warned not to worship and decorate trees. Jeremiah 10:1-5 says, “Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”

The Changing date of Christmas

Have we always celebrated Christmas on December 25^th since Roman times? Not quite!

Actually, it is a matter of definition. In 1582, Pope Gregory emitted a Papal Bull to correct the Julian calendar that had been set up on the advice of Sosigenes by Julius Caesar in 45 BC. The Julian calendar, as it became known, was a massive improvement on the rather arbitrary system of leap months that existed previously. It was the duty of the Pontifex Maximus to decide whether or not to add a leap month to a particular year. However, as the political offices of magistrate ran from January 1^st to December 31^st, it became the practice that if the magistrates were not to the liking of the Pontifex, their term of office would be shortened by skipping the need for the leap month that should have been added about every third year. Over the years the calendar started to slip badly: by 46 BC it was two months out of phase.

The pre-Julian year of 355 days (a lunar year), became a year of 365 days with a leap day every fourth year. It allowed Pliny to calculate, a century later, that the solstice happened on December 25^th (that date, again!) However, Sosigenes was either unaware, or simply unconcerned that a solar year—the period of revolution of the Earth around the Sun—is not 365.25 days but, in fact, 11m 14s less. Hence, we add too many leap days, and the Julian calendar slips too, if only slowly: we lose a day every 128 years.

Pope Gregory’s Bull, “Inter gravissimas” corrected the slip in the calendar that, by 1582 had reached 10 days, by jumping straight from Thursday October 4^th 1582 to Friday October 11^th 1582 and, additionally, decreeing that century years would only be Leap Years if divisible by 400 such that 1900 was not a Leap Year, but 2000, yes [1].

Apart from the fact that the Bull only applied to Catholic countries so, for instance, it was ignored in protestant countries such as England and Wales and Germany, but also in countries such as Greece and Russia that followed the Orthodox Church. There was a religious rebellion as some Christians objected to the date of Christmas effectively becoming ten days earlier after calendar reform. For decades many Christians celebrated Christmas Day on January 4^th, which was its date in the old Julian calendar.

Effectively, relative to solar time, Christmas had been celebrated one day later every 128 years and, in non-Catholic countries, would continue to be until they adopted the Gregorian calendar. One of the strange consequences is that Christmas Day is, in fact, celebrated three times in Bethlehem:

• Catholics and protestants celebrate Christmas on December 25^th,
• Greeks, Syrians, Russians and other followers of Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on January 7^th[2], and
• The Armenian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 18^th, the day of Epiphany.

Was the Nativity really in December?

Dionisius Exiguus followed church dogma by stating that Jesus died on March 25^th, at the age of 33 years and 3 months, hence the Nativity took place on December 25^th. Do we actually have any evidence of this?

For decades people have repeated without question: certainly not!  The reasoning being that shepherds would not have been watching their flocks by night, except at lambing time. And therefore, the presence of shepherds watching their flocks by night suggested that the Nativity took place in March, April, or early May. The cold and humid weather of December and January would be an invitation to pneumonia for shepherds who spent the night out in the open.

I started to doubt this assertion because it is based on practice in the British Isles, so I wondered if lambing time might not be earlier (or later) in Judea.  In fact, even in the British Isles lambing time can vary by several months according to the race of sheep.

The United Nation Food and Agriculture Agency reports state that, in 2013, there were over a million sheep and goats in Palestine and that they have a typical gestation period of five months. Furthermore, they state that for five thousand years the typical breed of sheep in Palestine has been the Awassi. Hence, modern practices are strongly indicative of practices in biblical times.

Lambing time for the Awassi depends critically on having sufficient pasture for the ewes to allow them to fatten before giving birth. Lebanon, Syria and Israel have a Mediterranean climate with a distinct rainy season that starts in October. January is the wettest month and the rains have effectively ended in April.Average rainfall in Bethlehem over the year.

The ewes gain weight and strength with the new grass that grows with the first rains of October, losing weight as the dry season progresses and they are obliged to eat increasingly drier grass. Lambing time for the Awassi is December and January. Would shepherds have been in the fields at night then? The answer still is: certainly not! Here’s why.

Conditions on the Castellan plains in the northern third of the Iberian Peninsula are not very different to those around modern Bethlehem. As part of my research I spoke to shepherds on those plains who told me that they would have their animals either under cover, or drive them to lower altitudes in winter; they would sleep out with their flocks between March and September, particularly if large predators were present. We know that this is and was the practice too around Bethlehem where the landscape is dotted with natural limestone caves such as this one shown below that are used by shepherds as natural shelters in winter. Natural limestone cave (above and below ground) where shepherds take shelter with their flocks at night.

The animals graze outside during the day and are driven in at night to sleep under shelter. But maybe the climate different though in biblical times?

Well, it is well known that the Roman Empire flourished during an unprecedented warm epoch. At the times of the greatest northward expansion of the Roman Empire, temperatures were significantly higher even than now (by about 1°C on average), particularly between 21 AD and 50 AD. The image of Roman legionaries shivering on Hadrian’s Wall, at the northern limit of the empire is somewhat of an exaggeration[3].

The paleoclimate can be determined from the O¹⁶:O¹⁸ ratio in hydrated minerals in caves and from tree rings. We know from study of the cave at Soreq, west of Bethlehem, that the climate of Judea was significantly more humid two thousand years ago, a fact that Josephus alludes to when he states of Judea that “both its nature and its beauty are a marvel; its soil so fertile that all types of tree grow there”. The region was particularly humid and fertile between 1000 BC and 700 BC. We also know that a major deforestation started around the time of the Jewish revolt in 67-70 AD.

What we can conclude is that—at the time of the Nativity—Judea was warmer, wetter, and considerably more fertile than it is today. While the shepherds would have appreciated the warmer weather, the corollary is that climate extremes would likely have been greater than now, and the higher humidity would have made winters even less pleasant for the shepherds than it is now.

Shepherds would have slept out with their flocks in spring and summer to guard against predators. Even foxes are a danger to new born lambs and, in Roman times, the fauna of the Mediterranean was very different than it is now. For example, today there are around two thousand wolves in Spain and some bears around the Pyrenees. In the whole of Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan it is estimated that only about six hundred wolves remain. In Roman times though, wolves would have been the least of the shepherd’s problems as elephants and bears roamed the whole of North Africa, while the Atlas Lion ranged from Morocco in the west to Pakistan in the east. Quite apart from wolves, a shepherd in Bethlehem might need to scare off a mother bear with her cubs, or a hungry lion looking for an easy meal.

In conclusion, the fact that shepherds were watching their flocks does little to limit the range of dates. We can only say that it strongly suggests we should exclude the months of November, December and January, which means that the Nativity certainly did not happen on December 25^th, but was indeed probably between March and September. More than this, we cannot say.

In the next post we look at what Matthew says about the Star, and see if there are any clues that we can glean from Matthew and other contemporary texts.

[1] Here, Pope Gregory missed a trick because we still introduce a few extra days so, for the highest precision, millennial years should only be Leap Years if divisible by 4000. Technically, 2000 and 3000 should not be Leap Years, but 4000, yes.

[2] Russian moved to the Gregorian calendar in 1918 and Greece, in 1923, but the Orthodox church continues to use the Julian calendar for calculating the date of Christmas. Christmas Day will continue to be January 7^th in these countries until the year 2101, when it will slip to January 8^th.

[3] Most of the troops stationed on the Wall were from nearby countries such as Belgium who would been accustomed to a cooler, more humid climate anyway.

Prophets witness of April 6th as Christ’s Birth

“Today is April 6. We know by revelation that today is the actual and accurate date of the Savior’s birth. April 6 also is the day on which The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized. On this special and sacred Sabbath day, I declare my witness that Jesus the Christ is our Redeemer. He lives and will cleanse, heal, guide, protect, and strengthen us. Of these things I joyfully testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.” April 2014 General Conference Elder David A. Bednar

“As to the season of the year in which Christ was born, there is among the learned as great a diversity of opinion as that relating to the year itself. It is claimed by many Biblical scholars that December 25th, the day celebrated in Christendom as Christmas, cannot be the correct date. We believe April 6th to be the birthday of Jesus Christ as indicated in a revelation of the present dispensation already cited [D&C 20:1], in which that day is made without qualification the completion of the one thousand eight hundred and thirtieth year since the coming of the Lord in the flesh. This acceptance is admittedly based on faith in modern revelation, and in no wise is set forth as the result of chronological research or analysis. We believe that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea, April 6, B.C. 1.” James A. Talmage

“April 6, 1973, is a particularly significant date because it commemorates not only the anniversary of the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this dispensation, but also the anniversary of the birth of the Savior, our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith wrote this, preceding a revelation given at that same date [he then quotes D&C 20:1].” Harold B Lee

Christmas Devotional with First Presidency

“It is the season of the winter solstice,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley at the First Presidency Christmas Devotional held Sunday, 7 December 1997, in the Tabernacle on Temple Square. “In a few days comes the promise that spring will come again and summer will return, as it has through all the millennia that men have been upon the earth. It is no wonder that in ancient times Christmas, commemorating the birth of the Christ child, was celebrated at this solstice season. Men had no knowledge of the time of His birth, and so they came to bond the celebration of Christmas with the celebration of the return of the sun. While we now know through revelation the time of the Savior’s birth [April 6], we observe the 25th of December with the rest of the Christian world.”

Speaking of modern society’s celebration of Christmas, President Hinckley said: “We offer presents one to another in a shoddy similitude of His great gift to all mankind. We empty the stores of vast inventories of merchandise. It almost becomes a travesty of the true spirit of Christmas. But possibly the effort is not all lost. At least there comes into our lives a touch of generosity toward others. Our hearts are opened, our thoughts are lifted as at no other season of the year. We greatly overdo it, but perhaps it is not all bad. We think of others, and what a blessing that is.”

In his devotional address, President Thomas S. Monson, First Counselor in the First Presidency, said: “Christmas is many things to many people—from the eager, materialistic grasping of a child for a present to the deep spiritual thankfulness of the mature heart for the gift of a Savior. If there is one common denominator, perhaps it is this: Christmas is love. Christmas is the time when the bonds of family love transcend distance and inconvenience. It is a time when love of neighbor rises above petty day-to-day irritations and doors swing open to give and receive expressions of appreciation and affection.”

President Monson related a Christmas story set in 1927 in the town of Hillspring, Alberta, Canada. Mary and Leland Jeppson and their six young children had experienced hard times, and oldest daughter Ellen, age 10, was particularly cynical about prospects for the family’s Christmas. Family members in Idaho had learned of their plight and promised to send some basics, but Christmas Eve arrived with no relief in sight. In the middle of the night, the postman arrived with 10 crates that had arrived late the previous afternoon. “Ellen, the very last to get up, rubbed her eyes in disbelief as she looked at the spot where her stocking was supposed to have been hung the night before and saw hanging there a beautiful red Christmas dress, trimmed with white and green satin ribbons. … That morning, with the Christmas dress for Ellen, a childhood had been brought back, a childhood of hopes and dreams and Santas and the miracle of Christmas.”

President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said: “Love brings joy, the sense of belonging to one’s family and to God’s family. Indeed, watching our children grow in faith and testimony brings great joy. Some have had children who have strayed. To those of you who suffer the pain of an empty chair, be assured that the Savior knows and understands your sorrow. The Good Shepherd is watching over them, and they will return, either in this life or in the life to come. During his ministry he gave us the parables of the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the prodigal son. He said, ‘Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth’ [Luke 15:7]. We feel a particular kind of joy when a child that has been lost, for whatever reason, is found and restored.”

President Faust then told the story of a pioneer baby who was thought to be dead. With no time to dig a grave, her parents wrapped her body in a blanket and left her under a bush. But the mother did not feel right about it, and in the middle of the night she went back. In the early dawn she returned with the tiny girl in her arms—and the child was alive.

No greater tidings could have come to the couple, President Faust said. “A precious child was presumed to be dead, and yet she was saved by the unrelenting efforts of an inspired parent. Other beloved children, presumed to be spiritually dead, can be reclaimed through the same loving effort.” Source

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Tower of the Flock

In the midst of all this government turmoil and pandemic, our mission as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not changed. I still pray for a minor miracle to keep Trump as President, and I don’t agree with liberal governments shutting us down and infringing on our rights. We must serve the Lord our God with all our heart. Christ’s mission hasn’t changed which says, “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Moses 1:39

Orson F. Whitney says, “This is a glance at the mission of the Latter-day Saints. These are some of the views we cherish and which we cannot recede from; we would be unworthy of our lineage as the sons and daughters of Abraham, the sons and daughters of Liberty, if we should forsake the things for which our forefathers lived and died, and suffered all manner of persecution. We leave the issue with God.” JD 26 page 201

“At a time when the divine character and mission of the world’s Redeemer are being questioned, even by many professing Christians, it is a cause for congratulation and rejoicing that there is still found “faith on the earth” [Luke 18:8]—faith in Jesus Christ as the very Son of God, as the virgin-born Savior of mankind, as the anointed and foreordained messenger of Him who “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). The Divinity of Jesus Christ By Elder Orson F. Whitney (1855–1931) Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Published in Improvement Era, Jan. 1926, 219–27;

In my opinion “the divine character and mission of the world’s Redeemer” has not changed. The world has changed. We have changed. We have generally drawn further away from His mission. We as a society keep looking for our savior, (rock star, athlete, singer, politician, world leader). The Lord Jesus Christ is crying and praying for us to repent. He loves us.

Why do people pretend it to be easier to follow man than to follow God and His leaders on earth? It is true you can buy anything for money and this world in my opinion has now reached a place of no return. Satan’s day is almost over and the Lord will come soon. Are we prepared for Him? Are we repenting daily? Don’t give up for we with the Lords help prevail in these last days.

This blog is based on Orson F. Whitney’s amazing quote below from the Journal of Discourses/Volume 26/God the Source of All Intelligence.

This great nation, the Republic of the United States, might be established upon this land as an asylum for the oppressed; a resting place, it might be said, for the Ark of the covenant, where the temple of our God might be built; where the plan of salvation might be introduced and practiced in freedom, and not a dog would wag his tongue in opposition to the purposes of the Almighty. We believe that this was His object in creating the Republic of the United States; the only land where his work could be commenced or the feet of his people find rest. No other land had such liberal institutions, had adopted so broad a platform upon which all men might stand.” JD 26 Page 201

“A Constitution liberal in its provisions, extending the utmost freedom to all men” JD 26 Page 199

“The name of the patriot will live forever, because he had the courage to die for his convictions; but the name of the traitor will go down to oblivion, because to save himself he deserted in the hour of danger the cause of his country, thinking it was of no use to stand up against the great power which had lifted its mighty arm to crush out the colonies.” JD 26 page 201

Isn’t it unique to this land of America what we needed liberal institutions which would have very broad platforms for our freedom? In other words, we needed the secular society to allow a free country under God to thrive. Now these same liberal institutions have taken us over. Today these liberal institutions and broad platforms are controlled by evil and immoral people. We need to repent.

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Orson Ferguson Whitney (1 July 1855 – 16 May 1931) born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1906 until his death.

God the Source of All Intelligence  

DISCOURSE BY BISHOP ORSON F. WHITNEY, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, April 19, 1885.(REPORTED BY JOHN IRVINE.)

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Journal_of_Discourses/Volume_26/God_the_Source_of_All_Intelligence,_etc.

“I HAVE been called upon, my brethren and sisters and friends, to address you for a portion of the time which belongs to this meeting, and I assure you that in responding to that call I have no desire in my heart but to be led to say those things which will be pleasing and acceptable to God our Father, and beneficial to ourselves.

I have always been taught to regard our Father in heaven as the source of all intelligence, and that wherever intelligence is manifested throughout the earth, among His creatures, it has its primal origin in Him who is the fountain of life and light; and that if men are qualified to perform any great or good work, it must necessarily be by reason of the power from God which rests upon them. The Latter-day Saints take this view of the relationship of God with mankind; that He is not simply the Father, or creator of a part of the human race, or a portion of earth’s creatures, but He is the creator of all things—the maker of the earth, the maker of heaven, and that the children of men are the sons and daughters of one common parentage; that He feels for them all the day long; that He has their welfare constantly in view, and He makes no movement, so far as His children upon this earth are concerned, but He does it for their salvation and their good here and hereafter.

The Latter-day Saints are said to be exclusive, and are called selfish and presumptuous because they maintain that a certain mission has been given unto them; that they have received revelations from God; that the Maker of the world has deigned to speak in these last days, and raise up men and women whom He knew before-hand would do His will. This unfavorable view arises from the fact that our motives are misunderstood; that our mission, which we continually proclaim to the world is not believed in, and we are looked upon as an assembly of upstarts, enthusiasts and fanatics, who, in our blindness and our narrowness think that God has only regarded us; that we are His favorites, and that He cares nothing at all for the rest of mankind. This is a wrong idea of our position, and it is because our position is thus misconceived—one cause at least—that we are persecuted and abused, derided, oppressed and trampled upon as we are. However, I do not believe that we could escape the common fate of those whom God has chosen for a peculiar work in all ages of the world. For, while we acknowledge that God is the Father of the human race, and interested in the salvation of all, we do maintain that our mission as a part of the human family is peculiar, separate and distinct from the missions which have been given to others. God is the author of many plans and purposes, but all his plans, all his purposes and designs converge to one point, have one focus, whether He uses the Christian world, the heathen world, or even this little handful of Latter-day Saints; no matter whom He uses to accomplish His ends, these purposes blend and have but one grand object. They are like rivers or streams of different kinds and sizes flowing towards one ocean into which they all must empty. And though men deem themselves independent—and it is true that in one sense they are—while they fail, many of them, to take God into consideration, and seem to think they can do about as they please, and accomplish what ends they desire, all their independence, all their freedom, simply amounts to this; that they have the privilege to do right or do wrong, but the results of their actions God will over-rule to suit himself. “Man proposes but God disposes,” and the history of this world, or any other world which has passed through a similar probation and been redeemed and glorified by the power of God and obedience to the principles of righteousness, is one vast exemplification of that great truth. While man is left free to propose, to adopt what plans he chooses, to exercise his agency, and to carry, so far as he is permitted, the thoughts and desires of his heart to their conclusion, God has never declared that He would not overrule the results of men’s acts to accomplish His own purposes.

We are placed in this world measurably in the dark. We no longer see our Father face to face. While it is true that we once did; that we once stood in His presence, seeing as we are seen, knowing, according to our intelligence, as we are known; the curtain has dropped, we have changed our abode, we have taken upon ourselves flesh; the vail of forgetfulness intervenes between this life and that, and we are left, as Paul expresses it, to “see through a glass darkly,” to “know in part and to prophesy in part;” to see only to a limited extent, the end from the beginning. We do not comprehend things in their fullness. But we have the promise, if we will receive and live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, wisely using the intelligence, the opportunities, the advantages, and the possessions which He continually bestows upon us—the time will come, in the eternal course of events, when our minds will be cleared from every cloud, the past will recur to memory, the future will be an open vision, and we will behold things as they are, and the past, present and future will be one eternal day, as it is in the eyes of God our Father, who knows neither past, present or future; whose course is one eternal round; who creates, who saves, redeems and glorifies the workmanship of His hands, in which He Himself is glorified.

The earth upon which we dwell is only one among the many creations of God. The stars that glitter in the heavens at night and give light unto the earth are His creations, redeemed worlds, perhaps, or worlds that are passing through the course of their redemption, being saved, purified, glorified and exalted by obedience to the principles of truth which we are now struggling to obey. Thus is the work of our Father made perpetual, and as fast as one world and its inhabitants are disposed of, He will roll another into existence, He will create another earth, He will people it with His offspring, the offspring of the Gods in eternity, and they will pass through probations such as we are now passing through, that they may prove their integrity by their works; that they may give an assurance to the Almighty that they are worthy to be exalted through obedience to those principles, that unchangeable plan of salvation which has been revealed to us.

It is one of the grandest attributes of Deity that He saves and exalts the human family upon just and eternal principles; that He gives to no man, or no woman that which they have not been willing to work for, which they have not deserved, which they have not expanded themselves to receive, by putting in practice the principles He reveals, against all opposition, facing the wrath and scorn of the world—the world which cannot give a just cause, a reasonable pretext for the opposition it has ever manifested to the truths of heaven. It is a characteristic of our Father, a principle of His divine economy to exact from every soul a fitting proof of its worthiness to attain the exaltation to which it aspires. There are no heights that may not be surmounted, but they must be reached in the way that God has ordained. Man may think to accomplish his salvation by carrying out the selfish desires of his own heart; but when he fails to take God into consideration, his Creator, and the framer of the laws whereby we mount unto exaltation and eternal life, he knocks the ladder from under him whereby he might climb to that glorious state.

The exclusiveness which the Latter-day Saints exhibit is this: they maintain that the Lord has but one way to save the human race; that the term “everlasting gospel” is not a misnomer, but means exactly what it says, and that it is eternal as its maker or framer is eternal. It can no more change than He can change. A man must obey the same principles now that were obeyed two thousand years ago, or six thousand years ago, or millions of ages ago, in order to attain the presence of His Father and God. There is but one way, one plan of life and salvation, and there need be but one; for God, being an economist, does not create that which is superfluous; and there can be, in the very nature of things, only one true plan of eternal life, for if there were two they must necessarily differ, since no two things can be exactly alike, and if one of these two things is perfect that which differs from it, must be imperfect. Of a necessity God is the author of perfection; His works are not deficient in any respect; and what He ordains for the salvation of man is the only way for man to be saved. Thus it is that the Latter-day Saints preach the everlasting Gospel, the unchangeable way of eternal life, and to corroborate it, they point to the Scriptures which are now being fulfilled. Among other things, to the vision of the Prophet John upon the isle of Patmos, who saw “another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of his judgment is come.” This is the exclusiveness of the Latter-day Saints; it is as far as it extends. There is but one way to eternal life, and while there are many systems extant called plans of salvation, yet they differ from each other as the stars of heaven differ in magnitude, or as the sands of the seashore, or as the countenances of the children of men; nay, more than this, for most of them are lacking in features which are necessary in order to form a perfect whole. If the Latter-day Saints are in possession of the everlasting Gospel, all sects, creeds and parties that preach a Gospel which differs from it, must be wrong; or vice versa, if the Saints preach any other Gospel than that which was preached in the days of the apostles, which was delivered to them by the Sons of God, then the Latter-day Saints must be wrong also.

The selfishness which this people exhibit is of the same character that might be evinced in the case of a man who was lost and had the right way pointed out to him by another. If a traveler had lost his way and should meet one who professed to know the direction he desired to pursue; or, if the traveler should ask which was the way to such and such a place, and the guide should tell him, and he in his self-will and obstinacy should persist in taking a contrary course, how in the name of consistency could he blame his guide if he did not reach his destination; or how could he charge him with being selfish or presumptuous, when he himself confessed his ignorance and appealed to this man who testified in all earnestness that he knew which was the right way? Yet this is similar to the position of the world in relation to the Latter-day Saints, who solemnly testify that the God of heaven has revealed to them the only way to life and salvation, a claim which no other sect, church or party advance at the present time. They deny revelation; they say the heavens are closed; that God no longer speaks to the human family; that He has left them with a Bible, the record of a people who are dead; which speaks of commandments given to an ancient people, who like ourselves were the children of God. This is the claim of the Christian world—that this book is the canon of scripture, and that it is full, and we need no more revelation, no more light than is contained within the lids of this book. They take that position, and yet say we are exclusive, we are presumptuous, narrow-minded and contracted, because we testify that God does speak, and has revealed a newer revelation than this Bible which I hold.

It is true that our testifying of this does not make it true, in and of itself. Nevertheless, men are responsible if they do not carefully weigh and consider the testimonies of those who claim to have more light than they have. I would hold myself ready, as a speaker after truth, if not certain that I already possessed it, and I hold myself ready now, while believing that my feet are planted upon the rock of truth, and that this is the only Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; to pay due respect to the honest opinions of my fellow creatures, proving all things and holding fast that which is good. If the Christian world shall bring forth something better, if they have it, or ever will have it, than Mormonism, I hope I will not be so bigoted as to turn a deaf ear to their honest testimonies, claiming that I have light already, and that I want no more light. I would at least examine their professions, whatever they were, and try them by “the law and the testimony;” for if men “speak not according to that, it is because there is no light in them.”

The Bible is a blessing; we do not depreciate its value, for it enables us to meet the Christian world upon their own ground, using this Bible as the touch-stone of truth, in relation to their doctrines and those that we advance, which are taught and confirmed by this very Book in which C[h]ristians profess to believe. There is no doctrine preached or believed by the Latter-day Saints, but they can find confirmatory proof of its authenticity within the lids of the Holy Bible; and when their views are not received, and they are laughed to scorn and derided by the Christian world, it is simply an acknowledgment on the part of those who mistreat them that they do not believe their own Bible, that they have no faith in the record which they claim is all-sufficient—the be-all and the end-all of revelation. They profess great reverence for this good Book, yet they do not believe or practice what it inculcates. It is a prevalent idea in the world, with those who are in possession of the Scriptures, that it is only necessary to believe on the name of the Son of God, and that constitutes salvation, taking I suppose as a basis for it, the Scriptural passage which declares that “God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Now, we take this position. We hold that belief in God and the Savior of mankind is absolutely essential to salvation. But we do not stop there. We claim that if men believe in Jesus Christ they will keep His commandments; they will live His laws; they will not repudiate any of the doctrines He preached; they will not say baptism is unessential; that Apostles and Prophets are no longer needed; they will not wrest the Scriptures; they will not say the blessings of the Holy Ghost are done away with; they will not say it is not in the province of inspired men bearing the Holy Priesthood to cast out devils, to speak in new tongues, to lay hands upon the sick and administer those spiritual blessings as they are empowered by the Priesthood bestowed upon them for that purpose. The Christian world would not repudiate these these things if they believed their own Bible; for I nowhere read within the lids of this sacred volume that the time would ever come, except through transgression and apostacy, when these things would be done away with, and it would be said they were no longer needed.

It is true that the Apostles of old predicted there would come a time when men would wander from the truth, when they would heap to themselves teachers, and have itching ears, desiring to hear simply the things which suited their selfish natures; that the day would come when they would not endure sound doctrine, but would hire teachers to preach for the commandments of God the precepts of men; when the world would be turned upside down and be emptied of its inhabitants, because they had transgressed the law, changed the ordinances and broken the everlasting covenant. This was to be the condition of the world when these gifts and blessings would be said to be no longer needed. They could no longer lay claim to them because they would persecute oppress and put to death those who preached sound doctrine; and having destroyed the temporal Church from the face of the earth, its spiritual counterpart would necessarily depart, just as naturally as the spirit of man will depart when the body ceases to live. The body is but a lump of clay without the enlivening agency of the spirit within it. When the body returns to dust, the spirit is free to soar away. When the body of Christ was dead, the spirit returned to God, passed into the spirit world. So it is with the Church, which is called the body of Christ. Kill the temporal Church, and the spirit Church will take its departure; it will be received into the heavens.

This is our belief; that the Christian Church, established in the days of Christ and His Apostles, apostatized and turned from the truth, it became paganized, mixed up with the religion and traditions of pagan Rome, and that that is the cause of this wide diversity of beliefs and conjectures, these many forms of godliness, denying the power thereof; which are said to be the Church of Christ, yet bear little or no semblance to the Church which He established; all claiming to be one, yet divided innumerably; to have the same Gospel, yet not able to stand the test of comparison with the Gospel preached in former days; claiming the same power, yet repudiating and denying that power and trampling upon those who still maintain that it ought to exist. This is the consistency of the position of the opponents of “Mormonism,” which claims to be the old Gospel brought back again, the old Church resurrected, no new religion, no new plan, but simply the everlasting Gospel revealed anew.

I might occupy your time citing evidences almost innumerable to show how the Christian world have departed from the teachings of this sacred Book. I might appeal to it, also, to confirm the teachings of the Latter-day Saints. It is an old story, many times told, and perhaps I had better not dilate upon it this afternoon. Suffice it that we claim that God has spoken from heaven; that He has re-opened the long-closed portals of eternity, and has raised up a people to usher in the dispensation of Gospel grace as He has headed every dispensation which has preceded it; raising up inspired men to do His bidding; to preach to the world the principles of everlasting life; to establish upon the earth a system which will foreshadow and usher in the millennial reign of universal peace and righteousness. We believe that we are living in the last days; that these are the days when God said He would perform a marvelous work and a wonder; that He would set His hand the second time to recover the remnant of his people; that He would gather them from the north and from the south, from the east and from the west, and would bring them to Zion, and give them pastors after His own heart, to teach them the law of the Lord, and that the law should go forth from Zion to the inhabitants of the earth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

We believe that we are living in the evening of history, that we are closing the Saturday of the great week, each day of which is a thousand years, the period preordained in which this earth should accomplish the purpose appointed by its creator. We believe that when God spake to Adam and told Him he should die in the day that He partook of the forbidden fruit, that He kept His word, and that Adam did die within the day; but it was not a day of twenty-four hours, one revolution of our little earth; the day of which He spake was based upon a revolution of the planet upon which God dwells, which we are taught revolves once in a thousand years. This world was appointed a probation through which to pass, six working days, before it should have a rest, or sabbath. We believe we are living in the Saturday night of this world’s history, that we are closing the six thousand years of its mortal probation, and that the dawn of the seventh day, or the seventh thousand years, now nearly upon us, will be the millennium, the reign of peace, when Christ the Ruler and Lord of this world, who labored and suffered and died to redeem its inhabitants from death, will be here in His glory to reign upon the earth King over His people and over the human race.

These simple truths, most of which are plainly spoken of in this holy word of God, the Bible, are distorted by the enemies of the Saints to indicate that they are treasonable to the government under which they live. They say we are traitors because we speak of the Kingdom of God; that a kingdom cannot exist within a republic; that it is imperium in imperio; that there is no room in this broad land for the Kingdom of our God. They might as well say there is no room in Christianity for the love of God. Why, this great government was established for the very purpose of introducing this work. Inspired men like Washington and Jefferson were raised up to frame a Constitution liberal in its provisions, extending the utmost freedom to all men, Christian or heathen, who desired to make this glorious land their home; that they might have the unrestricted right to worship God according to the dictates of their consciences. We believe that God raised up George Washington, that He raised up Thomas Jefferson, that He raised up Benjamin Franklin and those other patriots who carved out with their swords and with their pens the character and stability of this great government which they hoped would stand forever, an asylum for the oppressed of all nations, where no man’s religion would be questioned, no man would be limited in his honest service to his Maker, so long as he did not infringe upon the rights of his fellow men. We believe those men were inspired to do their work, as we do that Joseph Smith was inspired to begin this work; just as Gallileo, Columbus, and other mighty men of old, whom I have no time to mention, were inspired to gradually pave the way leading to this dispensation; sentinels, standing at different periods down the centuries, playing their parts as they were inspired of God; gradually freeing the human mind from error, gradually dispelling the darkness as they were empowered by their Creator so to do, that in culmination of the grand scheme of schemes, this great nation, the Republic of the United States, might be established upon this land as an asylum for the oppressed; a resting place, it might be said, for the Ark of the covenant, where the temple of our God might be built; where the plan of salvation might be introduced and practiced in freedom, and not a dog would wag his tongue in opposition to the purposes of the Almighty. We believe that this was His object in creating the Republic of the United States; the only land where his work could be commenced or the feet of his people find rest. No other land had such liberal institutions, had adopted so broad a platform upon which all men might stand. We give glory to those patriots for the noble work they did; but we give the first glory to God, our Father and their Father, who inspired them. We take them by the hand as brothers. We believe they did nobly their work, even as we would fain do ours, faithfully and well, that we might not be recreant in the eyes of God, for failing to perform the mission to which He has appointed us.

This is the “treason” of the Latter-day Saints. They preach the coming of the King of Kings, whom all Christians ought to worship; whom all Christians ought to welcome; and instead of passing laws to prohibit, and prevent, if possible, the growth of this work, which has as its object the blessing of all mankind, they should join hands with the Latter-day Saints in consummating it; for as sure as there is a God in heaven it is His work, and He will accomplish it. Haling men before magistrates; immuring them in dungeons; driving them from city to city, or shedding their blood, will no more stamp out this work than it will blot out the glory of the sun. They who take up the sword to fight against Zion will perish by the sword before she perishes; they who leave God out of the question in dealing with the “Mormon problem” will find before they get through that it is suicide to run against Jehovah’s buckler.

We, to all appearances are helpless. We make no boast of our own strength. We are only a handful in the midst of millions. But God has given us a mission to perform. We can no more shrink from that mission than the fathers of the revolution could shrink from theirs. That indeed would be treason, treason to God, treason to humanity, and we should justify the charges which are now so utterly false. We might be complimented, “patted upon the back,” if we would play the part of traitors and recreants, but we cannot afford to buy the compliments of the world, the good opinion of mankind, at such a terrible sacrifice. Men who died to found this nation, have their names held in everlasting remembrance, while the name of the traitor, who would have betrayed his country, and deserted it in the hour of peril, is loaded with opprobrium. He lived while many of the patriots died; but who are living to-day in the true sense of the term? The name of the patriot will live forever, because he had the courage to die for his convictions; but the name of the traitor will go down to oblivion, because to save himself he deserted in the hour of danger the cause of his country, thinking it was of no use to stand up against the great power which had lifted its mighty arm to crush out the colonies. We think of these things, but we do not propose to fight. We are a people who have peace as our object—the ushering in of a reign of peace. We are a people who build temples. We must not imbrue our hands in blood. But it is not through fear of man that the Latter-day Saints take this position. They have shown their bravery; they have proved their courage by coming out of the world and forsaking it, patiently enduring its scorn and opposition; it is a braver part sometimes to live than to die.

There are sacrifices which would try the souls of some men more than to face death in a thousand forms. But the Latter-day Saints have taken a stand; they cannot recede from it with honor. They are prepared to meet the consequences, and leave the result in the hands of God. We do not look to man for our preservation. If there is no God in “Mormonism” then it will fail, then will our minds be undeceived; but if there is a God in it, woe! to those who fight against Him, who fight against their Creator, and suppose that they can trample upon the rights of their fellow-men and not endanger their own rights and liberties as well.

The old fable which Aesop tells of the woodman who went into the forest to get a handle for his axe, describes accurately the position in which we find ourselves. The woodman went and consulted the trees of the forest, asking them to give him a handle for his axe. The other trees, the stronger ones, arrogating to themselves authority and ignoring the rights of others, thought that they could dispose of them as they pleased. They conferred together and decided to grant the request, and they gave to the woodman the ash. The ash fell; but the woodman had no sooner fitted the handle to his axe, than he began upon the other trees. He did not stop with the ash, but he hewed down the oaks and the cedars, and the great and mighty monarchs of the forest who had surrendered in their pride, the rights of the humble ash. An old oak was heard to complain to a neighboring cedar, “if we had not given away the rights of the ash we might have stood forever; but we have surrendered to the destroyer the rights of one, and now we are suffering from the same evil ourselves.”

This nation may think that it is strong enough—powerful enough—to treat the people of Utah as they please. They are; we do not pretend to compare with them so far as that is concerned. But if there is any truth in eternal justice; if there is such a thing as retributions, woe! be unto this forest of States if they surrender into the hands of tyranny the rights of the Utah ash! It cannot be done with safety. If they trample upon the rights of their fellow men, there must come a time in the eternal revolutions of the wheels of justice when their own necks will be beneath the tyrant’s heel. They will suffer themselves from the laws they have passed against the maligned, misunderstood, down-trodden people of Utah. I hope to God, as an American patriot, that this never need come.

I hope the eyes of this nation will be opened, that they may see the danger in which they stand from afar; but if I were a prophet I would prophesy in the name of God that if they give away our rights, if they trample upon our liberties, and surrender us as a sacrifice to popular clamor, the day will come when their own necks will feel the galling yoke; the laws they pass now to deprive us of our rights as American citizens, will deprive them of their rights, and they will drink the cup heaped up, pressed down, and running over. I hope this never need be; but I dare predict it on that condition, in all humility, with no spirit of treason, or of ill will to my country; but with a feeling of sorrow that some of our fellow-citizens have it in their hearts to treat us in this cruel manner.

We are a people of peace. We only desire to be let alone to accomplish our mission in peace. God would not permit us to build temples, any more than He permitted David, if we imbrued our hands in blood. David was forbidden to build the temple of God at Jerusalem, because he had been a man of blood. It was reserved for his son Solomon, a man of peace, to build the temple. So it is with us. We will not need to fight, we do not propose to take up arms, we do not desire and will not be compelled to shed the blood of our fellow-men. We may have our own blood shed in instances, though the work of God will not be trampled ont [on]; but we will let them monopolize that part; they may shed our blood, but we must not shed theirs. We must build temples to the honor of our God, and administer in them for the salvation of the living and the dead; and thus go onward, spreading peace, pouring oil upon the troubled waters; and while there will be wars and rumors of wars, while nation will clash against nation and go down in the whirlpool of fury, the Latter-day Saints must preach peace on earth and good will to men, and be exemplars in all righteousness; seeking to let their light so shine that the glory of God will radiate from them to others.

This is the treason which we preach. We desire to benefit our country; benefit our fellow-citizens; benefit our fellow-men. We believe this world is the Lord’s, and that He is coming to reign upon it as it is His right to reign. I care not how soon it is accomplished. The reign of Christ will rob no man of his rights; no righteous government need fear it; neither the United States, nor the nations of Europe, if their consciences are clear, need dread the coming of the King of Kings. They must acknowledge if they are Christian nations, that they owe their allegiance to Him whose right it is to reign. They should be proud to lay their crowns and sceptres at His feet, and acknowledge Him to be Lord of Lords, and crown Him King of Kings.

This is a glance at the mission of the Latter-day Saints. These are some of the views we cherish and which we cannot recede from; we would be unworthy of our lineage as the sons and daughters of Abraham, the sons and daughters of Liberty, if we should forsake the things for which our forefathers lived and died, and suffered all manner of persecution. We leave the issue with God. Let the world persecute us, if they desire to assume that responsibility; we will seek to return good for evil. When they come with the sword we will meet them with the olive branch. We will say peace on earth when they have war on earth. We will do our duty as God shall give us strength, and leave the result with Him who over-rules the acts of all men and all nations for the ultimate redemption of the human family, of which we are some of the humble representatives.

May God speed the day. May He bless those who are persecuted, who are driven and imprisoned for righteousness’ sake. May He bless the honest, the good, the pure and the patriotic among the American people; the honest and the upright among all nations, who desire to enjoy their own rights and liberties, and are willing that others should enjoy theirs. May God bless all fair-minded people, and may He have mercy upon those who seek to trample upon the rights of their fellow creatures, and oppose the great and glorious purposes which have been foreordained. This is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.” JD 26 pp 195 to 204

By reading this article below you will find amazing similarities between the Lamanites, Native Americans, and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At the bottom are some Cherokee Traditions that are similar to our Temple Ordinances today.

My mother and my father both served the Native Americans on the Southwest Indian Mission of 1949-51 under Pres. Golden Buchanan. They have told me wonderful stories about Pres. Buchanan all my life. I came across this Improvement Era article just a few years ago and as a lover of Lamanite Tradition and one who desires to share the Gospel with our Native brothers and sisters, I wanted to share this with you.

Golden R. Buchanan was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He devoted 16 years to missionary service as president of the Southwest Indian Mission and Salt Lake Regional Mission. He was Indian coordinator for the church and was known for his work with the Indian people. He was known by some as the “father of the Indian Placement Program,” a program in the LDS Church in which thousands of Indian youngsters came to live for a time with LDS families.

LAMANITE TRADITION by Golden R. Buchanan PRESIDENT, SOUTHWEST INDIAN MISSION IMPROVEMENT ERA APRIL 1955 SPECIAL LAMANITE ISSUE

As I have lived and worked among the Indian people, I have about come to the conclusion that the story of the race, as we know it from the Bible and the Book of Mormon, can be found in their legends. This story would have to be pieced together — a little from one tribe, a little from another. Tradition has a way of becoming garbled and mixed, but, running through most of their stories is a silver thread of truth. A wise Hopi once told me, “We have our stories and our traditions. They follow down a trail, but every little way, we in our traditions have gone out around a rock. But, we always get back to the trail and manage to go down it.”

This seems to be pretty largely true with most Indian legends. But by careful sorting, eliminating, and piecing together, many stories from Adam to the destruction of the Nephites on this continent can be found among them.

Even today the old men of the tribes get together on long winter nights and spend much time telling and retelling stories. It is the privilege of all the listeners to speak out if they think the “singer” has made a mistake. Thus these traditions have come down through the years with a core of truth in them, though they may be modified in part by the individual storytellers.

There are many people who do not understand the term, “medicine man.” Many think he is a fake  healer. But the true medicine man is a great, gifted individual. He has a knowledge of the herbs and plants indigenous to the area, and he knows how to use them to cure certain ills. These he uses in his “sings.” But the main purpose of a “singer,” as he paints his sand painting, or goes through the various rituals pertaining to healing ordinances, is to offer a prayer. The white people speak their prayers — the Indians sing theirs. Great good comes to the people. It is true that there are fakers among them. There is a certain amount of “black magic.” But by and large, the old healer is a great man. He has a prodigious memory. His “sings” last at least one night, many of them for nine nights. Many of his songs have hundreds of verses and are sung night after night without repetition, without a word out of place.

I have heard medicine men sing by the hour with scarcely a pause. The story goes on, unfolding from verse to verse and from song to song: prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of praise, stories of the people, and finally the asking of great blessings upon the sick or upon the tribe. If we would remember the purpose of these ceremonials and sings, it would help us to understand our neighbor, the Indian. He is not without his prayers and his thanksgiving. He believes in a personal God.

In this article, I shall not go into great detail. Neither shall I try to be complete. But the few stories that I shall tell will be accurate and authentic as I have received them from the various tribes. Much of what I have received has been given to me by old medicine men in strict confidence, telling me things that few white people know, with the promise that they would not be divulged, and I shall not violate that confidence.

In some of the old Navajo stories there is made mention of “The First Man,” and “The First Woman.” The Navajos have special names for them. They believe that these individuals were brought to the world from another sphere. They do not think they “just happened” but that they came here in consequence of a pattern or purpose of a divine Creator.

Behind the story of “The First Man” and “The First Woman” is the story of an all-wise Personage, generally spoken of as a “man,” who is supreme. Working with him is his Son, who is consistently spoken of as “the man who never died.” Associated with these two individuals is a messenger, “Someone who is able to talk to the people.” The evil one is present always in opposition to the will of the Great One. It is not hard to teach the Indian people the truths of the Godhead.

The story of the flood is common among many tribes. Men and women, these stories tell, were destroyed because of wickedness. Water covered the land. Men, beasts, and the fowls fled to the tops of the highest mountains to escape the wrath of an angry sea. According to one legend, the turkey got the white tips on his tail feathers because in his exhaustion as he climbed the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Arizona, his tail was continually in the frothy water as the water rose and finally enveloped the land. They believe that a few men and animals escaped the flood. The story of the confusion of tongues, the breaking up into tribes, the scattering of the people upon the earth, are common among many tribes. They believe the people were scattered and their tongues confused because of the wrath of the Supreme Being.

I have never met an old Indian who believed that he came from the north. They disagree with the books and students of racial history. They say, “We came from the south.” Several years ago, I was on the Umatilla Reservation near Pendleton, Oregon, talking with a young Indian some twenty-four or twenty- five years of age. He had just completed his tour of military service in the Pacific. He had been the private orderly of a prominent general.

The general had encouraged this young man to go on to school. And, upon his return from the army, he enrolled in a university, planning to study anthropology. He wanted to know more of the history of his people. He said, “As I went into the classes and heard them teaching that my people migrated across the Bering Straits and came from the north, I knew that there was no need of my spending more time in that university. They didn’t have the truth — they didn’t know. “I stood up in a class and told the professor that what he was teaching was false. That we had migrated from the south. We had gone north — we knew how far north we had gone because the marks and our records are still to be found on the rocks and the ledges. Our people went up into southern Canada and then turned around and came back to the Columbia River, where we have made our home for generations.”

He said, “The professor laughed at me and called me foolish. But I left the school and enrolled in another thinking still to pursue my quest of knowledge of the origin of the Indian people. There again I found the same information being taught to the students. I only stayed a few months. It seemed so hopeless because they wouldn’t listen to me — they thought they knew it all. But we know we did not come from the north.”

The Hopis say that they came across the ocean. The Navajos believe they came up from the other side of the earth through a tube. The Papagos believe they were guided to this land by divine means. Recently I was on the Papago Reservation. One of our new converts to the Church there told me this story:

“I had never joined any church because the ministers and the priests did not teach the Bible as I read it. I couldn’t read it and make it say the same things the other churches said it did. I speak the Papago language. I have lived among them all my life. I know their story and their traditions. And as I read the Book of Mormon that was placed in my hands by missionaries, I recognized the stories of the Papagos, and I knew the book was true. Your missionaries read the Bible the same way I did. These are the reasons I joined the Church. The Papagos believed they crossed the ocean and came to this land, that in the ships and on the trails they were guided by a ball. In this ball was a needle that pointed the direction they were to go. In the Papago language yet today, the name of this ball is ‘Liahona.’ ‘

Navajo tradition tells that a man and his wife and four sons came to this land a long time ago. They have, in their native language, the names of these four sons, but I cannot write them. The oldest two of these sons rebelled against the youngest two who were the appointed leaders. The older sons and their children lived in the forest. They made their living by hunting and by the use of the weapons of warfare.

They warred and preyed upon their two younger brothers. They covered their bodies with mud and thus became a dark people. The two younger sons became builders and built cities and houses of stone. They planted gardens and fields. They did not place mud upon themselves and thus remained white. For generations there were fighting, wars, and difficulties, the children of the older sons being the aggressors.

Then came a night in which the sun didn’t go down, and it was light all night, and the people were much disturbed and’ distressed. But still there were troubles. Some years after this, came an extended period of darkness.

In Hopi tradition, this same story is given, but more in detail as to the period of darkness. During these days great destruction came upon the land; the face of the earth was changed. Towns and cities were carried away by whirlwinds. Great fear and death reigned. Even today Hopis have a dread of whirlwinds. Should one come towards them as they work in the fields, they will run and hide. Should they be caught in one, they stand upright with their right hand on their breast, the left hand on their head. They do not want to be carried away as were the people many years ago.

The Navajos believe that shortly after these days of darkness and destructions, a great white personage appeared to the people and taught them and lived among them and brought them much good.

The tradition of the “Great White God” is prevalent among most of the tribes, in fact, among all of the tribes that I know. It is in the Mayan and Aztec traditions. After the visit of the “Great White God” there were many years of peace. The people joined together and lived as one. And for many, many years there were no wars, no bloodshed, and all the good things of life were enjoyed. Then came a period of time in which they began to fight again. Wars and contentions broke loose, at the end of which the white people were destroyed. Only the Indians were left.

Again they had a period of fighting and dissension, and they broke up into many tribes with different languages. The people lost their records and their “books.” But as the Hopis say, “We were not left without hope; we were told that some day young white men, with blue eyes, would come knocking at Hopi doors and would bring back to us our records and our true story. They would come from the east, and we would know them by their outstretched hand, and they would call us ‘my brother’ and ‘my sister.’ ”

They, too, are expecting the return of the “Great White Spirit.” They are expecting the return of their true church which will come in the days when there is much confusion upon the land. There will be many churches, each claiming to be right. They are to join none of these churches but are to worship in the kivas until the time comes that the proper messengers with the proper signs are found. One does not have to delve deeply into history to learn of the genuine welcome that was given to Cortez and Pizarro by the tribes of Mexico and Peru.

Among the Hopis, too, at the present time, is a “stone book.” I have seen it, but only a few white men have had that privilege. I cannot describe it because I have promised not to speak of it. I can only say that at a distance of four or five, feet anyone would easily take it for a modern book. Their stories say that the mate to this book will be brought back to them. The books will be opened, and someone will be able to read the message in them.

The principle of eternal marriage is not new to many of the tribes. The Hopi wedding, a beautiful ceremony, with the bride dressed in a lovely white garment woven by the hands of her finance, is a sacred affair, and is meant to last for the eternities. It is not until “death do you part.” Children are pure, they believe, and need no baptism or ordinances. When they die, they return immediately unto the God who created them. For that reason, children are never buried. They are taken to the cracks of the rocks in the cliffs where the spirit may pick up the bodies easily.

Indian tribes have their own ceremonies. They have their own religions. This was particularly true before the advent of the so-called Christian churches among them. Even today the faithful still cling to their native tradition. Some of them profess Christianity and give token obedience to the so-called Christian churches, but deep in their hearts they still are waiting for the return of the Great White Spirit and the truth.

In many dances, which are largely prayers, significant handclasps are sometimes given. Connected with some of these kiva ceremonies is the wearing of certain types of clothing, and in these clothing are certain marks sacred to the people. I have been told that only the faithful may wear these marks in their clothing, and that only the very good and true may receive these ordinances.

Certain washings and anointings are common in many tribes. Usually these are done with water and corn pollen or corn meal, all of which are sacred to the Indian. If it were not for violating confidences I could take you among the Utes and Piutes, and tell of certain “ordinances for the dead.” Among many of the tribes there is a tradition that some day the people will lose their dark color and become white.

Some months ago I spent a few days in the hinterlands of the reservation. Among others that I visited was an old medicine man. His home was so remote that up to this time he had never heard the gospel. As we sat in his home, I began the story of the gospel, using his lovely daughter as an interpreter. As the story progressed, I could see his interest rising, and by the time our story reached the part of the visit of the Savior to this continent and his choosing of the Twelve, he could contain his eagerness no longer.

In his native tongue, for he could speak no English, he said, “I know of that,” and putting up his hands he named the Twelve disciples chosen by the Savior. He gave them all names and in order. As the story continued, more and more he entered into the discussion, supplying parts of it. He was so completely enthralled that he seemed not to notice that we were white people. He fitted in the stories of the people with the message of the restoration.

Later on in the day, as we sat in the shade visiting, I asked him if he would let me have and write the names of the Twelve as he had given them. He thought a while and then cautioned that should I write, I must never give them to the world. They were sacred, and not to be used lightly. But, since I was his friend and knew the story anyway, he would give them to me and I might write them if I would keep them to myself. He then named them one by one, each in its place; there could be no variation.

As we sat there visiting, I thought to try him on another point. “Which of these Twelve are the three that did not die?” I asked. His eyes flashed, he looked at me searchingly. I seemed to read the thoughts in his mind, which were something like this. “How could you white men know about such things?” I said further to him, “Yes, I know about it. It is here in your book, the Book of Mormon. It is no secret. Your forefathers wrote it, and we have it here. I just wanted to see if you could give me the names of the three.”

He sat for some time with his head bowed, and then finally looked up and said, “The names of the Twelve I have just given you, are not the Twelve that he chose on this continent, they are the Twelve that were with him across the waters before he came here. Their names are sacred and must not be used lightly.” After some little time I asked him if he would give me the names of the Twelve chosen here. He looked up at me with a twinkle in his eye and said, “My friend, you have had enough for one time. Come again some other time.” He got up from the log and hurried away and busied himself with some sheep that were in the pen. As I sat there pondering, his wife came over and warned me again of the sacredness of what I had learned and suggested that they should only be used on rare occasions.

On other occasions I have been told the story of the three who never died. Some of the old patriarchs claim that they have seen the three, that they have sat with them in conference and have discussed the program of the Navajo people. But, said one, “They are not just like us although they look like it. They are not dead, but something has happened to their bodies because they can sit with us in council and then, quick as a flash, they are clear across the reservation with another group of Navajos. I do not know how they do it, but I know them and have talked with them many times.” I have scarcely scratched the surface of even the few things that I know, and I am sure that there are countless items of interest and information that have not come to my attention.

It is interesting to note, in closing, that I know of no Indian language in which one can take the name of the Lord in vain. Indeed, I do not know of an Indian language in which they can even swear. They have to learn English or some white man’s language before they can defile the name of Deity. Source:https://archive.org/stream/improvementera5804unse/improvementera5804unse_djvu.txt

Sitting Bull and Chief Joseph Baptized?

“As mentioned previously, Tod Schulthess served a mission among the Navajo people in the later 1970s. He said one day that he and other missionaries saw their mission president, George P. Lee, come out of his office, looking as white as a ghost. President Lee informed them that he had been visited by Chief Joseph, Sitting Bull and a number of important Native American chiefs, and that he, George Lee, had been given their genealogy. President Lee received permission to leave his mission. He spent three days in the St. George Temple where he worked all day long doing the ordinance work for these Native American leaders. At this point, however, I have not been able to confirm that the temple work was done.” Allen C. Christensen “Joseph’s Remnant, Lamanites in today’s America”

Defining Hinterlands

“Hinterlands is defined here as meaning the unknown area of North and South America that are not within the scope of the writings of the Book of Mormon. In other words, since we believe main events of the Book of Mormon happened in a limited area of North America around the Great Lakes  in the east,  and Ohio, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri to the west, and south in Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, and Florida, all other areas will be discussed as “The Hinterlands”. We propose that Mesoamerica is the Hinterlands along with many other areas of the continent. As Mormon has said, “…I shall take from the plates of Nephi; and I cannot write the hundredth part of the things of my people (Words of Mormon 1:5).  There are many people in South and Central America that are Lamanites and part of the Hinterlands.” Jonathan Neville

In other words, if the Book of Mormon events took place in Mesoamerica, then every other area would be the “Hinterlands” where other Lamanites may have migrated and lived. If however the events of the Book of Mormon took place in the Heartland of the United States (As we believe they did), then every other area outside of this limited Heartland area would contain migrating Lamanites, including the western United States, Canada, Mexico, and South and Central America. Heartland Core – Where the main Nephite and Lamanite events occurred! Mesoamerican Periphery – Where Nephites and Lamanites migrated to outside of this core! (See map above) Read more at the link below.

https://www.bofm.blog/the-hinterlands-lamanites-in-the-americas/

For additional information about the Lamanites and their importance read my blog titled Work Among the Lamanites of North America

CHEROKEE TEMPLE ORDINANCES OF THE COUNCIL HOUSE

The Cherokee Council House (which serves as a temple edifice as well) has seven walls; built in the fashion of a septagon. Each side is rep­resentative of the seven Cherokee clans, or family groups. Each side also has an entrance, and a specific place for the chief to sit. The high chief with his two counselors sit in the middle of the council house (or temple). This high chief is also known as the grand council head chief. There is also a sub-grand council head chief, and medicine man, who is referred to as the “right-hand man.” Next in order sit the clan chiefs, the sub-clan chiefs, and then all the other members of the offices of each clan, or family unit, who sit behind one another in rank. Each one has a delegated seat in the Council House. Lastly the members of each family group can also sit in council and listen to the words that are spoken. Meantime, while the elect officials speak, no one else will irreverence the occasion by their speech.

About one hundred yards away from the seven-sided council house (or temple), the actual temple sits atop a mound. Because today there exists no village, as existed anciently, the Ark is brought and set upon what would be a holy house, made with four sides. The Ark is set there with all of the necessary articles for a religious ceremony.

It must be remembered that during the ceremonial use of the Ark of the Covenant, it had to be situated near a place where water existed so the ordinances of baptism for the living and proxy-baptisms for the dead could be performed. In attending this ceremony, which was usually
held for up to four days–depending upon the size of the people gathered for the ordinances to be performed–everyone was expected to walk or go by horseback into the farthest remote areas wherever the Ark was taken and placed.

The walls of the holy house built to perform the ordinances associated with the Ark of the Covenant had to be white. The entrance had to face east, and the exit west.

The pre-requisite for anyone going through the veils of the temple was marriage. One was also required to go through the ordinances of the temple with one’s mate. Those entering the temple must wear light colored clothing, although not necessarily white.

In entering the holy house (temple), one must pass through four veils in order to obtain a view of the Ark of the Covenant. There are altars between each veil passage-way, where incense is burned. In order to pass from one veil to the another, certain passwords and hand-grips must be given. (These hand ‘grips were shown to J. Murray Rawson). The passwords were said to be the names of the old Tribal leaders, and of Yowa.

Regarding the marriage ceremony, Indians (Cherokee) must be married before the Tribal Council. This marriage is for this life only. If Indians are worthy, after the first ceremony, they can then go to the holy house and be married for eternity by the medicine-man and witnessed by all the council chiefs. This marriage cannot be broken or changed. There is no divorce. However, transgression of the eternal marriage covenant will revoke it.

When a spouse and his mate enter the temple house, they first enter through the east and go through a white veil, which is called the first veil. Upon entering, the woman washes the man’s feet, and then his hands. In return, the man washes his woman’s feet and then her hands.

By knowing what ordinance the two are there to perform, the woman will then proceed to go with her husband through the various steps, or rooms. There are four steps that must be performed prior to arriving to the Ark of the Covenant, assuming (hypothetically) they both are there to receive the ordinance of marriage sealing for eternity.

The second room is the incense room. In this room, one can pray and burn incense. It is not unusual for one’s prayers to be answered there. If the medicine-man finds one worthy in this second room, he, or the high priest officiating, will give his decision and recommendation for that person to continue to the third room, where the altar is located. In this third room, the Altar Room, one is allowed to bring his sacrifice, and there sacrifice a bird, or some other type of small animal.

Because only a certain number of people are allowed to enter this Altar Room, certain restrictions are applied. Therefore, after all the sacri­fices are received of the high priest there, each person in the room is allotted a specified amount of time to ask questions, to receive guidance and revelation. The offerings are then burnt, at that point, while special prayers are recited. Simultaneously, the person going through the ordinance fervently prays hoping his prayer to be answered, and that he may receive a blessing of the Lord.

As one is found worthy, the medicine man will send him onto the fourth
room, wherein he must pass through the fourth veil. In this fourth room the Ark of the Covenant is located. The passageway into the fourth room, through the fourth veil, is also called the “gateway.” Passage is gained only through the use of certain passwords. The officiator returns the same words as have been given to him by the person going through the temple.

The passwords, basically, are the answers to these questions: “Who
are you?” and “What do you believe in?” The person then gives the officiator a name for the first password, and tells him that he believes in “Amiiwah”, meaning the Laws of the Long House. Those laws are very similar to the Ten Commandments, and very specific. Therefore, these laws teach one to keep clean, pure and chaste, morally, so that one’s body is pure to progress (spiritually), and also pure to progress symbolically (physically) into the fourth room.

Continuing, the medicine man will ask the person seeking passage through the “gateway” if he has kept the laws of his conviction (Amiiwah), and the person will answer him. Again he will ask the person another question: ‘Who is your master?” The person will then respond that his master is Ananyo’o–which means God. The person is then permitted to pass onward, to another high priest (or, brother), who asks him another question. The person will then respond according to the questions asked, which questions are determined by the purpose for which the person is going through this holy house. The person should be totally worthy to participate in the sacred rite.

Because there is no baptismal place inside the room were the Ark is located, a person understands that proxies to be performed for the departed (baptisms for the dead) must be done outside of the holy house. Nonetheless, while in this room,·the participant will go before the Ark to pray, asking for certain blessings to be imparted to the deceased.

Another type of ordinance that could take place at this time, aside from proxy baptisms, would be sealings. One type of sealing that could be asked to be performed in front of the Ark would be a marriage sealing. One would do this by kneeling in front of the Ark, being careful not to touch it.

Therefore, according to the prayer(s) being offered, the medicine man will recognize the purpose of the participants. He will then ask questions pertaining to the same.

In the marriage ceremony, after the proper questions have been asked, the couple wishing to be married (sealed for eternity) will then go before the seven clan chiefs to ask their permission to be married. If one of the clan chiefs refuses permission, then the participants would again need to start from the beginning, asking the permission of all the clan chiefs until they are united in favor of granting permission.

The man then will proceed to the high priest, who will ask why he has brought the woman to be sealed to him. He will also be asked why he loves her; why he wants to be married to her; and why he wants to be sealed to her.

Of course, the significance of sealing a man and a woman together
is to bind them for eternity after death, and not just for this life.

After the marriage prayers are said, the couple is counselled and reminded of their faithfulness, trust and loyalty to one another. This then becomes the contract between the two, wherein each person describes his contract to the other person, detailing what each would expect in that marriage. This marriage contract can be revoked only upon transgression of the marriage covenant–the oath. However, a divorce cannot end this marriage contract if the couple should decide they want to annul and end the marriage. The marriage is binding for all eternity.

After each participant has spoken his and her.wishes of the marriage contract, then their wrists are cut and their blood exchanged. This
was the custom in the old days; however, nowadays, the fingers are pricked with a needle, then they are joined together so that the blood exchange takes place. in like manner. These words are then spoken between the couple:·”Your blood is now my blood, and my blood is your blood; and now we are one, and no one will be able to break this marriage.”

The high priest and the other councilmen present will then approach the couple and will place their hands upon the heads of the married couple and will pray over them, asking for certain blessings upon the man. In the traditional way (the Old Days), these prayers used to be done by raising of both hands high into the air as certain blessings would be pronounced. Today that practice is done away. Rather, the placing of one’s hands upon the heads, shoulders, or some other part of the body is sufficient.

Entering into and going through the sacred ordinances of the temple ceremony has deep meaning to the Cherokee. Every person who will enter the temple to go through the four steps, passing each veil–from the first through the fourth–must know the exact passwords and responses to the questions that will be asked. Each. must repeat the same words and substance; each must be acquainted with ceremony and the purpose of his/her going through the ceremony.

If one is going for the purpose of being baptized for the dead, then one will also need to go to a river nearby, for which purpose its waters have been blessed. The person will be immersed into the river waters. This type of baptism is similar to the baptism for oneself.

Prior to being baptized for the.dead, the proxy must be worthy. The proxy must have fasted for four days and four nights, going completely without drink or nourishment for that period of time, in order to purify the body before performing the proxy baptism. This purification process also requires that the proxy go into a sweat-house, or sweat-lodge, and take a sweat bath. This allows one to sweat out the bad or evil spirits that may reside inside one’s body. The proxy is required to attend to a sweat bath at least twice a day during the four day ordeal. The person entering the sweat-house will wear light colored clothing, although it need not necessarily be white. This light colored clothing is necessary because the person will be entering into the temple.

During baptism–the proxy baptism, or baptism for oneself–one wears hardly any clothing. The reason for this is that anciently when buckskin was worn, it became wet and heavy and uncomfortable to wear.

It is the ancient belief, and right, that if two people who were married but not sealed according to the sealing ceremony, and one of the two had passed on in death, the survivor being worthy to enter the temple could invite a worthy brother or sister (as the case may be), or a blood relative, to stand in as proxy for the deceased companion. However, if no blood relative could be found, then the survivor wishing the ordinance of marriage sealing would have to fast and pray until someone was found, worthy enough, to stand in as the proxy. The religious rite would then take place, so that the sealing ceremony in the marriage covenant would take its binding power upon the living and the dead–this could happen even when they were unable to enter into the temple, because one or both were unworthy when they were both alive.

Both of the participants, the surviving spouse and the proxy stand­ing would need to go through the ceremonial ordeal described earlier. The contract would be read by both people, the pricking of the finger and the exchanging of blood·, with the word exchange, as well a the final blessing being pronounced upon the two–all being done in the name of the Father God, the Son God and the Spirit God. As this was done, one of the four holy pipes would be presented to the Lord in the fashion of the four cardinal points. The pipe would then be taken to the woman and be placed on her forehead (and that was done in the name of the Father God), then the pipe would be placed on her left shoulder (which was done in the name of the Son God), and lastly, the pipe would be placed upon her right shoulder (which was done in the name of the Spirit God). The same rite would be performed upon the man, bringing the pipe to touch
his forehead, his left shoulder, then the right shoulder in the same order and fashion as had been administered to the woman. This wedding was then celebrated with a feast.

It should be noted that Cherokee Indians also have two special hand grips that are both sacred and secret. These hand-grips were mentioned earlier. One is called the ‘‘brotherhood grip” and the other is called the “death covenant grip” which only certain people in the tribe receive. J. Murray Rawson was asked if he wore a “shield” with special marks on it. The response that was given pertaining to the Cherokee People was: “We wear a shield with marks on it.”

There also exists a secret assassination group in the Cherokee Nation who will kill anyone who breaks the laws of the holy ways of the Old Law covenant, which are sacred.” A SPECIAL REPORT on the RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE of the CHEROKEE INDIANS By: J. Murray Rawson.

See complete Blog here: https://www.bofm.blog/buffalo-tiger-cherokee-tradition-the-place-that-ran-red-all-day/

The ordinance of baptism has been with us from the beginning of time. Most people not of our Faith, believe the first time baptism was performed was when John baptized the Savior in 29 AD.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints know differently and it strengthens our testimony of the Gospel.

Adam Baptized

Moses 6:64 “And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.

65 And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man.

66 And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying: Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever;

Enoch Baptized

The Lord said to Enoch, in Moses 7:11 “And he gave unto me a commandment that I should baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, which is full of grace and truth, and of the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father and the Son.”

Alma Baptized, and Baptizes

“The Prophet Mormon was named after his father Mormon (Mormon 1:5) who was named after the land of Mormon where Alma entered into the baptismal covenant and established the Church (3 Nephi 5:12). Is it any wonder that he extols “the place of Mormon,” “the Waters of Mormon” and “the Forest of Mormon” in “the land of Mormon?” The name “Mormon” should be considered sacred, as it refers not only to the Prophet Mormon, but to the significance of the place where the baptismal covenant was restored. An alternate name for the Book of Mormon could be “The Book of the Restoration of the Covenant.” “And it came to pass that as many as did believe him [Alma1] did go forth to a place which was called Mormon, having received its name from the king, being in the borders of the land” (Mosiah 18:4). As quoted in Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum page 187

The Baptism of Jesus, When, Where, and Why?

By Timothy J. Adams

The baptism of Jesus is recorded in Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, John 3

When?

 23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli. (Luke 4:23)

Many assume Jesus started his ministry at age thirty because of this verse.  But it clearly says that he was beginning to be the age of thirty, meaning he was still 29.   Two verses in the book of Numbers add to this confusion.

3 From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

47 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation. (Numbers 4:3,47)

The problem with this idea is that Jesus was not anointed to be a Levitical Priest, but instead a Prophet, Priest and King after the order of Melchizedek.

 13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.                                               
14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.                                                      
15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,                                                
16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.                                                                             
17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.  (Hebrews 7:13-17)

In addition to this right of the higher Priesthood, Jesus first receives baptism from that of the lower Priesthood, by him who was described by Jesus as being the greatest of all Prophets!  Jesus out of necessity waited for his time of growth and maturity to present himself as the great teacher and Prophet. Baptism was an appendage to the Gospel, and therefore it began at the same time with the preaching of the Gospel as it had with John the Baptist.  As Jesus came up out of the waters of baptism the Holy Spirit came down and lighted upon him in the likeness of a dove, with the sign of the dove present[1].

Shortly thereafter we see Jesus back up in Nazareth reading form Isaiah

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; (Isaiah 61:1)

We are told in these verses that Jesus recognized the spirit of the Lord was upon him. Why?  Because the Lord anointed him!  The title “Messiah” means the anointed one!  Was he anointed at baptism, or from the foundation of the world, or some other time one can only guess.  But he was anointed and the spirit of the Lord settled on him.

 

Where?

 

 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:28)

 23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.   (John 3:23)

If one does a search for Bethabara and Ænon in the land of Israel today they would be hard pressed to find them.  There is a reference to Beth-bara in the Old Testament[2], but we also have today an ancient mosaic map produced sometime during the 6^th century in the Byzantine Church of Saint George in Madaba Jordan that shows both of these areas written in Greek.

Bethabara (BEBABAPA) and under it is written “The place of baptism by John” is shown near the mouth of the Dead Sea (where no fish swim) up against Jericho (surrounded by palm trees, and Ænon or Ainon (AINWN’ENOA) (NYNOCATTCA OAC) Saphsaphas on the opposite side of the Jordan River.  Bethabara means “House of the Ford”.   Ainon has underneath it a mushroom shaped appendage which some believe to be a fountain or a spring, or perhaps a cave.  In that area across the river there have been found springs and caves.  The main spring today is called John the Baptist spring because it is believed that John lived in one of the many caves and baptized from the spring.  Near this location the Jordan River has a sharp bend into the Jordanian side where some time ago when the water flow was heavier, but today is now dry land.  The river today irrigates both Jordan and the land of Israel making the flow of water dramatically reduced. To get a better perspective take a satellite view of the area and one can get a better idea of how wide the river used to be.  Byzantine churches had been erected over this area as a probable site for Jesus baptism nigh unto where John the Baptist dwelt and where on the same hill Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Today the Catholics and Greek Orthodox and other churches take this area to be the site of Jesus baptism.  And it may well be.  Whether it was on the Jordanian side or on the west side is of little importance to me. 

 The greater question is why did Jesus have to go all the way down there to get baptized?  The distance from Nazareth to this location is approximately 75 miles!  Wasn’t Jesus good enough for John the Baptist to hike up to the Sea of Galilee or at least the northern end of the Jordan River?  How many people today are willing to walk that far to get baptized?  Why did Jesus have to leave what he was doing to go way down there?

For one thing this location on earth is the lowest place on earth.  Jericho is the lowest city on earth at 850 ft. below sea level and the Dead Sea at 1,338 below sea level.  This last five mile stretch of water emptying into the Dead Sea is the lowest fresh water on earth.  Did I say fresh?  It is not clear water.  In fact baptizing the Savior at this location really is descending,[3] below all things!

 8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? (Doctrine and Covenants Sec. 122:8)

So this is the location, now lets try to answer the more important reasons why here?

Why?

1. Because he was obedient to the will of the Father.

In addition to his obedience there are other very stark reasons for going to this place on the Jordan River. 

2. Starting with Moses and the greatest story ever told, he led the Children of Israel out of Egypt and with Pharaoh at his heels He and the Israelites Passed through the waters crossing the Red Sea and lived to tell the tale.  This “passing through the waters” is symbolic of baptism, where as we come out again we become “alive” or “new creatures”.  After passing through this water they traveled through a small section of Arabia to Mt Sinai where covenants were made, not unlike the covenant we make when we receive the laying on of hands to become members of his Church to be obedient to Jehovah.  Shortly thereafter the covenants were broken, and they were left to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. 

Now a new generation is being led into the Promised Land, not by Moses, but rather “Joshua”.  Joshua is the Hebrew rendering for the Greek name Jesus!  Moses brought the law, but it is Jesus who leads us into the promise land.  However if we read the story close, Joshua does not cross the waters of the Jordan first, the priest carrying the ark of the covenant lead the Children of Israel through the water on dry ground.  Remember Jehovah was a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, as the priest feet dipped into the waters of the Jordan River the waters part. Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus of the New Testament, whom later as Jesus returned to the place where as Jehovah He had passed through before!  Now this was done at the time of year when the waters flowing were at their fullest, after the winter and spring rains had gorged the river placing the timing of the entrance into the Promised Land in the Spring, at the beginning of the Jewish year[4] at Passover!  The crossing over the River Jordan is at the same time of the year as when they had crossed over the Red Sea forty years earlier!  They are being re-baptized as they enter the land, in addition a member of each of the twelve tribes take a stone form out of the middle of the River and they carry them to Gilgal where they place them in a pile making a covenant to follow and obey Jehovah.  Is it any wonder that Jesus would return to that location?  For this reason this “area” is called Bethabara meaning “House of the Ford”, for it was here that they forded the River.  Thus Bethabara is the crossing point, and the point where Jesus was baptized is most likely the place where the Children of Israel entered the water from the Jordanian side.

3. Another story in the Old Testament is that of Elijah and Elisha. Earlier[5] we are told that Elijah had already thrown his mantle to Elisha and from that point on he follows Elijah.  Now as Elisha was the under study of Elijah both were living in the area of Mt. Carmel.  The story is found in 2 Kings 2:1-15. Verse 4 puts the two of them in Jericho up the hill from the same place where the Israelites crossed the Jordan years earlier.  As the two of them come to the waters of Jordan Elijah takes his mantle and parts the waters, where the two of them walk through the waters over on dry ground to the other side of Jordan.  As they ascend a hill Elisha asks for a double portion of the spirit that Elijah held.  Elijah said I’m not sure I can promise you that, but if you see me ascending into heaven then you will have a double portion of my spirit. 

The chariot of the Lord parts the two and up Elijah goes and meanwhile Elisha witness’s it all.  Elijah’s mantle had fallen to the ground so Elisha picks it up hits the waters of the River Jordan and they part.

Why all this detail?   Remember Elijah is described as a Hairy-man with a girdle of leather about his lions.  In his article “Elisha and the Children: The question of Accepting Prophetic Succession” Author Fred E. Woods writes:

Scholars have two interpretations for the words ba’al se’ar.  One translates them as “a hairy man,” the other as “ a man with a hairy garment.”  This latter interpretation seems more correct when the word se’ar (“hairy”) is associated with the word “mantle” (‘adderet), which plays a central role in this account of prophetic succession.

John the Baptist is described as wearing a mantle or garment (Greek, endyma) made of camel’ hair.  He too wore a leather girdle about his loins.  This description is virtually identical to that of Elijah’s apparel.   In addition to this the word sackcloth is a dark-colored material of goat or camel hair used for making grain bags and garments. A garment of sackcloth was uncomfortable and was therefore worn by those in mourning.

Jesus said of John the Baptist[6] that there was not one greater born of woman.  John said of Jesus[7] “ He must increase and I must decrease”.  Like Elisha asking Elijah for a double portion of the spirit Jesus certainly carries that double portion of the spirit.  It is at this moment that the Lord Jesus begins his ministry as Prophet, Priest and King.  The mantle of John the Baptist is passed to Jesus exactly in the same way Elijah passes it on to Elisha at the same approximate location!  This story of Elijah and Elisha pre-figures identically to that of John and Jesus.  Elisha passes through the water at the same place that Jesus passed through as Jehovah, and as Jesus of Nazareth!  If John the Baptist dwelt at the place where Elijah ascended to heaven we have a clear picture of the Mission of these two great Prophets.

And then we have these two scriptures that seem to question both John and Jesus about the Identity of Elias. 

22 And they asked him, saying; How then art thou Elias? And he said, I am not that Elias who was to restore all things. And they asked him, saying, Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. (JST, John 1:22)

10 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things, as the prophets have written.

11 And again I say unto you that Elias has come already, concerning whom it is written, Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and they knew him not, and have done unto him, whatsoever they listed.

12 Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them.

13 But I say unto you, Who is Elias? Behold, this is Elias, whom I send to prepare the way before me.

14 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist, and also of another who should come and restore all things, as it is written by the prophets. (Matthew 17:10–14)

Elias is the Greek spelling for the word Elijah of the Old Testament.  It also means a forerunner or messenger John the Baptist when asked if he was Elias said:

21 And he confessed, and denied not that he was Elias; but confessed, saying; I am not the Christ.                                                                         

22 And they asked him, saying; How then art thou Elias? And he said, I am not that Elias who was to restore all things. And they asked him, saying, Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. (JST John1:21-22)

It appears from these two verses One Elias is a preparer and one a restorer. So did he side step the question or did he not think of himself as Elijah?  He may have been asked because of where he dwelt in the wilderness near the Jordan River.  But then in the Matthew verses Jesus confirms John as Elias.

1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa,                                                                                                         
2 And saying Repent ye: for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.                  
3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The coive of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.                                                                             
4 And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.                     
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region round about Jordan,                                                                                          
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, Confessing their sins. 
(Matthew 3:1-6)     

In addition to this place where Elijah is taken up into heaven it being on a hill on the East side of Jordan, possibly above the caves where John the Baptist may have dwelt, we have another Prophet who was taken up without tasting of death (possibly) at this same location.

1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,                      
2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,                                                            
3 And the south and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.                                                                                        
4 And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.                                                                                                         
5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.                                                             
6 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulture unto this day.                             
7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.                                                
8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. (Deuteronomy 34:1-8)

So this verse can be read as a guide of what Moses did. 
1. The children of Israel were camped somewhere in the valley of Moab on the northeastern side of the Dead Sea or the plains of southern Jordan. 
2. Moses went up to Mt. Nebo and was shown the land of Israel.  
3. Then to the top of Pisgah that is over against Jericho. 

No one knows for sure where Pisgah is located.  Some think it must be the top of Mt Nebo.  Other maps show it below the Mountains of Abarim, which Nebo is the highest point.  Does it not make sense that the tribes were encamped on the Jordanian side of the Jordan River also known as the region and valley of Moab?  And that Moses went up to the Abarim Mountains to Nebo to see the land of Israel as he talked to the Lord.  Then after blessing the tribes he went up to the hill-top of Pisgah over looking the Jordan river and there was taken up and received of the Lord.  Or, more likely if Pisgah is the peak of Nebo, then it would make sense that he was buried of the Lord in a valley in the land of Moab called Beth Peor.  Do not make the mistake of Baal Peor in this case is the false god of the Moabites, but rather the Hebrew “Beth” house of “Peor”, with the Hebrew meaning of Opening, or all together “the house of the opening”.  Remember on the Israel side of the Jordan “Bethabera” house of the ford and on the Jordanian side “Bethpeor” the house of the opening meaning where the waters opened up to receive the Israelites.     While the Bible says Moses died and was buried of the Lord; it also says, that “no man knoweth his sepulcher”.  The Book of Mormon teaches that Alma was taken up, perhaps translated like unto Moses[8].  It seems likely that Moses was taken up at the same spot that Elijah was, because it was both Elijah and Moses that appeared at the transfiguration of Jesus with bodies that had been translated and were yet awaiting the resurrection of the just, possibly 6 or so months later after the first-fruit resurrection of Jesus! It seems likely that Moses and Elijah and or possibly John the Baptist[9] who shared this same area “over against Jericho” the same place Christ began his ministry.

Another story in the Old Testament is about Elisha who having moved for a time to Jericho[10] (He dwelt in Gilgal on the North side of the ruins of Jericho).   Naaman[11] Captain of the Host of Syria covered with leprosy comes to the Prophet of Israel to be healed. 

Where he is told to dip himself in the river Jordan 7 times, whereupon he complains about the waters in Damascus are they not better than all the rivers in Israel to make one clean?  Nevertheless he dips himself in the waters of Jordan and his skin comes out of the water soft as a newborn baby’s. This story is yet another type of baptism where the curse of leprosy, like the curse of sin can be washed away in the waters of Baptism.                                                                                              

This occurred in the same place where Elijah passes the Mantle to Elisha, where Jesus is later Baptized and where the tribes of Israel cross over into the Promised Land with Jehovah!  This cleansing of Leprosy is reminiscent of the miracles of Jesus who heals Lepers.                                                                                                                              

Examining the life of Elisha we have other relevant depictions of the life of Christ.  Almost from the beginning in reference to Elisha he is instead referred to as the “Man of God”[12]. It is Elisha who fills empty vessels of oil[13] from one pot of oil, like the first miracle turning water to wine in Cana.  The Shunammite woman[14] whose husband is old and they are childless he promises she will have a son.  They do have a son and later he falls ill and dies. Elisha brings the dead son back to life.  He and Elijah are the only Prophets in the Old Testament who brings someone back from the dead.  Elisha is the one who multiplies the loaves of bread[15]just as the Master multiplied the loaves and the fishes.                   

There are certain sacred places on this planet where no Temple or edifice needs to be erected.  Locations that are sacred because of what happened there.  Adam-ondi-Ahaman, Mount of transfiguration, the Sacred Grove, Bethel where Jacob saw an entryway into heaven and therefore named the place “the House of God”, the Temple mount in Jerusalem, and the place in Missouri where the future “New Jerusalem will be built.  These past, present, and future holy sites, were designated for man to approach God; one which I would include is Bethabara.    

It is certain that these Old Testament stories pre-figure Our Savior.  These were timed events, that were representational of a coming event (Jesus Baptism), Who fulfilled the acts of these Old Testament Prophets, who descended below all things, and was baptized not just because it was the will of the Father, but to complete and make known unto man the link between him, and those who had gone before.  To give us a more complete rationalization of why we his followers should also go down into the waters and become new creatures following him into the Promised Land.  Not a mere shower or sprinkling of droplets, but lowering ourselves and passing through deep waters.

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[1] John 1:34-36
[2] Judges 7:24
[3] Doctrine and Covenants 122:8
[4] Exodus 12:1-2 Institution of the Passover
[5] 1 Kings 19:19
[6] Luke 7:28
[7] John 3:30
[8] Alma 45:19
[9] JST Mark 9:3
[10] 2 Kings 4:38
[11] 2 Kings 5:
[12] 2 Kings 4:7
[13] 2 Kings 4:2-7
[14] 2 Kings 4:8-38
[15] 2 Kings 4:42-44

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Tim Adams Husband, Father, Author, Iconology Expert

Tim Adams is first and foremost a father of six children and married to the love of his life Katy Ann MacArthur.  Raised and lived around the US spending middle and High school years in Upstate New York.  I remember well camping as a boy scout on the backside of the Hill Cumorah.  Sneaking out at night as our leaders slept, digging with sticks looking for that stone box that held the plates.  Professors hadn’t taught me yet that New York’s Hill was the wrong one.  Nonetheless we moved there when I was 13; and I identified strongly with the boy prophet.  My Father became a professor of Art History working on organizing an iconografical index for the Cathedral of Chartres.  Having read a few of my Fathers papers and having him as a Seminary teacher trained me to “see” what the scriptures looked like in stone. Latter served a mission in the Netherlands Amsterdam mission, where I had fun with my companions seeing if they could identify the apostles and prophets in the large Catholic churches.

Tim attended Ricks College as it was then known; and found his girlfriend Katy MacAurthur (and yes; she is related to that famous General), and married her in the Washington DC Temple.

Tim attended a meeting in Portland Oregon where he lives; where a Christian man gave a presentation on the constellations, and how they testified of Christ.  Having an acute interest in Greek mythology, I thought how strange that he fears using the icons that are Greek to testify of Christ’s godliness.  Someone should write a book about it that understands iconology.  So “Pattern of the Heavens” became my first book written in 2009.  This year in March I completed a second book called “Similitude’s”.  One could call it the iconology of Old Testament stories.  This new book is a twist on a topic about typology, taking it to new places it has yet to go.

Tim graduated from Ricks College earning an associate degree in general education.  He has not gone on to further his studies in any direction.  No masters degree, no PHD, preferring instead to be a self made man; husband, Father, follower of Christ, and yes a dreamer.

Purchase Tim’s new book today: Similitudes: Typology of our Day