In the ancient Schools of the Prophets the spirit and mind of man was trained to pass through the veil (Klipah). This veil was described using many different symbols such as the cloud, the storm, the voice of thunder, the darkness, the strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire etc. This Israelite veil imagery was described by the Prophet Elijah:
"And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." (1 Kings 19:11-12)
We can also see this imagery used by the Prophet Ether in regard to the brother of Jared:
"And it came to pass that when they had come down into the valley of Nimrod the Lord came down and talked with the brother of Jared; and he was in a cloud, and the brother of Jared saw him not.
And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been. And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel...
And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord." (Ether 2: 4-5,14)
The same imagery was employed by Nephi in the Book of Helaman:
" And it came to pass that they were overshadowed with a cloud of darkness, and an awful solemn fear came upon them. And it came to pass that there came a voice as if it were above the cloud of darkness, saying: Repent ye, repent ye, and seek no more to destroy my servants whom I have sent unto you to declare good tidings... And notwithstanding the mildness of the voice, behold the earth shook exceedingly, and the walls of the prison trembled again, as if it were about to tumble to the earth; and behold the cloud of darkness, which had overshadowed them, did not disperse— " (Helaman 5: 28-29,31)
The Prophet Alma and the sons of Mosiah were confronted by an Angel through the veil also relates this same imagery in being confronted with the veil:
"And now it came to pass that while he was going about to destroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king—
And as I said unto you, as they were going about rebelling against God, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood" (Mosiah 27:10-11)
The Patriach Lehi also utilizes the veil imagery in his vision of the Tree of Life:
"And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.
And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field. And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy." (1 Nephi 8:8-10)
The purpose of Israelite prayer/meditation was to fulfill the commandment given by God to bond with him. The mind and spirit of man in order to fully bond or connect with God must pass by these veils or barriers that are designed to separate the carnal from the spiritual or that which is holy from that which is profane. The experience being of such a nature that whether in the body or out of the body, or in the physical or spiritual plane, the experience is of such a nature that heaven and earth connect in such a way that its' reality cannot be questioned by the prophet or the people who experience the veil. Once experienced those prophets and people who connected with God became a conduit of connected heaven and earth-- "And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!" (Numbers 11:28)
The words of the prophecy or revelation spoken by the prophets whether it be Abraham, Moses, The Brother of Jared, Lehi, Nephi, etc came from a world far more exalted that this sphere. The words of the prophecy being of such a nature and layered with both plainness and instruction far deeper than human language could fully convey that it took the same infusion of the spirit to experience the words of the Prophets so that one could fully understand these exalted instructions. The experience of this type of exalted experiential communication is described by the Nephites in the land of Bountiful as follows:
"And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father; And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father."
It was also conveyed by the Apostle Paul (Shaul):
"How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." (2 Corinthians 12:4)
The keys of the knowledge to pass by the veil are contained within the scriptures and the spirit that animated the prophetic experience in those prophetic words become living celestial seeds in our hearts that plant living trees of life that enable our ascent back into the presence of God. These keys of knowledge coupled with the planting of these seeds literally produce the conditions that transform the fallen into the exalted and connect this world with the world above. What is often taught in Sunday School as a childs parable of the The Seed by the Prophet Alma is in actuality an ancient handbook of the process of transformation and ascension written to a child but encoded with instruction for those who seek to learn the science of the Fathers:
"And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will. Amen."
The encoded words and instructions in this Israelite teaching contain not only the plain meaning and child instructions but also the deeper instruction or what is referred to in ancient Israel as the "Holy Names" or "Vessels" whereby God's world is physically and spiritually manifested in this world. This is why the record of the Nephites is so important to our spiritual development and progression because it contains these holy mechanisms in a more pure and less tamper with state for the express purpose of recreating the conditions where heaven and earth connected as with the Nephites at the Temple in the Land of Bountiful.
In a grand account written in symbolic form Nephi in 3 Nephi relates the storms and destruction upon the land at the time of the Messiah's crucifixion. It is also an instruction manual of passing through the storms and clouds of the veil documented using real events but communicated in an ancient Israelite manner to serve as both an actual account of events and at the same time instruction on establishing Zion-sacred space where Heaven and Earth connect:
"And it came to pass in the thirty and fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land. And there was also a great and terrible tempest; and there was terrible thunder, insomuch that it did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder... And it came to pass that when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease—for behold, they did last for about the space of three hours; and it was said by some that the time was greater; nevertheless, all these great and terrible things were done in about the space of three hours—and then behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land. " (3 Nephi 8:5-6)
The imagery employed by these prophets was not happenstance. The only way to pass through the storm or veil is found within the darkness of the soul first by descending to reach a state of silence in your land. The words of God revealed through this and other accounts are repetitive instruction manuals (or keys of knowledge) to understand the veil, pass through it, commune with Heaven, and then connect Heaven and Earth. This Book of Mormon is what has been sealed from the eyes of the understanding of the Gentiles is also a book that if we understand and embrace the message can liberate the fallen or trapped soul to experience the liberation of Messiah and The Assembly of the Firstborn-an exalted assembly to which no earthly institutional church can compare.
© 2018 Robert Kay
All rights reserved. No portion of this article may be reproduced in any form without permission from the author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
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