The School of the Prophets- Pathways Of The Prophetic

“But you who bond to YHVH your Elohiym are all alive today.” (Deuteronomy 4:4)

It is said by the sages of Israel that the prophets were bound to God through the Torah.  This teaching  communicated that as one studied the words of the scriptures they partook not only of the spirit of the Prophet who wrote the scripture but also of the Spirit of God that flowed through the prophet which gave utterance in the first place.  This understanding was one teaching communicated by the Fathers and preserved through ancient schools which taught and preserved the prophetic science of Israel. 

Throughout the ages and in the wisdom of God there were noble and great spirits who were sent down as links of salvation to maintain or restore the ancient wisdom given to Adam.  Among these noble and great ones were Enoch, Noach, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and many of the prophets of Israel. These more advanced brothers and sisters were held in strategic reserve to come down in varying times and circumstances, but their mission was none the less the same-to implement the Plan of Salvation and to educate others in the science and principles of this redemptive plan:

“Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.” (Abraham 3:22-23)

Even today we have those souls whose spiritual focus and development was such that they were predisposed to the revelatory enabling them to experience the visions and presence of God.  For example a young Joseph Smith who had not been schooled in the prophetic science and yet experiences a vision of the divine:

“At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture. So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally. After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction. But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. 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: 13-17)

Yet a point often demonstrated in the scriptures is that while there are those who are predisposed to the things of God there are many who are not so initially predisposed and are not as capable in the revelatory gift of Heaven or direct visionary contact with God:

“And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all.” (Abraham 3:19)

Just as God knew that every person would have different capacities or gifts he prepared a way and a pattern whereby those who were of greater faculty would descend and lift up those of lesser or not so developed faculty.  The epitome of this being the Messiah himself who was greater than all and yet descended below all things to draw all men unto him; the greater through love and mercy lifting up the lesser into a condition of oneness.

As a result of their divine missions, many of these noble and great ones such as Enoch, Abraham, and Moses established schools or disciplines of learning whereby all could learn the art of redemption and the pathway of the prophetic. In these schools, students or disciples learned how to become spiritual and experience God.  Many of these ancient ones established schools for prophets wherein the newly initiated students were taught and discipled in the principles and science designed to reorient the mind and consciousness.  It was in these schools that awareness was cultivated of the Ruach Elohiym (Spirit of God) including its form and function that is the foundation of all life and reality here on Earth.

In sum, the students of these schools were educated in the laws, principles, and prophetic techniques to experience the dimension of the spirit alongside the reality of this world with the ultimate goal of connecting the two.  Walking in this strait/navigated and narrow path, one discovered that the gate into the spiritual was not accessed by some external means but through the secret of the inner passage- the passage of the neshama (soul/spirit).  Taught in the principles passed down by those who had ascended into the presence of God, these students would follow the same path to experience and ascend into the spiritual worlds- the kingdoms, the blessings, and the dangers.

By accessing the passage way of the spirit, students would travel across the realms of the mind and spirit until the veil between this world and the others would be rent.  It is at this point that the prophet experiences God face to face.  This traversing of this passage way of the spirit is what is termed in Israel as, “Calling upon the Name”. 

An example of this discipline is plainly demonstrated by the Brother Jared in the Book of Ether. After traveling forth during the time of dispersion from the Tower of Babel, the Jaredites pitched their tents in a place they called Moriancumer.  They dwelt the space of four years at which time God visited the Brother of Jared with correction:

“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 2:14)

Do we really think that the Brother of Jared who had found favor with God, received direct instructions, and obtained deliverance for his people forgot to “say his prayers” for four years?  Hardly!

In prophetic science “Calling Upon the Name” is connected with an ancient spiritual discipline whereby the Prophet accessed the passage way of the spirit and connected with the divine.  This discipline is far more than the act of what has been taught as prayer in the modern world: “Heavenly Father- please bless  (fill in the blank) … I want a (fill in the blank) …  in the name of Jesus Christ.. Amen”.  It is far from the saying of ritualistic prayers out of rote repetition.

After the destruction of the Temple of Solomon, much knowledge and history was lost in regard to the path of the prophetic.  Still while many schools passed away in history, there were those that survived passing on much of this knowledge passed down by the Fathers. With the destruction of the Temple certain some doorways of the prophetic closed even while others were maintained by faithful men and women throughout the centuries.  Schools of the Prophetic continued to exist (some in secret and some by exodus) during the days of Messiah.  Even after the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. there were faithful students who continued to teach and preserve this knowledge even upon pain of persecution and death (some of which was brought upon by their own brothers). 

Many of these disciplines exist today and have been well preserved in the scriptures and other related writings passed down in the House of Israel.  These greater things have been hid from the eyes of many Gentiles in plain sight “because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Matthew 13:13) This was done because this journey back into the presence of God was not a whimsical journey of intellectual curiosity. It was not a cinematic experience where we delight in 3D Visual Special Effects with popcorn and Jujubes.  It was also not a competition of egos or a path of self-aggrandizement.  It was a PROPHET(ESS) making venture not a PROFIT making venture.

The scriptures record the results of prophets and their connecting with Heaven. At first glance, while the scriptures record their prophetic results it seems as if no mention is made of any of the disciplines or techniques by which this connection was made. The language in which these records were communicated also contained the subtle instructions which have been by and large lost in translation.  The science of the prophetic was concealed in subtle aspects of the Hebrew language in which the texts were written.  The knowledge to unseal these nuances was transmitted in many of these ancient schools.

(Lessons from the Ancient Schools of the Prophets Part 1- Coming soon)

Why We Have Need Of A Restoration: The Path Of The Prophetic

"The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it."
(Lord Of The Rings opening monologue)

Many Ages have past since the civilization of Adam.  The conditions on this earth are but a shadow of the conditions that existed during the age when mankind enjoyed the direct presence of God.  Where there was once harmony there is now division.  Where there was once further light and knowledge we wallow in conditions of darkness and ignorance.  Yet God from the beginning knew the course that mankind would take, and in this foreknowledge he established a perpetual House upon whom would rest the responsibility of preserving the foundation stones of the Ancient Order of things upon which future generations could build upon to elevate and transform the conditions of darkness into brilliant light.  It began in the days of Adam and was passed down through each successive birthright house from Enoch to Noach, from Noach to Abraham, from Abraham to Israel, and from there Israel seeded to to all the nations of the earth.

In this seeding, scriptures have been preserved that record God's dealings with mankind along with their respective cycles of spiritual birth, adolescence, maturity, and decline.  They have been presented to us through the various religious bodies upon the earth; each with their own accompanying traditions, biases, and authority structures- both the good and the bad. Almost like a pendulum, the spiritual state of mankind swings in varying motions of rhythm between polar extremes as if it can never come to state of harmonic balance.  Exposed to the extreme of power and structure mankind flees the resulting tyranny.  Exposed to the extreme of mercy and grace mankind flees the resulting chaos. It is in the tension between these two extremes and the constant struggle mankind exhibits, that our adversary obtains and exerts power either on the one hand or the other, yet neither extreme providing the state of peace and oneness with God that humanity so desperately hungers for.

BONDING WITH GOD

During the time of Adam and the patriarchs, mankind existed in a state with a much greater scope of consciousness than what exists today. According to the teachings of the sages of Israel, prior to the fall, Adam and Eve could visually and physically pass from one world to another.  In other words, Adam and Eve could ascend and descend the various levels of spiritual kingdoms without anything being lost or obscured.   In one sense it was as if Adam had a mental and spiritual I.Q. of say 10,000 compared to the "geniuses" of our day with a mere IQ of 160 or 170.   Much of our capacity was lost during the fall and the subsequent "de-evolution" thereafter.

With each successive age, the distance between man and God grew greater until the cycle of darkness had reached it's darkest depth.  At the point of greatest darkness, a light burst forth and through an infinite and eternal act of Messiah the cycle of return commenced.  In order for us to return to a state of full oneness with God, mankind was once again given the path to return to the full faculty of spirit that existed in the foundation of creation.  Just as the results of the fall created a state where we could no longer fully experience physical and spiritual reality simultaneously, an infinite and eternal sacrifice opened the door where heaven and earth could connect or bond (devekut).

It was only through  God's great plan of healing and rehabilitation could this transformation from fall to ascension take place. The entire plan of redemption revolves around restoring what was once lost.  In doing so we gain the further light and knowledge needed for the transformation of self, mankind, and the earth itself.  From Abraham to the schools of the Prophets in ancient Israel, the science and discipline in the prophetic was preserved and passed down.  The purpose being to prepare as many as would so choose to return to the balance between the physical and spiritual realms thereby connecting heaven and earth.  Once connected, those so connected could unleash both the preservative power and trans formative power of that which exists in the eternal realm following the first law given to Enoch and his Zion-- As Above So Below; As Within So Without.

THE HOLY MANNER OR PATTERN OF ELOHIYM

As disciples of Messiah, we too have chosen to walk this path.  Whether it be called Torah, The Way, the Truth, or the Light- it is nonetheless the same spiritual science and discipline that existed at the foundations of the Earth.

"Now as I said concerning the holy manner (pattern) or this high service
there were many who were prepared
and became kohanim g’dolim of Elohiym
and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance
and their righteousness before Elohiym
they choosing to repent and work righteousness
rather than to perish
therefore they were called after this holy manner
and were set apart and their garments were washed white
through the blood of the Lamb
now they after being set apart by the Ruach Elohiym
having their garments made white
being pure and spotless before Elohiym could not look upon sin
except it were with abhorrence
and there were many exceedingly great many
who were made pure and entered into the rest of YHVH their Elohiym" (Almah)

and

"Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire. And thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch, It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God; And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name.

For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course; to put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world.

And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven.  And now, Melchizedek was a priest of this order; therefore he obtained peace in Salem, and was called the Prince of peace. And his people wrought righteousness, and obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days, or the end of the world; And hath said, and sworn with an oath, that the heavens and the earth should come together; and the sons of God should be tried so as by fire.

And this Melchizedek, having thus established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace."  (JST Genesis 14)

While the language the message is delivered in is designed to both reveal and conceal. The reality is that often in simple words, great knowledge and disciplines from the Fathers are conveyed for those who inquire.

Silencing, Descending, and then the Porch of YHVH:

The first step in this walk is in setting ourselves apart walking in the paths of the holy versus the paths of the profane. Just as Nephi withdrew in his pondering before his Apocalypic Vision, just as Lehi dwelt in a Tent before receiving his Apocalyptic Vision, so too did Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ezekiel, and Elijah withdraw from the profane before bonding or communing with Elohiym.   While society would have us embrace the path of chaotic mixing like the chattering voice of the monkey mind, God would have us embrace the path of holy solace first by descending in quietness and humility before ascending.  Our minds and lives are going too fast, too chaotic, and too frenzied to hear the voice of the Most High.  Our souls are too undisciplined to adhere to his word while feeling our way along the path to the Tree of Life.  Just as Messiah silenced the questioning voice of Ha Satan so too must we follow suit by silencing his doubts, chatter, and questioning in our hearts and mind to hear the voice of the Most High.

WHY A HEBREW ROOTS BOOK OF MORMON

Voices From the Dust Volume 1: The Record of the Nephiy

The Book of Mormon is an ancient covenant record written and preserved by a remnant of the House of Israel to come forth to a remnant of their posterity in future time to prepare them for a Great and Marvelous Work to come forth by the Hand of YHVH (God).  Knowing that their future posterity here in the Americas would be destroyed and scattered by the Goyim who would come upon this continent, God through his prophets here in the Americas preserved this record and covenant land grant that would be the foundation upon which their scattered posterity and those who would associate themselves with them could once again be restored as a body of the House of Israel.

There are those who ask, "Why a Hebrew Roots Adaptation?"  The answer is that the writers of the the Book of Mormon were Jews or rather citizens and descendants of the Southern Kingdom of Israel. As such the record contains many guiding truths and covenant betrothal gifts from God to his people meant to establish them in the land and prepare them for his coming in Glory.  The Book of Mormon is not the property of any religion but is the birthright of the heirs of the remnants of Israel to who this record was intended.  As the writers were Jewish Prophets and their descendants who were taught the knowledge of Israel and it's ancient prophetic tradition, the record contains the foundational knowledge by which this modern remnant of Jacob, those believing Yehudim, and those believing Gentiles may once again be established as a righteous and covenant keeping people before YHVH (God) on this land of America.

When it was first translated (abt. 1830) the record came forth by the power of God through the hands of a Gentile to a body of Gentiles who were then to take the record to the remnant of Jacob on this land.  As it was a translation, many names, phrases, and terms were translated to engage the people of the day who were primarily people of Christian origin, but who had no real background in the language and culture of the Jews who wrote the record.  As such there were many phrases and names used which English speaking Christians would understand but which would be foreign to those from and Israelite/ Jewish origin.  This is mentioned not to denigrate the Gentiles and people whose additional sacrifices took this record to the world.   It is just that your average christian in the 1800's would not understand or have a religious context for concepts and names in their Israelite form; such as Torah of Moshe, ma'asim, takanot, misphatim, chukkim, etc.  They would however understand the terms Law of Moses, works, ordinances, judgments, statutes, etc.

The purpose of this work is to present the Book of Mormon in a form more closely aligned with the nations and people of Israel.  It is formatted using a Jewish scribal poetic form meant to capture the Hebrew block structure and meaning of the passages contained within the record.  While the intent of the format was meant to capture this block structure this adaptation was not meant to intentionally organize the record into chiastic structures and yet while following some of the Israelite scribal rules that could be applied many of these chiastic structures and Hebrew parallelisms naturally revealed themselves.  In addition, there were other precious gifts and prophecies discovered that were only revealed in the passages once arranged into this format.

It is my hope and intention to build a bridge between the receivers of this records and the Israelite Prophets and culture who spawned the record. For those who seek to understand and embrace the displayed and hidden gifts presented in the Book of Mormon, it is my hope that this adaption will assist in turning the hearts of the Children to the covenant God made with their Fathers:

An abridgment of the record 

of the Nephiy

and also of the Lamaniy 

written to the Lamaniy

which are a remnant of the House of Isra’el

and also to Yehudim and Goyim 

written by way of commandment 

and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation 

written and sealed up and hid up unto YHVH

that they might not be destroyed

to come forth by the gift and power of Elohiym

unto the interpretation thereof sealed

by the hand of M’runi and hid up unto YHVH

to come forth in due time by the way of the Goyim 

the interpretation thereof by the gift of Elohiym

an abridgment taken from the book of Ether

which is a record of the people of Yered 

which were scattered at the time YHVH 

confounded the language of the people

when they were building a tower to get to heaven

which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Isra’el

the great things YHVH has done for their fathers

and that they may know the covenants of YHVH

that they are not cast off forever

and also to the convincing of the Yehudim and Goyim

that Yehoshua is the Maschiach

manifesting the Qedem Elohiym unto all nations

and now if there be fault it be the mistake of men

therefore condemn not the things of Elohiym

that you may be found spotless

at the judgment seat of Mashiach 

Hidden Prophecies In The Book Of Mormon - The Ascension of the Remnant of Joseph

There are many plain an precious truths concealed in the pages of the record of the Nephites.  Among these "plain and precious" truths were hidden prophecies recorded by their Prophets concealed in the prose but revealed in the poetic Hebrew block structure and parallelisms.  These hidden prophecies may hold the keys to the Great and Marvelous Works of God yet to come forth.  They may also hold the key to the true purpose and function of the Book of Mormon hidden in plain site in language meant to both reveal and conceal.

One such prophecy that came forth from darkness to light is a prophecy regarding "A Remnant of Joseph".  Note that I did not say a "Remnant of Jacob" but a "Remnant of Joseph".  The nature of this prophecy is very significant it contains a very important prophetic promise to a "Remnant of Joseph" who will be taken unto Elohiym.

It was taught early in the restoration that people such as Enoch, Elijah, Moses, John the Apostle, the Three Nephites, and others were translated. The idea of translation is similar to the Israelite concept of ascension in that a person or persons were taken into Heaven either temporarily or permanently to reside among the hosts that reside in the presence of God.

This idea of ascension or translation was recorded in the Book of Mormon in the account of the Prophet Alma whose death was not recorded but left open as to his fate wherein he was compared to the Prophet Moses:

"And now when Almah had said these words
he blessed the assembly
yes all those who should stand fast in the faith
from that time forward
and when Almah had done this
he departed out of the land of Zarahemla
as if to go into the land of Melek

And it came to pass
that he was never heard of more
as to his death or burial
we know not of
behold this we know
that he was a righteous man
and the saying went abroad in the assembly
that he was taken up by the Ruach
or buried by the hand of YHVH even as Moshe
but behold the scriptures says
YHVH took Moshe unto himself
and we suppose
that he has also received Almah
in the Ruach unto himself
therefore for this cause we know nothing
concerning his death and burial"

(Voices From the Dust: The Record of the Nephiy Volume 2) / Compare Alma 45:18-19)

From the above referenced record, the Nephites suggest that Almah had ascended or had been translated like unto Moses.  This concept is indicated by the phrase "YHVH took Moshe unto himself".  The speculation regarding the fate of Moses and his burial has been a topic of interest, speculation, and debate not only in Mormon circles but also many Jewish circles. Using other ancient interpretive keys, it may just be the prophet writer of the account of Alma may also have given us another when he stated earlier that when Alma had blessed the assembly "he departed out of the land of Zarahemla as if to go into the land of Melek".  The land of Melek was in the north.  When looking more closely at this passage using other Israelite interpretive keys Melek is the Hebrew word for king such that the prophet writer is suggesting that Alma was taken to the Land of the King.

That the Book of Mormon preserves this knowledge and understanding of ascension of individuals like Moses and perhaps Alma is amazing in and of itself. But what is even more amazing is the preservation of a prophecy upon the head of Joseph of Egypt made by his father Jacob regarding the preservation of the seed of Joseph:

“Behold we are a remnant of the seed of Yacov
yes we are a remnant of the seed of Yoseph
whose coat was rent by his brothers into many pieces
yes and now behold let us remember to keep the mitzvot of Elohiym
or our garments shall be rent by our brothers
and we be cast into prison or be sold or be killed

Yes let us preserve our liberty as a remnant of Yoseph
yes let us remember the words of Yacov before his death
for behold he saw
that a part of the remnant of the coat of Yoseph was preserved
and had not decayed
and he said

‘even as this remnant of garment of my son has been preserved
so shall a remnant of the seed of my son be preserved
by the hand of Elohiym
and be taken unto himself 
while the remainder of the seed of Yoseph shall perish
even as the remnant of his garment
now behold this gives my soul sorrow
nevertheless my soul has joy in my son
because of that part of his seed 
which shall be taken unto Elohiym’

now behold this was the language of Yacov

And now who knows
but what the remnant of the seed of Yoseph
which shall perish as his garment are those
who have dissented from us
Yes and even it shall be ourselves
if we do not stand fast in the faith of Messiah”

Couched in the War Chapters of the Book of Alma, an ancient prophecy made by the prophet Jacob/Israel is recorded that a remnant of the seed of Joseph shall also "be taken unto himself";  the same expression "taken unto himself/ taken unto Elohiym" used with Moses and Alma who were taken unto Elohiym.  While Captain Moroni captures this prophecy for us he applies this to his people and those that had dissented from them.  We have no record in the Book of Mormon of any people who were translated, permanently ascended into Heaven, or taken by the Hand of Elohiym.  The prophecy revealed indicates that like Moses and Alma who were "taken by the hand of Elohiym" a remnant of the posterity of Joseph of Egypt will also reach a state of Ascension/ Translation a state similar to those of the city of Enoch who were also taken:

"And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth; and he beheld, and lo, Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Behold mine abode forever....And after that Zion was taken up into heaven, Enoch beheld, and lo, all the nations of the earth were before him..." (Moses 7:18-21)

The question then comes, if a Remnant of Joseph is to ascend or "be translated" ie. "taken unto Elohiym" then has this prophecy already been fulfilled or is it yet future?

© 2018 Robert Kay

All rights reserved. No portion of this article may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

ENTER THE BROTHERS OF JARED

The Brother of Jared serves as a type and shadow of those in the latter days who will serve as proxy saviors or intercessors for small groups of people in the land.  The Brother of Jared calling upon the name of the Lord is a key example of a man appealing to God before his courtroom.  In Genesis 11 God rendered judgment on mankind with the penalty of scattering them and mixing their language.  The King of Heaven looked down upon the earth, saw what was going on, and declared his ruling upon them:

“Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.” (Genesis 11:7-8)

The language would be mixed and the people would be scattered as a result of God’s ruling.  Similar to obtaining favor with a King by honoring the King and being obedient to his decrees, the Brother of Jared had obtained favor with God.  As such he could approach the Throne of Heaven and Intercede for his people.   The Brother of Jared then cried out (Hebraic thought—made a legal request or proclamation) to God regarding the two judgments God rendered:

“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.” (Ether 1:34)

1.        The Brother of Jared made a legal request for God to stay his judgment upon him and their relations regarding the confounding of their language:

“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 1:35-37)

2.       The Brother of Jared made a legal request for God regarding their scattering:

“And it came to pass that Jared spake again unto his brother, saying: Go and inquire of the Lord whether he will drive us out of the land, and if he will drive us out of the land, cry unto him whither we shall go. And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth? And if it so be, let us be faithful unto the Lord, that we may receive it for our inheritance.” (Ether 1:38)

As of a result of the Brother of Jared crying unto the Lord, God stayed his judgment upon them in regard to confounding their language and directed his judgment in regard to them being scattered.   The Brother of Jared’s requests were not a tirade of fake emotional outbursts but making a legal plea before the Judge of all the earth to reduce or alter the ruling sent forth from God’s courtroom.  Because the Brother of Jared had honored God and found favor with him he could act as an intercessor between God and his people.

In the Torah the Prophets were agents of God. They were God’s authorized prosecuting attorneys. They brought  covenant lawsuits against nations. They reminded the common people as well as rulers of the covenant that God had made. Then they reminded the listeners of the statutes and judgments of that covenant. They charged people under the terms of that covenant.  Then they warned the nation of the fact that God, the one true king of Israel, would bring His curses against the nation unless they came back to the terms of the covenant (i.e.  such as war,  disease, pestilence, famine and economic ruin).

The prophets called the nation to repentance reminding them of the promised blessings for honoring God and keeping the laws of his Covenant.  If the breach of covenant was healed then deliverance and blessings followed.  If the breach was not repaired then the nation was destroyed and the people were scattered and taken into captivity.

After making his plea before the Judge of Heaven and Earth, the Brother of Jared and his people were taken to a place where they rested for four years.  Judgment had been passed and the sentence carried out.  While their language was not confounded they were still taken away into another land.  The judgments were for national sin not the personal sins of the Brother of Jared or his people.  The judgment having been carried out the next step was complete legal restoration.  Just as the rendering of judgment is a legal process the process of restoration is a legal process.  God does not cast judgment lightly nor does he take restoration lightly.

His process of restoration includes cleaning the people up, teaching them his laws, conditioning them to live his commandments, and finally bringing them back into his presence before his throne.

Tzedekah – The Pure Love of Christ

Covenant love would lead us to establish and experience set apart relationships with God and with one another. As we live in a world where harmony has been broken it is through the love of God that these potential relationships may be restored. Covenant Relationships and Love are based upon the pillars of the covenant--eternal principles extended again and again as if it were one eternal round from Father Adam, Enoch, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph in Egypt even down to Joseph Smith.  The pillars of the covenant are steadfast, immovable, sure, and do not change. A man may build his house upon this sure foundation and establish true power in the priesthood upon himself and upon his posterity through all generations of time.

To receive and experience the Love of the Covenant is to experience and extend the Pure Love of Christ-Charity.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail— But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.


 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.” (Moroni 7:46-48)

Just as Israel (Jacob) became a son of God through the Love of God even so the Nation of Israel became a covenant nation to God because of this same extension of Love.  When we hear the word Charity in American culture it often invokes images of someone giving food or money to someone in need. The word translated as Charity comes from the Hebrew word Tzedekah which means acts of righteousness.  In particular the acts of righteousness refer to the fulfillment of the commandments of God. As Moroni so aptly described Tzedekah or acts of righteousness thus:

“And charity (tzedekah) suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” (Moroni 7:45)


Covenant Love begins and ends with God and the establishment of his dominion.  It is the kind of love that God uses to confront us, the people he desires to establish covenant with, to identify the areas that hinder us in our relationships with him and one another.  In fact Covenant Love seeks to establish a more perfect relationship so that as it is in Heaven even will it so be on Earth.  There is a great and often senseless debate among scholars between the rule of law and the rule of love, but in the ancient paths followed by the Fathers they are one and the same:

“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:3-11)


"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome." (1 John 5:3)

MANIFESTING THE POWER OF GOD (PART 1)

“And after they had crossed the river Jordan he did make them mighty unto the driving out of the children of the land, yea, unto the scattering them to destruction. And now, do ye suppose that the children of this land, who were in the land of promise, who were driven out by our fathers, do ye suppose that they were righteous? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.
Do ye suppose that our fathers would have been more choice than they if they had been righteous? I say unto you, Nay.

Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God. But behold, this people had rejected every word of God, and they were ripe in iniquity; and the fulness of the wrath of God was upon them; and the Lord did curse the land against them, and bless it unto our fathers; yea, he did curse it against them unto their destruction, and he did bless it unto our fathers unto their obtaining power over it.” (1 Nephi 17:32-35)

According to his Power God drove out the inhabitants of the Land of Israel to destruction because of iniquity or lawlessness.  According to the Mercy of God (Chesed) he demonstrates his blessing upon the Fathers.  This passage is a key to the righteous manifestation of God’s Power – either to blessing or cursing.  It is a key to mystery of the power of Godliness being made manifest unto the children of men in the flesh.  Those who follow the path of the Holy Order of the Son of God accomplish all things according to his will.  In doing so they seek to balance the attributes of Power and Long Suffering just as Christ demonstrated this balance of these attributes.  Doing all things according to his “Word” is a Hebrew play on “words” meaning according to the commandments of God (Torah) and in the manner demonstrated by the Son (Sermon on the Mount) in order to bring oneness.

This important teaching is why so many fail to manifest the Power of God.  The natural man resorts to his own authority and office to both bless and curse while the spiritual child of God seeks only to manifest the power of God to bring about a condition of oneness through blessing, or destruction through cursing when the fullness of iniquity (lawlessness) is reached.  It is never done to exert unrighteous dominion over someone or something-only to bring about oneness.  At times bringing about oneness with God involves blessing and at other times it involves setting them apart to destruction or cursing to bring about repentance. The deciding factor - the lawlessness of the people. 

RESTORING MIRACLES AND THE REASON WHY MIRACLES CEASE

The prophet Mormon demonstrates this teaching:

"And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles."

And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.

 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth." (Mormon 9:19-21

The God of Israel is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He is a God of miracles but the reason why his miracles cease is because the people fall away in unbelief and depart from the right way.  This declaration is a Hebrew play on words where unbelief parallels departing from the right way.  To an Israelite "the way" is the Torah and the commandments of God.  In departing from God's way they walk another path and as a result they do not "know" or experience the God of Israel and his blessings.  Those who walk in another way seek to supplant God's laws with laws of their own device and making.  

The promise reiterated in the Book of Mormon by Mormon that is given unto all the ends of the earth is one of the greatest gifts of God given to those who would be his bride.  For those who would make themselves ready for the Bridegroom and King, the betrothal gifts are given to prepare the bride for her marriage.  In Israelite understanding the promise could be restated in a little more modern vernacular:

"Understand and Comprehend, I say unto you that whoever desires to follow Messiah, with a decisive mind to do so, whatever he shall ask of the Father to fulfill the commandments of the Messiah it will be granted him (her); and this promise is unto all, even to the ends of the earth" 

The question we must ask ourselves consistently in our covenant requests to the Father is "Are we asking for Gifts (gifts of the spirit, etc) to fulfill God's commandments and to bring about a state of oneness with him.  If we are, then we must ask ourselves what law are we seeking to establish in our life or the life of another:

"There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." D&C 130:20-21

"Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given; For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts."  (D&C 46:8-9)

As the Messiah stated, "if you love me keep my commandments".  The love of God - his blessings and cursing- is tied to his commandments (mitzvot) being established in our lives and society.  Our goal is to bring about a state of oneness with God by establishing his commandments in our lives.  The gifts of God are given as grace to enable us to do just that.  They are not given because of our membership in the church, our priesthood office, or that we might perform magic tricks.  The gifts of God are given to bring about a condition of oneness with him and this oneness entails establishing his commandments both written and spoken.

"And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth—that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief.

And wo be unto the children of men if this be the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God."

In the Israelite mind, that which is "Good" is that which leads us to fulfill the commandments of God.  Here Moroni states that if the gifts of God cease it is because people have left the path of belief (Torah) and begun to walk the path of unbelief (anti-Torah).  For if there be anyone that establishes God's covenant law he must do so by the enabling power and gifts of God. The one being tied to the other. 

God gives his children grace, or enabling power, to establish and maintain their covenant relationship and society with him.  When we depart either as an individual or society the gifts of God cease because we are then walking in a path that does not establish his laws and dominion. This teaching on the manifestation of God’s Power and Long Suffering either to blessing or cursing was also discussed by the Fathers:

“For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power (gevurah), by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course; To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world. And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven.” (JST Genesis 14:30-32)

Nephi continues to draw this contrast between the Power of God and the Long Suffering of God.  Like Christ who stated, “If you love me keep my commandments.” Nephi explains that the balancing and demonstration of God’s Power and Long Suffering involve loving God:

“And he loveth those who will have him to be their God. Behold, he loved our fathers, and he covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he remembered the covenants which he had made; wherefore, he did bring them out of the land of Egypt.” (1 Nephi 17:40)

God’s attributes of Power and Mercy enable him to bless and curse in order to bring at-one-ment or a state of oneness with him, “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. And they did harden their hearts from time to time, and they did revile against Moses, and also against God; nevertheless, ye know that they were led forth by his matchless power into the land of promise” (1 Nephi17:41-42)