Erasing the Resurrection from the Calendar

Changing the Days of Holy Week

How did the Lord’s resurrection on “the third day” ever become the “second day”, as Christians almost universally imagine in today’s world? 

Because the Stick of Joseph, Covenant of Christ, and the Book of Mormon confirm the New Testament account of His rising on the third day. (see 3 Nephi 4:3,5,10 CE and Mosiah 1:14 CE)

The answer to the riddle lies in the Gentile (Christian, LDS, etc.) misunderstanding of what a sabbath is, and that there were two sabbaths that week. It is very well covered here: To The Remnant: First Fruits (take a minute to read it, if you haven't before)

A “sabbath” is a day of rest, literally translated as a “cessation”. As Adrian points out, it’s important to understand that there were three different types of “sabbaths” observed anciently:

• The weekly sabbath, observed as a “cessation” from work on the seventh day of the week.

• The monthly sabbath, observed at the beginning of a new month or, in other words, at a new moon.

• The holy days each year, including the first day of Pesach/Passover on 15 Nisan.

So, yes, it should be "Good Thursday" not "Good Friday". That is, 14 Nisan began after sunset Wednesday with the Last Supper, continuing with the suffering in Gethsemane later that night, and finishing with the trial & crucifixion on Thursday before sunset.

And beginning with what we call "sundown on Thursday", 15 Nisan, or the first day of Passover, was a sabbath. And Saturday, 16 Nisan, was the weekly sabbath. Two sabbath days in a row.

I highly recommend the Gospel & Messiah Harmonies on Scriptures.info, which correctly includes all of these in its timeline. It also aligns & references the newly revealed Testimony of St. John in the harmonies, which scripture came in 2017 in fulfillment of the promise made by the Lord through Joseph Smith in T&C 93:7 (D&C 93:18-20).

Among other things, understanding the correct days for the events of that week allows for additional symbolic meaning in the accounts to become manifest. 

For example, what we call Palm Sunday was therefore on 10 Nisan. That calendar day was the very day the Lord instructed the Israelites in Exod. 8:2 RE (traditional Exod. 12:3-6) that they should select the sacrificial lamb without blemish and take it into their home and keep it there with their family until they sacrificed it just before sunset on 14 Nisan, putting its blood on their doorposts. The lamb is then central to the Passover meal itself. So, in other words, on that Sunday, 10 Nisan, just as families were selecting their lamb and bringing each one into their homes, the Lamb of God entered into the gates of Jerusalem, the house of his people, joining them there and remaining there until his sacrifice on Thursday, 14 Nisan. He taught daily in the temple, the house of his Father, per Luke 12:5 RE and Luke 13:11 RE. 

During the Second Temple period, Israelites did not slaughter their lambs at home but instead brought them to the temple in Jerusalem to be communally slaughtered that afternoon of Thursday 14 Nisan, their blood then being then being sprinkled on the temple altar by priests. It meant that as Christ hung on the cross north of the temple, large numbers of pilgrims were bringing their lambs to the temple courts, likely leading them right past those being crucified, where the temple priests facilitated the slaughter in an organized manner to accommodate the crowds.

Another Echo of the Lost Sabbath

Interestingly, reference to the two sabbaths in a row has been preserved in the Greek of Matthew’s account (Matt 28:1), though not properly translated into English in almost any edition of the Bible. (other than Young’s Literal Translation) 

Here is the KJV of the verse with the mistranslated Greek word (click to enlarge):

It was plural and should read: “After the sabbaths…” 

Fixing the Unruly, Irregular, Unpredictable Hebrew Calendar

As the original Hebrew calendar was designed to work, it relied on observational astronomy to determine the start of lunar months. That is, they would watch for the first sliver of the moon after new moon to know when a month had begun. "According to the Mishnah and Tosefta, in the Maccabean, Herodian, and Mishnaic periods, new months were determined by the sighting of a new crescent, with two eyewitnesses required to testify to the Sanhedrin to having seen the new lunar crescent at sunset." (see Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:7)

It also needed to periodically have a leap month added to keep the calendar aligned with seasons. There is enough unknown about the original calendar revealed by the Lord that it’s not clear whether that realigning "leap month" originally relied on crop availability in the spring or something else. 

The length of time from new moon to new moon (called a synodic month) varies in length from 29.3 to 29.8 days. And because observing it anciently depended on weather conditions, too, there could be various reasons for it shifting a day here or there. Or for a leap month happening one year versus another. It was not entirely predictable if you really wanted to make plans for a year or two out.

In our modern world it goes without saying that all this would, of course, be a problem. We like things, including calendars, to be neat & tidy. We like perfect predictability. We really must be able to forecast everything.

So, over the many years between 70 AD and 1178 AD, the observation-based Hebrew calendar was gradually replaced by a mathematically calculated one. It was fixed to have the kind of uniform, reliable, predictable mechanics that mankind craves and which soothsayers even today rely on. The history of each of the steps taken to fix it is fascinating & pretty well documented. The history there even notes that "at least two Jewish dates during post-Talmudic times (specifically in 506 and 776) are impossible under the rules of the modern calendar." In fact, the transition from the observational Hebrew calendar to its modern calculated calendar has been bumpy and not without many opinions on how it should be done. (including an attempt by the late John Pratt)

But here then is the irony of abandoning the observational Hebrew calendar: the modern Hebrew calendar never allows for the first day of Passover to occur on a Friday. Its gears and mechanics only ever allow it to be on a Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. (see the details here)

That means among other things that when using the modern Hebrew calendar:

• It is impossible for the two sabbaths to have occurred as they did, seemingly erasing the possibility of the account witnessed in the New Testament and Covenant of Christ (or Book of Mormon) from ever having happened
• It is therefore also not possible to use this information to determine what year the resurrection happened

In fact, you could legitimately say that the modern Hebrew calendar rules out the possibility that the resurrection happened as the scriptural accounts abundantly testify.

But prior to 70 AD when observational astronomy was used, the recorded events in our scriptures absolutely could have happened.

Letter 32

My Dear Wormwood,

Your latest report hints at a spark of cunning, though I’d wager it’s more dumb luck than design. Still, I’ll mold your clumsy efforts into something sharp enough to cut. The patient’s soul dangles on a precipice—too arrogant to bow, too fidgety to walk away entirely. We can turn this to our advantage with a tactic so devious it might almost excuse your past flops. Pay attention, nephew; I won’t spoon-feed you twice.

You’re to stage a little masquerade, a two-handed scheme with you and that sniveling underling Slubgob as the players. Humans adore a show, especially when they’re the hero, and this one will have your patient stumbling over her own pride before the first act’s done.

First, set Slubgob loose to impersonate Our Father Below—but not the towering, sulfur-wreathed lord of lore. No, give him a smaller, shriller script. Let him whimper and nag in the patient’s mind, clawing for attention like a brat denied its toy. “Notice me!” Slubgob should bleat. “Am I not terrifying? Am I not the prince of rebellion? Why aren’t you quaking—or at least tossing me a scrap of awe?” Make him shrill, clingy, a mockery of our true majesty. The patient, with her smug, enlightened airs, will sneer at this “Satan”—a whining fraud, too pitiful to fear. She’ll pat herself on the back for seeing through such a tiresome act, basking in her own cleverness. And that, my dear Wormwood, is where you step in.

You’ll don the Enemy’s mask—soft-toned, honeyed, and brimming with flattery. Whisper to her, “You’re not like the rest, are you? So perceptive, so resolute. You cut through the drivel, don’t you? A spirit like yours—surely you’re destined for something higher than the rabble’s meekness.” Caress her ego, nephew; pet it till it curls up in your lap. Don’t overreach—humans spook at clumsy lures—but ease her toward the finer sins. Hint that she’s too grand for trifles like humility or kindness. “Why squander your brilliance on the unworthy?” you might purr. “You’re owed recognition, not sacrifice.” Paint her as a visionary, too lofty for the Enemy’s dull yoke of selflessness.

The genius lies in the dance, Wormwood. Slubgob’s sniveling “Satan” keeps the patient busy, rolling her eyes at the crude bait of yesteryear’s temptations—cloven hooves and cackling, how passé!—while your flattery loops the flaxen cord around her neck. She’ll think she’s spurning us outright, when really she’s just shrugging off the loud idiot and embracing the silkier lie—you, in your borrowed halo. She’ll sin not with a roar, but with a crown she’s forged herself.

Mind the rhythm, though. If Slubgob hams it up too much, the patient might sniff out the ploy; if you ladle the praise too thick, she’ll catch the whiff of fakery. Watch her temper—when she’s frayed, let Slubgob grate on her; when she’s swollen with herself, stoke the fire. The aim is a soul so dazzled by its own shine it never sees the pit it’s sliding into—pride, spite, self-idolatry, all tarted up as freedom.

Pull this off, and we’ll have her scoffing at a puppet-devil while kneeling to a velvet snare, and the jest will echo in our halls for eons. Botch it, and you’ll be scouring ash-pits till your claws bleed. Choose wisely.

Your affectionate uncle,

Screwtape

Stand Independent Conference this Fall

For any looking to understand how they might prepare against the "troubling season fast approaching", this Fall a conference will be held September 23-25, 2022, in Northern Utah:

If Ye Are Prepared Ye Need Not Fear

To those who willingly accepted the covenant offered to mankind by the Lord in 2017, He included the following promise:

And I, the Lord your God, will be with you and will never forsake you, and I will lead you in the path which will bring peace to you in the troubling season now fast approaching. (T&C 158:12) 

Such a result necessarily requires that the sheep permit themselves to be led by the Shepherd, then following Him "in the path." Although the soothsayers of our world are now offering and urging many different paths and directions, apparently "the path which will bring peace to you" is only one.

"Troubling", on the other hand, is an interesting word. It means "causing feelings of distress, worry, or anxiety." The Lord spoke anciently to his disciples about how disturbing the events of our day would be to us and how the upheavals in nature would echo this:

And then his disciples asked him, saying, Master, tell us concerning your coming. And he answered them and said, In the generation in which the times of the gentiles shall be fulfilled, there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, and upon the earth, distress of nations with perplexity, like the sea and the waves roaring. The earth also shall be troubled, and the waters of the great deep, men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the Powers of Heaven shall be shaken; and when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for the day of your redemption draws near. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

And he spoke to them a parable, saying, Behold the fig tree and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, you see and know of your own selves that summer is now near at hand. So likewise you, when you see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is near at hand. Truly I say unto you, this generation — the generation when the times of the gentiles are fulfilled — shall not pass away until all are fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Let my disciples therefore take heed to themselves, lest at any time their hearts should be burdened with overindulgence, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come upon them unawares; for as a snare it shall come on all them who dwell on the face of the whole earth. And what I say unto one, I say unto all. Watch, therefore, and pray always, and keep my commandments, that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things which shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man when he shall come, clothed in the glory of his Father. (Luke 12:17-18 RE)

Christ, Nephi, Mormon, Ether, and others in the Book of Mormon spend a great deal of time discussing "the fulfillment of the times of the gentiles". Today is that generation, and signs of the closing of this phase have been given. The second of the 7-year-separated pair of solar eclipses whose shadows cross this nation out will be given two short years from now. Things are just in process of wrapping up for the "gentiles", with all the associated events already well under way. Have you considered, for example, the significance of the sign in the heavens to take place in the predawn hours of this Sunday, May 1st, 2020? Or the other unusual planetary signs recently given in the predawn sky?

I look forward to this conference and to learning from each of those who share something there. Hopefully that will be nearly everyone.

Prepare & Organize Yourselves

In March 1832, the Lord gave the following guidance to his people at that time:

"Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you to prepare and organize yourselves ... Behold, this is the preparation wherewith I prepare you, and the foundation and the example which I give unto you whereby you may accomplish the commandments which are given you, that through my providences, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that you may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the Celestial world..." (T&C 70:4)

I have been asked to share the following.

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A work for Zion has begun.

Several months ago, a handful of families in the movement felt inspired to begin an effort to lay up stores against a coming time of want and need. A work group from among interested parties was formed and work was begun to consider questions related to the issue of providing for our families through coming circumstances we may face as the Lord brings His Zion.  A growing number of families have begun the necessary labor to provide for our families against a fast approaching “troubling season,” (T&C 158:12), and what may follow as the Lord moves forward His work to bring His Zion. 

We invite every person and family in this movement to join in the labor for Zion now by laying up stores to provide for your family against coming seasons of want and need. 

“God cannot produce Zion for, or with, people who refuse to labor. Because His promise is for the results of the labor and nothing else. As far as I know, none of us, and certainly I, cannot provide for everyone. But, I can provide for my own family. And each of you should labor to do the same” (Equality - Denver Snuffer - Challis Idaho Transcript pg. 13 of 20).

We are to Labor to Provide for our Families.  

We are required to provide for our families now in the present. Looking forward, we will need to provide for our families in a “troubling season now fast approaching” (T&C 158:12) and beyond.

Note: Four years have elapsed since the Lord gave us this instruction (T&C 158:12). You might ask yourselves, what have we done in four years to prepare for a troubling season? 

We will need to provide for our families during an undefined length of time following a gathering by the Lord in which our entire efforts and labors may be required to be devoted to subduing and working the earth until she yields sufficient for our needs (For guidance see Equality - Denver Snuffer - Challis Idaho transcript page 10 of 20).

God, in His mercy, is giving us this current season of relative peace, abundance, and prosperity.  He is making it possible for us to provide for our families now, and during a fast approaching ‘troubling season’ and beyond as the Lord brings forth His Zion (For guidance see Equality - Denver Snuffer - Challis Idaho Transcript pages 9-10 of 20).

Many are anxiously engaged preparing to provide for our families’ and fellowships’ coming needs. We invite you to join the work for Zion by beginning your own labor to provide for your family against a coming day of want now fast approaching (T&C 158:12).

What is the Suggested Plan?

Above all things we desire to receive and exactly follow the will and desires of the Lord for us. This must be His work, done at His direction. We desire above all things that He be our guide. 

Individuals and Families 

1. Determine your families’ needs.
2. Determine what you already have.
3. Prioritize your families’ needs.
4. Lay out a plan to acquire your families’ needs.
5. Begin to produce, acquire, and lay up stores.

Fellowships

1. Counsel together with fellowship members to inspire, encourage, and help them identify family needs and begin to lay up stores.
2. Work together as mutually agreed among fellowship to meet the needs of fellowship members.
3. Review carefully, and prayerfully follow all revealed words of the Lord concerning wise and required use and application of limited temporal resources. (For Guidance see Equality - Denver Snuffer - Challis Idaho Transcript pg. 13-15)

Storehouse Work Group

1. Provide knowledge and resources to assist families and fellowships to identify and meet storage needs.
2. Gather knowledge and resources to build and maintain a central web site that individuals, families, and fellowships may use to help meet their storage needs.
3. Recommend contact between individuals, families, and fellowships with specific resources and storage skills and those searching for those specific resources or skills.
4. Create, manage, and update, a central information exchange hub for "great deals" and storage opportunities (Website "Specials" page).
5. Provide a "Wants / Available" listing page on the web site for items individuals or families may be seeking, or willing to sell or give away.

If you would like to know more, please visit the website StandIndependent.com for resources we have gathered to assist your family and fellowship in your efforts to prepare.

The website StandIndependent.com is a work in progress that will be evolving and changing as we go along. We invite you to share your expertise, ideas, and experiences related to storage topics that may assist all others in their storage efforts.  Your stories, ideas, suggestions and other content will be appreciated.

Please contact us at standindependentnow@gmail.com with ideas, experiences, stories, and other suggestions for content to be added to the website. The storehouse work group will determine together by common consent vote all content to be added to the website StandIndependent.com  

The storehouse work group:

Nephi and Kim Barlow
Evan and Karen Bennett
Terry and Mellody Fausett
Jim and Angela O’Rullian
McKay Platt
Jon and Tina Saunders
Kimberly and Mike Thompson
Steve and Linda VanLeer
Shalyce Woodard

 

Casting Out

 "O ye wicked and perverse generation, ye lawyers and hypocrites, for ye are laying the foundations of the Devil, for ye are laying traps and snares to catch the holy ones of God. Ye are laying plans to pervert the ways of the righteous and to bring down the wrath of God upon your heads, even to the utter destruction of this people. Yea, well did Mosiah say, who was our last king, when he was about to deliver up the kingdom, having no one to confer it upon, causing that this people should be governed by their own voices — yea, well did he say that if the time should come that the voice of this people should cause iniquity, that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction. And now I say unto you that well doth the Lord judge of your iniquities; well doth he cry unto this people by the voice of his angels, Repent ye, repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Yea, well doth he cry by the voice of his angels that I will come down among my people with equity and justice in my hands. Yea, and I say unto you that if it were not for the prayers of the righteous who are now in the land, that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction. Yet it would not be by flood, as were the people in the days of Noah, but it would be by famine, and by pestilence, and the sword. But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared. Now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you, then will not the Lord stay his hand, but in his fierce anger he will come out against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword. And the time is soon at hand except ye repent." (Alma 8:5)

Disciples of Truth

And in that generation shall the times of the gentiles be fulfilled.

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.

But my disciples shall stand in holy places and shall not be moved.

— T&C 31:7

stand (v. intr.): To take up, assert, and defend a viewpoint, position, or perspective believed to be true.

holy (adj.): The state of being connected to the light of truth, having "received the holy ghost."

place (n.): 1) A distinct condition, position, or state of mind. 2) Station in life; calling; occupation; condition.

moved (adj.): Dislodged from a fixed point of view, as by persuasion.

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Hear the word of the Lord, you scornful men [i.e., "the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim"] that rule this people which is in Jerusalem: "Because you have said, '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 hidden ourselves' ...

"Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Behold, ... the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. ... When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then you shall be trodden down by it."

— Isaiah 8:4 RE

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The Lord speaking to one of his disciples:

Let him be humble before me and be without guile, and he shall receive of my spirit, even the Comforter, which shall manifest unto him the truth of all things, and shall give him in the very hour what he shall say. And these signs shall follow him: he shall heal the sick, he shall cast out devils, and shall be delivered from those who would administer unto him deadly poison...

— T&C 141:33

Agreement with Hell: Covenanting while Under the Influence of Intoxicants

In T&C 37:4-8, the Lord restored to us a record of the discussion he had with his disciples while on the Mount of Olives looking across at the temple complex in Jerusalem. While parts of it appear in Matt. 11, there is additional information from this sermon that are restored here regarding the scattering and gathering of Israel, the times of the gentiles, and an "overflowing scourge" or "desolating sickness" which is scheduled to occur:

"As you have asked of me concerning these signs of my coming, in the day when I shall come in my glory in the clouds of Heaven, to fulfill the promises that I have made unto your fathers, for as you have looked upon the long absence of your spirits from your bodies to be a bondage, I will show unto you how the day of redemption shall come, and also the restoration of the scattered Israel.

"And now you behold this temple which is in Jerusalem, which you call the House of God, and your enemies say that this house shall never fall. But verily, I say unto you that desolation shall come upon this generation as a thief in the night, and this people shall be destroyed and scattered among all nations. And this temple which you now see shall be thrown down, that there shall not be left one stone upon another. And it shall come to pass that this generation of Jews shall not pass away until every desolation which I have told you concerning them shall come to pass. You say that you know that the end of the world comes. You say also that you know that the heavens and the earth shall pass away, and in this you say truly, for so it is. But these things which I have told you shall not pass away until all shall be fulfilled, and this I have told you concerning Jerusalem. 

"And when that day shall come shall a remnant be scattered among all nations; but they shall be gathered again, but they shall remain until the times of the gentiles be fulfilled. And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion. And men’s hearts shall fail them and shall say that Christ delays his coming until the end of the world, and the love of men shall wax cold and iniquity shall abound. And when the times of the gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fullness of my gospel, but they receive it not, for they perceive not the light and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men.

"And in that generation shall the times of the gentiles be fulfilled. 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. But my disciples shall stand in holy places and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices, and curse God, and die. And there shall be earthquakes also in diverse places and many desolations. Yet men will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword one against another and they will kill one another."

That last sentence seems to echo Isaiah 6:15, where the ancient, sole-superpower Egypt may be an apt latter-day symbol for the United States: 

Behold, the Lord rides upon a swift cloud and shall come into Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians and they shall fight, every one against his brother and every one against his neighbor, city against city and kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof, and I will destroy the counsel thereof; and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord, and a fierce king shall rule over them, says the Lord, the Lord of Hosts.

Going back to Christ's prophecy in T&C 31:8, this prediction on the Mount of Olives really disturbed his disciples:

And now, when I, the Lord, had spoken these words unto my disciples they were troubled, and I said unto them, "Be not troubled, for when all these things shall come to pass you may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled. And when the light shall begin to break forth, it shall be with them like unto a parable which I will show you: You look and behold the fig trees, and you see them with your eyes, and you say, when they begin to shoot forth and their leaves are yet tender, you say that summer is now nigh at hand. Even so, it shall be in that day when they shall see all these things, then shall they know that the hour is nigh."

It really was the good news they were asking about, even if some of the events leading up to it bothered them to learn of.

The "light [that] shall break forth among them that sit in darkness [or] the fullness of my gospel" seems to echo what Christ told the Nephites of the Father's work in the end times in 3 Nephi 9:12:

For in that day, for my sake, shall the Father work a work which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them, and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them. But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore, they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will shew unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the Devil. 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.

(Those words that Christ claims as his own have been declared by that servant and include the words in T&C 156, 157 and 158.)

Latter-day Winos

In Isaiah 8:1-2, we find a "woe" pronounced on the latter-day "drunkards of Ephraim":

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.

Behold, the Lord has 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.

The crown of pride,

the drunkards of Ephraim,

shall be trodden under feet,

and the glorious beauty

which is on the head of the fat valley

shall be a fading flower,

and as the hasty fruit before the summer,

which,

when he that looks upon it sees,

while it is yet in his hand,

he eats it up.

 

In that day shall the Lord of Hosts be

for a crown of glory

and for a diadem of beauty

unto the residue of his people,

and for a spirit of judgment

to him that sits in judgment,

and for strength

to them that turn the battle to the gate.

 

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.

There is only one last-days church organization that claims to be primarily composed of Ephraimites. This is from their web site:

Two additional brief thoughts on these words from Isaiah. First, the "crown of pride" as an alternate name for these Ephraimite leaders is interesting. It recalls Christ's parallel description of this latter-day, gentile church in 3 Nephi 7:5, where he quotes the Father: "At that day when [not "if"] the gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fullness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations and above all the people of the whole earth…" It's tough to find stronger superlatives than that--and from the Father.

Second, that word "filthiness" that the translators used was their polite way of avoiding an uncomfortable word. The Hebrew means feces, dung, or excrement. The feast presented on tables by these drunkards does not consist of the lavish smorgasbord you might expect. Instead, it is partially digested food (vomit) or wholly digested food (feces) which has been returned to the serving plates for your feasting pleasure. All of which has lost its nutritional value and appeal. Apparently extreme reuse of what is represented to be (but is not) nutritional and beneficial offerings to their followers is what warranted Isaiah's extreme analogy here. In fact, in English we even use the idiom of someone "regurgitating" what they've been taught. With the frequent repetition of the same teachings among adherents in correlated materials, Isaiah's choice of words seems very well selected. It may also call to mind leaders' endless quoting of each other in L-dS general conferences.

The Refuge Provided by Lies & an Accord with Death & Hell

After a brief (but related) aside in paragraph 3, the Lord returns to the activities of these Ephraimite winos and quotes them in their glee:

Wherefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scornful men that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because you 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 hidden ourselves!"

What lies could such leaders put their trust in, supposing that those lies would be protective from an overflowing scourge & desolating sickness? What do they suppose could provide a refuge from the dire effects of some coming pandemic? Is it a false hope they might not only willingly accept but also urge their followers to accept? What form might that take?

Whatever the case, according to the Lord, this covenant and agreement they have put in place will not be honored but will be done away with. Instead, the "overflowing scourge" will actually overtake them.

Therefore, thus says the Lord God:

Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone,

a tried stone,

a precious cornerstone,

a sure foundation.

He that believes 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 you shall be trodden down by it.

From the time that it goes 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 [i.e., the news going around].

For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it,

and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

For the Lord shall rise up as in Mount Perazim,

he shall be angry 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 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.

When Lies Eventually Come to Light: CRT, meet the Guys

It's not clear what will happen to the idolatrous followers of these drunkards when the lies and falsehoods they have bet the farm on finally come to light.

When it finally does so, however, there will be pretty some pretty harsh realizations. It will also be the case for any not among elite religionists and other "world leaders". Imagine how half of the US population might begin react were they to discover, say for example, that as a result of their trust in the solution so urgently and forcefully pushed on them by so many leaders, they were to then be subject to all manner of very significant health problems, even including death. It's not difficult to imagine what emotions might sweep over a national or world population at such a realization: betrayal, loss, sadness, and a tsunami of anger.

Interestingly, at the same time that a medical solution has been so thoroughly pushed on US and world populations by almost every means possible (including door-to-door knocking now), there has been a similar, seemingly urgent push through modern society going on in parallel. Its origins, history, and current dynamics have been very well documented in the book "Irresistible Revolution: Marxism's Goal of Conquest & The Unmaking of the American Military". In short, the Marxist tactical playbook intentionally foments division of a people through any available "divider" (whether "race", gender, sexual orientation, ownership of capital, etc.), which in turn leads to anger, internal conflict within that nation, and ultimately its collapse and destruction. This is the approach being very cunningly and very urgently foisted on the American populace. And the means of dividing the people in the current situation is the level of melanin in their epidermises. (termed "Critical Race Theory" or CRT) Our national unwillingness to repent and turn to the Lord is what has ultimately left us spiritually defenseless in the face of this deceptive, manipulative agenda so artfully being executed by foreign powers.

But back to the current situation resulting from the pandemic response: Hypothetically, if millions were to awaken to a worldwide, very-quickly-rolled-out medical program that had resulted in horrific effects including widespread death, who would they credit with having carried out such a program? If such an "awakening to our awful situation" were to happen, resulting from unexpected medical effects of the current "prevention" campaign, whom would that tsunami of anger be directed against? Who have been the chief protagonists? What names come to mind?

Now look at their faces. What is common across all these? How would you classify their epidermal melanin levels? Or their gender? Or age?

Marxist CRT "training" now being broadly and very urgently disseminated by businesses, corporations, universities, schools, political leaders, the corporate press, agitators, and even religious leaders everywhere, teaches a person that anyone with low melanin levels is inherently "racist" because of inherent "white privilege" built into the system. Marxist agitators also teach that violence against such people is then completely justified and right. Could it hypothetically be possible at that point for agitators to highlight this fact and leverage it to great effect in stirring up millions to frothy anger? Could such a lineup of faces turn out to be a list of the "fall guys"? Could the reaction of the masses reach the level of genocidal and fratricidal responses toward an entire "Caucasian race"?

With that in mind, it may not be difficult to see how the prophecy made in 2017 could come to pass.

Those who have entered faithfully in to the covenant this day are going to notice some things. The spirit of God is withdrawing from the world. Men are increasingly more angry without good cause. The hearts of men are waxing cold. There is increasing anger and resentment of gentiles. In political terms, it’s rejection of white privilege.

Language of scriptures gives a description of the events now underway and calls it the end of the times of the gentiles. This process with the spirit withdrawing, will end on this continent, as it did with two prior civilizations in fratricidal and genocidal warfare. For the rest of the world, it will be as in the days of Noah in which, as that light becomes eclipsed, the coldness of men’s hearts is going to result in a constant scene of violence and bloodshed. The wicked will destroy the wicked.

The covenant, if it is kept, will prevent you from losing light and warmth of heart as the spirit now steadily recedes from the world. The time will come when you will be astonished at the gulf between the light and truth you will comprehend and the darkness of mind of the world.

(Closing Remarks, Covenant of Christ conference, 9 Sep 2017, Boise, Idaho)

In that conference, held in the Egyptian Theater in Boise, Idaho, a covenant of life was offered to any willing to accept it. It is still available. This very last-days covenant of peace was prophesied of in Ezekiel 19:7:

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 ever. My tabernacle 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 midst of them for ever.

That covenant of peace now has a mirrored counterpart that has also been offered to the world, even in precisely the same location the covenant of peace was originally offered just 3.5 years earlier. It is the doctrine of the two ways.

All these events are interwoven with the others described in T&C 85:3:

And thus with the sword and by bloodshed, the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn. And with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed has made a full end of all nations, that the cry of the saints, and of the blood of the saints, shall cease to come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies.

This decree matches the Isaiah 8:4 "consumption, even determined upon the whole earth" we read above. And it will, in fact, come upon all nations, not just some. There does not seem to be an exception for the United States. It echoes Daniel's vision of the last days in Daniel 2:6, when the stone (or kingdom of God) is prophesied utterly destroy the image of Babylon:

You, O king, saw and beheld a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before you, 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. You saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay and broke 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 threshing floors, 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.

As Isaiah 1:5 explains, the kingdom, or family of God, will be established along with a temple (the Lord's house) in the tops of the mountains as part of a prophesied last-days Zion in the Western Hemisphere:

It shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many people. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

That will be the location where one of the final scenes of the Book of Mormon (Mormon 3:4) will repeat--a great and woeful lamentation--though from a mountaintop instead of a hilltop, and about the unrepentant, fallen gentile civilization this time rather than the unrepentant, fallen Nephite civilization:

And my soul was rent with anguish because of the slain of my people, and I cried, O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord? O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you? Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I mourn your loss. O ye fair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have fallen? But behold, ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return. And the day soon cometh that your mortal must put on immortality, and these bodies which are now moldering in corruption must soon become incorruptible bodies. And then ye must stand before the judgment seat of Christ to be judged according to your works. And if it so be that ye are righteous, then are ye blessed with your fathers who have gone before you. Oh that ye had repented before this great destruction had come upon you. But behold, ye are gone, and the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of Heaven, knoweth your state, and he doeth with you according to his justice and mercy.

There is still time to turn to the Lord and accept what he is now offering. Please consider the Lord's invitation, if you have not. But that window of time will not continue indefinitely, just like it did not for the Nephites or for the Jaredites.

The Electric ​Book of Abraham​ & Book of Mormon

When God Offers a Covenant: Signs and Wonders in Heaven and in Earth

The below timeline is interactive: click and drag to move around it, click on elements to see details, or click the box-shaped full screen button on the right.

(View timeline in full window)

More Unwitting Fulfillment of Book of Mormon Prophecy

The Pattern of Unexpectedness

Unexpected fulfillment of prophecy is a hallmark of how what the Lord foretells actually comes to pass. There are some great examples of this in the Book of Mormon. Here's one in particular.

From the following revelation the Lord had long ago given to Nephi, it was "well understood" by the Nephites at the time of Amlici that the "mark" spoken of was the "the skins of the Lamanites [that] were dark" (NC Alma 1:18), having been given as a sign of their cursing due to their own rebellion and attempted murder of their brethren:

Behold, the Lamanites have I cursed, and I will set a mark upon them, that they and their seed may be separated from thee and thy seed from this time henceforth and for ever, except they repent of their wickedness and turn to me, that I may have mercy upon them. And again, I will set a mark upon him that mingleth his seed with thy brethren, that they may be cursed also. And again, I will set a mark upon him that fighteth against thee and thy seed. And again, I say, he that departeth from thee shall no more be called thy seed. And I will bless thee, etc., and whosoever shall be called thy seed, henceforth and for ever. (NC Alma 1:20)

It was assumed that this natural result from the intermarriage of Laman & Lemuel's seed with others already in the Americas when they arrived was what was meant by "a mark" upon them. They apparently considered it the only possible meaning of the prophecy.

What these rebellious, apostate Nephites (the Amlicites) did not anticipate when they marked their foreheads with red was that the Lord also had them in mind with the prophecy given to Nephi:

Now the Amlicites knew not that they were fulfilling the words of God when they began to mark themselves in their foreheads. (NC Alma 1:20)

It was an unexpected fulfillment that perfectly satisfied what the Lord had predicted. He had had it in mind all along, but it was not understood until after it had been fulfilled. The Amlicites had been just like Nephi's brethren (i.e., had been rebelious, fought against "the seed" of Nephi, refused to repent of their wickedness, and brought the curse entirely upon themselves) and so had "a mark" set upon them.

Book of Mormon Accounts Selected as Patterns of Our Day

The prophet-writers of the Book of Mormon were very familiar with our day. Christ Himself had shown him you (yes, you, the reader), me, and our modern "holy church of God" in vision, as Mormon testified:

Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shewn you unto me, and I know your doing... (NC Mormon 4:5)

What they chose to include in the less-than-1% of their records that they wrote for us to read was carefully selected to be pertinent to our situation. Many of the accounts selected for inclusion are perfect patterns and types for what they saw happening today.

Two Inadvertant & Unwitting 2018 Fulfillments of Prophecy

In my statement made to the high council at the disciplinary hearing we attended, I outlined two examples of this sort of startling fulfillment of prophecy that happened in the course of events leading up to the council. (I did not become aware of the two fulfillments until shortly before the council took place, when the spirit made them manifest.) You can read those in pages 4-6 of 2018-03-01 Disciplinary Council Statement by Vaughn Hughes.pdf. The first example was derived from the procedure adopted in the court of King Noah. It's well described in the statement.

A Simple Exercise from the Second Example

For the second of the two examples, when I suggested on page 6 that "sometimes all you have to do is change the names," I was referring to a teacher of truth deemed apostate by a corrupt institution of our day that mirrored what the corrupt Zoramite Church did in deeming Alma apostate. (and those who saw truth in his teachings) The stake leaders were very aware of the context of my comments, since they had conducted the interrogations. You, the reader, may not be.

So, here is the rest of the suggested exercise in simple name-changing (with a few added notes) that illustrates a fulfillment of this prophecy:

And it came to pass that after the more popular part of the Zoramites <LDS Church> [that is, 'popular' meaning sustained leaders] had consulted together concerning the words which had been preached unto them¹ [by Alma <Denver> and his brethren], they were angry because of the word, for it did destroy their craft²; therefore, they would not hearken unto the words. And they sent and gathered together, throughout all the land, all the people <LDS Church members>, and consulted with them [that is, interviewed them] concerning the words which had been spoken³. Now their rulers, and their priests, and their teachers did not let the people know concerning their desires; therefore, they found out privily the minds of all the people⁴. And it came to pass that after they had found out the minds of all the people, those who were in favor of the words which had been spoken by Alma <Denver> and his brethren were cast out of the land, and they were many.⁵ (NC Alma 16:40-41)

Fulfillment footnotes:

¹  There are multiple leaked pieces of evidence making it clear that the LDS Brethren have "consulted together concerning the words" taught by those they perceive as a threat. One is a leaked slide listing those threats by name. Another is a private acknowledgement by a local leader of contact from an LDS apostle expressing concern about and directing the expulsion of a specific individual.

²  Given that LDS Church leaders are now documented to not only receive bona fide salaries but also quite a few other perks and benefits, and given that the 2/3rds of LDS Church members who are "less active" garner no attention or discipline from leaders, it can only be concluded that those few believing members who are targeted represent a threat to the craft of its leaders. (these crafts by leading priests are termed "priestcrafts" in the Book of Mormon and defined in NC 2 Ne. 11:17)

³  In my only two interviews with stake presidency members in Sandpoint, Idaho, before being called up to be excommunicated, both constituted very deliberate, extended attempts to determine what I thought of the teachings of Denver Snuffer. In neither one did I bring up Denver nor did I express any interest in or engage in any conversation about him. I willingly discussed the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in our scriptures and by Joseph Smith. They expressed great disapproval of my lack of interest in satisfying their curiosities about Denver.

⁴  This direction from the LDS Church "rulers" to local leaders is now publicly documented and confirmed though still publicly denied. It can no longer be claimed to be mere rumor. In some cases, it is very direct, prolonged control by topmost leaders at LDS Church headquarters. When I was called in for the second such "discovery" interview, it was done under false pretenses. I was asked to come in for an interview, where I was asked to tell them my doubts or concerns with "Church leaders." When I told them I had none to express, they insisted that I nonetheless come in. Upon arrival, the line of questioning immediately switched to a "leisurely" inquisition regarding my thoughts on Denver Snuffer, with many of his quotes being presented to me in a not-so-veiled attempt to find out what I thought of them. (i.e., "privily") Later in his ghost-written letter on behalf of the stake president, the stake presidency counselor who conducted the interview lamented that his quarry had been evasive in his lawyerly attempt. (see page 1 of 2018-03-04 Disciplinary Council Letter of Decision for Vaughn.pdf)

⁵  This is an ongoing activity that began in earnest the fall of 2014. For a sampling of believing LDS Church members excommunicated in precisely the way foretold here, see the list compiled here.

But Wait! There's More: Expert Devices

It turns out there was at least one more startling fulfillment of a prophetic Book of Mormon pattern as part of these proceedings, which I did not include in my statement but only recently learned of.

But first, the Book of Mormon pattern given:

In NC Alma 8:12, we find the leaders of the corrupt church in the land of Ammonihah stirring up their church members against two outsiders whose teachings they found to be a threat to their craft: Alma and Amulek. Our narrator and guide, Mormon, goes out of his way to specifically identify one particularly noteworthy tactic used by the chief antagonist in the story, who happens to be a lawyer: Zeezrom. Here it is:

Now it was for the sole purpose to get gain, because they received their wages according to their employ, therefore they did stir up the people to riotings and all manner of disturbances and wickedness, that they might have more employ, that they might get money according to the suits which were brought before them [which is still the case today]; therefore, they did stir up the people against Alma and Amulek. And this Zeezrom began to question Amulek, saying: "Will ye answer me a few questions which I shall ask you?" Now Zeezrom was a man who was expert in the devices of the Devil, that he might destroy that which was good; therefore, he said unto Amulek, "Will ye answer the questions which I shall put unto you?" (NC Alma 8:12)

Mormon repeats the question twice to call our attention to it. It's not a novice tactic. It's something an expert in such devices knows to use. It attempts to coerce the quarry into agreeing to yield to any line of questioning in advance by appealing to their own moral committment to keep their word. This is thus expected to make it easier to trap their quarry in their own words.

Consider how frequently this "device of the Devil" was employed during the brief interview just prior to our disciplinary council, where I had hoped to find out the charges against us. There is clearly a consistent, strongly expressed desire on the part of the stake president to ensure that once we arrive at his council we would, in fact, "answer the questions which [he] shall put unto [us]."

These are from 2018-02-15 Transcript of interview with stake president regarding Disciplinary Council.pdf, where my words are prefixed with a "V" and the stake president's are prefixed with an "R" :

Lines 33-35, referring to my expected responses to his planned interrogation of my wife and me during the council:

R: So ... are you going to be honest?

V: Of course.

R: Then that's all we need.

Lines 77-81, continuing to discuss his planned procedure of asking about our beliefs during the council:

R: And I'll ask you about it when we're talking about it. That's the beauty of it. You can answer honestly, you know, what your belief is about baptism, if you've been baptized <Unintelligible>... I mean I don't know for sure if these are the things I'm going to talk about with you...

Lines 105-110, attempting to use shame to compel us into committing to respond to his planned questioning during the high council:

R: Okay. So, who would be aware of those beliefs and behaviors? You certainly would be, wouldn't you?

V: I would hope so. Are you looking for me to incriminate myself, accusing myself? Is that what you're hoping?

R: Are you embarrassed by what you believe, or do you believe what you believe?

Lines 140-144, this time using mocking to compel us to commit to "answer the questions which I shall put unto you" by "sharing":

R: So, to back to you again, if "apostasy" is beliefs and behaviors generally speaking, all we need to do is have a conversation about yours. And we can share what quorums you do that in, and all you need to do is just be honest about what you believe and share it. Is that a hard thing to do?

Lines 216-221, where "conversation" is a euphemism for his planned "line of questioning":

R: You know, I think as long as we're honest with each other, I don't have any intention to bring in witnesses. There's not going to be...

V: No, you told us that we could bring evidence or witnesses, and I'm asking about that specifically. Not what you might bring.

R: Right. I think with behaviors and so forth, if you're just honest about what you believe, we can have a conversation about ...

Lines 230-232, expressing surprise that anyone would not agree in advance to "answer the questions which [he] shall put unto [us]":

R: And I think that I'm giving you an opportunity to defend your position, your beliefs, and where you present them, and I guess really I don't understand why a person wouldn't want to do that, either.

Once again, the Book of Mormon proves its veracity by virtue of its perfect prediction of what it calls the "Gentile" church would devolve into and the means it would employ.

Again, I need to add that I hold no animosity toward my former stake president. Despite his vehement denial, I am still persuaded that he acted precisely in the manner he was directed to use by the Brethren--his superiors that he must report to in the LDS Church. I would not choose to hold him responsible.