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Adam was Baptized
We are all well aware that the Savior Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. Christ was baptized not for redemption of sin, but to “fulfill all righteousness.”
I doubt many Christian churches today even consider that baptism as an ordinance is eternal, just as the Priesthood is. The Church of Christ began during the time of Adam as Adam was baptized. Moses6:64-65. The gospel of Christ was on the earth even when Christ Himself was in the sprit world with our Father in Heaven. Remeber all things which are temporal were at the beginning, spiritually upon the earth.
“Moses received the Melchizedek Priesthood from his father-in-law, Jethro (D&C 84:6). Moses held the Melchizedek Priesthood until he was translated, at which time the keys of the greater priesthood went with him, and what remained with the people was an appendage to the Melchizedek Priesthood called the Aaronic Priesthood, a priesthood with limited authority. After the time of Moses, individual prophets were given the holy priesthood at various times by God, but it was restricted from the general populace.
The Book of Mormon reports that Nephite prophets held the priesthood called after the order of the Son of God, the Melchizedek Priesthood (Alma 13:10). Those who had the authority directed the work of God among the people (Alma 29:13).” Source
Remember however when the Melchisedek Priesthood was not on the earth, the Aaronic Priesthood was, which officiates in the ordinance of baptism.
Search for Truth
I am one who searches out many ideas and truths of life. For sure I know a very small bit of real truth, but I keep searching. You might say as a wonderful Apostle said below, I have a “questing spirit.”
“I admire men and women who have developed the questing spirit, who are unafraid of new ideas as stepping stones to progress. We should, of course, respect the opinions of others, but we should also be unafraid to dissent – if we are informed. Thoughts and expressions compete in the marketplace of thought, and in that competition truth emerges triumphant. Only error fears freedom of expression.” – Apostle Hugh B. Brown, “A Final Testimony,” from An Abundant Life, 1999
I don’t fear searching for truth, but I fear not knowing truth. That is why I delve into many things that many others may not consider, including what people may call conspiracies’ or tall tales, or myths, or mysteries. That is not to say I believe many of these things, but I touch on them briefly on occasion as I pray and study the scriptures which are the two most important things to know truth by. My discovery of truth usually starts with my prying question of, “does it make sense”, and if it does I pursue it until I think it is a possible truth or simply a tall tale. Moroni did tell us that we man know the “truth of all things”, did he not?
I try and follow the admonition of a Prophet of God who said, “You don’t have to wonder about what is true. You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust. Through personal revelation, you can receive your own witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that this is the Lord’s Church. Regardless of what others may say or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true.” Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives by President Russell M. Nelson
Hebrews & Native Americans
As I search for truth I try and always include the truth about my dear Lamanite brothers and sisters. They are a huge part of the House of Israel and I love then as Jacob, Nephi’s brother did.
May we not forget our Hebrew brothers and sisters as we gather the dispersed of Israel. After all, Judah is Israel just as Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh are.
I know the original Hebrews from the Tribe of Judah are also many of these Native Americans of the tribe of Manasseh and both are related as members of the House of Israel.
Many Jew and Gentile fall short of the kingdom of God in our day. We Gentiles who have been blessed with the Book of Mormon need to be sure and share it with the Jew and Lamanite. “But, behold, in the last days, or in the days of the Gentiles—yea, behold all the nations of the Gentiles and also the Jews, both those who shall come upon this land and those who shall be upon other lands, yea, even upon all the lands of the earth, behold, they will be drunken with iniquity and all manner of abominations.” 2 Nephi 27:1
Again my “questing spirit” pushes me to ask the question, were the Hebrew people baptized? Did they once truly understand who the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph were? Did they ever believe in Christ as their Savior, or did they just misread the scriptures, or fall into unbelief? I know Christ loves us all so the plight of the Jew and the Lamanite will be rewarded one day. Below is some amazing information about the Hebrew and the Native American that I think you will enjoy.
Native American Population 2022
“The nation’s indigenous people had a population of nearly 10 million before European settlers explored America. Their numbers began to fall rapidly shortly after that due to war and diseases brought by the settlers. Native Americans faced centuries of persecution and discrimination, losing their land and resources and being forced onto reservations that lacked the soil and natural resources needed to build and sustain their communities.
Today, Native Americans still face threats from federal and state governments related to land-use and resource extraction. Native Americans have the highest poverty rate of any major racial group, with one in four people living below the poverty line.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the current total population of Native Americans in the United States is 6.79 million, which is about 2.09% of the entire population. There are about 574 federally recognized Native American tribes in the U.S.” Source
Jewish world population increases to 15.2 million with 45.3 percent living in Israel
(September 5, 2021 / JNS) The number of Jews worldwide stands at roughly 15.2 million, according to statistics released by the Jewish Agency for Israel on the eve of the Jewish new year 5782. That number is up from 15.1 million the last Jewish new year (5781).
The number of Jews in Israel is nearly 6.9 million (compared to 6.8 million in 5781). The number of Jews living in the Diaspora is 8.3 million, of which 6 million are in the United States, according to an Israeli government press statement.
The percentage of Jews living in Israel out of all the Jews in the world stands at 45.3 percent, an increase of half a percent over the previous year. The estimated number of Jews in the United States increased by 300,000 following a new survey by the Pew Research Center. The numbers include those who define themselves as Jews and don’t identify with another religion.” Source
Elder Russell M. Nelson
You can invite a friend to read the Book of Mormon. Explain that it is not a novel or a history book. It is another testament of Jesus Christ. Its very purpose is “to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.”
Each exemplary follower of Jesus Christ can become an effective member missionary. Members and full-time missionaries may walk arm in arm in bringing the blessings of the gospel to cherished friends and neighbors. Many of them are of Israel, now being gathered as promised. This is all part of the preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord. The Prophet Joseph Smith said “that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” The Book of Mormon teaches of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and is the instrument by which God will fulfill His ancient promise to gather scattered Israel in these latter days. (Be Thou an Example of the Believers, October 2010 General Conference)
Alvin Smith was the oldest brother of Joseph Smith Jr.
“Alvin is portrayed in the film Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration (2011) as proclaiming to Joseph “I cannot believe that God would want to save but just a few of us.”
To Alvin’s words, I humbly append “I cannot believe that God would want to save but just Ephraim and Manasseh.”
Surely the Lord also desires to save Judah.” – Tom Irvine
Behold, I am the law, and the blight. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life. 3 Nephi 15:9
The Book of Mormon written in Hebrew by Tom Irvine
Disclaimer: This translation is being made by Tom Irvine, an Indigo child and amateur student of Hebrew. Tom Irvine is neither a prophet nor an apostle. This is a partial translation which is part of an ongoing effort. This translation is not endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This document was last revised August 20, 2017. It should be used for prayerful, personal study only. Please provide feedback via Email: [email protected]
“Jesus the Messiah is the Torah made flesh and dwelt among us.” Synthesis of 3 Nephi 15:9 & John 1:14
Prophet Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith wrote, “Those engaged in seeking the outcasts of Israel, and the dispersed of Judah, cannot fail to enjoy the Spirit of the Lord and have the choicest blessings of Heaven rest upon them in copious effusions . . . He [the Lord] will endow you with power, wisdom, might, and intelligence, and every qualification necessary; while your minds will expand wider and wider, until you can circumscribe the earth and the heavens, reach forth into eternity, and contemplate the mighty acts of Jehovah in all their variety and glory” (History of the Church, 4:128-129). Source:
What is the history of baptism or the baptismal ceremony?
“John the Baptist baptized Jews before Christ came on the scene. Where did he come by the practice of baptism?
Depending on which Reformer you agree with, most Christians view baptism either as the means of salvation and entry into the church or as a sign of Christ’s redemptive work in the converted. In both cases, the new believer is considered wholly regenerated, and baptism seals this radical change.
But in first-century Judaism, baptism had a different meaning. In the book of Leviticus, God instructs Jews to cleanse themselves from ritual impurities, contracted through such acts as touching a corpse or a leper. Washing primarily fulfilled the legal requirements of ritual purity so that Jews could sacrifice at the Temple. Later, as “God-fearers” or “righteous” Gentiles expressed their desire to convert to Judaism, priests broadened the rite’s meaning, and along with circumcision, performed baptism as a sign of the covenant given to Abraham.
While Christians may relate to baptism as a sign of covenant and purity before God, these still don’t bridge the gap to John the Baptist’s “baptism of repentance”-or to the messianic thrust of his message. While there’s still room for speculation, one possible bridge is the community at Qumran-the ascetic desert sect best known for creating the Dead Sea scrolls. Like orthodox Jews, the Qumran sectarians baptized for reasons of ritual purity. But their Manual of Discipline, or the community rule, also stated that a person could not become clean if he failed to obey God’s commandments.” Source
Editor’s Note: In my opinion there is no need to speculate. We believe the Church of Jesus Christ has been on the earth since the time of Adam. As we see scripture above, we know Adam was baptized and Christ was an eternal Spirit who helped create the world and has always been with us as the very God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, just as today’s Hebrews believe from the Torah (First four books of the Old Testament written by Moses).
What is the symbolism of Noah and the flood?
“God uses symbols to teach gospel truths. In the New Testament, Peter explained that the flood was a “like figure” or symbol of baptism (1 Peter 3:20–21). Just as the earth was immersed in water, so we must be baptized by water and by the Spirit before we can enter the celestial kingdom. Also, Noah himself was a symbol of Christ. It was necessary for any living creature who wished to be saved to come “unto Noah into the ark” (Genesis 7:9, 15).” Source
HEBREW ORDINANCE OF WATER BAPTISM
THE ORDINANCE OF BAPTISM
Baptism, as it has been known in the gospel age, is not a new ordinance. In the text of Hebrews 6: 1-2, it is “baptisms” – plural, as there is more than one type of baptism in scripture. These are — 1. The baptism of creation to life – Genesis 1 & 7; 2 Peter 3: 6-7 2. The baptism of Moses from Egypt – Exodus 14:19-31; 1 Corinthians 10: 1-4 3. The baptism of Ritual Cleansing – Leviticus 8: 5-9; Numbers 8: 6-7; 19:13, 20 4. The baptism of John unto repentance – Matthew 3: 1-6 5. The baptism of Y’shua into His Body – Romans 6:3-5 6. The baptism in the Spirit of God for ministry – Matthew 3:11 & Luke 3:16 7. The baptism of fire for purification – Matthew 3:11 & Luke 3:16; 1 Peter 4:12-16In the beginning, the creation in its disordered state was immersed in water and it was through the operation of the Spirit brooding upon the waters that He brought forth order out of chaos, and created new life. Genesis 1:1-10The ordinance of immersion originated at creation in the birthing of the earth out of its submerged state under the water. When Yahweh gathered the waters together into seas, He caused the earth to be resurrected out of its watery grave which in effect, was the ‘womb’ from which it came forth. The word used for ‘gathered waters’ in verse 10 is “mikveh”. The mikveh waters were actually the womb of creation from which He brought forth new life out of its former state of ‘death’.Water is always used as a cleansing, purifying agent in His purposes to initiate a change from one state of existence to another. It was the element of water that was used in conjunction with the Spirit’s power upon the waters, initiated by the Word of God that effected the purposes of Father God. This is the prototype of all other forms of baptism or ritual immersions.The creation was again cleansed and purified by water with the flood of Noah’s day. Peter calls this a baptism of the earth. There are two elements used by Yahweh for cleansing – water and fire. The earth was cleansed by water the first time, during the flood. The second time it will be cleansed by fire (immersed in fire), as it is written in 2 Peter 3:6-7 and Matthew 3:12.The whole nation of Israel was baptised “into Moses” when they went through the Red Sea, which separated them and cleansed them from the influence of Egypt, which represented the world and its lifestyle, before being taken to the promised land. The waters of the Red Sea allowed them to pass from one state of existence to another, from the status of bondage and slavery to that of freedom with the status of sonship; to become a nation with a unique calling and destiny. Exodus Chs. 12-14; 19:10
The Talmud, Mishnah tells us that the high priest immersed himself five times and washed his hands and feet ten times during the sacrifices and in ministering the office on Yom Kippur ( Moed, Yoma 3 Mishneh 3). The Mikveh was the means of maintaining a state of ritual purity before a holy God. https://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/Hebrew_Roots/The_original_foundation/Baptism
THE JEWISH ROOTS OF BAPTISM ONE FOR ISRAEL
A Jewish man called Yochanan was baptizing people in the Jordan River in first century Israel, including his cousin who would later become world famous: Yeshua of Nazareth. Many Jewish people responded to the call of this Jewish man to immerse themselves in the river as a sign of repentance, and a desire to get right with God. Some of the Pharisees were also among them. Did Yochanan invent baptism at this time? Or was it part of Jewish tradition and practice before that?
No he didn’t, and yes it was.
And the Hebrew word for an immersion pool built for this purpose, “mikveh”, also points us in the right direction in understanding deeper meaning in the practice.
IMMERSION IN JEWISH TRADITION
The Jewish laws which had been passed down orally from generation to generation had several things to say about the need for ritual washing, and the most desirable places to do it.[1] There are six different options suggested that satisfy the requirements, starting with pits or cisterns of standing water as acceptable but least desirable, moving up to pits that are refreshed by rainwater as slightly more desirable, then the custom-built ritual bath, or “mikveh” with 40 se’ahs (300 liters) or more of water, then fountains, then flowing waters.
But “living waters” (as found in natural lakes and rivers) which were considered to be the best possible situation.
The Mishnah specifies what makes the water clean or unclean, and expresses a preference for a larger, fresher body of water, “For in it persons may immerse themselves and immerse others”.
So Yochanan immersing people in the “Living waters” of the River Jordan was perfectly within Jewish law and practice at the time.
The Essenes, a strict Jewish sect, were doing it too out in the Judean Desert. But why were Jewish people immersing themselves in water? Is baptism in the Jewish Scriptures? Well, sort of, yes.
RITUAL BATHING IN THE BIBLE
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD, they shall wash with water, lest they die. So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them– to him and his descendants throughout their generations.” Exod 30:17-21
The priests had to be ritually clean (tahor) in order to serve at the tabernacle, and Israelites who had become ritually unclean (tamay) had to restore their situation with the passing of time and bathing their whole body in fresh, ritually clean (tahor) water, according to Leviticus 15.
Later, when the temple had been built, it was necessary for everyone to be immersed in a mikveh to become ritually clean before entering the temple. There are many ancient mikva’ot (plural of mikveh) to be seen in Jerusalem, and it is clear to see the two sets of steps for each one – a set of steps going down to the mikveh in an impure (tamay) state on one side, and on the other side, steps where the pilgrim will emerge fresh and ritually clean (tahor).
WHAT DID IT LOOK LIKE IN THE TIME OF JESUS?
Following the upheaval of the 1967 war, archaeologists were presented with the opportunity to excavate parts of the upper city of Jerusalem, giving a new window into daily life in ancient times. Many of the houses were grand and spacious, with their own water cisterns and ritual baths in the basements.[2] Some houses were found to have had several of these mikva’ot, since it is thought that as well as providing for the household (which could even be up to fifty people) they would have been able to welcome and host pilgrims arriving for the Jewish feasts, catering for many more. Many of this upper city aristocracy were among the priestly class, who would have to stay in a state of ritual purity as much as possible, and so would have to immerse themselves in a mikveh frequently. Archaeologists also believe that the pools of Siloam and Bethsaida could have been used for ritual bathing in the Second Temple period for those visiting Jerusalem for the high holy days.
So immersion in a mikveh was quite common at the time of Yeshua, but the New Testament also describes baptisms taking place not only in rivers, but in any available body of water. In Acts 8, we read of a visiting pilgrim from Ethiopia, who came to believe in Yeshua as he read Isaiah on the way home:
“As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” (verse 36).
By this point baptism had come to signify a decision to accept Yeshua as Messiah and Lord.
https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/was-baptism-originally-jewish/
M.M. Noah’s Gathering & the Mormon Gathering: 30 Parallels
In the near future a more extensive and fully documented tabulation of all the significant parallels between Major Noah’s “Ararat” plan and the Mormons’ “American Zion” plan will be posted on this web-page. What is now offered below is simply a preliminary list, compiled in no special order and without documented references to early Mormon history and scriptures.
Hopefully this preliminary listing will help to generate some interest in the subject among students of various American “gatherings of Israel” and of the Mormon “Israelite Gathering” in particular. Similar parallels might then be compiled for the early American gathering programs of Conrad Beissel, Israel Eckerlin, the Moravians, Nathaniel Wood, and even of the notions respecting pre-millennial gathering as expressed by writers such as Richard Brothers and the Rev. Ethan Smith. If enough people will submit their own comments and insights to the site host, perhaps this entire topic can eventually be put into a better perspective for future study and discussion.
Both plans made use of a member of the Jewish Siexas family of New York. (Major Noah’s private secretary was Mr. A. B. Siexas, while the Mormons employed Joshua Siexas as a teacher at Kirtland 9Letter Below)– both were grandsons of Isaac Siexas of Portugal.) The leaders of both plans studied Hebrew under a member of the Siexas family of New York. (Major Noah studied the language under the tutelage of Moses Siexas, while Joseph Smith’s Hebrew teacher was the nephew of Moses: Joshua Siexas.) http://www.olivercowdery.com/gathering/ararat2.htm
have issued this my proclamation, announcing to the Jews throughout the world
that an asylum is prepared and hereby offered to them…”
(M. M. Noah, 1825)
Who Was Mordecai M. Noah and What Was “Ararat”?
Major Mordecai Manuel Noah (1785-1851) was a noted American journalist, playwright, diplomat, New York politician, and Jewish advocate. In 1825 this utopian proto-Zionist proposed and planned a gathering of the world’s “Israelites” to western New York state in order to establish a great city and a powerful theocracy — for the protection and advancement of God’s ” chosen people.” Although the goals of Noah’s 1825 project was never realized, many elements of his “City of Refuge” plan for the restoration of Israel were revived, Christianized, and implemented by the early Mormons in their own attempts to build a North American “Zion.” The Mormons originally planned the building of their “City of Refuge” at Independence, Missouri, but that goal was beset by various obstacles and they moved its location — first to Kirtland Ohio, then to Nauvoo, Illinois, and finally, to Salt Lake City in Utah.
Major Noah did not live to see his dreams for an Israelite gathering come true, either in the New World or in the Old. By the end of his life he, like the Mormons, had shifted his sacred geography but had not lost track of his original mission. Quietly abandoning his earlier hope to incorporate the American Indians into his Israelite utopia, Noah became a proto-Zionist whose eyes were finally fixed on Turkish Palestine as the proper place to gather his dispersed brethren. Mordecai M. Noah was not unaware of the Mormons’ imitative gathering activity on their own behalf and for the restoration of the supposed Israelite Indians. As a newspaper editor he now and then directed a few choice words in the direction of these Johnny-come-lately Saints, but mostly he simply chose to ignore them and their Christianized mutation of his old Grand Island scheme. Had Noah himself taken more trouble to respond to the Mormons’ zionic activities, perhaps their mimicry of his own failed “Restoration” would not have gone unnoticed for many decades. Noah avoided the chagrin of making such an admission and today practically everybody has forgotten both him and his land promotion of 1825. Now, 175 years later, the time has arrived for people to take a new look at Major Mordecai M. Noah and his proposed gathering of Israel to “the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,” — which he translated to read: “the land of the (American) Eagle!”
JEWISH RITES-BAPTISM.
New York, Nov. 20, 1845 M. M. Noah, Esq.,
Dear Sir: While reading your very interesting illustrations of Hebrew laws and usages, published in The Tribune, I was rather surprised to meet the declaration that baptism was a Hebrew rite; and I beg leave to say that I shall be gratified by being enabled to see the evidences of the fact, and to have your opinion of the origin of the rite. My attention having been directed to the investigation of the Ancient Mysteries, have become satisfied that a species of Baptism was practised [practiced] therein, before the foundations of the Hebrew Commonwealth, in India, Egypt, Greece and Britain; and as those Mysteries, in the remote antiquity of their institution, were intended to preserve a pure worship of the Deity, and the transmission of the traditions of the early ages of the human family, the ritual must have had one common origin, but I was not aware that baptism had been incorporated into the Jewish rites.
There is also another point which I wish to understand better. It is this: “If she still refused to change her faith, or become a proselyte of the gate, or to observe the seven precepts of the sons of Noah;” &c. What are the seven precepts referred to, and whence were they derived? The old Constitutions of the Freemasons speak of the “three principles of Noah,” and it seems probable that the three and the seven descend from the same source. Undoubtedly many of your sources of information are contained in what to me are sealed books, or I would only trouble you for the references, and hope you will pardon me for thus attempting to give you additional labor.
I am, dear sir, respectfully yours,
JAMES HERRING,
Grand Sec’y Grand Lodge S. N. Y. Howard House, N. Y.
M. M. Noah’s Reply.
I shall proceed cheerfully to reply to Mr. Herring’s questions seriatim.
Circumcision and baptism were the initiatory rites for the admission of Hebrew children into the established religion; and these two rites were inseparable from the earliest periods, but they are not both of the same divine authority. The impression I know prevails, that baptism received its original form, and derived its observance from the apostle John, who baptized Jesus in the Jordan, but it is evident that the baptism by John was the induction to a new faith and not a new practice, Jesus, born a Jew, had received the initiatory rites in infancy, and understood them well;. Maimenides-great authority always among Jews and Christians, as a wise interpreter of the law- says, (Issue Biah Cap. 13.) Israel was admitted into the covenant by three things: by Circumcision, by baptism and by sacrifice. Circumcision was in Egypt, as it is said, none uncircumcised shall eat the passover. Baptism was in the wilderness, before the giving of the law, as it is said, “Thou shalt sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their garments;” and sacrifice as it is said, “and he sent the young men of the Children if Israel, and they offered burnt offerings, they offered them for all Israel.”
Jacob (Israel) and Baptism
The origin of baptism dated from the time of Jacob, when he received into the church the young women of Sichem, and other heathens who lived with him. Jacob said to his family, (Gen xxxv. 2,) and to all that were with him, “put away from you the strange Gods and be ye clean, and change your garments.” Eben Ezra, also a great authority, applies the words “be ye clean” to the washing and purification of the body;-hence the origin of baptism.
It is certain that heathens who become converts to the religion of the Jews, were admitted by circumcision, and baptism was inseparably joined to it.
“Whenever,” says Maimenides, “a Heathen is willing to be joined to the covenant of Israel, and place himself under the wings of the Divine majesty, and take the yoke of the law upon him voluntarily, Circumcision, Baptism, and Ablution are required.” This practice continued to the reign of Solomon; but at that period, other nations became proselytes in such vast numbers that they were received by baptism or washing only. Some time elapsed, say thirty days, between circumcision and baptism, in order to give time for the wound to heal; the child was then brought to a running stream, called “gathering of the waters,” and plunged in. If a man, the Triumviri or the Judicial Consistory charged with this duty, when placed in the water, instructed him in some of the weightier obligations of the law, and plunged him in, so that every part of the body was immersed, not the tip of a finger was left exposed;-hence the difference between sprinkling and immersion in baptism. If an Israelite, says Maimenides, finds a Heathen infant and baptizes him for a proselyte, he becomes a member of the church, and baptism was always administered by persons regularly ordained, or appointed for that purpose, and witnesses and written testimony were necessary to prove the fact. Proselytes however were unwillingly made at all times, for many were tenacious of their old customs, and fell again to idolatry, so that finally Baptism was gradually abandoned, and it is only now practiced when a christian female desires to become a Jewess, and then under very considerable restrictions and ceremonies.
You will thus perceive that the rite of baptism dates from the time of Jacob, and by the wisest interpreters of the law, was pronounced a Jewish rite and followed circumcision.
Editors note: This is very interesting that the Hebrew has believed that baptism began with Jacob. That would be as early as 1892 BC that Jacob and Esau were born according to Johnpratt.com. The prophet Eber who is the man where we get the name Hebrew from, lived in about 2275 BC and Abraham born in about 2052 BC to give you a reference.
“A Proselyte of the Gate,” is the next point about which you ask for information. There were two kinds of proselytes-the first of the covenant-the second of the Gate. The first, though of gentile birth, were admitted to all the privileges of the Jews; they worshipped in the same Court of the Temple with the Hebrews, while others were prohibited, and were partakers of all privileges, Divine and human. The proselytes of the Gate were Gentiles, who were admitted to the worship of the God of Israel, and the hopes of a future life, but who were not circumcised. These proselytes, although permitted to worship in the Temple, could not enter the same Court with the Proselytes of the covenant, but were deemed unclean and a special court assigned to them, called the “Court of the Gentiles”-they had a distinct place where the law was expounded to them, they were not denizens of Jerusalem. In the New Testament, Proselytes of the Covenants are called merely Proselytes, and Proselytes of the Gate are called worshipers [worshippers]; and it is a curious fact, and but little known, that the first proselytes to Christianity were the Proselytes of the Gate. Their condition being free and unconstrained, mere semi-Jews, the transition to another faith was easy and natural, and as they were most numerous in the Roman States, they were the first cause of the spreading of the gospel; although Jesus of Nazareth never addressed himself to them, but always to his brethren who, like himself, were born Jews, and were not so by adoption.
The seven precepts of the sons of Noah, of which, as you say, Masonry knows only three, commonly called the Noachides, are as follows:
I. A Renunciation of all Idols;
II. The worship of the true and only God;
III. To commit no murder;
IV. Not to be defiled by incest;
V. To avoid rapine, theft and robbery;
VI. To administer justice;
VII. Not to eat flesh with blood in it.
This was the Common Law that prevailed from the time that Noah left the ark unto the arrival of the Jews at the foot of Mount Sinai. The law of Moses is the codification of the Common Law, as given by the sons of Noah, amplified, extended, and made to apply in justice and in mercy, in good faith and principle, to the whole civilized world which now live under those laws, with some immaterial local amendments.
I am, dear sir, Yours, &c., &c. M. M. N.
REMARKS.
There is so much said about the essentials for salvation, that we cannot well pass an article like the foregoing without remarks. The world, in its age, or dotage, seems to have lost the true points of salvation. Paul said to Timothy: “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel, according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purposes and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began; But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
Now if “life and immortality was brought to light through the gospel,” according to the purpose of grace, which was GIVEN TO US BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN, all righteous men must have been partakers of the same glory. By reading and comparing the world of God we find that the ordinances of salvation never vary, though there may have been sundry temporal rites, and sacrifices, by the law, which were instituted in the days of the rebellion of Israel, and others, to act as a schoolmaster to bring persons back to the simplicity of the gospel.
The gospel, or tidings of salvation has never changed: Repentance and baptism for remission of sin; and the gift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands, as a comforter to guide unto all truth, are just as necessary to eternal life as the elements are to compose the globe. Paul very wisely says:
And the scriptures, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Noah was a preacher of righteousness, and, of course, must have understood what was necessary to save souls. Nor is it less a matter of fact that “righteous Abel,” had and practiced the same glorious knowledge. What a singular figure many of this generation cut, with all their boasted light and intelligence, in inquiring into the ancient modes of worship and discussing and doing away, or “changing the ordinances,” in order to show the people of these last days how wise, gracious and self saving they are?
Besides repentance, baptism, reception of the Holy Ghost, and many other essentials, the UNION of male and female, both temporal and spiritual, is of as much importance before God as all the rest; for the man is not without the woman, neither is the woman without the man in the Lord. And again what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder, for the especial reason, that all contracts for time and eternity, have to be made while we sojourn in the flesh: “In the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but the great lineage, through the priesthood, and the everlasting Covenant sealed on earth, and sealed in heaven, continues throughout generations.
Editor’s Note: What beautiful teachings from a dear Jewish Man, Mordecai M. Noah, who even believed as we do today in Faith, Baptism, the Holy Ghost and Eternal Marriage. This Church of ours, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. It was founded by the Savior himself before the world was known, and there are many wonderful faiths in Christianity and Judaism who believe some of these same truths.
Another important point which the Gentile world, have reduced to a practice beyond the Lord’s wisdom, is the disconnection of kindred. This has been done from the rules or statutes which governed Israel after they had rejected the gospel, which was broken upon the stone tables: and as we are afterwards informed, the Lord gave them statutes not good. All right; the law was added because of transgression.
Who does not know that Abel, Noah and Abraham, were as well qualified to teach the gospel, and the true principles of salvation, both temporal and spiritual, as Moses, Elijah, or Paul? Who does not know that Noah’s children, saved in the Ark, had to marry their own kindred: And who does not know that Adam’s children, brothers and sisters, were joined in holy matrimony, as well as their Father and Mother, who was “bone of my bone!”
Now, to do the Almighty justice, we suppose that he was just as wise in the beginning, or in the days of the flood, as in the days of Israel, or the apostles, and should the “great restitution of all things spoken of by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began,” begin to be realized before this generation ends, who will deny the right of God to fulfil [fulfill] his own words?
As to the cogitations of M. M. Noah, and ten thousand more, they are as the drop of the bucket; not one rises up and brings forth his strong reasons, to show that God is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever, and that His celestial laws are eternal.” M.M. Noah
