ISIS PLOT TO DESTROY PALMYRA

Gotcha - this is the old Palmyra (in Israel).....

Nevertheless - there is occultic meaning in it:

Tel Aviv Speaks: “Palmyra Must Be Destroyed”

A laptop computer seized in a raid on an ISIS stronghold last Saturday may well have exposed a bizarre plot right out of Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones. Analysis may yield evidence of a strange “brotherhood” connecting cults within not only Israel but the US and European freemasonry to the planned destruction of two religious sites, one very real, the al Aqsa Mosque on the Holy Mount in Jerusalem and the second, the mythological Second Temple of Suleiman or Solomon, son of King David of Israel.

The story encompasses more than a minor dose of the supernatural, armies of demonic genies building temples and a melding of Masonic-Templar myth with Zionist expansionism and Christian “Dominionists” Apocalypse heresy.

The Fall of Palmyra

The ISIS drive on the ancient city of Palmyra has a special significance, according to documents seized on May 16, 2015 by Syrian Special Forces units in a near dawn attack on al Mayadin, along the Euphrates River.

The al Mayadin attack, simultaneous to an American attack only a few miles further north along the Euphrates, brought both nations a trove of vital intelligence. Documents found on a laptop used by a top ISIS commander showed direct communications via “social networks” with Israel, but that isn’t all that surprising nor is it what is of real significance. The message received from Israel had several startling elements:

Orders for the ISIS drive that took Palmyra came from Israel but also reference “the freemasons,” a group whose historical origins are tied to the Knights Templars, a religious and military organization believed to have discovered the First Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem and to have looted its gold and artifacts.

The document orders ISIS to find and destroy the Second Temple of Solomon to be found in Palmyra, long the subject of “fringe” archeology, and thought to be a mythological site built by superhuman beings or even extraterrestrials.
The document goes further, indicating that Israel will destroy the al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam that has been under attack by Israeli settlers in recent weeks.

ISIS’ Mysterious Successes

The ISIS drive on Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site and an incomparable archeological treasure was carefully coordinated with a drive that took the Iraqi city of Ramadi and a Turkish backed drive on Aleppo by Al Nusra. All three operations were totally unhindered by US and “coalition” air attacks, curiously so. Moreover, reports from Ramadi of American C130 aircraft resupplying ISIS units have multiple confirmation despite US denials. When questioned about this, US Army Special Forces representatives blamed Iran for spreading the rumor as part of a psychological operations ploy despite the fact that the US had previously admitted to “accidentally” resupplying ISIS forces near the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani. The Kobani “accidents” happened several time over a period of days during the height of the battle there.

Biblical Origins of Palmyra

Today, the world fears the destruction of Palmyra but, if what is foretold in the intelligence captured Saturday is correct, destroying Palmyra or perhaps just the Temple of Solomon, real or imaginary, is intended to bring about a far more serious consequence, a world war leading to the apocalypse, “Armageddon.” From Wikipedia:

The Hebrew Bible (Second Book of Chronicles 8:4) records “Tadmor” as a desert city built or fortified by King Solomon of Israel, it is likewise mentioned in Talmud. Flavius Josephus mentions the Greek name “Palmyra” and also attributes the founding of “Tadmor” to Solomon in his Antiquities of the Jews (Book VIII).Later Islamic traditions attributes the founding of the city to the Jinn of Solomon.

King Solomon was the son of King David and the founder of “Greater Israel,” believed by many Israeli’s to represent their “birthright,” a nation from “the Nile to the Euphrates.” Current ISIS operations, clearly established to have not only broad both military and humanitarian support from Israel but Christian Evangelist/Tea Party groups within the US as well, are seeking to link the Euphrates to Israel.

Read more here:
[link to earthchanges.ning.com]

A VERY WET SPRING - BISHOP KOYLE?

One thing about our Idaho trip, was ALL THE RAIN!!  I am not sure that there was not a day that there was not a downpour in S. Idaho.  Those who got their crops in early are okay.  Those who are still trying to plant are having troubles with the fields being way TOO wet!!

Thankfully, we were able to enjoy the rain in a hot springs.  If you are ever in the area of Rexburg, Green Canyon Resort is rustic (to say the least), but a fun little place to soak and hike.  Here is the link:   http://www.greencanyonhotspring.com/ 

It is owned by an LDS family and it has been in the family for a few generations.  You can buy local hothouse-grown tomatoes at the food counter there, that use water from the hotspring for heat and for minerals (hydroponics).  They supply the local Ralph's to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds per year.  Amazing.....   That has always been my hydroponic dream......

Anyway - the weather just seems too odd for this time of year.  I have to wonder if this is the wet, cool spring spoken of by Koyle (I cannot vouch for a long, hard winter in Utah...., but I certainly can vouch for a very wet spring):

http://www.reliefmine.com/articles/koyle/81-the-long-hard-winter 

Here are some quotes from this blog post:

"The mine will come in following an unusually hard winter. There will be heavy snows and a late wet spring. After two weeks of planting time, heavy rains will pelt the seed out of the ground. Then, hot dry winds will commence to dry everything up, including the few remaining plants." [JJ#78, p.10 quoted in RM II, p.227, #65]

Norman Pierce: "He [Bishop Koyle] gave a number of signposts by which we would know and recognize the approach of this crisis. 1) A long, hard winter that would do much damage." [DMS 54]

Lavawn Owen: "The Bishop said there would be a heavy winter just before the Mine comes in, and it will be the worst winter ever. Immediately following this winter, there will be flooding and a very wet spring." [LO, May, 1993]

Steve Wood: "He [Bishop Koyle] also saw the Mine would come in after a hard winter followed by a water-logged spring, then a dry hot summer, and when the wheat was in the boot, the Bishop came out of the tunnel with the first gold in his hands." [BKDM in RMII 202]

Personally?  I think this may happen next spring and that this is the beginning of a change in weather patterns.  Definitely an El Nino year.....  Definitely in the fourth year of drought in the Southwest.  As so many are saying, we are in it big.

PROPHECY OF VILNA GAON

This is some interesting information on Gog/Magog and Crimea:

http://destination-yisrael.biblesearchers.com/destination-yisrael/2014/05/the-prophecy-of-the-vilna-gaon-when-you-hear-that-the-russians-have-captured-the-city-of-crimea-the-.html

The Prophecy of the Vilna Gaon: “When you hear that the Russians have captured the city of Crimea, the ‘Times of the Messiah’ have started, that his steps are being heard” - See more at: http://destination-yisrael.biblesearchers.com/destination-yisrael/2014/05/the-prophecy-of-the-vilna-gaon-when-you-hear-that-the-russians-have-captured-the-city-of-crimea-the-.html#sthash.Yuqwjjje.WNl0G81a.dpuf

The Prophecy of the Vilna Gaon: “When you hear that the Russians have captured the city of Crimea, the ‘Times of the Messiah’ have started, that his steps are being heard” - See more at: http://destination-yisrael.biblesearchers.com/destination-yisrael/2014/05/the-prophecy-of-the-vilna-gaon-when-you-hear-that-the-russians-have-captured-the-city-of-crimea-the-.html#sthash.Yuqwjjje.WNl0G81a.dpuf

The Prophecy of the Vilna Gaon: “When you hear that the Russians have captured the city of Crimea, the ‘Times of the Messiah’ have started, that his steps are being heard” - See more at: http://destination-yisrael.biblesearchers.com/destination-yisrael/2014/05/the-prophecy-of-the-vilna-gaon-when-you-hear-that-the-russians-have-captured-the-city-of-crimea-the-.html#sthash.Yuqwjjje.WNl0G81a.dpuf

The Prophecy of the Vilna Gaon: “When you hear that the Russians have captured the city of Crimea, the ‘Times of the Messiah’ have started, that his steps are being heard” - See more at: http://destination-yisrael.biblesearchers.com/destination-yisrael/2014/05/the-prophecy-of-the-vilna-gaon-when-you-hear-that-the-russians-have-captured-the-city-of-crimea-the-.html#sthash.Yuqwjjje.WNl0G81a.dpuf

The Prophecy of the Vilna Gaon: “When you hear that the Russians have captured the city of Crimea, the ‘Times of the Messiah’ have started, that his steps are being heard” - See more at: http://destination-yisrael.biblesearchers.com/destination-yisrael/2014/05/the-prophecy-of-the-vilna-gaon-when-you-hear-that-the-russians-have-captured-the-city-of-crimea-the-.html#sthash.Yuqwjjje.WNl0G81a.dpuf

The Prophecy of the Vilna Gaon: “When you hear that the Russians have captured the city of Crimea, the ‘Times of the Messiah’ have started, that his steps are being heard” - See more at: http://destination-yisrael.biblesearchers.com/destination-yisrael/2014/05/the-prophecy-of-the-vilna-gaon-when-you-hear-that-the-russians-have-captured-the-city-of-crimea-the-.html#sthash.Yuqwjjje.WNl0G81a.dpuf

JOSEPH OF EGYPT AS THE PROTOTYPE FOR JOSEPH OF MODERN EGYPT

I am watching my favorite movie of all time:  Joseph King of Dreams.  I love the music and what strength I was able to gain from it as we suffered after the loss of our middle child to SIDS.

Never have I ever had a non-church movie have such an effect on me.

In SS today, I commented on how difficult it must have been for Joseph to be in the dungeon at the ironically-named "Liberty" Jail.  It must have been more tough on him to be there and not have the normal discourse with Father, having seen him and the Son - and then having their pavilion covered for so long as he struggled in captivity.

Joseph of old truly suffered in prison before things got good.  Joseph of Egypt had a role to save his people physically.  Joseph of modern times had a role to save all of the tribes spiritually.  He was given all the keys to do so in 1836.

Each one of us could be a Joseph within our families.  We are to act as Saviors on Mount Zion (in terms of completing our genealogy and serving the Temple and many other ways, including food storage.  Things are repeating again.  We are in the seven year cycle that President Hinckley spoke of.  We are in the 7th year of the 49 years.  Then we enter into the Jubilee Year where Israel is released from captivity in our modern Egypt and Sodom.  We will be relieved of wicked earthly governments and from our tax burdens and will return to God's system.  A much better one - bar none!


Another note:

The animated movie was well-researched in the details they employ in the plot.  Joseph mentions that he is learned in the language (writing and speaking) of the Egyptians.  They were dominant in the region and the people who hoped to get ahead, learned this language.  Therefore, it should be no surprise that, in the times of Nephi, as Israel aligned with Egypt to put off the Babylonian threat, that there was a similar intercourse with the Egyptians.

DUALISM IN THE WORMWOOD SCRIPTURE

I thought this comment was interesting!

Wormwood 'And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.'

Who fell from Heaven? Who was the "light bearer", an angel of once great authority, who would appear as a burning lamp falling from glory? Who drew a third part of the heavens with him? Who is the most bitter of God's children? Who makes the children of God bitter to become just like him when they partake of his vile rebellion? Generally, after a person becomes rejected, they become bitter and UNFORGIVING. The opposite of bitterness is forgiveness. Forgiveness is the most important thing that God has taught us about DELIVERANCE! Interestingly enough, the "test" to uncover adultery (Numbers 5:11-31) is the administration of bitter water.

 Certainly, there is dualism in all things scriptural.  I have been reading in the New Testament and it is quite apparent that this is the case.....  And I am sure I am only just scratching the surface.

It is good to be back online after more than a week alone with my sweetheart enjoying her family in Southern Idaho.  Her father died in Vietnam exactly 45 years ago on May 25th - Memorial Day.  It is because of the crippling ripple effects of this in her life that I have become quite anti-war; except as the Book of Mormon has proscribed in defense of our liberty, our homes, our wives/children and to sustain the good principle found in the Constitution.  I am not particularly interested in sustaining the war machine that President Benson warned us about.  If asked to work in the military side of my aerospace company, I simply will take the soup line.  In the past couple of years, we have all been asked to take cross-training where we will be able to function in a military role.  If pushed, I simply will exercise my right to leave the country.  If it is a defensive war, I will participate, as long as the weapons I am asked to engineer are strictly defensive in nature - and not used in a role of the police state we are at or to be used in building empire and further causing war to be poured upon all nations.  Truly, I am more at home with the Canadians than I am living in a police state that is bullying nations like Russia into an arbitrary economic or social policy.

Here is a great video that sums up the illegality of our wars:

https://youtu.be/_8rbHwMXMT8

Here is the scripture about the administration of the bitter waters as a test of adultery.  Truly we are a wicked and adulterous nation and people:

 5 ¶And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

 6 Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty;

 7 Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.

 8 But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.

 9 And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his.

 10 And every man’s hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.

 11 ¶And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

 12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man’s wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,

 13 And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner;

 14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:

 15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.

 16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the Lord:

 17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:

 18 And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:

 19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:

 20 But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:

 21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;

 22 And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.

 23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:

 24 And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.

 25 Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the offering before the Lord, and offer it upon the altar:

 26 And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.

 27 And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.

 28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.

 29 This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;

 30 Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.

 31 Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.

HOW TO PRESERVE FOOD BY SUN DRYING

This is a good old standby.  No electricity required.  Good article:

http://offgridsurvival.com/sun-drying-fruits-foods/

A BUMP IN THE REGULAR PROGRAMMING

I will be away for some a week or two on a getaway with my wife, so there may be some spotty coverage in the blog.

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.  May we ponder on the fate of this once-great nation that has rapidly descended into the gutter with the anti-Christ at the helm....

Iraq.

WORMWOOD AS A BITTER CURSE

This comment on a previous post in from Bro. B of Texas:

Wormwood - a bitter, aromatic plant of the Old World, used as a vermifuge (serving to expel worms or other animal parasites from the intestines, as a medicine) and a tonic, and as an ingredient in absinthe (a green, bitter, licorice flavored liqueur).
Although the word wormwood appears several times in the Old Testament, translated from the Hebrew term לענה (la'anah, which means "curse" in Arabic and Hebrew), its only clear reference as a named entity occurs in the New Testament, in the Book of Revelation: "The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter."
I think that this might be an analogy reference in translation from Hebrew (term לענה) to Greek (ἀψίνθιον apsinthion) to English (Wormwood) and the term in the Book of Revelation might be better translated as “bitter curse”.

 Really, this blog should be a forum where people with a lot more knowledge than me just write in with what they know.  Thanks for all the great input, everyone!

TEHERAN, TEL AVIV AND IRANIAN MISSILES

I have said for years that Menet was right and that Iran will hit Israel.  She never specified which city.  I ventured to say that it would be Tel Aviv - and then it was confirmed by a Rabbi I met on a train commuting to Seattle.

Sure enough, the Iranians really have it out for Tel Aviv.  Tel Aviv is a cancer on holy ground as it is similar to a mix between Las Vegas and San Fran.  Much debauchery and homosexuality there.

So, I think we know the manner in which that city will be destroyed:

Iran issued yet another threat against Israel on Thursday, Channel 2 reported. According to a top Iranian advisor, Tehran has “tens of thousands” of missiles pointed at Israel, and will not hesitate to use them.

Speaking Thursday, Yahya Rahim Zafabi, a top advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said the tens of thousands of missiles will “sow the seeds of destruction in Israel” if they are to be fired.

Do they have the balls to fire??? I don't think so,but it gives more ammo for Israel to light their asses up.


[link to www.israelnationalnews.com]

WORMWOOD - AS PETRIFIED WOOD

This is confirmation on that brief post that I did earlier that wormwood is mineralized wood that has been washed into the ocean, then bored by a worm and then mineralized which makes it exceedingly hard (which then could be fashioned into a "poor man's weapon").

Here is a piece that is currently available for sale on e-BAY, that shows the wormholes really well:



Additionally, that reference (to nuclear weapons), combined with the allusion to judgment (bitterness) and a comet falling from the skies, we possibly have our answer to what is being spoken about in Revelations.  Again, I re-iterate that there is almost 100% occurrence of duality in scriptural prophecy - and sometimes there is a third overlap to create the "mouth of two or three witnesses" to establish every word of God.  Remember, that when it is all said and done, life is  one big legal case.  We are convicting ourselves as we go through our lives and, sadly for me and most others, every minute, word and action will have to be accounted for.  Being such, God provides ample witness both in the heavens and the earth that He lives and that this is His creation and handiwork.  So that the average person who puts all that at naught will have NO excuse - and will have to proclaim that Jesus is the Christ who did the will of our Father in ALL things.  And that no one can return to God's presence - but through Him.

There is to be NO question when all the relevant facts and data are proclaimed and examined.  No one will have a valid excuse - there will be no one for the accuser of the brethren and those who chose to follow him, to point their fingers at.  Thus the banishment, at that point, into Outer Darkness.

Here is a write-up I found on Wormwood - as petrified wood:

Peanut wood is a silicified (petrified) wood, generally of a black colour with numerous borings, which were made by a marine wood-boring bivalve or clam, called Teredo.
This petrified wood was named peanut wood by the first people who found it, because they obviously thought that the light coloured areas resembled peanuts.
These light coloured areas are what used to be boreholes in the original wood. Before the wood was petrified, it was washed into the ocean as driftwood.
It was then attacked by the Teredo's (another name for these little clams is shipworm).
They bore a small tunnel into the wood and eventually the entire piece can be riddled with boreholes.
When the wood became waterlogged, it then sank to the bottom of the ocean and settled into the mud. The boreholes then filled with the light coloured radiolarian sediment. Some time later, petrification began.

The wood is of several varieties, the main ones being "Araucaria"...a conifer and podocarp.
It is found along the edges of the Kennedy Ranges about 100 miles inland from the coastal town of Carnarvon, Western Australia.
The geological formation that it occurs in is called "Windalia Radiolarite". The age is Cretaceous.....which makes it around 120 million years old.

7.75"x 6.25"x 1/2"thick

MORE ON WORMWOOD - FROM A FB POST

This is kind of cool stuff that corroborates what I have been reading as of late.  I want to point out here too, that it is pretty clear to me from all else that I see, that the Pacific Ocean will get hit with a large comet that will do unspeakable damage and cause the seas to heave beyond their bounds, wiping out much of the wicked in the Hawaiian Islands, the Tongan Islands, Australia and pretty much any coastline in the Pacific Rim.  It will be unprecedented in recorded history - and both things will come together as a dual witness of God's work in wiping out the wicked and driving those are upright and who remain to establish the New Jerusalem, the City of Our God.

Anyway, here is a great article which I snatched from this blog:

     http://oneyearbibleblogentry.blogspot.com/2012/01/revelation-8-does-chernobyl-really-mean.html?m=1

Enjoy!:

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Revelation 8: Does Chernobyl really mean Wormwood? Well…..yeah, kind of

In response to the prayers of the saints – perhaps the plaintive “How long, O Lord” of the martyrs under the altar in Chapter 6 – the Redeemer and Judge completes the ingathering of the faithful and then sends fire, wrack and ruin upon the world. In what may be a glimmering of divine knowledge in the minds of mankind at large, there is widespread concern today about asteroids and comets striking the earth and ending “life as we know it”.

As my daughter Imani would say, “no duh!” When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, one planet killer after another will wipe out huge chunks of human and animal life. And there is that tantalizing reference to Wormwood, a word found nine times in eight verses of Scripture, according to scholar Dr. Gerardus Bow. The first is Deuteronomy 29:18, where Moses warns the nation that by joining itself with pagan nations “…there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood.” Wormwood always occurs in connection with judgment and the result of sin.The Hebrew translated wormwood is la-anah (H3939 in Strong’s Concordance). It refers to any bitter, poisonous plant such as hemlock (Amos 6:12) and wormwood. The Hebrew word stems from a root meaning to curse. The Greek word for wormwood, used twice inRevelation 8:11 is apsinthos, that is, absinthe wormwood (see picture). Other references: Prov. 5:4; Jer. 9:15; 23:15; Lam. 3:15, 19.

There is a story going around that Chernobyl in Russian means “Wormwood.” If so, this would seem to be a startling prophetic warning about the kind of fire that will kill people and poison waters, both of which occurred (although in decidedly unbiblical proportions) after the Russians foolishly, recklessly turned off the safety systems of their uncontained nuclear reactor and then stepped back to “to see what would happen”. Sometimes I think their behavior is a metaphor for modern society: release all controls and restraints, observe the carnage, run around with your hair on fire (literally, in this case), and then blame the science or Someone Else. Ah, well – anyway below is the actual text, and an explanation about the Wormwood/Chernobyl connection by a non-Christian journalist who wrote a first-person account in 2005 about the flourishing ecosystem in post-accident Chernobyl.

¹⁰ The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— ¹¹ the name of the star is Wormwood.^[a] A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

Wormwood Forest: A Natural History of Chernobyl, by Mary Mycio, Sept. 9, 2005, - from the chapter is entitled “Biblical Botany”:

“…. Rimma crouched down to a short bush that had grown out of a crack between the road and the curb. It was about a foot tall, with small cottony flowers growing directly from purplish stems.

She pulled off one of the leaves and crushed it between her fingers for me to sniff the unpleasant, varnishy aroma, reminiscent of shoe polish.

“What is it?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.

“Chernobyl,” she said, using the common—but incorrect—pronunciation. In fact, chernobyl with an “e” is the Russianized version of the Ukrainian word chornobyl. You won't find chernobyl or chornobyl in most Russian dictionaries, except in reference to the disaster, although the word chernobyl'nyk is used in some Russian regions in reference to the herb. But because the first version has become the commonly accepted spelling for the disaster and the nuclear station, I will use Chernobyl, with an “e,” to refer to them. I will use Chornobyl, with an “o,” to refer to the herb and the town.

“That's wormwood, right?” I asked, hoping to finally clarify the botanical question at the heart of the Chernobyl disaster's putative biblical symbolism. It is often said that the meaning of the Ukrainian word chornobyl is “wormwood,” and the suggestion that the disaster fulfilled the biblical prophecy of the Wormwood star that augured Armageddon resonated deeply with the fear of nuclear apocalypse. But the botany was actually more complex.

Svitlana took a closer look at the plant and shook her head. “No, ‘chornobyl' is Artemisia vulgaris. ‘Wormwood' is Artemisia absinthium. The Ukrainian common name is polyn,” she said, handing me a leaf from a different plant that looked much like A. vulgaris, except it was covered with fine silky hairs that gave it a whitish tinge. As I looked around, I noticed that the plants were everywhere.

I crushed it to release the volatile oil, much more pungent than the first plant.

Botanically and chemically, Absinthium vulgaris is so similar to A. absinthium that A. vulgaris is also sometimes called “wormwood,” though “mugwort” is a more common English name. In Ukrainian, as well, polyn and chornobyl are sometimes used synonymously. Both plants are hardy perennials, tolerant of poor soil and thus plentiful in the sandy lands of the Polissia region—where the twelfth-century town of Chornobyl took its name from the plant and, in turn, gave it to the twentieth-century nuclear station seven miles away. Both are bitter medicinal herbs and natural pest repellants, ridding fleas from the home, slugs from the garden, and worms from the body. And both get their pungent fragrance from thujone, an organic toxin thought to be the psychoactive agent in absinthe, the infamous wormwood liqueur banned by most Western countries a century ago. Absinthe was said to produce an unusual intoxication and was highly addictive, although modern skeptics contend that the “high” and the habit most probably came from drinking the 75 percent alcohol absinthe required to dissolve the thujone and prevent it from clouding the emerald solution.

But if the thujone in Artemisia vulgaris is dilute, it is concentrated in A. absinthium. A crushed leaf of polyn-wormwood is much more pungent than a crushed leaf of chornobyl-mugwort. It is also more bitter and much more toxic, which is why animals happily nibble mugwort but leave wormwood alone. Even other plants avoid it. A. absinthium's extremely bitter chemicals wash off the leaves and into the soil, poisoning it for other plants.

Given its natural repellant properties, many folk believed wormwood to have supernatural banishing powers. Mugwort, too, has magical properties, though none so potent. In Ukrainian folklore, both plants ward off the seductive and dangerous water nymphs called rusalkas, who lured victims with beautiful songs and then tickled them to death in crystal underwater lairs.

In Christian legend, when the biblical serpent was expelled from Eden, wormwood sprang in its trail to prevent its return. Indeed, the herb is a frequent biblical symbol for bitterness, calamity, and sorrow; its use to name the third sign of the apocalypse that opened this chapter conjured the desolation that would follow the apocalypse.

In the wake of the Chernobyl explosion, few people in the officially atheist Soviet Union had Ukrainian-language Bibles. But some of those who did noted that the word “wormwood” in the Wormwood star of the book of Revelation was translated as polyn—and was a very close botanical cousin to chornobyl. Suddenly, the biblical prophecy seemed to acquire new meaning: wormwood was radiation, and it presaged the nuclear apocalypse that would end the world. The story spread like wildfire through the notorious Soviet rumor mill and as far as Washington, D.C., where President Ronald Reagan was said to have believed it, too.

QUICK NOTE ON WORMWOOD

I was talking doom with a co-worker yesterday.  A colleague of his overheard me say something about wormwood (from Revelations), and how wormwood was a type of petrified wood that was used to make weapons in ancient times.  Being mineralized as it would fossilize, it would hold an edge and was the poor man's (cannot afford to smelt) iron or bronze.  It could easily be made into blades, etc. (much like a block of obsidian could be chipped into sharp edges, etc).

So, this is a bookmark for a later deep dive into the subject.  I thought it was interesting and did not want to forget that interesting little tid-bit.  Also, spent nuclear fuel is something that can be used in making weapons.

I would love to hear comments of similar knowledge or corroborating evidence.

SCHEMITAH YEAR REST AND BRIGHAM YOUNG QUOTE

Interesting!!  I had no idea BY was into this stuff and the relation to the grass-hoppers invading Utah.  I have to say I am REALLY intrigued by this!  Thanks to Jennifer for providing the info from Rhonda  H. on our FB discussion board.  Rhonda is a descendant of one of the Pratt brothers and really rocks in my opinion....  How come it is always the ladies leading the curve on this stuff, guys?

Anothering interesting thing of note is that the El Nino/La Nina cycles are roughly based on a seven year peak.  I know that moisture and much else affects these large insect population events:

There are at least 31 significant Shemitah and Jubilee events have taken place from the birth of Joseph Smith to the present. A few of these include: (by Rhonda H. on the FB page Preparing For the Last Day)

Shemitah & Jubilee Events from the birth of Joseph Smith to the Present
*1804 - 1805 - Shemitah - Joseph Smith born
1811 – 1812 - Shemitah - War of 1812 - Typhoid fever epidemic - Joseph's bone surgery
1818 - 1819 - Shemitah + 1819 - 1820 - JUBILEE - FIRST VISION
1825 - 1826 - Shemitah – Joseph meets Emma Smith
*1827 - Feast of Trumpets - Joseph receives the Book of Mormon plates
1832 - 1833 - Shemitah – Section 76 of the Doctrine & Covenants, School of the Prophets

*1839 - 1840 - Shemitah - Joseph in Liberty Jail, Saints expelled from Missouri

*1846 - 1847 - Shemitah - Saints enter the Salt Lake Valley

1853 - 1854 - Shemitah – Perpetual Emmigration Fund established
1860 - 1861 - Shemitah - Civil War begins - Rail Road comes to Utah
1867 - 1868 - Shemitah - Tabernacle completed 1868 - 1869 JUBILEE – Railroad completed 10 May, YWMA organized
1875 - 1876 – Shemitah – BYU begun
1881 - 1882 - Shemitah - 70's restructured and reorganized, Edmunds Act passed (against Polygamy)
1888 - 1889 - Shemitah – Manti temple dedicated, Wilford Woodruff sustained as prophet, seer & revelator
*1895 - 1896 - Shemitah - Utah becomes a state
1902 - 1903 - Shemitah – Church magazines first published
1909 - 1910 - Shemitah - Boy Scouts adopted by the Church
1916 - 1917 - Shemitah – WW1 JUBILEE 1917 - 1918 – Balfour Declaration - Vision of the Redemption of the Dead to Pres Joseph F. Smith
1923 - 1924 - Shemitah – British mandate for Palestine goes into effect Sep 29, 1923
*1930 - 1931 - Shemitah - Welfare program revealed to Harold B Lee
1937 - 1938 - Shemitah - Deseret Industries launched
1944 - 1945 - Shemitah - WW2 ends, Idaho Falls temple dedicated, E.T. Benson to Europe
1951 - 1952 - Shemitah – David O McKay becomes prophet of the Church, First proselyting plan released
1958 - 1959 - Shemitah - first overseas stake organized in New Zealand, Temples in New Zealand and London
1965 - 1966 - Shemitah – Home Study Seminary inaugurated JUBILEE 1966-1967 - 6-day war, Jerusalem returned to the Jews, first regional representatives called
1972 - 1973 - Shemitah - Harold B Lee Sustained as prophet Jul 1972, dies Dec 26, 1973, Yom Kippur War
*1979 - 1980 - Shemitah – New edition of scriptures released, Orson Hyde gardens dedicated in Jerusalem
1986 - 1987 - Shemitah – Black Monday Oct 19,1987, Bicentennial of our nation
1993 - 1994 - Shemitah – Savings & Loan Crisis Nov 1993,
2000 - 2001 - Shemitah - 9/11, stock market crash - Perpetual Education Fund announced 
2007 - 2008 - Shemitah - Stock Market Crash, Thomas Spencer Monson sustained as prophet

And lest we think that such things are happenstance and that the principle of the Shemitah doesn’t really pertain to us, listen to the words of Brigham Young speaking about the destruction done to pioneer crops by grasshoppers (that damage being far greater than any caused by crickets), He stated:

"Perhaps many feel a little sober because our bread is cut off, but I am glad of it, because it will be a warning to us, and teach us to lay it up in future, as we have been told. How many times have you been told to store up your wheat against the hard times that are coming upon the nations of the earth? When we first came into these valleys our President told us to lay up stores of all kinds of grain, that the earth might rest once in seven years. The earth is determined to rest, and it is right that it should. It only requires a few grasshoppers to make the earth rest, they can soon clear it. This is the seventh year, did you ever think of it?" (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses Volume 3, page 57. July 13, 1855)

BECOMING ONE WITH GOD - A WONDERFUL COMMENT I HAD TO RE-POST

Folks - if we do NOT feel this way, then we are not quite ready to meet God.  If we do not feel like a duck out of water in today's environment, then we most likely will not have what it takes to meet the Savior when He comes. 

My family too, thinks I am a freak due to what this reader/commenter expressed.  Thanks for such a wonderful testimony!  To learn Hebrew is also on my long-term bucket list along with spending time on a kibbutz in Israel.  I love the people and I have not even met them:

This is a great post!

In Psalm 7 we read:

"He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble, gives birth to disillusionment. He who digs a hole and scoop it out, falls into the pit he has made. The trouble he causes recoils himself, his violence comes down on his own head"

And furthermore, I am so weary of family members who are living more comfortable with sin to the point that I am treated with disdain if I mention the Lord, His goodness, or His commandments. They seem repelled by it. I am treated as if I'm a religious freak.

Perhaps I am. I love talking about God. Thinking about Him. Talking to Him. Discussing the scriptures with anyone who wishes to. It's so much a part of me, it's all I want to be and do. The world feels dirty and uncomfortable to me.

I have taken up learning the Hebrew language. I want so much to sing the Psalms and praise the Lord in His holy language. I want to be able to read/speak/write Biblical Hebrew too as it is written in the Torah. (teachings)

I can feel a change coming over me from learning Hebrew. I can feel the Lord's approval and delight in my efforts. He has blessed me immensely. There is real spiritual power in praying/singing this language.

Evil is forced to flee from it. I testify of that first hand. It's been my God send. Here is a beautiful example you can listen to and try and see what I'm talking about. I hope you're as amazed and delighted as I am. It's so beautiful, it makes me cry. I sing it loud and hope the angels back me up so the Lord doesn't plug His ears. Shalom!!!

https://youtu.be/WC1zyHnV_dM

Kadosh (= Holy) Adonai (= O Lord) Elohim (= our God) Tze’va’ot (= Lord of Hosts) Asher hayah (= Who was and who is) V’hoveh V’yavo! (And will come!).

Also, check out Christene Jackman on You Tube. She sings the Psalms and includes the words to help you follow along. I love her stuff!! God bless all!!!

Also it is said that listening to or praying the Psalms in Hebrew over the sick and afflicted brings about healing if it is the Lord's will. David purposefully used the sacred tones of healing in the Psalms.

On You Tube you can find all sorts of this stuff. You can't go wrong having this in the background quietly at night while you sleep! A rabbi reciting the Psalms over you. Evil cannot stand to hear it at all. Play them during the day too to keep your mind and heart pure.

BANKS ARE NOW STARTING TO CHARGE FOR DEPOSITS - THE BEGINNING OF THE CASHLESS SOCIETY

Wow.  This is how they begin to make war on paper currency until it all becomes digital.  Folks, this is part of the plan.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6ad3f99a-fe16-11e4-8efb-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3ahoolFkc

It is very short from here on out.

THINGS ESCALATING FURTHER IN RUSSIA

We have the flip scenario of what happened during the Cuban Missile Crisis - if the US carries thru on putting more missiles over there, Russia will feel further threatened:

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-05-20/u-s-weighing-punishments-for-russia-s-nuclear-violations

This can only go downhill from here.  Russia has said that they have nukes and they know how to use them.  I would not take them lightly.....

YOU ARE BEING LIED TO - THE TRUTH ABOUT SEAL TEAM SIX

Just a little info here on Seal Team 6.  Agreed that the circumstances of having that many personnel in a single aircraft is just plain nuts.  This was murder to cover the gads' tracks.  All of those who participated in the murder of innocent women and children at Waco all had  mysterious deaths and convenient "accidents".

I am going to Jackson Hole, Wyoming this weekend, to memorialize my wife's dad who died in Vietnam - another stupid and useless war for gain and power.  And given the chance one day, I personally, will hold LBJ accountable in a heavenly court for that one.  And I will demand to know exactly who was behind the murder of JFK.......  ETB was correct back when he was going off about the one world conspiracies back in the 1960's.  It was bad then - but, oh so much worse right now.

How we respond to that fact is how we will be judged as individuals, as a nation and as a world.  Thus, the coming world-wide judgment.  For having dropped the ball, in general, the elders of this church will be judged for having done nothing - snoozing while Rome burned, in effect.  I will not shut my mouth so long as I think I can reach one person - it is the only way to free myself from the blood and sins of this generation.  Thank goodness for this blog - or I would be one frustrated little puppy.....

Here is what got me spun up:

https://youtu.be/_bYuUvj7-ME

Heaven help the poor soldiers that are out there that actually have been brainwashed into thinking the cause they are fighting for is noble and just and worthy.  It is a sad day.  I have been guilty of waving the US flag and shouting for war along with the rest of the brainwashed masses.  Now, with an 18 year old son, and a little more knowledge under my belt, I am sickened to think of the hell they will go through before they depart this mortal existence fighting for a sick, twisted dictator.

Pathetic really what it has all come down to.....

PM OF TURKEY BEING A REAL TURKEY AND TRYING TO RESURRECT THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE?

I think many of the ME leaders are jockeying for position to be the 12th Imam/Mahdi who will be the muslim equivalent of Jesus.  Yep - complete delusions of grandeur.

Folks - there is not a single thing that has not been set in place already that needs to be in place when the final scenes bursts upon the earth (other than a few comets and something bad hitting the USA to knock her out).  After that, things will be on auto-pilot until the end.

Very disturbing article:

http://therightscoop.com/president-erdogan-of-turkey-just-gave-a-speech-about-invading-jerusalem/#ixzz3aZrhN74A

Heaven help America.  Oops - sorry, forgot we already went past the point of no return.....

DINOSAURS, EVOLUTION AND SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

My kids will love this....  Very entertaining and informative - showing how "infallible" scientists have gotten it quite wrong....

https://youtu.be/kQa11RMCeSI

Enjoy.

QUOTES ON "TO YOUR TENTS, O ISRAEL"

I just got this in from Jennifer - and it definitely is worth sharing.  Especially the quote in there by James Talmage...... Just above the one from BY and Heber Kimball.  As if on queue - very nice Jennifer.  I may have to tone down my previous rant on Brother Talmage.  I just do NOT like anyone who promotes anything to do with evolution - WAY TOO morally relativistic for my tastes considering the sea of that garbage that we have to wade thru today:

Use information as needed:

Attachments: The Perfect Storm was given by a RS President in RS a few weeks ago.  Basic Food Storage is how to obtain 1 year of CORE Basics as outlined by our prophets for $365.78.  I am not affiliated with any of the companies associated to buying Mylar bags (berkeywaterfilters.com or Amazon).  The Great Gathering is a great PDF on second coming timelines.

Woman who speaks on tribulations -
https://www.trunews.com/thursday-may-7-2015-mena-lee-grebin-pt-1/
http://www.trunews.com/friday-may-8-2015-mena-lee-grebin-pt-2/

"Thus, clearly, the Lord has placed the responsibility for directing the work of gathering in the hands of the leaders of the Church to whom he will reveal his will where and when such gatherings would take place in the future. It would be well before the frightening events concerning the fulfillment of all God's promises and predictions are upon us, that the Saints in every land prepare themselves and look forward to the instruction that shall come to them from the First Presidency of this Church as to where they shall be gathered and not be disturbed in their feelings until such instruction is given to them as it is revealed by the Lord to the proper authority."
--Harold B. Lee Conference Report, April 1948.

"I do not know but that it would be an utter impossibility to commence and carry out some principles pertaining to Zion right in the midst of this people. They have strayed so far that to get a people who would conform to heavenly laws it may be needful to lead some from the midst of this people and commence anew somewhere in the region round about in these mountains."
--(Orson Pratt, J.D. 15:361), or Kindle Location 154068, Journal of Discourses Volume 15.

"The giant earthquake, and the tsunamis it sent crashing into the coasts around the Indian Ocean, is just the beginning and a part of what is to come, terrible as it was. You remember the words from the Doctrine and Covenants which now seems so accurate: And after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people. For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand. And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men's hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people (Doctrine and Covenants 88: 88-91). Fear shall come upon all people. But you and I know that the Lord has prepared places of safety to which He is eager to guide us."
--Henry B. Eyring - Raise the Bar (BYU-Idaho Talk - January 2005)

"...that the Saints of God may have a place to flee to and stand in holy places while judgment works in the earth; that when the sword of God that is bathed in heaven falls upon Idumea, or the world,—when the Lord pleads with all flesh by sword and by fire, and the slain of the Lord are many, the Saints may escape these calamities by fleeing to the places of refuge, like Lot and Noah."
--Wilford Woodruff - (History of the Church, 6:26)

"Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our religion?  We have none; for without Zion, and a place of deliverance, we must fall; because the time is near when the sun will be darkened, and the moon turn to blood, and the stars fall from the heaven, and the earth reel to and fro. Then, if this is the case, and if we are not sanctified and gathered to the places God has appointed, with all our former professions and our great love for the Bible, we must fall; we cannot stand; we cannot be saved; for God will gather out his saints from the Gentiles, and then comes desolation and destruction, and none can escape except the pure in heart who are gathered."
--Joseph Smith The teaching of the prophet Joseph Smith, Section 2, P.71

"In addition to all temporal blessings, there is no other way for the Saints to be saved in these last days, than by gathering..."
--Joseph Smith DHC 4:272

"Great and grand as is this people, mighty as are the works that have been accomplished through the blessings of God through his servants in these days, there is too little real prayer among the Latter-day Saints, too many prayerless homes, and hence the spread of spiritual contagion among some of us. Thank the Lord not among many, relatively speaking. I have faith in my people, for I knew that they are the Lord's people, and I am proud to be one of them; but when the cry shall come, as come it shall: "To your tents, O Israel," for there are struggles ahead, the Lord knows where to find those who have been faithful."
--James E. Talmage, Conference Report, October 1921, p.188

"And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted. Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them. But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day."
--Book of Mormon Alma 26:5-7

"He [President Brigham Young] conversed freely on the situation of the Saints in the mountains, and said that he dreaded the time when the Saints would become popular with the world; for he had seen in sorrow, in a dream, or in dreams, this people clothed in the fashions of Babylon and drinking in the spirit of Babylon until one could hardly tell a Saint from a black-leg. And he felt like shouting, "To your tents, Oh Israel!" because it was the only thing that could keep the people pure."
--Brigham Young, Mosiah Hancock Autobiography, typescript, BYU-S, p.73

"This people know enough to be righteous, honest, pure, and virtuous; and those who will not practice that which they know to be good will become habituated to folly and vice, just in the same way that men became habituated to using tobacco, to stealing, drinking, and lying. When the time comes that the Lord says, 'Arise and to your tents, O Israel;' then men be pure inside and out; they must be for God, or they will have no part in the blessings conferred upon the righteous." 

--Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, Vol.9, p.154, June 19, 1862

"In every dispensation of the gospel, the Lord has insisted on segregating his covenant people from the rest of the world: if they were not ready to "come out of her, [O] my people" (Revelation 18:4 - And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues) willingly, he saw to it that the world was more than willing to persecute and expel them.  Two ways were placed before Adam, to see which one he would follow.  Cain followed the one; Abel, and after him, Seth, the other.  But soon Seth's posterity drifted over to the camp of Cain.  Things being very bad, Enoch, the super-missionary, was sent out and was able "in [the] process of time" (Moses 7:21) to draw many after him into his city of Zion, which was then totally  segregated from the rest of the world, pending the world's destruction.  After the Flood, things went bad again, so that the call to Abraham was lech lecha - get out of here!  And he kept moving all his days, forming his own society as he went, initiating all his followers into a special covenant with God.  The law of Moses insists before all else that the Chosen People preserve their aloofness from the world by constant purification and instruction: the people must be qadosh, "sanctified," both words having the basic meaning of "cut off," "separated."  God has always given his people the same choice of either living up to the covenants made with him or being in Satan's power; there is no middle ground (Moses 4:4).  True, we spend this time of probation in a no-man's land between the two camps of salvation and damnation, but at every moment of the day and night we must be moving toward the one or the other.  Progressive testing takes place along the way in either direction; the same tests in every dispensation and generation mark the progress of the people of God"

--Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion 1989, 342.

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain (Isaiah 40:9)

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Ibid., 2:2-3)

...The Prophet said, "Brethern, I have been very much edified and instructed in your testimonies here tonight, but I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon it's mothers lap. You don't comprehend it." I was rather surprised.  He said, "It is only a handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America - it will fill the world." Among other things he said, "It will fill the Rocky Mountains.  There will be tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints who will be gathered in the Rocky Mountains, and there they will open the door for the establishing of the gospel among the Lamanites, who will receive the gospel and their endowments and the blessing of God. This people will go unto the Rocky Mountains; they will there build temples to the Most High. They will raise up a posterity there, and the Latter-day Saints who dwell in these mountains will stand in the flesh until the coming of the Son of Man.  The Son of Man will come to them while in the Rocky Mountains" (Wilford Woodruff, Conference Report, April 1898, p.57)

We are blessed in these mountains; this is the best place on earth for the Latter-day Saints.... You cannot find another situation so well adapted for the Saints as are these mountains.  Here is the place in which the Lord designed to hide His people... It has been designed, for many generations, to hide up the Saints in the last days, until the indignation of the Almighty be over.

His wrath will be poured out upon the nations of the earth (Brigham Young Deseret News, Vol. 11, no. 9, May 1, 1861

Lay up your stores, and take your silks and fine things, and exchange them for grain and such things as you need, and the time will come when we will be obliged to depend upon our own resources; for the time is not far distant when the curtain will be dropped between us and the United States.  When the time comes, brethren and sisters, you will wish you had commenced sooner to make your own clothing.  I tell you, God requires us to go into home manufacture; and prolong, it as much as you like, you have got to do it (Heber C Kimball, Journal of Discourses Vol. 5:10)

And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness.  And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him.  And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness.  And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness.  1 Nephi 2:2-4

And the time speedily cometh, that except ye repent they shall possess the land of your inheritance, and the Lord God will lead away the righteous out from among you.  Jacob 3:4

“The cry of the angel unto the righteous of this dispensation is “Come out of (Babylon) O my people, that ye partake not of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 19:192

“I prophesy, that the man who tarries after he has an opportunity of going, will be afflicted by the devil, Wars are at hand; we must not delay.  We ought to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object.  When wars come, we shall have to flee to Zion.  The cry is to make haste…” Joseph Smith, Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Alma P. Burton [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1977], 234.

Joseph Smith, History of the Church 2:52 “Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our religion?  We have none, for without Zion and a place of deliverance, we must fall; because the time is near when the sun will be darkened, and the moon turn to blood, and the stars fall from the heaven, and the earth reel to and fro.  Then, if this is the case, and if we are not sanctified and gathered to the places God has appointed…we must fall; we cannot stand; we cannot be saved; for God will gather out his Saints from the Gentiles, and then comes desolation and destruction, and none can escape except the pure in heart who are gathered.

D&C 33:6 Even so will I gather mine elect from the four quarters of the earth even as many as will believe in me, and hearken unto my voice. 

D&C 49:25 Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed.

“There are remnant people in every religion, even the Mormon splinter groups, but right now we are like a Symphony warming up before the conductor comes, each playing our own squeaky tune.  But when the Master comes, we will play beautiful Celestial music together.  We can’t be gathered until we are mature wheat – until we have repented and become submissive enough to be part of Him – until we live in Him.  Jeanene Custer, Seeking Zion, Summer 2011

“God will preserve a portion of this people of the meek and humble to bear off the kingdom to the inhabitants of the earth, and will defend His Priesthood; for it is the last time, the last gathering time.” Brigham Young, Contributor vol 10 (Nov. 1888-Oct. 1889), Vol X. August, 1889. No 10. 362.

“Before the Lord destroyed the old world, he directed Noah to prepare an ark; before the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, he told Lot to “Flee to the mountains” before Jerusalem was destroyed, Jesus gave his disciples warning, and told them to “flee out of it;” and before the destruction of the world a message is sent; after this, the nations will be judged, for God is now preparing his own kingdom for his own reign, and will not be thwarted by any conflicting influence, or opposing power… The whole world is in confusion, morally, politically, and religiously; but a voice was to be heard, “Come out of her, my people, that you partake not of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” John Taylor, The Government of God Gerald N. Lund, The Coming of the Lord [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1971], 85.

I do not know but that it would be an utter impossibility to commence and carry out some principles pertaining to Zion right in the midst of this people.  They have strayed so far that to get a people who would conform to heavenly laws, it may be needed to lead some from the midst of this people and commence anew somewhere in the regions round about these mountains.  Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses 15:36

But behold, I , Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart.  Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction…And the time speedily cometh, that except ye repent they shall possess the land of your inheritance, and the Lord God will lead away the righteous out from among you.  Jacob 3:1,4

“The next I knew I was just this side of Omaha.  It seemed as though I was above the earth and looking down at it.  As I passed along upon my way east, I saw the road full of people, mostly women, with just what they could carry in bundles on their backs traveling to the mountains on foot.”  Wilford Woodruff, Prophetic Years, by Anderson, p.54

“The United States will spend her strength and means warring in foreign lands until other nations will say, “Let’s divide up the lands of the United States”, then the people of the U.S. will unite and swear by the blood of their fore-fathers, that the land shall not be divided.  Then the country will go to war, and they will fight until one have of the U.S. army will give up, and the rest will continue to struggle.  They will keep on until they are very ragged and discouraged, and almost ready to give up – when the boys from the mountains will rush forth in time to save the American Army from defeat and ruin.  And they will say, “Brethren, we are glad you have come; give us men, henceforth, who can talk with God’. Then you will have friends but you will save the country when its liberty hangs by a hair, as it were.”  Joseph Smith, Mosiah Hancock Autobiography, BYU Special Collections, pg 28.

There has been a great discussion in relation to Zion – where it is, and where the gathering of the dispensation is, and which I am now going to tell you.  The prophets have spoken and written upon it; but I will make a proclamation that will cover a broader ground.  The Whole America is Zion itself from north to south, and is described by the Prophets, who declare that it is the Zion where the mountain of the Lord should be, and that it should be in the center of the land.”  Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 6:318-19

Enjoy,

Jennifer

BISHOP JOHN KOYLE - HIS RE-INSTATEMENT AFTER THE INITIAL EXCOMMUNICATION

I got seriously trolled this afternoon.  There be serious haters out there who do not like the fact that Koyle was right.  And they will be (are currently being) proven wrong here shortly.....

Here was the trolling comment which I published:

Mormon Church doctrine holds that members can receive guidance from spiritual powers, but revelations concerning the flock as a whole always are channeled through the ruling First Presidency. So while Koyle was free to pursue his dream, the LDS leadership had warned him for decades against using church doctrine to persuade other Latter-day Saints to join him.

Mormon President Joseph F. Smith and his two counselors signed a statement published by the church-owned Deseret News that year, saying "when visions, dreams, tongues, prophecy, impressions or an extraordinary gift of inspiration conveys something out of harmony with the accepted revelations of the church . . . it is not of God, no matter how plausible it may appear. . . . It is our duty to warn against mining schemes which have no warrant for success."

Isn't is amazing how well this scripture fits Koyle, who was excommunicated for going AGAINST the first presidency.

D&C 124
84 And with my servant Almon Babbitt, there are many things with which I am not pleased; behold, he aspireth to establish his counsel instead of the counsel which I have ordained, even that of the Presidency of my Church; and he setteth up a golden calf for the worship of my people

Here is my response to that (and I rarely publish or take on trolling comments - but I find this a good opportunity to shed light on Koyle and what he was about).  People that I happen to like, liked John Koyle - and swore by him, instead of at him.  They had their reasons - and there was a reason that the leadership felt threatened at the time.  He WAS RIGHT way more often than not.  He really kind of stepped in it when he called out a GA in the day who said that they would build a temple in Mexico - and Pancho Villa and pals and the Mexican Revolution put a handy stop to that possibility.  Koyle said that this would not happen due to war - which happened, and they punted and put the temple down in Mesa as a result.  We had two sister temples from that (one in Mesa and one in Cardston) proposed action to have those who were still living plural lives on either side of the borders of the US to have easier access to temples in the day.  Mesa was a compromise when things got sticky on the southern border.  This prophetic call (one of many that Koyle made that were right, but not popular with those with lesser gifts), caused his final excommunication.  He was like a Denver Snuffer of the day with a following and everything (except time proved that Koyle was right - and not deluded).

Fact is, other than Heber C. Kimball or Edward J. Wood, we have not seen someone with this kind of gift in the 1900's.  Not one.  If there is one, please comment and set me straight on this.  No, seriously.  Please read Ogden Kraut's writeup on Koyle and then get back with me.  Koyle CLEARLY had a gift.  You cannot deny facts and data.

Fact is, Koyle was gunned down by James Talmage who wrote the apostate crap called "The Theory of Evolution", which caused me to lose total respect for the man.  He was just a step back from Darwin in his views and was an intellectual, pandering to the changing tide of "science" back in the day when that subject was as much the rage as whether or not gayness is inherent or a depraved behavior (and whether two same-sex people should therefore, be marriagable under the argument that "God don't make no junk".).  In my opinion, Talmage caved to the PC crowd of the day - and did so when asked by the FP of the day to see if Koyle's claims to minerals in those mountains to be of merit.  Clearly there are minerals there - there was an entire causeway thrown up from the rubble that the early inhabitants took out of the tunnels in that area.  In fact, I would say that there is as much merit to the argument to the minerals being located there (and aboriginals mining them in somewhat sophisticated fashions), as there is to merit of the Rhodes Mine (which produced fabulous wealth by aboriginal miners even before the Saints arrived in the valley- and which mostly was responsible for funding the SLC Temple).  Either someone was not coming clean on where they got the cash over a 40 year period to build that magnificent edifice, or the Rhodes story is correct.  I am sticking with BY and Rhodes.  The Spanish were there in the 1700's looking for it and they have found just a few cannons in them thar hills that prove that even the Spanish knew there was fabulous wealth in the aboriginal mines there.  It is debatable as to whether the Spanish ever extracted much - whereas there is plenty of proof as to where BY got the funds to build canals and railroads to bring that granite down out of Cottonwood Canyon for the building of the Temple - when people were generally just scratching out a meager living in the day.  Apparently, the gold for BY's  gold coinage came from this mine, as well.

I also am sticking with Koyle on this one.  I can tell someone who has the gift - and I can usually tell a charlatan.  No amount of obfuscation or historical revisionism by trolls can attempt to cover the facts as they are.....  Nor can a recommendation for excommunication by someone who wrote a Progressive treatise on us being one step above monkeys, be taken seriously by me.  As far as I am concerned, it was the watering down of the doctrine by the likes of Talmage and others who threw polygamy under the bus in 1890, that has led us to the anemic fools that we are (generally speaking) in the Church today.  A membership which is devoid of many of the gifts that we are told should be present in Christ's true church - precisely because those who professed them and openly exercised them, were swatted down by those who simply did not have them and largely were jealous (please hit me on this point, trolls - because I will get started on the scrips I have been reading in Mark and John where Christ hit the faithless and worthless priests of the day who were so devoid of any gifts (including discernment), that they could not recognize the very Son of God......).  And then I will tell you, that if Christ were to return today - right now - that a full third to half of the membership would raise the cry to "crucify him!" once again.  I am not kidding here.  Precisely, because they are social mormons and have very little light and very little exercise of those gifts.

So let me reiterate my point - and then I will end this troll shred.  I do not have a testimony that James Talmage was a PS&R in his day.  I am sure he was a fine scientist and wrote a fine treatise on Jesus, but I would rather hang my hat on BR McConkie's final testimony than I would on an eloquent regurgitation of facts on someone's life.  I do not necessarily know that the FP of that day was inspired.  I do know that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses - and I still have much reading to do, but the last great prophet I have seen in this Church (someone who has the cahunas to lay it all on the line in public statements) was back in BY's day.  Heber C. Kimball was your man.  Of course, we have great Prophets since then, such as Ezra T. Benson and others, but they rarely came out and put it all out there in such a bold fashion.....  Of course, I cannot speak highly enough of Joseph Smith - who had the gift in spades and would say what appeared to be the most ridiculous things - only to find out he was spot on (including the Zarahemla thing I have been raving about as of late).

On that note, I think we started going down the MesoAmerica model bunny hole around the time of Talmage (who was saying all kinds of crap contrary to base doctrinal teachings).  So yeah, I am still trying to find someone to pin that little trip down the primrose path on......

To finish this tirade, let me remind the trolls out there that Koyle was post-humously vindicated and re-instated with full blessings into the Church by honorable men that came later.  And on that "men" point.....  we are watched over by mere mortals, who simply make mistakes.  The fact is, it has been painful watching the Catholic Church after centuries of stepping in it over and over again (including a few female papas and much worse), finally declare the doctrine of infallibility, to be fallible.....  Seriously - reading their history and seeing them do back-flips has been way worse than seeing our own minor offenses in this area - where we have finally seen gutsy leadership finally come forward and admit that we stepped in it in a couple of instances.  The MMM and bizarre attempts to cover up the fact that Joseph had 19 wives are just a few of the instances that come to mind.  Seriously - maybe I am just too much into facts and data - but you just state them and let the chips fall where they may.  Most anything else is just ridiculous.

Some troll tried to upbraid me the other day over calling out my sister over her acts with the German immigrant boy, which led to a cascading series of failures in our family unit.  To me, it was just a simple event which precipitated some serious bad juju.  My other siblings attempted to cover it up (quite cowardly, I might add - with one being in law enforcement and worrying that a related action on her part would jeopardize her career), and I was thrown under the bus by the lot of them.  I was not a happy camper over that little detail.  I think that something that will not thrive in the light of day, is NEVER good.  For this, and many other reasons, I talk pretty openly of our family struggles (and that of my wife) so that others can gain strength and learning from our foibles.  The Book of Mormon is just a compilation of the foibles of one group of people.  From those foibles, we draw inferences and lessons for our own lives.  If people were too proud to talk openly of things, we would have nothing uncomfortable to talk about to grow from.  It would simply be, "All is well in Zion, All is well in Zion, All is well in Zion - crash, burn; utter annihilation" and no one left to even write it down.  If someone uses the "All is well in Zion" phrase while we are clearly in desperate straits as a people, they are no friend of mine.  I like the more frank analysis that we have from the likes of Neal A. Maxwell that we are quickly approaching the state of those in Sodom and Gomorrah (that was in the 1990's - imagine now....).

Friends do not let friend drive drunk down the roads of history, while at least cautioning them that they might could pull over to sleep it off.  A friend (who is any kind of friend), will always do the right thing by their friend - and warn them of danger, even though it may jeopardize their friendship.  I do not trust people who are anything other than that frank, quite frankly.

Speaking of warnings - I have to tell my wife that we need to check our insurance policies for hail damage.  I had a dream last night on this very subject.

Rant off - over and out.