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.

Complete List of Articles authored by LDS Anarchist

Spiritual necrosis

Physical necrosis

From the Wikipedia entry on necrosis:

Necrosis (from the Greek νέκρωσις “death, the stage of dying, the act of killing” from νεκρός “dead”) is a form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue by autolysis.

From the Wikipedia entry on autolysis:

In biology, autolysis, more commonly known as self-digestion, refers to the destruction of a cell through the action of its own enzymes…The term derives from the Greek words αὐτο- (“self”) and λύσις (“splitting”).

In other words, when a living organism undergoes necrosis, the necrotic cells essentially commit suicide.

The treatment for necrosis is debridement. From the Wikipedia entry on debridement:

Debridement is the medical removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue.

Unless you cut the necrotic parts off, the necrosis will spread to the surrounding tissues, causing the eventual demise of the entire organism. Again from the Wikipedia entry on necrosis:

Cellular death due to necrosis does not follow the apoptotic signal transduction pathway, but rather various receptors are activated, and result in the loss of cell membrane integrity and an uncontrolled release of products of cell death into the extracellular space.

This initiates in the surrounding tissue an inflammatory response which attracts leukocytes and nearby phagocytes which eliminate the dead cells by phagocytosis. However, microbial damaging substances released by leukocytes would create collateral damage to surrounding tissues. This excess collateral damage inhibits the healing process. Thus, untreated necrosis results in a build-up of decomposing dead tissue and cell debris at or near the site of the cell death. A classic example is gangrene. For this reason, it is often necessary to remove necrotic tissue surgically, a procedure known as debridement.

Spiritual necrosis

Our spirit bodies are composed of individual bits connected to each in an unbreakable bond. Each individual bit glows or shimmers, like individually shining light bulbs. When we commit even one single sin, knowingly disobeying God’s eternal commandments, the sin causes one or more of the individual spirit bits that comprise out spirit body to “wink out” like a light bulb that is turned off, so that it no longer shines. The sin causes the individual spirit bit or bits to commit spiritual suicide (just like its physical counterparts self-destruct in necrosis), which causes the spiritual death of that individual spirit bit.

Whereas the bonds in-between the molecules and atoms that compose our physical body are breakable—and thus necrosis can be treated via debridement of the dead flesh—the bonds of our spirit bodies are unbreakable, which means the dead part cannot be cut off to save the rest of the soul. As a result, just like untreated physical necrosis, which grows and grows until it entirely consumes the entire organism, spiritual necrosis, even if it initially affects only one single spirit bit, will cause all the surrounding spirit bits to likewise go dark because they are inseparably connected to that dead spirit bit and they become affected by its demise by losing all hope and faith and thus likewise dying, so that eventually a shining spirit that has committed just one sin will turn entirely soot black in spiritual death. This is why the scriptures speak of sin as causing death:

Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (James 1:15.)

If spiritual necrosis occurs or remains outside of a probationary state, there is no way to recover an eternal spirit bit from this type of death. Once dead, it stays dead forever and brings all the surrounding spirit bits which are connected to it to their own death, through spiritual suicide, and the process then repeats for the living spirit bits that surround the newly dead bits, in an ever widening sphere of influence, until the entire organism is brought down.

Oneness stops spiritual necrosis

If everyone of a group of shining spirits are shining equally bright and are connected to each other, the darkness that is found outside the kingdom of God cannot overcome them. Being equally bright, each spirit (being next to another spirit) is kept at the same brightness, without any contrast. Otherwise, should two spirits of unequal brightness be brought together and be connected to each other, the spirit that shined the brightest would dim down to the level of the dimmer spirit, just as a dark, dead bit of spirit matter causes a bright bit of spirit matter to switch off if connected to it. It is akin to a heat source that is surrounded by other heat sources of equal hotness. The heat source doesn’t cool because it can’t cool. It can only cool if it is surrounded by cooler temperatures. But as long as the ambient temperature is the very same as the one given off by the heat source, everything remains hot forever.

Therefore God organizes the heavens by grouping like things together and linking them all together in unbreakable bonds so that it becomes impossible for spiritual necrosis to occur. Thus all those who inherit the celestial kingdom shine like the Sun and receive a fulness of that glory, becoming one with each other:

Ye who are quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness. (D&C 88:29.)

And the glory of the celestial is one, even as the glory of the sun is one. (D&C 76:96.)

Likewise, all those who inherit the terrestrial kingdom shine like the moon and receive a fulness of that glory, becoming one with each other:

And they who are quickened by a portion of the terrestrial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness. (D&C 88:30.)

And the glory of the terrestrial is one, even as the glory of the moon is one. (D&C 76:97.)

This partitioning of kingdoms and glories is necessary in order that each group retains its respective glow without any dimming effects from dimmer beings or from the blackness of outer darkness.

Whereas all the celestial kingdoms are one glory and equal, and all terrestrial kingdoms are likewise one glory and equal, in the case of the telestial kingdoms, each kingdom twinkles in glory like a tiny star in the nighttime sky, but the individual telestial kingdoms vary in intensity, so that all those that pertain to a specific telestial kingdom will be of one particular glory, receiving a fulness of that glory, and will be equal to each other, while those that pertain to a different telestial kingdom will be of a different glory intensity, and will be equal to all those who pertain to that same telestial kingdom:

And also they who are quickened by a portion of the telestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness. (D&C 88:31.)

And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one; for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world; for these are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas. (D&C 76:98-99.)

The celestial kingdom is patterned after our eternal God and Father, who is of one glory, thus all celestial kingdoms have the same glory, that of the Sun, there being only one Sun. The terrestrial kingdom is patterned after the earthly example and teachings of the Son of God, who is of one glory, and thus all terrestrial kingdoms have the same glory, even that of the Moon, there being only one Moon. But the telestial kingdoms are patterned after all the various mortal teachers that people follow, hence each particular telestial kingdom being slightly different than the others, and thus the telestial kingdom is given the glory of the stars, of which there is an infinite number.

Again, everything must be grouped with like things, otherwise the spiritual necrosis effect takes place and the higher order things fall downward to the level of lower order things:

For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before the face of him who sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things. (D&C 88:40.)

Spiritual necrosis is a contagion

If any one of these many spirits making up any of these various kingdoms somehow gets a case of spiritual necrosis, not only will his or her spirit body eventually die a spiritual death, but because the inhabitants of these kingdoms are connected to each other, as one, the spiritual necrosis will spread like a plague through those connections to the other inhabitants of the kingdom, thereby destroying all things of that pertain to it. Nevertheless, the connection is absolutely necessary, for without it, spiritual necrosis will likewise spread throughout, for no unconnected spirit can remain bright while surrounded by outer darkness or dimmer beings. Only the connection to other saved people of like glory allow the spiritual flames in these people to shine forever. So the connection stops the plague, but should the plague break out, the connection is what allows the plague to destroy all things.

Although the atonement and resurrection of Christ has power to re-ignite the dead spirit bits during the second estate—upon faith, repentance and the other gospel works—the bits will go dark again regardless, unless they are connected to the other saved spirits, hence God having to gather all things, both in heaven and on earth, in one:

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10.)

This stops the spread of the dreaded disease. But it only works if the people who are made one are cleaned every whit from their sins, so that every part of their spirit body shines and they are spotless.

Connecting spirits of unequal glories causes spiritual necrosis

And Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning death, and being raised from this mortality to a state of immortality, and being brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works. Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned. For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence. But this cannot be; we must come forth and stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his might, majesty, and dominion, and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all his judgments are just; that he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance. (Alma 12:12-15.)

I suppose that the saying in the church that “the wicked would be more miserable dwelling with God in heaven than with the devil in outer darkness” is derived from the above scripture, yet the same can be said about any intermingling of glories. A telestial spirit enjoys “eternal felicity” (D&C 77:3) as long as it dwells in the telestial kingdom among other telestial spirits, but if you have it dwell in the terrestrial kingdom among terrestrials, or in the celestial kingdom among celestials, its comparative dimness instantly fills it with shame so that it becomes miserable forever and spiritual necrosis ensues, which brings the telestial spirit, and all that is connected to it, down to destruction. The same goes for a terrestrial dwelling among celestials. In a sea of brilliant white, the single black spot gets all the attention, or as the case may be, the dimmer off-white spirit gets all the attention, which immediately brings about shame, hopelessness, misery and the instantaneous onset of spiritual necrosis. Thus no one of a lower glory can go up to a higher glory:

And heard the voice of the Lord saying: These all shall bow the knee, and every tongue shall confess to him who sits upon the throne forever and ever; for they shall be judged according to their works, and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own dominion, in the mansions which are prepared; and they shall be servants of the Most High; but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end. (D&C 76:110-112.)

Nevertheless, those of a higher glory can go to a kingdom of a lower glory, but only for a temporary visit:

These are they who receive not of his fulness in the eternal world, but of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial; and the terrestrial through the ministration of the celestial. And also the telestial receive it of the administering of angels who are appointed to minister for them, or who are appointed to be ministering spirits for them; for they shall be heirs of salvation. (D&C 76:86-88.)

Behold, I will liken these kingdoms unto a man having a field, and he sent forth his servants into the field to dig in the field. And he said unto the first: Go ye and labor in the field, and in the first hour I will come unto you, and ye shall behold the joy of my countenance. And he said unto the second: Go ye also into the field, and in the second hour I will visit you with the joy of my countenance. And also unto the third, saying: I will visit you; and unto the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth. And the lord of the field went unto the first in the first hour, and tarried with him all that hour, and he was made glad with the light of the countenance of his lord. And then he withdrew from the first that he might visit the second also, and the third, and the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth. And thus they all received the light of the countenance of their lord, every man in his hour, and in his time, and in his season—beginning at the first, and so on unto the last, and from the last unto the first, and from the first unto the last; every man in his own order, until his hour was finished, even according as his lord had commanded him, that his lord might be glorified in him, and he in his lord, that they all might be glorified. Therefore, unto this parable I will liken all these kingdoms, and the inhabitants thereof—every kingdom in its hour, and in its time, and in its season, even according to the decree which God hath made. (D&C 88:51-61.)

Should the visit become a permanent stay, spiritual necrosis would ensue. Just as a shining spirit, if set in the midst of darkness, can be overcome by the darkness and wink out, so it can be overcome by too much light.* If you set a low intensity light next to a high intensity light, the brighter light drowns out the dimmer light, so that it now appears dark in comparison. Lower glories, then, would experience instantaneous shame (darkness) if they went up to dwell with higher glories. Or, to put it in the vernacular of the scriptures, lower glories cannot abide the higher glories:

And the redemption of the soul is through him that quickeneth all things, in whose bosom it is decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it. Therefore, it must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory; for after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father; that bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified.

And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom. For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.

And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory.

And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory. (D&C 88:17-24.)

The reason why it is permissible for a higher glory to come down and temporarily visit a lower glory is because the lower glory spirits are a multitude of dimmer spirits all connected to each other, whereas the visiting higher glory dignitary is just one very bright spirit, and so the lower glory spirits draw power from the entirety of the lower glory group, allowing them to abide a temporary visit, making it joyful and not miserable.

Thus any permanent intermingling between the glories, in which a brighter glory comes down to dwell with dimmer glories, or a dimmer glory goes up to dwell with brighter glories, invariably leads to misery and spiritual necrosis of the dimmer glories, followed by misery and spiritual necrosis of the higher glories, because once you become one, you “mourn with those that mourn” (Mosiah 18:9), so that the whole connected society becomes miserable forever. Everyone in the whole connected heavens, then, must be perfectly happy, otherwise they all become perfectly miserable. So God keeps all dissimilar groups separated from each other and any visits of a higher glory to a lower glory are of a temporary nature only; and as for the wicked, they are altogether removed from existence, so that they never existed, making it impossible for any of the saved people to mourn over them, for you cannot mourn over what never existed. All of this locks in our eternal felicity.

No unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven

Some people think it’s kind of harsh that God won’t allow sinners into His kingdom at the last day. Those who are filthy still, their very spirits having ceased shining and winked out of existence, like tiny light bulbs turned off, so that they will appear covered in soot—and yet there is no soot on them, but their very souls are black—such people will be cut off from the group of saved people and will be tossed like filthy rags into the garbage heap that lies outside the kingdom, to be burned in eternal fire, just as the leprous people during the time of Moses had to live outside the camp. Why must this be so? It sounds harsh, but it’s yet another saving measure. God must protect the saved souls from the highly infectious nature of spiritual necrosis. Should these contagious people be allowed in, it would prove the entire destruction of the heavens. As the atonement of Christ has no more power to re-ignite their spirits, for the second estate is now over, the only other measure to take is the one of last resort. Therefore they get debrided.

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* The destroyer, being constrained by his gospel covenants, will not be able to destroy the bodies of the wicked by physically slaying them in his anger like he used to do during his pre-mortal existence, but this will not deter him. He will merely use light and truth as his weapon and destroy their spirits by spiritually drowning them in more light than they can handle:

Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light. And every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation. (D&C 93:31-32.)

For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation. (D&C 82:3.)

Now Ammon said unto him: I can assuredly tell thee, O king, of a man that can translate the records; for he has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. (Mosiah 8:13.)

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Resurrection for one; translation for the other

Three bodily states

Disintegration: The pre-Creation condition was a state of disintegration.

Translated (Non-Fallen) Integration: The Creation brought about a translated state of integration in which things could abide the presence of God. Prior to the Fall of Adam, God walked around on this planet without things flying apart.

Mortal (Fallen) Integration: The Fall caused all things to transition into an integrated state of mortality that cannot abide the presence of God. This meant that all things would eventually die and stay dead forever—for the spirit would separate from the body and the body would turn to dust, never again to become whole—and also that all things would instantly disintegrate, reverting back to the pre-Creation state, if God were ever to be present again.

The full effects of the Fall

Latter-day saints teach that there were two detrimental effects of the Fall of Adam (sin and death) which made it impossible to return to live with our heavenly Father and become like Him, but that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, all those who repent of their sins, exercise faith in Him and obey God’s commandments may be made clean, receiving a remission of their sins; and through the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, all mankind will live again in resurrected bodies and be brought back into God’s presence, to stand before Him to be judged and to receive a reward according to their works.

In truth, though, there are two categories of effects that the Fall caused. Latter-day saints preach and teach the first category only (and its revealed solution), because they know practically nothing of the second category. This is not the fault of latter-day saints, though. The scriptures are centered almost exclusively on the first category.

The two categories are the following:

• because of spiritual and temporal death, the Fall prohibited mankind from rising up and dwelling with God in the heavens; and
• because of imperfection, disunity, uncleanness and mortality, the Fall prohibited God from coming down and dwelling with mankind on the earth.

The result of both categories is the same: all things would eventually disintegrate (reverting to the pre-Creation state), mankind would eventually become, en masse, devils, even angels to the devil, and Satan would eventually win the war that he began in the heavens. Knowing all of this, the devil just needed to cause Adam to fall and the entire war was practically won. So he got the serpent to tempt the weak link in the chain (the woman) and Adam fell soon thereafter.

Two problems, two solutions

But God, being all-powerful, all-knowing and all-wise, had already prepared a plan to deal with these contingencies and rescue us from our fallen condition. Because there were two categories of effects, the plan had two parts to it, each part solving one set of problems. Alma called God’s plan the “plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8,16), the “plan of redemption” (Alma 42:11,13), the “plan of salvation” (Alma 42:5), the “plan of mercy” (Alma 42:15,31) and the “plan of restoration” (Alma 41:2). It is merely a contingency plan.

Jesus Christ solves the first problem

In the scriptures the first part of the plan is laid out extensively, especially in the Book of Mormon:

But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son; therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest. (Alma 12:33-34.)

One effect of the Fall is that once we leave our Father in heaven and come down to earth, we cannot return back to heaven and continue to dwell there with Him. If we return to heaven without our physical body (a gift God has bestowed upon us), having lost it forever, God’s justice debars us from dwelling with Him. That same justice also debars us from entering the kingdom of heaven if we leave heaven perfectly clean and return filthy. Thus we need our bodies back and we need to be cleansed from our iniquities, otherwise we turn into devils.

An answer to the following question needed to be found:

How can the spiritual and temporal death—which comes upon all mankind because of the Fall of Adam and their own, personal sins–be overcome, so that man may be cleansed from his iniquity, receive his physical body again and be brought back into the presence of God, without his physical body disintegrating, to be judged according to his works, whether good or evil, so that the righteous among them may dwell with God eternally in the heavens forever thereafter?

The answer is: by God sending down His Son, Jesus Christ, to work out an infinite, perfect and eternal atonement and bring to pass the resurrection of the dead and the remission of sins on conditions of repentance, faith and obedience.

How the first part works

The suffering of Jesus Christ allows us to be forgiven of our sins (on conditions of faith, repentance and obedience to God’s commandments) and also buys Him the right to resurrect us:

And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam. And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day. (2 Ne. 9:21-22.)

His death looses the bands of death:

And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. (Alma 7:12.)

Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death. (Alma 11:42.)

His resurrection breaks the bands of death:

And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. (Mosiah 16:7.)

All of this is to appease the demands of God’s justice. And what does justice demand? Justice demands that everything broken be fixed:

I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order. Behold, it is requisite and just, according to the power and resurrection of Christ, that the soul of man should be restored to its body, and that every part of the body should be restored to itself. (Alma 41:2.)

If you broke Father’s priceless Faberge egg, it is not enough that you feel sorry for what you did, and that you confess your sin, and that you ask for forgiveness, and that you covenant never to break any more eggs. All that is well and good, but the egg is still broken. Justice also requires that the egg be restored whole again. This is why restitution is part of the repentance process.

After we are dead, we will be brought before the tribunal of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, for judgment as to whether we will get into heaven, and if so, what reward we will get. Everything previously given to us must be present. If we return without our bodies, having lost them forever, we will become dead forever—for a living soul is a spirit plus a body, and not just a spirit alone—and we will become just like the devil, to be cast off forever just like he will be:

For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord. Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more. O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more. And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; (2 Ne. 9:6-9.)

When we were spirits living in heaven, having never received a body, we could remain in heaven as a naked spirit, but once we left heaven and came to earth, we were given a bodily garment. You have to come back to the heavenly gates dressed in the bodily garment, otherwise you cannot pass through those gates, for the bodily garment is required to be worn in heaven by all those to whom it was handed out, just as the wedding garment in the parable of the wedding supper was required to be worn by those attending the wedding:

And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:1-14.)

If you are not found wearing the bodily garment, to outer darkness you go. There are no exceptions to this rule. Our bodies must be re-connected to our spirits, so that we can give an accounting of what we did in them, but as none of us has power to get our bodies back, Christ had to do this for us.

The physical body, then, is absolutely necessary. We need it restored back to the spirit, otherwise, we can’t be saved. But Jesus can’t give us back a mortal body, because once we get our bodies back we will be brought into the presence of God, for judgment, and no mortal flesh can survive in the presence of God:

Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. (2 Ne. 2:8.)

Mortal flesh disintegrates in the presence of God, therefore God needs to give us a body that can endure His presence.

Now, there are two types of bodies that can withstand the presence of God: a translated body and a resurrected body, but only a resurrected body can bring the wicked into God’s presence without it flying apart, for a translated body is only a body of sanctified flesh. In other words, it is a body cleansed every whit from its iniquity, and thus it can abide the presence of God:

…and they [the three translated Nephite disciples] were sanctified in the flesh, that they were holy… (3 Ne. 28:39.)

Should an unclean man be changed from mortality to a translated state, the iniquity of the man would immediately change his body back to the mortal state, for sin works death (mortality):

For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sin, which were not according to the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death….Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin by that which is good working death in me; that sin, by the commandment, might become exceeding sinful. (JST Rom. 7:5,13.)

Translation doesn’t stick on unclean people. Only those who have been cleansed every whit of their iniquity, like Nephi was, can be translated:

And now it came to pass that according to our record, and we know our record to be true, for behold, it was a just man who did keep the record—for he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed every whit from his iniquity— (3 Ne. 8:1.)

Translated bodies are changeable bodies, and thus are unusable for the day of judgment:

And in this state they were to remain until the judgment day of Christ; and at that day they were to receive a greater change, and to be received into the kingdom of the Father to go no more out, but to dwell with God eternally in the heavens. (3 Ne. 28:40.)

For this reason, the redemption of Christ resurrects all men (instead of translating them), for resurrected bodies are permanent bodies. They don’t change. They lock the person into whatever is their final, resurrected state, be it good or bad. The resurrection, then, is the official end of a person’s second estate and they then resume living in eternity, to inherit endless life or endless damnation:

And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead. (Alma 12:24.)

If they be good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of endless damnation, being delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them, which is damnation— (Mosiah 16:11.)

The resurrection brings all men, both the righteous and the wicked, back into the presence of God, and this is the first part of God’s redemption:

And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death. (Mormon 9:13.)

This resurrection is the restoration of which the prophets speak:

Yea, this bringeth about the restoration of those things of which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets. The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame. And now, my son, this is the restoration of which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets— (Alma 40:22-24.)

This first part of the plan of salvation, redemption, restoration, happiness—

For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy; and when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy. (D&C 93:33-34.)

—and mercy is brought to pass by Jesus Christ, who is God’s Right Arm, even His Only Begotten Son, according to the flesh. It deals with the problem of man being unclean and cut off from God forever and solves that problem by offering mankind the opportunity to make themselves clean in the blood of Christ, thus preparing them to meet their Maker, and brings all of them back into the presence of God, completely restored in permanent, resurrected bodies, so that they can be judged and receive their inheritance.  But there is also a second part to God’s plan which solves a different problem.

The second part of the plan

For this problem, the following question needed to be answered:

How can the mortal and imperfect condition—which came upon all things because of the Fall of Adam and the shortcomings of mankind—be restored back to the pre-Fall condition of perfection and transfiguration, so that God may come back down into the presence of man, in all His glory, without all things disintegrating, to dwell on earth with man for a thousand years?

Here we have the problem of God’s Second Coming, which will cause all mortal things to disintegrate. Things are reversed: the second part doesn’t concern itself with getting man into God’s presence in heaven (and how to survive that), but of how to survive God coming into man’s presence here on earth, and dwelling here for a thousand years with us, as we live out our second estate (the probationary state). For that, all things need to be translated. (As resurrection doesn’t deal with the second estate—for resurrection marks the end of the second estate—it is insufficient to deal with this problem.)

Nevertheless, he that endureth in faith and doeth my will, the same shall overcome, and shall receive an inheritance upon the earth when the day of transfiguration shall come; when the earth shall be transfigured, even according to the pattern which was shown unto mine apostles upon the mount; of which account the fulness ye have not yet received. (D&C 63:20-12.)

This part of the plan of redemption redeems men and all other created things from the translation-to-mortal transition effect of the Fall, reverting the planet back to its pre-Fall state of translation. It accomplishes all of this during this very life, and not after the death of the body. It enacts the Father’s mercy in that all the vicarious works that God has commanded to be done, get done, to full completion and perfectly, causing all the righteous to become one and perfect and cleansed every whit, fully preparing them for receiving translated bodies. It causes the righteous among mankind to receive a fulness of joy, in this life, and not just in the hereafter, for God’s Son will personally reign here and this planet will become like heaven. And it causes all those who are sealed and translated, etc., to be saved. Thus, it is as much a part of the plan of happiness, salvation, redemption, mercy and restoration as is the other part.

Whereas the first part was enacted by the Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, He being a part of the Godhead, which was necessary so that man would not have to suffer for their own sins, God Himself suffering for them—

And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses. (Mosiah 13:28.)

—the second part could not be enacted by God Himself, for God’s justice required that the necessary works be done by man. This is because the steps of repentance—

1) Recognize – acknowledge that you did something wrong,
2) Remorse – feel sorrow for what you did,
3) Confession – confess your wrongs to all the offended parties,
4) Apology – express regret and sorrow for what you did,
5) Restitution – seek to right all the wrongs you’ve done,
6) Ask forgiveness – after performing all of the above, ask forgiveness of the offended parties,
7) Abandon the behavior – never do the offenses again.

—have an all important fifth step, requiring that the offending party make a full restitution, otherwise there is no forgiveness. Therefore Jesus Christ would remain in the heavens until that full restitution, or restitution of all things, occurred, so that the righteous among mankind could be entirely forgiven and not cursed and destroyed at His Second Coming:

And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:21.)

The requirement of restitution meant that all of the righteous who sought forgiveness needed to do their part in making the necessary restitution come to pass, according to what was in their power. But as the entire group combined couldn’t perform the whole work, nor did they have sufficient faith and power to do the parts requiring miracles, God needed to send someone down from heaven who was mighty and strong and powerful, someone who was not a part of the Godhead, who would come down and perform all the works in behalf of the rest of mankind, acting as part of the group of men. This individual would act in the authority of the Father, just as Jesus did, but unlike Jesus he could not be part of the Godhead:

Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. (Exodus 23:20-21.)

Additionally this man would have a two-fold purpose: 1) getting the righteous and all their possessions prepared to survive the advent of Jesus and 2) getting the wicked prepared to be destroyed by it. This latter purpose would be necessary because just as no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of heaven, so when the earth is turned into heaven by the end-time servant when he prepares it to receive its heavenly king, Jesus Christ, there can be no unclean thing here. Also, the restitution of all things had to apply equally to both the righteous and the wicked, but whereas the righteous would be restored to the pre-Fall integrated state of translation, the wicked would be restored to the pre-Creation state of disintegration, so that they would become entirely annihilated.

This final purpose, in particular, of preparing the wicked for destruction, disqualified everyone in heaven and on earth from the position, that is, all the saving angels and all the saving men, and even the saving God Himself—(for, as explained above, Jehovah Himself could not perform these works, except vicariously through a servant who was not a part of the Godhead)—except for one individual who was particularly disposed by nature towards destruction.

The wicked always die in the presence of God

And he said unto Moses, Thou canst not see my face at this time, lest mine anger be kindled against thee also, and I destroy thee, and thy people; for there shall no man among them see me at this time, and live, for they are exceeding sinful. And no sinful man hath at any time, neither shall there be any sinful man at any time, that shall see my face and live. (JST Exodus 33:20.)

But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him. (Moses 1:11.)

For behold, I could not look upon God, except his glory should come upon me, and I were transfigured before him. But I can look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely? (Moses 1:14.)

These scriptures indicate that neither mortal men, nor sinful men, can see the face of God and live. A mortal body needs to be transfigured (temporarily changed into the translated state) in order to see God’s face without perishing, but if the person is sinful, the translated body reverts to its mortal configuration and perishes anyway. Translation only sticks on righteous people who have been cleansed every whit and are perfect before God. Even a resurrected body cannot keep a person alive in God’s presence if they are unclean, for those who remain in their sins, being filthy still, will rise in the resurrection, behold God’s face in their filthiness, and then experience the second death.

In the first part of the plan, the wicked are brought forth through the resurrection (a permanent bodily configuration), into the presence of God in heaven and then they experience destruction via the second death. In the second part of plan, God is brought down into the presence of our translated planet and all the translated things upon it, but the wicked, translation not having worked upon them, are still in a mortal state, and so they then experience destruction via the first death.

Translation is used for the second part of the plan so as to keep the second state (the probationary state) intact, and also so that the bodies of the wicked will disintegrate at the Second Coming, fulfilling the prophecies of them becoming dust under the feet of the righteous. If they had resurrected bodies at the Second Coming, they would experience the second death and these prophecies would fail.

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The ordinances must match the final state

The men who currently hold the keys of the kingdom of heaven administer the ordinances based upon their perception of our current spiritual state. Those who exercise faith in Christ and repent get both their names and their works written in the earthly priesthood records; and through Peter’s keys of the kingdom of heaven those names and works are also recorded in the heavenly book of life. But should a man return to his sins, become inactive in the church and the church lose all contact and awareness of him and his return to iniquity, the man’s name and works remain on both the earthly priesthood records and the heavenly record, even if that man ends up dying in his sins, having entirely rejected his God. A person’s name and works are only blotted out if he or she is known to be a covenant breaker who refuses to repent.

Now, the final spiritual state is the instant of resurrection. Given that no one who holds the priesthood keys has power to know the final state, the ones who hold the priesthood keys leave it up to God to make the records match the conduct.

There are three things that are required for salvation: the power of the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the ordinances of the gospel and our own personal conduct. All three things must perfectly match. Our covenants bind us to Christ, which allows Him to save us, but our conduct must also be in keeping with the covenants. If we keep our covenants, we become a truly penitent person, which Christ can justifiably save, keeping the righteousness (justice) of the plan of salvation intact. If we do not keep our covenants, we remain in our sins, yet the covenants still bind us to Christ, which causes Him to save the wicked, not the penitent, thus destroying the entire plan of salvation, for Christ cannot justifiably save an impenitent person. If He were to try to save the impenitent, He would cease to be Christ. Should such a thing happen, the power of the atonement would be undone and all things would be destroyed. The conditions of salvation, then, are faith in Jesus Christ and repentance, which means that our conduct must match the covenants, otherwise God becomes an unjust God and all things cease to exist.

God’s plan for the perfection of the records

At the time of the end, God had always intended to send His emissary of justice (the Josephite), whose sense of justice was as acute as His own, and this servant would have a right to the priesthood and keys of the kingdom of heaven:

What is the root of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter?

Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days. (D&C 113:5-6.)

Once in possession of all the necessary keys, the Josephite then would go about making a correction of errors, setting the house of God in full order:

And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the scepter of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words; while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth, to set in order the house of God, and to arrange by lot the inheritances of the saints whose names are found, and the names of their fathers, and of their children, enrolled in the book of the law of God; (D&C 85:7.)

And again, let all the records be had in order, that they may be put in the archives of my holy temple, to be held in remembrance from generation to generation, saith the Lord of Hosts. (D&C 127:9.)

He will not alter the records according to the current spiritual state of the people, but according to their final state. He will have the gifts of the discerning of spirits and the gift to prophecy and the gift of the word of knowledge, to such an extent, that he will be able to perceive the final spiritual state of each and every person who ever lived, or who lives, or who ever will live, allowing him to make out the records perfectly, so that the earthly priesthood records (and through the keys, the heavenly book of life) and the final spiritual state of each person are an exact match.

Now, there is this idea among latter-day saints that the ordinances guarantee the final state, taken from this scripture:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man marry a wife according to my word, and they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, according to mine appointment, and he or she shall commit any sin or transgression of the new and everlasting covenant whatever, and all manner of blasphemies, and if they commit no murder wherein they shed innocent blood, yet they shall come forth in the first resurrection, and enter into their exaltation; but they shall be destroyed in the flesh, and shall be delivered unto the buffetings of Satan unto the day of redemption, saith the Lord God. (D&C 132:26.)

If you’ve received all the ordinances of salvation and exaltation, being sealed in the temple to a spouse for time and all eternity, as well as having received all the other ordinances, and then commit all sorts of sins, but do not shed innocent blood, and then you die in your sins, do you enter into your exaltation? Everyone reads the above scripture and says, “Yes. It says they will enter into their exaltation, so they will enter into it.”

Others read the above scripture and say, “Wait a moment. It says IF you are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, so that must mean that God still has a say-so in it later. If He decides you are worthy, then the sealing becomes sealed forever.”

Still others reply to this, “No. The sealing of the Holy Spirit of promise isn’t something separate from the actual sealing given in the temple. So, it cannot be that. It must mean exactly what it says: you are guaranteed exaltation once you get these ordinances, unless you shed innocent blood.” But the sense of justice of the people who think the Holy Spirit of promise is separate bugs them and they refuse to accept such a premise.

Who is right and who is wrong? The people who state that the ordinance itself is the Holy Spirit of promise are the ones who are right. As long as that sealing is intact and you haven’t shed innocent blood, you are guaranteed to enter into your exaltation. Nevertheless, there is yet another variable to take into account: the ordinances do not become permanently written in the books until the Josephite comes forth and sets the records in order.

The Josephite is completely unbiased, for he is God’s arm of justice and justice is blind. He doesn’t care whether you have had an ordinance or not. All he looks at is your spiritual state at the very end. If his sense of justice indicates that you, in your final state, will be worthy of a particular ordinance, he will write that ordinance in. If you have received that ordinance and it is on the books, but he perceives that in your final state you are unworthy of that particular ordinance, because you didn’t repent in time, he will blot the work out of the books. And so it goes with everyone’s name and all the works, writing in the names and works of those who deserve to have their names and works written in, and blotting out the names and works of those who don’t deserve to have their names and works written in, all according to what he sees in your final state.

Your current spiritual state will be of no importance to the Josephite. You can think, “I have had the sealing ordinances and have not shed innocent blood. It doesn’t matter what sins I do; eventually I will repent, according to the guarantee of the ordinance, and despite whatever problems my sins cause me in this life, in the next life they will be eventually remitted and I’ll enter into my exaltation.” But this is not so.

Repentance must be done in this life, for if we wait until the next life, it becomes much, much harder to repent and to obtain the same blessings that were offered to us in this life. In other words, let’s say you procrastinate your repentance and then die; in the next life, because of the difficulty of repentance, whatever degree of repentance you will obtain, and thus reward, may or may not be to the same degree you could have obtained had you repented in this life, before the instant of your death.

This means, for example, for those who are sealed for time and all eternity in the temple, as married couples, that they must repent of whatever sin or transgression of the new and everlasting covenant of marriage before they die, for if they do not, there is a chance that they won’t be able to attain such a depth of repentance in the afterlife, before they are resurrected, and then the Josephite, looking forward and seeing that full repentance has not been achieved, will merely blot out the sealing, undoing it, making it so that it never existed.

What constitutes as a sin or transgression of the new and everlasting covenant of marriage?

“…and he shall rule over thee…” (Gen. 3:16)

This keeps the covenant:

The husband rules over the wife.

This sins or transgresses against the covenant:

The wife rules over the husband; the husband doesn’t rule over the wife; the husband refuses to rule over the wife; the husband isn’t allowed to rule over the wife; the wife refuses to be ruled over by the husband; the wife doesn’t allow the husband to rule over her; the wife isn’t ruled over by the husband; the husband is ruled over by the wife; the husband allows the wife to rule over him; the wife demands to rule over the husband; the husband demands to be ruled over by the wife; the husband and the wife establish an equal partnership in which nobody rules and all things are done by joint consensus; and so on and so forth.

Thus the marriage covenant is patterned after the “just king” model. It is a kingdom like in Esther chapter one. The Josephite, then, looking upon a married couple, whether they are sealed in the temple or not, will look at the final state of the couple, and if the two people abode by the new and everlasting covenant of marriage and have repented of their sins by the time of their resurrection, he will write their names in and write in the ordinance of the sealing of the Holy Spirit of promise, and then those two people, even if they have never married for time and all eternity in life, will find that in the day of resurrection they are now eternally married to each other.

On the other hand, if he sees a temple married couple, and he perceives that by the resurrection the wife has not repented of breaking the covenant, whereas the husband has, he will blot out the wife’s ordinance and write another woman’s name in her place, and the man will come forth and call for his wife and discover that it is someone else, who is worthy of the ordinance, and the two of them will enter into their exaltation while the woman will find that she is not called forth as a wife, for the records do not show her ever having been married, and she will not receive exaltation.

The same goes for a man who breaks the covenant and doesn’t repent by the resurrection, whereas the wife keeps the covenant even until the resurrection. The man will find that he has no wife and no exaltation, whereas the woman will find that she is the wife of another man and she will enter into her exaltation with the other man.

The current state of the records is immaterial

To the Josephite, the records, as they are currently constituted, are of no use to him, for they are made out only according to the limited perceptions of the humans who possessed the keys before him, which were according to the current spiritual state they perceived. Given that one’s spiritual state can change from time to time, the only state of importance is the final state, for that will be the eternal state, and so that is the state that the Josephite will base his assessment on.

The most dangerous man in existence

Given this power to alter all the records, both those of the past, present and future, the Josephite will be the most dangerous man in existence. If he blots out your name, you don’t get saved. Those whose names aren’t written in the earthly priesthood records don’t have their names written in the heavenly book of life, and thus they don’t receive eternal life, but instead receive the second death, to be cast out into the lake of fire and brimstone at the day of judgment by the destroying angel, Abaddon. The Josephite, then, judges all things, and decides who he will destroy, and what reward each person will receive, by writing in the works that pertain to the various rewards available.

God can entrust nobody but the Josephite with this very important job, because any other angel or servant of God would be tempted to write the names of the wicked in the books, for penitent people such as holy angels and saints cannot bear to have anyone suffer the pains of a damned soul. Therefore, should God give to any other angel or servant power to make out the books permanently, as the Josephite will have, that angel or servant would cause the destruction of all things because they would end up writing in the names of the wicked, so that nobody would get cast into the lake of fire and brimstone and nobody would cease to exist, thus frustrating the plan of God’s justice. But as the Josephite is, essentially, merciless, and actually enjoys his job of destroying souls, he has no qualms about blotting out a person’s name eternally if they deserve it; therefore to him goes the job of filling out the books.

The enemies of the Josephite, then, not understanding how dangerous he is, thinking the man can only affect the here and now, this life only, and not the hereafter, or the afterlife and eternal state, fight him. But the proper response to a man who wields such godly power is to grovel before him, as I have stated before on this blog, so that he writes your name and all the works of the gospel for you in the books, so that you obtain every blessing available.

Unlike the current leaders who possess keys, who sometimes write a person’s name in, and also some works, and then later, based upon altered behavior, blot out some works or blot out a person’s name, and then later write the names and works back in, according to more altered behavior, the Josephite’s ordering of the books will be the permanent record. There will be no alterations once he gets started writing and blotting. What he writes in, stays written. What he blots out, stays blotted out. And if he has cursed you so that nobody can write your name in, making you accursed, there will be no power on earth or in heaven to get you saved. His decision will be final.

What this means for us

We ought not to become complacent in keeping our covenants. As long as we are continually striving to keep all of the covenants we have made, aligning our lives with the scriptural principles as best we can, then on the day of our death, having fully repented of our sins, we will find that our spiritual state in the instant of our death, being worthy of the ordinances, will match our spiritual state in the instant of our resurrection, and we will leave this life firm in the hope of our salvation and exaltation. But if we become complacent, thinking that we don’t have to exactly conform to God’s words and his commandments and our covenants, and we procrastinate the day of our repentance, we might find that our spiritual state in the instant of our death does not match our spiritual state in the instant of our resurrection, and we will find that what we receive in the day of resurrection as far as reward goes is vastly different and far less than what we thought we were going to get in the instant we died, all because the Josephite has “set in order” the records, and made them match or conform to our spiritual state in the instant of resurrection.

For those who are in an unequal marriage, in which one or more of the parties are not keeping the marriage covenant, the only thing that matters is that you keep that covenant. The Josephite will only judge individually, and so whoever is striving to keep the covenant, despite opposition from a spouse, gets the sealing, and whoever isn’t keeping the covenant, gets made as if they never were sealed.

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The desolating scourge

The Word of Wisdom

A Word of Wisdom, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the church, and also the saints in Zion—to be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days—given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints. (D&C 89:1-3.)

The Word of Wisdom is for the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days, but it has two applications:

Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—that inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him. (D&C 89:4-5.)

The warning is in consequence of the evils and designs which do exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, from the time the revelation was first given to Joseph Smith (February 27, 1833) to the time of the Elias who restores all things. The forewarning, however, is in consequence of the evils and designs which will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, which will be during the end times.

When Elias gets out of his box, he will initiate a church reset. This will reset the Word of Wisdom back to being merely a word of wisdom “to be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint.” Thus it will no longer be binding upon the saints.

Moses as a repeating pattern

After his reset, Elias will go away for a time, perhaps even for a long time, to his hidden kingdom, to enjoy himself and to let the wheat and tares ripen. We will then get a repeat scenario of when Moses went away:

And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. (Exodus 24:18.)

While Moses was up in the mount, talking with God for such a long time, the people down below started to wonder why he was delayed so long:

And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. (Exodus 32:1.)

Aaron then made them a golden calf, had them get naked and dance and sing and worship the idol, as they engaged in revelry.

And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. (Exodus 32:5-6.)

When Moses and Joshua came down the mountain, they heard the noise of the huge party the idolaters were making:

And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear. (Exodus 32:15-18.)

Moses then blew his top, or as the record says, his “anger waxed hot.” He then made the idolaters drink the idol (which likely made them sick) and ordered them killed:

And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. (Exodus 32:19-20.)

And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. (Exodus 32:25-28.)

As with Moses, so with Elias

Elias, before he goes away, will cause a golden age of prosperity to dawn upon mankind, the likes of which modern society has never before seen. As the church will also be reset by Elias before he leaves, the Word of Wisdom will be a non-binding principle, making the people free to drink wine, strong drinks, mild drinks, hot drinks, smoke tobacco and so on.

In his absence a great apostasy will ensue, during which the wicked tares will take the abundance of their goods and throw continual parties, eating and drinking to excess, for the valleys will be fat with produce and plenty of animals to slaughter and the people will be engorged with riches:

Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! (Isaiah 28:1.)

But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. (Isaiah 28:7-8.)

And so they will become drunkards engaging in revelry and riotous behavior. At some point, Elias will come back, and like Moses, his anger will wax hot by what he sees:

Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand. (Isaiah 28:2.)

Unlike Moses’s anger, which got appeased, the anger of Elias will be like a raging volcano, unable to calm down, and he will send forth a plague upon the people, a desolating scourge which will be an overflowing sickness:

For a desolating scourge shall go forth among the inhabitants of the earth, and shall continue to be poured out from time to time, if they repent not, until the earth is empty, and the inhabitants thereof are consumed away and utterly destroyed by the brightness of my coming. (D&C 5:19.)

And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land. (D&C 45:31.)

The wicked will attempt to protect themselves from the desolating scourge by quarantining themselves in above ground places of refuge and below ground caverns and facilities, but the destroyer will send forth hail and storm to destroy the places of refuge and a flood of waters to flush them out of their underground hiding spots:

Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report. (Isaiah 28:14-19.)

The difference between Moses and Elias

Again, Moses’s anger was eventually appeased. Not so with Elias. This sickness will be an ongoing event, going out day and night, from the moment Elias returns and blows his stack, until Jesus comes back and the wicked of the world are entirely destroyed. It will be a perpetual curse from that day forward until there are no more wicked. Only then will Elias’s anger be appeased.

Elias’s anger, then, is patterned after God the Father, and not after Moses. When the children of Israel worshiped the golden calf, God’s first instinct was to allow His anger to wax hot so that he could destroy the whole of them and make a new nation out of Moses:

And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. (Exodus 32:9-10.)

In other words, the anger of the Lord is manifested by the destroyer acting. The destroyer does not discriminate, therefore if the anger of the Lord would have waxed hot, the now angry destroyer would have come down and killed every last one of them, both idolater and innocent bystander, both men, women and children, because the principle the destroyer acts upon is: wipe the slate clean and start over again.

But Moses intervened on behalf of the children of Israel, trying to keep them alive. Despite that intervention, the destroyer had already begun to become angry, requiring, at the very least, that those who refused to repent be killed, which would appease the angel’s anger:

And the Lord said unto Moses, If they will repent of the evil which they have done, I will spare them, and turn away my fierce wrath; but, behold, thou shalt execute judgment upon all that will not repent of this evil this day. Therefore, see thou do this thing that I have commanded thee, or I will execute all that which I had thought to do unto my people. (JST Exodus 32:14.)

The whole plan of salvation, then, is simply a way to appease the anger of the destroyer, so that he doesn’t act. Once God begins to get angry, the destroying angel also starts to get angry, and as he is the executor of God’s wrath, once he gets angry, he begins to act, and that’s the problem.

While the destroying angel is in the heavens, things are done so as to appease his (and thus God’s) anger, in order to save as many souls as possible. But once he comes to earth during his mortal probation, he must be incited to more anger than he’s ever before felt and then unleashed upon the populace.

Now it needs to be this way, for of all the emotional states, anger is the most energetic. Because the end-time work is infinite in scope, the destroyer needs all the energy he can muster to accomplish it. Thus it is through anger that the restoration of all things takes place. God allows His destroyer’s anger to rage endlessly so that the righteous get fully protected and the wicked get fully destroyed:

For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act. Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord GOD of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth. (Isaiah 28:21-22.)

God protects His people from the destroyer’s wrath

Just as God provided a means by which the children of Israel could survive the wrath of the destroyer, namely, the Passover, so God has provided a means to the Gentiles saints whereby they will be able to survive the coming desolating scourge:

And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; and shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen. (D&C 89:18-21.)

This, then, is the actual end-time purpose of the Word of Wisdom.

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“The Davidic Servant” Error

The erroneous doctrine of “the Davidic Servant”

There is a false, speculative doctrine—which is found among certain latter-day saints who are at the fringe, as well as among former members who have been excommunicated or who have resigned from the church, and also among the many break-away sects—which I call “the Davidic Servant” error, which takes

1) the scriptures that mention the Branch,

2) and the ones that mention an end-time servant named David,

3) and all the scriptures that speak of the Elias who restores all things (who is, in actuality, Joseph-Nephi),

4) and a few more scriptures that speak of Jesus Christ,

5) as well as Avraham Gileadi’s translation of Isaiah and his interpretations of the scriptures,

6) and then combines all of that with a teaching Joseph Smith gave on 10 March 1844,

7) along with three speculating paragraphs published in the Times and Seasons on 15 February 1842 (which is when “the Davidic Servant” error appears to have begun),

8) and also a sentence uttered by Orson Hyde on 22 November 1841 during his Prayer of Dedication on the Mount of Olives,

and from all of that it creates a fictional, end-time personage called, “the Davidic Servant” (who is an amalgamation of the real person, Jesus Christ, and the real person, Joseph-Nephi), and who is supposed to be a mortal man named David (who is descended from the ancient David) that will build the throne of David/Israel, and rebuild and restore Jerusalem and the temple, and gather and restore Israel and also the kingdom of Israel, and who will rule over the mortal population of Israel on the throne of David as its mortal king.

Additionally, according to “the Davidic Servant” error, when Jesus Christ returns at the Second Coming, He will rule over the immortal, resurrected population (which will not be present much, but which will come and go to and from other planets as they choose, thus being mostly absent from Earth), and Christ will rule over the mortal population only virtually, through this mortal Davidic king, who himself will continue to rule over the mortal population of Israel forever.  Thus, the error has two end-time kings, an immortal One (who is Christ) to reign over immortals and a mortal one (who is “the Davidic Servant”) to reign over mortals, and it dictates that the two populations (mortals and immortals) won’t mix much.

Now, those who accept this error take all of that as a starting point, swallowing it whole, and then begin to further speculate as to the identity of this fictional character, some ascribing John the apostle to “the DS” and adding in whatever scriptures speak of John, while others go even farther and assign the Holy Ghost as “the DS,” throwing in even more scriptures to shore up their theory. Others speculate that one of the top leaders of the church will be the man. Still others think there will be a “DS” over the Jews, Jerusalem and the Old World, while there will be a different end-time servant over the New World (America). Some believe that “the DS” will be Joseph Smith, returned from the dead. And so on and so forth, with endless speculations from all sorts of quarters of the disaffected and fringe elements of the latter-day saints.

Regardless of what version of “the Davidic Servant” error is subscribed to, all the followers use “Davidic Servant” or “DS” as an identifier of the doctrine. They don’t put “Davidic Servant” in quotations as I do because they believe it’s a real person, whereas I teach that it’s all a fiction. Thus, I state that it’s a quote unquote “Davidic Servant.” When I use quotation marks on this term, it is with the understanding that I am referring to this false doctrine, which assigns a non-Jesus Christ personage to an end-time servant named David. Regardless of who the adherent believes that “the DS” is, they all think it is not Jesus Christ. Thus, the words, “the Davidic Servant,” or merely, “the DS,” identify the error, as an encoded term, so that those who mention “the Davidic Servant” or “the DS”, trying to discuss what the man will do, or where he will be from, or what he will be like, or who his identity is, have already revealed themselves as having fallen into the error.

I teach that “the Davidic Servant,” as described by the different versions of this false doctrine, is non-existent. It’s entirely made-up by uninspired people who have allowed foolish and unfounded speculations to filter and replace the actual word of God, so that they imagine and believe a fantasy, and then teach that fable they’ve created to others, all the while scoffing and spurning at any attempt to correct the error and dislodge them from it. Like a drug, this particular delusion has proven to be addictive and those who have drunk of its poison become members of a sort of “DS” cult, who all believe they possess “eyes to see” and “ears to hear” what they consider is “the secret or hidden knowledge,” which in reality is just a falsehood built up from a misunderstanding of the scriptures.

Those who have read my words on this blog, published in my various posts and also in the comment sections, know that I have never once mentioned any “Davidic Servant.” Anyone can perform a search for this term on this blog and will discover that only One Who Is Watching (OWIW) mentioned the term in two of his own posts, and there have also been 7 comments left in the comment sections of various posts (as of today’s date) which mention it, none of which were authored by me. Why have I never mentioned “the Davidic Servant”? Because there is no such person.

Again, when speaking of the end-time servants who will be performing ministries among us, I have never used the incorrect term, “the Davidic Servant,” but have ever used the correct terms when referring to Christ:

the Stem of Jesse, the Branch, the Messiah, etc.,

and I have ever used the correct terms when referring to Christ’s forerunner, the Elias who restores all things:

the rod, the root of Jesse, Elias, the restoring Elias, the Elias who restores all things, the Elias restorer, the Elias destroyer, the Josephite, the Josephite restorer, the Josephite destroyer, Joseph-Nephi, the destroyer, the destroying angel, king Abaddon, king Apollyon, etc.

Thus the whole “Davidic Servant” error, from top to bottom, goes against what I teach and also contradicts what the LDS church officially teaches. In this post, then, I will correct the error by exposing its fallacies and refuting its foundation, put forth the correct doctrine and I will also publicly release some new teachings (’cause I might as well, right?) I will begin this task with the official teaching.

The official teaching: the end-time David is Christ

The official LDS church teaching is that the end-time Personage known in the scriptures as “my servant David”/”David my servant” is Jesus Christ. In Chapter 13 “The Establishment of Zion (Isaiah 1—12)” of the Old Testament Student Manual Kings-Malachi, published in 1982, we read:

(13-58) Isaiah 11:1. Who Is the “Branch”?

Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote the following analysis of the meaning of the Branch:

“Since it takes a first and a second coming to fulfill many Messianic prophecies, we of necessity must consider them here, and in the case of the Davidic-Messianic utterances show also how they apply to our Lord’s Second Coming. Christ is the Son of David, the Seed of David, the inheritor, through Mary his mother, of the blood of the great king. He is also called the Stem of Jesse and the Branch, meaning Branch of David. Messianic prophecies under these headings deal with the power and dominion he shall wield as he sits on David’s throne, and have reference almost exclusively to his second sojourn on planet earth.

“Jesse was the father of David. Isaiah speaks of the Stem of Jesse, whom he also designates as a branch growing out of the root of that ancient worthy. He recites how the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him; how he shall be mighty in judgment; how he shall smite the earth and slay the wicked; and how the lamb and the lion shall lie down together in that day—all of which has reference to the Second Coming and the millennial era thereby ushered in. (Isa. 11.) As to the identity of the Stem of Jesse, the revealed words says: ‘Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ.’ (D&C 113:1–2.) This also means that the Branch is Christ, as we shall now see from other related scriptures.

“By the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord foretells the ancient scattering and the latter-day gathering of his chosen Israel. After they have been gathered ‘out of all countries whither I have driven them,’ after the kingdom has been restored to Israel as desired by the ancient apostles in Acts 1:6, then this eventuality, yet future and millennial in nature, shall be fulfilled: ‘Behold the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ (Jer. 23:3–6.) That is to say, the King who shall reign personally upon the earth during the Millennium shall be the Branch who grew out of the house of David. He shall execute judgment and justice in all the earth because he is the Lord Jehovah, even him whom we call Christ.

“Through Zechariah the Lord spoke similarly: ‘Thus saith the LORD of hosts: … I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. … I will remove the iniquity of the land in one day [meaning that the wicked shall be destroyed and the millennial era of peace and righteousness commence]. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.’ (Zech. 3:7–10.) Of that glorious millennial day the Lord says also: ‘Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne.’ (Zech. 6:12–13.)

“That the Branch of David is Christ is perfectly clear. We shall now see that he is also called David, that he is a new David, an Eternal David, who shall reign forever on the throne of his ancient ancestor. ‘It shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, ‘that is, in the great millennial day of gathering, that ‘they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.’ (Jer. 30:8–9.)

“‘In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness,’ which is to say that because the Great King himself reigns in her midst, even the city shall be called after him. ‘For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel. … If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne.’ (Jer. 33:15–21.) David’s temporal throne fell long centuries before our Lord was born, and that portion of Israel which had not been scattered to the ends of the earth was in bondage to the iron yoke of Rome. But the promises remain. The eternal throne shall be restored in due course with a new David sitting thereon, and he shall reign forever and ever. …

“Through Ezekiel, the Lord speaks of this One Shepherd in this way: ‘I will save my flock. … And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them.’ When that day comes, ‘I will make with them a covenant of peace,’ the Lord says, meaning they shall have again the fulness of the everlasting gospel. Then ‘there shall be showers of blessing’; all Israel shall dwell safely and know that the Lord is their God. (Ezek. 34:22–31.)

“Through Ezekiel, the Lord also tells of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, which becomes the instrument in his hands to bring to pass the gathering of Israel. Of that day of gathering he says, ‘I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all.’ In that day he promises to ‘cleanse them,’ by baptism, ‘so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.’

“Then the Lord restates that his gathered people shall have his everlasting gospel with all its blessings; that he will set his sanctuary, meaning his temple, in their midst forevermore (as Zechariah recorded); and all Israel shall know that the Lord is their God. (Ezek. 37:15–28.)

“How glorious shall be the coming day when the second David, who is Christ, reigns on the throne of the first David; when all men shall dwell safely; when the earth shall be dotted with temples; and when the gospel covenant shall have full force and validity in all the earth!” (The Promised Messiah, pp. 192–95).

Notice, in particular, that the apostle refers to the Branch as a “Branch of David.” He does this because the scripture says that the Lord will “cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David” (Jer. 33:15.) In other words, the Branch will both be a descendant of David of old, as well as a new David.  Thus, the end times David and the Branch are one and the same and so when the apostle begins to teach about the Branch, he must, of necessity, explain about the end times David. We see from this lengthy quotation that this is the teaching that is given to church students in an officially approved manual; namely, that Jesus Christ is the very end times David spoken of in the scriptures. This teaching, given in the above quotation by elder Bruce R. McConkie, wasn’t just put into the church student manual, but also into the chapter headings of the official LDS edition of the Bible, for all the chapters that deal with the end times David. For example, for the chapters that elder McConkie quoted from, these are the pertinent chapter headings:

The Branch, who is the King (the Messiah), will reign in righteousness (Jeremiah 23); Zechariah speaks about the Messiah—The Branch will come (Zechariah 3); Zechariah crowns Joshua, the high priest, in similitude of Christ, the Branch, who will come—Christ will be a priest upon His throne forever (Zechariah 6); David, their king (the Messiah), will reign over them (Jeremiah 30); The Branch of Righteousness (the Messiah) is promised—The Seed of David (the Messiah) will reign forever (Jeremiah 33); The Messiah will be their Shepherd (Ezekiel 34); David (the Messiah) will reign over them (Ezekiel 37).

Some of the chapter headings of the chapters that the Topical Guide entry of Jesus Christ, Davidic Descent of mentions also give this same teaching:

Psalms 89
A messianic psalm—A song setting forth the mercy, greatness, justice, and righteousness of the Holy One of Israel—The Lord will establish David’s seed and throne forever—God’s Firstborn will be made higher than the kings of the earth.

Psalms 132
A messianic psalm—Of the fruit of David’s loins will the Lord set One upon His throne—The Lord will bless Zion, and her Saints will shout for joy.

Isaiah 9
Isaiah speaks about the Messiah—The people in darkness will see a great Light—Unto us a Child is born—He will be the Prince of Peace and reign on David’s throne

Isaiah 11
The stem of Jesse (Christ) will judge in righteousness—The knowledge about God will cover the earth in the Millennium—The Lord will raise an ensign and gather Israel

Acts 13
Saul and Barnabas are called to missionary service—Saul, now called Paul, curses a sorcerer—Christ is a descendant of David—Paul offers the gospel to Israel, then to the Gentiles.

This shows that the Brethren themselves believe that the end times “my servant David” and “David my servant” personage mentioned in the scriptures, who will reign as king and prince over the house of Israel, is none other than Jesus Christ, the King Messiah.

Now, in another part of that same Chapter 13 of that same manual, it says this:

(13-63) Isaiah 11:13–14. “Ephraim Shall Not Envy Judah, and Judah Shall Not Vex Ephraim”

Anciently, during the days of the divided kingdoms, Judah (the leading tribe of the Southern Kingdom) and Ephraim (the leading tribe of the Northern Kingdom) were often in competition. Sometimes they were even at war with each other. Isaiah prophesied that in the last days that conflict would come to an end. Ezekiel, in a similar prophecy, promised that the house of Israel would no longer be divided, but under their true king, the New David (see Notes and Commentary on Isaiah 11:1) there would be one united nation again. (See Ezekiel 37:15–25.) Jeremiah and Zechariah also spoke of the future reuniting of the house of Israel (see Jeremiah 3:18; Zechariah 10:6–7).

Emphasis mine. Notice that the manual points the student to the section that I quoted at the start, which talks about the New David and which identifies that Personage as Christ. Notice also that there is no equivocation in the teaching. It is made unmistakably crystal clear and plain as day in its meaning. And this is the official LDS teaching on the matter.

Understanding the official teaching: the name of God is Jehovah

Three connected, omnipotent, omniscient and perfect Persons are, when taken together as a group, called “the Godhead” (Col. 2:9), or just, “one God” (D&C 20:28): even the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The Father and the Son are Personages of Spirit who also have bodies “of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s” (D&C 130:22) and both Their spirit bodies and Their physical bodies have “the form of man” (Mosiah 13:34; Ether 3:15-16; 1 Nephi 11:11.) The Holy Ghost, however, is a Personage of Spirit who does not have a body “of flesh and bones” (D&C 130:22.)

When one speaks of God, it is generally the Father who is referred to, for He is the Supreme Governor of the Universe, the Father of all mankind and the One to whom the Son and the Holy Ghost submit and from whom They derive Their power and authority. Nevertheless, because the Son and the Holy Ghost are connected to the Father in perfection, and partake of all His attributes and powers in fullness, thus forming the Godhead, or becoming “one God,” this oneness between Them in which they share all things, allows even the title of “God” to be shared and applied to the Son and the Holy Ghost. Thus each Person is called God: the Son is God and also the Holy Ghost is God, and not just the Father.

In Hebrew, the tetragrammaton (a specific 4-letter combination) identifies the covenant or proper name of the God of Israel. In English this name is written out as Jehovah, Yahweh or some other variation. (It is actually pronounced: ^EEAA_OOAA^EE.) In the King James Version, the Jewish custom of never speaking the name of God has been followed, and the name is generally denoted by LORD or GOD, printed in small capitals.  Following the pattern of oneness, in which They all share everything, so it goes with the name of Jehovah. Jehovah is the name of the Father and the name of the Son and the name of the Holy Ghost. Given that all three members of the Godhead have the same covenant name of Jehovah, we are commanded to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”:

Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. (D&C 20:73)

We don’t baptize in three names, but only in one name, which all three bear: Jehovah.

So, for example, in D&C 110:1-10 we find Jesus Christ referring to Himself as Jehovah. Yet in Luke 20:41-44 and in Mark 12:35-37 Jesus cites Psalms 110:1 and identifies Himself as “my Lord” and not as “The LORD” (Jehovah.) This implies that “The LORD” (Jehovah) in that verse refers to the Father and not to the Son.

In 3 Nephi chapters 20 and 21, Jesus applies the name of Jehovah to both Himself (the Son) and to the Father. Here Jesus mentions Micah 4:12, referring to Himself as Jehovah (the LORD) :

And I [Jesus] will gather my people together as a man gathereth his sheaves into the floor. (3 Nephi 20:18)

But they know not the thoughts of the LORD [Jehovah the Son], neither understand they his counsel: for he [Jehovah the Son] shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. (Micah 4:12)

And here He mentions Micah 4:13, which is the very next verse, but this time Jesus refers to Jehovah (the LORD) as the Father:

For I [Jesus] will make my people with whom the Father hath covenanted, yea, I [Jesus] will make thy horn iron, and I [Jesus] will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt beat in pieces many people; and I [Jesus] will consecrate their gain unto the Lord [Jehovah the Father], and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I [Jesus] am he who doeth it. (3 Nephi 20:19)

Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I [Jehovah the Son] will make thine horn iron, and I [Jehovah the Son] will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I [Jehovah the Son] will consecrate their gain unto the LORD [Jehovah the Father], and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. (Micah 4:13)

Here Jesus says that it was Jehovah the Father who covenanted and spoke to Abraham:

And behold, ye are the children of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. (3 Nephi 20:25)

Now the LORD [Jehovah the Father] had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3)

Here Jesus mentions Isaiah 52:9-10 and refers to Jehovah as the Father:

Then shall they break forth into joy—Sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Father hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Father hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of the Father; and the Father and I are one. (3 Nephi 20:34-35)

Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. (Isaiah 52:9-10)

Here Jesus mentions Micah 5:8-15 and refers to Jehovah as the Father:

And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Their hand shall be lifted up upon their adversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off. Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they repent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots; and I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds; and I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy land, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers; thy graven images I will also cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee, and thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands; and I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities. And it shall come to pass that all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, shall be done away. For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people, O house of Israel; and I will execute vengeance and fury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard. (3 Nephi 21:12-21)

And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots: and I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds: and I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard. (Micah 5:8-15)

Again, we find Jesus saying to the Nephites (in 3 Nephi 24:1), “Thus said the Father unto Malachi:” and then He quotes Malachi 3:1, which reads:

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)

This means that  “the LORD of hosts” (Jehovah) in this verse is the Father.

Or, when we turn to Numbers 27:16, we find Jehovah being called the God of the spirits of all flesh, which is a reference to the Father, not to the Son.

And Jesus said to the Jews, “I am come in my Father’s name” (John 5:43.) And what is that name? It is the name of Jehovah. Thus, both the Father and the Son bear the name of Jehovah.

It is Jehovah who covenanted with Israel, yet Jesus taught the Nephites in 3 Nephi 21:4 that the Father covenanted with His people Israel, but in 3 Nephi 15:5 Jesus says that He Himself covenanted with His people Israel. Who, then, is Jehovah: the Father or the Son? Again, it is both, for They both bear the same name. And so on for the rest of the scriptures.

The name Jehovah distinguishes

Now, all of a group having the same name so that they are distinguished from all others is a custom that is found among men:

And now it came to pass that the king and those who were converted were desirous that they might have a name, that thereby they might be distinguished from their brethren; therefore the king consulted with Aaron and many of their priests, concerning the name that they should take upon them, that they might be distinguished. (Alma 23:16)

The name may be a given name, such as what George Foreman did, in which he named all five of his sons, “George,” and also named one of his daughters, “Georgetta.” It is even customary to give the same name both to men and women, and thus you might have a man named Jose whose first child is a son and so he names him, “Jose,” and then his wife gives birth to another son and he names him, “Jose Maria,” and then his wife gives birth to a girl and he names her, “Maria Jose.” In this case, all four individuals bear the same given name of Jose: the father and two sons bearing it as their first given name, whereas the daughter bears the name as her second (middle) given name.

Or, the name may be a surname, such as how all the Nephites were surnamed Nephi, and all the Jacobites were surnamed Jacob, and all the Josephites were surnamed Joseph, and all the Zoramites were surnamed Zoram, and all the Lamanites were surnamed Laman, and all the Lemuelites were surnamed Lemuel, and all the Ishmaelites were surnamed Ishmael and so on and so forth. The Gentiles also distinguish their families by a common surname which all the members of that particular family bear.

Regardless of what the name Jehovah is, whether it is a given name or a surname, its purpose is to identify the group, which is the Godhead. All those who pertain to that particular group bear this particular name of Jehovah, which distinguishes Them from all others and from every other group.

Elohim is not the covenant or proper name of the Father

Elohim just means “God.” However, in the temple rites, Elohim is used as the Father’s name, to differentiate between the Personages of the Father and the Son, the latter being called Jehovah in the temple. The temple rites use symbolism and representations to teach principles, the principle here being that the Trinity doctrine is false and that the Father and the Son are two distinct Personages and not one nebulous mass of nothingness. The use of the name Elohim in the temple is not meant to be taken as the literal, personal name of God, but latter-day saints routinely make the mistake, anyway.

Jehovah is first the Father, then the Son

Latter-day saints, when they see the tetragrammaton written out in the King James Version of the Bible as LORD or GOD in small capitals, or as Jehovah or Yahweh, etc., in other versions, assume the name is referring to the Son unless the context of the passage indicates that the Father is the One who is being referred to, in which case they assume that the passage must be an instance of Jesus speaking as the Father with “divine investiture of authority.” But the proper way to read these passages is to first assume that the name refers to the Father, unless the context indicates that it refers to one of the other members of the Godhead. If the Father fits into the passage, then you interpret the name as referring to the Father. If the Father doesn’t fit, then you plug in the Son, or, lastly, the Holy Ghost, if the Son doesn’t fit.

This confusion on the part of the latter-day saints about the name of Jehovah is one of the reasons why there is conflict between us and the Christians and Jews, who all read the tetragrammaton as referring to the Father and are utterly confused as to why the latter-day saints insist that the pre-mortal Jesus Christ is Jehovah, and not the Father. In our rush to distance ourselves from the Trinity doctrine, which indeed is false, we have mistakenly tossed away an actual truth: that the Godhead is all named Jehovah.

It is the Father’s servant David

Returning with this knowledge of the name of God to all the passages that mention the end-time servant David, we now are able to clearly see that the one who is speaking in the passages is the LORD, who is Jehovah the Father. So, let’s review the scriptures cited by the apostle.

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD [Jehovah the Father], that I [Jehovah the Father] will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS [Jehovah Our Righteous]. (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

In the above passage the Father says He will raise unto David a righteous Branch, a King that shall reign and prosper, in whose days Judah shall be saved and Israel dwell safely, and the name of this Branch King David will be Jehovah Our Righteousness.

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Thus saith the LORD of hosts [Jehovah the Father]; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I [Jehovah the Father] will give thee places to walk among these that stand by. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I [Jehovah the Father] will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. (Zechariah 3:7-8)

In the above passage the Father says He will bring forth His servant the Branch.

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And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts [Jehovah the Father], saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD [Jehovah]: even he shall build the temple of the LORD [Jehovah]; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (Zechariah 6:12-13)

In the above passage the Father says to behold the man whose name is the Branch, who shall bear the glory and sit and rule upon His throne, and who shall be a priest upon His throne. He also mentions the one who will grow up out of the Branch’s place and who will build the temple of Jehovah. Before continuing, I will take the time to expound the above scripture by explaining about prophetic switches.

Prophetic switches

“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:” (Isa. 11:1)

Jesse was the father of David; the Stem of Jesse and the Branch are one and the same person: Jesus Christ; and the rod that comes of the Stem of Jesse is Elias (Joseph-Nephi). So, in the following scripture:

“And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” (Zechariah 6:12-13)

it begins by speaking of the Branch (Jesus Christ) : “Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH;”

then it switches to speaking of Elias (Joseph-Nephi) : “and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: even he shall build the temple of the LORD;”

then it switches back to speaking of the Branch (Jesus Christ) : “and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne:”

finally it ends by speaking of the covenant of peace that will exist between the Branch (Jesus Christ) and Elias (Joseph-Nephi) : “and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”

An alternate translation from the Hebrew (found in the footnote of Zech. 6:12) of the first part reads:

“Behold the man: Branch is his name and from beneath him one shall branch forth and he shall build the temple of Jehovah.”

The one who builds the temple of Jehovah, who branches forth from beneath the Branch (Jesus Christ), is Elias (Joseph-Nephi), who is the rod that comes forth out of the Stem of Jesse (Jesus Christ):

“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse,” (Isa. 11:1)

and who is the rod of Christ’s strength:

“The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: ” (Ps. 110:2)

and who is “a servant in the hands of Christ…on whom there is laid much power” (D&C 113:4.)

Thus, there are two main end-time personages spoken of in the scriptures, one being Jesus Christ (the Stem of Jesse/the Branch) and the other being His forerunner, Elias (the rod/root of Jesse, who is Joseph-Nephi.) The prophetic switch between these two servants happens often in the scriptures. For example, in Isa. 11, Isaiah begins in verse 1 to speak of Elias (the rod), then switches to Jesus Christ (the Stem of Jesse/the Branch) and continues to speak of the Branch in verses 2-5, but then in verse 10 he switches back to speaking of Elias (the root of Jesse):

1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

10 ¶ And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:1-5,10)

Zechariah does the same prophetic switch. In chapter 3 of his prophecy he speaks of the Branch (Jesus Christ), using Joshua the high priest as a type of the Branch. But in chapter 4 of his prophecy, he speaks of Elias (Joseph-Nephi), using Zerubbabel as the type of Elias. This shows that these two (the Son of God and His forerunner) are prophetically linked.

It is the Father’s servant David, continued

For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts [Jehovah the Father], that I [Jehovah the Father] will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: but they shall serve the LORD [Jehovah the Father] their God, and David their king, whom I [Jehovah the Father] will raise up unto them. (Jeremiah 30:8-9)

In the above passage the Father says that the people will serve Him and also will serve David their King, whom the Father will raise up to them.

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Behold, the days come, saith the LORD [Jehovah the Father], that I [Jehovah the Father] will perform that good thing which I [Jehovah the Father] have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

In those days, and at that time, will I [Jehovah the Father] cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness [Jehovah Our Righteous].

For thus saith the LORD [Jehovah the Father]; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me [Jehovah the Father] to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.

And the word of the LORD [Jehovah the Father] came unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD [Jehovah the Father]; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. (Jeremiah 33:14-21)

In the above passage the Father says that He will cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David and this Branch will execute judgment and righteousness, and in His days Judah shall be saved, Jerusalem will dwell safely, and Jerusalem will have the same name as the Branch King: Jehovah Our Righteousness. (See Jeremiah 23:5-6 where the Branch is also called Jehovah Our Righteousness.) The Father also affirms that the covenant He made with David of old about his throne always being occupied by one of his seed will be fulfilled.

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Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD [Jehovah the Father] unto them; … And I [Jehovah the Father] will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD [Jehovah the Father] will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD [Jehovah the Father] have spoken it. (Ezekiel 34:20,23-24)

In the above passage the Father says He will set up one Shepherd over them and this one Shepherd is the Father’s servant David, who shall feed them and be their Shepherd. The Father will be their God and the Father’s servant David will be a Prince among them.

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And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD [Jehovah the Father]; … And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I [Jehovah the Father] have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. (Ezekiel 37:21,24-25)

In the above passage the Father says that His servant David will be King over Israel and Israel will all have one Shepherd and the Father’s servant David shall be their Prince forever.

We see from this review that the apostle’s words are true, in which he wrote, “That the Branch of David is Christ is perfectly clear.” It is perfectly clear. Once a person understands that Jehovah in these passages is the Father, then it becomes self-evident that Jesus Christ “is also called David, that He is a new David, an Eternal David, who shall reign forever on the throne of His ancient ancestor,” just as the apostle and LDS church have taught.

The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith quotation

There is a saying of Joseph Smith that people often quote regarding the end times David, which I will cite here in its original context. The bold type is the part people recite:

This spirit of Elijah was manifest in the days of the Apostles in delivering certain ones to the buffitings of Satan that they may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus, they were sealed by the spirit of Elijah unto the damnaton of Hell untill the day of the Lord or revealtion of Jesus Christ [23] Here is the doctrin of Election that the world have quarreled so much about, but they do not know any thing about it, The doctrin that the Prysbeterians & Methodist have quarreled so much about once in grace always in grace, or falling away from grace I will say a word about, they are both wrong, truth takes a road between them both. for while the Presbyterian says once in grace you cannot fall the Methodist says you can have grace to day, fall from it to morrow, next day have grace again & so follow it, but the doctrin of the scriptures & the spirit of Elijah would show them both fals & take a road between them both for according to the scriptures if a man has receive the good word of God & tasted of the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away it is impossible to renew them again, seeing they have Crucified the son of God afresh & put him to an open frame shame [24], so their is a possibility of falling away you could not be renewed again, & the power of Elijah Cannot seal against this sin, for this is a reserve made in the seals & power of the priesthood, [25] I will make evry doctrin plain that I present & it shall stand upon a firm bases And I am at the defiance of the world for I will take shelter under the broad sheler cover of the wings of the work in which I am ingaged, it matters not to me if aIl hell boils over I regard it ownly as I would the crackling of thorns under a pot A murderer; for instance one that sheds innocent Blood Cannot have forgiveness, David sought repentance at the hand of God Carefully with tears, but he could ownly get it through Hell, he got a promise that his soul should not be left in Hell, [26] Although David was a King he never did obtain the spirit & power of Elijah & the fulness of the Priesthood, [27] & the priesthood that he received [28] & the throne & kingdom of David is to be taken from him & given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his linage [29] Peter refered to the same subject on the day of pentecost, [30] but the multitude did not get the endowment that Peter had but several days after the people asked what shall we do, Peter says I would ye had done it ignorantly speaking of crucifying the Lord &c He did not say to them repent & be baptized for the remission of your sins but he said repent therefore & be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord, Acts iii, 19 this is the case with murderers they could not be baptized for the remission of sins for they had shed innocent Blood. (10 March 1844 (Sunday). At Temple. See History of the Church, 6:249-54, and Teachings, pp. 335-41.)

Of these words, the apostle, Bruce R. McConkie, wrote:

‘Although David was a king, he never did obtain the spirit and power of Elijah and the fullness of the priesthood; and the priesthood that he received, and the throne and kingdom of David is to be taken from him and given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage.’ (Teachings, p. 339.) Thus, even though a man’s calling and election has been made sure, if he then commits murder, all of the promises are of no effect, and he goes to a telestial kingdom (Rev. 21:8; D. & C. 76:103), because when he was sealed up unto eternal life, it was with a reservation. The sealing was not to apply in the case of murder.” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:347.)

Joseph Smith’s words were spoken in the context of the doctrine of falling from grace. “The doctrin that the Prysbeterians & Methodist have quarreled so much about once in grace always in grace, or falling away from grace I will say a word about,” he said, and then he went on to say that the idea that “once in grace you cannot fall” is false, and also the idea that “you can have grace to day, fall from it to morrow, next day have grace again & so follow it” is also false. The real doctrine is that there are certain sins that you can commit and afterward repent from and still obtain the top reward (exaltation), but there are also sins that, once committed, prohibit you from obtaining the top reward (exaltation), even if you are truly sorry for having done them. The shedding of innocent blood (murder) is one such sin that stops a person from receiving exaltation, and thus, a person who commits murder falls from the exaltation they might have had. Such people do not receive forgiveness, but must suffer for their sins in hell. Only after such suffering, in which they themselves (and not just Christ) has paid the penalty for their sins, if they are sorry for their sins and have turned from them, they can inherit a telestial kingdom. So Joseph Smith said, “A murderer; for instance one that sheds innocent Blood Cannot have forgiveness, David sought repentance at the hand of God Carefully with tears, but he could ownly get it through Hell, he got a promise that his soul should not be left in Hell”. David, then, having fallen from grace by shedding the innocent blood of Uriah, had to go through, and suffer in, hell in order to obtain his full repentance and be accepted back into the kingdom of God, but the kingdom glory he could receive was telestial only, not any glory higher than that.

Joseph Smith also stated that “although David was a King he never did obtain the spirit & power of Elijah & the fulness of the Priesthood.” This means that David didn’t obtain what latter-day saints obtain in the temple, whereby they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, by the Melchizedek priesthood, unto their exaltation. He received a priesthood, yes, but it wasn’t the fullness of the priesthood which latter-day saints receive, it wasn’t the fullness of the spirit and power of Elijah, therefore his shedding of innocent blood didn’t cause him to become a son of perdition, to be cast out into outer darkness at the last day, but was accounted as if a non-temple endowed and sealed member of the church committed murder. Such a person, who has never been through the temple rites, falls from their exaltation, being unable to gain it in any way, falling entirely from the grace that accompanies that reward, but they may suffer in hell for their sins and at the last day come forth, having repented and suffered the penalty, and still obtain a kingdom of glory, even in the telestial kingdom. David, then, was in this same situation.

All saints are promised eternal life on condition of enduring to the end, even those who have never gone through the temple:

But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me. And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.

And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved. Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.

And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:14-20)

Had David endured in faith to the end, despite not receiving what latter-day saints who go through the temple rites receive, he still would have inherited his exaltation. But he blew it and lost all that was promised to him.

The covenant God made with David

Everything started with Saul, who would have had his kingdom established forever, if he hadn’t disobeyed God’s commandments and offered burnt offerings without actually possessing the authority to do so.

And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee. (1 Samuel 13:13-14)

But he blew it before he got that promise from God, so God put David in Saul’s place and David also ended up blowing it, but not before God made the above mentioned covenant with him, in which his throne would be established forever and his seed would occupy his throne forever. So, according to the foreknowledge of God, He had already planned that the Seed of David (Christ) would be raised up out of David’s lineage, into a new David, and all things that pertained to the first David, who was now fallen from grace, would be given to the last David, who would never fall from grace, and that last David would occupy the first David’s throne forever, as an immortal King Messiah, the King who was the Branch of David, and thus David’s throne and kingdom would be established forever. Thus, Joseph Smith taught:

“the throne & kingdom of David is to be taken from him & given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his linage”

The throne and kingdom of David is the throne and kingdom of Israel, and in the last days, that is, during the end times, another by the name of David, who would be a descendant of the ancient David, would receive David’s throne and kingdom. But David hasn’t yet lost his throne and kingdom. It’s still his and it’s still called his.  The throne and kingdom of the first David gets transferred to the last David only when the last David comes down from heaven and occupies it. And once occupied by the immortal King Messiah, who is the Branch of David, nothing and no one can ever dethrone Him, thus fulfilling the covenant.

Christ got and gets everything that pertained to David’s eternal reward

In addition to the throne and kingdom of David, which have not yet been given to Christ, David’s wives that were given to him by the hand of Nathan the prophet and other prophets, which pertained to the promise of exaltation (for only exalted people are married in the afterlife), have already been given to Christ:

David’s wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord. (D&C 132:39)

This another is the same another that Joseph Smith mentioned:

“the throne & kingdom of David is to be taken from him & given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his linage”

When the Lord removes the blessings He bestowed upon one man, He takes everything He removes and gives them to another servant. He doesn’t divvy up the loot among several servants. Thus, in both the parable of the talents and the parable of the pounds, everything that the unwise and foolish servant possessed was taken and the whole of it was given to only one other servant. Also, in the following scripture we see that when Saul transgressed, the Lord took from him the kingdom of Israel and his house and his wives and gave the whole lot to David:

And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; and I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. (2 Samuel 12:7-8)

Although David fell from his exaltation, his wives did not, and so Nathan or some other servant of God performed whatever ordinance was necessary to seal them to Christ, as His eternal brides. When Christ came to earth, then, He was already married and sealed to these women, who were at that time disembodied spirits dwelling in paradise. When He died, Christ went to paradise, where He met the righteous saints and prophets and also His wives.

For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. (Matthew 22:30)

A woman cannot be resurrected and then afterward be given to a husband, nor can a man marry a woman after his resurrection. As there is a finality to the resurrection, all gospel ordinances have to be done before it occurs. This means that the brides of Christ had to be sealed to Him before He, and they, were resurrected, and so this is what must have happened.

Upon His resurrection, then, these wives of His were also resurrected, and thus He was reunited with His brides, and the lot of them entered into their exaltation. When Christ returns, then, with ten thousand of His saints, among those saints will be His wives, and the people will wonder, “From whence did these women come? When did you marry them?” They were the wives of David, the first David, and also the wives of Saul who were given to David, all of which David lost through his transgression, whereby they were then given to the last David, who would never lose them, because He is Christ.

Orson Hyde’s Prayer of Dedication

On 22 November 1841, Orson Hyde, the latter-day saint apostle, dedicated the Holy Land for the gathering of Israel. The prayer he uttered on the Mount of Olives was, apparently, given to him by revelation. In one part of the prayer, he said the following:

Thou, O Lord, did once move upon the heart of Cyrus to show favor unto Jerusalem and her children. Do Thou now also be pleased to inspire the hearts of kings and the powers of the earth to look with a friendly eye towards this place, and with a desire to see Thy righteous purposes executed in relation thereto. Let them know that it is Thy good pleasure to restore the kingdom unto Israel — raise up Jerusalem as its capital, and constitute her people a distinct nation and government, with David Thy servant, even a descendant from the loins of ancient David to be their king.

Some have taken this statement as meaning a mortal end times servant named David, but they are mistaken. It refers to the Branch King David, who is King Messiah, the immortal, resurrected Christ.

The Times and Seasons article

Three months after elder Hyde’s prayer, there were three paragraphs of a Times and Seasons article published on 15 February 1842 that took up the topic of an end-time David. Here are the three paragraphs; and notice that I’ve put parts of the third paragraph in bold type to show that the ideas espoused are mere speculations put forth by the writer(s):

Ezekiel after giving a description of the resurrection of the House of Israel, and the coming forth of the stick of Joseph (Book of Mormon,) and its being united with the stick of Judah (the bible;) and also the restoration of the House of Israel, that are in a state of mortality, back upon their own lands, says: “Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them out of all their dwelling places wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them: and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherin our fathers have dwelt, and they shall dwell therein, even they and their children, and their children’s children, forever; and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabe[r]nacle also shall be with them; yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people, and the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the mid[s]t of them for evermore.”—Ezek. xxxvii. 23–28. The above quotation has a particular allusion to that portion of the righteous that will remain in the flesh, and dwell on the earth, and eat the fruit of it. But the difference that will be, satan will be cast out of the earth, and he will have no power to tempt or deceive them: they will a[l]l be righteous, and not defile themselves any more. The Lord will set his sanctuary in the midst of them, and they shall multiply and be increased in number,—which they will continue to do, during the Millennium. The fact that they will multiply and increase, shows that they will be in a state of mortality.

The immortal saints will be made kings and priests, and they shall reign with Christ; but is is not said that the mortal ones shall be made kings and priests, to hold authority with Christ like the immortal ones, while in a state of mortality; only they shall have a king, priests, and all other necessary officers, to administer all ordinances, and perform all necessary ceremonies. We mean a king that shall be chosen or proceed out of their midst. Isaiah speaking of this day says, the Lord will restore their judges as at first, and their counsellors as at the beginning. This will be the time that God will restore their kingdom unto them which the apostles alluded to when they inquired of Jesus, if he would then restore the kingdom to Israel. (See Acts, i. 6)

According to the prophets the name of this king shall be David; not the patriarch David who was the son of Jesse; but a literal descendant of his. Some suppose that the Psalmist David will be raised from his tomb, and again reign over Israel; but we consider this one of the most unreasonable ideas that could be advanced. He no doubt will be in the Lord’s own due time raised from the dead, but not to act the part of a prince in the midst of Israel who remain in the flesh. Neither will any of the patriarchs act the part of an earthly king; although they will reign with Christ. Indeed, we have no reason to believe that Christ himself will act the part of an earthly king, or priest, to any great extent. It is inconsistent for us to suppose that the immortal saints, who are glorified, will be perpetually confined in the midst of the mortal ones. Because it is said, they shall reign on the earth, is no reason why we should say they shall be constantly among the mortal saints. The idea is that the earth will be under the control of Christ and the glorified saints, and Christ will virtually reign over the whole earth, and this David will be subject to him. The redeemed saints will reign on earth, and perhaps have in many respects, authority over the mortal ones. We do not wish to be understood, that there will be a total or entire separation between [p. 690] the mortal, and immortal; but the object of the foregoing remarks is to show the distinction of privilege. The prophet says, that the Lord shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously; hence, when the redeemed saints dwell on earth, they will dwell in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, which places the Lord will fully prepare for them. We might dilate upon this part of the subject, that is, the reign, and dominion of the redeemed saints, till we fill a volume; but brevity admonishes us to hasten. Those who are anxious to learn more concerning this reign of the saints, can search the scriptures for themselves.

So these are speculations. In Mormonism we are free to speculate but these speculations aren’t correct. They are based upon the (incorrect) belief that resurrected and mortal beings will exist but not intermingle during the Millennium, and thus the (erroneously supposed) necessity for a mortal king David, along with an immortal resurrected King Messiah. Here’s a full breakdown of these three paragraphs:

Correcting the Times and Seasons: first paragraph

I will quote again parts of these three paragraphs, to make the correction. The parts in bold are incorrect:

Ezekiel after giving a description of the resurrection of the House of Israel, and the coming forth of the stick of Joseph (Book of Mormon,) and its being united with the stick of Judah (the bible;) and also the restoration of the House of Israel, that are in a state of mortality, back upon their own lands, says:

First, the Book of Mormon functions as a type or as a shadow fulfillment of the stick of Joseph, while the Bible functions as a type or shadow of the stick of Judah. The literal fulfillment of these prophecies will occur when the plates of brass (the real or literal stick of Joseph) and the Book of the Lamb of God (the real or literal stick of Judah) comes forth and are translated by the Josephite.

Secondly, the text of Ezekiel says nothing about them being mortal. That’s just an assumption. A false assumption. Will they be mortal when their King (and it’s King with a capital K, for this will be King Messiah) reigns over them? Nope. How do we know that they will not be mortal? Well, for starters, because of what happened to Moses:

And the presence of God withdrew from Moses, that his glory was not upon Moses; and Moses was left unto himself. And as he was left unto himself, he fell unto the earth. And it came to pass that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed. But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him. (Moses 1:9-11)

The Son of God will be returning at the Second Coming in His full glory. Nothing mortal can survive the Advent of the Son of God. All things mortal will be destroyed. This is why Elijah the prophet must come back to deliver the Priesthood to the Josephite before Jesus returns, because the Priesthood that will be delivered to him will be the same that causes transfiguration, or translation, for unless all things are transfigured or translated, the Earth and all things upon it will be destroyed in God’s presence. This is why Moroni stated:

Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming. (D&C 2:1-3)

“Utterly wasted” means destroyed. So, the Josephite will have to use this Priesthood of transfiguration and transfigure all things that will be saved and redeemed, before Jesus gets back, which will, in part, fulfill this scripture:

Q. What are we to understand by the sounding of the trumpets, mentioned in the 8th chapter of Revelation?

A. We are to understand that as God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work, and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth, even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and judge all things, and shall redeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things, unto the end of all things; and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years—the preparing of the way before the time of his coming.

Q. When are the things to be accomplished, which are written in the 9th chapter of Revelation?

A. They are to be accomplished after the opening of the seventh seal, before the coming of Christ. (D&C 77:12-13)

So, the notion that these gathered people of the house of Israel will be mortal is patently false.The Josephite will gather all things and then redeem all things, saving them from the destruction which happens at the Second Coming, because all the things he has transfigured through this Priesthood (which will be delivered to him by Elijah the Tishbite, who himself was translated or transfigured) cannot be destroyed by the Lord’s glory. Thus they are protected from, or prepared for, His Coming. This is why the Lord told Joseph Smith the following:

Nevertheless, he that endureth in faith and doeth my will, the same shall overcome, and shall receive an inheritance upon the earth when the day of transfiguration shall come; when the earth shall be transfigured, even according to the pattern which was shown unto mine apostles upon the mount; of which account the fulness ye have not yet received. (D&C 63:20-21)

The day of transfiguration is the day of the Josephite, when all that will be saved with be transfigured or translated, prior to the Second Coming of the Lord. Thus, the writers of this article in the Times and Seasons didn’t have a clue of what they were talking about. The speculation about the house of Israel being mortal at the gathering and installment of their King is pure bunk. The house of Israel will be composed of resurrected personages, even those spoken of in Ezekiel 37, verses 1 through 14, while the rest will be translated personages, even those spoken of in verses 20 to 22 of the same chapter.

After citing Ezekiel 37:23-28, the Times and Seasons article says:

The above quotation has a particular allusion to that portion of the righteous that will remain in the flesh, and dwell on the earth, and eat the fruit of it. But the difference that will be, satan will be cast out of the earth, and he will have no power to tempt or deceive them: they will all be righteous, and not defile themselves any more. The Lord will set his sanctuary in the midst of them, and they shall multiply and be increased in number,—which they will continue to do, during the Millennium. The fact that they will multiply and increase, shows that they will be in a state of mortality.

Here we see that the writer or writers of this piece have continued their faulty reasoning, thinking that only mortal people can multiply and increase. No, not only mortal people can multiply and increase. Resurrected, translated and mortal people can all multiply and increase. Their is no evidence to back up the claim about “multiply and increase” meaning that they must be mortal. It is just thrown out there and assumed to be true. But it’s patently false.

God is a resurrected Personage. Does He have children? Does His seed multiply and increase? How about all the people who receive the promise of exaltation? Do they multiply and increase after their resurrection?

And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever. Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my lawye cannot attain to this glory. For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.

Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins—from whose loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph—which were to continue so long as they were in the world; and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue; both in the world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as the stars; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them. (D&C 132:19-22,30)

Correcting the Times and Seasons: second paragraph

In this next part the article continues to insist that the scripture means that in the Millennium there will be mortal people:

The immortal saints will be made kings and priests, and they shall reign with Christ; but is is not said that the mortal ones shall be made kings and priests, to hold authority with Christ like the immortal ones, while in a state of mortality;

Actually, nothing is said about anyone being mortal. That is merely a false supposition made by the article’s writer(s). All who survive the Second Coming will be the ones who are saved and redeemed and sealed, per D&C 77:12, which I quoted above. Does anyone really think these saved people won’t be made kings and priests?

Once we make one error in understanding, like this “mortal” supposition, everything that builds upon that error will diverge further and further from the path of truth. You must correct the initial mistake first, as I have done, and then the rest can be seen to be fully wrong, and can then be tossed into the trash, because you must start over again upon the proper and true foundation, which will take you to a different and more correct conclusion: namely, that the king and shepherd mentioned in these scriptures is none other than the resurrected Christ, King Messiah.

Correcting the Times and Seasons: third paragraph

According to the prophets the name of this king shall be David; not the patriarch David who was the son of Jesse; but a literal descendant of his.

This is correct. But there are only two people in the scriptures who are spoken of as “the son of David.” One is Joseph, the step-father of Jesus. The other is Jesus Christ Himself. In fact, the New Testament stresses over and over again that Jesus Christ is a descendant of David, calling Him the Root of David twice. Thus, Jesus Christ is a literal descendant of David, and is also the King Messiah that was prophesied to reign over Israel one day. Jesus Christ matches all the prophecies perfectly. But if you have this error about the man needing to be mortal in your head, then you go awry and enter into “the Davidic Servant” error.

Some suppose that the Psalmist David will be raised from his tomb, and again reign over Israel; but we consider this one of the most unreasonable ideas that could be advanced.

This is true. It is unreasonable because David fell from his exaltation. His priesthood, throne and kingdom are to be given to a descendant of his in the last days, per Joseph Smith, therefore it cannot be the old David, but must be a new David:

Although David was a King he never did obtain the spirit & power of Elijah & the fulness of the Priesthood, & the priesthood that he received & the throne & kingdom of David is to be taken from him & given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his linage

Just as there was a first Adam and then a last Adam, so there was a first David and also will be a last David. Jesus Christ will fulfill both roles.

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. (1 Corinthians 15:45-48)

Okay, continuing on with this article:

He [the Psalmist David] no doubt will be in the Lord’s own due time raised from the dead, but not to act the part of a prince in the midst of Israel who remain in the flesh. Neither will any of the patriarchs act the part of an earthly king; although they will reign with Christ.

True enough, so far.

Indeed, we have no reason to believe that Christ himself will act the part of an earthly king, or priest, to any great extent.

This is not correct. We have plenty of reasons why Christ Himself will be a King over all Israel, namely: because this is what all the scriptures teach and preach.

It is inconsistent for us to suppose that the immortal saints, who are glorified, will be perpetually confined in the midst of the mortal ones.

Here again we see the persistent error of a division between mortal and immortal, which won’t exist, for all will be either translated (transfigured) people, or resurrected people, and no one will be mortal. Last I checked translated people fit in quite well among resurrected people, which is why Elijah was translated and went to heaven, as well as all the other people who have been translated. Resurrected people and translated people have no problem dwelling with each other.

Because it is said, they shall reign on the earth, is no reason why we should say they shall be constantly among the mortal saints.

Here again is mentioned the false division between mortal and immortal. Resurrected beings can come and go as they please, but this planet is where they will have their inheritance, so they will make their abode here, on planet Earth, as they were promised by God. The writers of the article are setting up this idea of traveling resurrected people who will be nominally present, so that they can put forth their false idea of a mortal king reigning over mortal Israel.

The idea is that the earth will be under the control of Christ and the glorified saints, and Christ will virtually reign over the whole earth, and this David will be subject to him.

Here we have the first mention of virtual reality! And we Mormons have the honor of having put forth the idea! No, Christ won’t “virtually reign” over Israel, He will literally and personally reign over the entire people. And David won’t be subject to Him, because Christ and the end-time David are one and the same Being, He being the new, or second, or last David. So, this idea of theirs might make for a good fictional movie, but it is not based upon the scriptures, nor upon truth, but upon an erroneous and speculative idea about mortals and immortals not mixing, and upon a mortal population needing a mortal king, while an immortal population needs an immortal King.

In truth, we have always had an immortal, or resurrected, King over us, even God the Father. God was our King in the heavens and He had a body of flesh and bones while we were mere spirits. That shouldn’t mix, right? But there we were, under our King who looked and was so vastly different from us. Down here on earth, we get clothed in mortal flesh. Who was our King? Still God the Father, who was an immortal or resurrected personage. Yet He still told us what to do. Or, if you want to say that the Son was our King, then before His First Advent, He was a Spirit. How’s that for incompatibility? We were mortals of flesh and blood, and our King was an immortal Spirit! Then He came down and partook of flesh and blood, but alas!, He didn’t reign over Israel! (Not yet, anyway.) Later He died and was resurrected, and now we had the same problem, for our King was a resurrected Personage of flesh and bone, like His Father, and we were still mortal beings. Next he’ll return in His resurrected body to reign over Israel and Israel will be both resurrected and translated. Is there a problem with any of this? The writers of the Times and Seasons article saw a problem, but the problem was in their own minds, for they were obsessed with privilege (as we will soon see) and they felt a need that that privilege remain intact:

The redeemed saints will reign on earth, and perhaps have in many respects, authority over the mortal ones. We do not wish to be understood, that there will be a total or entire separation between [p. 690] the mortal, and immortal; but the object of the foregoing remarks is to show the distinction of privilege. The prophet says, that the Lord shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously; hence, when the redeemed saints dwell on earth, they will dwell in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, which places the Lord will fully prepare for them. We might dilate upon this part of the subject, that is, the reign, and dominion of the redeemed saints, till we fill a volume; but brevity admonishes us to hasten. Those who are anxious to learn more concerning this reign of the saints, can search the scriptures for themselves.

Thank goodness for brevity! So, they were obsessed with the distinction of privilege and so erroneously divided the population into mortal and immortal, with a mortal king David and an immortal King Messiah, the one to be over the mortal population, and the other to be over the immortal one, but with the resurrected ones exercising authority (privilege) over the lowly mortal ones, etc. But despite all these errors, they give one good bit of advice: “search the scriptures for themselves.” That advice should have been the only words put into this article.

The name David (Beloved) identifies Christ

The name David means Beloved, and so when the Father says in the scriptures, “my servant David,” it is the same as if He were saying, “my servant Beloved,” or “my beloved servant.” The Beloved Servant of God the Father is Jesus Christ, who is also His Beloved Son, or, to put it another way, God’s Son David (Beloved.) Jesus Christ, then, is both the Beloved Son of God and also the Beloved Servant of God:

Yet it pleased the LORD [Jehovah the Father] to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD [Jehovah the Father] shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I [Jehovah the Father] divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:10-12)

The above passage is speaking of Jesus Christ, yet the Father calls Him “my righteous servant.” The prophetic use of the word “Beloved” or “David” in connection with a servant of God or a Son of God identifies Jesus Christ as the One in question. And so we get:

Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: (Isaiah 5:1)

and

Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him. (3 Nephi 11:7)

An analysis of the biblical name David

An excerpt from Abarim Publications’ Biblical Name Vault: David

The name David in the Bible
David is the youngest of eight (1 Samuel 16:10-13) or seven (1 Chronicles 2:15) sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite, and the first king of the united Kingdom of Israel. He was not the first king of Israel because that was Saul (1 Samuel 10:1). Saul, however, never managed to make peace in Israel.

Popular as this name is nowadays, in the Bible there is only one person named this way. Many names occur more than once, but David’s name was never repeated. Perhaps it was for venerative reasons that nobody named their child after the great king David of Israel. The Bible also only lists one Adam, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the list goes on.

The name David (Δαβιδ; Dabid) appears frequently in the New testament, but solely in constructions: Both Joseph and Jesus are called “son of David” (Matthew 1:20, 9:27, Mark 10:47), and Jesus is additionally called the “root of David” (Revelation 5:5, 22:16). The Messiah’s reign is referred to as the “kingdom of David” (Mark 11:10) and the “throne of David” (Luke 1:32), and His reign would rebuild the “tent of David” (Acts 15:16). He who is holy can open and no one will shut and vice versa, using the “key of David” (Revelation 3:7). And once Paul refers to a statement occurring in Psalm 95:7, as being “in David,” meaning the work of David (Hebrews 4:7).

The name David occurs 59 times in the New Testament; SEE FULL CONCORDANCE.

Etymology and meaning of the name David
Most Bible translators and commentator will render the name David as Beloved, but as always with important names, the etymology of the name David is disputed. But we can’t help noticing the distinct similarity of this name with the Hebrew root דוד (dwd) that yields דוד (dod), generally meaning beloved. This word is also the Hebrew word for uncle — 1 Chronicles 27:32, for instance, speaks of דוד־דויד, or “David’s uncle”:

The entire web page on David can be read by clicking here.

Of particular note are these words:

The Messiah’s reign is referred to as the “kingdom of David” (Mark 11:10) and the “throne of David” (Luke 1:32), and His reign would rebuild the “tent of David” (Acts 15:16). He who is holy can open and no one will shut and vice versa, using the “key of David” (Revelation 3:7).

I will quote those referenced scriptures. First Mark:

And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. (Mark 11:7-10)

Next, Luke:

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (Luke 1:31-33)

Notice the similarities of the above passage to this passage in Ezekiel:

And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. (Ezekiel 37:24-25)

and also to this passage in Isaiah:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Next, Acts:

And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. (Acts 15:13-17)

Finally, Revelation:

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; (Rev. 3:7)

These scriptures do, in fact, support the Abarim Publications’ view that: King Messiah’s reign is referred to as the “kingdom of David” and the “throne of David,” and His reign would rebuild the “tent (tabernacle) of David,” and that King Messiah is the Holy One who can open and no one will shut and vice versa, using the “key of David.”

From these scriptures it appears that Jesus Christ, “the son of David” and “the Root of David,” even the King Messiah, will get all things that were given to David, doesn’t it? Here’s that Joseph Smith quotation again, for comparison:

Although David was a King he never did obtain the spirit & power of Elijah & the fulness of the Priesthood, & the priesthood that he received & the throne & kingdom of David is to be taken from him & given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his linage

More on the key of David

I taught the following in the King Abaddon post:

Now, the angel (Elias) Gabriel possessed keys, and keys are only obtained during a mortal probation. Notice again what Joseph Smith said:

While speaking in 1839 to members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and some Seventies prior to their leaving for missionary service, the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “Noah, who is Gabriel, … stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood; he was called of God to this office, and was the father of all living in his day, and to him was given the dominion. These men held keys first on earth, and then in heaven.” (Quoted from History of the Church, 3:386. Cited in Noah, The Great Preacher of Righteousness by Joseph B. Romney, Ensign, February 1998.)

So, when we read that Elias (the angel Gabriel) possessed “the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things,” this means that Gabriel must have already had a mortal probation. The same principle applies to each and every angel that holds keys:

And the voice of Michael, the archangel; the voice of Gabriel, and of Raphael, and of divers angels, from Michael or Adam down to the present time, all declaring their dispensation, their rights, their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their priesthood; giving line upon line, precept upon precept; here a little, and there a little; giving us consolation by holding forth that which is to come, confirming our hope! (D&C 128:21)

Therefore, given that Moroni, Michael, John the Baptist, Peter, James, John the Beloved, Gabriel, Raphael, Moses, Elijah and Elias all came to Joseph Smith as angels possessing keys, all of these men had already had mortal probations. They obtained their keys in mortality, and then retained them when they died or were translated. Joseph Smith also obtained the keys of the mysteries and sealed things during his mortal ministry, and he retains those keys still, even after his death.

Jesus Christ, then, received the special key of David during His earthly ministry. Now, notice what Isaiah prophesied about the key of David:

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: and I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house. And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 22:20-25)

The above words were spoken to Shebna, a government official. In the prophecy, Eliakim is made into a type of Christ, who will replace Shebna. Eliakim means “God shall cause to arise.” The prophecy points forward to the literal fulfillment, in which Christ receives the robe of Shebna, the girdle of Shebna and the government of Shebna is committed into His hand. Additionally, He will have the key of the house of David (the key of David), but will be fastened as a nail in a sure place, a reference to the crucifixion of Christ. Notice, in particular, that Christ will be “for a glorious throne to his father’s house.” Thus it is Jesus that inherits David’s throne. He has a right to that throne not just because He is a descendant of David through Mary, but specifically because He, and He alone, possesses “the key to the house of David.”

There can be no other “Davidic Servant” coming forth in the end times, to reign upon David’s throne, because no other person, except Christ, possesses the key of David necessary to establish that throne forever. The key of David is given to one repository only. So, either there is a mortal “Davidic Servant” who reigns upon the end-time throne of David, or there is an immortal Branch King David who reigns upon the end-time throne of David. There cannot be two Davids reigning upon two thrones of David, nor can there be two Davids reigning upon the same throne, for to reign on that throne requires the key of David, which only one person possesses.

To determine, then, which personage reigns, the fictitious “Davidic Servant,” or the real King Messiah, we just need to answer this question: Which one has the key of David? And that’s easy to answer because the Revelation of Saint John the Divine reveals that Christ has the key of David, therefore He has the right to rule on that throne and He is the one who will “be for a glorious throne” to both His father David, and His Father Jehovah, for He will establish that throne forever.

Now, the only way for “the DS” cult to get around this fact is to make the claim that Jesus Christ Himself will come to earth, before the Second Coming, and commit the key of David into the hand of a mortal descendant of David, whose name is also David, so that the mortal servant can reign upon the throne of David. But there is no prophecy or scripture of any kind that supports such a claim. Should someone come forth making that claim, it will be readily seen as baseless. The only evidence of a pre-Second Coming appearance of Christ is the meeting to take place at Adam-ondi-Ahman. But in that meeting, Jesus won’t be delivering keys into the hands of others, but all the repositories of the various keys, even all the servants of God who were given unique keys, such as this unique key of David that Jesus possesses, will deliver those keys back to Christ. So, He will be the one receiving keys, not committing them to others.

This fact alone, then, that Jesus Christ holds the key of David, invalidates the whole “Davidic Servant” error.

Abaddon’s key

Now, one last thing about keys before moving on. The fact that “keys are only obtained during a mortal probation” proves that king Abaddon is a servant of God.

The idea among latter-day saints that king Abaddon is the devil (which idea is put forth in the Bible Dictionary entry of Abaddon) is unsupported in the scriptures because king Abaddon is the angel who possesses the key of the bottomless pit:

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. (Revelation 9:1,11)

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (Revelation 20:1-3)

All keys are obtained during the mortal probation, therefore this angel cannot be the devil, for the devil will never have a mortal probation. Therefore, this must be a divine angel (as I have taught on this blog) who has already been born into mortality. Okay, back to the topic at hand.

The ancient David as a type

The boy David, who later became king David, was given the name David (Beloved) because he functioned as a type of King Messiah, as a Beloved King type. Even after David’s transgression, he still performed the kingly functions in righteousness, so that he continued being the Beloved King type. The end times is not when types are brought forth, but when the literal things the types are patterned after finally appear. Thus, the prophecies of the end times David, are not of another David type, but of the literal David, the one that the king David type was patterned after, even the One who would not fall into transgression.

The Davidic Servant is real; “the Davidic Servant” is not

The word “Davidic” means “of David.” In the scriptures, there is an end times Personage that is prophesied to come forth who is “of David,” meaning that He will be a descendant of the ancient David. This Personage is the Branch:

In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. (Jeremiah 33:15)

The Branch, then, is a Branch “of David,” or, to put it another way, a Davidic Branch. This Branch is the same as the end-time Personage called in the scriptures “my servant David” or “David my servant.” Therefore, the name of this Personage is Beloved (David.) Thus, there is, indeed, a Davidic Branch Servant named David, and this Beloved Davidic Branch Servant is Jesus Christ.

In addition to the Branch (Jesus Christ) being Davidic, so is everything that He is associated with. The kingdom of David, the throne of David, the tent or tabernacle of David, the key of David, the house of David, etc., all these terms can be re-termed as: the Davidic kingdom, the Davidic throne, the Davidic tent or tabernacle, the Davidic key, the Davidic house, etc. All of these Davidic properties belong to Jesus alone.

There is no mortal branch of ancient David, whose name is also David, who reigns upon David’s throne in the last days, as king of mortal Israel. Such a personage is that figment of speculating Mormons’s imagination which is known as “the Davidic Servant.” I put this imaginary personage in quotation marks as “the Davidic Servant” to indicate that I am speaking of the fictional entity, and not of the real Davidic Servant, who is Jesus Christ.

“The Davidic Servant” is a misnomer

By taking the scriptures that speak of the end-time Branch of David (Christ) and the ones that speak of the end-time “my servant David”/”David my servant” (also Christ) and combining them with the scriptures that speak of the end-time Elias and his ministry, “the DS” cult has invented a fantastical figure which resembles aspects of both Christ and Elias, yet isn’t exactly like either one. Almost all of the scriptures used to bolster this professed, but fictional entity come from the ones that speak of Elias. But Elias isn’t like Christ, at all, and any attempt to make him appear to be and act like the Savior shows that “the DS” cult has no idea, whatsoever, about this end times servant.

For starters, Elias is not even said to be Davidic! His lineage is only spoken of as coming from Jesse, not David, and there is no place in the scriptures, anywhere, that indicates this man will be a descendant of David. Thus, the labeling of him as “the Davidic Servant” is a misnomer. There isn’t a shred of evidence that Elias is descended of David. In fact, as the rod/root of Jesse, Elias’s lineage is given as of Jesse and of the house of Joseph, which includes two tribes (Ephraim and Manasseh), but nothing is ever said of David.

I teach that Elias is the same Josephite mentioned in 2 Nephi chapter 3, who will be the one mighty that is raised up from among the posterity of Joseph the son of Lehi, and therefore Elias will be a Nephite of the same lineages had among that ancient people, namely: Judah, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Elias, as I teach him, is the destroying angel, even the king Destroyer (Abaddon), and as a descendant of Jesse, we can assume that Jesse named his eight sons prophetically and that the destroyer is prophetically linked to the name of one of those sons. This isn’t so unusual, for I, myself, named my own sons prophetically, according to the spirit of prophecy which was upon me, and so the meaning of their names will be manifest in their lives, and we also have evidence that Jesse named at least one son prophetically, because David, which means Beloved, was so named because through him would come God’s Beloved Son, King Messiah, thus making David a type. If Jesse, then, named David prophetically, then we might assume that he did the same with all his sons (as I did with my own).

Is there any son of Jesse whose name points prophetically to the destroyer? Yes, in fact, there is. Jesse’s third son was named Shammah. And what does Shammah mean? It means “Waste; Appalling Desolation.” Why would a father name his son, “Desolation?” Well, if the king Destroyer would be coming through that child’s loins, it makes perfect prophetic sense to call him that.

The Nephites came from the Lehi (Manasseh)/Ishmael (Ephraim) group, but later they also combined with the Mulek (Judah) group. Mulek was a son of Zedekiah, king of Judah, and thus a direct descendant of David. So, we know that the lineage of David was had among the Nephites, but what about Shammah? Was his lineage also found among the Nephites? Perhaps:

And it bordered upon the land which they called Desolation, it being so far northward that it came into the land which had been peopled and been destroyed, of whose bones we have spoken, which was discovered by the people of Zarahemla, it being the place of their first landing. And they came from there up into the south wilderness. Thus the land on the northward was called Desolation, and the land on the southward was called Bountiful, it being the wilderness which is filled with all manner of wild animals of every kind, a part of which had come from the land northward for food. And now, it was only the distance of a day and a half’s journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful and the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea; and thus the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, there being a small neck of land between the land northward and the land southward. (Alma 22:30-32)

We typically think that the land Desolation—which was far to the north, strangely enough (for king Abaddon’s kingdom will likewise be in a far country to the north)—was named because of the destruction of the Jaredites, and perhaps that is the case, or perhaps that’s not the case:

Now it was the custom of the people of Nephi to call their lands, and their cities, and their villages, yea, even all their small villages, after the name of him who first possessed them; and thus it was with the land of Ammonihah. (Alma 8:7)

Shammah the son of Jesse may have had descendants among the Mulek party, and perhaps when they made their first landing, the descendant of Shammah put Shammah’s name (Desolation) upon the land. And where is the land Desolation in modern times? At least part of the land of the United States of America enters into the land Desolation. And where does Elias the destroyer come from? From Zion, which is found in the USA:

The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion (Psalms 110:2)

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; (AoF 1:10)

Which part of the USA will Elias come from? Likely that part which resides within the borders of the ancient land Desolation.

Now, the Lord hasn’t revealed these mysteries, as yet. But suffice it to say that there is no scriptural evidence that the end-time Elias is a descendant of David, therefore it is incorrect to refer to the end-time Elias servant as “the Davidic Servant.”

Addressing Gileadi

Avraham Gileadi is a part of the group that believes in “the Davidic Servant” error. Given that he is widely considered an authority on the writings of Isaiah, those who also believe in “the Davidic Servant” error feel that they are now in good company. Unfortunately for them, even if the whole world believed in “the Davidic Servant” error, that still wouldn’t make it any less wrong than it already is.

From Gileadi’s FAQ page on his Isaiah Institute web site, it states:

Do other prophets besides Isaiah prophesy of God’s endtime servant?

Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, and others prophesy of God’s endtime servant who gathers Israel’s twelve tribes from dispersion and restores them to lands of inheritance on a parallel with the prophecies of Isaiah. As a descendant of David named David, God’s servant reunites Israel and Judah, builds the temple in Jerusalem, and establishes the political kingdom of God on the earth in preparation for Jehovah’s coming to reign among his elect people as King of Zion.

If Gileadi had left out the phrase “As a descendant of David named David” from the second sentence, the above would have been perfectly true and it would have been an apt description of part of Joseph-Nephi’s mission. But Gileadi shows himself as mixed up as the others by conflating the actual Davidic Servant (who is Jesus Christ) with the non-Davidic Servant forerunner (who is Joseph-Nephi) and by creating a non-existent entity named David who is a descendant of David of old, who does all the things Joseph-Nephi will do and who is not Jesus Christ.

Now, before I proceed, let me just say that Avraham Gileadi gets a lot right. I am actually quite impressed by how much he gets right. But in a sea of white, the single, solitary black spot gets all the attention, and so it is with me. I cannot help but hone in on the errors.

It is my belief that the correct things that Gileadi has come to are a result of diligent study and the use of the Jewish scriptural interpretation techniques. In other words, his writings and interpretations don’t come from the Holy Ghost. His teachings or interpretations aren’t manifested understandings, and so errors creep in, for no man-made interpretation technique is perfect.

Nevertheless, perhaps if he had had some of the keys I have given in this post, these errors would have been kept more or less at bay. For example, if only he had understood that special keys are obtained in mortality (as stated by Joseph Smith), then he would have known that Jesus Christ is the only One who could possibly be the Davidic Servant to reign upon the throne of David, because He is the only One who possesses the key of David. Thus, in the following passage of scripture, which speaks of a son reigning upon the throne of David forever, Gileadi would have instantly known that the passage speaks of Christ; but instead, he mistakes it as speaking of the fictional “Davidic Servant.”

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7, KJV)

For to us a child is born, a son appointed,
who will shoulder the burden of government.
He will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, One Mighty in Valor,
a Father for Ever, a Prince of Peace—
that sovereignty may be extended
and peace have no end;
that, on the throne of David
and over his kingdom,
his rule may be established and upheld
by justice and righteousness
from this time forth and forever.
The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will accomplish it. (Isaiah 9:6-7, Gileadi’s translation)

Additionally, Gileadi believes that the KJV mistranslates the above verses, as he explains here:

Although Handel’s Messiah cites this prophecy of Isaiah in reference to Jesus—perhaps based in part on its mistranslation in the King James Version of the Bible—no scriptural writers do so because that would entirely remove it from its literary-scriptural context in the Book of Isaiah. As the exemplar of his people, Jehovah nevertheless embodies the divine attributes of counsel (Isaiah 25:1; 28:29); valor (1:24; 49:26); fatherhood (45:10; 63:16); and kingship (Isaiah 33:22; 43:15). Jehovah’s servant and his associates, too, therefore, evidence these same attributes (Isaiah 11:2; 13:3; 22:21; 46:11; 49:23).

It is strange that Gileadi would call this passage mistranslated by the KJV given that the same passage of Isaiah was found on the plates of Mormon and translated by Joseph Smith in a virtually identical manner as the KJV:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of government and peace there is no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this. (2 Nephi 19:6-7)

If we are to pick a translation, surely the KJV wins over the Gileadi one in this passage, given that the Book of Mormon translation is word-for-word the same as the KJV, and because we know that Joseph Smith’s translation is both correct and divinely given.

Again, if Gileadi had understood that the name Jehovah could refer to each of the three members of the Godhead, he would not force every single scripture that speaks of Jehovah to refer to Jesus Christ alone. To illustrate my point, Gileadi goes on to say the following in the same commentary on this chapter of Isaiah:

Other Hebrew prophets, too, predict the millennial rule of a descendant of David named David who is not identical with Jehovah, Israel’s divine King (Isaiah 33:17, 22; 43:15), but who prepares the way for Jehovah’s coming (cf. Isaiah 40:3-5; 52:7): “They shall serve Jehovah their God and David their king, whom I will raise up to them” (Jeremiah 30:9); “I Jehovah will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them” (Ezekiel 34:24); “David my servant shall be king over them, and they all shall have one shepherd. . . . and my servant David shall be their prince forever” (Ezekiel 37:24-25).

Here we see Gileadi’s inability to see that the name Jehovah in the passages refers to the Father, and not to the Son. The name David in the passages in fact refer to God’s Beloved, who is Christ.

A final example is from Isaiah 11: 1-5, which reads as follows in the KJV:

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Gileadi translates this passage as follows:

A shoot will spring up from the stock of Jesse
and a branch from its graft bear fruit.
The Spirit of Jehovah will rest upon him—
the spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the spirit of counsel and of valor,
the spirit of knowledge
and of the fear of Jehovah.
His intuition will be guided
by the fear of Jehovah;
he will not judge by what his eyes see,
nor establish proof by what his ears hear.
He will judge the poor with righteousness,
and with equity arbitrate for the lowly in the land;
he will smite the earth with the rod of his mouth
and with the breath of his lips slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be as a band about his waist,
faithfulness a girdle round his loins.

Joseph Smith said the following about this passage:

Who is the Stem of Jesse spoken of in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of Isaiah?

Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ. (D&C 113:1-2)

So, to be clearer, according to the Lord, as revealed to Joseph Smith, Christ is the one spoken of in verses two, three, four and five, as well as in verse one. But Gileadi sets this revelation completely aside, because he is stuck in his own interpretation, which he believes is correct. And so after citing verse two, he says:

Although all three messianic individuals in Isaiah’s olive tree allegory evidence the divine attributes here listed, grammatically they apply to the last one mentioned—the branch—Jehovah’s end-time servant. Word links confirm that identity: “My servant whom I sustain, my chosen one in whom I delight, him I have endowed with my Spirit; he will dispense justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1); “He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, One Mighty in Valor” (Isaiah 9:6); “Because of his knowledge, and by bearing their iniquities, shall my servant, the righteous one, vindicate many” (Isaiah 53:11).

Now, Gileadi is correct when he says, “grammatically they apply to the last one mentioned—the branch.” In other words, verse one mentions three individuals: the rod, the Stem and the Branch, but the last one mentioned is the Branch, and therefore the next verses (two to five) apply to the Branch. Yet Joseph Smith said that verses two to five apply to the Stem. Nevertheless, both Joseph Smith and Avraham Gileadi are correct because the Stem of Jesse and the Branch of David are one and the same individual: Christ.

Where Gileadi goes wrong is in his assumption that the Branch of David is “Jehovah’s end-time servant.” In other words, he assumes that the Branch is the end-time servant who prepares and restores all things. He says that “word links confirm that identity” and then cites Isaiah 42:1, which speaks of Joseph-Nephi; and he cites Isaiah 9:6, which speaks of Jesus Christ; and he cites Isaiah 53:11, which speaks of Jesus Christ. This shows how messed up one can get by falling into this “Davidic Servant” error, in which two distinct servants of God are conflated into a single, fictional entity.

And thus we see that it doesn’t matter how much scholarly knowledge you obtain, or how much diligence you apply in study, unless you are in possession of certain revealed keys, you will still fall into many errors, including this “Davidic Servant” error.

The gift of the word of knowledge is what is needed

The apostle, Bruce R. McConkie, who I quoted at the beginning of this post, has been shown to have been in actual possession of the gift of the word of knowledge, for his knowledge of these things far surpassed all the others. I myself also possess this same gift, and going back and reviewing what McConkie wrote I find myself amazed at just how much knowledge he was able to obtain using that gift. It is that gift that allows the scriptures to be understood and to have the things of God revealed, for God keeps His stuff in an unsearchable format:

Behold, great and marvelous are the works of the Lord. How unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that man should find out all his ways. And no man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God. (Jacob 4:8)

Through the use of this gift, then, all errors can be corrected, so that we may all end up having a correct understanding:

To another is given the word of knowledge, that all may be taught to be wise and to have knowledge. (D&C 46:18)

McConkie obviously made an attempt at a correction, or at least he gave the correct knowledge, but his correction didn’t stick. People persisted in “the Davidic Servant” error just the same. He’s now dead and gone and nobody is attempting a correction. So with this post I will add knowledge to his correction, using my own gift, and who knows?, perhaps this time it will stick.

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A new interpretation of Psalms 110

The context of Psalms 110 is the end times and the whole psalm is in chronological order.

Verse 1

The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. (Psalms 110:1)

The psalm begins in the meridian of time with the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven after His resurrection, to sit down at the right hand of the Father. He remains there in heaven until the end times, until the restoration of all things,

…and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:20-21)

even until the destruction of His enemies at the Second Coming, when they will finally be made ashes under His feet.

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch…And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 4:1,3)

The LORD in the verse is God the Father, and the Personage who is referred to by David as “my Lord,” is Jesus Christ.

Verse 2

The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. (Psalms 110:2)

Verse two continues within the context of the end times.

Here David is speaking to Jesus Christ, saying that the LORD (God the Father) will send the rod of Christ’s strength out of Zion. The rod of Christ’s strength is the same rod that comes out of the stem of Jesse, mentioned in Isaiah 11:1. This rod is Joseph-Nephi (who is the Elias that restores all things) and he is a servant in the hands of Christ:

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: (Isaiah 11:1)

What is the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse?

Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power. (D&C 113:3-4)

Zion in this verse is in the New World, not the Old World.

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory. (Articles of Faith 1:10)

This part of the verse (in bold type) :

The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. (Psalms 110:2)

is David quoting God the Father as He speaks to the rod and gives the rod instructions. The New International Version shows the speech in this way:

The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!” (Psalms 110:2)

The Father’s instructions to the rod are, essentially, to switch into root mode (thus becoming the root of Jesse) and to rule over his enemies (who are Gentiles.) It is the root, not the rod, that reigns over the Gentiles:

And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. (Romans 15:12)

This switch from rod to root will be repeated in this psalm, as we shall see. But before I continue on to verse three, I will expound more on the rod and root.

The Rod and the Root

What is the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse?

Behold, thus saith the Lord:

It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power.

What is the root of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter?

Behold,

thus saith the Lord,

it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days.

(D&C 113:3-6)

Two or one?

There are some Mormons who think the rod and root are two different men, while others believe that it is one and the same person. Joseph Smith’s revelation on the rod says he is to be “partly a descendant” whereas Joseph Smith’s revelation on the root has no such wordage, indicating that the root is not partly descended.

This means that the rod is partly descended from Jesse (through one parent), while the root is fully descended from Jesse (through both parents.) Thus, it is impossible for the rod and the root to be one and the same man, because it would require the man to have two sets of parents.

I say, however, that none of that matters. The rod and the root are still one and the same man, for the man will become the rod first, whereby he will obtain “much power,” and then he will use that power to give himself a second set of parents. Thus, Nicodemus’s question to Jesus will be answered with a resounding, “Yes.”

Nicodemus saith unto him,

How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

(John 3:4)

Thus, the rod will switch his parentage, from the lineage in which he was partly descended through only one parent, to a lineage in which he is fully descended through both parents. There will be, then, two men who will claim to be his father, and two women who will claim to be his mother and who will testify that they gave birth to him, and their testimonies will be correct, for he will go into the womb of the second mother and she will give birth to him, so that he is born a second time. It doesn’t matter that that is impossible. He will do it anyway. The ministry of Elias, after all, is meant to be strange:

For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act. (Isaiah 28:21)

That I may proceed to bring to pass my act, my strange act, and perform my work, my strange work, that men may discern between the righteous and the wicked, saith your God. (D&C 101:95)

The meaning of Ephraim

The revelation on the rod says he will be of Ephraim, but Ephraim can mean many things. Ephraim can mean the man Ephraim, who was the son of that Joseph who was sold into Egypt. It can mean the tribe of Ephraim, one of the 12 tribes of Israel. It can mean the northern kingdom which broke from the rest of the tribes and were led north. Fortunately, the revelation gives a clarifying phrase, to explain what is meant by “Ephraim.”

of Ephaim, or of the house of Joseph

The words “or of the house of Joseph” is a clarifying phrase, defining what is meant by “of Ephraim.” Ephraim, then, in this revelation, refers to “the house of Joseph,” which consisted of two tribes; namely, Manasseh and Ephraim, which together are called, “Ephraim,” just as the northern kingdom, although consisting of multiple tribes is all lumped together under the heading, “Ephraim.”

Now, if the revelation meant Ephraim to mean a man named Ephraim, it would have left off the clarifying phrase, and would have simply said:

It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, on whom there is laid much power.

But it doesn’t say that. Instead, Joseph Smith added the clarifying phrase, which broadened the meaning to include the whole house of Joseph, which contains not one, but two tribes (Manasseh and Ephraim.) This shows that the word Ephraim is also a title that is used to refer to the house of Joseph, and not just the name of a man who was born to the Joseph that was sold into Egypt.

Now, if the revelation had meant that he would descend from the tribe of Ephraim, it would have been worded thusly:

It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of the tribe of Ephraim, on whom there is laid much power.

But again, it doesn’t say that. So, it doesn’t refer to either the man Ephraim, nor to the tribe of Ephraim. Nor does it refer to the northern tribes, for if it had referred to the northern kingdom, which contained more than just the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, it wouldn’t have included the clarifying phrase which limited its meaning to just the house of Joseph:

It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power.

The northern kingdom is never referred to as “the house of Joseph.” Only Ephraim and Manasseh can be called, “the house of Joseph.” And the house of Joseph is not just one tribe, but consists of two, therefore neither the tribe of Manasseh alone, nor the tribe of Ephraim alone, can be called, “the house of Joseph.” Nevertheless, both tribes taken together are collectively called, “Ephraim,” and this is the manner in which the revelation uses the phrase.

Thus, the rod will be partly a descendant of Jesse, as well as of the house of Joseph, which means that the rod will have three lineages: Judah, Manasseh and Ephraim. The only way to arrive at a Ephraim-only view, with no Manasseh attached, is by dropping the clarifying phrase which identifies the revelation’s title of Ephraim as referring to “the house of Joseph,” encompassing both the tribe of Ephraim and the tribe of Manasseh.

Why did the revelation state it this way?

Joseph could have simply dropped the Ephraim part and used only the phrase, “of the house of Joseph,” but had he done so, it would not have given the understanding of this additional use of the title of Ephraim (in which it refers to both tribes descended of Joseph), nor would it have allowed the shadows to go forth. By phrasing it this way, putting out the title Ephraim, and then clarifying its meaning afterward, the Lord allowed people’s natural spiritual filters to “filter out” the clarifying phrase, allowing the revelation to cast an “Ephraim”-only shadow before its literal fulfillment of Ephraim and Manasseh. Thus, people who read this revelation read it as if there is no clarifying phrase, or as if the phrase doesn’t clarify anything (in other words, they read it as a redundancy), not understanding that the phrase is intended as a clarifying phrase meant to define the use of “of Ephraim,” and thus it must mean more than just “of the tribe of Ephraim” or “of the man Ephraim.”

The root

After the rod revelation, the root revelation drops all reference to Ephraim and merely mentions that the root is “of Joseph.” Again, everyone’s spiritual filters only read, “of Ephraim.” And yet, the text doesn’t say, “of Ephraim,” but “of Joseph.” And Joseph had not one, but two sons. Therefore, “of Joseph,” must refer either to Ephraim or to Manasseh, or to both. Which of the three must it be? It must refer to both. Why? Because there’s no point in using the more general term of, “of Joseph,” when you are just referring to the narrower meaning of, “of Ephraim,” or, “of Manasseh.” In other words, there must be a reason why the Lord uses the general term instead of opting for the more narrow term which is more specific. And there is a reason: because the root is a descendant of both Ephraim and Manasseh. So Joseph is referred to, and not one of Joseph’s two sons.

Again, the use of the term Ephraim in the rod revelation wasn’t meant to be a narrow meaning, narrowing it down to one tribe (the tribe of Ephraim), but as a general term referring to both tribes, who are the house of Joseph, but this usage of the term Ephraim is unfamiliar to Gentiles, hence it was followed up by the clarifying phrase, which defined its usage. But the follow-up revelation, on the root, entirely leaves off the usage of the title Ephraim, and just settles for calling the lineage, “of Joseph,” which phrase in itself also acts as a general or umbrella term, referring again to both tribes.

Despite the explanations in this post, I suppose people will continue to believe that the root and the rod are two different people, and that the lineage given in these revelations is only of Jesse and Ephraim. As a result of such beliefs, all impostor rods or roots will continue to affirm that they are of Ephraim and Judah and will never say that they are also of Manasseh, in order that they may deceive the people. Only the real rod and root will give the additional lineage of Manasseh. And only the real rod and root will state that he was born twice, of two different mothers.

Birthright and the firstborn status

There is a difference between the status of “firstborn” and the “birthright.” Normally “firstborn” and “birthright” go hand-in-hand, but not always. A birthright pertains to the firstborn, but may be transferred to another, or even to others, because it is sold (think: Esau’s sale of his birthright to his brother Jacob for a mess of porridge) or because of the firstborn’s transgression.

The status of firstborn remains intact regardless of the transference of the birthright to another, however whoever obtains the birthright gets the double portion and the additional responsibilities that accompany it, and thus may be considered as obtaining a “spiritual firstborn” status.

In the case of sale, the firstborn loses the birthright because it is sold to another, who then obtains it. In the case of transgression, the birthright is taken away by God from the firstborn because he transgresses, and thus it is lost to him, and then God gives it to another more righteous than he. (There is also a third case, which I will not discuss here.) In each of these cases, the birthright is always first lost to the firstborn, and then transferred to another. Thus, we find Isaac’s firstborn son Esau selling his birthright to his brother Jacob, and thus losing it; and Jacob’s firstborn son Reuben transgressed God’s commandments and lost his birthright, which was then given to his brother Joseph’s sons; and Lehi’s firstborn son Laman transgressed God’s commandments and lost his birthright, which was transferred to his brother Nephi.

In the case of Manasseh and Ephraim, Joseph’s sons, Joseph obtained Reuben’s birthright and, because Jacob made Manasseh and Ephraim tribes of Israel, both Manasseh and Ephraim received this birthright:

Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph’s:) (1 Chronicles 5:1-2)

When Israel blessed the sons of Joseph, he gave the lads the very same blessing, for they both had the birthright of Reuben:

And he blessed Joseph, and said,

God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

(Genesis 48:15-16)

However, Manasseh was the firstborn son of Joseph, and within the house of Joseph, Manasseh had the birthright, which meant he got the double portion of the house of Joseph. Nevertheless, Israel prophetically perceived that Ephraim would obtain the naming rights and also would inherit the Gentiles, so he crossed his hands upon their heads, placing his right hand (which pertained to the firstborn and birthright) upon Ephraim’s head. Notice that Joseph was displeased with this action:

And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said unto his father,

Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.

(Genesis 48:17-18)

These were two holy prophets of God essentially having an argument in front of these kids. Joseph perceived that what Jacob was doing was wrong, and protested, for Manasseh never lost his birthright! Birthrights can only be transferred upon sale or transgression, and Manasseh was just a kid who never sold his birthright, nor did he transgress and lose it. But here was Israel placing his right hand upon Ephraim’s head anyway. Why? Because Jacob perceived that the birthright these boys had received was split between the two, and thus he gave Ephraim a spiritual endowment in order to make that split happen.

In essence, Manasseh received the double portion of land, and thus the birthright responsibilities to provide, both spiritually and temporally; whereas Ephraim received the naming rights and the Gentile converts, or, in other words, a double portion of people.

Thus, in the house of Israel, Reuben was the natural firstborn but lost his birthright to Manasseh and Ephraim, both of whom obtained a spiritual firstborn status. And in the house of Joseph, Manasseh was the natural firstborn and held the natural birthright, which he never lost, but through this blessing of Jacob, Ephraim received a spiritual firstborn status and thus shared in Manasseh’s birthright, in which the naming rights were transferred to Ephraim, and the double portion was split between the two lads, the double portion of land going to Manasseh (which double portion I will not expound upon, so don’t bother asking me about it), and the double portion of people (converted Gentiles) going to Ephraim.

The reason why Ephraim is placed before Manasseh is because he holds the naming rights. Thus, all in which the tribe of Ephraim participates is called Ephraim. The name Ephraim, then, can denote:

1. The man Ephraim, who was the son of Joseph the son of Israel;

2. The tribe of Ephraim;

3. The house of Joseph, which consists of two tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh; or,

4. The northern kingdom, which consisted of ten tribes (including Ephraim.)

We call each of these things Ephraim because of his naming rights, not because Manasseh lost his birthright and firstborn status to Ephraim. (For he didn’t lose them.) The two tribes share everything, except in the divisions I have stated above. This is why the blessing of Joseph speaks of both tribes gathering the people together during the end times:

And of Joseph he said,

Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, and for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, and for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

(Deuteronomy 33:13-17)

Ephraim’s numbers are inflated because all Gentile converts get placed into the tribe of Ephraim. This is why the Lord stated the following:

For, verily I say that the rebellious are not of the blood of Ephraim, wherefore they shall be plucked out. (D&C 64:36)

The Lord doesn’t mean to say that if you are not of the blood of Ephriam, then you are rebellious. He is not saying that those of the tribe of Judah, or Manasseh, or Levi, or whatever, are rebels. No, the Lord is here referring to the Gentiles, for the Gentiles are always put into the tribe of Ephraim. If you have received a patriarchal blessing and it says you are of the tribe of Ephraim, it means one of two things: either you are an actual descendant of Ephraim, or you are a Gentile who is not descended from Ephraim, but who has been put into that tribe anyway. If your patriarchal blessing says any other tribe of Israel, it means you are an actual descendant of that tribe, having actual blood from that tribe. Only those whose blessing lists them as of Ephraim may be of Gentile origin.

The naming of tribes in patriarchal blessings, what they are for, what their purpose will be in the future, pertains to tribal functions, which the Lord has not, as yet, fully revealed. Nevertheless, the Lord has begun to reveal some of these things to me (because of my curiosity and my application of the gift of the word of knowledge), therefore the Lord has begun to give an understanding of these things to the saints, to replace the endless guesses and speculations found among the people.

Anyway, back to my point. I call the tribe of Ephraim “the Gentile-dumping tribe” because that is where all the Gentiles will go. As a result, Ephraim’s numbers will be vastly greater than Manasseh’s:

And his father refused, and said,

I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

(Genesis 48:19)

That “multitude of nations” that he refers to are the Gentiles. Also, Ephraim is greater than Manasseh because of the naming rights. Thus, whereas it was Manasseh and Ephraim prior to this blessing, now we say, “Ephraim and Manasseh,” putting Ephraim before Manasseh. Why do we do this? Because of this naming right.

Even the record of Joseph, or the stick of Joseph, gets Ephraim’s name.

The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: and join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying,

Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

Say unto them,

Thus saith the Lord GOD;

Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

(Ezekiel 37:15-19)

So, Joseph began the record we know of as the plates of brass, and Joseph wrote it in Egyptian and had his son Ephraim’s descendants keep the record, all the way down until Laban, and then when Laban transgressed, God had Lehi and Nephi, who were descendants of Joseph through Manasseh, obtain the record and they and their descendants were made custodians of it from then on. Yet those same plates of brass are still called, “the stick of Ephraim.” Ephraim’s naming rights apply to it, as well, and it gets his name, just because his descendants kept the record (until Laban, that is.) The plates of brass are still in the custody of the Nephites (who were all descendants of Manasseh), for they are in the hand of Moroni, who holds the keys to that record, yet it is still, to this very day, called the stick of Ephraim.

Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim; (D&C 27:5)

Latter-day saints, not understanding what all these scriptures are talking about, read the above and think, “Oh, the stick of Ephraim must be the Book of Mormon.” No, the Book of Mormon was written by Nephite prophets of the tribe of Manasseh. The stick of Ephraim (the plates of brass) were written by those of Ephraim, which is why it bears the name of Ephraim, for all that the tribe of Ephraim participates in ends up getting the name of Ephraim, per the naming rights blessing.

Or, latter-day saints will read the following scripture and mistakenly think, “Oh, that must mean that Ephraim got the birthright from Manasseh!”

They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. (Jeremiah 31:9)

They will cite the scripture and say, “See?! It says he is the firstborn! He has the birthright!” But it doesn’t say “the tribe of Ephraim is my firstborn,” nor does it mention birthright anywhere. Ephraim can denote 1 of 4 things, remember? It can denote “the house of Joseph,” which contains not one but two tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh. Ephraim and Manasseh together got the birthright from Reuben, and they together became the spiritual firstborn of Israel, but because of Ephraim’s naming right blessing, Ephraim and Manasseh are simply called, “Ephraim!”

Now I know no matter how much I expound these things, people will remain in their die-hard beliefs. God put these names the way He did in the scriptures so that the shadows can go forth first, so that when the Josephite stands up and starts teaching this stuff in perfect clarity and with power, everybody will be surprised and finally understand what all this means. But in the meantime, I will expound some of it, too.

It is Manasseh that will convert the world

The Book of Mormon is a record of the tribe of Manasseh, and the Book of Mormon will convert the entire world. (This will happen when it is powerfully re-translated by the Josephite.) During the times of the Josephite, almost all principal players will be of Manasseh. For example, the Josephite himself will be of Manasseh, being a descendant of Lehi (who was descended from Manasseh.) His two witnesses will likely be his sons, who also, of course, will be of Manasseh. The four angelic helpers mentioned in the Book of Revelation will be four translated Nephite prophets, three of which will be the Three Nephites and the fourth will be some other Nephite (such as Alma the Younger.) That makes the six main players all of Manasseh, although being Nephites, they will also have the blood of Ephraim (through the daughters of Ishmael) and the blood of Jesse (through the group led by Mulek) in their veins. But the principal blood is of Manasseh.

Additionally, Moroni, a Nephite prophet of Manasseh, will be actively participating in the end time events, committing the gospel to many:

And now, verily saith the Lord, that these things might be known among you, O inhabitants of the earth, I have sent forth mine angel flying through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel, who hath appeared unto some and hath committed it unto man, who shall appear unto many that dwell on the earth. (D&C 133:36)

(John the apostle will also participate, but he’s of Judah.)

Then there are the 144,000. Now, notice that the tribe of Manasseh is listed among the 144,000, but not the tribe of Ephraim!

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.

Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

(Revelation 7:4-8)

Dan and Ephraim are simply not on the list. But, curiously, “the tribe of Joseph” is on the list. And yet, there is no such thing as “the tribe of Joseph,” for Joseph was split into two tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh. The typical latter-day saint mind would use their spiritual filters to “see” Ephraim in “the tribe of Joseph.” It doesn’t say “tribe of Ephraim,” yet they will read it that way, nonetheless. Ephraim is simply not mentioned in the end times events of the book of Revelation, as if Ephraim sits this one out. Does Ephraim sit it out? Yes, sort of.

Everything is a prophetic switch. At the beginning it was first Manasseh, then Ephraim. Then at the end it will be first Ephraim (with Joseph Smith and the Gentile converts of Ephraim), then Manasseh (with the Josephite and his helpers.) The Josephite, curiously, will bear the name Joseph-Nephi. As such, his name, Joseph, will be had for good and evil everywhere during his ministry, fulfilling Moroni’s prophesy:

He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people. (JS-H 1:33)

Moroni’s prophecy didn’t apply to the name, “Joseph Smith,” but to the name, “Joseph,” and it referred, as a shadow and type to Joseph Smith’s name of Joseph, but its literal fulfillment would come later with Joseph-Nephi’s name of Joseph.

Now, Joseph-Nephi undoubtedly will be forming a tribe. His tribe will be a tribe of Josephites, and thus will be “the tribe of Joseph.” Thus, “the tribe of Joseph” that John the Revelator mentions might not be “the tribe of Ephraim” that everyone likes to think it is. And if it turns out that “the tribe of Joseph” is a tribe of Josephites, these 12,000 people will be Nephites, and thus they will be of Manasseh, as well as a mix of Ephraim and Judah, and thus Ephraim “sort of” sits out.

The children of Ephraim

The one scripture that every latter-day saint points to as “proof positive” that the tribe of Ephraim will direct all the end times work is found here:

And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants. And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence. And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim. And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy. Behold, this is the blessing of the everlasting God upon the tribes of Israel, and the richer blessing upon the head of Ephraim and his fellows. (D&C 133:30-34)

Remember those naming rights I mentioned above? Who are “the children of Ephraim” and who is “Ephraim and his fellows” in this scriptural passage? Specifically, who are the “fellows” of Ephraim in the passage? What does the name “Ephraim” denote in the above scripture?

1. The man Ephraim, who was the son of Joseph the son of Israel?

2. The tribe of Ephraim?

3. The house of Joseph, which consists of two tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh? Or,

4. The northern kingdom, which consisted of ten tribes (including Ephraim)?

Unless a person knows exactly what the term, “Ephraim,” denotes in these scriptures, any interpretation of them will be merely a guess.

Inserting David into Jesse

Many latter-day saints believe that the rod and the root of Jesse refer to a descendant of David. The revelations Joseph Smith received on these symbolic expressions revealed that the rod “is partly a descendant of Jesse” (D&C 113:4), whereas the root “is a descendant of Jesse” (D&C 113:6.) Nowhere in the text is there any indication that these descendants come through David. Despite that fact, these saints equate Jesse with David anyway.

But Jesse does not equal David.

Jesse had eight sons, the youngest of them being David. The firstborn son was Eliab (which means: God is my father/God is the father.) Next was Abinadab (which means: Father of a vow; or of willingness), then Shammah (Waste/ Appalling Desolation.) Then the rest (I won’t list them all.)

Mulek was the son of Zedekiah, who was a descendant of David. That puts the descendants of David among the Nephites. But Mulek did not come alone. Thus, the other sons of Jesse may have also had descendants among the Nephites.

There were always two end time kings that would come forth. One would come through David (which means Beloved), a son of Jesse. David was the type of King Messiah, and it was King Messiah (Jesus Christ) who routinely referred to Himself as the Son of David and also as “the Root of David.” This Son was the Beloved Son of the Father, just as the ancient David was the beloved (David) son of Jesse. All the symbolism fits.

But what of the other king? King Abaddon (Destruction)/Apollyon (Destroyer) would be the son who represented the Father’s left hand of justice, who would be associated not with mercy, like Christ, but with anger and desolation. When we turn to the text, we find that all the symbolism still fits:

And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. (1 Sam. 16:6-7)

Here we see Samuel being sent to Jesse to anoint one of his sons as the new king, and when he comes to Eliab, the firstborn, he is sure that this must be the Lord’s anointed. Why? Because Eliab was large in stature and of kingly countenance. He was imposing, but He wasn’t the Lord’s pick for the Beloved type. (Christ is the literal Beloved, whereas David of old is the ancient Beloved type.) Eliab didn’t fit the Christ type. He fit the destroyer type. In fact, he is spoken of in the text as being angry, just as Elias will be:

And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? (1 Sam. 17:28-29)

Although seven of Jesse’s sons are mentioned in the scriptures, the first three are singled out:

And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. (1 Sam. 17:13)

Elias will come with two witnesses, just as Eliab came with his two brothers. This may be another type and pattern.

Again, there is no evidence that “a descendant of Jesse” means “a descendant of David.” None, whatsoever. Isaiah used Jesse for a purpose, and not David. It is appropriate to suppose that Jesse was used, and not David, because this descendant wouldn’t be of David, but would be of another son of Jesse, the one who was the type of the destroyer, king Abaddon.

Jesse=Father and David=Son

When Isaiah says:

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

¶ And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:1,10)

the use of Jesse and not David additionally strikes me as a prophetic reference to the Father. Jesse was the father of David, who was the son of Jesse. Therefore, these four titles: rod, Stem, Branch and root, all of Jesse, may indicate that the personages are emissaries of the Father, and not of the Son. Now, I already teach this very thing, that the rod and root are the same man: the Josephite, who is an emissary of the Father (representing His left hand.) And the Stem and Branch, who is Jesus Christ, is also an emissary of the Father (representing His right hand.) So, the use of “Jesse” may indicate special representatives, or emissaries, of the Father, indicating the work of the Father. Whereas use of the name “David” indicates and points one’s mind prophetically to the Son. Hence, both the meaning of the name David (which, again, means Beloved) and also the name itself (David) in the scriptural expressions, “my servant David” and “David my servant,” which occur in passages such as Ezekiel 37, etc., and which refer to an end times Personage who will reign as king and prince forever over the house of Israel, identify the Beloved (David) Son of God.

Recap before continuing with verse three

Joseph-Nephi, then, will start out as the rod, with a Nephite lineage of Manasseh, Ephraim and Jesse (through one of Jesse’s eight sons, but probably not through David) through one parent, while the other parent will be of Gentile lineage. Then God the Father will send him forth with the instructions to rule in the midst of his enemies (the Gentiles) as the root, which means he must switch his parentage and become the root of Jesse. At that point, Joseph-Nephi will miraculously get himself a new set of parents, in which he will still have a Nephite lineage of Manasseh, Ephraim and Jesse (most likely not through David), but this time it will be through both his new mother and his new father, making him now of non-Gentile lineage.

And he will have a tribal kingdom of Josephites, over which he will rule as king Abaddon/Apollyon. This tribe of his will be his people. Now, let’s continue on to verse three.

Verse 3

Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. (Psalms 110:3)

The context of verse three is the end times.

Here David is quoting God the Father speaking to the rod. The day of the rod’s power is the end times. The rod’s ministry will be noted by the spirit of power. Again, Joseph Smith’s revelation about the rod says the following:

What is the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse?

Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power. (D&C 113:3-4)

So, going back to what the Father says to the rod, He says:

Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,

This is not talking of the people of the Lord Jesus Christ, but of the people of the rod. So, when Joseph-Nephi (the rod) stands up and begins his ministry, he will have a people and this verse specifically speaks about them. However, the Josephite will also gather the people of the Lord Jesus Christ, and so it also has a more general or wider application. In other words, what it specifically says about Elias’s people, who will be a select group of Gentiles, will be a pattern that will later be applied generally to all of God’s people found throughout the earth.

So, what is it about Elias’s people that will be so special? Here’s the verse again:

Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. (Psalms 110:3)

The men of the Josephite’s tribe will be volunteers (willing), and handsome, young, numerous and virile, all to an alarming degree. In other words, these will be genetically upgraded males, made so by the power of God. So, essentially, a tribe of Supermen. Their willingness will manifest in their volunteering to be part of the 12,000 who are sent of the tribe of Joseph, as part of the 144,000 force.

As for the women of the Josephite’s tribe, they will be extremely submissive (willing), astoundingly beautiful, very young, ultra fertile, and exceedingly numerous. These women, and also the men, of the Josephite’s tribe will be set apart (holiness=the state of being set apart) from the rest of society, both in terms of their geographical location as well as their transcendent femininity (for the women) and masculinity (for the men.) Like the men, the women will be genetically upgraded by the power of God, so that all those who behold the male or female members of his tribe will gawk in astonishment, as if angelic beings had just descended from heaven.

Verse 4

The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. (Psalms 110:4)

The context of verse four is the end times.

Here David is quoting God the Father speaking to the root.

In his epistle to the Hebrews, Paul applied this verse to the Lord Jesus Christ, and it certainly does apply to Him, but this passage does not speak of the meridian of time, when the First Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ occurred, but of the end times, when the Second Coming of Christ happens. This passage, then, is specifically pointing to Elias in root mode, for Elias will be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, just as Melchizedek was, just as Enoch was, and just as Elijah was. In other words, these men were made high priests forever, and thus they never tasted of death. They never died. And neither will Joseph-Nephi.

The Priesthood spoken of in this verse, then, is the translation or transfiguration Priesthood. It is the Priesthood of an endless life, that allows a person to live forever.

Elijah the prophet possesses this Priesthood, and he will be coming back to call and ordain Elias to it, so that Elias will be able to take upon himself the high priesthood forever, becoming a high priest forever, thus living forever as a translated or transfigured man:

Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming. (D&C 2:1-3)

After Elias is transfigured by this Priesthood and its keys of translation/transfiguration, he will call and ordain (through his four angelic helpers) 144,000 others to it. Thus these 144,000 others will likewise become high priests forever and will be translated/transfigured men who do not die:

Q. What are we to understand by sealing the one hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel—twelve thousand out of every tribe?

A. We are to understand that those who are sealed are high priests, ordained unto the holy order of God, to administer the everlasting gospel; for they are they who are ordained out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, by the angels to whom is given power over the nations of the earth, to bring as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn. (D&C 77:11)

These 144,000 translated high priests will be redeemed from the Fall, so that their bodies will return to the pre-Fall condition of translation/transfiguration. Prior to the Fall of Adam, there was no death or mortality. After falling, Adam and Eve became mortal. Thus, before the fall they weren’t mortal. Yet they also weren’t resurrected beings prior to the Fall. What kind of bodies did they have? They had translated bodies, which is an intermediary state between mortal and immortal (resurrected.) Thus, when the scriptures speak of the 144,000 being redeemed, it means the bodies of these men have reverted to the pre-Fall condition:

And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. (Revelation 14:3-4)

All these men, then, will be high priests forever, after the order of Melchizedek, and thus they will be incapable of being killed. This is necessary for their mission, for they will be entering into the territory of the wicked during the end times, and the wicked will be trying to kill them. Also, God will be sending plagues upon the territories of the wicked, and these plagues would also afflict the 144,000, were it not that their bodies were translated. Therefore, these redeemed-from-the-Fall translated high priests will have bodies incapable of being harmed or killed, which will keep them safe and able to continue their mission to completion.

This means that verse 4 not only applies to Elias, but also to the 144,000:

The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. (Psalms 110:4)

As usual, though, this is an expanding pattern. So, after the root has become a translated high priest, and after that same priesthood has been conferred upon 144,000 others, who will likewise be translated high priests, he will use these keys of translation to redeem all things, bringing all things back into the pre-Fall condition (which is the translated condition), except for the wicked, who will remain mortal:

Q. What are we to understand by the sounding of the trumpets, mentioned in the 8th chapter of Revelation?

A. We are to understand that as God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work, and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth, even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and judge all things, and shall redeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things, unto the end of all things; and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years—the preparing of the way before the time of his coming. (D&C 77:12)

So far everything in this psalm is perfectly chronological, according to the end times order.

To recap: Jesus ascends to the Father and remains there until the Second Coming; Elias is sent to subdue and prepare and reign over the enemies of Christ, his preparation being the causing of the wicked tares to fully ripen in iniquity, then gathering them together into bundles, making their bands strong, so that they are ready to be burned at the Second Coming; Elias goes forth in power during his ministry and his people are mentioned; Elias then gets the translation Priesthood, becoming a high priest; he then has his four angelic helpers confer this same Priesthood upon the 144,000, and then, at the very end, just before Christ shows up, Elias will transfigure all things except the wicked, so that all things will be protected from destruction when Jesus returns, except for the wicked, who will still be in their mortal state.

Okay, on to the last verses:

Verses 5-7

The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head. (Psalms 110:5-7)

The context of verses five to seven is the end times.

Here David is speaking to the Father, of Christ (the Lord.) We see here that the end of the psalm’s chronology is, in fact, the very end, for Joseph-Nephi has completed his mission of preparing all things and so now the Lord Jesus Christ descends and destroys the wicked at His Second Coming, by fire, which fire “drinks up the brook in the way,” and He becomes exalted in that day (lifting up His head.)

Thus, practically the whole psalm takes place during the end times.

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King Abaddon, the destroying angel: the Father’s royal executioner and emissary of justice

The pre-mortal Josephite

We know that Satan, who is the devil, was the angel Lucifer in the heavens before his fall. And we know that Adam is the archangel Michael (per the scriptures and the temple endowment), that Noah is the angel Gabriel (per Joseph Smith)

While speaking in 1839 to members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and some Seventies prior to their leaving for missionary service, the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “Noah, who is Gabriel, … stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood; he was called of God to this office, and was the father of all living in his day, and to him was given the dominion. These men held keys first on earth, and then in heaven.” (Quoted from History of the Church, 3:386. Cited in Noah, The Great Preacher of Righteousness by Joseph B. Romney, Ensign, February 1998.)

and that Jesus Christ is the Father’s Angel of mercy, the Firstborn. But who is Joseph-Nephi?

And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. (D&C 89:21)

Joseph-Nephi is the destroying angel, who is also simply known as the destroyer:

For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. (Exodus 12:23)

The section heading of Doctrine and Covenants section 61 states:

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, on the bank of the Missouri River, McIlwaine’s Bend, August 12, 1831. On their return trip to Kirtland, the Prophet and ten elders had traveled down the Missouri River in canoes. On the third day of the journey, many dangers were experienced. Elder William W. Phelps, in a daylight vision, saw the destroyer riding in power upon the face of the waters.

Then there are these verses of the section, which speak of the very same destroyer of the Passover:

Behold, verily thus saith the Lord unto you, O ye elders of my church, who are assembled upon this spot, whose sins are now forgiven you, for I, the Lord, forgive sins, and am merciful unto those who confess their sins with humble hearts; but verily I say unto you, that it is not needful for this whole company of mine elders to be moving swiftly upon the waters, whilst the inhabitants on either side are perishing in unbelief. Nevertheless, I suffered it that ye might bear record; behold, there are many dangers upon the waters, and more especially hereafter; for I, the Lord, have decreed in mine anger many destructions upon the waters; yea, and especially upon these waters. Nevertheless, all flesh is in mine hand, and he that is faithful among you shall not perish by the waters.

…

Behold, I, the Lord, in the beginning blessed the waters; but in the last days, by the mouth of my servant John, I cursed the waters. Wherefore, the days will come that no flesh shall be safe upon the waters. And it shall be said in days to come that none is able to go up to the land of Zion upon the waters, but he that is upright in heart. And, as I, the Lord, in the beginning cursed the land, even so in the last days have I blessed it, in its time, for the use of my saints, that they may partake the fatness thereof. And now I give unto you a commandment that what I say unto one I say unto all, that you shall forewarn your brethren concerning these waters, that they come not in journeying upon them, lest their faith fail and they are caught in snares; I, the Lord, have decreed, and the destroyer rideth upon the face thereof, and I revoke not the decree. (D&C 61:2-6,14-19)

The destroying angel was specifically created, and endowed with power, to destroy all things, top to bottom, which are found in God’s kingdom:

Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster [the destroyer] to destroy. (Isaiah 54:16)

Thus, he is the Father’s royal executioner.

In the heaven’s above, the destroyer was separate from all the other angels, reporting to no one but the Father Himself. This angel was mightier and stronger and more powerful than all the rest of the angels combined. Only God (the Father, the Son or the Holy Ghost) is more powerful then he.

Mormon theology gives the angelic hierarchy as being: 1st, God the Father; 2nd, the Firstborn; 3rd, Michael the archangel, then all the other angels below Michael, beginning with Gabriel. The destroying angel, however, is not a part of that hierarchy, and so for him it goes: 1st, God the Father; 2nd, the destroying angel; then everyone else (including Christ) below him.

God has two arms

When the Father expresses mercy and salvation and creation, He does so through Christ and Michael and Gabriel and the rest of the angelic hierarchy. But when the Father expresses judgment and justice and destruction and death and curses and scattering, He does so through the destroying angel. These two angels, Jesus and the destroyer, represent God’s two arms, His arm of mercy and His arm of justice.

The demonic destroyer is patterned after the divine destroyer

Lucifer, “an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God” (D&C 76:25), who fell from heaven and became the devil and Satan, desired to be the Only Begotten Son of God according to the flesh, instead of Jesus the Firstborn, but he was denied that position, and being thus denied the opportunity of becoming the Savior and Redeemer and Messiah of mankind, in his rage he discarded Christ, the Father’s Angel of mercy, as his chosen pattern, and looked instead to the Father’s angel of destruction, even to the divine destroying angel, as his pattern, patterning himself from that point on after that individual, becoming a demonic destroying angel.

And just as the divine destroying angel (who destroys God’s enemies) is called the destroyer:

Behold, the destroyer I have sent forth to destroy and lay waste mine enemies; and not many years hence they shall not be left to pollute mine heritage, and to blaspheme my name upon the lands which I have consecrated for the gathering together of my saints. (D&C 105:15)

so the demonic destroying angel (who is God’s enemy that seeks to destroy God’s works) is likewise called the destroyer:

And behold, the watchman upon the tower would have seen the enemy while he was yet afar off; and then ye could have made ready and kept the enemy from breaking down the hedge thereof, and saved my vineyard from the hands of the destroyer. (D&C 101:54)

Now, the devilish plan was simple: the demonic destroyer just needed to cause people to die in their sins, so that they became filthy, and then the divine destroyer would do the rest. Nothing in the Father’s kingdom was immune to the destroyer’s destructive power, therefore even God Himself could be destroyed. All the devil needed to do was get the destroyer’s sense of justice kindled and focused towards whatever the devil wanted destroyed, and the nature of the destroyer was such that he would end up annihilating it. Basically the plan was to use God’s own rules, and His own designated destroyer, against Him. The stakes were high, though, for if the devil failed, this same destroyer had power to, and would, annihilate the devil and his followers. The gamble nearly backfired right from the start because after the rebellion, while still in the heavens, the destroyer nearly ended the existence of the devil and the one-third.

The destroyer’s first employment

The earliest recorded actions of the destroyer that we have in our current scriptural canon were mentioned by the prophet Isaiah:

Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? (Isaiah 51:9)

Rahab in the above scripture, according to my understanding, is the one-third of the hosts of heaven that rebelled with Lucifer, and the dragon is the fallen angel himself. I have taught on this blog that the one-third, as well as all those who die in their sins, are connected to the devil through chains of hell. It would appear that after the devil and his whore wife Rahab (the one-third) rebelled against God, while they were still in heaven, the destroyer rose up against them and proceeded to destroy their spirit bodies, beginning by cutting (detaching) the chains of hell that connected the one-third to the dragon, wounding the dragon. But, for some reason, the destroyer was stopped before he completed his work of annihilation. I suppose it was because the other angels were alarmed at seeing these spirits (their siblings!) annihilated before their very eyes by the destroyer, and they cried out to the Father to make him (the destroyer) stop, and so the Father ordered him to stop. Thus, the devil and the evil spirits that comprised the one-third were spared. But their eternal, immortal spirits were, nevertheless, cut and wounded, which is supposed to be impossible, showing that the destroyer has been given power to destroy everything, even immortal and eternal things.

No qualms about killing the guilty

The near destruction of Rahab and her dragon king (being spirit siblings of the destroyer, as well), shows that the destroying angel was given a healthy dose of the Father’s sense of justice, without any corresponding dose of the Son’s mercy. In other words, he’s completely merciless. He had no qualms about “cleaning up” Father’s kingdom of these now filthy things, even though they were his brother and sisters. (For more information on the “sisterhood” of Rahab, see the post, The brides of Satan, and its follow-up comments.) His intention was not to kick them out, but to eradicate them altogether. But the other angels aren’t like that. They have a sense of justice, but also the Son’s compassion and mercy. And mercy is what they wanted for these doomed souls. So, the Father stopped the destroyer’s work before completion. And it must have been the Father’s intervention, for the destroyer will only listen to and obey the Father.

Banishment substituted for destruction

Instead of employing His singular destroying angel, then, the Father employed Michael and the vast host of heaven, and together, this two-thirds group was able to overpower the dragon and his one-third group, casting them out of heaven to earth. This shows just how powerful a being the destroyer is. He alone was more than a match for the devil and the one-third (which is an infinite number of spirits), not only being able to cast them out, but able to make them entirely extinct, whereas it took the whole rest of heaven (the two-thirds) to be able to force Satan and his hosts of hell out.

During the banishment procedure, the destroyer stood and watched, without any participation on his part. Thus, to Michael and the rest went the glory of that great accomplishment.

No participation in the Creation

When Jesus formed the earth, with Michael participating, creating this world under the Father’s guidance, the destroyer stayed in the heavens, watching. He was created to destroy, not to create. In addition to the endowment, which teaches that Michael helped create this earth, we have also been taught by our leaders that all of us participated in some way in the creation of the earth. However, that cannot be entirely true, for the destroyer did not participate in any way in the creation of the earth. His expertise is strictly in demolition, not construction:

And everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of name, whatsoever they may be, that are not by me or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead, neither in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your God. For whatsoever things remain are by me; and whatsoever things are not by me shall be shaken and destroyed. (D&C 132:13-14)

It is the destroyer that will fulfill the above scripture by shaking and destroying every single thing that does not come under the protective power of God’s Son. But before that day—when he will hew down all the trees that have born evil fruit and toss them into the eternal fire—comes, he has already performed, and also yet will perform, many other works of destruction. Let’s review some of the past ones.

The days of Enoch

In the days of Enoch there were vast changes made to earth, such as land coming up out of the sea and mountains fleeing, etc. There were enemies of the people of God who came against them, and when that happens, and destruction goes forth from the Lord, the destroying angel is inevitably employed. Therefore these passages in the Book of Moses may have had the destroying angel involved:

And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him. There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea, and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off and went upon the land which came up out of the depth of the sea. And the giants of the land, also, stood afar off; and there went forth a curse upon all people that fought against God; and from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness. (Moses 7:13-16)

This land that came up may have later sunk down, becoming, perhaps, the legend of the lost continent of Atlantis. The destroying angel would be the one used by God to sink an entire continent, killing every last soul found upon it. Also, the destroyer is the one employed by God to send out curses.

The destroyer has a throne

Just as Jehovah has a traveling throne, which is one of those celestial objects that is classified by astronomers as a brown dwarf, so the destroying angel has a traveling, planetary throne. We don’t exactly know what kind of celestial object it is. It may be another brown dwarf, but I suspect (and will assume for the rest of this post) that it is, instead, a monstrous, planet-sized, blue comet called after himself and thus known as the destroyer.

Behold, the destroyer I have sent forth to destroy and lay waste mine enemies; and not many years hence they shall not be left to pollute mine heritage, and to blaspheme my name upon the lands which I have consecrated for the gathering together of my saints. (D&C 105:15)

Whenever really big acts of destruction are called for, the destroying angel passes by earth with his throne,

And the spoiler [the destroyer] shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD hath spoken. (Jeremiah 48:8)

whereas when little or localized acts of destruction is what is required by God, then the destroying angel leaves his throne at home in the heavens.

It may be that the popular notion of comets being harbingers of doom does not come from normal-sized comets, but from this one mega-sized comet’s various passes through our solar system in the past. So destructive is this thing that it has given all comets a bad name.

The flood of Noah

If we continue making our way forward through the scriptural canon, we can see that the destroying angel and his destroyer throne have been quite active throughout history. The flood of Noah was a worldwide catastrophe that was caused by the pass-by of some massive and monstrously-sized heavenly body. It wasn’t Jehovah’s throne (the brown dwarf) that passed by, but the monstrous comet, the destroyer’s throne.

No compunction about killing innocents

Again, it needs to be understood that the destroying angel is endowed by God with a full portion of His sense of justice, without any of the normal portions of God’s mercy given to the other angels. This angel, therefore, has no qualms, whatsoever, about killing innocents, even children.

And the LORD said,

I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them….

And God said unto Noah,

The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. (Genesis 6:7,13)

Both the wicked adults and their innocent children, as well as the innocent animals, were to be destroyed.

Now, God cannot employ His other angels for such a work, because they would all cry out, “What about the innocents!” and perhaps even revolt. The destroying angel alone can do such divine work, because his sense of justice is exactly like God’s sense of justice, but without the accompanying sense of mercy that comes of Christ. In other words, all other angels are Christlike, whereas this particular angel is not. He is representative of God’s justice, with no mercy extended to anyone.

The dividing of the earth

And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. (Genesis 10:25)

This event also was possibly the destroying angel’s handiwork, performed by a pass-by of his throne.

The Tower of Babel

And the LORD said,

Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:6-9)

Who was the Father speaking to? His Angel of mercy? Nope. He was likely speaking to His angel of destruction. After all, confounding the language of people and scattering them is a curse, not a blessing. Curses are a manifestation of God’s justice, not of His mercy, and they come under the jurisdiction of the destroyer.

This tendency to confound people’s languages in order to scatter them will follow the destroying angel into his mortal probation:

And thus prophesied Joseph, saying:

Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be fulfilled. (2 Nephi 3:14)

Previously on this blog I have given my understanding of the above scripture as meaning a confounding of languages, but I never gave scriptural support for that. So, I will take the time to do so now.

The 1828 Dictionary gives the following definitions of “confound,” (and also notice that one of them means to destroy) :

CONFOUND, v.t. [L., to pour out. Literally, to pour or throw together.]

1. To mingle and blend different things, so that their forms or natures cannot be distinguished; to mix in a mass or crowd, so that individuals cannot be distinguished.

2. To throw into disorder.
Let us go down, and there confound their language. Genesis 11.

3. To mix or blend, so as to occasion a mistake of one thing for another.
A fluid body and a wetting liquor, because they agree in many things, are wont to be confounded.
Men may confound ideas with words.

4. To perplex; to disturb the apprehension by indistinctness of ideas or words.
Men may confound each other by unintelligible terms or wrong application of words.

5. To abash; to throw the mind into disorder; to cast down; to make ashamed.
Be thou confounde and ber thy shame. Ezekiel 16.
Saul confounded the Jews at Damascus. Acts 9.

6. To perplex with terror; to terrify; to dismay; to astonish; to throw into consternation; to stupify with amazement.
So spake the Son of God; and Satan stood a while as mute confounded what to say.
The multitude came together and were confounded. Acts 2.

7. To destroy; to overthrow.
So deep a malice to confound the race of mankind in one root.

Now, notice the text of Ether, concerning the confounding of the languages at the Tower of Babel:

And Kib was the son of Orihah, who was the son of Jared; which Jared came forth with his brother and their families, with some others and their families, from the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, and swore in his wrath that they should be scattered upon all the face of the earth; and according to the word of the Lord the people were scattered.

And the brother of Jared being a large and mighty man, and a man highly favored of the Lord, Jared, his brother, said unto him:

Cry unto the Lord, that he will not confound us that we may not understand our words.

And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord, and the Lord had compassion upon Jared; therefore he did not confound the language of Jared; and Jared and his brother were not confounded. Then Jared said unto his brother:

Cry again unto the Lord, and it may be that he will turn away his anger from them who are our friends, that he confound not their language.

And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord, and the Lord had compassion upon their friends and their families also, that they were not confounded. (Ether 1:32-37)

So, in the above scripture we see that God confounded the people’s languages, but the text also speaks of the people themselves being confounded, with the understanding that “confounding people” meant that their languages were confounded. This use of the word confound doesn’t mean that the people were perplexed or abashed or any of the other uses of the word, but merely that their language was altered to the point that they couldn’t understand anyone else, nor anyone understanding them. This sense of the word given in Ether chapter one is the same sense of the word as used in 2 Nephi 3 (according to my understanding.) So, this angel’s enemies aren’t going to be merely perplexed or abashed or ashamed, like Laman and Lemuel were when they were confounded by their father,

And it came to pass that my father did speak unto them in the valley of Lemuel, with power, being filled with the Spirit, until their frames did shake before him. And he did confound them, that they durst not utter against him; wherefore, they did as he commanded them. (1 Nephi 2:14)

but they will literally be cursed and their language confounded, just like at Babel.

Now, this cursing needs to happen, because this angel, during his mortal probation, will be translating all the records into all the languages of the world, both living and dead languages. He will need to translate the records into the dead languages because all the dead languages are coming back, as part of the restoration of all things. How do they come back? By a repeat of the confounding of languages that occurred at Babel. He will curse his enemies, confounding their languages, and the world’s languages will multiply, so that every language that ever existed on this planet will be spoken again, necessitating him translating the records into all the old languages, too.

The slaying of the priest of Pharaoh

Abraham was offered up upon the altar as a sacrifice by the priest of Pharaoh and Elkenah and he lifted up his voice to God for help and God helped him by sending an angel to him, an angel who saved him, not by saving life, but by destroying life:

And as they lifted up their hands upon me, that they might offer me up and take away my life, behold, I lifted up my voice unto the Lord my God, and the Lord hearkened and heard, and he filled me with the vision of the Almighty, and the angel of his presence stood by me, and immediately unloosed my bands;…Behold, Potiphar’s Hill was in the land of Ur, of Chaldea. And the Lord broke down the altar of Elkenah, and of the gods of the land, and utterly destroyed them, and smote the priest that he died; and there was great mourning in Chaldea, and also in the court of Pharaoh; which Pharaoh signifies king by royal blood….Now, after the priest of Elkenah was smitten that he died, there came a fulfilment of those things which were said unto me concerning the land of Chaldea, that there should be a famine in the land.(Abraham 1:15,20,29)

Now, after the Lord had withdrawn from speaking to me, and withdrawn his face from me, I said in my heart:

Thy servant has sought thee earnestly; now I have found thee; thou didst send thine angel to deliver me from the gods of Elkenah, and I will do well to hearken unto thy voice, therefore let thy servant rise up and depart in peace. (Abraham 2:12-13)

God performed all this destruction through His destroying angel, His emissary of justice, who always leaves a path of destruction wherever he goes.

Sodom and Gomorrah

Notice in the Joseph Smith Translation of this account that the three angels prayed for God to send down fire and brimstone:

And the Lord did not destroy Sodom until Lot had entered into Zoar.  And then, when Lot had entered into Zoar, the Lord rained upon Sodom, and upon Gomorrah; for the angels called upon the name of the Lord for brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.  And thus they overthrew those cities and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.  (JST Gen. 19:30-32)

They didn’t work a miracle, but merely prayed in faith and God responded by sending down fire and brimstone, destroying the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, all the plain, all the inhabitants of those cities and everything that was growing upon the ground. In other words, total destruction of everything. Was it God that sent down the fire and brimstone? Yes, but He likely did it through His appointed representative for dealing out justice, the destroying angel, just as God shows mercy through His appointed representative for showing mercy, Christ. God does all these things, yes, but vicariously, through His appointed emissaries.

Now, just as with the flood of Noah, there were likely little children, innocent children, found among the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding region, and these kids got killed, too. (It would be quite abnormal for cities to be entirely composed of only an adult population.) So the destroying angel would be the only one capable of performing such a task.

Abimelech cursed and nearly killed

The destroying angel, being the most powerful angel the Father has (excepting only the Father’s Angel of mercy, who is Christ), represents the power of God and has a tendency of cursing all those who oppose God’s will. We see this with Abimelech, who was cursed, along with his household, and also threatened with death:

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him,

Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.

But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said,

Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me,

She is my sister?

and she, even she herself said,

He is my brother:

in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

And God said unto him in a dream,

Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine….

So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife. (Genesis 20:3-7,17-18)

So, all the curses that are found in the scriptures are likely the handiwork of the destroying angel, for although the Angel of mercy has power to curse (for Christ has all power), when God wants something cursed, and one of His mortal servants utters a curse in faith, according to His sense of justice, the tool He uses to send out the curse is the destroying angel.

Joseph Smith mentioned this cursing tendency of the destroyer

The George Laub journal contained a transcription of one of Joseph Smith’s sermons, which was this:

24th chapter of Revelations of John Mathew, Mathew 6 & 7 14 verses, & the orriginal translation Reads thus and I will Send you a nother witness & he shall preach this gospel to all nations to the ends of the world But woe to that man or woman who Shall lift up their or his hands against god’s witness for the[y] are rasing their hands or arms against the power of god and the[y] will be cursed.

So, Joseph Smith believed that God would send a witness to the world, who would preach the gospel to the ends of the world, and whoever opposed that witness would be opposing the power of God and would end up cursed. This witness, of course, is none other than Joseph-Nephi, the destroying angel. So, we can expect that as soon as the Josephite is let out of his box, curses will go forth.

The Passover

The Passover is actually named after the destroyer. The Father came down with His destroying angel and looked at the door posts and lintels, and wherever there was lamb’s blood, He would prohibit the angel from entering there and killing the firstborn of man and beast, causing the destroyer to instead pass over the household. The ordinance has four individuals in play: God the Father, who is the One looking to see if the Lamb’s blood is protecting the household from the destroyer; the Lamb, represented by the lamb’s blood upon the door posts and lintels; the devil, who is tempting people to not comply with God’s commandments to put the lamb’s blood on the door posts and lintels, so that they aren’t under the Son’s protection; and finally, the destroying angel himself, whose job is to “clean up” all the filth, by executing them. The message of the Passover is that there is a destroying angel, and he will annihilate you unless you come under the Lamb’s protection, and you cannot come under the Lamb’s protection unless you comply with God’s commandments, so obey God’s commandments or perish!

The destruction of the Amorites by hailstones

The book of Joshua says the following:

And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. (Joshua 10:11)

These hailstones came from the destroyer, for hail (as well as floods) are his specialty:

Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand. (Isaiah 28:2)

In fact, his power over the waters has been amply demonstrated not only with Noah’s flood, but also with another great event of the past:

Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? (Isaiah 51:9-10)

The above seems to me to be referring to an event that occurred in conjunction with the passage of the Lost Ten Tribes through the Arctic Ocean as they traveled north.

Also, in the aforementioned Doctrine and Covenants section 61, the Lord gave instructions for how the saints should travel, but He also gave an exception for the destroyer, who was yet to be born:

Behold, I, the Lord, have appointed a way for the journeying of my saints; and behold, this is the way—that after they leave the canal they shall journey by land, inasmuch as they are commanded to journey and go up unto the land of Zion; and they shall do like unto the children of Israel, pitching their tents by the way. And, behold, this commandment you shall give unto all your brethren.

Nevertheless, unto whom is given power to command the waters, unto him it is given by the Spirit to know all his ways; wherefore, let him do as the Spirit of the living God commandeth him, whether upon the land or upon the waters, as it remaineth with me to do hereafter. (D&C 61:24-28)

The destroyer is the one who has power to command the waters, and the destroyer has the privilege of having it given to him by the Spirit to know all his ways, meaning how he should travel, whether by land or by water, so the destroyer is not restricted by these commandments, but can travel as he sees fit, according to the manifestations of the Spirit in him.

The heavenly Elijah/Elias

I’m not going to go over every instance of destruction, or cursing, or scattering or miracle that the destroying angel was likely involved in. Instead, I want to turn my attention to the fact that the destroyer is the heavenly Elijah/Elias, after which the earthly Eliases were patterned after. This is why we find Elijah the Tishbite doing the following:

Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him,

Thou man of God, the king hath said,

Come down.

And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty,

If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty.

And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him,

O man of God, thus hath the king said,

Come down quickly.

And Elijah answered and said unto them,

If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty.

And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. (2 King 1:9-12)

The fire that came down from heaven was sent by the heavenly Elias, who is the destroyer.

Now, these soldiers were just following orders. They weren’t doing anything wicked. All the captains did was communicate the king’s order and they were killed for it, along with their fifties. That’s pretty harsh. But Elijah the Tishbite had exercised faith, and also they had dared to do a very big no-no: they dared to command an Elias.

The heavenly Elias, who is the destroying angel, reports to no one, except to the Father. Nobody tells the heavenly Elias what to do. Not even Christ. An earthly Elias is no different. Earthly Eliases come on the Father’s authority, and the Father’s authority trumps the authority of everyone else, including the authority of the Son. A mortal king’s authority, then, is nothing in comparison.

Notice that the third captain of fifty was able to avoid getting himself and his fifty turned into toast only by humbling himself before Elijah and submitting to his authority:

And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him,

O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.

And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah,

Go down with him: be not afraid of him.

And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. (2 Kings 1:13-15)

God the Father’s authority is upon the earthly Eliases, therefore, if anyone commands an Elias, it is as if they had commanded God the Father Himself. And if anyone offends an earthly Elias, it is as if they had offended God the Father Himself. Whatever is said or done to one of His earthly Eliases, God the Father takes it personally, hence the quick execution of the first two fifties.

We see this same principle with Elisha, who got a double portion of the spirit of Elijah. (And the spirit of Elijah the Tishbite was the spirit of the heavenly Elijah, who is the destroying angel.) Look what happened when some young people made fun of Elisha’s baldness:

And he went up from thence unto Beth-el: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him,

Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.

And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. (2 Kings 2:23-24)

The destroyer is the one who curses and slays people, therefore, Elisha, acting in the authority of the destroyer (and the destroyer’s authority is the Father’s authority), being offended, could send forth a curse and it would happen immediately. The mocking that those people did was taken personally by God the Father and required swift justice and judgment, hence them being torn to shreds.

Because the destroyer’s authority is as high as it gets, even Christ submits to it, despite Him being the Heir to the throne. Jesus submits to the Father’s authority in all things, and so when the heavenly Elias, or one of the mortals that come patterned after him—who are the destroyer’s (and the Father’s) proxies—exercises their authority, Christ submits to it. Hence we find this curious exchange:

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying,

I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

And Jesus answering said unto him,

Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.

Then he suffered him. (Matthew 3:13-15)

Jesus went to John to be baptized of him. In other words, Jesus went to submit Himself to John’s authority. John the Baptist was an Elias. He came in the spirit and power of Elias, therefore He came authorized by the Father:

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:17)

Notice that John forbade the Lord from being baptized. That took some guts to do, right? Jesus’s authority was greater than John’s, wasn’t it? Not really, because John was authorized by the destroyer himself, and thus was fully authorized to forbid Him. In other words, it was John’s call to make whether to baptize this sinless Man. “Suffer it to be so now,” therefore, was not a command, but a petition, which John accepted. It had to be a petition, for nobody but the Father Himself can legitimately command an Elias. Not even Christ.

Proxies of the Father and proxies of Christ

There are two types of proxies, then. All mortal Eliases are proxies of the Father, representing one of the Father’s arms, even His arm of justice, whereas others become proxies of the Son, representing the Father’s arm of mercy. So, for example, those who possess priesthood, are representatives of the Son, hence all ordinances we do are done in the name of Jesus Christ, or having been commissioned of Jesus Christ. And those who are “the least of Christ’s brethren” also become proxies of Christ, per this scripture:

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand,

Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying,

Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

And the King shall answer and say unto them,

Verily I say unto you,

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,

Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Then shall they also answer him, saying,

Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Then shall he answer them, saying,

Verily I say unto you,

Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:31-46)

But proxies of the Father are reserved only for Eliases.

The spirit and power of Elias

When Elijah the Tishbite challenged the prophets of Baal to call down fire from heaven, he mocked their failed attempts:

And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said,

Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. (1 Kings 18:27)

and then after they failed, and after he succeeded in calling down fire from heaven, Elijah killed them:

And Elijah said unto them,

Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.

And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. (1 Kings 18:40)

All of this behavior is at odds with normal prophets of God, who are meek and humble and long-suffering and compassionate, just like Christ. Mocking, though, is an attribute of the heavenly Elias, who was prophesied by Isaiah to have a sharp tongue during his mortal probation:

And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword (Isaiah 49:2)

Sharpness of tongue, then, is an attribute of the heavenly Elias, which was exhibited by the earthly Eliases. Additionally, Elijah the Tishbite and his successor, Elisha, also exhibited the tendency of the heavenly Elias to curse and kill.

We see this same pattern with the other two mortal Eliases that came after Elijah and Elisha. John the Baptist was an Elias sent to prepare the way of the Lord, and he was sent in the spirit and power of Elias. Jesus also came in the capacity of an Elias. Both of these men demonstrated this spirit and power during their ministries.

For example, John the Baptist spoke with much sharpness:

Then said John to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, crying against them with a loud voice, saying,

O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth, therefore, fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves,

Abraham is our father; we have kept the commandments of God, and none can inherit the promises but the children of Abraham;

for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also, the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; every tree, therefore, which bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire. (JST Luke 3:12-14)

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them,

O, generation of vipers! Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Why is it that ye receive not the preaching of him whom God hath sent? If ye receive not this in your hearts, ye receive not me; and if ye receive not me, ye receive not him of whom I am sent to bear record; and for your sins ye have no cloak. Repent, therefore, and bring forth fruits meet for repentance; and think not to say within yourselves,

We are the children of Abraham, and we only have power to bring seed unto our father Abraham;

for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now, also, the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore, every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire. (JST Matthew 3:33-37)

Jesus also routinely used sharp speech, calling his enemies hypocrites and fools and serpents and vipers. But He only cursed once, and that was to a fig tree, but it amply demonstrated that He also came in the spirit and power of Elias, like the others before him:

Now in the morning, as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it; and there was not any fruit on it, but leaves only. And he said unto it,

Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward, forever.

And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw this, they marveled and said,

How soon is the fig tree withered away! (JST Matthew 16-18)

And on the morrow when they came from Bethany, he was hungry; and, seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came to it with his disciples; and as they supposed, he came to it to see if he might find anything thereon. And when he came to it, there was nothing but leaves; for as yet the figs were not ripe. And Jesus spake and said unto it,

No man eat fruit of thee hereafter, forever.

And his disciples heard him. And they came to Jerusalem. And Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of them who sold doves, and would not suffer that any man should carry a vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them,

Is it not written,

My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?

But ye have made it a den of thieves.

And the scribes and chief priests heard him and sought how they might destroy him; for they feared him because all the people were astonished at his doctrine. And when even was come, he went out of the city. And in the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, calling to remembrance, said unto him,

Master, behold the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. (JST Mark 11:14-23)

The above also shows that Jesus acted as an Elias when He overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of the dove-sellers and did not allow any one to carry a vessel through the temple. All this use of force was Him acting in the capacity of the heavenly Elias. So Jesus was an Elias, just as John the Baptist had said:

John answered them, saying;

I baptize with water, but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is of whom I bear record. He is that prophet, even Elias, who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose, or whose place I am not able to fill; for he shall baptize, not only with water, but with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. (JST John 1:27-28)

But Jesus did not come in the full capacity of the heavenly Elias, for He was here representing God’s arm of mercy, not His arm of justice. He was a shadow or type of what was yet to come. Thus He rebuked his disciples when they wanted to manifest a bit more of the spirit and power of Elias than what Jesus and John the Baptist had already done:

And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said,

Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

But he turned, and rebuked them, and said,

Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.

And they went to another village. (Luke 9:51-56)

We see from this that the spirit and power and mission of Jesus was to save, while the spirit and power and mission of Elias is to destroy. In other words, the heavenly Elias (after which all earthly Eliases are patterned) is the destroying angel. The apostles, prophets, seers, revelators and saints were and are patterned after Jesus, the saving Angel, but there have also been a few individuals who have been given a portion of the spirit and power of the heavenly Elias, who have been patterned after the destroying angel. Nevertheless, these Elias men have only demonstrated small degrees of his spirit and power because they were always meant to be mere shadows and types of the actual destroying angel.

Noah was also an Elias

And in those days there were giants on the earth, and they sought Noah to take away his life; but the Lord was with Noah, and the power of the Lord was upon him; and the Lord ordained Noah after his own order and commanded him that he should go forth and declare his gospel unto the children of men, even as it was given unto Enoch.

And it came to pass that Noah called upon the children of men, that they should repent; but they hearkened not unto his words.

And also, after that they had heard him, they came up before him, saying,

Behold, we are the sons of God. Have we not taken unto ourselves the daughters of men? And are we not eating, and drinking, and marrying, and given in marriage? And our wives bear unto us children; and the same are mighty men, which are like unto them of old, men of great renown.

And they hearkened not unto the words of Noah. And God saw that the wickedness of man had become great in the earth; and every man was lifted up in the imagination of the thoughts of his heart, being only evil continually.

And it came to pass that Noah continued his preaching unto the people, saying,

Hearken and give heed unto my words. Believe, and repent of your sins, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, even as our fathers did, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost, that ye may have all things made manifest; and if you do not this, the floods will come in upon you;

nevertheless, they hearkened not. And it repented Noah, and his heart was pained that the Lord had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said,

I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man, and beast, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the air, for it repenteth Noah that I have created them and that I have made them; and he hath called upon me, for they have sought his life. (JST Genesis 8:6-15)

Why did the Lord send in the floods? Was it because the people were really wicked? Nope. It was because Noah regretted that God had created mankind and that so much wickedness was now everywhere, and he called upon God to destroy the world. The spirit of Elias is the spirit of destruction and justice and judgment, and Noah here was exercising this very spirit in his desire for God to wipe everything out and just “start over” with him and his little family.

Noah also acted as an Elias in his cursing of Canaan:

And Noah began to till the earth, and he was a husbandman; and he planted a vineyard, and he drank of the wine and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent; and Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his brethren without; and Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done unto him; and he said,

Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

And he said,

Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant, and a veil of darkness shall cover him, that he shall be known among all men. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. (JST Genesis 9:27-31)

Noah, then, is an early scriptural example of a mortal servant of God operating under the spirit and power of Elias and during his mortal ministry he obtained the very keys that the actual heavenly Elias would end up using to restore all things:

And also with Elias, to whom I have committed the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began, concerning the last days; and also John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he (Elias) visited and gave promise that he should have a son, and his name should be John, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias; (D&C 27:6-7)

Joseph Smith understood from this revelation that the Elias in question was the angel Gabriel. (And anyone reading the above passage will come to the same conclusion.) Later on, though, he revealed in one of his speeches that Noah and Gabriel are one and the same person. How did Joseph Smith know? Because Joseph Smith was a seer operating under Elias’s shadow, which itself is the spirit and power of Elias, allowing one to more easily recognize Eliases, and thus this spirit, in conjunction with his gift of the word of knowledge, allowed him to plainly see that Noah was an Elias. And using this same gift, Elias Noah = Elias Gabriel also pops out.

Now, the angel (Elias) Gabriel possessed keys, and keys are only obtained during a mortal probation. Notice again what Joseph Smith said:

While speaking in 1839 to members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and some Seventies prior to their leaving for missionary service, the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “Noah, who is Gabriel, … stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood; he was called of God to this office, and was the father of all living in his day, and to him was given the dominion. These men held keys first on earth, and then in heaven.” (Quoted from History of the Church, 3:386. Cited in Noah, The Great Preacher of Righteousness by Joseph B. Romney, Ensign, February 1998.)

So, when we read that Elias (the angel Gabriel) possessed “the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things,” this means that Gabriel must have already had a mortal probation. The same principle applies to each and every angel that holds keys:

And the voice of Michael, the archangel; the voice of Gabriel, and of Raphael, and of divers angels, from Michael or Adam down to the present time, all declaring their dispensation, their rights, their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their priesthood; giving line upon line, precept upon precept; here a little, and there a little; giving us consolation by holding forth that which is to come, confirming our hope! (D&C 128:21)

Therefore, given that Moroni, Michael, John the Baptist, Peter, James, John the Beloved, Gabriel, Raphael, Moses, Elijah and Elias all came to Joseph Smith as angels possessing keys, all of these men had already had mortal probations. They obtained their keys in mortality, and then retained them when they died or were translated. Joseph Smith also obtained the keys of the mysteries and sealed things during his mortal ministry, and he retains those keys still, even after his death.

The keys of these various angelic/translated personages (which they retain even after their mortal ministries) are meant to be used by the Elias who restores all things, not by the angels themselves. The angels act, then, as repositories, until the destroying angel comes down to earth for his own mortal probation and then directs each of them to deliver their keys into his hands. Each of them used these various keys to a mere degree during their mortal ministries, whereas when they deliver their keys into the hands of Elias the destroyer, he will then use them in their absolute fullness.

Thus, even though Noah/Gabriel possesses “the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things,” this does not mean that he will be the one who actually brings to pass the restoration of all things, for he is not the Elias who restores all things. He merely possesses these keys—for he was the instrument God used back then to restore the earth back to a state of righteousness by wiping out the wicked, leaving only a righteous branch—which keys he will deliver to the man whose spirit he operated under in mortality: Elias the Josephite destroyer. In D&C 27, Moroni and Elijah and Peter and James and John are also said to possess certain keys, but none of these people will be using their keys during the end times. No, they will merely be delivering them to Elias the Josephite, and then the Josephite will use them to work his wonders.

The Elias Noah, like the other mortal Eliases I have mentioned, did not operate under a fullness of the spirit and power of the heavenly Elias, but merely under a portion, making him yet another shadow of the end times Elias, which is the actual heavenly Elias.

John the Beloved also acted under the spirit of Elias

John the Beloved apostle of Jesus Christ was a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ, but because he became translated and was assigned an Elias role to play during the end times (see D&C 77:14), John likewise received a portion of the spirit and power of Elias. Hence we find, through the revelation of Joseph Smith, that John actually uttered a curse, acting as an Elias:

Behold, I, the Lord, in the beginning blessed the waters; but in the last days, by the mouth of my servant John, I cursed the waters. Wherefore, the days will come that no flesh shall be safe upon the waters. And it shall be said in days to come that none is able to go up to the land of Zion upon the waters, but he that is upright in heart. (D&C 61:14-16)

This curse that God had John utter, did not come to pass immediately, like the curses that the Elias who restores all things will utter, but was to be fulfilled during the end times, during the ministry of the Josephite, who will cause, by the working of miracles, John’s curse to be made sure. This is why the Lord says, “the days will come” and “it shall be said in days to come.” The curse was uttered by John, but not activated, for such activation comes only from the destroyer himself.

Regarding Joseph Smith

As I explained in the In closing, what Mormonism is section of the John the Revelator is not the Elias who restores all things post, Mormonism is Elias’s shadow. Therefore Joseph Smith was a seer operating under the spirit and power of Elias. Nevertheless, Joseph never said that he, himself, was Elias, nor even an Elias. He only affirmed that the spirit and power and office of Elias was in operation during the Mormon restoration. And it indeed was.

In the same sermon, Joseph differentiated between the spirit and power and office and keys of Elias, and those of Elijah, as well as those of Messiah. But the spirit and power of Elias and the spirit and power of Elijah are the same spirit, just operating in different modes. It worked for Joseph Smith to view these things as separate and distinct, but they are two sides of the same coin, just as Elijah and Elias are the same name, one translated into English from Hebrew, and the other translated into English from Greek. But it’s the same name.

The spirit of Elias (Mode One) manifested in Joseph Smith via his revelations and translations. In other words, the word of God transmitted through Joseph Smith was the spirit and power of Elias. If you look through the Doctrine and Covenants, you’ll see that God repeatedly warned of curses if obedience wasn’t given to His commandments. Curses are manifestations of the spirit of Elias. But Joseph Smith never cursed anyone. He was told by God that he could curse people, and God would honor those curses and He would cause the curse to happen (in God’s own due time, not immediately, for this was merely Elias’s shadow, not Elias himself), but Joseph never cursed anyone. So, he didn’t act like an Elias.

The spirit of Elijah (Mode Two) manifested in Joseph Smith via the priesthood ordinations, offices and keys bestowed by the angels, which allowed the ordinances of salvation and exaltation to go forth and be recorded in the heavens. Now, Joseph Smith split these two spirit modes into two divisions, holding the Aaronic priesthood as the standard and representative of the spirit of Elias, while the Melchizedek was held as representative of the spirit of Elijah, and you can certainly do this. It worked for him to see it that way, and it works for others to see it that way, so let people believe this all they want. Nevertheless, both priesthoods represent the spirit of Elijah, for baptism is an ordinance of salvation, and both Aaronic priests as well as priests or elders after the order of Melchizedek have power to baptize. Baptism, then, represents Mode Two of this spirit, and baptism can be done by priests of the Aaronic order. So, the distinction he makes isn’t as black and white as he wanted it to be.

The spirit of Messiah is the manifestation of the spirit of power (miracles.) The spirit of power manifested to a degree in the life of Joseph Smith with all the baptisms of fire that he had, and the visions and angelic ministrations.

Joseph Smith, then, operated in a degree under the two modes of the spirit of Elias/Elijah, and also had a degree of the spirit of Messiah, but he was a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ, not of the Father. This is why the Lord refers to the message (Mormonism) as the Father’s messenger, and not to Joseph Smith.

And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me. (D&C 45:9)

Joseph Smith, then, cannot be considered an Elias, but as he operated under a degree or shadow of this spirit, I will account him among the others anyway.

Other manifestations of the spirit of Elias

The spirit and power of Elias has manifested from the very beginning and also at various and sundry times. For example, right after the fall of Adam, this spirit manifested:

And I, the Lord God, said unto the serpent:

Because thou hast done this thou shalt be cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life; and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed; and he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Unto the woman, I, the Lord God, said:

I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

And unto Adam, I, the Lord God, said:

Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the fruit of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying—

Thou shalt not eat of it,

cursed shall be the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also, and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. By the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou shalt return unto the ground—for thou shalt surely die—for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou wast, and unto dust shalt thou return. (Moses 4:20-25)

Later on it manifested after Cain slew Abel:

And the Lord said unto Cain:

Where is Abel, thy brother?

And he said:

I know not. Am I my brother’s keeper?

And the Lord said:

What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood cries unto me from the ground. And now thou shalt be cursed from the earth which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand. When thou tillest the ground it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength. A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. (Moses 5:34-37)

And it manifested during the days of the secret combination that the murderer Lamech pertained to:

Wherefore the Lord cursed Lamech, and his house, and all them that had covenanted with Satan; for they kept not the commandments of God, and it displeased God, and he ministered not unto them, and their works were abominations, and began to spread among all the sons of men. (Moses 5:52)

In those days the spirit of Elias began to be poured out upon the world, because of the wickedness of the people:

And thus the works of darkness began to prevail among all the sons of men. And God cursed the earth with a sore curse, and was angry with the wicked, with all the sons of men whom he had made; for they would not hearken unto his voice, nor believe on his Only Begotten Son, even him whom he declared should come in the meridian of time, who was prepared from before the foundation of the world. (Moses 5:55-57)

And during the days of Enoch the spirit of Elias was manifested and began to be poured out upon the land and men:

And the Lord said unto me:

Prophesy;

and I prophesied, saying:

Behold the people of Canaan, which are numerous, shall go forth in battle array against the people of Shum, and shall slay them that they shall utterly be destroyed; and the people of Canaan shall divide themselves in the land, and the land shall be barren and unfruitful, and none other people shall dwell there but the people of Canaan; for behold, the Lord shall curse the land with much heat, and the barrenness thereof shall go forth forever; and there was a blackness came upon all the children of Canaan, that they were despised among all people. (Moses 7:7-8)

And the Lord said unto me:

Go to this people, and say unto them—

Repent, lest I come out and smite them with a curse, and they die. (Moses 7:10)

And the giants of the land, also, stood afar off; and there went forth a curse upon all people that fought against God; and from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness. (Moses 7:15-16)

And it came to pass that Enoch talked with the Lord; and he said unto the Lord:

Surely Zion shall dwell in safety forever.

But the Lord said unto Enoch:

Zion have I blessed, but the residue of the people have I cursed. (Moses 7:20)

And during the days of Methuselah this spirit also manifested:

And it came to pass that Methuselah prophesied that from his loins should spring all the kingdoms of the earth (through Noah), and he took glory unto himself. And there came forth a great famine into the land, and the Lord cursed the earth with a sore curse, and many of the inhabitants thereof died. (Moses 8:3-4)

The spirit of Elias, then, is a spirit of destruction that brings curses. But it also brings plagues. For example, during the ministry of Moses, all those plagues that he unleashed upon the land and people of Egypt, were manifestations of the spirit and power of Elias, which was put upon the heads and possessions of the unbelieving and rebellious.

Fast-forwarding to Joseph-Nephi

Joseph-Nephi is yet another earthly person we know of who can be added to the list of men that have possessed and/or operated under the spirit and power of Elias.

To recap: On this list we could put Noah, Elijah the Tishbite, Elisha the son of Shaphat (who had a double portion of Elijah’s spirit), John the Baptist, Jesus the Christ, John the Beloved, Moses, Joseph Smith and probably many others, including many of the Nephite and Jaredite prophets.

All of these individuals were patterned to a degree after the heavenly Elias, making them his shadows and types. But Joseph-Nephi isn’t merely patterned after the heavenly Elias, he actually is the heavenly Elias. This means that he is the very destroying angel and as such, nobody can tell him what to do.

A different sort of angelic ministration

When Joseph Smith started receiving the ministration of angels, beginning with his First Vision and then continuing with Moroni’s many visits, as well as other heavenly personages, he was continually being instructed by Jesus or by the angels. For example, he wrote:

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

At that point the Son took over the conversation and all subsequent ministrations or visions had the Son or the angels speaking to Joseph, giving him instructions. If ever the Father was seen or heard afterward, He merely bore record of the Son, as He did in the First Vision. We are taught in the church that this proves that Joseph Smith was really a prophet, for all revelation comes through Christ, according to President Joseph Fielding Smith:

“I would like to call your attention to one little thing in the first vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is very significant, and Joseph Smith did not know it. If he had been perpetrating a fraud, he would not have thought of it. You will recall in your reading that the Father and the Son appeared, and the Father introduced the Son and told the Prophet to hear the Son.

“Now suppose the Prophet had come back from the woods and had said the Father and the Son appeared to him, and the Father said, ‘Joseph, what do you want?’ and when he asked the question and told him what he wanted, the Father had answered him; then we would know that the story of the Prophet could not be true.

“All revelation comes through Jesus Christ. I have not time to go into the scriptures and give references for that, but that is the fact.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957–66, 1:16.) [Quoted from The Magnificent Vision Near Palmyra by James E. Faust.]

Despite what President Smith said above, all this proves is that Joseph Smith wasn’t Elias. For everyone other than Elias, all divine revelation comes through the Son of God. But for Elias, revelation comes directly from the Father. There is no intermediary. (And for his proxies, if there was an intermediary, it was the destroyer himself.)

So, when the destroyer, who is currently boxed up and hidden somewhere by the Lord, comes out of his box, he will finally experience the ministration of angels, possibly getting a First Vision type of experience like Joseph Smith did. But there will be one huge difference in the accounts this man will give of these divine visits: when the Father appears with His Son Jesus Christ and all the holy angels, it will be the Father speaking and instructing the Josephite, not the Son. All instructions and orders will go from the Father directly to His emissary of justice (the Josephite), and whatever interaction the Josephite will have with Christ and the angels will be as their superior officer.

In other words, if an angel appears to this man, the angel will merely say, “Okay, boss. What are your instructions?” The angels will not be instructing him, but will be receiving instructions from him. Even Jesus Christ Himself will be taking His orders from the destroyer, as evidenced by the vision John the Revelator saw:

And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud,

Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. (Revelation 14:14-16)

So, here we have the Son of Man taking orders from an angel. Which angel? The destroying angel. In fact, just about all orders that John sees and hears barked out during his end times vision are issued by the destroyer, who is the one in charge of the whole end times affair.

When the Father comes down

There have been only a few recorded instances in which God the Father actually came down to earth. All the rest of the time, He just remained in heaven and allowed someone to see a vision of Himself, and bore record of His Son. So, the times when He comes down are special and important.

During the Creation we know the Father came down. And when He came, He was the one in charge:

And God said,

Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26)

Who was the Father speaking to? He was speaking to the Son. And the Father was the one in charge. He was the one barking the orders.

During the Tower of Babel confounding, the Father came down:

And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said,

Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. (Genesis 11:5-7)

Who was the Father speaking to? This time He was speaking to the destroying angel. And the Father was again the one in charge. He was the one barking orders.

During the Passover, the Father came down, along with His destroying angel:

For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

…

For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. (Exodus 12:12-13,23)

Once again, it’s the Father doing the work, looking for the blood of the lamb, and then stopping His destroyer from entering those domiciles. Every single time the Father comes down, He is actively participating and directing everything and everyone.

But notice that the First Vision account does not follow this pattern:

When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—

This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join. I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that:

“they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time. (Joseph Smith—History 1:17-20)

Here the Father comes down, but just points to Christ and tells Joseph that Christ is His Son and to hear Him. Then He clams up and the Son does all the talking. The vision is bizarre for this reason. The Father doesn’t come all the way down to earth only to let His Son do all the talking! The Father could have just stayed in heaven, given Joseph a vision of Himself sitting upon His throne, and pointed to Christ, telling Joseph that He’s His Son and to listen to Him, and then let Christ speak. Why did the Father come down and then clam up?

Now, church apologists will say He came down to show that He had a body and was distinct from the Son, but He could have done that while remaining in heaven. There is no need to come down to earth with His Son, only to have the Son do all the talking. When the Father comes down, He takes charge of things. So why did all of that happen the way it did?

The answer is because Joseph Smith’s First Vision was a mere shadow, just like all the rest of Mormonism. Mormonism is Elias’s shadow, therefore even the First Vision is incomplete. The First Vision was supposed to have the Father instructing the miracle-working seer, with His Son and the angels present and listening, and then after the instruction the miracle-working seer takes charge and starts issuing orders to the others present, as the Father’s emissary in charge of the end times work. That’s how it is supposed to go down. But that didn’t happen. It didn’t happen because the seer of that time was Joseph Smith, not Elias. So, we got a shadow of what’s going to happen. God the Father came down, announced His Son, and then stopped, because Elias himself wasn’t present, only Elias’s shadow was present, the seer being Joseph Smith the Gentile, so the Son took over, as He always does when dealing with His own proxies, for Joseph Smith was a proxy of the Son, not of the Father, therefore, he dealt with Jesus. But the Father had to come down anyway because even the First Vision of Elias’s shadow requires the Father being present.

Now, when the First Vision happens a second time, it will be with Elias himself present, who is the Josephite and the actual destroying angel, and not just his shadow, and at that time, the First Vision will replay in a different way, with the Father coming down with Christ and the angels like the first time, but this time Christ and the angels will be silent and taking orders from the seer, and the Father will be talking directly to His emissary of justice, the destroyer, and instructing him in all things that pertain to the dispensation of the fullness of times.

King Abaddon

In the Revelation of St. John the Divine, John mentions that the insect army he saw had a king over them:

And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. (Revelation 9:11)

King Abaddon, or king Apollyon, is none other than the destroying angel. The Bible dictionary gives the following for these names:

Abaddon
A Hebrew word found in the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament denoting “the place of the lost” (Job 26:6; Prov. 15:11; 27:20), which the King James Version translates as “destruction.” In Rev. 9:11 it is used as a name of the devil. See also Apollyon.

Apollyon
Destroyer, a Greek translation of the Hebrew word Abaddon, or “Destruction”; in Rev. 9:11 it is the name of the Angel of the Abyss (bottomless pit) made familiar to English readers by Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.

Thus, king Abaddon means, “king Destruction,” and king Apollyon means, “king Destroyer.” However, the Bible Dictionary is incorrect in stating that Abaddon “in Rev. 9:11 it is used as a name of the devil.” It most certainly is not used in that verse with reference to the devil (who is the demonic destroying angel.) No, in that verse it is used for the divine destroying angel.

King Abaddon, therefore, will be a literal king, over a literal kingdom. And yet, the Josephite, according to my understanding, is from the USA. So, how can he be an American and yet be a king? We have no kings here, right? But he won’t be a king in America. His kingdom will be located in a far country, in the east and in the north:

Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow. (Isaiah 41:2)

I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay. (Isaiah 41:25)

Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. (Isaiah 46:11)

The Josephite, then, will be born and raised as an American, enter into his shadow (Mormonism) and then get put into a spiritual box and hidden by the Lord (which is where he is now) to “cook” for awhile. At some point he will emerge from that box as the rod of Jesse, fully empowered and capable of working all manner of miracles, and then he will send out an announcement of his deliverance from his box, and he will also send forth curses, cursing all his enemies and working miracles to cause catastrophic changes in the conditions among men, to allow him to get his promised carrot (which is his divinely bestowed reward) and start his own work. We must assume, then, that this carrot must at least partially consist of a kingdom, in some far away and unknown land, in which he goes there and establishes himself as king, even as King Abaddon, thus fulfilling these and other scriptures that say that he comes from a far country in the east and north, such as the following which also speaks of the distant kingdom he will establish:

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. (Daniel 11:44)

The location of king Abaddon’s kingdom

Anyone who has studied Jan Lamprecht’s work (see the post, The hollow earth theory, the plasma model and Mormon theology), or Rodney Cluff’s work (see the post, Our Living Hollow Earth), on the hollow earth theory, will instantly understand that the destroyer will undoubtedly set up his kingdom on the inner surface of the earth, in the hollow of the earth. This is because the directions “east” and “north” and its description as “far away” give its location away. If you continue to travel north on just the right course, you will be led into the interior surface of the planet, and then once inside, if you continue to travel east on just the right path, you will be led to where king Abaddon will set up his kingdom. It can only be called a “far country.” In fact, it’s about as far away a far country as one can travel to. There is no place more hidden than king Abaddon’s kingdom land.

This means that the Josephite, once out of his box, will divide his time between both sides of the world, outside here with us, where he was born in America, and also inside where the kingdom he will establish will be. This is absolutely necessary, for he will be performing a work of salvation that must save the whole world, both inside and out, but it also means that from time to time the Josephite will “go missing,” and during these times nobody will be able to figure out where he’s gone to.

From Rod to Root

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: (Isaiah 11:1)

And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:10)

There are four parts of the plant mentioned by Isaiah in Isaiah 11:1,10. A rod, the Stem, a Branch and a root. Who are these people? They are:

• Stem=Christ (per D&C 113:1-2)
• Branch=Christ
• Rod=Josephite
• Root=Josephite

The Branch and rod are instruments of destruction and judgment. These are horizontal instruments. They grow horizontally from the plant. What do you do with a branch or a rod? You use it to strike others with it. You hold it horizontally from you, in your hands.

The Stem and root are instruments of salvation and mercy. These are vertical instruments. They grow vertically upward or downward. The Stem, which offers us individual salvation, is not sufficient to save us. Although He brings us up to God, connects us to God, He also needs the root to connect to the rest of us, as a group. Thus, individual salvation is represented by the Stem (Christ), while group salvation is represented by the root (the Josephite.)

Both Jesus and the Josephite will undergo a role reversal, each one performing one role at first, and then the second role at last. So, Christ came as the Stem (and instrument of mercy) during His first coming, and He’ll come as the Branch (and instrument of judgment) during His second coming. And the Josephite started out as the destroying angel, even the rod, in the heavens, as the instrument of God’s judgment, and when he is empowered here on earth, he will resume that exalted position of rod. Thus, curses and destruction will immediately go forth once the guy is powered up, for he resumes his rod role.

And as the rod, he will have one lineage:

What is the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse?

Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power. (D&C 113:3-4)

With this lineage, he will be “partly” a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim.

But then he will miraculously switch from destroyer to savior, which is entirely impossible, for he was “made to destroy” as Isaiah said, so this switch goes entirely against his very nature, and he will begin a work of salvation, as one of the saviors on mount Zion, this time performing all the work perfectly. This miraculous switch from destroyer to savior, or from judgment to mercy, switches his position, too, from horizontal to vertical, and he becomes the root, an instrument of mercy and salvation.

And as the root, his lineage will be re-assigned (see the post, Re-assignment of parentage) :

What is the root of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter?

Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days. (D&C 113:5-6)

(Notice that no longer is he “partly” descended, but he’s fully descended.)

It is Christ then, not the destroying angel (the Josephite), who will destroy the wicked at the Second Coming, for the Josephite will be in root mode when Christ comes back, while Christ will be in Branch mode.

Thus, there are not four servants spoken of by the designations root, rod, stem and branch, but just two, for there were always just two sons of God who were designated and appointed by God to pull off the entire salvation and redemption of all things: Jesus (who pulled off the infinite amount of suffering required) and the Josephite (who will pull off the infinite amount of work required.)

The prophecies now make sense

Now that I have this understanding that the Josephite is the none other than the destroying angel, and that this angel reports to the Father only, and everyone, including Christ, will be taking orders from him during the end times, and also that he is the very king Abaddon (king Destruction) spoken of in the book of Revelation, many of the prophecies I have taught in private now make a bit more sense.

For example, the CA earthquake I had prophesied about on this blog will be caused by the Josephite, and when I learned that I wondered, “What kind of a prophet or seer goes around destroying things?” It made no sense to me. That is, until I learned who this guy really is. And there are very many other prophecies I have uttered (in private) about the things he will be destroying outright, catastrophically, which show that there will be no gradual changes performed by him, but everything will be a series of jolts. Ready or not, once he gets out, we won’t be able to get off his roller coaster ride of vast and abrupt changes.

Also, the nature of his curses is now apparent to me. In other words, these words don’t apply to him:

And now, verily I say unto you, if that enemy shall escape my vengeance, that he be not brought into judgment before me, then ye shall see to it that ye warn him in my name, that he come no more upon you, neither upon your family, even your children’s children unto the third and fourth generation. (D&C 98:28)

Nobody, but nobody is going to escape this guy’s vengeance. Once this man is out of his box, whoever even looked at him funny is going to be cursed, no matter when they did it. Whoever he feels “escaped” God’s vengeance while he was in his weak state will be dealt with, by miraculous power, so that every enemy of his will be “brought into judgment.” It doesn’t matter how many years the man has been in his box, he undoubtedly has got a list of grievances that people have done to him, and once out, these people are going to suffer. For all we know his enemies have completely forgotten about him, but he undoubtedly has not forgotten about them. In other words, nobody holds a grudge like this guy! His sense of justice will not quit until it is entirely satisfied. And by “entirely,” I mean “entirely” in the Lord’s sense (an hundred-fold!) :

And if he do this, thou shalt forgive him with all thine heart; and if he do not this, I, the Lord, will avenge thee of thine enemy an hundred-fold; and upon his children, and upon his children’s children of all them that hate me, unto the third and fourth generation. (D&C 98:45-46)

This applies equally to those in the church. Anyone at all who offended this man, whether in the church or out, whether in the leadership or not, is getting cursed. And those who have left the church, or removed their names from it, or who are inactive, or who have been excommunicated, will be promptly told to get back in, and if they don’t immediately jump back into those re-baptismal waters and repent, severe curses will go out. There won’t be any long grace period. He will expect immediate compliance, and if there is none forthcoming, he will consider the person disobedient and take immediate and swift and severe action against him. This will apply equally to men and women.

So, this guy isn’t Christlike, at all. He is a saint, sure, but he’s unlike any of the other saints, because his nature is not one of saving, but of destroying.

So, when he is released from his box, the saints are going to have a rude awakening, because none of us have ever experienced someone like this before, someone who will rebuke you if you do something wrong, and if you don’t repent on the spot, will cover you with Job sores:

So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. (Job 2:7)

or with the daughter of Zion curse:

And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty. Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground. (Isaiah 3:24-26)

or with whatever else he thinks of, for your wickedness and rebellion. This guy will expect to be obeyed by all, without delay. Submissive obedience and respect to him and his authority, honoring him in his high and holy calling, will be the only way to avoid the penalties he will be dealing out.

Also, we are going to see something that is quite bizarre, for this man will be doing what Jesus did: sending angels to do his bidding at his whim.

And now Jesus knew that John was cast into prison, and he sent angels, and, behold, they came and ministered unto him. (JST Matthew 4:11)

This means that he will be able to convince the world, easily, of the truth of all his words. The church leadership will be utterly convinced, there will be no room for doubt, and thus anyone who disobeys this man will do so with full knowledge that he’s speaking the truth and without any excuse to be made, so that when the curses immediately fall upon them, they won’t be able to say they didn’t know what was coming.

Also, the planets will be easily manipulated by him, using his miraculous power, or using his throne, for he will be obeyed in all things, by all things, except by the rebellious. In other words, we are in for the show of shows, as the Father puts all things, all power, all authority, into this one man’s hands. And thus, as the Josephite is the Father’s emissary, it will be the Father who prepares the way of His Son, just as the scriptures state:

The Father prepares the way

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)

Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name. Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be gathered home to the land of their inheritance. (3 Nephi 21:27-28)

The end times work is of the Father, not the Son

So, the work of the Father, as the scriptures in the Book of Mormon repeatedly say, will commence in the last days:

And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall commence his work among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, to bring about the restoration of his people upon the earth. (2 Nephi 30:8)

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)

Therefore I write unto you, Gentiles, and also unto you, house of Israel, when the work shall commence, that ye shall be about to prepare to return to the land of your inheritance; yea, behold, I write unto all the ends of the earth; yea, unto you, twelve tribes of Israel, who shall be judged according to your works by the twelve whom Jesus chose to be his disciples in the land of Jerusalem. (Mormon 3:17-18)

And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day, even when this gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this people. Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people, yea, even the tribes which have been lost, which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem. Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name. Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be gathered home to the land of their inheritance. (3 Nephi 21:26-28)

And when these things come to pass that thy seed shall begin to know these things—it shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel. (3 Nephi 21:7)

Therefore, when ye shall receive this record ye may know that the work of the Father has commenced upon all the face of the land. (Ether 4:17)

and this work will be performed by the Father’s emissary of justice, who is the destroying angel, who is Joseph-Nephi, who is the Father’s messenger, just as the Father told Malachi:

And it came to pass that he commanded them that they should write the words which the Father had given unto Malachi, which he should tell unto them. And it came to pass that after they were written he expounded them. And these are the words which he did tell unto them, saying:

Thus said the Father unto Malachi—

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts. (3 Nephi 24:1)

The Father, then, not the Son, will be sending a messenger during the end times, and this messenger will come authorized by the Father, not by just the Son. This is not to say that the Josephite, being already a member of the LDS church (according to my understanding), will not possess the two priesthoods (of Melchizedek and of Aaron.) We can expect that he will, indeed, possess these priesthoods, like every other male member of the church. However, he will also possess the seal of the living God, which is of the Father:

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, (Revelation 7:2)

Q. What are we to understand by the angel ascending from the east, Revelation 7th chapter and 2nd verse?

A. We are to understand that the angel ascending from the east is he to whom is given the seal of the living God over the twelve tribes of Israel; wherefore, he crieth unto the four angels having the everlasting gospel, saying:

Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

And, if you will receive it, this is Elias which was to come to gather together the tribes of Israel and restore all things. (D&C 77:9)

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)

When the Lamb shall stand upon Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having his Father’s name written on their foreheads. (D&C 133:18)

So, this is not Aaronic priesthood, nor Melchizedek priesthood. This is something above and beyond what we have. We don’t have it, but the Josephite will have it. How will he get it? Probably directly from the Father Himself. He is the Father’s personal servant, after all. He’s got direct access to Him.

Before the end times begins

But let me back it up a little bit. Before the Father’s work begins, the Josephite is put into a spiritual box in which he cannot make not even one degree of progress:

Then I said,

I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: (Isaiah 49:4)

While in this box, he “cooks,” pushing against the spiritual forces locking him in, performing a spiritual isometric press, becoming stronger and stronger in faith, but continually frustrated. At some point he will finally be strong enough to get out and he will then be given what I call his “carrot on a stick.”

yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, (Isaiah 49:4)

This carrot must be, at least in part, the kingdom I have been talking about, with lands and a house or palace and servants, etc. His house or palace, in fact, has been prophesied by Isaiah to be “glorious.” So, we know it is particularly special and probably is going to be constructed in a miraculous manner. In other words, it will be an “impossible-to-exist” house:

And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:10)

As I explained in the last post (The Prophet who is like unto Moses), the Josephite will be bringing a special group of Gentiles with him to the Lost Ten Tribes.

Concerning the records of the Lost Ten Tribes, we know nothing. Joseph-Nephi will likely have to go to wherever these tribes have been placed, and get their records, bringing their records back to the Gentiles, in powerful translated forms. Once the Gentiles have all the words of Christ that were given to the Jews, to the Nephites, to the Lost Ten Tribes, and to any other scattered branch of Israel, then the prophecy of the Gentiles rejecting the fullness of the gospel can be literally fulfilled.

Concerning the Gentiles bringing these records to the Jews, to the Nephites, and to the Lost Ten Tribes and any other scattered branch of Israel, it shouldn’t be too difficult to accomplish this feat for the Jews and the Nephites, but as for the Lost Ten Tribes, given they are hidden away somewhere, Joseph-Nephi may need to bring a group of Gentiles with him, who possess all these records, so that they can fulfill the prophecies and give them to the tribes.

The fact, then, that Joseph-Nephi will be traveling to where the Lost Ten Tribes are to get their records, and traveling back to where the Gentiles are, and then traveling with Gentiles to where the Lost Ten Tribes are, so they can give the other tribal records to the Lost Ten Tribes, and also the fact that at some point, when Joseph-Nephi will begin to gather the tribes together he will again need to go to where the tribes are, because the function of the keys of gathering indicate a need for him to personally lead the Lost Ten Tribes back to their original tribal lands:

After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto us; and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north. (D&C 110:11)

All of this indicates that Joseph-Nephi will have untrammeled access to travel back and forth, to and from the place where the Lost Ten Tribes are. For others it will be impossible to get to them, but not for him (and this special group of Gentiles he may bring with him.)

We can assume, then, that this special group of Gentiles will be part of his carrot. Perhaps they will consist of his family and friends, taken from the outside world and brought to the inside world, where his kingdom is.

After he obtains his miraculous carrot (whatever it entails), he will then start his own work:

yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God. (Isaiah 49:4)

This is not the Father’s work, but the Josephite’s work. Whatever it consists of, it’s going to be huge, affecting the entire world. Like the carrot, it will be a work of miracles and restoration, only on a much grander scale. Only after the Josephite has obtained his carrot and fully established his own work will the Father’s work begin. And it is the Father’s work that officially begins the end times.

The end times prophecies begin in 1 Nephi 13

I have already gone over the prophecies found in 1 Nephi 13 and 14, so I will not take time to review them in this post. Where 1 Nephi chapter 14 ends, Revelation chapter 4 begins, so let’s jump ahead to John’s end times vision.

A review of the Revelation of St. John the Divine

Given that Elias the Josephite is the point man for all things during the end times, we can expect that he will be found all over John’s end times vision.

The first voice, speaking like a trumpet

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. (Revelation 4:1)

This loud voice may have been the Josephite’s voice. It would make sense that it was his voice, given that he is the one in charge of all end times affairs and he is the first sign that appears. Also, notice that the voice commands John to come up. A trademark of the Josephite’s is him barking orders to people.

A strong angel concerned with the sealed book

And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice,

Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? (Revelation 5:2)

The destroyer is described as being strong. Also, this angel is particularly concerned with the sealed book. The sealed book is the sealed portion of the plates of Mormon (per my understanding), and it is the Josephite who will be the one that translates it, therefore it makes sense that this angel is the Josephite.

A voice from the midst of the four beasts, commanding not to hurt

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. (Revelation 6:5-6)

As we shall see later, both the angel ascending from the east and king Abaddon (who are one and the same person) give “hurt not” commandments. This voice is likewise giving similar commands, therefore, this voice is possibly also the destroyer’s voice.

The angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God, commanding not to hurt

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. (Revelation 7:2-3)

Per Joseph Smith, this is the Elias who restores all things. Therefore, this is the destroyer, Elias the Josephite. Notice, also, that this angel has a loud voice, just as the first voice was loud like a trumpet. The location of this angel is “from the east,” meaning that this angel (the Josephite) is already by this time established on the interior surface of the planet, as king Abaddon, and so he is ascending out of the interior of the earth, from his kingdom, to the outer surface of the planet.

The eighth angel at the altar

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)

This eighth angel might also be the Josephite. Notice that he is in heaven with the seven angels. He is the one that gets everything started, before the seven angels begin sounding their trumpets, after the seventh seal is opened and the space of about a half hour of time has passed. It would make sense that this angel, then, is the Josephite, because this angel is doing exactly what the Josephite does: leading everything. Also, although he is an eighth angel, he is not numbered by John as part of the seven. He’s separate from the other angels. That fits the Josephite.

The flying angel with a loud voice, saying “Woe!”

And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice,

Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! (Revelation 8:13)

This may be the Josephite.

King Abaddon, the angel of the bottomless pit

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

…

And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. (Revelation 9:1-4,11)

This star which fell from heaven, who is the angel of the bottomless pit, who is king Abaddon/king Apollyon, is definitely Elias the Josephite. Notice that king Abaddon commands the insects not to hurt the grass or any green thing or any tree, and that he mentions the seal of the living God in the foreheads of the sealed men. The Josephite is in root mode at this point, and therefore is trying to save all that can be saved.

Now, I wish to speak about these insects for a bit, since they have something to do with the Josephite.

The Lord’s insect army

Revelation chapter nine is often interpreted as containing prophetic symbolism for wars among men during the end times. John’s description of the locusts, horses and horsemen is typically interpreted as symbolically referring to the war machinery and weapons used by soldiers of the last days. Joel chapters one and two speak of the same events happening in Revelation chapter nine, with Joel also referring to locusts, horses and horsemen. And so many also interpret the first and second chapters of Joel as referring to wars among men during the end times, and thus as mere symbols.

The truth of the matter is that these three chapters are not referring to men, but to an insect army, a swarm of insects, the likes of which the world has never before seen. The Lord created these peculiar insects during the Creation of the world, and then hid the creatures, away from men, to multiply endlessly for nearly 6,000 years, so that He could unleash them upon the wicked of the last days as a plague. They have been kept in check, in their hidden place, this whole time. Joel and John both attempt to describe what these things look like, how they behave and what they can do. Neither Joel nor John had ever seen such insects before because the Lord has kept them hidden. They are described as locusts, horses and horsemen because the insects are of different classes, orders, stages or types. As nobody has ever seen these things before, when they finally make their appearance, we will fully understand that the description of them that John and Joel made was accurate.

Now, I will show from the Bible, from both Joel and Revelation, that these two servants of God were prophesying of (Joel) and seeing in vision (John) the very same event.

Both mention locusts

That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten. (Joel 1:4)

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. (Joel 2:25)

And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. (Revelation 9:3)

And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. (Revelation 9:7)

Both mention the creatures resembling horses and horsemen

The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. (Joel 2:4)

And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. (Revelation 9:7)

And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. (Revelation 9:9)

And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. (Revelation 9:16-17)

Both mention the creatures setting things on fire

O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness. (Joel 1:19-20)

A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. (Joel 2:3)

Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. (Joel 2:5)

And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. (Revelation 9:17-18)

Both mention the people being in pain or torment

Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. (Joel 2:6)

And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. (Revelation 9:5)

Both mention the creatures causing the Sun to be darkened

The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: (Joel 2:10)

And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. (Revelation 9:2)

Both provide imagery of a flying swarm of insects

Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. (Joel 2:1-2)

And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. (Revelation 9:2-3)

Both mention that the creatures make the sound of chariots

Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. (Joel 2:5)

And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. (Revelation 9:9)

Both mention the creatures have teeth like lions

For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. (Joel 1:6)

And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. (Revelation 9:8)

And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. (Revelation 9:17)

Both call the creatures an army

The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: and the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? (Joel 2:10-11)

Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: but I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. (Joel 2:19-20)

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. (Joel 2:25)

And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. (Revelation 9:16)

Other details differ between the two accounts

Joel calls the creatures “a nation” that is “without number” and that they are “a great people and a strong” and that “there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it.”

For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. (Joel 1:6)

A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. (Joel 2:2)

Whereas John actually gives a number of 200 million to them:

And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. (Revelation 9:16)

The reason for the discrepancy is that John is speaking of a specific insect type, which he calls “the horsemen,” which is of a limited number, numbering but 200 million, whereas the rest of “the army,” consisting of other types of insects, are without number.

Joel says the insects devour everything and “nothing shall escape them.”

He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. (Joel 1:7)

A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. (Joel 2:3)

Whereas John says they are commanded to not hurt (eat) the plants.

And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. (Revelation 9:4)

It could be that John here was specifically referring only to not hurting the grass, plants and trees of the righteous, and not to all plant life in general. This may make sense, considering the angels were told by Elias not to hurt the plant life only until the 144,000 are sealed in their foreheads.

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. (Revelation 7:2-3)

Once they are sealed (and they got sealed in chapter 7, in an event that occurs before chapter 9), then plants can be harmed. But the plants of the righteous (their crops) should be just as protected by the seal as the righteous themselves. So, this may be an instruction concerning not harming the crops of the righteous.

Speculation on where the bugs come from

Okay, so the above is my official interpretation, namely, that these are insects of a kind God has kept hidden from us, which is why the descriptions given by Joel and John are so confusing to people. Now I’m going to speculate a little bit about where these bugs come from.

There is one location I have heard of that might be a proper place for the “hidden place” of these bugs: the Inner Sun of the hollow earth. Legend has it that the Inner Sun is at the center of the earth, surrounded by a vacuum of space, thus nothing at the Inner Sun can get to the shell of the earth, and nothing at the shell can get to the Inner Sun suspended in the sky by gravity at the center, or pit, of the hollow shell. The King James Version calls the place these bugs come from, “the bottomless pit,” although other translations call it, “the pit of the abyss.” Certainly, considering the descriptions I’ve heard about this peculiar celestial object, the Inner Sun can be described as a pit of the abyss. It is very much like the pit of a fruit, if we think of the earth as a very large fruit with a pit at its center spot.

If the Inner Sun is also hollow, like the outer earth shell, then it might have polar openings like the earth does, each of which may give the impression of an immeasurably deep gulf, even a “bottomless pit.” Regardless of the way we define the word “pit”—as the pit at the center of a fruit, or as a deep hole’s innermost recess—the Inner Sun seems to fit the description.

Now descriptions of the Inner Sun are that one side of it (one of its hemispheres) shines with light, while the other side (the other hemisphere) does not, with the base of the Sun being dark but allowing some light to shine through, very much in the shape and glow of a moon, and also like twinkling stars. Apparently, the way the shell spins around it, presents an illusion of a rising and setting sun and a rising and setting moon, and also of twinkling stars in the heavens above.

Now, what has never been explained in the various descriptions that I have read is why one half of it is dark, or semi-dark (if it shines like the moon or twinkles like stars.) If we assume that this Inner Sun exists as described, and if we assume that there are some flying insects we don’t know about, then it may be that the Lord put “His great army” of very special insects on one hemisphere of this glowing Inner Sun orb, to cover its surface, making it dark. It may be that these insects feed off of the radiation given by the Inner Sun, and sometimes they gather, allowing some light to shine forth as the “moon” or as “twinkling stars.” As men do not live on the Inner Sun, but on the inner and outer surface of the earth’s shell, and as there is a vacuum of space between the Inner Sun and the shell, these insects would never have had any interaction with man since the day of their creation.

Thus, they would be hidden “in plain sight,” for men living on the inner surface of the shell would look up at night at the dark side of the Inner Sun and the darkness they would see would really be the bodies of these innumerable insects upon the surface of the Inner Sun, blocking the light, but they would never know it.

Also, the description of the insects as having breastplates of iron and so forth makes it seem like they are prepared or created to inhibit a place where conditions are really harsh, such as the surface of an Inner Sun, and the description of fire and smoke and brimstone coming out of their mouths may simply mean that these things absorb Inner Sun radiation, but also may release it from their mouths, just like the fictional Godzilla does, except for real.

The fiery flying serpents

Of especial note is that these insects fly and belch fire. The fiery flying serpents that the Lord sent to afflict the Israelites in the wilderness did the same thing:

And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. (Numbers 21:6)

The Book of Numbers does not say that they flew, but Nephi says they were fiery flying serpents:

And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished. (1 Nephi 17:41)

Also Isaiah says fiery flying serpents in his prophecy:

Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. (Isaiah 14:29)

Now, the reason why this may be important is that both the creatures described by Joel and John, as well as the fiery flying serpents, may be denizens of the surface of the Inner Sun. This is why both belch fire and also why they fly. It requires the Lord, or one of His angels working a miracle, to allow whatever is on the surface of the Inner Sun to travel through the vacuum of space to the inner or outer surface of the earth’s shell without dying. Nevertheless, the creatures can’t walk the distance, but must fly. So, it may be that all these various creatures living on the surface of the Inner Sun fly for this very reason, so that if the Lord extends the atmosphere which is found above the Inner Sun, so that it reaches and connects to the atmosphere surrounding the shell, the creatures, be they fiery flying serpents or fiery flying insects, can fly to the new location.

So, when we read:

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. (Revelation 9:1-3)

If “the bottomless pit” is the Inner Sun, then smoke cannot come out of it and go into the void or vacuum of space. Smoke cannot arise in a vacuum. So, the angel must be extending the Inner Sun atmosphere to connect to the outer shell atmosphere, allowing the insects to escape to the outer world. The smoke itself may not even be smoke. That may simply be the dark “cloud” of the swarming insects as they ascend up and outward to the outer world. And, given that their breastplates are, as it were, “of iron,” it may be that these creatures naturally follow the Earth’s magnetic lines of force. In other words, as soon at the angel extends the atmosphere, they rise, following the magnetic lines outward. This may explain why Joel describes them as being very ordered, marching in ranks or columns:

They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. (Joel 2:7-8)

As for their numbers being innumerable, it may be that they are stacked, one on top of another, on the surface of the Inner Sun, feeding off of the radiation there, and as they multiply, they add more levels to the stack, so that it gets higher and higher and higher over time. The only limitation may be the extent of the solar atmosphere, which may be many miles high. Given the reduced gravity on that orb, none of them may topple over or be pressed by any weight. Thus, for 6000 years the Lord can continuously multiply His “northern army” without any humans or natural predators to molest them, so that they become a truly endless number of creatures. Thus, Joel’s words about the appearance of this particular army being such a spectacular event that has never happened before makes a bit more sense:

Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. (Joel 1:2-3)

A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. (Joel 2:2)

The Lord is obviously quite proud of this innumerable insect army He has created. After this event happens, we will be talking about it in astonishment for quite some time. Okay, the speculation is over.

King Abaddon’s natural jurisdiction

Elias the Josephite, in his capacity as king Abaddon, living in his hidden, inner earth kingdom, would have jurisdiction over the Inner Sun, as well as the rest of the inner earth world. Thus, he would be the one who would possess “the key to the bottomless pit,” where all these insects come from. These are all the “secret places,” the treasures of which the end times Cyrus was prophesied to get:

Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.(Isaiah 45:1-4)

(And what will be the surname that God will give the end times Cyrus? It will be Joseph-Nephi.)

So the Josephite destroyer will go into the interior of the earth (bringing with him some Gentiles he selects) and there he will establish his kingdom. We may assume, then, that initially his kingdom land will occupy only a portion of the landmass found within the earth. (The other portion of land will be inhabited by the Ten Lost Tribes.) Later the Ten Lost Tribes will come out of the interior of the earth, to the outer world, leaving the interior uninhabited, except for the Josephite and the people of his kingdom, which kingdom will then extend to all of it. Thus, he will become the king of the whole interior, whose jurisdiction must also encompass every part of it, including the Inner Sun.

It is important that he be there, too, because it is in the Inner Sun (assuming that it is the bottomless pit) where the devil will be bound for a thousand years. It is king Abaddon the Josephite destroyer who will bind Satan and his angels, and it will be king Abaddon residing on the inner surface of the planet, gazing up at the Inner Sun, who watches over the devil, making sure he remains bound. Thus he becomes the keeper or warden of this prison for the devil and the one-third, and must reside on the inside surface of the earth, where he can keep watch over it.

Okay, I’ll continue going through Revelation.

A continuation of the review of Revelation

The voice that came from the four horns of the golden altar

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 bottomless pit. (JST Revelation 9:13-14)

This might be the voice of the Josephite.

The mighty angel standing upon the sea and the earth

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)

The destroyer is said to be mighty. This angel may very well be the Josephite. Most latter-day saints believe this angel is the seventh angel, who is the archangel (Michael), because of what is written in D&C 88, but this angel is not identified by John as the seventh angel. Also, this angel swears with an oath and speaks of the sounding of the trumpet of the seventh angel:

And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. (Revelation 10:5-7)

So, “the angel…sware…that…in the days of the voice of the seventh angel,…the mystery of God should be finished.” Thus, he cannot be the seventh angel, because he is talking of someone else who is the seventh angel.

It also makes sense that this angel is Elias the Josephite because he ends up giving John an Elias mission, and who would be better to give an Elias mission to John, save Elias himself?

And I went unto the angel, and said unto him,

Give me the little book.

And he said unto me,

Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me,

Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. (Revelation 10:9-11)

Notice also that John requests that he be given the book (for the words, “Give me the little book,” is a request, not a command, for Elias cannot be commanded), but the angel does not give the book but instead commands John to “Take it, and eat it up.” This angel is the one barking orders, just as the Josephite will do.

Now, concerning that scripture in D&C 88, which I am sure some reader will bring up:

And then shall the first angel again sound his trump in the ears of all living, and reveal the secret acts of men, and the mighty works of God in the first thousand years. And then shall the second angel sound his trump, and reveal the secret acts of men, and the thoughts and intents of their hearts, and the mighty works of God in the second thousand years—and so on, until the seventh angel shall sound his trump; and he shall stand forth upon the land and upon the sea, and swear in the name of him who sitteth upon the throne, that there shall be time no longer; and Satan shall be bound, that old serpent, who is called the devil, and shall not be loosed for the space of a thousand years. (D&C 88:108-110)

The order given in the section for the trumps sounding and the standing of the angel upon the sea and land is different than what is given in the Revelation of John. The mighty angel of Revelation chapter ten stands upon the sea and earth after the sixth trump sounds and before the seventh trump sounds, whereas the angel standing upon the sea and earth in D&C 88 stands upon the land and sea after all seven trumps have been blown the first time, and then all seven trumps are blown a second time, and only after the second time, does this angel swear that there shall be time no longer. Everyone who reads this passage in D&C 88 assumes that the “he” of “and he shall stand forth upon the land and upon the sea” is the angel that is mentioned just before the semicolon: “the seventh angel shall sound his trump;” but that semicolon might represent a shift of focus, whereby the Lord is now talking about someone different than the seventh angel. In other words, He might now be talking of the Josephite and not the seventh angel (who is Michael.)

The angel who has two witnesses

The angel who spoke to John in Revelation chapter ten, continued to speak to him in chapter eleven:

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying,

Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And 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. (Revelation 11:1-4)

This is yet more evidence that this angel is none other than the Elias who restores all things: the Josephite. The Josephite comes with two witnesses, per Zechariah:

Then answered I, and said unto him,

What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?

And I answered again, and said unto him,

What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?

And he answered me and said,

Knowest thou not what these be?

And I said,

No, my lord.

Then said he,

These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:11-14)

These two witnesses will be men who witness the entirety of the restoration of all things, in all its infinite greatness. Every single miracle that Joseph-Nephi does, these two men will see, so that they will be able to testify to the whole thing, from beginning to end. This will fulfill the law of witnesses.

In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. (2 Corinthians 13:1)

So, although there is only one man (the Josephite) who will perform an infinite number of impossible tasks, there will also be two men who will be able to say that they saw him do it all.

The destroyer’s helpers will likewise be destroyers

Before I continue through Revelation, I wish to explain something about the destroyer’s helpers.

Elias the Josephite destroyer will have two witnesses, plus four (or eight) angelic helpers, plus John the Beloved. These helpers all act as Elias destroyers. Also, there will be 144,000 high priests.

Now, the principle is the same as with Christ. Just as Christ the Savior has His helpers, who are His servants, acting as saviors, who represent Him and do the same things He does, so Elias the destroying angel’s helpers will act as Eliases and destroyers, representing him and doing the same kind of things he does.

Thus, John the Beloved apostle of Christ will destroy through that curse that he put upon the waters.

And the two witnesses who stand by the Lord/God of the whole earth, who is the Josephite, will also act as Elias destroyers:

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)

They will be killing people, through miracles, and sending out plagues and curses at will. These two miracle-working prophets, in fact, will be so powered up, that I suspect that they aren’t just any two people. Everyone has their own idea as to the identity of the two witnesses, but based upon this gift of the working of miracles that they will manifest, which so closely matches the same gift that the Josephite will have, this may be a genetic thing. In other words, it may be that the two witnesses will be none other than the Josephite’s sons. This makes a bit of sense to me, given that they will get to witness the whole miraculous work, from beginning to end, so they must have an extra close and special relationship to the destroyer.

The four angelic helpers are also said to be destroyers:

Q. What are we to understand by the four angels, spoken of in the 7th chapter and 1st verse of Revelation?

A. We are to understand that they are four angels sent forth from God, to whom is given power over the four parts of the earth, to save life and to destroy; these are they who have the everlasting gospel to commit to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people; having power to shut up the heavens, to seal up unto life, or to cast down to the regions of darkness. (D&C 77:8)

So, these are likewise acting as Elias destroyers. The identity of these four seem to me to be translated Nephites, namely, the three translated Nephite disciples of Christ, plus one more. The fourth may be Alma the younger. I haven’t, as yet, made that determination.

There are also four angels spoken of in this passage:

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)

These four may be the same four spoken of before, or an additional four. Either way, they are acting as Elias destroyers, for their purpose is “to slay the third part of men.”

Joseph Smith received the following about the 144,000:

Q. What are we to understand by sealing the one hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel—twelve thousand out of every tribe?

A. We are to understand that those who are sealed are high priests, ordained unto the holy order of God, to administer the everlasting gospel; for they are they who are ordained out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, by the angels to whom is given power over the nations of the earth, to bring as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn. (D&C 77:11)

If they are administering the everlasting gospel, then they are performing ordinances of salvation and exaltation among the populace of the world. This is the spirit of Elijah, which deals with priesthood and keys and ordinances, and the spirit of Elias, which deals with the word of God (for surely they will also be preaching the gospel); but they don’t appear, from the scriptures, to be cursing anyone or killing anyone or destroying anything. So, calling them Elias destroyers may be premature. Nevertheless, if they are the group that will be “binding up the law and sealing the testimony” not only among the righteous (see the post, What It Means to Bind Up the Law and Seal Up the Testimony), but also among the unbelievers and rebellious, delivering them “over unto darkness,” then perhaps it can be said that they will be acting as Elias destroyers:

Therefore, tarry ye, and labor diligently, that you may be perfected in your ministry to go forth among the Gentiles for the last time, as many as the mouth of the Lord shall name, to bind up the law and seal up the testimony, and to prepare the saints for the hour of judgment which is to come; that their souls may escape the wrath of God, the desolation of abomination which awaits the wicked, both in this world and in the world to come. (D&C 88:84-85)

Behold, and lo, there are none to deliver you; for ye obeyed not my voice when I called to you out of the heavens; ye believed not my servants, and when they were sent unto you ye received them not. Wherefore, they sealed up the testimony and bound up the law, and ye were delivered over unto darkness. (D&C 133:71-72)

Okay, so now I’ll return to John’s Revelation vision.

Back to reviewing Revelation

A great voice from heaven

And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them,

Come up hither.

And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (Revelation 11:12)

The two witnesses will be killed and then three and a half days later they will come back alive. Then they hear this great voice telling them to come up to heaven, and they ascend. Whose voice is it? The most obvious answer is it is the Josephite’s voice. They are his witnesses, after all. He would be the one to call them to him, for their place is by his side, for they “stand by the Lord of the whole earth,” who is king Abaddon.

Now, it needs to be understood that the Josephite must complete the whole work of salvation and redemption by the sounding of the seventh trump:

Q. What are we to understand by the sounding of the trumpets, mentioned in the 8th chapter of Revelation?

A. We are to understand that as God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work, and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth, even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and judge all things, and shall redeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things, unto the end of all things; and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years—the preparing of the way before the time of his coming. (D&C 77:12)

And his witnesses must see it all. So, by the time the two miracle-working prophets start the days of their prophecy, we can assume that the Josephite will have finished all the work of salvation and redemption for the dead, from the days of Adam to the present, and all the work of salvation and redemption for the living, and all the work of salvation and redemption for the as-yet unborn, so that all that is left to do is to go to the spirit world and fully complete the preaching of the dead that Jesus Christ started:

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. (1 Peter 3:18-20)

For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. (1 Peter 4:6)

Jesus spent about a day and a half in the spirit world, preaching to the spirits in paradise, and organized a missionary force to go and preach to the spirits in prison (according to the vision of Joseph F. Smith.) This missionary force has been preaching to the spirits in prison ever since, which is a period of nearly 2000 years now. However, given that the Josephite must re-do everyone’s work perfectly, he will need to go to the spirit world and re-do all of the preaching, all by himself, while all the spirit missionaries rest from their labors. This same principle applies for all the other work that he does, too, for when he starts working, we all will stand still and just watch, for our imperfect works will cease and we will behold perfection unfold before our very eyes:

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. (D&C 123:17)

So, our works only continue until the Josephite begins working.

Now, the prophecy of the two witnesses begins after the sixth angel has sounded his trumpet and before the seventh angel has sounded. So, after the two witnesses have finished their prophecy and are killed, their bodies remain dead for three and a half days. This means that their spirits go to the spirit world, to be with the destroyer, for he will be there as an embodied spirit, even as a translated man, whereas they will be there as disembodied spirits, and thus, as disembodied spirits they will be able to view the spirit world and witness the work of preaching that he does, resuming their position by his side, as his witnesses. The Josephite won’t be a disembodied spirit, because his preaching must be a miracle, and given that it is impossible for a physically-embodied man to preach to spirits—for spirit missionaries are required to preach to spirits, while embodied missionaries are required to preach to embodied people—he will do it anyway, performing this impossible task nonetheless. And he will do it in record time, too, taking only three and a half days to preach to every single soul found in the spirit world, convincing everyone of the truth and establishing the two-handed condition among them. That work of preaching being finished, he will either ascend to heaven, while his two witnesses use their own miracle-working gift to re-enter their bodies, coming back alive, or he will use his miracle-working gift to bring them back alive and then he will ascend to heaven. (Either way, he ends up in heaven and they end up alive again, on earth.) Then they will hear the voice of the destroyer speaking to them from heaven to “come up hither” and they will ascend to again be by his side, to witness the final act he does, just before the seventh trumpet sounds, which is this:

And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying,

The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 11:13-15)

The angel that commands the Son of Man

And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud,

Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. (Revelation 14:14-16)

Only the Josephite has authority to command Christ and have Him obey like this. He is the only one who fits as being this angel.

The angel with power over fire

And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying,

Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. (Revelation 14:17-18)

Again, the Josephite speaks with a loud voice and barks orders to everyone, so he fits here, too. Now, it may seem strange that the Josephite appears to be all over the place, on earth, in heaven, in the bottomless pit, in the interior of the earth, everywhere apparently. It is normal for one to say, “It cannot all be him. He cannot be everywhere at once. It is absolutely impossible to be in two places at once!” But keep in mind that the Josephite must do an infinite amount of impossible work in an impossibly short amount of time, and thus nothing can nor will be impossible for him to do in order to accomplish it all, not even being in two or more places at the same time. (Try wrapping your mind around that.) So, every single one of these instances may literally be him.

Also, this angel has power over fire. Will the Josephite have power over fire? Of course, he will.

The great voice out of the temple commanding the seven angels with the plagues

And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels,

Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. (Revelation 16:1)

This is probably the voice of the Josephite.

The great voice coming out of the temple saying, “It is done.”

And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying,

It is done. (Revelation 16:17)

Again, this is probably the voice of the Josephite. He starts the whole thing and he is the one who will say when it is finished.

The angel having great power

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying,

Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. (Revelation 18:1-3)

This angel is quite possibly the Josephite.

The mighty angel throwing the millstone

And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying,

Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. (Revelation 18:21)

This guy has “Josephite destroyer” written all over him.

The angel standing in the Sun

And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven,

Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. (Revelation 19:17-18)

The Josephite certainly will have power to stand in the Sun, plus this angel has a loud voice and is inviting the fowls to feast upon wicked men. That’s something that probably only the destroyer would delight in.

The angel that binds the dragon

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (Revelation 20:1-3)

This is Elias the Josephite, who has power to seal all things, including Satan and his angels. Notice, also, that here the Josephite, who is embodied, is laying hold of a spirit being, and binding him. This is altogether impossible, but he does it anyway.

About the end times plagues and destruction

John’s Revelation vision has seven seals opened, then seven trumpets blown and finally seven vials full of plagues poured out, with some major events happening each time afterward. Every time something major happens, it should be understood that the Josephite is the one causing it. (Even the actions of the wicked during the end times are but reactions to something he does.) The angels blowing trumpets or pouring out vials do not cause the prophesied major events that follow to happen. They merely exercise faith that the prophecies will be fulfilled, and then the Josephite uses his gift of the working of miracles to make them happen. After all, these things are all curses and death and destruction and demolition, which is his area of expertise. (Nevertheless, the final end of the wicked, in which they are burned up by the brightness of the Lord’s coming, won’t be the handiwork of the Josephite destroyer, but of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will be coming back as a destroying Elias, even as Elias the Messiah, who is the Branch.)

Yet more keys to discerning impostors

The information in this post, then, gives yet more keys to discern impostors who may appear, claiming to be the Elias who restores all things. For example, anyone who claims to be Elias, who says he saw the Father and the Son, and that the Son gave him instructions, or that he saw angels and the angels gave him instructions, is an impostor. Anyone who is not professing to be a king, is probably not Elias. (I assume he will let it be known that he is a king from a far country.) Anyone who is meek and lowly and Christlike and loving and kind and forgiving, etc., is probably an impostor. Elias will be sharp tongued, offending people left and right. He will not be adverse to using force and may even mock people. And he will undoubtedly have enemies and have no qualms about destroying them. In fact, Elias will have five points of motivation for getting out of his box:

• Simply getting out (so that he can finally progress)
• Avenging himself of his enemies
• Obtaining his beloved carrot
• Engaging in his personal work
• Doing the Father’s great and marvelous work of restoring all things

The second point in particular, about the enemies, is extremely important. As the Lord said,

Therefore, inasmuch as you are found transgressors, you cannot escape my wrath in your lives. (D&C 104:8)

so it will be with the Josephite. None of his enemies will escape his wrath. Even if his enemies die before he gets out of his box, the man will merely rewind the time to a point at which they are yet alive, and then severely punish them.

So those who come before us in sheep’s clothing, pretending to be Elias, who have no enemies, cannot be him. Elias will be more like a devouring and lone wolf than a saintly lamb. Everything about the man will be intimidating, even perhaps in his weak state.

More on the end times Cyrus prophecy

Concerning just how intimidating the Josephite will be, I’ll turn again to Isaiah’s prophecy of the end times Cyrus:

I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:5-6)

We see from this that the Father Himself is going to gird the Josephite for the express purpose of having the whole world know that there is no God besides the Father.

I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward,

saith the LORD of hosts. (Isaiah 45:13)

And the Father Himself will raise this man, in righteousness, and direct all his ways.

Thus saith the LORD,

The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying,

Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God. Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.

They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols. (Isaiah 45:14-16)

So, God will deliver the entire world’s wealth and its inhabitants to this man and they shall fall down before him and supplicate to him and confess that God is in him.

Surely, shall one say,

in the LORD have I righteousness and strength:

even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. (Isaiah 45:24)

Again, we see from this that there will be one (and that “one” is the Josephite) who will obtain righteousness and strength (see the post, The Strength of the Lord) through the Lord, and to him men will come and everyone who opposes him or who is angry at him, will be cursed. Given all of the above (and more like scriptures), describing the Josephite as “intimidating” may actually be a gross understatement.

Don’t make the fatal mistake

My hope with this post is that we don’t make the mistake of rejecting this guy because of his abrasive nature. Many people who expect an end times servant to come have the wrong idea about what he’s going to be like, or who he is, or who he was in the heavens. Having a proper understanding of the Josephite’s pre-mortal role as the destroying angel, the Father’s royal executioner and His emissary of justice, and as an actual king over an actual kingdom here on earth, with an earthly throne and also a heavenly throne (the monstrous comet!), will allow us to more easily identify him when he appears, to more easily understand his destructive nature and to more easily submit to his authority (which will be from the Father, not just from the Son.) Also, because of his tendency to curse those who slight him, submission to his authority will mean the difference between being cursed and blessed, miserable and happy, alive and dead, saved and damned. In other words, let this guy have his way in all things! Having a knowledge, then, of his nature will allow us to make allowances for it, instead of getting offended and committing spiritual suicide by rejecting him. As long as we take as our example the third captain of fifty, and grovel before before the Elias destroyer, we will survive his advent:

And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him,

O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. (2 Kings 1:13)

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The Prophet who is like unto Moses

Note: This was originally written as an explanatory tract for non-Mormons. I have left it almost intact, with very slight modifications, but added, as usual, something brand-spanking new. (Otherwise, what’s the point, right?)

Moses uttered the following prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:

The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; according to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:15-19)

The Christians believe this Prophet is Jesus Christ; the Muslims believe this Prophet is Mohammed; one of the Jewish rabbis teaches that this Prophet is Joshua, who succeeded Moses; and some Christians believe this Prophet is the Elijah/Elias who restores all things.

What do the Mormons believe? We believe that this Prophet is Jesus Christ. With this post I’m going to show why Jesus Christ fulfills this prophecy of being the Prophet who is like unto Moses, how all of this will be fulfilled and when it will be fulfilled. (Although Mormons and Christians both correctly believe that Christ is the Prophet Moses spoke of, I’m not sure that either group fully understands how Moses’s prophecy must and will be entirely fulfilled.)

A four-part prophecy

There are four parts to Moses’s prophecy: 1- That there will be a Prophet raised up in the midst of the house of Israel, of the house of Israel, who is like unto Moses, who will have the words of God in His mouth; 2- That this Prophet will speak to the house of Israel all the words that God will command Him to speak to them (which are the words of God); 3- That the house of Israel will hearken to (listen to and obey) the Prophet; and 4- That any individual who refuses to hearken to (listen to and obey) the words that the Prophet speaks to the house of Israel will be condemned by God.

Part One: A Prophet raised among Israel, of Israel, like Moses, and having God’s words

The first part of Moses’s prophecy reads:

The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me;…I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth;

It must be understood, first of all, that Deuteronomy chapter 18 is part of a sermon given to all the tribes of Israel by Moses, which begins in chapter 5:

And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. (Deuteronomy 5:1)

So, when Moses says in chapter 18, “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren,” he is talking to the entire assemblage of Israel, which were all the twelve tribes of Israel gathered around to hear his sermon. This prophecy, then, must be applied to the whole house of Israel, and not to just one part.

Okay, so Moses says that the Prophet will be raised up by God unto thee (the house of Israel.) In other words, this isn’t a prophet sent to the Gentiles, but to the house of Israel. This first point allows us to eliminate every prophet of God that is sent to a Gentile nation. None of such prophets are the Prophet spoken of by Moses.

Next, Moses says that the Prophet will be raised up by God from the midst of thee (the house of Israel.) This means that the man will be born and raised in one of Israel’s tribal lands of inheritance. He won’t be born in a Gentile nation, but in a nation of Israel. And he will be surrounded by others of the house of Israel, of whatever tribe the land happens to be. Again, this eliminates everyone that is born and raised in a Gentile nation.

Then Moses says that the Prophet will be raised up by God of thy (Israel’s) brethren. Now, the brethren of Israel are the twelve brothers who became the twelve tribes. These are the brethren Moses was referring to. For example, the brothers of the tribe of Gad are the other 11 tribes, and so forth. So, Moses doesn’t specify which tribal lineage the Prophet will have, but these words indicate that the man will have a tribal lineage of the house of Israel, and not merely be a Gentile born and raised in one of Israel’s tribal lands. This eliminates everyone who is not of the blood of one of the tribes of Israel.

To recap: this Prophet will be raised up by God to (or for) the entire house of Israel and He will be raised up from the midst of the house of Israel, that is, the Prophet will be raised up in one of the tribal lands of inheritance of Israel, and will be living in the midst of the house of Israel, being surrounded by other Israelites, and also He will be of the brethren of Israel, that is, of the twelve brothers (or tribes) that make up Israel.

Eliminated so far: Mohammed and the Elias/Elijah who restores all things

Thus far, with the facts we have established so far, the man Mohammed, who is proclaimed by Muslims to be the Prophet that Moses spoke of, is completely eliminated. He was born and raised in Mecca, which is not a tribal land of Israel, nor was he in the midst of the house of Israel. Instead, he was surrounded by descendants of Ishmael, not of Jacob through Isaac. The Muslims claim that the descendants of Ishmael count as the “brothers” of Israel, but they do not. The brothers of Israel are the twelve sons of Israel, who are the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob’s brother was Esau, not Ishmael. Jacob’s father was Isaac, who had a brother from another mother named Ishmael. This makes Ishmael several steps removed from the house of Israel. You have to go up the line two generations, then over to the other mother, then down. This is not what Moses was referring to. Moses’s prophecy is Israel-centric, dealing only with the house of Israel, and speaking only to and of the house of Israel. So, sorry Muslims, but Mohammed ain’t the Prophet Moses spoke of.

What about the Elias/Elijah who restores all things? Nope. It can’t be him, either. The Elias/Elijah who restores all things (Joseph-Nephi) will be of Gentile lineage, as well of the house of Joseph (both Ephraim and Manasseh) and also a descendant of Judah, therefore his lineage will be mixed. He will be raised up in a Gentile nation, as a Gentile, not knowing his Israel lineage (at first.) He will be surrounded, then, by Gentiles, and not by the house of Israel. Also, his mission isn’t Israel-centric, but encompasses both the house of Israel and the Gentiles, even the entire world. Also, this man won’t be a mere prophet, but a mighty miracle-working seer, which is greater than a prophet, so he doesn’t fit the profile, at all.

Who is not eliminated so far?

Joshua and all the other prophets of Israel who grew up in tribal lands and ministered only to the house of Israel. Given that at least one Jewish rabbi believes and teaches that Joshua is the Prophet, he is, as yet, not eliminated.

Part One continued: like Moses, and having God’s words

The Prophet will be like unto Moses. Now, the last words of the book of Deuteronomy say this:

And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses. And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel. (Deuteronomy 34:9-12)

These words altogether eliminate Joshua, despite the wisdom God gave him. The Prophet like unto Moses, then, would have to be a miracle-worker that knows God face to face. Elijah the Tishbite prophet was a miracle-worker, and thus might fit, except that Elijah wasn’t like Moses, at all. Moses was a law-giver, giving Israel a new law, even his “law of Moses,” which they had to follow from then on. All the other prophets that succeeded Moses merely told the people to repent and follow the law of Moses. Thus, the Prophet like unto Moses would have to be someone that also gave a new law, which the people would need to follow from then on. But no prophet of Israel did this, except for one: Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, in fact, not only claimed to have God’s words, but to be God’s Only Begotten Son according to the flesh. He claimed to be entirely divine. He claimed to know God the Father personally, just like Moses knew the Lord face to face. He claimed to have fulfilled the law of Moses and He gave a new law, even the law of Christ. Given all these facts, so far only Jesus Christ fits the entire bill.

Part Two: He speaks to all Israel

and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

Now, here is where it gets a bit interesting. God says this Prophet will “speak unto them all that” God will command Him. Who is the “them”? It is the entire house of Israel, all 12 tribes, and not just a part of them. Jesus was raised up in the land of Jerusalem, in the tribal lands of Israel, and He was of the tribe of Judah, and He was surrounded by other Israelites, but by the time of His ministry, most of the tribes had already been led away and were lost from history. Only two tribes remained on the tribal lands: Judah and Benjamin. The bulk of the tribes was missing. Although Jesus made all the proper claims that would indicate He was the Prophet that Moses spoke of, and although he performed mighty miracles just like Moses did, and although He spoke the word of God to the Israelite people that were there in that land, those weren’t all of Israel. They were just a part. Moses’s prophecy is specific that this Prophet will speak to them (the house of Israel) and not just to a part of that house.

However, Jesus did say the following, as recorded in the gospel of John:

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:14-16)

Other sheep which are not of this fold? He will bring them and they will hear His voice? The other sheep and other fold(s) will be united into one fold with one shepherd? What a curious thing to say, especially given that Moses’s Prophet will be speaking to all the house of Israel.

Now, this great mystery has already been cleared up. By the Mormons. Or more specifically, by the Book of Mormon. After Jesus was resurrected, He visited the Nephites (who were a branch of the house of Israel) and said to them:

And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. And they understood me not, for they supposed it had been the Gentiles; for they understood not that the Gentiles should be converted through their preaching. And they understood me not that I said they shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice—that I should not manifest myself unto them save it were by the Holy Ghost. But behold, ye have both heard my voice, and seen me; and ye are my sheep, and ye are numbered among those whom the Father hath given me. (3 Nephi 15:21-24)

And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister. For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them. But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them. And I command you that ye shall write these sayings after I am gone, that if it so be that my people at Jerusalem, they who have seen me and been with me in my ministry, do not ask the Father in my name, that they may receive a knowledge of you by the Holy Ghost, and also of the other tribes whom they know not of, that these sayings which ye shall write shall be kept and shall be manifested unto the Gentiles, that through the fulness of the Gentiles, the remnant of their seed, who shall be scattered forth upon the face of the earth because of their unbelief, may be brought in, or may be brought to a knowledge of me, their Redeemer. And then will I gather them in from the four quarters of the earth; and then will I fulfil the covenant which the Father hath made unto all the people of the house of Israel. (3 Nephi 16:1-5)

So, we see from this that Jesus ministered to the Jews in the land of Jerusalem, then later went to America and ministered to another branch of the house of Israel (the Nephites), and then later went to the rest of the tribes of Israel and ministered to them, too. And He gave all these many words to all the various tribes, as the new law of Christ they were to obey from then on. Thus, in this particular, Jesus Christ still fulfills the Prophet specifications.

There is only one problem with this scenario: God said, “and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.” So, “all that I shall command him” means that all the tribes must receive all the words of the Prophet, even the words He gave to the other tribes. It’s not good enough for Jesus to visit each branch of Israel and give them words, they must also have all the words he gave to the other tribes. This, and this alone, fulfills Moses’s words.

Has this happened? Nope. Will this happen? Yep. These are the words that God gave to Nephi circa 600 BC:

For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written. For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it. And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews. And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the landsof their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever. (2 Nephi 29:11-14)

So, at some point all the words that Jesus spoke to the ancient Jews will be written and given to the modern Gentiles. And at some point, all the words that Jesus spoke to the ancient Nephites will be written and given to the modern Gentiles. And the modern Gentiles will share those words with the modern Jews and the modern Nephites, so that the modern Nephites will have all the words that Jesus spoke to the ancient Jews and to the ancient Nephites, and the modern Jews will have all the words Jesus spoke to the ancient Jews and to the ancient Nephites. And this process will repeat with the lost ten tribes of Israel, the Nephites and the Jews, so that every branch of modern Israel has all the words spoken by Jesus to every other ancient branch of Israel. When this happens, this part of Moses’s Prophet prophecy will be fulfilled every whit.

How will this second part of Moses’s prophecy be accomplished?

It will be through the ministry of Joseph-Nephi, the miracle-working seer who restores all things. He is the one who will bring all these ancient words back, restoring them, and he is the one who will give them to the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles they will go to every branch of Israel.

Concerning the Nephite records, we know that the words of Christ were written in the Book of Mormon, which contained a lesser part of the things He taught:

And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken. (3 Nephi 26:8)

So, Joseph-Nephi will re-translate the Book of Mormon and put those words into powerful language.

And we know that the words of Christ were also written on the Large Plates of Nephi, which contained the more part of the things He taught:

And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people; but behold the plates of Nephi do contain the more part of the things which he taught the people. (3 Nephi 26:6-7)

So, Joseph-Nephi will also translate the Large Plates of Nephi.

But neither the Book of Mormon, nor the Large Plates of Nephi, contain all the words that Jesus taught the people. These two records only contain “a lesser part” and “the more part,” not the whole proceeding. Fortunately, the Nephites were fanatical record keepers, and they had records that contained “all the proceedings” of their people, including the full ministry and teachings Jesus gave them when He visited them.

But behold there are records which do contain all the proceedings of this people; and a shorter but true account was given by Nephi. (3 Nephi 5:9)

Joseph-Nephi, then, will bring forth other Nephite records, which contain the whole ministry of Christ among the Nephites, and he will send these translations forth among the Gentiles.

Concerning the Jewish records, we know that there will be a Book of the Lamb of God brought forth at some point, but this book is apparently not a large record, containing less than what the plates of brass contained. And it will be similar to the plates of brass, covering the same types of things the plates of brass contain, except with additions by the twelve apostles. Will it contain the full ministry of Christ among the Jews? Probably not. So, we can expect something else to come forth, even more Jewish records to appear, which give the entire 3-year ministry of Christ among the Jews, from beginning to end.

Concerning the records of the Lost Ten Tribes, we know nothing. Joseph-Nephi will likely have to go to wherever these tribes have been placed, and get their records, bringing their records back to the Gentiles, in powerful translated forms. Once the Gentiles have all the words of Christ that were given to the Jews, to the Nephites, to the Lost Ten Tribes, and to any other scattered branch of Israel, then the prophecy of the Gentiles rejecting the fullness of the gospel can be literally fulfilled.

Concerning the Gentiles bringing these records to the Jews, to the Nephites, and to the Lost Ten Tribes and any other scattered branch of Israel, it shouldn’t be too difficult to accomplish this feat for the Jews and the Nephites, but as for the Lost Ten Tribes, given they are hidden away somewhere, Joseph-Nephi may need to bring a group of Gentiles with him, who possess all these records, so that they can fulfill the prophecies and give them to the tribes.

The fact, then, that Joseph-Nephi will be traveling to where the Lost Ten Tribes are to get their records, and traveling back to where the Gentiles are, and then traveling with Gentiles to where the Lost Ten Tribes are, so they can give the other tribal records to the Lost Ten Tribes, and also the fact that at some point, when Joseph-Nephi will begin to gather the tribes together he will again need to go to where the tribes are, because the function of the keys of gathering indicate a need for him to personally lead the Lost Ten Tribes back to their original tribal lands:

After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto us; and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north. (D&C 110:11)

All of this indicates that Joseph-Nephi will have untrammeled access to travel back and forth, to and from the place where the Lost Ten Tribes are. For others it will be impossible to get to them, but not for him (and this special group of Gentiles he may bring with him.)

At any rate, none of this has happened, yet, since Joseph-Nephi is still in his weak phase and hasn’t even started working on his mission. Now notice that we are only on part two of Moses’s prophecy, and this part hasn’t been fulfilled, yet. Part one has been fulfilled, but the final three parts of Moses’s Prophet prophecy were always meant to be fulfilled during the end times.

Part Three: the house of Israel repents and obeys Christ

unto him ye shall hearken;

Once the whole house of Israel obtains the full words of Christ that He gave to every branch of ancient Israel, the whole house of Israel will repent and obey the law of Christ, as given in these new records Joseph-Nephi will bring forth. Also, Joseph-Nephi will have what the ancients called, “the convincing power,” therefore, he will use the miraculous power of God in him to convince the entire world that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Nephi wrote:

And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God; and that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith. (2 Nephi 26:12-13)

Thus, these records and the convincing power in Joseph-Nephi will convince the entire world that Jesus is the Christ, and the whole house of Israel, all branches, will repent and come to Christ, thus becoming saved as a group (group-saved.) All of this will happen before Jesus comes back. This group salvation will apply to everyone who joins the true church and fold of God, which fold will be the now-penitent house of Israel. Joseph-Nephi will then proceed to gather and number the fold, disburse inheritances, etc. The Gentiles that repent will be group-saved by being put into the true church and fold of God, and they will be numbered with Israel, so that they won’t be Gentiles anymore. All of this happens during the ministry of Joseph-Nephi, for his ministry deals with the salvation of the group (group salvation), which is why God tells him:

I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. (Isaiah 49:6)

Part Four: what happens to those who don’t repent

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Now, the words “I will require it of him” refer to being condemned in the day of judgment. It means that when Jesus returns, all those who refuse to repent and obey the words that Joseph-Nephi has brought forth in the new records, and who refuse to enter the true church and fold of God, who refuse to gather with God’s people, who refuse to be numbered with Israel, but instead are trying to fight Israel and destroy God’s people, these wicked, impenitent people will be judged and be brought under condemnation.

What is the penalty inflicted? Why, the death penalty, of course. This is why Nephi wrote:

And now behold, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you; for I, Nephi, would not suffer that ye should suppose that ye are more righteous than the Gentiles shall be. For behold, except ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall all likewise perish; and because of the words which have been spoken ye need not suppose that the Gentiles are utterly destroyed. For behold, I say unto you that as many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews as will not repent shall be cast off; for the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel. (2 Nephi 30:1-2)

Notice how others have cited Moses’s prophecy. Peter said:

For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. (Acts 3:22-23)

So, according to Peter’s view, “I will require it of him” means that that soul will be destroyed.

Nephi quoted Moses’s prophecy in this way (and notice that Nephi identifies the Prophet as the Holy One of Israel, who is Christ):

For behold, the righteous shall not perish; for the time surely must come that all they who fight against Zion shall be cut off. And the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people, unto the fulfilling of the words of Moses, which he spake, saying: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that all those who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people. And now I, Nephi, declare unto you, that this prophet of whom Moses spake was the Holy One of Israel; wherefore, he shall execute judgment in righteousness. (1 Nephi 22:19-21)

Again, getting “cut off” means temporal and spiritual destruction. So, the wicked of the end times will be burned up by the brightness of the Lord’s coming and will lose their souls. They will not be accounted as saved Israel. They will neither have individual salvation, nor group salvation.

When Jesus Christ visited the Nephites, he also referenced this prophecy and identified himself as the Prophet, using the same “cut off” wording:

Behold, I am he of whom Moses spake, saying: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people. (3 Nephi 20:23)

Jesus also referred a second time to this same prophecy here:

Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant. (3 Nephi 21:11)

Some people think that getting cut off, or destroyed, or having the Lord “require it” of them, can occur before the Second Coming of Christ, but they are wrong. When the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith, Moroni began quoting scripture to him. One of the passages he quoted was the words of Peter in Acts, in which he identified the Prophet as Christ. Joseph Smith wrote the following about Moroni’s visit:

He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand in our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ; but the day had not yet come when “they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people,” but soon would come. (Joseph Smith-History 1:40)

The day when this part of Moses’s prophecy will be fulfilled is the great and dreadful day of the Lord’s Second Coming. Malachi prophesied of this day as follows:

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. (Malachi 4:1)

So, the wicked will be toast. Not a single one will survive. Nobody can reject the coming records, which will contain all the words of the Prophet (Christ), and remain neutral. God will destroy every last person who rejects His Son, the Prophet Christ, in that day.

One last thing, regarding John the Baptist being questioned about “that prophet”

In the New Testament we discover that the Jews of that time believed that the “prophet like unto Moses” had not yet appeared. How do we know this? Because they asked John, “Art thou that prophet?” (The passage in John 1:19-27 also shows that the Jews of that time did not believe that either Christ, nor Elias, had yet appeared.) Notice that when John the Baptist was asked if he was that prophet, he said he was not that prophet:

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him,

Who art thou?

And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed,

I am not the Christ.

And they asked him,

What then? Art thou Elias?

And he saith,

I am not.

Art thou that prophet?

And he answered,

No.

Then said they unto him,

Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

He said,

I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,

Make straight the way of the Lord,

as said the prophet Esaias.

And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him,

Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

John answered them, saying,

I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. (John 1:19-27)

The Joseph Smith Translation renders this passage even clearer, showing that John the Baptist actually identified Jesus Christ as the Prophet:

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem, to ask him;

Who art thou?

And he confessed, and denied not that he was Elias; but confessed, saying;

I am not the Christ.

And they asked him, saying;

How then art thou Elias?

And he said,

I am not that Elias who was to restore all things.

And they asked him, saying,

Art thou that prophet?

And he answered,

No.

Then said they unto him,

Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

He said,

I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,

Make straight the way of the Lord,

as saith the prophet Esaias.

And they who were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him;

Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not the Christ, nor Elias who was to restore all things, neither that prophet?

John answered them, saying;

I baptize with water, but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is of whom I bear record. He is that prophet, even Elias, who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose, or whose place I am not able to fill; for he shall baptize, not only with water, but with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. (JST John 1:20-28)

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John the Revelator is not the Elias who restores all things

Revelation chapter 10 reads as follows:

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. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,

Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said,

Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

And I went unto the angel, and said unto him,

Give me the little book.

And he said unto me,

Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me,

Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. (Revelation Chapter 10)

Joseph Smith was asked a question about the book and gave the following answer by revelation:

Q. What are we to understand by the little book which was eaten by John, as mentioned in the 10th chapter of Revelation?

A. We are to understand that it was a mission, and an ordinance, for him to gather the tribes of Israel; behold, this is Elias, who, as it is written, must come and restore all things. (D&C 77:14)

Everyone who reads this scripture thinks that the part that says, “this is Elias, who, as it is written, must come and restore all things” must be referring to John, but the question was not asked about John, but about what we should understand by the little book that he ate.

Where it is written

Joseph Smith said, by revelation, that “this is Elias, who, as it is written, must come and restore all things.” So, where is it written that Elias must come and restore all things? Here:

And his disciples asked him, saying,

Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

And Jesus answered and said unto them,

Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. (Matt. 17:10-11)

Lots of Eliases, but there’s only one Elias who restores all things

Now, there are lots of different Eliases, for Elias (which is simply the name Elijah translated from the Greek) is a title for anyone who is sent by the Lord to prepare the way before Him. Jesus taught the following to His disciples:

But I say unto you,

Who is Elias? Behold, this is Elias, whom I send to prepare the way before me. (JST Matt. 17:13)

This means that all angels operate as Eliases, because part of their mission is to prepare the way of the Lord:

…neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men. For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness. And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him. And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men. (Moroni 7:29-32)

Also, all men who prepare the way of the Lord operate as Eliases. Thus, both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ (who prepared the way of the Father) are Eliases, nevertheless, there is a specific Elias who restores all things:

And he [John the Baptist] confessed, and denied not that he was Elias; but confessed, saying;

I am not the Christ.

And they asked him, saying;

How then art thou Elias?

And he said,

I am not that Elias who was to restore all things.

And they asked him, saying,

Art thou that prophet?

And he answered,

No.

Then said they unto him,

Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

He said,

I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,

Make straight the way of the Lord,

as saith the prophet Esaias.

And they who were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him;

Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not the Christ, nor Elias who was to restore all things, neither that prophet?

John answered them, saying;

I baptize with water, but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is of whom I bear record. He is that prophet, even Elias, who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose, or whose place I am not able to fill; for he shall baptize, not only with water, but with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. (JST John 1:21-28)

We see from this that John the Baptist identified both himself and Jesus Christ as Eliases (and he also identified Jesus as the Prophet that Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18:15-19), but John indicated that he himself was not that Elias who restores all things.

Thus, there is more than one Elias spoken of in prophecy, but they are different people performing different works at different times, and not just the same person reincarnated or transmigrated, such as for example Elijah the Tishbite coming back to earth and being born again as John the Baptist, as some erroneously believe and teach. No, these are all different Eliases, meaning different people bearing the same title of Elias.

The Elias who restores all things is not a composite personage

Nevertheless, nor is the Elias who restores all things a bunch of different people, like a composite Elias, which erroneous teaching was taught by Bruce R. McConkie and others:

According to the plan and program of the Lord, the dispensation of the fulness of times is “the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21). This restoration is to be effected by Elias. Before the winding up of the Lord’s work, the promise is: “Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things” (Matt. 17:11). With these ancient scriptures before us, these questions arise: Who is the promised Elias who was to come and restore all things? Has the work of restoration taken place? Or is it something that is yet future?

Correcting the Bible by the spirit of revelation, the Prophet restored a statement of John the Baptist which says that Christ is the Elias who was to restore all things (Inspired Version, John 1:21-28). By revelation we are also informed that the Elias who was to restore all things is the angel Gabriel who was known in mortality as Noah (D&C 27:6-7; Luke 1:5-25; Teachings, p. 157). From the same authentic source we also learn that the promised Elias is John the Revelator (D&C 77:9, 14). Thus there are three different revelations which name Elias as being three different persons. What are we to conclude?

By finding answer to the question, by whom has the restoration been effected, we shall find who Elias is and find there is no problem in harmonizing these apparently contradictory revelations. Who has restored all things? Was it one man? Certainly not. Many angelic ministrants have been sent from the courts of glory to confer keys and powers, to commit their dispensations and glories again to men on earth. At least the following have come: Moroni, John the Baptist, Peter, James and John, Moses, Elijah, Elias, Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael (D&C 13; 110; 128:19-21). Since it is apparent that no one messenger has carried the whole burden of the restoration, but rather that each has come with a specific endowment from on high, it becomes clear that Elias is a composite personage. The expression must be understood to be a name and a title for those whose mission it was to commit keys and powers to men in this final dispensation (see Doctrines of Salvation, 1:170-174). (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:492-493; see also Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., p. 221)

Notice that McConkie says, “Correcting the Bible by the spirit of revelation, the Prophet restored a statement of John the Baptist which says that Christ is the Elias who was to restore all things (Inspired Version, John 1:21-28)” In point of fact, that text does not say that Christ is the Elias who was to restore all things. It only says that Christ is Elias. In other words, Christ is an Elias. This is the first error McConkie made.

Notice also that McConkie says, “By revelation we are also informed that the Elias who was to restore all things is the angel Gabriel who was known in mortality as Noah (D&C 27:6-7; Luke 1:5-25; Teachings, p. 157).” In point of fact, the text does not say that Gabriel is the Elias who was to restore all things. It only says that Gabriel holds “the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things.” These keys will be delivered by Gabriel to Joseph-Nephi, who will then use them to restore all things. This, then, is the second error McConkie made.

Again McConkie says, “From the same authentic source we also learn that the promised Elias is John the Revelator (D&C 77:9, 14).” This post is going to attempt to correct that erroneous assumption, for the revelation in question does not say that John is the Elias who was to restore all things. Three strikes, McConkie.

McConkie started out wrong in this endeavor because he came up with the wrong answer to the question he posed, “Who has restored all things?” McConkie (and I suppose other latter-day saints of like thinking) have supposed that the restoration of all things has already occurred. But latter-day saint scripture explicitly states that the restoration of all things has not, as yet, occurred and thus is still future to us:

Therefore, thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers—for ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God—therefore your life and the priesthood have remained, and must needs remain through you and your lineage until the restoration of all things spoken by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began. (D&C 86:8-10)

So, given that the restoration of all things is still future to us, the answer to McConkie’s question, “Who has restored all things?” is: no one has restored all things. And the answers to McConkie’s other questions, “Who is the promised Elias who was to come and restore all things? Has the work of restoration taken place? Or is it something that is yet future?” is: Joseph-Nephi is the promised Elias who was to come and restore all things; and a work of restoration has taken place, but not the restoration of all things, which is yet future to us.

Therefore, all the Eliases we have so far seen, have been Eliases who are not the Elias who restores all things, for that specific work of restoration, and that specific Elias, is yet future to us.

The Elias who restores all things is a specific person

Just as the prophet Elijah the Tishbite was a specific person who had a specific mission, and thus was a specific Elias, so John the Baptist was a specific person who had a specific mission, and thus was a specific Elias. Jesus taught:

But the days will come, when the violent shall have no power; for all the prophets and the law prophesied that it should be thus until John. Yea, as many as have prophesied have foretold of these days. And if ye will receive it, verily, he was the Elias, who was for to come and prepare all things. (JST Matt. 11:13-15)

John, then, was the specific Elias who was to come before the First Coming of Jesus and prepare all things for Him. In like manner, there is a specific Elias who was to come before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and restore all things:

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

The word “another” indicates a specific person who restores all things, not a composite personage. Okay, let’s get back to Joseph Smith’s revelation concerning the book that John ate.

A mission

According to Joseph Smith, the book that John ate was a mission for him to gather the tribes of Israel. Now, books contain words, do they not? And how does one receive a mission? Does not one receive a mission from someone else? Does not someone else say to the person receiving the mission, “Go do this and that?” Are not words used to send someone on a mission? The book, then, is representative of someone’s words, even the words of the someone who is sending somebody else (John) on a mission. Whose words does the book contain? The book contains the words of that Elias who restores all things (who is Joseph-Nephi.)

An ordinance

The eating of the book by John represents John’s ordination to the mission. How does one get ordained to a mission? Does not someone lay hands on another person’s head and say words? Whose words are used to ordain John to his mission to gather the tribes of Israel? Why, the words of that Elias who restores all things (who is Joseph-Nephi.)

John accepts the mission from Elias

It is interesting that the mission (which represents that Elias who restores all things, his words and his mission to gather the tribes of Israel) was in the hand of an angel, for, as already stated above, angels themselves also bear the title of Elias. Thus, John taking the book out of the hand of the angel is representative of John accepting the mission to gather the tribes of Israel from the hand of Elias.

An available mission

Was the book open or closed? It was open:

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 the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. (Rev. 10:2,8)

So, this little mission was open, or available to be filled by someone. And God chose John to fill it. He then took the book (accepted the mission) and ate it (was ordained to the mission.)

This has happened before

Eating books is nothing new in prophecy. It happened to Ezekiel:

And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee;

Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.

And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; and he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. (Ezekiel 2:6-10) Moreover he said unto me,

Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.

So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me,

Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee.

Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. (Ezekiel 3:1-3)

Just like John, Ezekiel saw a roll of a book, which was in a hand—but this was a disembodied hand, representing the hand of the Lord, and not the hand of an angel, meaning an Elias—and the book was spread open before Ezekiel by the hand (therefore it was an available mission, ready to be filled), and then Ezekiel ate it and was commanded to speak the Lord’s words to the people. So, the book roll contained the words of the Lord, representing an available mission of the Lord for Ezekiel to accomplish, and Ezekiel accepted this mission by the hand of the Lord, and then was ordained to the mission by the Lord when he ate the roll.

Now, back to the book that John ate.

A little mission

What kind of a book was it? It was a little book. What kind of a mission was it? It was a little mission. (Not a big or a great mission.) As it was a little mission, it wasn’t a mission for John to gather all the tribes of Israel, just some of the tribes. How many tribes? Probably just two: the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. During the time of John’s mortal ministry, those were the two tribes that occupied the land of Jerusalem, and those were the two tribes he was familiar with. So, he gets to participate in the end time events by receiving a little mission to gather a couple of the tribes of Israel (Judah and Benjamin.)

The big mission

The mission to gather the tribes of Israel is the mission of that Elias who restores all things, who is Joseph-Nephi:

Q. What are we to understand by the angel ascending from the east, Revelation 7th chapter and 2nd verse?

A. We are to understand that the angel ascending from the east is he to whom is given the seal of the living God over the twelve tribes of Israel; wherefore, he crieth unto the four angels having the everlasting gospel, saying: Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And, if you will receive it, this is Elias which was to come to gather together the tribes of Israel and restore all things. (D&C 77:9)

Joseph-Nephi has the mission to gather all the tribes of Israel, but because John is slated to participate in the end times work, he delegates to John a little mission, while reserving the big mission of gathering the rest of Israel himself.

Why must Joseph-Nephi be the one to gather the larger portion? Because the smaller portion (Judah and Benjamin) are of a finite number, whereas the larger portion (all the rest of the tribes and branches) are as numberless as the sands of the seashore. Thus, they are essentially infinite in number. Normal miracle-workers can’t handle that kind of workload, for not only must Joseph-Nephi gather them, but he’ll also have to number them. Joseph-Nephi will be a miracle-worker’s miracle-worker, performing feats that normal miracle-workers can’t do. Gathering the numberless and then numbering the numberless is beyond the scope of John or any other servant of God. Only Joseph-Nephi will be able to accomplish the feat. So, to Joseph-Nephi is given the bulk of the work, while all the rest of his mortal and angelic helpers are given a little bit of work.

For example, when the angel who ascends from the east (who is Joseph-Nephi) tells his four angelic helpers to not harm anything until the servants of God have been sealed, they seal 144,000 of the tribes of Israel.

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. (Rev. 7:4)

That works out to 36,000 sealed per angel (of the four.) That’s a finite number which they can handle. But notice that John also saw another population:

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb…And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Rev. 7:9-10,13-14)

This numberless host were of saved people. It is impossible for man to number them, but Joseph-Nephi will number them anyway. These people get sealed, too. By whom? By Joseph-Nephi. Why must he be the one to do it? Because their numbers are too great, requiring a miracle of outrageous power to accomplish the feat. And that’s just the sort of power Joseph-Nephi will have. He will have “much power” laid upon him. Not “much power” from the perspective of man, but “much power” from the perspective of God:

What is the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse?

Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power. (D&C 113:3-4)

So, Joseph-Nephi will reserve to himself all the truly great tasks which are impossible for others to perform, while delegating only the smaller tasks that others can handle, according to their level of faith.

Eternal words

The representation of Joseph-Nephi as a little open book might be hard for some people to swallow, but he is also represented by a rod (Isaiah 11:1), a root (Isaiah 11:10), a candlestick (Zechariah 4) and so on, and yet these other symbols are readily accepted by the same people. In another revelation, Joseph-Nephi’s description is representative of all these symbols:

And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the scepter of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words; while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth, to set in order the house of God, and to arrange by lot the inheritances of the saints whose names are found, and the names of their fathers, and of their children, enrolled in the book of the law of God; (D&C 85:7)

The scepter of power is representative of a rod; clothing of light is representative of a candlestick; eternal words is representative of a book; and a fountain of truth is representative of something that goes down deep in the earth, such as a root. So, nobody need choke on the open book being a symbol for Joseph-Nephi.

John is commanded to take the book, therefore, he cannot be that Elias who restores all things

In Revelation 10 we find that John is commanded by the voice to take the book:

Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

And I went unto the angel, and said unto him,

Give me the little book.

And he said unto me,

Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. (Rev. 10:8-9)

John does not volunteer to take the book. He is first commanded to take it, then he goes to Elias (the angel) and says to give him the mission. The fact that John is commanded to accept and perform the mission, and does not merely volunteer for it, shows that he cannot be that Elias who restores all things, for the Elias who restores all things is a strictly volunteer position. God cannot command anyone to be the Elias who restores all things. It must be requested by someone.

The command to restore all things is unjust

It needs to be understood that the restoration of all things is accomplished by one man, and one man alone, although there are helpers, both angelic and human, who participate, according to their prayers and desires. In other words, all the servants of God who desired to participate in the end times events, and who prayed in faith toward that end, were given some small role to play, God disbursing the various assignments as He saw fit. Thus, John’s desire to work more was rewarded with a commission to gather the tribes of Israel in the end times. God chose John for that particular work, and He chooses all His other servants for all the other participatory works they will engage in during the end times, commanding them to do this or that.

But the role of “restorer of all things” cannot be given to anyone by God, for it is too great for man. It is too much work. It is endless work, infinite work. It is unjust to put such a workload upon the shoulders of just one man, and God is a just God. Were God to command someone to perform the restoration of all things, He would cease being just, and thus He would cease being God. Therefore, God is incapable of commanding any man to be the Elias who restores all things.

Nevertheless, it is a principle of the gospel what whatsoever you ask for, in faith, believing you will receive, nothing doubting, shall be granted. Thus, God can only fill the position of “Elias who restores all things” if one of His sons requests it in faith.

God, knowing all things from the beginning, had a very special spirit son, a special servant, who He knew would request to be the Elias who restores all things. So He held this spirit back, for thousands of years, to be held in reserve until just before the end times begins, even now, and then sent him to earth to be born, knowing full well that at some point in the man’s life he would exercise exceedingly great faith and ask to be the Elias who restores all things. Given that a valid and faith filled request would be made, God would have to put upon the man the very burden, just as he asked, and thus God would get His needed Elias to save all of mankind.

John the Revelator, however, did not request the mission, but was first commanded to do it, showing he is not that Elias who restores all things.

Now, some reading this might wonder, “Just how big is Joseph-Nephi’s mission?” I will show you.

A very literal deadline: the Second Coming of Christ

First, let’s talk about when the mission needs to be completed. Joseph Smith revealed the following about Revelation chapters 8 and 9:

Q. What are we to understand by the sounding of the trumpets, mentioned in the 8th chapter of Revelation?

A. We are to understand that as God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work, and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth, even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and judge all things, and shall redeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things, unto the end of all things; and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years—the preparing of the way before the time of his coming.

Q. When are the things to be accomplished, which are written in the 9th chapter of Revelation?

A. They are to be accomplished after the opening of the seventh seal, before the coming of Christ. (D&C 77:12-13)

In Revelation 8 the seventh seal is opened. This occurs in the beginning of the seventh thousand years, therefore this occurs after 11 April 2033. The events in chapters 8 and 9, then, take place after 11 April 2033, after the seventh seal is open, but before the coming of Christ.

In other words, all the events described by Joseph must take place before Jesus gets back. If these things don’t happen, absolutely nobody gets saved.

An endless number of impossible-to-perform tasks to be completed perfectly in an impossibly short amount of time

What has to occur? Again, notice what Joseph says:

in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and judge all things, and shall redeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things, unto the end of all things; and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years—the preparing of the way before the time of his coming. (D&C 77:12)

So, God will 1) sanctify the earth, 2) complete the salvation of man, 3) judge all things, 4) redeem all things, 5) seal all things; and He will do all of this 6) to the end of all things. This encompasses both 1) the preparing of His work and 2) the finishing of His work. And all of this vast amount of work must occur before Jesus comes back.

The Lord God accomplishes this work through a single, solitary individual named Joseph-Nephi, who is a miracle-worker seer of faith levels never before seen or even imagined. Joseph-Nephi, then, must sanctify the earth (bringing it back to its pre-Fall condition), complete the salvation of man (referring to group salvation), judge all things (for the inhabitants of Zion will judge all nations and all things pertaining to Zion, will they not?), redeem all things and seal all things, even to the end of all things, meaning a sealing which encompasses both past, present and future, or to be plainer in writing, which seals both the dead, the living and the as-yet unborn.

Thus, for the restoration of all things, Joseph-Nephi must reveal all things, restore all things, gather all things in one, in Christ, seal all things, number all things, restore all things to their lands of inheritance, disburse all inheritances, sanctify the planet and redeem all things upon it (not including the wicked, of course.) In other words, Joseph-Nephi must do it all and also, he must do it all perfectly, with no errors, whatsoever.

Now, if you can’t wrap your mind around all of that, which must be fully finished perfectly, and before Jesus gets back, it’s likely because this great and marvelous work is beyond human comprehension. Yet it must be done, irregardless, because this is how we are group-saved, otherwise we will all get destroyed on the day of the Lord’s Second Coming. So, let me take the opportunity to expound upon group salvation.

Group salvation

A connection to Christ (oneness with Christ) is not enough to save. We must also have a connection to (oneness with) each other. This is the doctrine of perfection:

I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine. (D&C 38:27)

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:20-23)

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (1 Corinthians 1:10)

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

These passages show the doctrine of group salvation in which a group of persons is made perfect. Perfection is necessary for salvation because nobody can be saved while continuing to break God’s commandments, and perfection is a commandment of God required of all mankind:

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

Thus, the doctrine of perfection is the doctrine of group salvation, which is why Joseph Smith wrote the following:

And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect.

And now, in relation to the baptism for the dead, I will give you another quotation of Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:29: Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?

And again, in connection with this quotation I will give you a quotation from one of the prophets, who had his eye fixed on the restoration of the priesthood, the glories to be revealed in the last days, and in an especial manner this most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel, namely, the baptism for the dead; for Malachi says, last chapter, verses 5th and 6th: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

I might have rendered a plainer translation to this, but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times. (D&C 128:15-18)

The means by which we become perfect is through oneness with each other and also with Christ, which creates a saved group of perfect people, yet given that we are all one, we are considered “the (singular) body of Christ.” As Christ considers us part of His body, the entire group becomes saved. Whatsoever, or whosoever, is outside of “the body of Christ,” is not considered part of His body (or fold), but is considered part of the other fold (the devil’s fold), and thus is not saved.

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:16)

The body (or fold) of Christ is one, not two or three or four. Just one. Therefore, it is a single group of united people that spans all of time, from the beginning to the very end, and they are all connected to (one with) each other. This is why Paul wrote:

God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:40)

They (that is, the dead) cannot be made perfect without us because they are part of the body (or fold) of Christ, just as Paul and the saints of his day were part of the body (or fold) of Christ, just as we latter-day saints are part of the body (or fold) of Christ, and there cannot be more than one fold (or body) of Christ, therefore, we all must be made one, even one fold, otherwise, we are not God’s. Thus, all dead saints, and all living saints, and all the future unborn saints, need to be connected to each other in some way, to become one. There cannot be two unconnected groups of saved people, but only one huge group that spans all of time, all connected to each other, all one body and fold of Christ. Unless this is so, there is no perfection for any of them, for this is the only way any of them can fulfill the commandment to “be ye therefore perfect.” They must all be part of the same, connected group.

Now Adam has the “keys of salvation” (D&C 78:16), therefore, the group that composes “the body of Christ” must be connected to each other all the way back to Adam. These “keys of salvation” aren’t the keys of individual salvation, but of group salvation, and will be used upon all those who comprise the (singular) body of Christ. The problem lies, then, that each time God reveals a dispensation of the gospel to people on earth—to this civilization, or to that civilization—and another “body of Christ” is formed, these groups of people remain unconnected to the other groups, and also unconnected to Adam; for everything must lead back to Adam so that he can use those keys of (group) salvation. Adam has the promises, and so whoever is connected to him, likewise has the promises. Given that cycles of wickedness and apostasy have happened over and over again throughout the world’s history, so that a righteous people become wicked and then self-destruct and get wiped out, their histories being wiped out and their very existence being altogether forgotten, and then God plants another seed in another location, and the process starts all over again, the wicked becoming righteous, then later becoming wicked again and getting wiped out—all these righteous people that lived in various places and at various times must be connected to each other, and to Adam, to be a part of the (singular) body of Christ. Thus, all these people must be gathered together in one, meaning one (singular) body of Christ, being one group of connected people who are one with each other, and one with Christ. But this cannot be done. It is simply impossible.

Nevertheless, if this is not done, then there is no group salvation. There is no body of Christ. And thus the people of this earth become cursed and rejected by God, for they are not considered as His, but instead are considered part of the devil’s fold, having not obeyed God’s commandments “to be perfect” and “to be one.” So, when He comes back, He destroys not only the whole human population, but also their dominions, which is this planet and all that ever existed, or might have existed, upon it. Thus, we are screwed. All is lost. There is no hope in sight. That is, except for this one little tidbit of hope:

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (Ephesians 1:7-12)

Thus God, seeing that His righteous saints would be destroyed by their inability to keep His commandment to be perfect, because they have no power to connect themselves to all the other groups of righteous persons who have lived on this planet, nor to Adam, He ordained that in the last days He would gather all things together in one (and this includes all the saints of all ages into one body of Christ), and He would do this before His Son Jesus Christ came back, so that the gathered body of Christ could be group-saved. How would God accomplish this feat that would span all of time, all of earth and also all of heaven? By using a very special instrument of exceeding faith, even the appointed rod of power that would be in His hands, which rod is that miracle-working seer known as Joseph-Nephi, the Elias who restores all things.

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. (Psalms 110:1-2)

And his disciples asked him, saying,

Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

And Jesus answered and said unto them,

Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. (Matthew 17:10-11)

Thus, Joseph-Nephi must come, meaning that it is vital to our salvation that he comes (and he will come out of Zion, which is America), otherwise we won’t be group-saved, or be accounted as the body of Christ. And also Joseph-Nephi shall come out of Zion (America) and perform that mighty and necessary work of making Christ’s “whole body fitly joined together” (Eph. 4:16) to perfection.

Joseph-Nephi is the Lord’s salvation unto the ends of the earth

Isaiah chapter 49 contains the words of Joseph-Nephi. Notice what he says here:

And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him,

Though Israel be not gathered,

yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. And he said,

It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. (Isaiah 49:5-6)

Jesus Christ is our individual Savior, saving us individually, but when it comes to group salvation, we all participate, becoming saviors on mount Zion:

And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s. (Obadiah 1:21)

The principle is that we are to perform the works we are commanded to perform, and do all within our power, and then we are saved by the grace of God, who makes up for our lack.

For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. (2 Nephi 25:23)

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. (D&C 123:17)

Each of us does some small amount of group salvation work, according to our faith, and when you count it all up, when all that work is added together, it is not enough to complete the full task of group salvation, thus the group remains unsaved, because the work of salvation must be done to full completion and it must be done perfectly, otherwise it is insufficient to save. In other words, just as Jesus worked out, and needed to work out, a perfect atonement, in order to save us individually, so the group salvation work must be done perfectly and completely, in order to group-save us.

The Restoration brought about by Joseph Smith, then, being a partial restoration, is insufficient to accomplish the task of group salvation. Mormons have no power to connect themselves to Adam, nor to the Nephite fold of saints, nor to any other group of saints of antiquity. And the same goes for the primitive saints of Jerusalem, the saints of the Nephite dispensation, and of every other dispensation that ever existed. None of that was perfect, none of that was done to completion, none of that connected the various folds of the Lamb into one fold, nor did any of that connect the future souls, the as-yet unborn souls, into the fold. All of that, then, is insufficient to save us, and given that there is no individual salvation without group salvation, nor group salvation without individual salvation, this planet is toast unless God shows forth His grace.

God’s group salvation grace is Joseph-Nephi

Joseph-Nephi, then, is the manifestation of God’s grace, because this man will be endowed with all the gifts, fully empowered to godlike levels, so that he will be enabled to accomplish the entire workload, thus completing the salvation of man to perfection. It won’t matter that it is impossible for an imperfect man to do anything perfectly, he, being the greatest miracle-worker of all time, will perform a mighty miracle and do it perfectly anyway.

Now, because Joseph-Nephi is accounted as one of us, as part of the fold, as one of the many group saviors, the work he accomplishes is accounted as part of the work done by the fold, and thus is accounted as having been accomplished by the group (all of us) and thus we all are accounted as having complied with God’s commandments. We do an infinitesimally small amount of the work, and then Joseph-Nephi re-does our work perfectly, and also does the infinitely large amount of work that is left, completing everything perfectly. Thus, he quite literally does it all, because he has to re-do our lousy efforts so that all things are perfect.

The numbering of Israel

Now, I wish to impress upon the reader that John the Revelator is not up to the task of doing what Joseph-Nephi needs to, and will, do. Normal servants cannot accomplish such grand works, because they lack the necessary faith. God loves each and every one of His servants, and they all exercised mighty faith, including John the apostle, but the workload of the Elias who restores all things is essentially infinite, and neither John nor anyone else (nor perhaps the entire group’s faith combined,) is equal to the task. It will take a man who has all the gifts; and not just spiritual gifts, but all the physical gifts, as well; nor just fully maxed out gifts, but with their limits taken off, so that his faith is beyond the limitations. So, I’m talking of a super special servant who desires, and obtains by his faith, godlike powers, for only the power of God can accomplish the task.

Anyway, to more fully demonstrate what I’m talking about, I will expound upon the great numbering of Israel.

Moses gathered the house of Israel from the land of Egypt and numbered them (see the Book of Numbers, chapters 1-4 and 26), intending to restore them to the land of their inheritance. This same scenario will play out a second time during the last days. Israel will be gathered out from the nations and then numbered.

As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: and I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 20:33-38)

Ezekiel’s words: “And I will cause you to pass under the rod,” mean that Israel is “to be numbered as the flock.” The rod or staff is held out over the flock by the shepherd and as each head of sheep passes under it, the flock is numbered by the shepherd, one-by-one. This great event (the numbering of Israel) only occurs after Israel is gathered, and is yet another impossible miracle to be accomplished by the rod, who is Joseph-Nephi.

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: (Isaiah 11:1)

The reason why the numbering of Israel is impossible is because God promised Abraham his seed would be numberless:

And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. (Genesis 13:16)

And he brought him forth abroad, and said,

Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them:

and he said unto him,

So shall thy seed be. (Genesis 15:5)

Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; (Hosea 1:10)

So God set up the parameters whereby His end times miracle-working seer (Joseph-Nephi) could perform yet another impossible miracle, for God numbers all His sheep and thus all His sheep must be numbered by Joseph-Nephi:

And the time cometh speedily that the righteous must be led up as calves of the stall, and the Holy One of Israel must reign in dominion, and might, and power, and great glory. And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture. (1 Nephi 22:24-25)

Hearken, O ye Gentiles, and hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, which he hath commanded me that I should speak concerning you, for, behold he commandeth me that I should write, saying:

Turn, all ye Gentiles, from your wicked ways; and repent of your evil doings, of your lyings and deceivings, and of your whoredoms, and of your secret abominations, and your idolatries, and of your murders, and your priestcrafts, and your envyings, and your strifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel. (3 Nephi 30:1-2)

God never varies from what He says

Lest some claim that “the numbering” mentioned in the scriptures is merely a symbolic token and not a literal occurrence to be performed by Joseph-Nephi, consider these scriptures:

And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you. (Mosiah 2:22)

I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round. (Alma 7:20)

For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round. (D&C 3:2)

So, as He has said His sheep shall be numbered, they shall be literally numbered, even though that is entirely impossible to do, because He has made them as numerous as the dust of the earth.

The purpose of the vision of all mankind

The scriptures record that the brother of Jared and also Moses saw visions in which all mankind, from beginning to end, were shown to them:

And when the Lord had said these words, he showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth. (Ether 3:25)

And it came to pass that Moses looked, and beheld the world upon which he was created; and Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created; of the same he greatly marveled and wondered. (Moses 1:8)

And it came to pass, as the voice was still speaking, Moses cast his eyes and beheld the earth, yea, even all of it; and there was not a particle of it which he did not behold, discerning it by the Spirit of God. And he beheld also the inhabitants thereof, and there was not a soul which he beheld not; and he discerned them by the Spirit of God; and their numbers were great, even numberless as the sand upon the sea shore. (Moses 1:27-28)

This “vision of all mankind” was a privilege given to these servants (and perhaps to others) in which they were shown the vast numbers of people Joseph-Nephi would have to deal with. This vision serves a purpose; it was not merely eye-candy, or for God to show off. Neither the brother of Jared, nor Moses, had the capability of numbering all those people, let alone gathering them, sealing them, and so on. So for them the vision was wondrous and marvelous. And also for us who read the accounts of these visions. But for Joseph-Nephi this “vision of all mankind” is a necessary part of his ministry, for he needs to see what he’s working with, in order to number them, etc. So, that’s what the vision is for. That’s its purpose.

How is it that there will be so many of the house of Israel?

It is because all saved Israel must be numbered, which includes both all the saved living and all the saved dead who have existed since the days of Adam, and will also include all the unborn souls who will be saved. In addition to all these saved of Israel, the Gentiles who repent, from the days of Adam to the end of time, both the living, dead and unborn of them, will also be numbered among the house of Israel.

There are about 7 billion known people living on the planet right now, and it is estimated that there have been about 100 billion people that have lived here so far. (Estimates vary.) 100 billion people is not “numberless,” but that number does not take into account the unborn, who also will be numbered by Joseph-Nephi. Nor does it take into account the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel.

The Lost Ten Tribes, alone, will be numberless

Ten of the twelve tribes of Israel went “missing” over 2000 years ago and haven’t been heard from since. Some people think that all these people were incorporated into the Gentile nations when they traveled “to the north countries.” Some stragglers of these tribes may have stayed behind in Gentile nations, but the bulk of them continued trekking north until they reached a hidden place on planet Earth that no one knows anything about. God has kept these people there, in this “hidden place” on Earth, multiplying like rabbits on steroids, so that now, over 2000 years later, they are as numberless as the sands of the seashore or the stars in the heavens. Their numbers are simply incalculable, thus fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham.

Gathering all things: the return of the Lost Ten Tribes

One of the endlessly many missions given to Joseph-Nephi will be to gather all things in one. This includes gathering all the living tribes of Israel, including the Lost Ten Tribes.

After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto us; and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north. (D&C 110:11)

The keys mentioned in the above scripture are currently with the LDS church, but are only used to gather spiritual Israel (the Gentiles) into the true church and fold of God. They are not used to gather literal Israel from the four parts of the earth, nor to lead the ten tribes back from the land of the north. For these functions, the leaders of the church are merely holding onto the keys until Joseph-Nephi shows up fully empowered, at which point he will receive them from the church leaders, for as the root of Jesse, he has a right to them:

What is the root of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter?

Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days. (D&C 113:5-6)

Given that these keys are for the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north, this means that Joseph-Nephi will personally go to where these tribes are hiding, and then personally lead them back. He is the point man in all this end times work, taking the lead of everything.

When the Lost Ten Tribes return from wherever they’ve been hidden, their vast numbers are going to cause great problems:

Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live,

saith the Lord,

thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth. For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears,

The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.

Then shalt thou say in thine heart,

Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been? (Isaiah 49:18-21)

Despite the fact that their numbers will be essentially endless, making the land masses groan under their combined weight and causing all who behold their masses to be astonished and wonder where all these people could possibly be put (for they will crowd out every available spot), Joseph-Nephi will be tasked to number every last one of them, and he will do so:

And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister. For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them. But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them. (3 Nephi 16:1-3)

Thus, when the Lost Ten Tribes arrive, we will all see that God’s promise to Abraham concerning the number of his seed was literal and not figurative or purely symbolic. And we will discover that all our current branches of mathematics are inadequate to ascertain the exact number of the persons making up each of the twelve tribes. Concerning the arrival of the Ten Tribes, the Lord has said:

And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence. (D&C 133:31)

So, their numbers will be vast, truly beyond comprehension, requiring Joseph-Nephi to restore the divine mathematics used in the heavens by God to count all His endless creations.

Why they must be numbered

The gathering of Israel is followed by the numbering of Israel, which is followed by Israel being restored to the lands of their inheritance. The tribal lands are inherited according to the number of each tribe. A tribe that has a greater number of people, receives a greater land grant; a tribe with a lesser number, receives less land for their inheritance. This is according to God’s commandment, given to Moses and Joshua, for Moses numbered the tribes of Israel (as recorded in the Book of Numbers) and then Joshua brought the tribes into their tribal lands and divvied up the land according to the numbering Moses had counted.

Joseph-Nephi will be patterned after all the prophets, seers, revelators and other servants of the Lord. So, he will be like Moses, delivering God’s people and gathering them out of the Gentile nations (and the Lost Ten Tribes from wherever they currently are), and then numbering them. And he will be like Joshua, bringing them into their tribal lands and then giving out inheritances according to their numbers. Joseph-Nephi will do all of this and much, much more.

Inheritance by tribe, and thus, numbering according to tribe

Because tribal inheritances are given out according to tribe, all who are accounted as Israel, both literal Israel and adopted Israel (Gentiles who repent and are numbered among Israel), must be placed in one of the twelve tribes. So, you don’t get placed in Israel, but in the tribe of Manasseh, or the tribe of Ephraim, or the tribe of Gad, etc. Then, when your entire tribe (let’s say it’s Gad) is counted by Joseph-Nephi, the land for Gad will be appointed, and then you will receive your inheritance on that land appointed for Gad. This is how it works. So, each tribal member must be assigned a tribe, and each tribe must be numbered, and then land must be appointed, with designated tribal land boundaries, and then you are given a piece of that land for yourself and all your descendants. It’s not a simple task, by any means.

Patriarchal blessings and lineage

The practice of receiving patriarchal blessings in which tribal lineage has been designated has been going on for about 200 years now and the LDS church is fastidious in recording every single patriarchal blessing ever given, and more especially those tribal lineages, and practically nobody knows why we do this, except that we’ve been commanded to do it.

Those tribal lineage designations we latter-day saints receive in our patriarchal blessings are going to be used by Joseph-Nephi to number us into the tribes of Israel, and for the latter-day saints to receive their future tribal land inheritances. Joseph-Nephi is going to take the tribal lineage revelations given in those patriarchal blessings, correct and perfect them, setting them in order

And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong…to set in order the house of God (D&C 85:7)

and then fully complete what Joseph Smith started, but on a grander and global scale, covering both the living, the dead and the unborn. He’s going to scale it completely up into the stratosphere (really straight into heaven), so that every saved person on this planet, from the beginning of time to the very end, gets put into a tribe of Israel, so that he can give them a land inheritance. The LDS leadership do not speak of this practice, why we do it, nor do they attempt to number the LDS population by tribe, because that is not their jurisdiction. They are merely to keep the work given to them by the Lord ongoing until Joseph-Nephi shows up to take over and finish everything to perfection.

Not enough land

The planet Earth will be too confining to fit all the new arrivals, which will include the Lost Ten Tribes as well as all the resurrected saved people who will be returning and who must also received a land inheritance (for as Jesus said, “the meek shall inherit the earth.”) Joseph-Nephi, then, will have to perform yet another glorious and astonishing miracle, and make the planet expand or enlarge in size, so that there is now plenty of room to fit everybody.

Now, this is only one of innumerable other impossible tasks that Joseph-Nephi will be given to accomplish before Jesus gets back. But this task alone, the coming numbering of Israel, is going to be as big a deal as any of the other tasks Joseph-Nephi is labored with.

Okay, back to John.

When John receives his mission

Chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation sets the stage for the opening of the seven seals of the sealed book.

Chapter 6 events occur after Jesus opens each of the six seals. These events take place after Joseph-Nephi appears on the scene fully empowered and before 11 April, 2033, which is the date that the sixth thousand years ends.

The events of chapter 7 take place after the sixth seal is opened and before 11 April, 2033.

The events of chapters 8 and 9 take place after 11 April, 2033, after the Lord has opened the seventh seal, but before the Lord’s Second Coming, and concern the sounding of the first six trumps by the angels.

Chapter 10 is when John receives his commission, even his mission and ordinance to gather the tribes of Israel, and takes place after 11 April, 2033, but before the Lord’s Second Coming, and between the sounding of the sixth and seventh angelic trumps.

Thus, John is not now gathering any tribes. The gathering of the tribes of Israel hasn’t even started yet. So, the idea that some have that John is with the 10 Lost Tribes, preparing them or whatever, is all conjecture and fantasy. Joseph-Nephi is the point man in all the end times work, therefore, John will go to Joseph-Nephi and receive his commission from Joseph-Nephi.

If we take Revelation chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 to be chronological, then John’s mission of gathering the tribes of Israel will start only after the sixth angelic trump is sounded, which occurs after the 11 April, 2033 date, and before the seventh trump and before the Second Coming. And yet, the Elias who restores all things (who is Joseph-Nephi), has been active on the scene since chapter 6, for when the Lamb opens one of the seals of the sealed book, it is the Elias who restore all things (who is Joseph-Nephi) that translates that sealed record into all the languages of the world. John the apostle, though, doesn’t mention anything about having to perform any works, at all, during chapters 6, 7, 8 or 9. In other words, John receives his mission too late in end time events to be the Elias who restores all things, for that man has already been furiously working to restore all things by the time of chapter 10 of Revelation. This is yet more evidence that John is not the Elias who restores all things.

The principle of identification proves John is not the Elias who restores all things

It is my understanding that when a prophet or servant is known, he is identified. Thus, when Joseph Smith was asked, “Who is the Stem of Jesse,” he could identify the person (since Jesus had already lived) and so he gave the answer plainly:

Who is the Stem of Jesse spoken of in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of Isaiah?

Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ. (D&C 113:1-2)

But when Joseph Smith is asked about the rod and the root, this man (for it is the same man, Joseph-Nephi) had not been born, yet, and thus was unknown and unidentifiable to Joseph Smith, and so he answered in these vague ways:

What is the rod…?

Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ…

What is the root of Jesse…?

Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse… (D&C 113:3-6)

Another example of this principle in operation in the scriptures is concerning Joseph Smith’s translation of the Book of Mormon. When Joseph Smith came to the part which talked of a book called “the book of the Lamb of God,” Joseph Smith translated out the Nephite words word-for-word, because he couldn’t identify the book:

Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God…And it came to pass that I beheld the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the book of the Lamb of God, which had proceeded forth from the mouth of the Jew, that it came forth from the Gentiles unto the remnant of the seed of my brethren. (1 Nephi 13:28,38)

But later on in the translation, when Joseph Smith came across the Nephite words, “a books,” he was able to identify it as “a Bible,” and so he did a functional translation and simply called it the Bible, which identified it for us:

And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say:

A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.

But thus saith the Lord God:

O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them?…Thou fool, that shall say:

A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible.

Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?…Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written. (2 Nephi 29:4,6,10)

Or, when Jesus was talking of John the Baptist to the people, He identified John the Baptist as the Elias who prepared all things:

And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John,

What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written,

Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Verily I say unto you,

Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. But the days will come, when the violent shall have no power; for all the prophets and the law prophesied that it should be thus until John. Yea, as many as have prophesied have foretold of these days. And if ye will receive it, verily, he was the Elias, who was for to come and prepare all things. (Matt. 11:7-12; JST Matt. 11:13-15)

Later when the disciples asked Jesus about the scribes saying that Elias must come first, Jesus again identified John the Baptist as Elias by again quoting the same scripture he quoted above, about the messenger who is sent before the Lord’s face, who prepares His way before Him. The Lord did this specifically because John the Baptist was known to the disciples, and therefore He identified him, but notice that the other Elias, the Elias who restores all things, had not yet been born, and so the Lord left him unidentified, and the apostles didn’t know who that was, only that it was someone else:

And his disciples asked him, saying,

Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? (Matthew 17:10)

And Jesus answered and said unto them,

Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things, as the prophets have written.

And again I say unto you that Elias has come already, concerning whom it is written,

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me;

and they knew him not, and have done unto him, whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. But I say unto you,

Who is Elias?

Behold, this is Elias, whom I send to prepare the way before me.

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

So, we see this principle in operation in the scriptures. Now, concerning the above scripture, which identified John the Baptist as Elias, and left another Elias unidentified, it needs to be understood that Jesus spoke these words to his disciples right after coming down from the mount of transfiguration:

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus,

Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said,

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said,

Arise, and be not afraid.

And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying,

Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

And his disciples asked him, saying,

Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? (Matt. 17:1-10)

Thus, Peter, James and John were there, asking Him about Elias. Jesus identified John the Baptist as one Elias, but spoke of another Elias who was yet to come and restore all things. And yet John the apostle was in that audience, hearing His words. If John was the Elias who restores all things, why didn’t Jesus simply identify John His beloved apostle as that Elias? Because John wasn’t and isn’t the Elias who restores all things.  Joseph-Nephi is.

John didn’t identify himself as the angel ascending from the east

Yet another evidence using this same principle of identification when something can be identified is seen in John’s account of the Revelation vision. In chapter 7 John sees an angel ascending from the east, but does not say that this angel is himself. And yet, from Joseph Smith we know that this angel is the Elias who restores all things. Surely John the apostle should have recognized himself in vision, right? But he didn’t recognize the angel ascending from the east, because it wasn’t him. It was Joseph-Nephi. If it had been John, he would have said he saw himself ascending from the east as an angel. But he didn’t say that. So it was someone else. In fact, all the angels John saw were people other than himself.

Jesus is an Elias; and He also restores all things

Some might bring up Jesus as being the Elias who restores all things, so I will address that, too. John the Baptist testified of Jesus, saying:

He it is of whom I bear record. He is that prophet, even Elias, who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose, or whose place I am not able to fill; for he shall baptize, not only with water, but with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. (JST John 1:28)

And Joseph Smith received a revelation in which the Lord said:

I am the Lord thy God, and I gave unto thee, my servant Joseph, an appointment, and restore all things.  (D&C 132:40)

So, Jesus Christ is an Elias and He also restores all things. This doesn’t mean that Jesus Christ is that Elias who restores all things. It merely means that He restores all things through the instrument in His hands, which is the rod of power, who is Elias (otherwise known as Joseph-Nephi.) Thus, He uses Joseph-Nephi’s faith to work all the wonders necessary to restore all things. And Joseph-Nephi restores all things through his faith (which He received from God), which faith also allows him to use the power and gifts of God.

So, the one is in the hands of the Other; One cannot do anything among men unless men have faith and He only works among men according to their faith, and given that the person in His hands has, essentially, endless faith, He can fully work among men and effect the restoration of all things; the other works by the power of the One, by using the faith which the One gave him. So, God claims credit for all the works that Joseph-Nephi will do, because Joseph-Nephi will do it by God’s power, using faith God gave him, acting as God’s instrument. Nevertheless, it is still Joseph-Nephi who does it, and so he also gets credit. Understand?

And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren. (2 Nephi 3:24)

What is the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse? Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power. (D&C 113:3-4)

These servants are too humble and timid to accomplish the task

There is a distinct difference between Joseph-Nephi and all the other servants of God. All the others, from the beginning of time to now, have all been far too meek. Now, meekness and humility is a good thing, sure, but when you are dealing with a task that might as well be infinitely scaled up so that it is of gargantuan proportions and truly impossible to accomplish any way you look at it, such as the workload that will be put upon the shoulders of Joseph-Nephi, you need a different kind of attitude. You need cojones. Big ones. The biggest ones of all.

Every one of the servants of God in the scriptures was humbled to the dust by the callings they had received, and often wished, at first, to back out of their callings because they didn’t feel worthy or properly qualified. Moses tried to back out:

And Moses said unto the Lord,

O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

And the Lord said unto him,

Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

And he said,

O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses (Exodus 4:10-14)

John the Baptist tried to get out of baptizing Jesus:

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying,

I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? (Matthew 3:13-14)

John the Revelator fell down before the angel and even tried to worship him!

And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me,

See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. (Revelation 22:8-9)

Gideon was so unsure of himself that he kept asking for witnesses. And so on and so forth. Joseph-Nephi won’t be like that. He will be super tenacious, like a bulldog, ready and willing and desirous to tackle the task with all he’s got.

Also, all the other servants have been content with their missions and tasks. They desired to see the salvation of man completed, and strove to accomplish it, but they failed, each and every one. To comfort them, God simply showed them the vision of Joseph-Nephi’s ministry, so that they could see it would eventually be accomplished, and they were then content with their labors.

Nevertheless, all of these servants were astonished by what they saw Joseph-Nephi do (for the work of his ministry is truly great.) Now, you cannot perform the restoration of all things and be astonished by it at the same time. If a servant of God goes and performs a marvelous work and is astonished by what he does, the work ceases. Astonishment causes a cessation, because you are left in wide-eyed wonder, without strength. So, Joseph-Nephi is like the others in faith, but unlike them in that his mortal vision, for some reason, isn’t impressed by the great works he does.

A (prophetic) psychological profile of Joseph-Nephi

In other words, what impresses others doesn’t impress him. And he wants to be impressed. So, this is, essentially, an extremely bored individual, who loathes the things of man and who has a need or desire to only see truly great things, even the greatest things of all (which are the things of God), in order to be impressed. He needs an extra-special and an extra-difficult challenge, otherwise he’s bored out of his mind. So, God has to give him not a large task, but the whole task, the entirety of the work of group salvation and the redemption of all things. God piles on the workload, infinitely, because this man glories in doing big and wonderful things. Whereas others shout, like Martin Harris, “Tis enough! Tis enough! Mine eyes have beheld! Mine eyes have beheld!” after seeing an angel, Joseph-Nephi is the sort of person that says, “More! More! I want to see it all! Show me all the angels!” Others experience the spirit of power and wet their pants. Joseph-Nephi experiences the spirit of power and says, “Oh, yeah! That’s exactly what I want! All of the time!” The apostles of Jesus on the mount were “sore afraid” after hearing God the Father’s voice, but Joseph-Nephi in that same situation would have jumped up and down for joy and asked to hear more and to see God, too. So, this is not an ordinary person. Normal people see the light of God and retreat in fear, this man runs right into it at breakneck speed to find out what’s behind it.

Therefore, although it is a romantic notion that people have that John the Beloved is the Elias who restores all things, or that Joseph Smith will be the one to come back and accomplish the restoration of all things, and although I hate to break all yer bubbles, it simply ain’t any of these people, or anyone else of the scriptures you may think. This is an entirely new servant of God, held back for millennia, to be born in our age. And he’s unlike anyone we’ve ever seen before.

Now, I’ll use the rest of this post to expound a little bit more about Joseph-Nephi, since I’ve gained a much greater understanding about him and his mission since last I posted.

Isaiah 49:1-12

These verses speak of Joseph-Nephi and his mission, but I’m not going to expound this whole thing. I’m just going to point out a few things.

The first six verses are the words of Joseph-Nephi himself:

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; and said unto me,

Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

Then I said,

I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.

And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him,

Though Israel be not gathered,

yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. And he said,

It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. (Isaiah 49:1-6)

Listen, O isles, unto me—This first part is the announcement I spoke about before on this blog. When Joseph-Nephi becomes fully empowered, going from weakness to strength, he will make an announcement that he is now on the scene, which we will all hear. Like everything else about this man, it will undoubtedly be done by some mighty miracle.

The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name—When explaining his history, Joseph-Nephi will mention his mother and her womb, so that he will begin the account of his history from before the time he was born. Also, given that Gabriel ministered and announced the birth and name of both John the Baptist and Jesus before they were born, we may see this scenario repeat.

In the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; In his quiver hath he hid me—Joseph-Nephi will be hidden in a place that is impossible to find. I believe that he may be hidden in time. In other words, this man will have power to do all things, including changing times and seasons. I have already on this blog explained that he will need to alter the past, something that is altogether impossible. He will also have power to perform reset miracles, including time reset miracles, so that one instant we are in 2017 and in the next instant when he performs the miracle, all of time has been rewound to some past year or time, affecting all the living and dead, the planet locations, etc. If he does such a thing, that makes our current timeline an alternate timeline in which God can fully prepare him to be the mighty seer he is destined to become, giving him all the practice he needs to be fully expert in all the powers and gifts of God. Isaiah’s quiver symbol, then, brings up the idea of parallel timelines, for what is a quiver? Is it not a bunch of tubes (which are lines) aligned together? And Joseph-Nephi is the “polished shaft” (a long, slender cylinder, or rod, with a pointed end) that Isaiah says is hidden in one of the tubes (time lines) of that quiver. If and when he resets the time, then, he will literally “burst onto the scene” as the fully empowered Josephite, and the devil of the past will poop his spiritual pants. The devil of today knows who this man is, of course, just as he knew who Joseph Smith was, but Joseph-Nephi is hidden somewhere, as a protection to him, so the devil’s servants can’t get to him to assassinate him while he is in his weakness. Wherever he is, then, he is safe. Also, this timeline serves as a place of “hidden darkness” in which he can be hidden and prepared by the Lord, and raised up properly. The devil, knowing Joseph-Nephi’s plans (if indeed he has such plans) to perform a time reset miracle and rewind the time to a former year cannot do anything to counter this miracle. The devil cannot prepare his past self for the advent of Joseph-Nephi from the future, for the devil is likewise affected by a time reset miracle, so that when the reset occurs, the devil will have been reset to a former time and will have no knowledge of this alternate future. His past devilish self, then, will have to deal, as best he can, with a fully empowered Josephite bursting onto the scene unexpectedly.

Do you remember that I said in a previous post that I thought that Joseph-Nephi should be empowered, Joseph Smith should show up and issue the Proclamation, and the New Articles of Confederation (or something like it) should be installed, all before April of 2017? And yet none of that happened. Well, my feelings haven’t changed one bit. I still feel like this stuff is going to happen before April of 2017. Which is impossible. Unless the guy is going to perform a time reset miracle…

Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified—He is representative of Israel (he who prevails with God) and God will be glorified by the work that he accomplishes. (And why not be glorified by him? He will accomplish the whole work, after all!)

I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain—This means that Joseph-Nephi’s weak phase is a manifestation of the anti-prosperity miracle. In other words, God has placed the man in a spiritual box by this miracle, so that he cannot get ahead, not even one iota. The man then must exercise faith in order to get the miracle off of him, and when his faith gets strengthened some more, God puts even more of the miracle on him. Instead of giving up, the man exercises even more faith, and then God boxes him up even more, and so on it goes, endlessly. Eventually the man’s faith becomes super-charged and over-developed, like faith on steroids, becoming so mighty that it is impossible for God to keep him boxed-in any longer by the miracle, and the man, by his faith alone, gets himself out of the box. The anti-prosperity miracle, then, at that point, no longer works, and so it flips or reverses polarity, like the switch of a light, changing from the anti-prosperity miracle, to the prosperity miracle, and the man then prospers miraculously according to his now outrageously great and strong faith. In other words, God is applying a spiritual isometric press to the man, giving him something impossible to push against, with his faith, to super-develop it. Joseph-Nephi needs exorbitant amounts of faith in order to accomplish the mission of restoration, so God must deal with him a bit different than other servants. Mighty faith is not enough. He needs “exceeding faith,” meaning faith that exceeds all, going beyond all limits.

And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren. (2 Nephi 3:24)

So, this man’s faith will be entirely off the scales and well into godhood territory. It is the anti-prosperity miracle, which hedges up his way, which prods him continually to try to get the thing off of him. And this prod, like a button God pushes, keeps him heading in the direction he needs to go, which is the direction of more and more, and of stronger and stronger faith. No servant of God, then, will hold a candle to him when God is done with this process of over-developing his faith. He will be altogether different than any man the world has ever seen. This is why the scriptures speak of three bigwigs: Christ the Messiah, the Prophet spoken of by Moses, and Elias that restores all things. Jesus Christ is the Prophet, and He is God, so He’s obviously big. But the Elias who restores all things is right up there on the same level as Christ and the Prophet in importance, and yet he’s just a man. But his faith level pushes him up to the Christ and Prophet level, making him essential to our salvation.

Yet surely my judgment is with the Lord—This refers to his reward for having requested in faith to be the Elias who restores all things. God’s Great and Marvelous work is essentially infinitely large, so the Elias who restores all things gets certain privileges as a recompense for having to single-handedly perform so much work. What is his reward? All of his desires will be given to him in this life, without limitations. In other words, it will be done by the power of God, therefore nothing is off the table, nothing is impossible. Whatever he wants, he will get. As much as he wants, where he wants, who he wants, etc. He gets his full desires given to him…just as soon as he gets himself out of the spiritual box! This, then, is another motivation he has. I call this his “carrot on a stick” and as soon as he is free of the box, by his faith, he will have all the miraculous power of God needed to create his carrot and obtain it and be satisfied by it. Now, he needs to be satisfied and content and blissful with his carrot, because the restoration of all things is an infinite amount of responsibility, and that alone is too much stress for any one man. Should this man fail at his task, all of creation will be destroyed at the Second Coming of Christ.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:5-6)

Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming. (D&C 2:1-3)

So, our salvation fully depends upon the success of his mission. Therefore, he must be entirely stress-free. His carrot then will comfort him and make his life blissful, so that he can fully concentrate on the infinite number of things he must do to group-save us all.  Despite all the stress that the work God lays upon him will cause him, his divinely bestowed carrot will just as rapidly remove that stress. And thus, God has fully planned for his success, and thus our success, for he will succeed and save us all.

The Lord formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him—This shows that Joseph-Nephi’s sole life purpose is this restoration of all things. It’s what he was born for. It’s the reason for his very existence. John the apostle and all the other servants who lived out their lives in the past, served other purposes of God. Sure, other servants will participate in the end time events, but they will play a secondary role in the restoration of all things, not the primary role like Joseph-Nephi will have. This man’s mortal sojourn will be fully occupied by God’s holy work of restoration and salvation of all things.

It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel—In other words, it’s too small a thing. Bringing the house of Israel back to God, so that they repent and come to Christ, and raising them back up into tribes, gathering them, numbering them, sealing them, giving them inheritances, and so on: all of this work is too small a thing for Joseph-Nephi to do! This is what God is saying. His workload needs to be much more heavy because the man has a seemingly endless amount of faith. This means that God will intentionally pile on the workload, piling it up and up and up, to the very heavens above, so that Joseph-Nephi is absolutely swamped with impossible things to do, and has to do everything, in the process saving both Israel and the Gentiles and also the entire earth, becoming God’s salvation unto the ends of the earth. He’s got enormous faith, so he will use it all, which makes workloads less than infinite too easy to accomplish. Therefore God will make it infinite for him, so that he won’t be so bored with life. And it will be so large, a truly infinite workload, that he will need every last drop of faith he’s got to accomplish it all.

Again, because his faith will be orders of magnitude greater than anything we’ve ever seen here on earth, God must give the man a challenge, so the number of impossible tasks needed to be accomplished will multiply endlessly. Every task will be impossible and there will be infinite numbers of them and every problem he will face will be impossible to solve and there won’t be enough time to finish any of it, etc. Yet, none of that will matter, because Joseph-Nephi will accomplish it anyway, even if he has to alter all of history to do it. Most servants of God have some respect for the laws of physics and the Universe, having limitations in their brains as to what is “appropriate” to do with miraculous power. This man, though, will have no such limitations. He will have the power to do anything, and so he will alter all reality and even time itself, as he sees fit, and will bring all time, past, present and future, together, gathering everything, and everyone, into the present, so that we all enter eternity. This man, then, starts out in one point of time, one point of reference, but then using these vast powers his faith affords him, will start altering reality and conditions among men, as he sees fit and as necessary, in order to get all the work done before the deadline. Given he’s a bulldog and not a timid individual, then, God needs to make it all as difficult as possible for him, as challenging as possible, giving him impossible puzzles to solve, which perhaps involve time and space manipulations, etc. To God this is fun stuff, watching a single, solitary servant do everything that is thrown at him, no matter how hard or impossible it is, and in record time. To God this is manly stuff. And in this way God proves to man, once and for all, that by faith all things are accomplished, by having a single special servant accomplish all things. And for Joseph-Nephi, given the type of bulldoggish, bored and unimpressed person he is, to him it is all fun, too. Thus, it is a glorious time for both.

The promised carrot gives him confidence galore, even in weakness

Of note is the fact that even in the man’s weakness, he’s supremely confident that his promised carrot is assured and that he will be glorious in the eyes of God. We don’t know what his carrot will be, but Isaiah gives us a glimpse of it here:

And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:10)

That rest that Isaiah speaks of is not Joseph-Nephi’s eternal rest, for he will be a translated man, and thus will never die, or sleep in the earth. He will live and live and live and live, right here on earth, enjoying his carrot forever, after he has completed the salvation of man. So, the rest is referring to the man’s house here on earth, which Isaiah says will be “glorious.” I have previously taught on this blog that Joseph-Nephi will be working almost exclusively by miracles, therefore we can assume that his house will be something impossible, some reality-altering miracle he has conjured up in which to live, which defies the laws of physics. (Remember, he gets whatever he wants as a recompense, even if it’s impossible.)

The carrot comes before he starts the work of the Lord, for the carrot has to keep the man stress-free, so we can expect that as soon as he gets out of his box, he’ll go for his carrot. Whatever it is, it will undoubtedly alter conditions among men, given that a slew of reality-altering miracles will proceed forth from him to obtain it. It is the promised carrot, then, and the eventual release of himself from the spiritual box, that serves as the man’s motivation. And think about it. If you were told by God, “I’ll give you whatever you want; all your dreams will come true, by my power, once you get yourself out of this box I’ve put you in,” wouldn’t that be some mighty strong motivation? So, the guaranteed promise of his carrot will make the man of supreme confidence, despite being in his box.

Riches galore and a hated man

We must likewise assume that once out of his box he’ll be richer than all the world’s rich people combined. He will be the lord of this earth, and it will be done by the miraculous power of God, operating the prosperity miracle upon him according to his now over-developed faith. So, while weak, he will be a poor man, because of the super-empowered hedge miracle placed upon him, which stops his economic progress, but once off of him, a super-empowered prosperity miracle will be placed upon him, which will make his way straight in all things, all obstacles and stumbling-blocks being forever removed from his path. And thus, once freed from the box, God will bless him beyond belief and also confound all his enemies:

And thus prophesied Joseph, saying:

Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be fulfilled. (2 Nephi 3:14)

This dual miracle, the prosperity miracle upon him and his enemies confounded, plus the fact that he will now be the richest man alive, by a long shot, in other words, his wealth will be impossible to count, for all things about this man will be miraculous, thus, he will hold the financial destiny of the world in his hands. So, nations are going to hate him, for they will see that suddenly this man, who has come out of left field, has power and control over them:

Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers,

Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. (Isaiah 49:7)

He will be a servant of rulers. Now, how will he serve the rulers? We don’t know. But whatever service he provides to them, it will be something they need, something that only he can supply, something that puts them in his control. In other words, he will set the terms of the service and they will have to agree to his terms and so he will have them right where he wants them, and they will know it, and they will hate him for it.

The man in control and in authority

So, Joseph-Nephi will be the end times Zerubbabel who gets put in authority over the nations of the world:

And again the word of the Lord came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying,

Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying,

I will shake the heavens and the earth; and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. In that day,

saith the Lord of hosts,

will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel,

saith the Lord,

and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee,

saith the Lord of hosts. (Haggai 2:20-23)

The name Zerubbabel means “born in Babylon” and as Joseph-Nephi will be a Gentile, born here in America (the USA), he fits the prophecy. Thus Zechariah’s Zerubbabel prophecy also applies to Joseph-Nephi:

And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, and said unto me,

What seest thou?

And I said,

I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.

So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying,

What are these, my lord?

Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me,

Knowest thou not what these be?

And I said,

No, my lord.

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying,

This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying,

Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit,

saith the Lord of hosts.

Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying,

Grace, grace unto it.

Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it;

and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:1-10)

Joseph-Nephi, then, will both lay the foundation of God’s house and also finish it. He will build the whole thing, from top to bottom, and it will not be done by the might or power of man, but by the Spirit of God. So, the end times Zerubbabel (Joseph-Nephi) will be working mighty miracles to cause all the prophecies that were spoken by the holy prophets from the very beginning to now, to be precisely fulfilled, including the temple and city that Ezekiel saw in vision, as recorded in the last half of his book.

Joseph-Nephi will also be the end times Joseph who was sold into Egypt and the end times Zaphnath-paaneah:

And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him,

Bow the knee:

and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph,

I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-paaneah; (Genesis 41:42-45)

According to the Bible Dictionary, Zaphnath-paaneah is:

A name given by Pharaoh to Joseph (Gen. 41:45). Although its meaning is uncertain, the Rabbinical commentaries, following the Targum, interpret the name as “he who reveals that which is hidden.”

And this is exactly what Joseph-Nephi will do, for he will translate the sealed portion of the plates of Mormon, revealing all hidden things.

Joseph-Nephi will have all the spirits

Joseph Smith gave a discourse on Mar. 10, 1844, in Nauvoo, Illinois, in which he expounded on the spirit and calling and office and power of Elias, Elijah and Messiah. Some people present during that discourse took notes, which you can read by clicking here. The gist is this: one spirit does the preparing (what Joseph referred to as the spirit of Elias), while another spirit does the finishing (what Joseph referred to as the spirit of Elijah),

and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years—the preparing of the way before the time of his coming. (D&C 77:12)

while a third spirit does the empowering (what Joseph referred to as the spirit of Messiah.) All three spirits manifested during the Mormon Restoration, hence, the world can trust in Mormonism. It is truly the kingdom seed.

Likewise, during the ministry of Joseph-Nephi, all three spirits will manifest, except that they will manifest fully, as the fully mature kingdom tree, and not as mere shadows, or as the kingdom seed.

And so on and so forth.

This post serves as a correction

With this post I have attempted to correct a few errors found among the saints. Hopefully I have succeeded.

To recap: John the apostle is not the Elias who restores all things. That is Joseph-Nephi. John merely receives a small mission from the hand of Joseph-Nephi to gather some of the tribes of Israel, which mission he will accomplish in the future.

The deadline for the completion of the group salvation of man and the redemption of this earth is the Second Coming. All work (including all temple work) must be accomplished perfectly prior to that day, otherwise we are all doomed. Latter-day saints have been erroneously taught to believe that our work for the dead has no deadline, and that we can complete it at our leisure during the Millennium. D&C 77:12, however, proves that this teaching and belief is false. No temple work will be done during the Millennium.

The work that must be accomplished before the time of Jesus’s Second Coming is much greater than the work we are currently doing in our temples. God must sanctify the earth, complete the salvation of man (which refers to group salvation), judge all things, redeem all things, and seal all things unto the end of all things, both for the dead, the living and the unborn, through His miracle-working seer, Joseph-Nephi, otherwise this creation and everything on it will be destroyed.

Nothing done in this dispensation or in previous dispensations is sufficient to group-save us, because work done partially is insufficient. It has to be entirely done to completion, and also perfectly done, otherwise it’s useless. Thus, the Restoration produced by Joseph Smith is entirely useless to save us, because it is missing parts (such as the work for all the unborn), there is not enough work done of the parts that are intact, there is no way to connect all the folds into one and nothing is done perfectly. And everything else done in previous dispensations is also useless, missing parts, partially done and imperfect. Unless Joseph-Nephi appears and takes all that work and completes it perfectly, re-doing it perfectly, we are all toast. The good news is that that is exactly what is going to happen, and it will all happen before Jesus gets back.

In closing, what Mormonism is

The reader might ask, “If Joseph-Nephi is the actual Elias who restores all things, then what is Joseph Smith and what is Mormonism?” The answer is: Mormonism is Joseph-Nephi’s shadow, even his foreshadow.

Joseph-Nephi is the Lord’s forerunner for the Second Coming of Christ. Therefore, if Christ is a shining light, brighter than the Sun, and His forerunner is standing in front of Him, with his back towards Him, ready to sprint ahead and prepare His way, that bright and shining light of Christ hits the back of Joseph-Nephi and casts a shadow in front on him, even a foreshadow. Depending on how low the light Source is, the foreshadow might be really long.

So, between 100 and 200 years before Joseph-Nephi was born, his foreshadow arrived in the form of the church and gospel of Jesus Christ, as restored by Joseph Smith. Whereas Joseph-Nephi is the Lord’s messenger that He sends to prepare the way before Him, and is a man of flesh and blood, his foreshadow is not a man of flesh and blood, but just a silhouette of the restoration of all things that he will accomplish. Therefore, the foreshadow (Mormonism) becomes both the messenger and the covenant:

And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me. (D&C 45:9)

Later on Joseph-Nephi, a man of flesh and blood, will be both the messenger and the covenant given to group-save the people:

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me:

and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in:

behold, he shall come,

saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)

Thus saith the Lord,

In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; (Isaiah 49:8)

Just as some like to build up John the Revelator into something more than he is, so others like to build up both Joseph Smith and the Restoration he performed into something more than he and it was. Neither John the Revelator, nor Joseph Smith will be the miracle-working seer that will be known as Joseph-Nephi, nor will they perform, nor be able to perform, the work he will do. Nor is the Restoration Joseph Smith performed, which we know as Mormonism, equal to the restoration of all things that Joseph-Nephi will accomplish. It’s just a foreshadow of something infinitely greater to come.

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