The seraphim and cherubim are plasmoids


Ezekiel 1: Ezekiel’s vision of the four living creatures

Ezekiel chapter one describes a vision that Ezekiel saw by the river of Chebar:

Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, the word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him. (Ezekiel 1:1-3.)

And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings. Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. (Ezekiel 1:4-14.)

By saying that a “whirlwind came out of the north,” it means that Ezekiel was beholding a vision taking place in the north, as in the far north, meaning in the interior of the hollow earth. The “great cloud” of brightness and fire that Ezekiel saw was the same as the “great luminous cloud” of fire that Olaf Jansen saw suspended in the inner space of the earth’s interior:

The great luminous cloud or ball of dull-red fire — fiery-red in the mornings and evenings, and during the day giving off a beautiful white light, “The Smoky God,” — is seemingly suspended in the center of the great vacuum “within” the earth, and held to its place by the immutable law of gravitation, or a repellant atmospheric force, as the case may be. I refer to the known power that draws or repels with equal force in all directions. (Quoted from The Smoky God, Part III, page 26.)

The four living creatures that came out of the great cloud (the inner Sun) were not naked (unembodied or disembodied) spirits, nor embodied spirits connected to (mortal or immortal) bodies of flesh and bones—and thus they were neither ministering spirits, angels nor angelic beings—but were those plasmoids which are known in the scriptures as cherubims. From the Wikipedia entry on plasmoid:

A plasmoid is a coherent structure of plasma and magnetic fields. Plasmoids have been proposed to explain natural phenomena such as ball lightning, magnetic bubbles in the magnetosphere, and objects in cometary tails, in the solar wind, in the solar atmosphere, and in the heliospheric current sheet. Plasmoids produced in the laboratory include field-reversed configurations, spheromaks, and in dense plasma focuses.

The word plasmoid was coined in 1956 by Winston H. Bostick (1916-1991) to mean a “plasma-magnetic entity”:

The plasma is emitted not as an amorphous blob, but in the form of a torus. We shall take the liberty of calling this toroidal structure a plasmoid, a word which means plasma-magnetic entity. The word plasmoid will be employed as a generic term for all plasma-magnetic entities.

The four plasma-magnetic entities which Ezekiel saw were not “living creatures” in the sense that they were living, breathing creatures, i.e. they weren’t alive. They were “living creatures” only in the sense that they seemed to be alive and they looked like creatures. In other words, they were merely Etch A Sketches made out of plasma.

Just as a man can take up a pencil and draw a picture of a unicorn on a piece of paper, and we can look at the drawing on the paper and see it, for the paper is real and the lead of the pencil that has been scraped onto the paper is also real, both being real objects, yet we do not say that the drawing is a real unicorn, but merely a representation of a unicorn; and just as that same man can draw many pictures of a unicorn, in sequential motion, on many pieces of paper, and then take those pieces of paper and put them together in order, and then flip through them like a book, so that the individual drawings appear to move, showing an animated movie, and these are all real objects, even real pieces of paper and real pencil lead scrapings, yet the animated unicorn is not a real unicorn, but merely an animated representation of a unicorn; and just as that man can color all his drawings, in vibrant paint, so that each individual piece of paper looks as close to a unicorn as it is possible to be, and then photograph these painted drawings and put the photographs onto film, in sequential order, and then add sound effects and cause the unicorn to speak, and after all that show his film to an audience, although the film is a real object and the sound coming out of the speakers of the theater is really audible, yet the unicorn that now dances around across the screen in glorious colors and brays and speaks in a human’s voice is still not a real unicorn, but merely the representation of one; and just as the man can take up wire and latex and other materials and make a three dimensional sculpture of a unicorn, in full color and in full size, and add robotics and mechanics and hidden speakers that allow the creation to move and speak and make sounds and run and leap and so on, and even though this creation is made out of real objects, yet when a child sees it and says to his father, “Daddy, is that a real unicorn?” the father will reply, “No, son; it is not. It’s just a representation of one that looks very realistic”; so in like manner God has power to create three dimensional representations out of plasma, that when beheld by mortal men appear to be living creatures, yet they are still just Etch A Sketches.

Ezekiel’s description of these plasmoids showed that each of them stood upon two legs like a man does, but their feet were straight and hoofed, like calves’ feet, and their heads had four faces each, each one facing a different direction—the face of a man looked straight ahead; the face of a lion looked to the right; the face of an ox looked to the left; and the face of an eagle looked straight back—and they also had four wings each with the hands of a man (and no mention of any arms) under each wing on each side. As if all of this weren’t as unlike a man enough, their feet also sparkled like burnished brass. (Sparkling, in particular, is what plasmoids are good at, given their electrical nature.)

They also did not move like living creatures do, turning as they went, but instead moved in straight lines—straight forward, or straight backward, or straight left or straight right—just as the rook piece in a game of chess moves:

How a Rook Moves

Ezekiel also stated:

As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. (Ezekiel 1:13-14.)

The cherubim that Ezekiel saw were electrically discharging and appeared to him to be like burning coals of fire or lamps. They were, in fact, arc lamps. From the Wikipedia entry on arc lamp:

An arc lamp or arc light is a lamp that produces light by an electric arc (also called a voltaic arc). The carbon arc light, which consists of an arc between carbon electrodes in air, invented by Humphry Davy in the first decade of the 1800s, was the first practical electric light. It was widely used starting in the 1870s for street and large building lighting until it was superseded by the incandescent light in the early 20th century. It continued in use in more specialized applications where a high intensity point light source was needed, such as searchlights and movie projectors until after World War II. The carbon arc lamp is now obsolete for most of these purposes, but it is still used as a source of high intensity ultraviolet light.

The term is now used for gas discharge lamps, which produce light by an arc between metal electrodes through an inert gas in a glass bulb. The common fluorescent lamp is a low-pressure mercury arc lamp. The xenon arc lamp, which produces a high intensity white light, is now used in many of the applications which formerly used the carbon arc, such as movie projectors and searchlights.

The electric plasma arc that Ezekiel saw went up and down between the four plasmoids, and it appeared to him to be bright fire. He also saw that lightning came out of the arc. In fact, Ezekiel saw that when the cherubims moved, they did so at the apparent speed of light, looking just like lightning bolts. People often mistake these and the other passages of scripture which speak of the cherubim and seraphim, as if they were speaking of angels, not understanding that these passages are describing very specific types of electrically discharging plasmoids.

In fact, if you take a look at the various religious beliefs about angels, you’ll see that different religions, sects and individuals often have these plasmoids listed as part of their official (or non-official) angelic hierarchy. For example, the Wikipedia entry on angels in Judaism lists seraphim, cherubim, chayot ha kodesh, ophanim and hashmallim as part of the angelic hierarchy, even though none of these things are angels, but merely plasmoids. Christianity isn’t any better, listing, according to the Wikipedia entry on Christian angelology, the seraphim as “the highest angelic class” with the cherubim as a close second. Even some latter-day saints fall into these same errors, misguidedly referring to there being a “seraphim level,” as if being a seraph (which is a non-living plasmoid) was something a person should aspire to.

Now, before I proceed, it needs to be understood that Ezekiel was seeing the very same four cherubim that God placed at the east of the Garden of Eden, which likewise had the electric plasma arc going up and down between the cherubim, looking like a sword of fire:

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24.)

Continuing on with Ezekiel chapter one:

Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings. (Ezekiel 1:15-25.)

The wheels that Ezekiel saw were pinched plasma columns going through and around each of the cherubim. Instead of seeing the whole column, the prophet (Ezekiel) only saw a ring-like cross-section part, which appeared to be a wheel within a wheel. Because the pinched plasma column envelopes each cherubim, wherever the cherubim goes, the “wheel” seen goes with it, whether it be up, down, forward, backward, left or right. As Ezekiel saw, “the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels,” meaning that the pinched plasma column was the source of the cherubim’s power, like every other plasmoid (for all plasmoids are formed of pinched plasma columns).

Ezekiel also here mentions that the rings were full of eyes encircling the cherubim. These weren’t, of course, real eyes, but only additional plasma displays that looked like eyes.

He also states that the cherubim were under a firmament, meaning that the cherubim were not in heaven, but on earth, which is just where God put them (at the east of the Garden of Eden).

Now, their wings were not the wings of a bird or a bat, which fly by flapping in air and are composed of solid matter, but were plasma wings that do not flap to fly or move. When the cherubim mount up, that is, when they rise up (levitate) in the air, the plasma wings extend upward; (and we can assume that when they move forward or backward or left or right, the plasma wings extend outward); and when they stand still on the earth their wings extend downward, one wing covering one side of each of their four sides. But again, when they move, the wings don’t flap, nor in fact do they need to flap, for plasmoids move electrically. As the wings are composed of plasma, which can be dense like solid matter, or less dense like liquid, or even less dense like a gas, the wings flow with electrical power, which means that when when the electrical current goes down, so do the wings, and when the wings extend out or upward, it means means that the electrical current has gone into high power mode, and thus a sound would be produced, electrically.

Ezekiel said that their wings made a noise of great waters that sounded like a voice, even like the voice of Jehovah, and also as if it were the noise or speech of a multitude. Again, this wasn’t from flapping wings, but from electrically produced voices, such as what our current technology has finally done using laser-induced plasma in the air:

Ezekiel also heard another voice which came from above the firmament, from the throne of Jehovah in the firmament of heaven:

And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. (Ezekiel 1:26-28.)

The throne that Ezekiel saw is the same throne that Olaf Jansen saw:

The base of this electrical cloud or central luminary, the seat of the gods, is dark and non-transparent, save for innumerable small openings, seemingly in the bottom of the great support or altar of the Deity, upon which “The Smoky God” rests; and, the lights shining through these many openings twinkle at night in all their splendor, and seem to be stars, as natural as the stars we saw shining when in our home at Stockholm, excepting that they appear larger. “The Smoky God,” therefore, with each daily revolution of the earth, appears to come up in the east and go down in the west the same as does our sun on the external surface. In reality, the people “within” believe that “The Smoky God” is the throne of their Jehovah, and is stationary. The effect of night and day is, therefore, produced by the earth’s daily rotation. (Quoted from The Smoky God, Part III, page 27.)

An understanding of the hollow earth theory gives us the tools to correctly interpret the location of the vision. The vision isn’t speaking of the outer surface of earth and of a throne up in heaven in outer space, but of the inner surface of earth and of a throne set in the midst of the heavens of inner space.

Ezekiel 2 & 3: God speaks to Ezekiel; the Chebar river vision ends; the same vision ensues in the plain

While beholding the vision at the river Chebar, God spoke to Ezekiel, as recorded in chapters two and three. Later, at the end of the vision, Ezekiel said this:

Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. (Ezekiel 3:12-14.)

Again, the noise of a great rushing that Ezekiel heard wasn’t of the flapping of the wings or of the wheels spinning around or grinding away, but of the electrical sound effects produced by so much electrical current coursing through these plasmoids and the pinched plasma column they were embedded in. Also, this wasn’t really the end of the vision because later he went to the plain and the same vision was opened up to him again:

And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee. Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face. Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house. (Ezekiel 3:22-24.)

So he obeyed and went to his house.

Ezekiel 4 to 7: Ezekiel while at his house

I am going to skip over these chapters because they do not have anything to do with the topic of this post.

Ezekiel 8 (verses 1 through 4): Ezekiel at his house sees the vision of the plain again

While Ezekiel was sitting in his house, God again opened up the same vision he had seen in the plain, which was the same vision he had seen at the river of Chebar:

And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me. Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber. And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain. (Ezekiel 8:1-4.)

Ezekiel 8 (verses 5 through 18): Ezekiel sees abominations among the people

In verses 5 through 18 of this chapter, God showed Ezekiel the evil things people were doing in secret. It is the wickedness and abominations among the people which kindles God’s wrath, unleashing the destroyer upon the world (in the next chapter).

~1st tangent remarks begin~

Ezekiel 9: Ezekiel sees six men led by a man clothed with linen

Ezekiel is next shown the destroyer during the end times and also his end-time helpers:

He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; and the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. (Ezekiel 9:1-4.)

And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city. (Ezekiel 9:5-7.)

And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem? Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not. And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head. And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me. (Ezekiel 9:8-11.)

The man clothed with linen that Ezekiel saw marking the foreheads of the righteous with the writer’s inkhorn by his side is the restoring Elias, who is the same angel ascending from the east that John saw (which Joseph Smith identified as the restoring Elias), who would be writing the Father’s name upon the foreheads of the 144,000.

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. (Revelation 7:1-4.)

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. (Revelation 14:1.)

Ezekiel saw that Elias would come with six men, who themselves were destroyers, as they had destroying or slaughtering weapons in their hands (and thus operated under the spirit and power of Elias, which is the spirit of destruction), and he saw that Elias was in charge of the six, given that they were commanded by the Lord to follow Elias, and their task was to destroy the people who were not marked in their foreheads. These six men are the same as the four angelic helpers (which Joseph Smith identified as having power to destroy) and two witnesses of the angel that John saw. And thus we find the four angelic helpers slaying the third part of men, just as four of the six men with the man clothed with linen that Ezekiel saw used their destroying weapons to slay men:

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. (Revelation 9:13-15.)

And we also find that the angel’s two witnesses likewise were engaged in killing men, just as two of the six men that Ezekiel saw were with the man clothed with linen went forth with slaughtering weapons and slew men:

…and the angel stood, saying,…I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. (Revelation 11:1,3-5.)

Ezekiel’s man “clothed with linen” compared to Daniel’s man “clothed in linen”

Ezekiel’s man clothed with linen is the same man clothed in linen that Daniel saw in his own vision, at first alone and then later on with his two witnesses:

And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel; then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground. (Daniel 10:4-9.)

Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? (Daniel 12:5-8.)

This shows that Daniel, Ezekiel and John were all shown a vision of the end times and all three of them saw the destroyer, his two witnesses and (in the case of Ezekiel and John) his four angelic helpers. (Zechariah also recorded that he saw the same group of seven men but I won’t get into that in this post.)

~1st tangent remarks end~

Ezekiel 10: Ezekiel identifies the four living creatures as cherubim

In the tenth chapter of Ezekiel, Ezekiel saw the man clothed with linen go in between the wheels and the cherubim and get coals of fire and scatter them over Jerusalem. By now, having seen the same vision three times, he finally knows what these creatures are and so he categorically identifies them as cherubim:

Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight. Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court. Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’s glory. And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh. And it came to pass, that when he had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels. And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out. (Ezekiel 10:1-7.)

And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man’s hand under their wings. And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone. And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went. And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had. As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel. And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar. And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them. When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them. Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’s house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims. Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward. (Ezekiel 10:8-22.)

Of especial note is that Ezekiel here notices that every part of the cherubim and their wheels were full of eyes, and not just the rings.

The opening of the Garden of Eden

Ezekiel saw that the destroyer went in-between the cherubim and took fire from between them. He also explained where the cherubim were, writing, “Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house” and “every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’s house.” In other words, the destroyer will have to go to the east of the Garden of Eden, where the four cherubim are, and there he will open up the garden again by snuffing out the electrical arc lamp (the flaming sword) between them.

Normally anyone who goes to the garden would get electrocuted and incinerated by these plasmoids, burning up in electrical fire, but as it is impossible to kill the destroyer, and as he is the restorer of all things, the restoration of all things must, of necessity, include the re-opening of the Garden of Eden, therefore the destroyer will travel to the cherubim, walk right up and short circuit the pinched plasma column that powers them, allowing access, once again, to the tree of life.

~2nd tangent remarks begin~

John’s eighth angel is the same man clothed with linen that Ezekiel saw

When the seventh seal opened, John saw the seven angels getting the seven trumpets.

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. (Revelation 8:1-2.)

Then he saw an eighth angel standing at the altar, who filled the golden censor with fire from the altar and cast it to the earth, just as the man clothed with linen Ezekiel saw took coals of fire from between the cherubim and scattered them over the city:

And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. (Revelation 8:3-5.)

We see from this that John, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah and many others all described different aspects of the same vision of the end-time ministry of the destroyer, hence subtle differences, just as Lehi and Nephi caught different details of the same tree of life vision (Lehi missing the fact that the river of water was filthiness). Okay, now let’s turn our attention away from the destroyer and back to the topic of the seraphim and cherubim.

~2nd tangent remarks end~

John’s vision of four beasts

Revelation chapter four from the King James Version reads:

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:1-11.)

The same chapter from the Joseph Smith Translation reads (and notice the differences, shown in bold italics):

After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened into heaven; and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat there was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone; and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And in the midst of the throne were four and twenty seats; and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment, and they had on their heads crowns like gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and thunderings, and voices; and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven servants of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal; and in the midst of the throne were the four and twenty elders; and round about the throne were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within; and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory, and honor, and thanks to him that sits on the throne, who liveth forever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sits on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (JST Revelation 4:1-11.)

Ezekiel’s four living creatures compared to John’s four beasts

First I want to point out that newer translations of the Bible use the same descriptive words for the creatures that both John and Ezekiel saw, whereas the KJV uses different words. For example, the New King James Version says this:

Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. (NKJV Ezekiel 1:5.)

And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. (NKJV Revelation 4:6.)

The 2009 Reina-Valera Spanish language version of the Bible also uses the same terms, calling them “seres vivientes,” which means “living beings.”

y en medio de ella, la figura de cuatro seres vivientes. (Ezequiel 1:5.)

y en medio del trono, y alrededor del trono, cuatro seres vivientes llenos de ojos por delante y por detrás. (Apocalipsis 4:6.)

Only the King James Version calls these creatures something different in each passage:

Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. (KJV Ezekiel 1:5.)

and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. (KJV Revelation 4:6.)

The JST follows the KJV in using “beasts” to describe what John saw and “living creatures” to describe what Ezekiel saw, because to the prophetic mind of Joseph Smith it was all the same thing and either description works for the Greek source word; nevertheless, all modern translations use either “living creatures” or “living beings” for both Ezekiel and John.

Why do the modern translators deviate from the KJV? Because although the Greek word could be translated as both “beasts” or “living creatures/beings,” in this particular passage and context it is understood by all the modern interpreters that these are symbolical beasts, more in line with the cherubim of Ezekiel, and not actual beasts, and therefore using the word “beasts” conjures up the thought of a real animal, of which they are not, therefore the newer versions all agree that it is more correct to translate it as “living creatures” or as “living beings.” The modern translations, then, show that the beasts that John saw were of the same type of living creatures that Ezekiel saw. In other words, both Ezekiel’s living creatures and John’s beasts were cherubim. But if you use only the KJV, you might end up thinking they were different things.

At any rate, there are other clues in the text which indicate that John and Ezekiel were actually viewing the very same vision, but were just describing different aspects of it. For example, both Ezekiel and John saw a throne that had a rainbow encircling it, and they both saw that there was someone sitting on it:

John: “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.” (Revelation 4:2-3.)

Ezekiel: “And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.” (Ezekiel 1:26-28.)

Combining the colored stones

Ezekiel said that the throne had the appearance of a sapphire stone. Sapphire stones look like this:

John said that the Man sitting on the throne had the appearance of a jasper stone and a sardine stone. Here’s what a jasper stone looks like:

And here’s what sardine stone (carnelian) looks like:

 

John said the rainbow looked like an emerald. Here’s what an emerald looks like:

Ezekiel said there was a fire within the throne, like the color of amber. Amber looks like this:

Now, combining what each prophet said, we get: the Man of sardine and jasper was sitting on the sapphire throne, and there was amber fire encircling within the throne, which fire proceeded up and down from His loins, and around this fiery throne was an emerald rainbow.

Notice again what Olaf Jansen said of the inner Sun:

The great luminous cloud or ball of dull-red fire — fiery-red in the mornings and evenings, and during the day giving off a beautiful white light, “The Smoky God,” — is seemingly suspended in the center of the great vacuum “within” the earth, and held to its place by the immutable law of gravitation, or a repellant atmospheric force, as the case may be. I refer to the known power that draws or repels with equal force in all directions.

The orb he saw in the sky changed colors throughout the day, but one color he did notice actually matches the sardine and jasper colors that Ezekiel saw. The sky itself that surrounded the orb was nitrogen-rich blue, like the atmosphere we see around us here on the outside surface, which again calls to mind Ezekiel’s mentioning of a sapphire.

We can surmise, then, that these scriptural texts are talking about the spherical inner Sun, located in the interior of the earth, suspended at the center of the planet by gravitation, in inner space. And the Man sitting on the throne wasn’t sitting atop it, meaning on the outside of it, but at its precise center, being above all. (Standing on the inner surface of the earth and looking up, the highest point would be the exact center of the inner Sun, which Olaf Jansen said the inhabitants of that inner world called: “the throne of Jehovah.”)

Now, to show that this is correct, I will go to the next part of what John said:

And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. (Revelation 4:4.)

Joseph Smith corrected that text to read as follows:

And in the midst of the throne were four and twenty seats; and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment, and they had on their heads crowns like gold. (JST Revelation 4:4.)

This correction is important because it reveals the location of the throne. Joseph Smith said the following about the 24 elders:

Q. What are we to understand by the four and twenty elders, spoken of by John?

A. We are to understand that these elders whom John saw, were elders who had been faithful in the work of the ministry and were dead; who belonged to the seven churches, and were then in the paradise of God. (D&C 77:5.)

When Jesus died, He went to paradise, which, according to His own words, is in the heart of the earth:

Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:38-40.)

The heart of the earth would be at the earth’s center, which is where Olaf Jansen said the inner Sun is found. Therefore, the inner Sun is where paradise is located. And the righteous dead do not wait for their resurrection on the outside of that sphere, but within it. The current Bible text incorrectly has the 24 elders and their 24 seats “round about” the throne, meaning encircling it. Joseph Smith corrected this to read that the 24 seats and 24 elders were “in the midst of the throne,” meaning that they were inside the throne.

Unless a person understands that the throne spoken of is a spherical one, with outer and inner surfaces, the idea of seats being in the midst of a throne makes no logical sense, whatsoever. People who read these passages envision a typical kingly throne that men make, like unto a chair, not a moon-sized, or planet-sized, or Sun-sized spherical throne. Getting the right image, though, causes the text to finally make sense.

Okay, continuing on with John’s text, he mentions something that Ezekiel doesn’t:

And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. (Revelation 4:5.)

Joseph Smith changed this to:

And out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and thunderings, and voices; and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven servants of God. (JST Revelation 4:5.)

Continuing with John’s text, we find that both John and Ezekiel mention a crystal:

John said: “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal:” (Revelation 4:6.)

Ezekiel said: “And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.” (Ezekiel 1:22.)

Joseph Smith identified John’s crystal sea of glass in this way:

Q. What is the sea of glass spoken of by John, 4th chapter, and 6th verse of the Revelation?

A. It is the earth, in its sanctified, immortal, and eternal state. (D&C 77:1.)

Joseph also said this:

In answer to the question—Is not the reckoning of God’s time, angel’s time, prophet’s time, and man’s time, according to the planet on which they reside?

I answer, Yes. But there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it.

The angels do not reside on a planet like this earth; but they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord.

The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim.

This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s. (D&C 130:4-9.)

Continuing on with the text:

and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. (Revelation 4:6.)

Once again, Joseph Smith corrected this to read:

and in the midst of the throne were the four and twenty elders; and round about the throne were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. (JST Revelation 4:6.)

Joseph Smith needed to make this correction because it shows the proper placement of both the elders and the beasts. The elders were in the midst of the throne, meaning that they were within the throne, while the beasts were round about the throne, meaning that they encircled the throne, or to be plainer, they were below the firmament of crystal which surrounds the throne. In other words, the four beasts were on earth, even on the inner surface of the outer shell of earth, below the firmament of heaven.

To understand this placement, we need to understand that just as the outer surface of earth has a blue atmosphere, which is the “firmament of heaven,” which is below the vacuum of outer space, so the inner surface of earth has a blue atmosphere, the “firmament of heaven,” which is below the vacuum of inner space. The throne of Jehovah is set in the center of that vacuum of inner space directly above the blue firmament of heaven, which is the inner atmosphere. The four beasts, then, are below that firmament, on earth, where God had originally placed them at the beginning. Again:

And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (Gen. 3:22-24.)

The cherubims have been there, on earth, at the east of the garden of Eden, ever since. Because the outer shell of earth encircles the throne of Jehovah which is set in the middle of the inner earth sky, the JST corrected the Revelation text to say that the four beasts were “round about” (encircling) the throne.

Looking at the same corrected (JST) verse, we can also see that what John saw matched what Ezekiel saw:

and in the midst of the throne were the four and twenty elders; and round about the throne were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. (JST Revelation 4:6.)

Two verses later, John says:

And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (Revelation 4:8.)

Compare that to what Ezekiel said about the cherubim:

As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. (Ezekiel 1:18)

And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had. (Ezekiel 10:12)

These “eyes” are vortices, that is, they are smaller rotating columns of plasma seen at a cross-section within the larger column (think: rotating spherical wheels within a larger spinning wheel) and they fill up all the observable volume of space, like toroidal pearls on a string. To the observing prophet, they look just like eyes, complete with sclera, iris and pupil. (Now, for those who want a primer on plasma physics, here is Anthony Peratt’s hour-long presentation on petroglyphs):

Continuing on, we find that the four beasts that John saw had the same or similar faces that Ezekiel’s cherubim had:

And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. (Revelation 4:7.)

As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. (Ezekiel 1:10)

One difference is that Ezekiel described one of the faces as that of an ox, whereas John described that same face as that of a calf. Both words are descriptions of bovine animals, thus it’s prophetically the same thing.

Another difference is that John’s beasts were four with one face each, while Ezekiel’s living creatures were four with four faces each. Another difference is that John’s beasts had six wings whereas Ezekiel’s cherubim had only four. Does this mean that these were different things? No, not at all. Plasmoids alter their appearance and structure according to the electrical environment. When the electrical environment changes, their forms change accordingly. But they are still the same things.

Now that we’ve mentioned the four beasts and their wings and eyes, let’s see what Joseph Smith had to say about all of this.

Joseph Smith’s explanation of John’s four beasts

Q. What are we to understand by the four beasts, spoken of in the same verse [Revelation 4:6]?
A. They are figurative expressions, used by the Revelator, John, in describing heaven, the paradise of God, the happiness of man, and of beasts, and of creeping things, and of the fowls of the air; that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is spiritual; the spirit of man in the likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God has created.

Q. Are the four beasts limited to individual beasts, or do they represent classes or orders?
A. They are limited to four individual beasts, which were shown to John, to represent the glory of the classes of beings in their destined order or sphere of creation, in the enjoyment of their eternal felicity.

Q. What are we to understand by the eyes and wings, which the beasts had?
A. Their eyes are a representation of light and knowledge, that is, they are full of knowledge; and their wings are a representation of power, to move, to act, etc. (D&C 77:2-4.)

Thus, cherubims are just three dimensional divine drawings that God made using plasma. They have no soul, nor free will. They are like animatronics or automatons or pre-programmed robots made out of plasma, that respond to their environment in predictable ways. These things are plasmoids of a very specific type, which cannot be reproduced in a laboratory, and which move, speak, glow, hold things, praise God, etc.

Notice that the Bible Dictionary entry on cherubim calls attention to their symbolic nature:

Cherubim
Figures representing heavenly creatures, the exact form being unknown. They are found in the Holy of Holies, on the Mercy Seat of the Ark (Ex. 25:18, 22; 1 Kgs. 6:23–28; Heb. 9:5), and in the visions of Ezekiel (Ezek. 10; 11:22). In the account of the Fall, cherubim are represented as keeping “the way of the tree of life” (Gen. 3:24).

The author or authors of that entry were obviously taking Joseph Smith’s words in D&C 77 as their guide.

John’s four beast’s compared to Isaiah’s seraphim

Okay, going back to verse eight, John says the following:

And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (Revelation 4:8.)

Why is it that they rest not day or night? Because they are just electrical appliances. As long as your alarm clock doesn’t eventually disintegrate or otherwise break down from overuse, you can keep it plugged into the electrical outlet, or you can keep its batteries in, and you can keep it turned on, all of the time. The same principle applies to plasmoids, which never experience wear and tear. You can keep them powered for all eternity and they never break down.

Now, notice that John’s cherubim were saying something very similar to what Isaiah’s seraphim were saying:

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6:1-4.)

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: and he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. (Isaiah 6:5-7.)

What’s the difference between the cherubim and the seraphim? The seraphim are above the firmament of crystal, where God’s throne is, while the cherubim are below the firmament of crystal, which is below God’s throne. But the seraphim and cherubim are both likewise plasmoids.

So, when Joseph Smith prayed the following about seraphs, he wasn’t talking of angels, nor of angelic creatures, but of divinely made representations (drawings or animations or sculptures that move and make sound and speak) of heavenly things and truth:

And help us by the power of thy Spirit, that we may mingle our voices with those bright, shining seraphs around thy throne, with acclamations of praise, singing Hosanna to God and the Lamb! (Doctrine and Covenants 109:79.)

Unfortunately, the Bible Dictionary entry on seraphim gets it partly right and partly wrong:

Seraphim
Probably fiery beings. Angelic beings mentioned in the account of Isaiah’s vision (Isa. 6:2). They are represented as winged and partly human in form. They are attendants in Jehovah’s court, the ministers of the heavenly sanctuary, joining in adoration before the throne.

It is certainly true that seraphim are fiery (as are cherubim), but it is incorrect to say that they are angelic beings. They are most definitely not angelic beings, but are just more plasmoids.

If it looks like a plasmoid, moves like a plasmoid and sounds like a plasmoid, it’s an angel! (So they say.)

To recap: When a pinched plasma column changes its electrical current, going higher or lower in electrical power, the plasmoids within that column likewise begin to alter their form and appearance. The four cherubim that Ezekiel saw, the four beasts that John saw and the seraphim that Isaiah saw are all the result of the same process. A plasma column forms, becomes pinched and creates a plasmoid of a specific type, called a cherub, which at certain power levels stays put on the earth, while at other levels it moves along or mounts up, raising its wings up or down accordingly, all the while making electrically-produced noises which sound like voices. When the electrical current changes, so does its form. Beginning with four wings, it now sprouts six and whereas it started with four faces, now it has only one, each plasmoid with a different face. Also its electrically-made sounds appear to chant, “Holy, holy, holy,” etc. If you lift the cherubim up above the firmament, now its form changes again, into that of a six-winged seraphim, which also begins to chant, “Holy, holy, holy.” But it’s all the same manifestation, just in different locations and at different power levels.

Thus, the four beasts that John saw are the same four living creatures that Ezekiel saw—which Ezekiel identified as cherubim, and which Joseph Smith called figurative expressions and representations—and the seraphim that Isaiah saw are just more of the same type of manifestation.

In conclusion

The point of this post is merely to put forth the understanding that the seraphim and cherubim aren’t a type of angel or angelic creature, but are graphical and auditory and tactile representations made of plasma, created by God to teach divine principles and to give Himself glory.

Obviously, none of this matters one iota to anyone’s salvation. Anyone can continue to believe the seraphim and cherubim are merely strange, unknown types of angels, and they can hold onto that belief until the day they die, and if they have kept their covenants they’ll still be saved, but I thought I would clear up some of this mystery anyway.

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Reconciling Daniel with John


Nephi, John and Daniel all saw visions of the end times.

Nephi’s vision

Nephi’s vision begins with him seeing the formation of the great and abominable church and continues on to the very end of all things, but as he was prohibited from writing the whole vision, we only have an account from the formation the great church up to the pouring out of the wrath of God upon it and the wars and rumors of war among the nations that belong to it.

His vision begins here:

And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld many nations and kingdoms. And the angel said unto me: What beholdest thou? And I said: I behold many nations and kingdoms. And he said unto me: These are the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles. And it came to pass that I saw among the nations of the Gentiles the formation of a great church. (1 Nephi 13:1-4.)

and ends here:

And as there began to be wars and rumors of wars among all the nations which belonged to the mother of abominations, the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold, the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots; and behold, thou seest all these things—and when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil, then, at that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel. (1 Nephi 14:16-17.)

At that point the work of the Father commences. In other words, the restoration of all things—which includes the restoration of the house of Israel to the lands of their inheritance—officially commences when the nations belonging to the great and abominable church begin warring among themselves. When these wars and rumors of wars begin, it will also be the time that the first seal of the sealed book is opened.

John’s vision

John’s vision is from the opening of the first seal to the end of all things. However, that part of the vision which is the restoration of all things takes place from the opening of the first seal to the sounding of the seventh angel’s trumpet. That is, from Revelation 6:1 to Revelation 11:15.

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals (Revelation 6:1)

And the seventh angel sounded; (Revelation 11:15.)

Wars and rumors of wars at the opening of the first seal

John described what happens on earth when the first seal finally gets opened and it corresponds with what Nephi saw when the work of the Father commences: wars and rumors of wars.

When the first seal is opened John sees a guy on a horse with a bow “and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” That is, he engages in wars of aggression, some of which he wins (wars) and some of which are still in the planning stage (rumors of wars). The wars don’t stop at the first seal, but continue on with the opening of other seals. For example, at the opening of the second seal, he sees another guy on a horse with a great sword and peace is taken from the earth and people start killing each other. The fourth seal’s opening results in death, hunger, violent death by sword and beasts devouring people. The fifth seal’s opening results in the saints being martyred. And so on and so forth.

From great and abominable church to the beast with seven heads and ten horns

When Nephi’s end time vision opens, the restoring Elias is nowhere to be found. He has already emerged from his spiritual box, punished his enemies who tormented him while he was trapped in the box, gone to his secret place and established his kingdom there, returned from his kingdom to perform his own work and finally left to return to his hidden kingdom to enjoy his carrot. (This rest and relaxation is necessary in order for him to recharge his “batteries” in preparation for the infinite work of restoring all things.) In his absence the great and abominable church forms and then proceeds to persecute, imprison, torture and kill the saints and also pervert the holy word of God.

Then Elias comes back and blows his stack and begins to make things right again. At some point during his advent, all the churches of the world coalesce into the great and abominable church, save for the church of the Lamb, so that now there are only two churches in the world. The great church then gathers multitudes to fight against the Lamb of God but can’t seem to get it together and instead, those pertaining to that great church fight among themselves.

To rectify the situation, the great church, which is the spiritual kingdom of the devil, begins to form itself politically. These political kingdom attempts are called beasts, for they are not mere man-made associations, but devil-inspired monstrosities, for the hellish great whore of all the earth is the thing pulling the strings. In other words, the formation of these kingdom attempts are church programs. The attempts to “get it right,” that is, to get the political kingdom of the devil matching his spiritual kingdom, take place during the opening of the first six seals. After the seventh seal is opened, things come together for the wicked and they are finally able to establish a beast which is truly diabolical through and through.

Just as the great and abominable church forms among many churches (“And the angel said unto me: Behold the formation of a church which is most abominable above all other churches” 1 Nephi 13:5) and then later coalesces into a single monstrosity, absorbing all other churches except for the church of the Lamb of God, so that there are now only two churches, so the political kingdom of the devil begins its formation among many other nations and kingdoms and then later coalesces into a single monstrosity, absorbing everything that does not pertain to Zion, and thus splitting the world into two.

Elias does the same, only first

Everything the wicked do is a reaction to what Elias does. Therefore it will be Elias who first unites the saints into a single spiritual entity, being a church that is the spiritual kingdom of God, and then he will proceed to establish the kingdom of God politically, forming Zion. Following the example of Elias, the wicked will see the establishment of Elias’s church, and then when he leaves they will form their own great and abominable church, to compete with him. When he returns from his absence, they will see him form the perfectly just, political kingdom of Zion, and in the spirit of competition they will follow suit and attempt to form a perfectly unjust and ungodly beast kingdom.

The location of the devil’s political kingdoms

The first attempts will come from that region of the world in which were found the Median Empire, the Persian Empire and the realm of Grecia (Macedonia). But all these attempts will fail. The final, successful attempt will be headquartered in the city of Babylon itself.

Thus when Zechariah sees in vision the woman, representing wickedness, he sees that she is carried to the land of Shinar, which is Babylon:

Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth. And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base. (Zechariah 5:5-11.)

The political establishment of the kingdom of the devil in Babylon takes place at the beginning of the seventh thousand years, whereas the other attempts in the regions round about take place at the end of the sixth thousand years.

The great whore sitting upon many waters; the beast rising up out of the sea

The great and abominable church (the spiritual kingdom of the devil) won’t have its headquarters in the city of Babylon. The great whore of all the earth is said to sit upon many waters, which was interpreted by the angel as being many nations, kindreds, tongues and people.

And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. (Revelation 17:1-2.)

And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. (Revelation 17:15.)

And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. (1 Nephi 14:11.)

Whereas the great whore sits on many waters, each of the devil’s political kingdom attempts, including the devil’s perfected kingdom, emerge from waters, specifically rising up out of a particular sea (the Mediterranean Sea) that was near to John’s location on the Isle of Patmos:

And I saw another sign, in the likeness of the kingdoms of the earth; a beast rise up out of the sea, and he stood upon the sand of the sea, having seven heads … (JST Revelation 13:1.)

…and then these get established on the earth, with the perfected kingdom having its headquarters at a specific location: the city of Babylon.

Daniel’s visions

Daniel saw multiple end-time visions (three in total) and they were all about the very same things: the establishment of the political kingdoms of the devil in the last days. One vision was recorded in Daniel chapter 7, one was recorded in chapter 8 and the final vision was recorded in chapters 10, 11 and 12. I’ll begin with the vision found in chapter 7.

The lion beast with eagle’s wings

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. (Daniel 7:1-3.)

Now all four beasts came up from the Great Sea, which is the Mediterranean Sea. This region of the world is also where each beast gets set up.

The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. (Daniel 7:4.)

The first beast corresponds to the opening of the first seal of the book sealed with seven seals and thus comes into existence towards the end of the sixth thousand years:

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. (Revelation 6:1-2.)

The bear beast

And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. (Daniel 7:5.)

The second beast corresponds to the opening of the second seal of the sealed book and thus also comes into existence towards the end of the sixth thousand years:

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. (Revelation 6:3-4.)

The bear beast had three ribs in its mouth because the lion beast (representing the first kingdom attempt and its first king) had three kings in it and this fourth king (the bear beast) supplants them, becoming a new beast. The ribs, then, are the three ribs (kings) of the lion beast. Thus the bear beast has devoured the lion beast. This is, after all, the devilish game of thrones in which only the strong survive. It is a dog eat dog world among the nations belonging to the great whore; or, in this case, a bear eat lion world.

Now, these first two beasts come from the east; that is, from the region of Persia.

The leopard beast with four wings and four heads

After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. (Daniel 7:6.)

The third beast corresponds to the opening of the next four (third, fourth, fifth and sixth) seals of the sealed book and thus also comes into existence towards the end of the sixth thousand years:

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6:5-17.)

Now, this third beast comes from the west; that is, from the region of Greece.

The dreadful, terrible and exceedingly strong fourth beast with iron teeth and ten horns

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. (Daniel 7:7-8.)

The fourth beast corresponds to the opening of the seventh seal of the sealed book and thus comes into existence at the beginning of the seventh thousand years:

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. (Revelation 8:1.)

This particular beast comes from Babylon.

The angel’s interpretation of the four beasts

These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. (Daniel 7:17.)

Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. (Daniel 7:23-26.)

The interpretation of the beasts by the angel as both kings and kingdoms is literal. During the restoration of all things, when the seals get opened, kingdoms will form with kings (one or more) attached to them, not nations with presidents and prime ministers and chancellors. Those who attempt to interpret these passages as applying to our times, which are the times of types and shadows, which occur prior to the restoration of all things, must force-fit the prophecies by making them speak of merely symbolic kings and kingdoms. Such purely symbolic interpretations cannot be correct, for no angel would take a symbol (beast) and give its interpretation as another symbol (king/kingdom). That makes no sense, whatsoever. Proper interpretation is taking the symbol (beast) and giving its literal meaning (king/kingdom).

Another example of this is the angel’s interpretation to Nephi concerning the symbols of the great and abominable church:

“…that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth. (1 Nephi 14:10.)

“…the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth,” (1 Nephi 14:17.)

The terms “mother of abominations” and “whore of all the earth” and “mother of harlots” are symbols which refer to a literal church. There is no reason to explain that the symbols “mother” and “whore” mean “church,” unless “church” is not a symbol; thus it must be literal. If it is yet another symbol, then we are back at square one, having no understanding whatsoever as to what any of it means. The symbol “church,” then, becomes meaningless because then anyone can interpret “church” however he wants, making the interpretation pointless and useless. In like manner, the “kings” and “kingdoms” interpretation of “beasts” by the angel giving Daniel a guided tour of the vision can only be literal kings and kingdoms.

John’s description of the fourth beast

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. (Revelation 13:1-2.)

According to this description, the fourth beast will be composed of parts of the previous three beasts. Notice that it was like a leopard but had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. This is more dog eat dog stuff, but in this case it’s: dragon beast eats what’s left of the lion, bear and leopard beasts.

Okay, now let’s look at the vision recorded in Daniel chapter 8.

The two-horned ram, the last higher than the first

Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. (Daniel 8:3-4.)

The ram corresponds to the opening of the first two seals of the sealed book, the first horn corresponding to the first seal and the second horn corresponding to the second seal; thus the ram comes into existence towards the end of the sixth thousand years. The first horn also corresponds to the lion beast, while the second horn corresponds to the bear beast.

As we shall see in the next section, the ram comes from the east; that is, from the region of Persia. This is why it pushed “westward, and northward, and southward”, but not eastward.

The angel’s interpretation of the ram

The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. (Daniel 8:20.)

This doesn’t mean that the two horns represent two kings only. They in fact represent more than two kings. The first horn represents three kings, while the higher last horn represents one king. (We’ll see this later.)

The he goat with the notable horn that breaks into four horns

And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. (Daniel 8:5-8.)

The he goat corresponds to the opening of the next four (third, fourth, fifth and sixth) seals of the sealed book and thus also comes into existence towards the end of the sixth thousand years.

Daniel says that the he goat “came from the west”; that is, from the region of Greece.

The angel’s interpretation of the he goat

And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. (Daniel 8:21-22.)

The little horn

And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. (Daniel 8:9-12.)

The little horn corresponds to the opening of the seventh seal of the sealed book and thus comes into existence at the beginning of the seventh thousand years.

The angel’s interpretation of the little horn

And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. (Daniel 8:23-25.)

Daniel chapter 10: the destroyer is revealed

Okay, now we turn to the final vision that Daniel saw of the end times. It begins with Daniel seeing Elias the destroyer in vision, recorded in verses 1 through 9.

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision. In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel; then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground. (Daniel 10:1-9.)

In verse 14 he is informed by the angel speaking to him that this vision of the destroyer is still a long ways off; in other words, it will take place during the end times:

Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. (Daniel 10:14.)

The destroyer looked the way he did to Daniel because Daniel was not seeing the destroying angel of Daniel’s time, but the destroying angel of the end times. Specifically, he was seeing the destroyer as he would appear in the beginning of the restoration of all things (which itself begins at the opening of the first seal), and so Daniel was seeing the destroyer’s upgraded form. The restoration of all things is “the work of the Father,” meaning it is an infinite work fit only for a God, but the destroyer is only a man and only an angel; he’s no god. Being a finite being, he can only do a finite work. To do the Father’s infinite work of restoring all things, the destroyer will have to pull a Buzz Lightyear and go “to infinity and beyond!” Thus, when he begins the restoration of all things he must and will enter infinity: the realm of the Gods. No one can enter the realm of the Gods without changes occurring to one’s very being.

The upgraded destroyer is what God referred to when He said:

And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord. (2 Nephi 3:13.)

The weak destroyer becomes strong from the perspective of man when he emerges from his box with his gifts fully empowered. He then will use those powers to obtain his carrot and perform his own work. But all of that, despite being gigantic in scope, is still of a finite quantity. God still looks upon the angel and says, “He’s still weak.” But then the restoration of all things commences, which includes the restoration of the house of Israel to the lands of their inheritance, and the destroyer by his faith upgrades himself into the infinite levels. Now he can do what only God can do, being “made strong” like God is strong. Now, from the perspective of God, the angel is no longer considered weak, but strong, and his appearance alters accordingly, becoming godlike.

John likewise saw the destroyer during the restoration of all things, but at this point (in Revelation chapter 10) it is almost the end of the infinite restoration, and so his upgraded form is enormously glorified, yet John still calls him an angel, albeit a mighty one:

And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. (Revelation 10:1-3.)

Nevertheless, in the very next chapter the godlike destroyer is now called “the God of the earth” (Revelation 11:4.) So the performance of the Father’s infinite work has caused the lines between angel and god to blur.

The two witnesses, having likewise entered infinity with their father, are also greatly changed. Although they didn’t do anything but observe and listen while their father performed all things, the experience upgrades them, nonetheless. They now have all sorts of outrageous powers:

And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. (Revelation 11:5-6.)

Getting back to Daniel: the angel speaking to Daniel next starts to give him a play-by-play of the political kingdoms of the devil that will exist during the restoration of all things and up to the Second Coming. This account starts in chapter 11.

The angel’s words concerning Persia and Grecia

Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. (Daniel 11:2.)

The first three kings in Persia correspond to the opening of the first seal of the sealed book and they will stand up towards the end of the sixth thousand years. These first three kings are part of the lion beast and also form part of the first horn of the ram.

The fourth king in Persia who “shall be far richer than they all” corresponds to the opening of the second seal of the sealed book and he also will stand up towards the end of the sixth thousand years. This king corresponds to the bear beast and also is the last, higher horn on the ram.

The angel then begins speaking of the realm of Grecia (the kingdom of Macedonia) and its kings:

And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those. (Daniel 11:3-4.)

The mighty king of the realm of Grecia whose kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven corresponds to the opening of the next four (third, fourth, fifth and sixth) seals of the sealed book and thus he also stands up towards the end of the sixth thousand years.

The rest of Daniel chapter 11 and then chapter 12

From verse 5 to the end of the chapter details the transition from the imperfect kingdoms that existed after the opening of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth seals to the final perfected kingdom of the devil that will exist after the seventh seal is opened until it is destroyed at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Two kings are mentioned throughout the account: the king of the south and the king of the north:

And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion. And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king’s daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times. (Daniel 11:5-6.)

Looking over a map of the region, two kingdoms clearly show themselves: to the north is the kingdom of Macedonia and to the south is the kingdom of Egypt. I will therefore call the king of the north, “the Macedonian king,” and the king of the south, “the Egyptian king.” This designation doesn’t mean that every mention of “the king of the south” or “the king of the north” is necessarily referring to the very same person. When a king is deposed, or dies or is killed, his successor takes his place, becoming the new king of the north or south. So when I say “the Macedonian king” or “the Egyptian king,” I am referring to whoever is the king at that time, during the description of that verse.

As it is kind of hard to follow who does what to whom in this narrative, I will also use the New King James Version to see if any clarity is obtained. The NKJV translates the above two verses in this way:

Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion. And at the end of some years they shall join forces, for the daughter of the king of the South shall go to the king of the North to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of her authority, and neither he nor his authority shall stand; but she shall be given up, with those who brought her, and with him who begot her, and with him who strengthened her in those times. (NKJV Daniel 11:5-6.)

So, the Egyptian king sends his daughter and company to the Macedonian king to form an agreement, but it doesn’t pan out and they remain at odds and, it looks like, the Egyptian king (“him who begot her”) ends up deposed. Enter a new Egyptian king:

But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail: and shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north. (KJV Daniel 11:7-8.)

But from a branch of her roots one shall arise in his place, who shall come with an army, enter the fortress of the king of the North, and deal with them and prevail. And he shall also carry their gods captive to Egypt, with their princes and their precious articles of silver and gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the North. (NKJV Daniel 11:7-8.)

So the (new) Egyptian king, a descendant of the former king’s daughter, invades the Macedonian king’s fortress and loots it, taking their idol gods, molten images and gold and silver items, and this particular Egyptian king will remain king for a longer time than the Macedonian king.

So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land. But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress. (KJV Daniel 11:9-10.)

Also the king of the North shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land. However his sons shall stir up strife, and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come and overwhelm and pass through; then he shall return to his fortress and stir up strife. (NKJV Daniel 11:9-10.)

Here we have a complete contradiction in translations, the one (KJV) saying that the Egyptian king enters the Macedonian kingdom and then returns to Egypt but then the sons of the Egyptian king are stirred up and invade the north; whereas the other (NKJV) says that the Macedonian king retaliates by invading Egypt, but then returns to his own land and afterwards the sons of the Macedonian king assemble a vast army and invade Egypt and stirs up the Macedonian people for more war against Egypt. Which do I think is right? The NKJV makes more sense to me in this passage than the KJV.

And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand. And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it. For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches. (KJV Daniel 11:11-13.)

And the king of the South shall be moved with rage, and go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall muster a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into the hand of his enemy. When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be lifted up; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail. For the king of the North will return and muster a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come at the end of some years with a great army and much equipment. (NKJV Daniel 11:11-13.)

Here we have the Egyptian king enraged and fighting against the Macedonian kingdom, and when the Macedonian king sends out a great army, it is defeated by the Egyptian king, which causes the heart of the Egyptian king to lift up in pride, but even though he kills tens of thousands of Macedonians, he’s no stronger for it. Later the Macedonian king pushes south and retaliates with an even greater army, bringing with him a lot of equipment.

Notice also in verse 11 that the Egyptian king “shall be moved with choler.” In Daniel chapter 8 the he goat is also said to be “moved with choler” against the ram:

And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. (Daniel 8:7.)

Next we have everyone ganging up on the Egyptian king:

And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall. (KJV 11:12.)

Now in those times many shall rise up against the king of the South. Also, violent men of your people shall exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall fall. (NKJV 11:12.)

The Gadianton robbers of this time take full advantage of the people of the Lord, but eventually they come to naught.

This next part speaks about the Macedonian king:

So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand. But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed. He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him. After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him. Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. (KJV 11:15-19.)

So the king of the North shall come and build a siege mound, and take a fortified city; and the forces of the South shall not withstand him. Even his choice troops shall have no strength to resist. But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his power. He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do. And he shall give him the daughter of women to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, or be for him. After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands, and shall take many. But a ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end; and with the reproach removed, he shall turn back on him. Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. (NKJV 11:15-19.)

This appears to be the same person that John mentions in Revelation 13:3 and Revelation 17:8,11.

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. (Revelation 13:3.)

The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (Revelation 17:8.)

And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. (Revelation 17:11.)

Next a tax collector is the new Macedonian king, but he only lasts a few days:

Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. (KJV Daniel 11:20.)

There shall arise in his place one who imposes taxes on the glorious kingdom; but within a few days he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in battle. (NKJV Daniel 11:20.)

Finally, a “vile person” becomes the new Macedonian king. I will use only the KJV from now on:

And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him. Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain. And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed. Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land. At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. (Daniel 11:21-45.)

The vile person spoken of in the above passage appears to be the same person John mentions here:

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:11-17.)

Chapter 12 finishes the vision with another viewing of the destroyer, this time with his two sons attending him:

Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:5-7.)

Daniel chapter 2

In Daniel chapter 2 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had a dream which Daniel interpreted. This dream also speaks of the same time period and of the same kingdoms that Daniel saw in vision in chapters 7, 8 and 10-12. Here is Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation of it:

Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; as for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. (Daniel 2:27-45.)

The head of gold corresponds to the lion beast kingdom, coming forth after the first seal is opened; the silver breast and arms correspond to the bear beast kingdom, coming forth after the second seal is opened; the belly and thighs of brass corresponds to the leopard beast kingdom, coming forth during the opening of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth seals; and the legs and feet of iron (with clay mixed in the feet and toes) corresponds to the dragon beast kingdom, coming forth after the opening of the seventh seal.

When the dragon beast is established, it will be composed of parts of the previous three kingdoms: lion, bear and leopard. In like manner, this image of the final beast of iron is composed of parts from the previous three kingdoms: gold, silver and brass.

The head of gold is at the top because it’s the first kingdom established and because it’s the least degenerate of the four. It is superior (higher) than all the rest. Daniel says the second kingdom of silver is “inferior” to the first because it is baser or more degenerate. This kingdom, then, is made up of less valuable silver and is put lower than the head. Hence the bear kingdom is more diabolical and degenerate than the lion kingdom. The third kingdom of brass is likewise even more degenerate than the previous two, hence being lower and thus closer to hell and also composed of a metal of lesser value. Thus the leopard kingdom is far worse than the bear kingdom. Finally the fourth kingdom of iron is the most degenerate of them all, being nearly a perfect match to the dragon spirit which empowers it. This kingdom of iron matches the fourth beast Daniel saw, which had iron teeth.

The image itself represents both all four kingdoms, the order of formation of each kingdom and also the final beast that will be established after the seventh seal opens, which will be made up of the parts of the previous three.

Now Daniel states that the head of gold is king Nebuchadnezzar. He’s the most famous king of Babylon and the final, fourth kingdom will be established in Babylon and will be the kingdom of Babylon, therefore it is appropriate that it bears his head. It may also be that the person who establishes the first kingdom (the lion beast) will be a descendant of that ancient king Nebuchadnezzar, someone who hails from Persia.

Although the great image seen in the dream is largely thought to be symbolic, it may turn out to be a very real thing. Nebuchadnezzar may have seen, in actuality, the very image that the last beast John saw caused to be made:

And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. (Revelation 13:13-15.)

The stone cut out without hands is the political kingdom of God (Zion) that God will establish through Elias, around the time of the opening of the first seal. Recall Elias’s prayer:

Hearken, and lo, a voice as of one sent down from on high, who is mighty and powerful, whose going forth is unto the ends of the earth, yea, whose voice is unto men—Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth. Yea, a voice crying—Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make ready for the Bridegroom. Pray unto the Lord, call upon his holy name, make known his wonderful works among the people. Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth. Wherefore, may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thine enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor, power and glory, forever and ever. Amen. (D&C 65:1-6.)

He doesn’t say the gospel is the stone; he says the gospel shall roll forth as the stone shall roll forth. The gospel is not the stone, but it rolls forth like the stone will roll forth.

Although the above interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is non-standard, it’s still correct. The typical interpretation is that each segment of the great image is one of the great empires, beginning with the kingdom of Babylon, then the Medo-Persian Empire, then the kingdom of Alexander the Great and finally the Roman Empire. But this cannot be, for Daniel said: “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44.) The stone comes forth during the days of these kings, not after they have come and gone, and it also breaks in pieces and consumes all these kingdoms. Therefore, both the kings and their kingdoms must be around during the time of the stone and the kingdoms in particular must still be standing, in order for the stone to break them. As the final beast is composed of all the previous beasts, when it is destroyed by the stone, this prophecy will be fulfilled.

Why the wicked kingdoms only become established after the first seal is opened

The opening of the first seal reveals all the things of the first thousand years, both good and bad, and so the wicked will attempt to imitate the ancient wicked practices and kingdoms that they read about in the first unsealed portion of the book. As each new seal is opened, they will learn of new (actually, old) wicked works, causing a rearrangement of their kingdom affairs, to more closely align with all the wickedness that Elias reveals in his translations of the sealed book. Elias will do this on purpose, to ripen them in iniquity, so that they can justifiably be destroyed at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. His purpose is not to save them, but to destroy them. Contrast that to how Alma operated:

And now, my son, I command you that ye retain all their oaths, and their covenants, and their agreements in their secret abominations; yea, and all their signs and their wonders ye shall keep from this people, that they know them not, lest peradventure they should fall into darkness also and be destroyed. For behold, there is a curse upon all this land, that destruction shall come upon all those workers of darkness, according to the power of God, when they are fully ripe; therefore I desire that this people might not be destroyed. Therefore ye shall keep these secret plans of their oaths and their covenants from this people, and only their wickedness and their murders and their abominations shall ye make known unto them; and ye shall teach them to abhor such wickedness and abominations and murders; and ye shall also teach them that these people were destroyed on account of their wickedness and abominations and their murders. For behold, they murdered all the prophets of the Lord who came among them to declare unto them concerning their iniquities; and the blood of those whom they murdered did cry unto the Lord their God for vengeance upon those who were their murderers; and thus the judgments of God did come upon these workers of darkness and secret combinations. Yea, and cursed be the land forever and ever unto those workers of darkness and secret combinations, even unto destruction, except they repent before they are fully ripe. And now, my son, remember the words which I have spoken unto you; trust not those secret plans unto this people, but teach them an everlasting hatred against sin and iniquity. (Alma 37:27-32.)

In conclusion

None of the end-time things that Nephi saw, nor that John saw, nor that Daniel saw have happened, yet. When the destroyer comes out of his box, does his thing and then hightails it out of here to his kingdom, that is when Nephi’s vision will start to happen and we’ll finally get to see the great and abominable church form. But as for Daniel and John’s visions, more time must pass and the destroyer must return and begin the restoration of all things before the things those two saw happen. Thus it is a mistake to interpret Daniel’s end-time visions as already having been fulfilled, whether partially or wholly.

Nevertheless, this does not mean we necessarily have long to wait, for although Elias is still trapped in his box, I have recently learned that he is now in his third and final stage (the ascension phase) of his captivity.

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