THIS BLOG ATTEMPTS TO SHOW HOW SCIENCE IS CATCHING UP WITH REVEALED RELIGION

THIS BLOG IS AN ATTEMPT TO PUT ALL THE COOL STUFF THAT I BUMP INTO ABOUT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AND EVENTS THAT LEAD UP TO IT INTO ONE LOCATION.
THE CONTENTS WILL BE FROM AN LDS PERSPECTIVE. IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ANYTHING IN HERE, I DO NOT PARTICULARLY CARE TO ARGUE, UNLESS YOU CAN ADD TO THIS BODY OF WORK. I HAVE AN OPEN MIND, THAT IS WHY I READ STUFF FROM ALL DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND SEEK LEARNING FROM THE BEST BOOKS. I JUST AM NOT HERE TO ARGUE ABOUT IT - BUT TO PUT IT OUT THERE WHERE OTHERS CAN PERUSE/PURSUE IT. I TAKE PARTICULAR INTEREST IN HONEST SEEKERS OF TRUTH AND BELIEVE THAT SCIENCE IS REVEALED RELIGION'S BEST ALLY. YOU WILL SEE ALOT OF TOPICS IN THIS BLOG THAT SHOW SCIENCE BACKING - AND SLOWLY CATCHING UP WITH - REVEALED RELIGION.
ENJOY!!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

MK ULTRA AND MIND CONTROL IN MASS SHOOTINGS

I have heard stories about MK Ultra for years in conjunction with mass shootings and crazed "lone" assassins.  This being a way for the Gads to accomplish their designs.  It is definitely off-topic for this blog, but I have to cache in here on the blog.  This kind of stuff tends to end up as a 404 error as time moves on; often times being scrubbed, so I have to cache it.

My most frustrating example of the 404 error/google brick wall being all the info on the Chinese biologics that they are developing to specifically genetically target Anglo males (to basically wipe out our military and ability to resist invasion) - which, in light of what Spencer had to say, it pretty relevant stuff.....  To finish that thought out, it looks like he indicates that it gets away from the intended target and goes global by mutation? or lack of good quarantine protocols??

Anyway, here is the dump - and you have to love the crazy wild-eyed mug shot.....:

Inmate: James Holmes Told Me He Was ‘Programmed’ To Kill by “Evil” Therapist

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‘Batman’ shooter a Manchurian Candidate?
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
November 28, 2012
An alleged inmate of ‘Batman’ massacre culprit James Holmes claims the shooter told him that he was “programmed” to carry out the massacre by an “evil” therapist.
The shocking story has gone virtually unnoticed after appearing in a blog post on the Denver Westword website last week.
After failing to interest the Arapahoe County District Attorney’s Office in his account of what happened, 38-year-old Steven Unruh has now gone public. Unruh was booked into the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office Detention Facility just hours before the ‘Batman’ massacre unfolded and says that he was still in the booking area when Holmes was brought in.
Unruh then claims that he was able to communicate with Holmes from a nearby cell and that Holmes appeared to show remorse for what had happened.
The most explosive element of what Unruh claims Holmes told him could – if true – shed an entirely different light on the circumstances behind the Aurora theater shooting.
“He says that Holmes told him “he felt like he was in a video game” during the shooting, that “he wasn’t on his meds” and “nobody would help him.” He says Holmes also mentioned NLP — presumably, neuro-linguistic programming, a much-scorned and outmoded approach to psychotherapy — and claimed to have been “programmed” to kill by an evil therapist.”
“When he got out to his car, he wasn’t programmed no more,” Unruh says. “It sounded kind of crazy. He was trying to run it by me, basically.”
Unruh was also given a phone number that Holmes asked him to call which connected to a bereavement counselor who says she has no acquaintance with Holmes or Unruh.
“They’re going to try to discredit my story,” Unruh told writer Alan Prendergast. “But I was able to have a four-hour talk with him. I talked him out of suicide.”
Prendergast notes that although jail authorities doubt Unruh would have had an opportunity to speak to Holmes, “certain elements of the story” ring true, including, “a description that resembles the headbanging routine that sent Holmes to the hospital last week.”
Stories about infamous killers being brainwashed into carrying out murders are almost commonplace. The most well known is probably Sirhan Sirhan, Robert F. Kennedy’s alleged assassin.
As the London Independent reported in 2005, evidence strongly indicates that Sirhan was a Manchurian candidate, a victim of mind control who was set up to be the fall guy for the murder. Sirhan was described by eyewitnesses as being in a trance-like state as he pulled the trigger.
“There was no way Sirhan Sirhan killed Kennedy,” said (Sirhan’s lawyer Larry) Teeter….He was the fall guy. His job was to get busted while the trigger man walked out. He wasn’t consciously involved in any plot. He was a patsy. He was unconscious and unaware of what was happening – he was the true Manchurian Candidate.”
The CIA’s use of mind control to create killers is a matter of historical record. MK-ULTRA was the code name for a covert, illegal CIA human research program, run by the Office of Scientific Intelligence that came to light in 1975 through investigations by the Church Committee, and by a presidential commission known as the Rockefeller Commission. 14-year CIA veteran Victor Marchetti insists that the program is ongoing and has not been abandoned.
According to his lawyers, Sirhan Sirhan “was an involuntary participant in the crimes being committed because he was subjected to sophisticated hypno programming and memory implantation techniques which rendered him unable to consciously control his thoughts and actions at the time the crimes were being committed,” and served only as a diversion for the real assassin.
The parallels between Sirhan Sirhan and James Holmes are alarming. Both were described as behaving as if in a trance or under the influence of drugs, both cannot remember any of the details of the shootings, and in both cases eyewitnesses reported more than one gunman at the scene.
In both the RFK and ‘Batman’ shootings, eyewitnesses described other shooters, dismantling the “lone wolf” narrative. According to Nina Rhodes-Hughes, another man was shooting at RFK and the authorities tried to alter her account of what happened. “What has to come out is that there was another shooter to my right,” Rhodes-Hughes said in an interview with CNN. “The truth has got to be told. No more cover-ups.” Sirhan’s lawyers also presented evidence that “two guns were fired in the assassination and that Sirhan’s revolver was not the gun that shot Kennedy.”
Similarly in the case of Holmes, eyewitnesses described two shooters, noting that one of the gas canisters was thrown from the opposite side of the theater to where the killer was standing. It has also been suggested that Holmes had an accomplice. Eyewitnesses described the killer talking on a cellphone before the shooting and then standing in the emergency exit and beckoning someone else over.
Holmes, a neuroscience student, was also fascinated with mind control. During his time at Salk Institute of Biological Studies, Holmes designed a computer program to alter mental states using flicker rates. Arizona shooter Jared Lee Loughner was also obsessed with mind control.
While there is no way to confirm Unruh’s account, he seems to have little motive in making it up out of fresh air. Added to the other unexplained inconsistencies surrounding the ‘Batman’ massacre, the story will only serve to bolster the view amongst some that the full story about the tragic events of that night has not yet come to light.

THE CHURCH OF THE DEVIL

Well, this just in from a blog reader.

Everything you wanted to know about the Church of the Devil.  And, yes; there is the one true Church of the Firstborn and everything in between (including our LDS Church) on down the spectrum to actual devil worship.  Most of modern Christianity falls right of center, but man, a loving Heavenly Father has to be short on patience for what His children have done with the truth given to Adam and Eve in the Garden. 

Me?  Personally?  I am kind of a disciplinarian, but I would have to say a little fire, cleansing and sweeping is in order.....

Here is the link:

http://twochurchesonly.com/pages/part1.html

As a side note, today marks the quarter million individual page views since I started keeping track back in June 2010.   Thanks for all the reader input that has made this thing a little less dog and pony than it otherwise would be......  It truly is appreciated!


Tuesday, November 27, 2012

USE OF OIL IN ANOINTINGS

I thought this was very interesting stuff.

Not even going to mention where I got it from....:

In Christianity, anointings were frequently performed by women. For example, it was a women who washed and anointed Christ's feet and used precious oils to prepare His body for burial.

The use of sacred or Holy Oils is very symbolic in many ways. For example, extra virgin olive oil cleanses the internal body of damaging free radicals because it is loaded with high-potency antioxidants. This oil also helps rid the body of artery-clogging cholesterol because it raises the High Density Lipoproteins (HDLs). HDLs are the "good cholesterol" that carries cholesterol from the artery to the liver where it can be destroyed. Olive oil is therefore a symbol of cleansing the body, removing all that is "impure" and replacing it with that which is good. This sacred oil is also symbolic of the "oil in the lamps" of the virgins who were preparing to meet the Bridegroom (Christ). We all need the Light of Christ and His Spirituality and we should frequently replace our "spiritual oil" because that is what giveth light unto the world.

Anciently, sacred oils were used by women to "cast out evil spirits or devils". Certain oils, have been scientifically proven to greatly relieve epileptic seizures and mental illness. The new science of Lipomics (the study of therapeutic fatty acids) is one of the most promising for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar disease and epilepsy.
The fatty acid, DNA is now in all infant formula. This wonderful Omega-3 (found in fish oil) can actually absorb electrical charges in the brain and help the brain to resist seizures. There is so much truth to the belief that oils could "cast out evil spirits".

Women has often been the practitioners of Holy Anointings and it is an act of service associated with the "Healing Arts".

Another ancient calling of women was Nurse Midwifery or the delivery of human infants. Woman delivered most of the babies in ancient times. The "washings" or sacred hand washing rituals actually prevented the fatal childbed fevers that women used to suffer from infection. The washing cleanses the hands of staph and strep bacteria and prepares one to deliver an infant in an ascetic manner. The washings and anointings were very important to the Nurse Midwifes because they helped prevent maternal death from infection and hemorrhage. The blessings provided comfort, calmness and relief from pain during childbirth.

I love the term, anointing and I do not like the term, "initiation". Initiation is a "manly" term associated with fraternal organizations. "Anointing" is a feminine term associated with the sacred callings of women to be life-givers, healers, and nurturers.

My best friend lent me her book on the Biblical use of Holy Oils and Washings by women. I love it. I have wondered if the poor women, living in unsanitary, Third-World conditions, could be taught the simple concepts of proper hand-washing before delivering a baby. Surely, it would reduce maternal morbidity and infant mortality. I wish that women could be taught this in the Temple (actually they are). The problem is that the significance of these simple, live-preserving acts, is somewhat lost when the Temple Ceremony turns to ritual, blood covenants and fraternal oaths. That is why I am so very opposed to Masonic Ritual. It destroys the sweet, tender, life-giving symbolism of ancient anointings.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

IRAN IS ARMING OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES WITH LONGER RANGE MISSILES



Well, one thing that I learned in the John Pontius book that firmed up the timeline on our own demise is that the nukes that have been strategically planted around the US will most likely go off after Iran launches a pre-emptive strike at Israel (according to Menet) from Libya.  That nuke will likely hit Tel Aviv and begin the series of woes to hit the US.

So, here we have an article that talks of Iran arming regional allies with missiles aimed at Israel.  Am I surprised?  Not in the least.  And our wonderful regime helped the Iranian freakshow get their military front, Hamas in power in both Libya and Egypt.  I sure hope Hillary and the prez are a long way away from here in the coming CWII because they are on my personal list if I get sucked into it.....






'Satellites show Iran moving quickly to rearm Hamas'

By JPOST.COM STAFF
11/25/2012 09:54

'Sunday Times' cites Israeli official claiming Tehran shipping Fajr-5 rockets through Sudan to the Gaza Strip.

Iran test fires a Fajr-3 missile [file photo] Photo: IRNA / ReutersIsraeli intelligence satellites have spied the loading of rockets and other materiel believed to be destined for the Gaza Strip, The Sunday Times reported citing Israeli officials.
According to the report, Iran began preparing the weapons shipment around the same time Israel and Hamas negotiated cease-fire understandings late last week.
The shipment is said to include Iranian-made Fajr-5 medium-range rockets, the same model that was fired into the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem areas during Operation Pillar of Defense, the Times reported.
Last month, following an air attack on a weapons plant near Khartoum, the Defense Ministry's director of policy and political-military affairs accused Sudan of acting as a transit point for weapons shipments to Gaza.
Amos Gilad accused Khartoum of aiding and abetting terrorism, and said the Sudanese regime was “supported by Iran” and was used as a route to transfer weapons to Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, via Egypt.
Sudan accused Israel of attacking the military plant.
The Times report also cited Israeli officials speculating that Iran could be moving longer-range ballistic missiles into Sudan, which could be aimed at Israel from the African country.
The official added that Tehran would act to re-arm Hamas and other Gaza groups quickly, as it sees them as a necessary part of its response to a possible Israeli attack against Iran.

Friday, November 23, 2012

REVIEW OF JOHN PONTIUS BOOK: VISIONS OF GLORY

Well, after doing a marathon reading session after some turkey and a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, I had a chance to get thru the book for my first read.  Since I skim stuff and sometimes work my way from the back of the book forward (which drives my wife mad....), I will have to revisit it at least another 4-5 times to glean other details out of it.  That is the most fantastic book I have ever read that spells stuff out explicitly as it is, as it will be; a history of our future.  Other scripture is more replete, but in a far less digestible form.  I have tried to punch through and "see" what is coming and this definitely was written expressly for me.  I have few questions as to what is coming - it is nearly exactly as I pictured it; although some minor modifications to my narrative have already been made.  Others will be made as I pore over it once more and glean further insights.  A massive white spotlight has just been focused on things I have wondered after for decades.  What a relief; a cool refreshing drink after so many days of wandering in the hot, thirsty sun.

Now begins the work of sharing this book with so many friends and acquaintances who will also be refreshed from drinking from these waters.

If you have not had a chance to order your two copies (one for you and one for loaning), I recommend you do it.  It will increase your longing for Zion - and will immediately begin to bring about your healing from the trauma and care of this telestial existence.  When enough people have arrived at this longing, Zion will begin to move forward - as this desire is manufactured into reality through your faith and diligence.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

HE WILL THINK TO CHANGE THE TIMES AND SEASONS

In talking of the anti-Christ, I think that Daniel was talking of our times that we are currently in.  Daniel also mentions that this individual will think to wear out the Saints as a comment below pointed out.  Me, personally??  Wearied over what I see around me.  Being a natural man and quite a bit lazy, I just want to get it over with.  I know I will be among those wondering if the Lord is delaying His coming.  But it will, indeed happen when those of us who are not watching least expect it.

Here is the verse I am referring to:

http://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/dan/7.25?lang=eng#24

Now I am not saying that I think that the Pope is the anti-Christ, but someone will make a push to mess with the calendar and change it to some internationally accepted standard that (I believe) will be an attempt to make peace amongst the world religions that do not accept the birth of Christ as the beginning of a new chronological era.

It is the ultimate in this insane political correctness movement - which I have to say is what Spencer says is how we accept the mark of the beast.  Think about it - all attempts at change from orthodoxy in the Church have been due to this PC thing.  The latest being an attempt to mainstream homosexuality in the Church and break down our most sacred and crowning ordinance - marriage in God's house.  And to think my wife was roommates with the most progressive person I have ever met in my life - her PC push on BYU's campus freaked me out and I was not even woken up at that point....  Here is the article that got me spun up on it.  And one last thing:  I believe the anti-Christ is from England's royal house.  I have a ton of data that has me thinking this way - I am just waiting for the right thing to trigger the avalanche and then I will put it out there.  There is some wild stuff on it!

Jesus was born years earlier than thought, claims Pope

The entire Christian calendar is based on a miscalculation, the Pope has declared, as he claims in a new book that Jesus was born several years earlier than commonly believed.

Jesus was born years earlier than thought, claims Pope
The Pope also weighs in on the debate over Christ's birthplace Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP
The 'mistake' was made by a sixth century monk known as Dionysius Exiguus or in English Dennis the Small, the 85-year-old pontiff claims in the book 'Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives', published on Wednesday.
"The calculation of the beginning of our calendar – based on the birth of Jesus – was made by Dionysius Exiguus, who made a mistake in his calculations by several years," the Pope writes in the book, which went on sale around the world with an initial print run of a million copies.
"The actual date of Jesus's birth was several years before."
The assertion that the Christian calendar is based on a false premise is not new – many historians believe that Christ was born sometime between 7BC and 2BC.
But the fact that doubts over one of the keystones of Christian tradition have been raised by the leader of the world's one billion Catholics is striking.
Dennis the Small, who was born in Eastern Europe, is credited with being the "inventor" of the modern calendar and the concept of the Anno Domini era.
He drew up the new system in part to distance it from the calendar in use at the time, which was based on the years since the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian.
The emperor had persecuted Christians, so there was good reason to expunge him from the new dating system in favour of one inspired by the birth of Christ.
The monk's calendar became widely accepted in Europe after it was adopted by the Venerable Bede, the historian-monk, to date the events that he recounted in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, which he completed in AD 731.
But exactly how Dennis calculated the year of Christ's birth is not clear and the Pope's claim that he made a mistake is a view shared by many scholars.
The Bible does not specify a date for the birth of Christ. The monk instead appears to have based his calculations on vague references to Jesus's age at the start of his ministry and the fact that he was baptised in the reign of the emperor Tiberius.
Christ's birth date is not the only controversy raised by the Pope in his new book – he also said that contrary to the traditional Nativity scene, there were no oxen, donkeys or other animals at Jesus's birth.
He also weighs in on the debate over Christ's birthplace, rejecting arguments by some scholars that he was born in Nazareth rather than Bethlehem.
John Barton, Professor of the Interpretation of the Holy Scripture at Oriel College, Oxford University, said most academics agreed with the Pope that the Christian calendar was wrong and that Jesus was born several years earlier than commonly thought, probably between 6BC and 4BC.
"There is no reference to when he was born in the Bible - all we know is that he was born in the reign of Herod the Great, who died before 1AD," he told The Daily Telegraph. "It's been surmised for a very long time that Jesus was born before 1AD - no one knows for sure."
The idea that Christ was born on Dec 25 also has no basis in historical fact. "We don't even know which season he was born in. The whole idea of celebrating his birth during the darkest part of the year is probably linked to pagan traditions and the winter solstice."





Tuesday, November 20, 2012

THE SECOND ANOINTING - PART II

This stuff is rated SM, for spiritually mature audiences only.....  It pretty much is beyond the mark if a person is struggling with basic stuff.  There has been alot of info on the blog about the second comforter - the same thing applies.  It is for this reason that the Church simply does not openly talk of it.   A reader openly stated something about the Second Comforter on FB the other day - and I was heartened that she had the courage to do so - for that is pretty clearly found in scripture and ALL members of the Church should be encouraging each other to seek for it and should be our goal after we have made and are consistently keeping temple covenants.  I think a comment I made scared her public efforts to disseminate a good principle and she pulled the reference to it.  Few people probably knew how to react to it - because it simply is not talked about - but I was impressed that someone had the courage to bring it up on an open forum to let the light shine out.  I do have to say here that, after receiving a second witness, one should not openly disclose it - at least in a boastful or open manner.  That is a specific thing given to the individual/couple and should be kept in confidence.  The encouragement of others to pursue it to that end should, however, be openly advocated.

I was on a forum on LDSFF talking about the wife laying hands on her husband's head and blessing him - and my spirit literally lept for joy within me.  The concept was "delicious" in the extreme to me - and I knew it was a good thing.  I do not understand that role to a great degree, but I know its underutilized - the couple could be/should be doing so much more as they grow together.  Now, I have not had my wife lay her hands on me (other than the spontaneous backhand when I get her goose) - but I know its a correct concept.  The women in our lives are not utilizing "their priesthood" to the level that it was ever intended.  We are hobbled to a great degree.  Probably from general wickedness in the general membership of the Church - but we do not exercise all that was given to the early members of the Church.  It is for this reason that one of my favorite things to do is to read early Church history and find out all the cool things the sisters did with their priesthood - which go far beyond what is done today with the limited ordinances they perform in our latter-day Temple ceremonies. 

When one considers how the resurrection will occur - the mechanics and order of it - the second part of the second anointing makes complete sense.  It also cements the fact in my mind that Jesus was married to the woman (an most likely others) who performed the ordinance on His behalf shortly before he died.  The one who was recorded as having performed the ordinance was likely the first or pre-eminent wife and would likely have been the first one He has raised (or will raise) and who will assist in raising the others whom He was given; there is order in everything as God's kingdom is a kingdom of order and not of confusion.  And the ordinance was hidden there the entire time in plain sight - as it all is for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.  Here is the order of the resurrection - it formally will go from father to son to the son's wife to their male children and so on down to the last one in the chain whose work has been performed.  If all things are done in order, my wife will have anointed me through the second anointing to that end.  After our deaths, I will be raised by the previous righteous patriarch in my line - my father, I expect.  I will then raise my wife and we TOGETHER will raise our sons - and what a sweet moment that will be to stand over the grave that my father and I dedicated over 10 years ago and command our beloved little Dallin to come forth from the grave.  What a neat, sweet and wonderful experience that will be - one that the thought of keeps me going on difficult days.

So that is the order of it.  Here is a little more on the second anointing:

Second anointing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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In the Latter Day Saint movement, the second anointing, also known historically and in Latter Day Saint scripture as the fulness of the priesthood, is an obscure and relatively rare ordinance usually conducted in temples as extension of the Nauvoo Endowment ceremony. Founder Joseph Smith, Jr. cited the "fulness of the priesthood" as one of the reasons for building the Nauvoo Temple (D&C 124:28). In the ordinance, a participant is anointed as a "priest and king" or a "priestess and queen", and is sealed to the highest degree of salvation available in Mormon theology. Those who participate in this ordinance are said to have their "calling and election made sure",[1][2] and their celestial marriage "sealed by the holy spirit of promise".[3] They are said to have received the "more sure word of prophecy".
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the largest Latter Day Saint denomination, has performed the ceremony for nominated couples from the 1840s to at least the mid-1900s. Current information about the practice by that denomination, or whether the ordinance is still in use, has not been made public. A former LDS stake president, Tom Phillips, claims he participated in the ritual in 2002. He described his experience anonymously here in 2008,[4] and exposed his true identity in 2012.[5] The ordinance is also performed by many Mormon fundamentalist groups. However, it is not performed by denominations, such as the Community of Christ, who historically never practiced the Nauvoo Endowment ceremony.

Contents

History

Although Joseph Smith, Jr. introduced the Nauvoo Endowment in 1842, he came to understand that his work in establishing the "fullness of the priesthood" was not yet complete.[6] In August 1843, church leader Brigham Young stated that "[i]f any in the Church had the fullness of the priesthood, he did not know it", nevertheless, Young understood that the "fullness of the priesthood" involved an anointing as "king and priest", with the actual kingdom to be given later.[7]
The initial second anointing took place on September 28, 1843, when Joseph and his wife Emma Smith received it.[8] During Smith's lifetime, the second anointing was given to at least 20 men and 17 women (Buerger 1983, pp. 22–23). After Smith was murdered by a mob in June 1844, Brigham Young was eventually selected as prophet of the LDS Church, and in January 1846, he began administering the second anointing in the nearly-completed Nauvoo Temple. Young re-administered the ordinance to many of those who had received it under Joseph Smith, and he delegated his authority to others, who performed nearly 600 second anointings (some to polygamous unions) before the temple was closed on February 7, 1846 (Buerger 1983, p. 26).
After migration to Utah, the LDS Church did not conduct further second anointings until late 1866.[9] Beginning in the 1870s, second anointings were performed vicariously (Buerger 1983, p. 30). In the 1880s, then President of the Church John Taylor was concerned that too many second anointings were being performed, and he instituted a series of procedural safeguards, requiring recommendation by a stake president, and a guideline that the ordinance "belonged particularly to old men" (Buerger 1983, pp. 32–33). In 1901, President Lorenzo Snow further limited accessibility to the ordinance by outlining stringent criteria for worthiness (Buerger 1983, pp. 33–34).
By 1918, over 14,000 second anointings had been performed for the living and the dead. (Buerger 1983, p. 39). During the administration of Heber J. Grant in the 1920s, however, the frequency of second anointings was dramatically reduced. Stake presidents were no longer allowed to recommend candidates for the ordinance, that privilege falling only to members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles (Buerger 1983, pp. 39–40). By 1941, just under 15,000 second anointings had been performed for the living, and just over 6,000 for the dead (Buerger 1983, p. 41). The church has not allowed historians to have access to second anointing records subsequent to 1941; therefore, the current frequency of anointings is obscure. However, it is known that in 1942, 13 of the church's 32 General Authorities had not received the second anointing (Buerger 1983, p. 41). By 1949, the practice had been comparatively "practically discontinued" by the LDS Church, though in 1981 it continued "to be performed--albeit on a small scale".[10]

Ceremony

According to 19th-century journal entries, the second anointing ceremony consisted of two parts. The first part consisted of a washing and anointing of the bodies of the participants by an officiator. The second part took place some time later, and was conducted without an officiator in a private ceremony between a married couple, in which the wife symbolically prepared her husband for his death and resurrection (Buerger 1983, pp. 26–27).

Meaning and symbolism

The "first anointing" refers to the washing and anointing part of the Endowment ceremony, in which a person is anointed to become a king and priest or a queen and priestess unto God. In the second anointing, on the other hand, participants are anointed as a king and priest, or queen and priestess. When the anointing is given, according to Brigham Young, the participant "will then have received the fulness of the Priesthood, all that can be given on earth."[11]
Thus, the second anointing differs from the "first anointing" (part of the Endowment ceremony) in that, the first anointing promises blessings in the afterlife contingent on the patron's faithfulness, the Second Anointing actually bestows those blessings. According to prominent 20th-century Latter-day Saint Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, those who have their calling and election made sure "receive the more sure word of prophecy, which means that the Lord seals their exaltation upon them while they are yet in this life. ... [T]heir exaltation is assured." [12]
The second anointing may have been intended to symbolize or to literally fulfill scriptural references to the fulness of the priesthood such as in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 124:28, a revelation by Joseph Smith, Jr. commanding the building of a temple in Nauvoo, Illinois, in part, because "there is not a place found on earth that he may come to and restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he hath taken away, even the fulness of the priesthood." (emphasis added). LDS Church leaders often connect this ordinance with a statement by Peter in his second Epistle. In 2 Peter 1:10, he talks about making one's "calling and election sure," and further remarks, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy" (2 Peter 1:19). Joseph Smith, Jr. referenced this process in saying, "When the Lord has thoroughly proved [a person], and finds that the [person] is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the [person] will find his[/her] calling and election made sure".[13]
The second anointing is given only to married couples. A few writers have argued that because of this women who receive the second anointing, in which they are anointed queens and priestesses, are ordained to the "fulness of the priesthood" the same as their husbands. These scholars feel that Joseph Smith may have considered these women to have, in fact, received the power of the priesthood (though not necessarily a specific priesthood office).[14]

Notes

  1. ^ Smith (1976, pp. 322–23) ("The anointing and sealing is to be called, elected and made sure")
  2. ^ Doxey (1992) (discussing the result of "calling and election", but not referring to second anointing).
  3. ^ Flake (1992) (defining "holy spirit of promise").
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ [2]
  6. ^ History of the Church, 5:139-40 (Aug. 31, 1842), speaking to the Relief Society.
  7. ^ Journal of Wilford Woodruff, Aug. 6, 1843; also in History of the Church, 5:527.
  8. ^ Diary of Joseph Smith, 28 Sept. 1843; Wilford Woodruff, Historian's Private Journal (1858), p. 24 (LDS Archives).
  9. ^ Journal of Wilford Woodruff, December 30, 31, 1866.
  10. ^ Buerger 1983, p. 41, citing a letter by apostle George F. Richards, who was attempting to revive the practice.
  11. ^ Journal of Heber C. Kimball, 26 Dec. 1845 (quoting Brigham Young).
  12. ^ Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2nd edition, p. 109–110
  13. ^ Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 150, paraphrased by Roy W. Doxey in The Latter-day Prophets and the Doctrine and Covenants, pp. 406–409
  14. ^ D. Michael Quinn, "Mormon Women have had the Priesthood Since 1843," in Hanks, ed., Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism

References

THE SECOND ANOINTING

There is much attention given to the Second Comforter - but little or none given to the Second Anointing.  It is far too rare to talk about and involves another - where the Second Comforter is between the striving individual and the Lord.

I will post more info as I have time.  It is a fascinating subject.  Here is some info from a previous post on the coming CWII and the economic collapse:

 It  seems A Milton Musser was appointed Assistant Church Historian in 1902.  This letter was written in 1896. Noah Packard (and "another brother")  apparently heard the Prophet talk about this 2nd civil war, its city of  origin, and its fundamental cause. Noah told his brother Nephi. Their  father was also named Noah Packard (whose father was also named Noah  Packard). I found a journal entry written by Noah Packard (Nephi and  Noah's father). It seems he was a good and faithful servant. Baptized by  Parley in 1832, stayed faithful through the Kirtland years, preparatory  anointing in Kirtland, 1st anointing, endowment, and sealing in 1845 in  Nauvoo, then also received his 2nd anointing in 1845.

  His  son, Noah [the 3rd] Packard, was born in 1821. Noah the 3rd is the  primary source of this prophecy. That means he was ~11 years old when  his father was baptized, and ~23 years old when the Prophet was  martyred. At least we don't discover he was like 5 years old when the  prophet died - it helps to make his hearing of the prophecy more  plausible - as we can sometimes find with these "I heard the Prophet  say" type of statements. Nephi Packard (the primary source's brother and  author of the letter to Musser) was born July 1832, so he was about one  month old when his father was baptized and ~11 years old when the  Prophet died.

  If the letter was written in 1896, then Noah  the 3rd would be ~75 years old (I assume he's dead by then?), and Nephi  would be 64 years old. This helps to temper the criticism that 1896 is  too late of a date for someone to mention "I heard the prophet say" - It  was his brother who heard it, who was 11 years older than he was.  Again, the timing of everything seems plausible. No gaping holes from  what I can gather.

  Here is some more information on Nephi  Packard. Baptized at 8 in Nauvoo, age 14 at the exodus, moved to Hobble  Creek (now Springville, UT), married at ~29, did some farming and  mining, and was called as Bishop of Springville Ward in 1883 (age 51)  and remained so until it split into 4 wards, in 1892. No mention of  plural marriage (which wasn't uncommon). And the line that I like: "Mr.  Packard is an amiable gentleman, of unusual intelligence, and a man of  strict honesty and integrity." Unusual intelligence - so perhaps it was  easy for him to remember the prophecy as his brother and "another  brother" explained it to him. Strict honesty and integrity - we have no  reason to doubt that he did not make this up.

  More  information on Noah Packard is a bit more difficult to find since he was  named after his father and grandfather. I wish we had more detail on  this "another brother" who told him that depreciation of the currency  was the cause.

MESSIAH BEN JOSEPH

I had never before considered that the role of Messiah could embody multiple personalities - such as our modern concept of an Elias does.  This article (suggested by a reader who thinks this could be Joseph Smith) could indeed have that scope.  Interesting indeed:

Messiah ben Joseph

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Messiah ben Joseph (Heb.: משיח בן יוסף), also known as Messiah bar/ben Ephraim (Aram./Heb.: משיח בר/בן אפרים), is a Messiah from the tribes of Joseph, a second Joshua, who dies as a sacrifice of atonement and rises again.[1] The first appearance of the Ben Ephraim patronymic is in targum traditions dating from the turn of the era. The Ben Joseph patronymic first appears in a talmudic record of a late temple-period dispute, where Rabbi Dosa reads Zechariah 12.10-12.12 as lamenting the death of Messiah ben Joseph.[2] In the last of these three statements only his name is mentioned, but the first two speak of the fate which he is to meet, namely, to fall in battle (as if alluding to a well-known tradition).

Contents

Details

In the Judean Desert texts, he appears in 4Q372 (c. 200 BCE) as a suffering righteous Joseph, who cries out to God in his death-throes as ‘My father’, citing Psalms 89 and 22, and predicts that he will arise to do justice and righteousness.[3] The poly-messianic Testimonia text 4Q175 (c. 100 BCE) presents him as a latterday Joshua, together with King Messiah, priest, and prophet figures.[4]
In the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (2nd-1st century BCE) he is the spotless Josephite Lamb of God who destroys Beliar in dying for the ungodly (T. Benj. 3.8);[5] he forms a messianic trio with Judah and Levi, but his kingdom is temporary and he is borne heavenward from the Mount of Olives by a bull (T. Naph. 5:1-8; T. Jos. 19:11-12). In the Animal Apocalypse of 1 Enoch (c. 165 BCE), he is the white firstborn bull who transforms the beasts and birds of the heathen nations into his own image, and is then himself transformed into a sovereign aurochs (1 En. 90.37-38).[6]
He has an established place in the apocalypses of later centuries, such as Sefer Zerubbabel, and in the midrash literature—in Saadia's description of the future (Emunot we-De'ot, ch. viii.) and in that of Hai Gaon (Ṭa'am Zeḳenim, p. 59). According to these, Messiah b. Joseph will appear prior to the coming of Messiah ben David. He will gather the children of Israel around him, march to Jerusalem, and there, after overcoming the hostile powers, reestablish the Temple-worship and set up his own dominion. Thereupon Armilus, according to one group of sources, or Gog and Magog, according to the other, will appear with their hosts before Jerusalem, wage war against Messiah ben Joseph, and slay him. His corpse, according to one group, will lie unburied in the streets of Jerusalem; according to the other, it will be hidden by the angels with the bodies of the Patriarchs, until Messiah ben David comes and resurrects him (comp. Jew. Encyc. i. 682, 684 [§§ 8 and 13]; comp. also Midr. Wayosha' and Agadat ha-Mashiaḥ in A. Jellinek, B. H. i. 55 et seq., iii. 141 et seq.).
The Messiah ben Joseph, according to Rabbi Meir Leib ben Yechiel Michael Weiser (“MALBIM”) (1809-1879 CE), will be the future leader of the Lost Ten Tribes when they return (see Malbim on Ezekiel 37 and Micah 5). The Messiah ben Joseph will initiate union with Judah who will be led by Messiah son of David. Later The Messiah son of Joseph is killed and Messiah son of David rules over all Twelve Tribes. Prior to the Malbim, it has been claimed, Messiah son of Joseph was not considered the future leader of the Ten Tribes, although twice it is mentioned that a part of the Ten Tribes will be found among those who will gather about his standard. The Book "Kol HaTor," attributed to followers of Eliyahu of Vilna, deals at length with Messiah son of Joseph and his role in bringing back the exiles and rebuilding the Land of Israel.
Apocryphally, the prophecy about the Messiah, son of Joseph, is reported in one place to have been given first by the mother of Joseph of Egypt,[7] and also by Joseph, who stated that the Messiah of his lineage would restore true worship.[8] There is a possibility, however, as has been repeatedly maintained, that there is some connection between the Alexander saga and the Messiah b. Joseph tradition, for, in the Midrash, on the strength of Deut. xxxiii. 17, a pair of horns, with which he will "strike in all directions," is the emblem of Messiah b. Joseph (comp. Pirḳe R. El. xix.; Gen. R. lxxv.; Num. R. xiv.; et al.), just as in the apocalyptic Alexander tradition in the Koran (referred to above) the latter is called "The Double-Horned" (Dhu al-ḲQarnain).

Jews considered the Messiah ben Joseph

  • Bar Abba (1st century CE).
  • Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–1572) in his cosmogony thought of himself as being the Messiah ben Joseph and Rabbi Hayyim Vital as his heir.[9]
  • Hayyim Vital (1543–1620) was claimed to be Messiah ben Joseph in a 1574 letter of Abraham Shalom.
  • Joshua Heschel Zoref (b.1633): Claimed to be the Messiah ben Joseph, with Shabbetai Zvi as the Jewish Messiah.
  • Judah Leib Prossnitz (c.1670-1730): Claimed to be the Messiah ben Joseph, with Shabbetai Zvi as the Jewish Messiah.
  • Theodore Herzl (May 2, 1860 – July 3, 1904) Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935) referred to him as this Messiah ben Joseph, the one who is helping to pave the way for Messiah ben David.

See also

References

  1. ^ D.C. Mitchell, 'Messiah ben Joseph: A Sacrifice of Atonement'.
  2. ^ Targ. tos. to Zechariah 12.10; Targ. Ps.-Jon. on Exod. 40.9-11; B. Suk 52a; for dating, see D.C. Mitchell, 'Messiah bar Ephraim in the Targums'; 'Rabbi Dosa and the Rabbis Differ'.
  3. ^ Mitchell, 'A Dying and Rising Josephite Messiah in 4Q372'.
  4. ^ Mitchell, 'The Fourth Deliverer'.
  5. ^ J.C. O’Neill, ‘The Lamb of God in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs,’ JSNT 2 (1979), pp. 2-30.
  6. ^ D.C. Mitchell. 'Firstborn Shor and Rem'.
  7. ^ Legends of the Jews 5:299
  8. ^ [1] Legends of the Jews, 2:7
  9. ^ Lenowitz, Harris. The Jewish Messiahs: From the Galilee to Crown Heights [New York, N.Y. Oxford University Press, 1998], 127.

Bibliography

  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainJewish Encyclopedia. 1901–1906.
  • Bibliographical entries are cited in chronological order, beginning with the most recent.
    • D.C. Mitchell, “A Dying and Rising Josephite Messiah in 4Q372”, Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 18.3 (2009) pp. 47–70.
    • I. Knohl, 'The Messiah Son of Joseph: “Gabriel’s Revelation” and the Birth of a New Messianic Model', Biblical Archaeology Review 34:05 (Sep/Oct 2008).
    • D.C. Mitchell, “Messiah ben Joseph: A Sacrifice of Atonement for Israel”, Review of Rabbinic Judaism 10 (2007).
    • D.C. Mitchell, “Messiah bar Ephraim in the Targums”, Aramaic Studies 4.2 (2006) 221-241.
    • D.C. Mitchell, “Firstborn Shor and Rem: A Sacrificial Josephite Messiah in 1 Enoch 90.37- 38 & Deuteronomy 33.17”, Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 15.3 (2006) 211- 28”.
    • D.C. Mitchell, “The Fourth Deliverer: A Josephite Messiah in 4Q175”, Biblica 86.4 (2005) 545-553."
    • Hebrew texts and English translations of Aggadat Mashiaḥ, Otot ha-Mashiaḥ, Sefer Zerubbabel, ‘Asereth Melakhim, Pirqey Mashiaḥ, Nistarot Rav Shimon ben Yoḥai in D.C. Mitchell, The Message of the Psalter (Sheffield: JSOT, 1997), pp. 304-350.
    • R. Smend, Alttestamentliche Religionsgesch.;
    • W. Nowack, Die Zukunftshoffnung Israels in der Assyrischen Zeit;
    • Hühn, Die Messianischen Weissagungen;
    • Fr. Giesebrecht, Der Knecht Jahwe's in Deutero-Jesaia;
    • Emil Schürer, Gesch. 3d ed., ii. 29;
    • Wilhelm Bousset, Die Religion des Judentums im Neutestamentlichen Zeitalter, part 3, ch. ii.-v.; part 6, pp. 474 et seq.;
    • P. Volz, Jüdische Eschatologie von Daniel bis Akiba, §§ 34-35;
    • H. J. Holtzmann, Lehrbuch der Neutestamentlichen Theologie, i. 68-85;
    • W. Baldensperger, Die Messianisch-Apokalyptischen Hoffnungen des Judentums;
    • F. Weber, Jüdische Theologie auf Grund des Talmud, etc., ch. xxii.-xxiii.;
    • Gustaf H. Dalman, Der Leidende und der Sterbende Messias;
    • idem, Die Worte Jesu, pp. 191 et seq.;
    • Kampers, Alexander der Grosse und die Idee des Weltimperiums in Prophetie und Sage;
    • B. Beer, Welchen Aufschluss Geben die Jüdischen Quellen über den "Zweigehörnten" des Korans? in *Z. D. M. G. ix. 791 et seq.

External links

Monday, November 19, 2012

FOLLOW UP TO JAPANESE AND JEWS

I mentioned the info from the previous article to my Jewish co-worker.

He was not surprised in the least.  He has been to Rabbinical School as a Kohen and can read Hebrew.  His daughter is studying International Relations with an emphasis on Japanese Culture and is learning that language.  She and he were just looking at one of her text books this last weekend and noticed that the characters in the Japanese language were nearly identical to the Hebrew that he is used to reading.

According to other youtubes I have been watching on the subject, those who brought this language to the Japanese Islands also brought their weaving, irrigation techniques, and many other things that improved the lives of the native islanders.

Truly, Israel has been a leaven within the nations.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

CALLING AND ELECTION AND THE LAW OF CHASTITY

I just read the following post from a link a reader posted on FB.

http://scottstover.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/seeking-exaltation-part-2-calling-and-election/

Great synopsis of the process.

Here is a quote from the above article from Bruce R. McConkie:

As expressed by Elder Bruce R. McConkie:
“To have one’s calling and election made sure is to be sealed up unto eternal life; it is to have the unconditional guarantee of exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world; it is to receive the assurance of godhood; it is, in effect, to have the day of judgment advanced, so that an inheritance of all the glory and honor of the Father’s kingdom is assured prior to the day when the faithful actually enter into the divine presence to sit with Christ in his throne, even as he is ‘set down’ with his ‘Father in his throne.’ (Rev. 3:21.) (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Bookcraft, 1973, 3:330–31.)
As Elder McConkie goes on to indicate, the “unconditional guarantee” means that a person’s actions have been fully approved, that “there are no more conditions to be met by the obedient person.” (P. 335.) When one has been thus sealed up unto eternal life, he is “sealed up against all manner of sin except blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and the shedding of innocent blood.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:46.)

I find it interesting that you can still commit two of the three great sins (blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and the shedding of innocent blood) and fall from the presence of the Father once you have obtained your sure witness.  The violation of the third one, and "least" among the three biggies will not get you "tossed out".  Here is why (according to my thinking).  In order to receive a body (second estate), you have to show that you honor the principle of agency; the very bedrock of Heavenly living and eternal principle.  When you receive your body, you are given the possibilities of two great powers - the ability to give life and possibly even take it - at least in the defense of the lives of those over whom you have stewardship.  Some would take it with guile as an offense to God, just as Cain did in the earliest propagation of that sin.  Few men or women struggle with a desire to murder or even have a desire to harm another even in the defense of their families.  There are none that I am aware of that do not struggle with desires towards another member of the opposite sex; at least in their pre-marital state.  It is hard wired into us for our survival as natural men and women.  Whether it is the ultimate struggle to control our thoughts, our desires, or to avoid the physical act outside the bounds the Lord has set - or today's scourge, pornography; we are all afflicted on some level at some point in our lives.  Once an individual has overcome all of these things, plus they are able to keep the remainder of the commandments with exactness, I believe they can cross the threshhold and qualify for the blessings of the Second Comforter.  I want to re-iterate that this IS NOT doctrine - just my musings.

I feel, that once you have mastered sexual sin and complete control of your thought processes (remember that angels communicate by thought - so the random impure sexual thought that might fly out of our minds on this earth will not fly in a Heavenly setting), the rest of it is a breeze.  Who is worried about murder or denying the Holy Ghost when they have attained mastery of thought and self control to that level of exactness?  Maybe its just me being a guy and all - but that is my perspective.  I personally think this mastery is easier for the average female.....

The easiest way for a person to receive their Calling and Election sure is as part of a couple with a healthy spousal relationship.  Singles can do it, no doubt, but it is in the strength of the couple that the greatest power is obtained as individual strengths are leveraged to obtain a better whole.  It is God's perfect plan - its what we are taught in the Temple.  We have all the proper prototypes, we just need to execute while not running any faster than we have strength.

ANCIENT JEWS AND JAPANESE CULTURE

OK - I have to share here.  This link in from a reader.  I knew an engineer named Rick Mamiya (I blogged about his sexual exploits at Phuket and how I told him it would be destroyed).  His good Japanese friend and our boss who interviewed and hired me for the position I had at the time, Steve Hasegawa, has a nose, that if looked at on the profile, makes him look like a standard Egyptian guy (that you would see on the statues in the tombs).  It has a very strong bend in it.  I mentioned that to Rick one day and said that Steve looked as if he could be Egyptian or Jewish - and Rick looked at me and said that they were both from Samurai families and that the Samurai are descended from the Jews.  Rick was a jokester and I kind of blew him off - but kind of wondered about it off and on (with no other data to back what he said up).

So - here I go!  Some sweet data to back it up.  I guess the Lord was not kidding when He said he would drive them to the islands of the sea, from Japan, to America, to Hawaii, to New Zealand, to Ireland, to England and Scotland.  The earth is filled with the remnant.  The way you know them is that they respond to the clarion call to follow their Shepherd's call through His servants, Ephraim.

The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.  Look at where the missionaries have had the most intense success and you will find where the Lord has hidden them up for the final gathering and harvest prior to the burning.

Israelites Came to Ancient Japan

Many of the traditional ceremonies in Japan and their DNA
indicate that the Lost Tribes of Israel came to ancient Japan

Arimasa Kubo


Ark of the covenant of Israel (left) and "Omikoshi" ark of Japan (right)
Dear friends in the world,

I am a Japanese Christian writer living in Japan. As I study the Bible, I began to realize that many traditional customs and ceremonies in Japanare
very similar to the ones of ancient Israel. I considered that perhaps these rituals came from the religion and customs of the Jews and the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel who might have come to ancient Japan.
The following sections are concerned with those Japanese traditions which possibly originated from the ancient Israelites.

The reason why I exhibit these on the internet is to enable anyone interested in this subject, especially Jewish friends to become more interested, research it for yourself, and share your findings.
The ancient kingdom of Israel, which consisted of 12 tribes, was in 933 B.C.E. divided into the southern kingdom of Judahand the northern kingdom of Israel. The 10 tribes out of 12 belonged to the northern kingdom and the rest to the southern kingdom. The descendants from the southern kingdom are called Jews. The people of the northern kingdom were exiled to Assyria in 722 B.C.E. and did not come back to Israel. They are called "the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel." They were scattered to the four corners of the earth. We find the descendants of the Israelites not only in the western world, but also in the eastern world especially along the Silk Road. The following peoples are thought by Jewish scholars to be the descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Yusufzai
They live in Afghanistan. Yusufzai means children of Joseph. They have customs of ancient Israelites.

Pathans
They live in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They have the customs of circumcision on the 8th day, fringes of robe, Sabbath, Kashrut, Tefilin, etc.

Kashmiri people
In Kashmir they have the same land names as were in the ancient northern kingdom of Israel. They have the feast of Passover and the legend that they came from Israel.

Knanites
In India there are people called Knanites, which means people of Canaan. They speak Aramaic and use the Aramaic Bible.

Shinlung tribe (Bnei Menashe)
In Myanmar (Burma) and India live Shinlung tribe, also called Menashe tribe. Menashe is Manasseh, and the Menashe tribe is said to be the descendants from the tribe of Manasseh, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. They have ancient Israeli customs.

Chiang
(Qiang or Chiang-Min) tribe
They live in China and have ancient Israeli customs. They believe in one God and have oral tradition that they came from far west. They say that their ancestor had 12 sons. They have customs of Passover, purification, levirate marriage, etc. as ancient Israelites.

Kaifeng, China
It is known that there had been a large Jewish community since the time of B.C.E..

Japan
I am going to discuss this on this website.



The "Suwa-Taisha" shrine
A Japanese Festival Illustrates the Story of Isaac.
 In Nagano prefecture, Japan, there is a large Shinto shrine named "Suwa-Taisha" (Shinto is the national traditional religion peculiar to Japan.)
At Suwa-Taisha, the traditional festival called "Ontohsai" is held on April 15 every year (When the Japanese used the lunar calendar it was March-April). This festival illustrates the story of Isaac in chapter 22 of Genesis in the Bible - when Abraham was about to sacrifice his own son, Isaac. The "Ontohsai" festival, held since ancient days, is judged to be the most important festival  of "Suwa-Taisha."

At the back of the shrine "Suwa-Taisha," there is a mountain called Mt. Moriya ("Moriya-san" in Japanese). The people from the Suwa area call the god of Mt. Moriya "Moriya no kami," which means, the "god of Moriya." This shrine is built to worship the "god of Moriya."
At the festival, a boy is tied up by a rope to a wooden pillar, and placed on a bamboo carpet. A Shinto priest comes to him preparing a knife, and he cuts a part of the top of the wooden pillar, but then a messenger (another priest) comes there, and the boy is released. This is reminiscent of the Biblical story in which
Isaac was released after an angel came to Abraham.
At this festival, animal sacrifices are also offered. 75 deer are sacrificed, but among them it is believed that there is a deer with its ear split. The deer is considered to be the one God prepared. It could have had some connection with the ram that God prepared and was sacrificed after Isaac was released. Since the ram was caught in the thicket by the horns, the ear might have been split.

The knife and sword used in the "Ontohsai" festival
In ancient time of Japan there were no sheep and it might be the reason why they used deer (deer is Kosher). Even in historic times, people thought that this custom of deer sacrifice was strange, because animal sacrifice is not a Shinto tradition.

A deer with its ears split
People call this festival "the festival for Misakuchi-god". "Misakuchi" might be "mi-isaku-chi." "Mi" means "great," "isaku" is most likely Isaac (the Hebrew word "Yitzhak"), and "chi" is something for the end of the word. It seems that the people of Suwa made Isaac a god, probably by the influence of idol worshipers.
Today, this custom of the boy about to be sacrificed and then released, is no longer practiced, but we can still see the custom of the wooden pillar called "oniye-bashira," which means, "sacrifice-pillar."


The "oniye-bashira" on which the boy is supposed to be tied up
Currently, people use stuffed animals instead of performing a real animal sacrifice. Tying a boy along with animal sacrifice was regarded as savage by people of the Meiji-era (about 100 years ago), and those customs were discontinued. However, the festival itself still remains.
The custom of the boy had been maintained until the beginning of Meiji era. Masumi Sugae, who was a Japanese scholar and a travel writer in the Edoera
(about 200 years ago), wrote a record of his travels and noted what he saw at Suwa. The record shows the details of "Ontohsai." It tells that the custom of the boy about to be sacrificed and his ultimate release, as well as animal sacrifices that existed those days. His records are kept at the museum near Suwa-Taisha.

The festival of "Ontohsai" has been maintained by the Moriya family ever since ancient times. The Moriya family thinks of "Moriya-no-kami" (god of Moriya) as their ancestor's god. They also consider "Mt. Moriya" as their holy place. The name, "Moriya," could have come from "Moriah" (the Hebrew word "Moriyyah") of Genesis 22:2, that is today's Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Among Jews, God of Moriah means the one true God whom the Bible teaches.
The Moriya family has been hosting the festival for 78 generations. And the curator of the museum said to me that the faith in the god of Moriya had existed among the people since the time of B.C.E..

Apparently, no other country but Japanhas a festival illustrating the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac.
This tradition appears to provide strong evidence that the ancient Israelites came to ancient Japan.
The Crest of the Imperial House of JapanIs the Same As That Found On the Gate of Jerusalem.
The crest of the Imperial House of Japan is a round mark in the shape of a flower with 16 petals. The current shape appears as a chrysanthemum (mum), but scholars say that in ancient times, it appeared similar to a sunflower. The sunflower appearance is the same as the mark at Herod's gate in Jerusalem. The crest at Herod's gate also has 16 petals. This crest of the Imperial House of Japan has existed since very ancient times. The same mark as the one at Herod's gate is found on the relics of Jerusalemfrom the times of the Second Temple, and also on Assyrian relics from the times of B.C.E..

The mark on Herod's gate at Jerusalem (left) and the crest of the Imperial House of Japan (right)

Japanese Religious Priests "Yamabushi" Put A Black Box on their Foreheads Just As Jews Put A Phylactery on their Foreheads.
"Yamabushi" is a religious man in training unique to Japan. Today, they are thought to belong to Japanese Buddhism. However, Buddhism in China, Korea and India has no such custom. The custom of "yamabushi" existed in Japan before Buddhism was imported into Japan in the seventh century.

On the forehead of "Yamabushi," he puts a black small box called a "tokin", which is tied to his head with a black cord. He greatly resembles a Jew putting on a phylactery (black box) on his forehead with a black cord. The size of this black box "tokin" is almost the same as the Jewish phylactery, but its shape is round and flower-like.


A "yamabushi" with a "tokin" blowing a horn
Originally the Jewish phylactery placed on the forehead seems to have come from the forehead "plate" put on the high priest Aaron with a cord (Exodus 28:36-38). It was about 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) in size according to folklore, and some scholars maintain that it was flower-shaped. If so, it was very similar to the shape of the Japanese "tokin" worn by the "yamabushi".

A Jew with a phylactery blowing a shofar
Israel and Japan are the only two countries that in the world I know of that use of the black forehead box for religious purpose.

Furthermore, the "yamabushi" use a big seashell as a horn. This is very similar to Jews blowing a shofar or ram's horn. The way it is blown and the sounds of the "yamabushi's" horn are very similar to those of a shofar. Because there are no sheep in Japan, the "yamabushi" had to use seashell horns instead of rams' horns.


"Yamabushis" are people who regard mountains as their holy places for religious training. The Israelites also regarded mountains as their holy places. The Ten Commandments of the Torah were given on Mt. Sinai. Jerusalem is a city on a mountain. Jesus (Yeshua) used to climb up the mountain to pray. His apparent transfiguration also occurred on a mountain.

In Japan, there is the legend of "Tengu" who lives on a mountain and has the figure of a "yamabushi". He has a pronounced nose and supernatural capabilities. A "ninja", who was an agent or spy in the old days, while working for his lord, goes to "Tengu" at the mountain to get from him supernatural abilities. "Tengu" gives him a "tora-no-maki" (a scroll of the "tora") after giving him additional powers. This "scroll of the tora" is regarded as a very important book which is helpful for any crisis. Japanese use this word sometimes in their current lives.


There is no knowledge that a real scroll of a Jewish Torah was ever found in a Japanese historical site. However, it appears this "scroll of the tora" is a derivation of the Jewish Torah.

Japanese "Omikoshi" Resembles the Ark of the Covenant.
In the Bible, in First Chronicles, chapter 15, it is written that David brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord into Jerusalem.

"David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing. ...Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the singers, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod. So all Israelbrought
up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouts, with the sounding of rams' horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps." (15:25-28)

Illustration of Israeli people carrying the Ark of the Covenant
When I read these passages, I think; "How well does this look like the scene of Japanese people carrying our 'omikoshi' during festivals? The shape of the Japanese 'Omikoshi' appears similar to the ark of the covenant. Japanese sing and dance in front of it with shouts, and to the sounds of musical instruments. These are quite similar to the customs of ancient Israel."

Japanese "Omikoshi" ark
Japanese carry the "omikoshi" on their shoulders with poles - usually two poles. So did the ancient Israelites:
"The Levites carried the ark of God with poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD." (1 Chronicles 15:15)


The Israeli ark of the covenant had two poles (Exodus 25:10-15).
Some restored models of the ark as it was imagined to be have used two poles on the upper parts of the ark. But the Bible says those poles were to be fastened to the ark by the four rings "on its four feet" (Exodus 25:12). Hence, the poles must have been attached on the bottom of the ark. This is similar to the Japanese "omikoshi."


The Israeli ark had two statues of gold cherubim on its top. Cherubim are a type of angel, heavenly being having wings like birds. Japanese "omikoshi" also have on its top the gold bird called "Ho-oh" which is an imaginary bird and a mysterious heavenly being.
The entire Israeli ark was overlaid with gold. Japanese "omikoshi" are also overlaid partly and sometimes entirely with gold. The size of an "omikoshi" is almost the same as the Israeli ark. Japanese "omikoshi" could be a remnant of the ark of ancient Israel.

Many Things Concerning the Ark Resemble Japanese Customs.
King David and people of Israelsang and danced to the sounds of musical instruments in front of the ark. We Japanese sing and dance to the sounds of musical instruments in front of "omikoshi" as well.

Several years ago, I saw an American-made movie titled "King David" which was a faithful story of the life of King David. In the movie, David was seen dancing in front of the ark while it was being carried into Jerusalem. I thought: "If the scenery of Jerusalemwere
replaced by Japanese scenery, this scene would be just the same as what can be observed in Japanese festivals." The atmosphere of the music also resembles the Japanese style. David's dancing appears similar to Japanese traditional dancing.

At the Shinto shrine festival of "Gion-jinja" in Kyoto, men carry "omikoshi," then enter a river, and cross it. I can't help but think this originates from the memory of the Ancient Israelites carrying the ark as they crossed the Jordan river after their exodus from Egypt.

In a Japanese island of the Inland Sea of Seto, the men selected as the carriers of the "omikoshi" stay together at a house for one week before they would carry the "omikoshi." This is to prevent profaning themselves. Furthermore on the day before they carry "omikoshi," the men bathe in seawater to sanctify themselves. This is similar to an ancient Israelite custom:
"So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel." (1 Chronicles 15:14)

The Bible says that after the ark entered Jerusalem and the march was finished, "David distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins" (1 Chronicles 16:3). This is similar to a Japanese custom. Sweets are distributed to everyone after a Japanese festival. It was a delight during my childhood.
The Robe of Japanese Priests Resembles the Robe of Israeli Priests.
The Bible says that when David brought up the ark into Jerusalem, "David was clothed in a robe of fine linen" (1 Chronicles 15:27). The same was true for the priests and choirs. In the Japanese Bible, this verse is translated into "robe of white linen."

In ancient Israel, although the high priest wore a colorful robe, ordinary priests wore simple white linen. Priests wore white clothes at holy events. Japanese priests also wear white robes at holy events.


In Ise-jingu, one of the oldest Japanese shrines, all of the priests wear white robes. And in many Japanese Shinto shrines, especially traditional ones, the people wear white robes when they carry the "omikoshi" just like the Israelites did.
Buddhist priests wear luxurious colorful robes. However, in the Japanese Shinto religion, white is regarded as the holiest color.


The Emperor of Japan, just after he finishes the ceremony of his accession to the throne, appears alone in front of the Shinto god. When he arrives there, he wears a pure white robe covering his entire body except that his feet are naked. This is similar to the action of Moses and Joshua who removed their sandals in front of God to be in bare feet (Exodus 3:5, Joshua 5:15).
Marvin Tokayer, a rabbi who lived in Japan for 10 years, wrote in his book:
"The linen robes which Japanese Shinto priests wear have the same figure as the white linen robes of the ancient priests of Israel. "


Japanese Shinto priest in white robe with fringes
The Japanese Shinto priest robe has cords of 20-30 centimeters long (about 10 inches) hung from the corners of the robe. These fringes are similar to those of the ancient Israelites. Deuteronomy 22:12 says:
"make them fringes in the... corners of their garments throughout their generations."


Fringes (tassels) were a token that a person was an Israelite. In the gospels of the New Testament, it is also written that the Pharisees "make their tassels on their garments long" (Matthew 23:5). A woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage came to Jesus (Yeshua) and touched the "tassel on His coat" (Matthew 9:20, The New Testament: A Translation in the Language of the People, translated by Charles B. Williams).


Imagined pictures of ancient Israeli clothing sometimes do not have fringes. But their robes actually had fringes. The Jewish Tallit (prayer shawl), which the Jews put on when they pray, has fringes in the corners according to tradition.

Japanese Shinto priests wear on their robe a rectangle of cloth from their shoulders to thighs. This is the same as the ephod worn by David:
"David also wore a linen ephod." (1 Chronicles 15:27)


Although the ephod of the high priest was colorful with jewels, the ordinary priests under him wore the ephods of simple white linen cloth (1 Samuel 22:18). Rabbi Tokayer states that the rectangle of cloth on the robe of Japanese Shinto priest looks very similar to the ephod of the Kohen, the Jewish priest.


The Japanese Shinto priest puts a cap on his head just like Israeli priest did (Exodus 29:40). The Japanese priest also puts a sash on his waist. So did the Israeli priest. The clothing of Japanese Shinto priests appears to be similar to the clothing used by ancient Israelites.

Waving the Sheaf of Harvest Is Also the Custom of Japan.
The Jews wave a sheaf of their first fruits of grain seven weeks before Shavuot (Pentecost, Leviticus 23:10-11), They also wave a sheaf of plants at Sukkot (the Feast of Booths, Leviticus 23:40). This has been a tradition since the time of Moses. Ancient Israeli priests also waved a plant branch when he sanctifies someone. David said, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean" [Psalm 51:7(9)]. This is also a traditional Japanese custom.

Shinto priest waving for sanctification
When a Japanese priest sanctifies someone or something, he waves a tree branch. Or he waves a "harainusa," which is made of a stick and white papers and looks like a plant. Today's "harainusa" is simplified and made of white papers that are folded in a zigzag pattern like small lightning bolts, but in old days it was a plant branch or cereals.

A Japanese Christian woman acquaintance of mine used to think of this "harainusa" as merely a pagan custom. But she later went to the U.S.A.and
had an opportunity to attend a Sukkot ceremony. When she saw the Jewish waving of the sheaf of the harvest, she shouted in her heart, "Oh, this is the same as a Japanese priest does! Here lies the home for the Japanese."
The Structure of the Japanese Shinto Shrine is Similar to God's Tabernacle of Ancient Israel.
The inside of God's tabernacle in ancient Israelwas divided into two parts. The first was the Holy Place, and the second was the Holy of Holies. The Japanese Shinto shrine is also divided into two parts.

The functions performed in the Japanese shrine are similar to those of the Israeli tabernacle. Japanese pray in front of its Holy Place. They cannot enter inside. Only Shinto priests and special ones can enter. Shinto priest enters the Holy of Holies of the Japanese shrine only at special times. This is similar to the Israeli tabernacle.


The Japanese Holy of Holies is located usually in far west or far north of the shrine. The Israeli Holy of Holies was located in far west of the temple. Shinto's Holy of Holies is also located on a higher level than the Holy Place, and between them are steps. Scholars state that, in the Israeli temple built by Solomon, the Holy of Holies was on an elevated level as well, and between them there were steps of about 2.7 meters (9 feet) in width.


Typical Japanese Shinto shrine
In front of a Japanese shrine, there are two statues of lions known as "komainu" that sit on both sides of the approach. They are not idols but guards for the shrine. This was also a custom of ancient Israel. In God's temple in Israel and in the palace of Solomon, there were statues or relieves of lions (1 Kings 7:36, 10:19).

"Komainu" guards for shrine
In the early history of Japan, there were absolutely no lions. But the statues of lions have been placed in Japanese shrines since ancient times. It has been proven by scholars that statues of lions located in front of Japanese shrines originated from the Middle East.

Located near the entrance of a Japanese shrine is a "temizuya" - a place for worshipers to wash their hands and mouth. They used to wash their feet, too, in old days. This is a similar custom as is found in Jewish synagogues. The ancient tabernacle and temple of Israelalso
had a laver for washing hands and feet near the entrances.

In front of a Japanese shrine, there is a gate called the "torii." The type gate does not exist in China or in Korea, it is peculiar to Japan. The "torii" gate consists of two vertical pillars and a bar connecting the upper parts. But the oldest form consists of only two vertical pillars and a rope connecting the upper parts. When a Shinto priest bows to the gate, he bows to the two pillars separately. It is assumed that the "torii" gate was originally constructed of only two pillars.

In the Israeli temple, there were two pillars used as a gate (1 Kings 7:21). And according to Joseph Eidelberg, in Aramaic language which ancient Israelites used, the word for gate was "tar'a." This word might have changed slightly and become the Japanese "torii".
Some "toriis," especially of old shrines, are painted red. I can't help but think this is a picture of the two door posts and the lintel on which the blood of the lamb was put the night before the exodus from Egypt.

In the Japanese Shinto religion, there is a custom to surround a holy place with a rope called the "shimenawa," which has slips of white papers inserted along the bottom edge of the rope. The "shimenawa" rope is set as the boundary. The Bible says that when Moses was given God's Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, he "set bounds" (Exodus 19:12) around it for the Israelites not to approach. Although the nature of these "bounds" is not known, ropes might have been used. The Japanese "shimenawa" rope might then be a custom that originates from the time of Moses. The zigzag pattern of white papers inserted along the rope reminds me of the thunders at Mt. Sinai.

The major difference between a Japanese Shinto shrine and the ancient Israeli temple is that the shrine does not have the burning altar for animal sacrifices. I used to wonder why Shinto religion does not have the custom of animal sacrifices if Shinto originated from the religion of ancient Israel.
But then I found the answer in Deuteronomy, chapter 12. Moses commanded the people not to offer any animal sacrifices at any other locations except at specific places in Canaan (12:10-14). Hence, if the Israelites came to ancient Japan, they would not be permitted to offer animal sacrifices.

Shinto shrine is usually built on a mountain or a hill. Almost every mountain in Japan has a shrine, even you find a shrine on top of Mt. Fuji. In ancient Israel, on mountains were usually located worship places called "the high places". The temple of Jerusalem was built on a mountain (Mt. Moriah
). Moses was given the Ten Commandments from God on Mt. Sinai. It was thought in Israel that mountain is a place close to God.

Many Shinto shrines are built with the gates in the east and the Holy of Holies in the west as we see in Matsuo grand shrine (Matsuo-taisya) in Kyoto and others. While, others are built with the gates in the south and the Holy of Holies in the north. The reason of building with the gates in the east (and the Holy of Holies in the west) is that the sun comes from the east. The ancient Israeli tabernacle or temple was built with the gate in the east and the Holy of Holies in the west, based on the belief that the glory of God comes from the east.


All Shinto shrines are made of wood. Many parts of the ancient Israeli temple were also made of wood. The Israelites used stones in some places, but walls, floors, ceilings and all of the insides were overlaid with wood (1 Kings 6:9, 15-18), which was cedars from Lebanon (1 Kings 5:6). In Japanthey
do not have cedars from Lebanon, so in Shinto shrines they use Hinoki cypress which is hardly eaten by bugs like cedars from Lebanon. The wood of the ancient Israeli temple was all overlaid with gold (1 Kings 6:20-30). In Japan the important parts of the main shrine of Ise-jingu, for instance, are overlaid with gold.
Many Japanese Customs Resemble Those of Ancient Israel.
When Japanese people pray in front of the Holy Placeof a Shinto shrine, they firstly ring the golden bell which is hung at the center of the entrance. This was also the custom of the ancient Israel. The high priest Aaron put "bells of gold" on the hem of his robe. This was so that its sound might be heard and he might not die when ministered there (Exodus 28:33-35).
Golden bell at the entrance of Shinto shrine
Japanese people clap their hands two times when they pray there. This was, in ancient Israel, the custom to mean, "I keep promises." In the Scriptures, you can find the word which is translated into "pledge." The original meaning of this word in Hebrew is, "clap his hand" (Ezekiel 17:18, Proverbs 6:1). It seems that the ancient Israelites clapped their hands when they pledged or did something important.

Japanese people bow in front of the shrine before and after clapping their hands and praying. They also perform a bow as a polite greeting when they meet each other. To bow was also the custom of the ancient Israel. Jacob bowed when he was approaching Esau (Genesis 33:3).
Ordinarily, contemporary Jews do not bow. However, they bow when reciting prayers. Modern Ethiopians have the custom of bowing, probably because of the ancient Jews who immigrated to Ethiopiain
ancient days. The Ethiopian bow is similar to the Japanese bow.

We Japanese have the custom to use salt for sanctification. People sometimes sow salt after an offensive person leaves. When I was watching a TV drama from the times of the Samurai, a woman threw salt on the place where a man she hated left. This custom is the same as that of the ancient Israelites. After Abimelech captured an enemy city, "he sowed it with salt" (Judges 9:45). We Japanese quickly interpret this to mean to cleanse and sanctify the city.

I hear that when Jews move to a new house they sow it with salt to sanctify it and cleanse it. This is true also in Japan. In Japanese-style restaurants, they usually place salt near the entrance. Jews use salt for Kosher meat. All Kosher meat is purified with salt and all meals start with bread and salt.
Japanese people place salt at the entrance of a funeral home. After coming back from a funeral, one has to sprinkle salt on oneself before entering his/her house. It is believed in Shinto that anyone who went to a funeral or touched a dead body had become unclean. Again, this is the same concept as was observed by the ancient Israelites.


Japanese "sumo" wrestler sowing with salt
Japanese "sumo" wrestlers sow the sumo ring with salt before they fight. European or American people wonder why they sow salt. But Rabbi Tokayer wrote that Jews quickly understand its meaning.
Japanese people offer salt every time they perform a religious offering, This is the same custom used by the Israelites:
"With all your offerings you shall offer salt." (Leviticus 2:13)


Japanese people in old times had the custom of putting some salt into their baby's first bath. The ancient Israelites washed a newborn baby with water after rubbing the baby softly with salt (Ezekiel 16:4). Sanctification and cleansing with salt and/or water is a common custom among both the Japanese and the ancient Israelites.


In the Hebrew Scriptures, the words "clean" and "unclean" often appear. Europeans and Americans are not familiar with this concept, but the Japanese understand it. A central concept of Shinto is to value cleanness and to avoid uncleanness. This concept probably came from ancient Israel.

Similar to Judaism, in Japanese Shinto Religion, There Are No Idols
Buddhist temples have idols which are carved in the shape of Buddha and other gods. However in Japanese Shinto shrines, there are no idols.
In the center of the Holy of Holies of a Shinto shrine, there is a mirror, sword, or pendant. Nevertheless, Shinto believers do not regard these items as their gods. In Shinto, gods are thought to be invisible. The mirror, sword, and pendant are not idols but merely objects to show that it is a holy place where invisible gods come down.


In the ark of the covenant of ancient Israel, there were stone tablets of God's Ten Commandments, a jar of manna and the rod of Aaron. These were not idols, but objects to show that it was the holy place where the invisible God comes down. The same thing can be said concerning the objects in Japanese shrines.

Old Japanese Words Have Hebrew Origin.
Joseph Eidelberg, a Jew who once came to Japanand remained for years at a Japanese Shinto shrine, wrote a book entitled "The Japanese and the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel." He wrote that many Japanese words originated from ancient Hebrew. For instance, we Japanese say "hazukashime" to mean disgrace or humiliation. In Hebrew, it is "hadak hashem" (tread down the name; see Job 40:12). The pronunciation and the meaning of both of them are almost the same.

We say "anta" to mean "you," which is the same in Hebrew. Kings in ancient Japan were called with the word "mikoto," which could be derived from a Hebrew word "malhuto" which means "his kingdom." The Emperor of Japan is called "mikado." This resembles the Hebrew word, "migadol," which means "the noble." The ancient Japanese word for an area leader is "agata-nushi;" "agata" is "area" and "nushi" is "leader." In Hebrew, they are called "aguda" and "nasi."
When we Japanese count, "One, two, three... ten," we sometimes say:

"Hi, fu, mi, yo, itsu, mu, nana, ya, kokono, towo."

This is a traditional expression, but its meaning is unknown it is thought of as being Japanese.
It has been said that this expression originates from an ancient Japanese Shinto myth. In the myth, the female god, called "Amaterasu," who manages the world's sunlight, once hid herself in a heavenly cave, and the world became dark. Then, according to the oldest book of Japanese history, the priest called "Koyane" prayed with words before the cave and in front of the other gods to have "Amaterasu" come out. Although the words said in the prayer are not written, a legend says that these words were, "Hi, fu, mi...."


"Amaterasu" is hiding in a heavenly cave; "Koyane" is praying and "Uzume" is dancing.
Joseph Eidelberg stated that this is a beautiful Hebrew expression, if it is supposed that there were some pronunciation changes throughout history. These words are spelled:
"Hifa mi yotsia ma na'ne ykakhena tavo."


This means: "The beautiful (Goddess). Who will bring her out? What should we call out (in chorus) to entice her to come?" This surprisingly fits the situation of the myth.
Moreover, we Japanese not only say, "Hi, hu, mi...," but also say with the same meaning:

"Hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu, yottsu, itsutsu, muttsu, nanatsu, yattsu, kokonotsu, towo."

Here, "totsu" or "tsu" is put to each of "Hi, hu, mi..." as the last part of the words. But the last "towo" (which means ten) remains the same. "Totsu" could be the Hebrew word "tetse," which means, "She comes out. " And "tsu" may be the Hebrew word "tse" which means "Come out."
Eidelberg believed that these words were said by the gods who surrounded the priest, "Koyane." That is, when "Koyane" first says, "Hi," the surrounding gods add, "totsu" (She comes out) in reply, and secondly, when "Koyane" says, "Fu," the gods add "totsu" (tatsu), and so on. In this way, it became "Hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu...."


However, the last word, "towo," the priest, "Koyane," and the surrounding gods said together. If this is the Hebrew word "tavo," it means, "(She) shall come." When they say this, the female god, "Amaterasu," came out.

"Hi, fu, mi..." and "Hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu..." later were used as the words to count numbers.
In addition, the name of the priest, "Koyane," sounds close to a Hebrew word, "kohen," which means, "a priest." Eidelberg showed many other examples of Japanese words (several thousand) which appeared to have a Hebrew origin. This does not appear to be accidental.

In ancient Japanese folk songs, many words appear that are not understandable as Japanese. Dr. Eiji Kawamorita considered that many of them are Hebrew. A Japanese folk song in Kumamoto prefecture is sung, "Hallelujah, haliya, haliya, tohse, Yahweh, Yahweh, yoitonnah...." This also sounds as if it is Hebrew.

Similarity Between the Biblical Genealogy and Japanese Mythology
There is a remarkable similarity between the Biblical article and Japanese mythology. A Japanese scholar points out that the stories around Ninigi in the Japanese mythology greatly resemble the stories around Jacob in the Bible.
In the Japanese mythology, the Imperial family of Japanand the nation of Yamato (the Japanese) are
descendants from Ninigi, who came from heaven. Ninigi is the ancestor of the tribe of Yamato, or Japanese nation. While Jacob is the ancestor of the Israelites.

In the Japanese mythology, it was not Ninigi who was to come down from heaven, but the other. But when the other was preparing, Ninigi was born and in a result, instead of him, Ninigi came down from heaven and became the ancestor of the Japanese nation. In the same way, according to the Bible, it was Esau, Jacob's elder brother, who was to become God's nation but in a result, instead of Esau, God's blessing for the nation was given to Jacob, and Jacob became the ancestor of the Israelites.


And in the Japanese mythology, after Ninigi came from heaven, he fell in love with a beautiful woman named Konohana-sakuya-hime and tried to marry her. But her father asked him to marry not only her but also her elder sister. However the elder sister was ugly and Ninigi gave her back to her father. In the same way, according to the Bible, Jacob fell in love with beautiful Rachel and tried to marry her (Genesis chapter 29). But her father says to Jacob that he cannot give the younger sister before the elder, so he asked Jacob to marry the elder sister (Leah) also. However the elder sister was not so beautiful, Jacob disliked her. Thus, there is a parallelism between Ninigi and Jacob.


And in the Japanese mythology, Ninigi and his wife Konohana-sakuya-hime bear a child named Yamasachi-hiko. But Yamasachi-hiko is bullied by his elder brother and has to go to the country of a sea god. There Yamasachi-hiko gets a mystic power and troubles the elder brother by giving him famine, but later forgives his sin. In the same way, according to the Bible, Jacob and his wife Rachel bear a child named Joseph. But Joseph is bullied by his elder brothers and had to go to Egypt. There Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt and gets power, and when the elder brothers came to Egypt because of famine, Joseph helped them and forgives their sin. Thus, there is a parallelism between Yamasachi-hiko and Joseph.


Similarity between the biblical genealogy and Japanese mythology
And in the Japanese mythology, Yamasachi-hiko married a daughter of the sea god, and bore a child named Ugaya-fukiaezu. Ugaya-fukiaezu had 4 sons. But his second and third sons were gone to other places. The forth son is emperor Jinmu who conquers the land of Yamato. On this line is the Imperial House of Japan.

While, what is it in the Bible? Joseph married a daughter of a priest in Egypt, and bore Manasseh and Ephraim. Ephraim resembles Ugaya-fukiaezu in the sense that Ephraim had 4 sons, but his second and third sons were killed and died early (1 Chronicles 7:20-27), and a descendant from the forth son was Joshua who conquered the land of Canaan (the land of Israel). On the line of Ephraim is the Royal House of the Ten Tribes of Israel.


Thus we find a remarkable similarity between the biblical genealogy and Japanese mythology - between Ninigi and Jacob, Yamasachi-hiko and Joseph, and the Imperial family of Japan and the tribe of Ephraim.


Furthermore, in the Japanese mythology, the heaven is called Hara of Takama (Takama-ga-hara or Takama-no-hara). Ninigi came from there and founded the Japanese nation. Concerning this Hara of Takama, Zen'ichirou Oyabe, a Japanese researcher, thought that this is the city Haranin
the region of Togarmah where Jacob and his ancestors once lived; Jacob lived in Haran of Togarmah for a while, then came to Canaanand founded the Israeli nation.

Jacob once saw in a dream the angels of God ascending and descending between the heaven and the earth (Genesis 28:12), when Jacob was given a promise of God that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. This was different from Ninigi's descending from heaven, but resembles it in image.


Thus, except for details, the outline of the Japanese mythology greatly resembles the records of the Bible. It is possible to think that the myths of Kojiki and Nihon-shoki, the Japanese chronicles written in the 8th century, were originally based on Biblical stories but later added with various pagan elements. Even it might be possible to think that the Japanese mythology was originally a kind of genealogy which showed that the Japanese are descendants from Jacob, Joseph, and Ephraim.

Impurity during Menstruation and Bearing Child
The concept of uncleanness during menstruation and bearing child has existed in Japan since ancient times. It has been a custom in Japan since old days that woman during menstruation should not attend holy events at shrine. She could not have sex with her husband and had to shut herself up in a hut (called Gekkei-goya in Japanese), which is built for collaboration use in village, during her menstruation and several days or about 7 days after the menstruation. This custom had been widely seen in Japan until Meiji era (about 100 years ago). After the period of shutting herself up ends, she had to clean herself by natural water as river, spring, or sea. It there is no natural water, it can be done in bathtub.

This resembles ancient Israeli custom very much. In ancient Israel, woman during menstruation could not attend holy events at the temple, had to be apart from her husband, and it was custom to shut herself up in a hut during her menstruation and 7 days after the menstruation (Leviticus 15:19, 28). This shutting herself up was said "to continue in the blood of her purification", and this was for purification and to make impurity apart from the house or the village.


Menstruation hut used by Falasha, Ethiopian Jews
This remains true even today. There are no sexual relations, for the days of menstruation and an additional 7 days. Then the woman goes to the Mikveh, ritual bath. The water of the Mikveh must be natural water. There are cases of gathering rainwater and putting it to the Mikveh bathtub. In case of not having enough natural water, water from faucet is added.

Modern people may feel irrational about this concept but women during menstruation or bearing child need rest physically and mentally. Woman herself says that she feels impure in her blood in the period. "To continue in the blood of her purification" refers to this need of rest of her blood.
Not only concerning menstruation, but also the concept concerning bearing child in Japanese Shinto resembles the one of ancient Israel.


A mother who bore a child is regarded unclean in a certain period. This concept is weak among the Japanese today, but was very common in old days. The old Shinto book, Engishiki (the 10th century C.E.), set 7 days as a period that she cannot participate in holy events after she bore a child. This resembles an ancient custom of Israel, for the Bible says that when a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be "unclean 7 days". She shall then "continue in the blood of her purification 33 days". In the case that she bears a female child, then she shall be "unclean two weeks", and she shall "continue in the blood of her purification 66 days'" (Leviticus 12:2-5).

In Japan it had been widely seen until Meiji era that woman during pregnancy and after bearing child shut herself up in a hut (called Ubu-goya in Japanese) and lived there. The period was usually during the pregnancy and 30 days or so after she bore a child (The longest case was nearly 100 days). This resembles the custom of ancient Israel.


In ancient Israel, after this period of purification the mother could come to the temple with her child for the first time. Also in the custom of Japanese Shinto, after this period of purification the mother can come to the shrine with her baby. In modern Japan it is generally 32 days (or 31 days) after she bore the baby in case of a male, and 33 days in case of a female.
But when they come to the shrine, it is not the mother who carries the baby. It is a traditional custom that the baby should be carried not by the mother, but usually by the husband's mother (mother-in-law). This is a remarkable similarity of purity and impurity of the mother, after childbirth, with ancient Israeli custom.

Japanese "Mizura" and Jewish Peyot
The photo below (left) is a statue of an ancient Japanese Samurai found in relics of the late 5th century C.E. in Nara, Japan. This statue shows realistically the ancient Japanese men's hair style called "mizura," which hair comes down under his cap and hangs in front of both ears with some curling. This hair style was widely seen among Japanese Samurais, and it was unique to Japan, not the one which came from the cultures of China or Korea.

Ancient Japanese Samurai's hair style "mizura" (left) and Jewish "peyot" (right)
Is it a mere coincidence that this resembles Jewish "peyot" (payot) very much, which is also a hair style of hanging the hair in front of the ears long with some curling (photo right)? "Peyot" is a unique hair style for Jews and the origin is very old. Leviticus 19:27 of the Bible mentions:
"'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head."


So, this custom originated from the ancient Israelites. The "peyot" custom of today's Hasidic Jews is a recovery of this ancient custom. Yemenite Jews have had this custom since ancient times. There is a statue from Syria, which is from the 8th or 9th century B.C.E..  It shows a Hebrew man with peyot and a fringed shawl. 

DNA Research on the Japanese and Jews

DNA shows the common ancestry of the Japanese and Jews

Recent DNA researches on Y-chromosome showed that about 40 % of the Japanese have DNA of haplogroup D. Y-chromosome DNA is passed from father to son, and is classified according to genetic features into genetic groups called haplogroups” from A to T. Only Japanese and Tibetan peoples in the world have haplogroup D at a high frequency. D is rarely found even among the Chinese and Koreans.

According to geneticists, haplogroup D is the compatriot of haplogroup E, which is found in all Jewish groups of the world. Haplogroups D and E were once one and have the common origin, as Wikipedia encyclopedia states:
    Along with haplogroup E, D contains the distinctive YAP polymorphism, which indicates their common ancestry.” [Haplogroup D (Y-DNA)]

According to Family Tree DNA, a DNA test provider, especially E1b1b1 type of haplogroup E is “found in all Jewish populations, from Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Kurdish, Yemen, Samaritan and even among Djerba Jewish groups.” They use this genetic marker to find Jewish descendants.

The Pathans in Afghanistan and Pakistan, who are said to be descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel, have haplogroup E remarkably. The Uzbekistan Jews, who are also said to be from the Lost Tribes, have haplogroup E at the frequency of 28 %. The Falasha, Ethiopian Jews, have haplogroup E at 50 %. Haplogroup E is found even among those said to be from the Lost Tribes of Israel.

Haplogroups D and E were once one, but became separate in the Near East. Those who remained in the Near East or went west became Jews, while those who moved east became the Lost Tribes of Israel in the East, including”Israelite Tibetans” and the Japanese.

What I call “Israelite Tibetans” are the Chiang (Qiang) people (southwest China), the Shinlung (Bnei Menashe, northeast India) and the Karen (Myanmar). They all live near Tibet and speak language of Tibet-Burma language group. Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail of Amishav thinks that these tribes are descendants of the Lost Tribes, because they have many ancient Israeli customs. It is noteworthy that especially 23% of the Chiang people have haplogroup D, which came from the common ancestor with E. The Japanese, having haplogroup D also, are closely related to them.

Rabbi Avichail thinks that these Chiang, Shinlung and Karen were once one and the same tribe, because they all once wandered in China, were persecuted by the Chinese and lost the Torah there, having the same legends and customs. It seems that the origins of the Japanese and these Israelite Tibetans were once the same.

Current Jews, both Ashkenazi and Sephardic, mainly have haplogroups J, E and R. It is thought that ancient Jews mainly had haplogroups J and E.
Some people think that especially J was peculiar to original Jews, because about 80% of paternally inherited Cohen families, who are descendants of the High Priest Aaron, belong to J. However, Aaron was a Levite, and J is found among paternal Levites only at a relatively low frequency. The Levites have haplogroup E as other Jews do, and Samaritan Levite priests belong to haplogroup E. For haplogroup E is found in all Jewish groups of the world, E had been a distinctive Jewish haplogroup since before the diaspora of 70 C.E..

Israelites had experienced blood mixing since very early times. The Bible mentions about the exodus from Egypt, "Many other people who were not Israelites went with them" (Exodus 12:38, New Century Version). Moses many times mentioned about foreigners living among his people. They could become Israelites if circumcised and living as Israelites (Exodus 12:48, etc). There were thus some haplogroups found among ancient Israelites.

However, most of the
peoples who are said to be from the Lost Tribes of Israel do not have haplogroup J, including the following peoples:
*Chiang (Qiang, southwest China)
*Bnei Menashe (Shinlung, northeast India)
*Karen (Myanmar)
*Bene Ephraim (South India)
*Beta Israel (Falasha, Ethiopia)
*Bukharan Jews (Persian Jews)
*Igbo Jews (Nigeria)

The Japanese also do not have haplogroup J. It seems that the basic haplogroup of ancient Israelites was haplogroup E or haplogroup DE (ancestor of haplogroups D and E). Today, the Pathans and Uzbekistan Jews, who are the Lost Tribes of Israel living in West Asia or Central Asia, have haplogroup E. While in the East, the Chiang and the Japanese have haplogroup D.
D and E were once one. The Japanese are genetically from the Lost Tribes of Israel.

To be continued to:
Chapter 2 - The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, Myanmar, and China

Chapter 3 - Did the Lost Tribes of Israel Come To Ancient Japan?

Chapter 4 - Various Other Similarities Between Ancient Israel and Ancient Japan




Please feel free to print this site for your personal use, and distribute it to your friends.

Arimasa Kubo

Remnant Publishing
E-mail: remnant@aioros.ocn.ne.jp (Your thoughts and opinions are welcome, although I may not be able to reply to all.)

Home-page is here.


For more information

Free Video on Israelites and the Japanese

I appeared in a Japanese TV program on this topic, broadcasted from a major TV station. The program was entitled "The Roots of Japan Were Ancient Israel!?"
You can watch part of it at YouTube.
(For English subtitle, click "CC" at the right bottom of the YouTube screen)

For those who want to watch the complete program (about 90 minutes) with English subtitle, I will send a DVD copy for free. To obtain it, please send your email to remnant@aioros.ocn.ne.jp including your postal address like the following.
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To Remnant Publishing

Please send me a free copy of the DVD "The Roots of Japan Were Ancient Israel!?"

Mr. or Ms.?:
Name :
Address:
Country:
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(You can copy and paste to the email text field.)
Recommended books:
The following are the books written by Jewish researchers on the connections between the Israelites and the Japanese.
*The Biblical Hebrew Origin of the Japanese People, written by Joseph Eidelberg (English and Hebrew).
*In the Footsteps of the Lost Ten Tribes, written by Avigdor Shachan (English and Hebrew).
*The Tribes of Israel - The Lost and the Dispersed, written by Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail (English and Hebrew).
*If you can read Japanese, "Nihon-Yudaya, Huuin no Kodaishi" which is written by Rabbi Marvin Tokayer and published by Tokuma-shoten is the best book on this topic (This book includes many pictures. The English version is not published yet).

Other recommended links:
The Mystery of Jews in Japan (video)
Who are the Japanese?
Bnei Menashe
Japanese-Jewish Resources
Straight Talk About God (Lost Tribes)

Was Japanese Culture Influenced by Ancient Israel