JEWISH HIGH HOLY DAYS AND LATTER-DAY SAINT HISTORICAL EVENTS

This is fascinating in light of the recent previous posts:

Lenet Hadley Read, “The Golden Plates and the Feast of Trumpets,” Ensign, Jan 2000

The Prophet Joseph Smith received the Nephite plates on the annual day when Jews throughout the world celebrated the symbolic beginning of Israel’s final gathering.
Holy days have long been part of the Lord’s marvelous works, beginning with His blessing and sanctifying the seventh day (see Gen. 2:3). The Lord commanded all Israel to observe a series of holy days (see Lev. 23). Part of His purpose concerning this series of holy days was to teach of the Lord’s mortal and latter-day ministries.
The Early Harvest
Certain holy days were to coincide with Israel’s early, or spring, harvest. These holy days were given in part to teach of the Lord’s first coming, including the Crucifixion and Resurrection and the early gathering of Saints into the fold.
For example, Passover and its sacrificed lambs taught of the Lamb of God, who would come to be sacrificed. As the lambs’ blood saved Israel from death in Egypt during the original Passover, Jesus Christ’s blood would overcome death for all mankind. Indeed, the New Testament testifies that the Crucifixion occurred upon the day Israel observed Passover centuries later. 1
Further, Christ’s Resurrection harmonized with another observance connected to Passover week (see Lev. 23:9–11). As the Lord had commanded, the first sheaf of barley was cut down on the same day Christ was crucified on Passover, to be lifted up as an offering on the third day. Christ was lifted up from the grave on that third day, thus offering Himself as the firstfruits of the Resurrection (see 1 Cor. 15:20). 2
Similarly, the day of Pentecost occurred on another holy day, the Feast of Firstfruits, which celebrated the larger wheat harvest (see Lev. 23:15–17). Because of the coming of the Holy Ghost, 3,000 souls were baptized on that day (see Acts 2). Thus, this feast celebrated a spiritual as well as an agricultural harvest. 3
The Later Harvest
The Lord set forth another series of holy days for the seventh month, coinciding with the later, or autumn, harvest. They are (1) the Feast of Trumpets, (2) the Day of Atonement, and (3) the Feast of Tabernacles. These holy days also held prophetic significance, for they have an important relationship to the Lord’s spiritual gleaning in the latter days. 4
This article will focus on the Feast of Trumpets. It is important to note that on 22 September 1827, the very day Israel celebrated the Feast of Trumpets, 5 Moroni gave the golden plates to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Since this feast was ripe with meaning for the theme of the regathering of Israel, it is unlikely this timing was accidental. Indeed, young Joseph was asked to meet Moroni for four years in preparation for that significant day in 1827.
Latter-day Saints can find it especially instructive to study some of the meanings Jewish scholars have attributed to the Feast of Trumpets. It signifies (1) the beginning of Israel’s final harvest, (2) the day God had set to remember His ancient promises to regather Israel, (3) a time for new revelation that would lead to a new covenant with Israel, and (4) a time to prepare for the Millennium.
The Beginning of the Final Harvest
The Lord commanded Israel, “In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets” (Lev. 23:24). Because this festival was set for the first day of the seventh month of the Judaic calendar (usually falling in our September), the day was timed for the gathering of the vital oil and wine. Thus this festival initiated the fall season and the great and final time of “ingathering.” 6
Many Jewish scholars have taught that the final spiritual gathering of Israel would begin with the Feast of Trumpets. 7 As Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated, “The completion of the full harvest … will not be completed until that millennial day when ‘the Lord shall be king over all the earth’ [Zech. 14:9].” 8
It is noteworthy that the word of the Lord to Latter-day Saints is full of harvest imagery: “For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not” (D&C 4:4). As modern prophets have said, the Book of Mormon is the major instrument the Lord prepared to initiate His final harvest. 9 Therefore, it is significant that the golden plates were received on 22 September 1827, coinciding with the beginning of Israel’s fall garnering and symbolizing the onset of its final harvest of souls.
The Day God Remembers His Promises
The Hebrew name used today for the Feast of Trumpets is Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year. But this was not its original name, though the day does signify a new beginning. One of its original names was the Day of Remembrance. This name arose because the Lord commanded Israel to blow trumpets on this day for remembrance.
According to tradition, it was on this day that the Israelites were remembered and freed from slavery in Egypt, prior to the completed Exodus. 10 Also, it was on this day that the Lord remembered Israel and granted them spiritual renewal after their return from captivity in Babylon. For it was on the first day of the seventh month that Ezra read from the book of the law, and the people rejoiced because he “gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading” (see Neh. 8:1–12).
As a result of their banishment, the Jews had lost many of the Lord’s truths, which they were now hearing again in clarity. Their spiritual remembering and renewal led to the making of new covenants (see Neh. 9:38; Neh. 10). Their escape from Babylonian bondage was a foreshadowing of our modern-day escape from worldly Babylon. 11 In our time, the Book of Mormon has been a major factor in leading millions of people away from worldly falsehoods and back to spiritual truths.
Many Judaic writers teach that the major theme of the Feast of Trumpets is remembrance: God’s remembrance of His covenants with Israel and the need for Israel to remember their God. 12 The prayers of the day plead for this remembrance. They ask God to remember His covenants with the ancient patriarchs that He would regather His people.
The Jewish scriptures that are read on this day promise such remembrance and speak of the trumpet as signaling it. For example, Isaiah 27:13 [Isa. 27:13] says: “And it shall come to pass in that day [the time of regathering], that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt.”
Another example is Zechariah 9:14 [Zech. 9:14]: “And the Lord God shall blow the trumpet,” which accompanies pronouncements that Ephraim would help raise up God’s covenant people (see Zech. 9:13) and that those of Israel’s blood would again become His flock (see Zech. 9:16).
These and other scriptural connections are sufficiently strong that throughout the centuries various Jewish writers, in explaining the purpose of the trumpets’ sound on the Feast of Trumpets, have taught that this day would eventually signal Israel’s return from worldwide scattering. 13
Also read during this feast are scriptures telling of biblical women becoming fruitful after barrenness. In fact, Jewish tradition is that God fulfilled His promises to Rachel, Hannah, and Sarah on this special day. 14 The overtones of these events are impressive. For after Rachel was remembered, she was blessed with Joseph, from whom came Ephraim and Manasseh. From Hannah’s barrenness came the boy prophet Samuel and a return to righteous priesthood.
For these and other reasons, this day has been seen by some Jewish writers as the day when God would eventually move from His seat of judgment concerning Israel and sit instead upon the seat of mercy. 15 Thus, layer upon layer this holy day symbolizes the new beginning Israel would experience as God has mercy upon them in their exile, remembers His covenants with their fathers, and begins to restore them as His people. As a result, their barrenness would be removed, and they would become again a fruitful tree (see 1 Ne. 10:14).
This anticipated new beginning was to be initiated with the sounding of the trumpet (a shofar, or ram’s horn, is still used in modern practice). One Jewish commentator has said, “Expectantly, we await the sounding of the [Trumpet] of Liberation, when Zion will be free to receive its exiled children from all parts of the earth.” 16
On 22 September 1827, Israel’s trumpets sounded throughout the world; it was the day the Prophet Joseph Smith received the golden plates, which would help fulfill God’s promise to remember Israel in the latter days.
A Time for New Revelation Leading to a New Covenant
The blowing of the trumpet is the major ritual of the Feast of Trumpets. Because the first mention of the trumpet is at Mount Sinai, these instruments are seen by Jewish writers as a symbol of revelation (see Ex. 19:16, 19). The trumpet sound is therefore understood by them as a memorial of the revelation and covenant given on Mount Sinai. Yet Rosh Hashanah’s trumpet blasts have been accepted by many Jews not just as a memorial of the ancient covenant revealed at Sinai but as a prelude to a new and future covenant to be revealed, one that would result in Israel’s ultimate redemption. 17 The day’s ritual includes a prayer regarding revelation named “Trumpets.”
The day’s services also include petitions to God to rebuild His temple—the place where covenants are made—as He promised. 18 The sound of the trumpets, which occurred in this religious service in 1827, did indeed precede new revelation that has led to the making of new covenants in new temples with an Israel now being regathered.
A Time to Prepare for the Millennium
Part of the significance of the Feast of Trumpets lies in its relation to the other holy days connected to Israel’s last harvest. To begin with, the placement of this whole series of holy days in the seventh month of Israel’s calendar brings special meaning, in that the seventh period of a month, year, or so forth, is generally considered holy and symbolic of completion and fulfillment.
So significant are these three days—the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)—that together they are called by Jews the High Holy Days and the Days of Awe.
The placement of the Feast of Trumpets as the first in the set shows its importance in the preparation for the significant days ahead. Indeed, the very nature of the signals that the trumpet makes show the need for repentance as an essential part of this preparation. First, the rabbis teach, God offers hope, symbolically demonstrated by a long, lengthy note. Then man’s weeping for his transgressions with a desire to forsake them is manifested by a series of short notes. Finally, God’s forgiveness to those truly repentant is represented by another long note. What beautiful symbolism for us to be aware of!
Established prayers on this day urge repentance for the coming reign of the Messiah. And some teach that God will establish judgment of “who shall live and who shall die; … who shall be cast down and who elevated.” 19 This judgment is based, of course, upon who is truly repentant and who continues to be worthy. It is believed that the ultimate judgment is not “sealed” upon one until the Day of Atonement.
The space between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement can signify the time one has left to repent. Thus the trumpet of the Feast of Trumpets sounds a final warning: time is crucial for returning to God and to righteousness. 20
Judaic scholars teach that the Day of Atonement represents the time when the unrepentant are doomed, whereas at that time the repentant are forgiven and reconciled to God. Worshipers believe that on this day they spiritually enter the Holy of Holies, which is symbolic of entering into God’s presence. This time is represented as providing them with their “highest and deepest communion with God.” 21
For Latter-day Saints who understand the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, a study of the relationship between these holy days verifies what prophets and scriptures teach about what will occur in the last days. While Christ performed the great act of Atonement in His mortal life, His work is not yet complete. His return will further fulfill reconciliation between Him and mankind, serving as a time of At-one-ment, a time repentant individuals can physically enter His presence.
For Jews, because Israel’s last three holy days signify something momentous to come, the period between the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Tabernacles is called the Days of Awe. We have already noted that the Feast of Tabernacles signifies a completed harvest, Christ’s millennial reign. As we anticipate further fulfillment of all the works of the Lord, Latter-day Saints know that they truly will be Days of Awe.
Was the coming forth of the Book of Mormon on the Feast of Trumpets coincidental? Latter-day Saints who know about these events do not think so. Scriptural and prophetic truth is often manifest through fulfillment. The golden plates were delivered to the young Prophet Joseph Smith early in the morning of 22 September 1827. The Feast of Trumpets, with prayers pleading for God’s remembrance of his still-exiled people, had begun at sundown the previous evening. The services continued that morning, with a worldwide sounding of the ram’s horn. Unbeknown to Judah, all that those horns represented was now to be fulfilled. For on that day, God remembered His people and set in motion His plan to regather them. On that day, God’s final harvest began. On that day, new revelation was granted which would bring a return to renewed covenants. From that day onward, Israel would be called to repentance in preparation for Christ’s return and reign. The Book of Mormon exists to serve these ends. Today, Moroni’s image trumpets from temple spires around the world a final call to awaken, repent, and prepare.
For Latter-day Saints, knowing this is the final harvest with an ever-shortening time to labor should further motivate us to thrust in our sickles with our might. In that spirit, as we feel joy in that harvest we should make known the marvelous work that the Lord has brought forth in these latter days (see D&C 65:4).

Passover—Was It Symbolic of His Coming?
By John P. Pratt

John P. Pratt, “Passover—Was It Symbolic of His Coming?,” Ensign, Jan 1994, 38
Not only was Passover a prophetic symbol of the Lord’s sacrifice, its timing foreshadowed the coming of the Savior in the meridian of time.
Adam was given the promise that the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, would come “in the meridian of time.” (Moses 6:57.) Later, Enoch specifically asked when the Savior would come, and he was given the same response: “in the meridian of time.” (Moses 7:46.) This phrase is again used in the Doctrine and Covenants to refer to the time of the first coming of the Savior. (See D&C 20:26; D&C 39:3.)
But just what does this phrase, “the meridian of time,” mean?
In astronomy, the meridian is a north-south line passing exactly overhead that divides the sky in half. Meridian literally means “midday.” The sun culminates (reaches its high point) as it passes over the meridian. Time before that “passover” is called ante meridiem (a.m., or “before midday”), and afterward it is post meridiem (p.m., or “after midday”). (See Figure 1.)
The scriptural meaning of “the meridian of time” has been interpreted by Church leaders to be essentially the same as the astronomical meaning: that is, the coming of Christ marked the high noon, so to speak, of the earth’s temporal existence. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote, “The meridian of time is the middle or high point of that portion of eternity which is considered to be mortal time. Since Christ lived, ministered, and worked out the atonement in time’s meridian, such era was truly the high point of history.” 1
Let us now see how the meridian of time may have been symbolized in the calendar of the law of Moses, because the law of Moses was given to prepare Israel for the “coming of Christ.” (2 Ne. 11:4.)
The Law of Moses Typified His Coming
The Nephites “did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming.” (Alma 25:15; emphasis added.) Knowing that Christ’s coming was in the meridian of time and that the Mosaic law was a pattern of his coming, we can expect to see in the law of Moses symbolism referring to the meridian of time.
The law of Moses “was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ” (Gal. 3:24), wrote the Apostle Paul, offering “a shadow of good things to come” (Heb. 10:1). How? One example is the actual sacrificing of the Passover lamb, which was in similitude of the death of Jesus. (See 1 Cor. 5:7.) It appears that the symbolism also included the timing of the Savior’s death: the Passover lamb was killed between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. 2 on the afternoon of the fourteenth day of the spring month specified in the law of Moses (see Ex. 12:1–6), which was when the Lamb of God actually died as a sacrifice (see John 19:14; Matt. 27:46). We are assured that not only the death but also the coming of Christ was typified in the law. Nephi rejoiced, “Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given.” (2 Ne. 11:4; emphasis added.)
But just where in the law of Moses is the “type of his coming”? (Alma 25:15.) Let us examine the calendar associated with the law of Moses to discover the rich symbolism of the meridian of time.
Lunisolar meridian: 15 Nisan. In order to understand the symbolism of the meridian of time, we need to consider the calendar that the Lord commanded Moses to use in determining days on which the sacrifices and feasts were to be held. That calendar is partly described in the five books of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy). It was similar in many respects to the modern Hebrew calendar (see Figure 2) but very different from our Gregorian (Roman) calendar.
The Hebrew lunisolar calendar (luni: “moon”; solar: “sun”) uses the moon to reckon months and the sun to measure years. In contrast, our Gregorian calendar is not so complex: it is a solar calendar, meaning it keeps track of only the sun. By inserting leap days according to a fixed pattern, the spring equinox (when the sun rises due east) is always on March 20–21. Also, although we still use the word month—which derives from moon—our months are no longer tied to the moon as are Hebrew months.
The Hebrew day begins in the evening, the month begins at the new moon, and the year begins in the fall. 3 Because the Hebrew 24-hour day begins at sunset, the meridian—or middle point—of the full daily cycle is actually at sunrise. (See accompanying sidebar, “Sunrise Symbolism.”) The first day of any month is within two days of the new moon, and the fifteenth day of any month (of twenty-nine or thirty days) is near the full moon. Accordingly, the midpoint of every Hebrew month can be represented by the fifteenth day.
The meridian month of the year is the spring month Nisan. 4 Thus, 15 Nisan represents the meridian both of the Hebrew year and of that month. In the law revealed to Moses, this meridian day of the Hebrew year was also the annual Passover feast day.
Passover Feast: 15 Nisan. The day 15 Nisan was the day of the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt. (See Num. 33:3.) The Lord declared it to be an annual holy day in order to remind Israel of its liberation from the bondage of Egypt. (See Ex. 12:17, 42; Ex. 13:3.) It was a day of rejoicing, and even today Passover is practically synonymous with “liberation.”
On 15 Nisan, the Israelites began a one-week celebration called the feast of unleavened bread. (See Lev. 23:6.) The first day was the feast of the Passover, at which the Passover lamb was eaten. It was a special sabbath day of rest. (See Lev. 23:7.) It was held in the evening that began the day 15 Nisan, shortly after the sacrifice of the lamb in the afternoon that ended the previous day, 14 Nisan; thus, technically, the sacrifice of the lamb and the Passover feast occurred on different calendrical days. (See Lev. 23:5–6.)
We shall refer to 15 Nisan as the Passover feast day, but it is also called the first day of Passover or the first day of unleavened bread. Thus, our expectations are fulfilled that a meridian would be prominent in the law of Moses: 15 Nisan, the meridian of the Hebrew year, is the Passover feast day.
The Exodus as a Type of His Birth
Not only did the law of Moses point to Christ, the Exodus itself is also rich in symbolism of the Savior. Let us now see how Israel’s deliverance from the house of bondage apparently prefigured Jesus’ birth.
First, the Lord told Moses, “Israel is my son, even my firstborn.” (Ex. 4:22.) Thus, Israel represented Christ, the firstborn of God. (See Col. 1:15; D&C 93:21.)
Second, the Lord related the day that Israel was delivered to the firstborn’s opening the mother’s womb. (See Ex. 13:2; Num. 3:13, Num. 8:17.) Because the firstborn was a type of Christ, we find here the birth of Jesus linked to the day 15 Nisan.
Third, in the light of understanding that Israel symbolized Christ, and Egypt the womb, one can find several other passages which may imply that Jesus would be born on the evening beginning 15 Nisan. For example, on the day before the Exodus the Lord told Moses, “I will pass through the land of Egypt this night.” (See Ex. 12:12; compare Ex. 13:1–4, 14–15; Deut. 16:1. Nisan was originally called Abib 5.) Moreover, there is a Jewish tradition that the Messiah would come on the night of the Passover feast. 6
Finally, the Exodus was indeed the birth of the nation of Israel; that is, after a long gestation period in Egypt, the nation was literally born on the day it was delivered. Then followed the symbolic sojourn: crossing the water (which could symbolize birth), being led through the wilderness (which possibly symbolizes mortality), and again crossing the water into the promised land. 7
Combining these correlations, we could conclude that not only was the Exodus apparently symbolic of Christ’s birth but also that perhaps the very night of Jesus’ birth was symbolically indicated to be the evening beginning (preceding) 15 Nisan. No wonder it was celebrated by a joyous feast; it was “that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.” (Ex. 12:42; italics added.) Thus, it appears that Passover was the birthday feast both of Israel and of the Savior.
Life Transitions at Passover
The concept of Passover is closely linked to that of a transition to a new phase of life, even as the sun “passes over” the meridian at noon, when it is at the high point of its daily journey. But at sunrise each day, passage over that meridian is even more clearly symbolic of transition. This symbolism is commonly used in phrases such as “the dawning of a new age.” This is the time when the sun is “born” each day, passing over into our world at sunrise; then it “dies” when it passes over the horizon at sunset.
Since the death (14 Nisan), birth (15 Nisan), and resurrection (16 Nisan) of Christ are all associated with rites during Passover, it seems that the word also symbolizes Christ’s “passing over” from the premortality of the spirit world to the physical world, as well as from the physical world to the spirit world. For example, the afternoon of the fourteenth day of Nisan “is the Lord’s Passover” (Lev. 23:5), when the lamb was killed. Using this symbolic meaning of passover, this verse suggests that the Savior would pass over into the spirit world on the afternoon of 14 Nisan. If thus interpreted, the phrase “pass over” is similar to the phrase “pass on” or “pass away,” used to mean death.
On 15 Nisan, the day of joyous feast of Passover when the firstborn were sanctified and Israel was born, the Savior passed over from spirit-world pre-mortality at his birth. On 16 Nisan, when the firstfruits of the harvest were offered (see Lev. 23:10–11), he again passed over from the spirit world into his body at the Resurrection (see Ensign, July 1985, p. 57) and became the firstfruits of them that slept. (See 1 Cor. 15:20.)
In addition to meridian symbolism, then, the term Passover can be used to symbolize transitions to new phases of life, such as birth, death, and resurrection.
His Coming to Minister at Passover
Following the baptism and temptation of Jesus, the first event mentioned in the synoptic Gospels is the Savior’s return to Galilee after John the Baptist had been cast into prison. (See Matt. 4:12; Mark 1:14; Luke 4:14.) The Gospel of John, however, includes more than two chapters of events that occurred before John the Baptist was imprisoned (see John 1:29–4:43), as specifically stated (see John 3:24). Thus, only the Gospel of John describes the beginning of the Savior’s ministry.
John makes mention of only one miracle that the Savior performed between his baptism and the Passover the following spring. John states that changing water into wine at the marriage in Cana was the “beginning of [the Savior’s] miracles.” Yet even this miracle was not public. Only the Lord’s disciples and the servants knew of it. (See John 2:1–11.) Apparently it was not until the Passover, which followed “not many days” later, that Jesus began to perform miracles openly, marking the beginning of his public ministry. Further, John indicates the exact day these public miracles began: “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.” (John 2:23; emphasis added.) Thus, appropriately, it appears that Christ began his public ministry on the celebration day of the Passover feast, 15 Nisan. 8 If so, then according to conclusions above, it would have also been on his birthday. But which birthday? It would have been near his thirtieth because he was “beginning to be about thirty” at his baptism shortly before (Luke 3:23). Let us also consider law of Moses symbolism to help answer this question.
Levites typified Christ. The Lord told Moses, “I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn.” (Num. 3:12; see also Num. 8:18.) Because the Levites were thus a symbol of Christ as the Firstborn, perhaps we can also expect to learn part of the pattern of the Savior’s life from the laws given to the Levites. The law of Moses stated that Levites “thirty years old and upward” should enter into the service of the Lord. (Num. 4:3, 23, 30.) Consequently, if the law was symbolic of Him, we might expect that Jesus would also begin his ministry at age thirty.
That Jesus was thirty when he began his ministry is independently verified by the combined witnesses of John and the Book of Mormon. The latter tells us that he lived very nearly thirty-three Nephite years (3 Ne. 2:8; Hel. 14:20; 3 Ne. 8:3–5), and John describes a three-year ministry ending at his death at Passover. Thus, the feast day birthday on which he apparently began his ministry was his thirtieth birthday. If so, we can conclude that the Savior fulfilled the symbolism of the law of Moses to the very day.
Cleansing the temple. The Savior cleansed the temple just before Passover both at the beginning of his ministry (see John 2:13–16) and at the end (see Matt. 21:12–3). In terms of our having a fuller understanding of Passover, note that the cleansing of the temple also fits the pattern of Passover. That is, part of the prescribed actions at Passover include searching the house for any leaven and putting it entirely outside the house. (See Ex. 12:15.) It would seem that leaven could symbolize false teachings (see Matt. 16:12), hypocrisy (see Luke 12:1), or wickedness (see 1 Cor. 5:7–8), which the Savior put out of his Father’s house, the temple, by “cleansing” it of those who defiled it.
His Coming to the Spirit Prison
The climax of the Savior’s mission in the meridian of time was the act of delivering mankind out of bondage by loosing the chains of hell and breaking the bands of death. (See Alma 5:6–9.) It was the apex of a crescendo that had been swelling since the fall of Adam, culminating in the three days of the Atonement (Friday) 9 to Resurrection (Sunday).
We read that those in the spirit world had been “assembled awaiting the advent of the Son of God into the spirit world.” In fact, they were already “rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death,” when the Redeemer would come to declare “liberty to the captives who had been faithful.” (D&C 138:16, 18.) Thus, they clearly expected the Lord to come at that very time. But why? Apparently it was because it was Passover, the day when Israel had been “redeemed” from the “house of bondage” at the Exodus (see Deut. 13:5), foreshadowing the day when “the Redeemer” would proclaim “the opening of the prison,” and deliver the “spirits in prison” from “bondage.” (See D&C 138:42, 28.)
Inasmuch as Jesus died in the closing hours of 14 Nisan, his coming to the spirit world was at the beginning of the Passover feast day, 15 Nisan, the day symbolic of deliverance from the house of bondage. (See D&C 138:50.) This coming fulfilled one Jewish tradition which insisted that the Redemption could take place only on 15 Nisan, as foreshadowed by the Exodus. The tradition is: “God said, ‘Let this sign be in your hands: on the day when I wrought salvation for you, and on that very night know that I will redeem you; but if it is not this night, then do not believe.’ ” A footnote clarifies: “This apparently means: Should a pretended redeemer come at any other time, do not believe him, for the redemption will take place on that day and on no other.” 10
The Passover Time Pattern
During this look at the time pattern of the law of Moses, it has been unnecessary to refer to our calendar. Now the pattern we have seen may be used as a chronological template (compare D&C 52:14) to date the coming of Christ in the meridian of time to mortality, to the ministry, and to the spirit world.
Birth: Thursday, 6 April 1 b.c. Since the organization of the Church on 6 April 1830, members have been informed that Jesus was born on 6 April 1 b.c. (on our Gregorian calendar 11). Modern scripture states that the Church was organized 1,830 years “since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh.” (D&C 20:1.) It seems the Lord intended this verse to be accurate to the very day: both President Harold B. Lee and President Spencer W. Kimball have affirmed that 6 April on our calendar is the anniversary of the Savior’s birth. (See Ensign, July 1973, p. 2; May 1980, p. 54.)
This date has an important confirmation in the Lord’s pattern of the law of Moses that Christ would be born on the evening preceding 15 Nisan. Astronomical calculations show that 6 April of 1 b.c. was appropriate for Passover that year. In view of the tight symbolic connection of Passover to the birth of the firstborn discussed earlier, this is further strong support for the view that Jesus was born on the night of, or preceding, 6 April. 12
Beginning the Public Ministry: Saturday, 6 April a.d. 30. The most likely date for the feast day (15 Nisan) on which the Savior began his ministry on his thirtieth birthday is Saturday, 6 April a.d. 30. The day 15 Nisan can fall on any date from about 21 March to 23 April, but it only falls on the same day of the solar year (that is, on 6 April) after certain intervals of time. One of those intervals is thirty years. Even then, it does not happen after every thirty-year interval; it depends on the details of the moon’s motion. But in this case, 6 April is clearly the most likely candidate for 15 Nisan in a.d. 30.
The Spirit World: Saturday, 2 April a.d. 33. Similarly, the most likely date for the Passover feast day on the Judean calendar three years later, at the end of Christ’s ministry, appears to be Saturday, 2 April a.d. 33. It would have begun after sunset following the death of the Savior on Friday, 14 Nisan. Thus, if this view is correct, both the Savior’s ministry in life and in the spirit world would have begun on Saturday, the Sabbath at that time, these particular Sabbaths being doubly sacred by also being the Passover feast day.
So we see that the Mosaic calendar, used to determine the timing of the sacred feasts, which were “types of things to come” (Mosiah 13:31), apparently pointed to the dates of the coming of Jesus Christ in the meridian of time. Moreover, the date noted in Doctrine and Covenants 20:1 [D&C 20:1] as the day of Jesus’ birth fits the scriptural pattern perfectly. In its ability to have summarized so much, the simple statement that the Lord would “come in the meridian of time” is remarkable.
Let us look at other witnesses confirming these dates from both the Book of Mormon and secular sources.
Witness of the Book of Mormon
The Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants appear to be consistent to the very day concerning Jesus Christ’s birth date, the length of his life, and the date of his resurrection. 13 An exact length for the Savior’s life can be deduced from the Book of Mormon, which records that Nephite reckoning began at the sign of his birth (see 3 Ne. 2:8) and that he died on the fourth day of the thirty-fourth year (see 3 Ne. 8:5). If Jesus was born on the first day of the first Nephite year (which may be implied), and if the years each had 365 days (consistent with the Egyptian and Mesoamerican calendars used before and after the Nephites), then Jesus lived 12,048 days. Counting 12,048 days after a Passover feast day on Thursday, 15 Nisan—6 April 1 b.c.—brings one precisely to a Passover sacrifice day: Friday, 14 Nisan—1 April a.d. 33—the day indicated by the pattern in the law of Moses as the day of the death of the Lamb of God. Moreover, that is most likely the very day indicated by the Bible as the day that Jesus died. Such interscriptural consistency in these details provides a strong witness to the proposed dates of both the birth and the death of the Savior.
Witness of Secular History
Let us look at a summary of facts from external histories that support these dates.
Birth. Little is known about the date of the birth of Christ from secular histories. Most of the potentially useful biblical clues, such as the star of Bethlehem (see Matt. 2:2), the slaughter of the infants (see Matt. 2:16), or an empire-wide taxation (registration or census; see Luke 2:1) while King Herod reigned (see Luke 1:5; Matt. 2:1), have not been clearly identified in secular histories. Accordingly, dates from 7 b.c. to 1 b.c. have been proposed.
The only secular thread to which the birth of Jesus has consistently been tied is the death of King Herod, who was visited by the Magi after the birth of the Savior. For several centuries it has been believed that Herod died in 4 b.c., and so the birth of Christ has been placed about two years before (see Matt. 2:1, 16), in 6 or 5 b.c. However, recent reevaluation of the evidence suggests that Herod died some time later, in 1 b.c. 14, or a.d. 1. 15 It is now a field of intense study 16, but with no clear solution in sight. The problem is the same as with the other biblical clues: lack of solid evidence. The Jewish historian Josephus is the only source for details about Herod’s life, and even he does not mention the year of Herod’s death. 17
One new historical argument for the occurrence of the birth of Christ somewhere in the 2 to 1 b.c. period is the view that the decree “that all the world should be taxed” (enrolled or registered; see Luke 2:1) has finally been identified as an empire-wide census and oath of allegiance to Augustus in 2 b.c. 18 Josephus apparently mentions that oath 19, which, according to his history, would have been a year or so before Herod’s death. These new dates fit well with the Passover pattern discussed above—that Christ was born in the spring of 1 b.c. and that Herod died in early a.d. 1.
It has been pointed out 20 that the 6 April 1 b.c. date also explains certain aspects of the New Testament account. For example, the date is during the short lambing season, which would explain why the shepherds were “keeping watch over their flock by night.” (Luke 2:8.) Moreover, the fact that “there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7) suggests that the birth probably occurred at the time of one of the three feasts, such as Passover, at which Jews were required to be in Jerusalem. 21 That proposal is also consistent with the 6 April date.
Fortunately, although secular histories are not very useful in helping us to determine Christ’s date of birth, they offer clear testimony for the dates of his ministry and death.
Ministry. Secular evidence for the year of the beginning of Christ’s ministry is perhaps the strongest for any date in the New Testament, because it is closely tied to the reign of a Roman emperor. Luke 3:1–3 states that John the Baptist began his ministry during the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, which Roman historians equate to the Julian calendar year a.d. 29. 22 Some months later, Jesus began his ministry at the Passover of a.d. 30.
Death and Resurrection. Evidence for the very day of the Savior’s death and for the day of his resurrection is strong from the New Testament account. (See Ensign, June 1985, pp. 59–68.) First, we can conclude that it was three years after the beginning of the ministry, because four Passovers are mentioned or implied in the Gospels. Second, it is stated that Jesus was crucified on the day of the preparation of the Passover (see John 19:14), which would be 14 Nisan. Finally, the day of his death is indicated as Friday (see Matt. 27:62), which at the time was called simply the “preparation”—a day of preparation, that is, for Saturday, the Sabbath. Counting the day of his trial and death as the first day, Christ’s resurrection occurred on the third day (see Luke 24:20–21), which is given in all four Gospels as “the first day of the week”—Sunday. (See Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1.) In the implied crucifixion year, a.d. 33, astronomical calculations indicate that that Friday, 1 April a.d. 33 on our calendar 23, was most likely to have been 14 Nisan that year.
Another witness comes from Phlegon, a Greek secular historian from Caria (in Asia Minor), writing soon after a.d. 137, who “reported that in the fourth year of the 202d Olympiad there was ‘the greatest eclipse of the sun’ and that ‘it became night in the sixth hour of the day [i.e., noon] so that the stars even appeared in the heavens. There was a great earthquake in Bithynia, and many things were overturned in Nicaea.’ ” 24
The year mentioned began on 1 July a.d.. 32 and ended 30 June a.d. 33, a period which includes the time identified as that of the Savior’s crucifixion. The fact that Phlegon records both darkening of the sun at noon and earthquakes, just as Matthew describes (see Matt. 27:45, 51), in that same year, makes it apparent that he is describing the same events that were also witnessed in distant cities in modern-day Turkey. This also confirms traditions that “the terror of the earthquake continued from the sixth hour of the preparation until the ninth hour” (from noon till 3:00 p.m. on Friday; compare 3 Ne. 8:17–19), and that “when he was crucified darkness came over all the world,” “the sun was altogether hidden,” “the stars were seen,” and “in all the world they lighted their lamps from the sixth hour until evening.” 25
Thus, the Passover pattern in the law of Moses, the reckoning from the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and related secular sources all supply corroborative evidence that the Savior was born on the night of, or preceding, Thursday, 6 April 1 b.c.; that he began his ministry Saturday, 6 April a.d. 30; that he died on the cross on Friday, 1 April a.d. 33; that he ministered in the spirit world on Saturday, 2 April a.d. 33; and that he was resurrected on Sunday, 3 April a.d. 33.
Such order in the remarkable timing of the Savior’s birth, ministry, and death bears eloquent testimony that his advent in the meridian of time had been planned long before and that the law of Moses, as the ancient prophets declared, truly did foreshadow the Lord’s coming.
Sunrise Symbolism
The word day has two distinct meanings: the daily period of light, and also the full cycle of both darkness and light. Both meanings are indicated in the Lord’s account of the Creation:
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
“And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
“And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Gen. 1:3–5.)
Note that in the last verse, day refers first to the period of light, and then to the entire cycle. Each of these days has its own meridian. The meridian of the period of light occurs at noon (see figure 1); but the full cycle of the day, as the Lord told Moses (see Gen. 1:3–5) and Abraham (see Abr. 4:5), begins with the night and ends with the day. That means that the symbolic meridian of the full daily cycle occurs at sunrise, which is both the midpoint of the entire cycle and also the division between light and darkness. Note that both the meridian of the twelve-hour day at noon and of the twenty-four-hour day at sunrise are valid symbols; they are simply the midpoints of two different “days.”
The coming of light to darkness at the meridian of the first day of creation suggests that even those events bear record of Christ. (See Moses 6:63.) That is, on the first day God created light, and Christ is the Light of the world (see John 8:12, John 12:46), the Firstborn of creation (see Col. 1:15). Further, the light came to the darkness at the meridian of that first “day” of creation, just as the light of Jesus would come into the dark world (see John 3:19) in the meridian of time.
A clear example of the rising sun representing Christ is the prophecy that unto the righteous “shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.” (Mal. 4:2.) This reference to the sun so clearly meant Christ that the phrase “Son of righteousness” is interchangeable with it. (See 3 Ne. 25:2; 2 Ne. 26:9.) Nephi pointed out that Christ would rise “with healing in his wings” at His resurrection. (See 2 Ne. 25:13.) Mark wrote that when the women arrived at the tomb, the sun had risen, and Christ also had risen (see Mark 16:2, 9), but it is not clear whether Mark intended an association of Christ with the sun. The tie of the rising of the Son at the Resurrection and the rising of the sun on that day is often noted during Easter sunrise services.
Figure 1
[illustration] ANTE MERIDIEM; MERIDIAN; POST MERIDIEM
Figure 1. The meridian divides the sky, and the twelve-hour day, in half. The hours before the sun passes over the meridian are ante meridiem (a.m.) or “before midday,” and the hours after the sun has passed over the meridian are post meridiem (p.m.) or “after midday.”
Figure 2
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Click to View Larger FormatFigure 2. The Modern Hebrew Calendar. The lunar months all begin near a new moon, and an extra month is inserted seven times every nineteen years before Nisan to keep that month in the spring because twelve lunar months are about eleven days short of a solar year of 365.24 days. Note that Nisan is numbered as the first month (Ex. 12:2) even though the civil year begins with the planting season in the fall (Lev. 25:3–22) on 1 Tishri. The original seven holy days of the law of Moses are indicated with black dots. This modern calendar is based entirely on calculations; the Judean calendar used at the time of Christ was based on actual observation of the thin crescent of the new moon to determine the beginning of the month.
For some purposes, years are reckoned from Nisan, and months are always numbered beginning with Nisan, but the official civil year begins on 1 Tishri.
NISAN 1Formerly ABIB 30 days Mar–Apr1 New Year’s Day for Reign of Kings10 Passover lamb chosen• 14 Passover lamb sacrificed15 First Day of Passover (Feast of the Passover or Feast of Unleavened Bread)16 Offering of firstfruits• 21 Seventh day of Passover
IYAR 2Formerly ZIF 29 days Apr–May
SIVAN 330 days May–June• 6 Feast of Firstfruits (Feast of Weeks, Pentecost or Shabuoth)
TAMMUZ 429 days June–July17 Fast
AB 530 days July–Aug9 Fast
ELUL 629 days Aug–Sept
TISHRI 7Formerly ETHANIM 30 days Sept–Oct• 1 New Year’s Day (Rosh Hashanah, Feast of Trumpets)• 10 Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)• 15 First Day of Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth, Feast of Ingathering)• 22 Eighth Day of Feast of Tabernacles (Great Day of the Feast)
HESHVAN 8Formerly BUL 29 or 30 days Oct–Nov
KISLEV 929 or 30 days Nov–Dec25 Hanukkah (8 days)
TEBET 1029 days Dec–Jan
SHEBAT 1130 days Jan–Feb
ADAR 1229 days or ADAR I 30 days Feb–Mar14 Purim (Feast of Esther)
Month 13, inserted when necessary, is ADAR II or VEADAR, with 29 days.

BLOOD RED MOONS AND JEWISH HIGH HOLY DAYS

I have always put my money (if I were forced to make a guess) on the period of time between 2028/2029 and 2036 as the time that the good stuff will go down. So, knowing that, I thought this was worth posting and it may well tie into the previous post on the comet Apophis coming on Passover in 2036, 21 years after 2015 (BTW, 21 years of earth time is 1/2 hour by way of the reckoning on Kolob where 1000 earth years = 1 day). And lets not forget that Apophis will take a spin around our orb approx seven years before 2036 (see my previous blog piece on Mary Shipton). A BLOOD RED MOON is defined by NASA (click on previous text for link).

Hope you enjoy and I will let you make the connections.... Let them who have ears to hear and eyes to see understand:

Jesus will return in Great Power and Glory, with the Host Heaven with Him


Mark Biltz, pastor of El Shaddai Ministries, in Bonner Lake, Washington. Mark Blitz, discovered a pattern of blood red moons and solar eclipses on very significant dates in the Jewish calendar in the coming years, particularly between 2012-2015.

These findings collaborated with the same type of sequences which have taken place on the Jewish calendar in the past which were important events in the history of Israel and the Jewish people.
Moreover, he found that these phenomena have not occurred in previous centuries in the frequency and on the important Jewish feast and Fast days as they have since Israel became a nation and most importantly, in the sequence in which we are going to occur in the next few years and which don't happen again in the whole of this century.

THE PAST PATTERN
The pattern which Mark Blitz saw was four blood-red moons on each of the Jewish feast days one after another in the same year. Looking back, this occurred the last time in 1997-98 and was 2,000 years since the birth of Yeshua the Messiah and 3,000 years anniversary of Jerusalem being established as the city of our King.
* First Day of Passover, April 3, 1996
* First Day of Tabernacles, September 26 1996
* Feast of Purim, March 22-23 1997
* During "Teshuva" (Repentance), on September 16, 1997

In 1967-68 it was tied to the war which was staged against Israel by Egypt and Jordan in which Jerusalem came back into Israel's jurisdiction once again.
The Six-Day War — 1967
* First Day of Passover, April 24, 1967
* First Day of Sukkot, Oct. 18, 1967
* First Day of Passover. April 13, 1968
* First Day of Sukkoth, Oct. 6, 1968

The previous time to that was in 1948-1950 which was the period of time after Israel became a nation when the Arab States waged warfare against her and tried to destroy the newly born nation.
The War of Independence — 1948
* Passover, April 13, 1949
* Sukkoth, Oct. 7, 1949
* Passover, April 2, 1950
* Sukkoth, Sept. 26, 1950

Before that there were no astronomical back-to-back blood-red moon events in the 1800s, the 1700s or the 1600s. In the 1500s, there were six, but none of those fell on Passover and Sukkot.

The next set of blood-red moons going back in time were at the time of the Spanish Inquisition in its final year 1492, when the Alhambra Decree ordered all remaining Jews who would not convert to Christianity to leave Spain, where there were three of these occurrences.

Altogether, this occurrence of back-to-back blood-red moons has occurred seven times since 1 A.D. on some of the most significant days in Jewish history. In all of these examples, the eclipses have fallen on the first day of the feasts of Passover and Sukkot.

Note that total eclipses of a blood-red moon are rare and for them to fall on Jewish Feast days makes them even more significant.

THE COMING LINE UP OF BLOOD-RED MOONS
In this coming line-up Mark Blitz noted a rare phenomena of four consecutive total lunar eclipses, known as a "tetrad" (i.e. a group of four). He says during this century, tetrads occur at least six times, but what’s interesting is that the only string of four consecutive blood moons that coincide with God’s holy days of Passover in the spring and the autumn’s Feast of Tabernacles (also called Sukkot) occurs between 2014 and 2015 on today’s Gregorian calendar. This had also been the case in 1948-50 and 1967-68 and 1997-8.

Other interesting facts
* Passover is the first annual feast
* Sukkoth is the seventh and final annual feast

* The next seven year cycle in the Biblical calendar begins on Rosh Hashanah (1st Tishri) on Sept. 30, 2008, and ends on Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 13-14, 2015.
The Biblical calendar is set up in a seven year cycle wherein the seventh year is a sabbath year.

* The sabbatical year (the seventh year) in the seven-year cycle begins on Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 25, 2014, and ends on Rosh Hashanah on September 13-14, 2015 — the day of a partial solar eclipse.
So the Sabbatical year itself is earmarked with four blood-red moons, being concluded with the fourth on Rosh Hashanah and a solar eclipse on the same day - September 13-14, 2015.

This is the what will occur in 2014–2015
* Blood-red moon on the first Day of Passover, April 15, 2014
* Blood-red moon on the first Day of Sukkot (Tabernacles), Oct. 8, 2014
* Solar eclipse on the first of Nisan, beginning of the religious year, March 20, 2015
* Blood-red moon on the first Day of Passover, April 4, 2015
* Blood-red moon on the first Day of Sukkot (Tabernacles), Sept. 28, 2015

And then on the Feasts in 2015 itself:
* Blood-red moon on Rosh Hashanah or The Feast of Trumpets, September 13-14
* Solar eclipse on Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), September 13-14
* Blood-red moon on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), September 23
* Blood-red moon on Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), September 28

Note. that this includes two solar eclipses, one on the first day of the Hebrew year in 2015 and the next on the high holy day of Rosh Hashanah/Feast of Trumpets 2015, the first day of the seventh Hebrew month.
Both of these take place in the 2014-2015 year.
The two Solar eclipses connected with the Holy Days in 2014-2015 are:
Adar 29/Nisan 1(new year) March 20, 2015
Feast of Trumpets September 13, 2015

Mark Biltz says, “You have the religious year beginning with the total solar eclipse, two weeks later a total lunar eclipse on Passover, and then the civil year beginning with the solar eclipse followed two weeks later by another total blood red moon on the Feast of Sukkot all in 2015.”

“The fact that it doesn’t happen again in this century I think is very significant,” Biltz explains.

Writing about the amazing discovery in the May 2008 issue of Prophecy in the News, J. R. Church declares, “This is most unusual. It is a rare occurrence for four lunar cycles on successive Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) observances. It will not happen again for hundreds of years.”

With this amazing sequence, we need to keep in mind Joel's prophecy, "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come." Joel 2:31

The ancient Jewish calendar only went to the year 5775, counting from creation.
It has been reckoned that the Rabbis reconciled the calendar after Yeshua's death to conceal the fulfillment of Daniel's 70 year prophecy as pertianing to Him as the Messiah.
In doing this their calendar is said to be 240 years out.

On this basis, adding 240 years would bring their calculations to 6015 which parallels our dating system for the year 2015.

Considering the fact that the Rabbis understood that there would be a 1,000 year milleniun to follow this age totalling 7,000 years for mankind on this earth, the end of their calendar does not indicate the end of the world as some might think as the Mayan calendar seems to indicate.

When the Mayan calendar is adjusted to the Jewish calendar, the end date comes to 2015 and not 2012. The Mayans, Aztecs and the Chinese calendars all finish on the same time.
However, they lack the illumination of the revealed will of Almighty God as given in the scriptures upon which the Jewish calculations are made.

We have seven "days" of 1,000 years before this earth is dissolved to create a new heaven and a new earth. Praise His Name! (Baruch HaShem).


[youtube] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AuNkEGwXZQ[/youtube]


johnny

COMET APOPHIS AND THE RETURN OF CHRIST - COINCIDENCE OF A JEWISH HIGH HOLY DAY AND A METEORIC NEAR MISS

VIEW OF THE SERPENT APOPHIS - EGYPTIAN GOD OF CHAOS THAT BRINGS DARKNESS TO THE WORLD

This is a work in progress, but I have been reading alot of material of how major earth events have always correlated to the High Holy Days from the likes of Larson and COHEN.


If you look at this CHART [click on link], the nearest miss the earth has ever had with an object is going to happen in 2029 plus or minus a few years, the date I have predicted for decades now that will coincide with the "big one" that Mary Shipton and others have referenced. When reading the link on Mary Shipton, please note how she says that it will fly by and cause some bad juju and then come back for a bigger helping of seconds on (of all days), Friday 13th, 2036. I can't help but think the two asteroid visits are related to the same meteor/comet. Here are the words themselves from the Mary Shipton link on this blog:

For those who live the century through In fear and trembling this shall do. Flee to the mountains and the dens To bog and forest and wild fens.

*

For storms will rage and oceans roar When Gabriel stands on sea and shore, And as he blows his wondrous horn Old worlds die and new be born.
*

A fiery dragon will cross the sky Six times before the earth shall die. Mankind will tremble and frightened be For the six heralds in this prophecy.


NOTE: In the last 20 years alone we have seen at least four spectacular comets or “fiery dragons”: Halley’s, Kahoutek (a bit of a dud), Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp. But it appears here that she is referring to a SINGLE OBJECT that grazes the atmosphere before a collision, like the near asteroid miss we had last week, looping around us six times over seven days before a collision with Earth.

*

For seven days and seven nights Man will watch this awesome sight. The tides will rise beyond their ken. To bite away the shores and then The mountains will begin to roar And earthquakes split the plain to shore.

*

And flooding waters rushing in, Will flood the lands with such a din That mankind cowers in muddy fen And snarls about his fellow men.

{Tidal waves and wars continue.}
*

He bares his teeth and fights and kills And secrets food in secret hills And ugly in his fear, he lies To kill marauders, thieves and spies.

*

Man flees in terror from the floods And kills, and rapes and lies in blood And spilling blood by mankind’s hand Will stain and bitter many lands.

*

And when the dragon’s tail is gone Man forgets and smiles and carries on. To apply himself - too late, too late For mankind has earned deserved fate.

*

His masked smile, his false grandeur, Will serve the gods their anger stir And they will send the dragon back To light the sky—his tail will crack. Upon the earth and rend the earth And man shall flee, king, lord and serf.

*

But slowly they are routed out To seek diminishing water spout And men will die of thirst before The oceans rise to mount to the shore. And lands will crack and rend anew Do you think it strange? It will come true!

*

And in some far—off distant land Some men—Oh, such a tiny band Will have to leave their solid mount And span the earth, those few to count.

*

Who survives this (unreadable) and then Begin the human race again.
But not on land already there, But on ocean beds, stark, dry and bare.

*

Not every soul on earth will die, As the dragon’s tail goes sweeping by, Not every land on earth will sink, But these will wallow in stench and stink, Of rotting bodies of beast and man, Of vegetation crisped on land.

*

But the land that rises from the sea Will be dry and clean and soft and free. Of mankind’s dirt and therefore be, The source of man’s new dynasty. And those that live will ever fear The dragon’s tail for many year But time erases memory You think it strange? But it will be!

It appears that this may be similar to Wormwood talked about in Revelations. Wormwood will poison 1/3 of the waters and generally kill 1/3 of beast and man - and this thing is spewing out tons of cyanide gas. Sounds like this may be bad juju!! I have a feeling there may be a connection..... You be the judge with the Spirit as your guide.



We have been so interested in this NEO that we just recently got a close up pic by a spacecraft that we sent up to check it out and to find out that it is spewing millions of tons of cyanide gas into space as it cruises by (sounds more like a comet than a traditional meteor (space rock). Without sounding too conspiracy-minded, it should be obvious to anyone that the powers that be do not tell us 'unintelligent' people everything. I don't think we have been told why we had enough interest in something to blow fractional billions of dollars on just taking a peek of it. Apparently the Russians are talking about using an impact to knock it off its current course - which may actually do more harm than good.

Anyway, I have alot more to post when I get a chance to dig it all up and plug it in.

When it does happen, the Lord has prepared high places where the honest in heart will be gathered together to weather the geological storm. Those will be interesting times - I expect to witness them.

PLANETS BEING SWAPPED FROM GALAXY TO GALAXY

So, I haven't got the time to research the quotes from the early Bretheren about our planet having been swapped from another system [click for link], other than the words of my beloved Eliza R. Snow (LINK HERE), where she said that our planet would upward move (to a terrestrial sphere during our millenial glory) and then finally move towards its crowning celestial glory after the final cleansing.

I will say here that it is also scientific fact that the end of the Mayan cycle coincides with the tail end of our galaxy (that you and I currently are hanging out in on this blue orb) is slicing through another galaxy, and it could lead to a rocky ride with previously unbeknownst celestial wonders showing up and our sun doing freaky things as magnetic fields interact (the other galaxy is perpendicular [or near] to ours) and we all remember the magnetic field line experiments from Physics class. It may be an electrifying experience.....

Here is the first scientific article I have seen where science is just beginning to see the glimmer of light backing revealed religion:

Just found: The planet from another galaxy

by Associated Press

KING5.com

Posted on November 19, 2010 at 8:40 AM

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Scientists have discovered the first planet from another galaxy, sort of.

While some 500 planets have been identified in other parts of our galaxy - the Milky Way - none has been reported in other galaxies.

Now one has been discovered orbiting a star called HIP 13044, located about 2,000 light year away. While this star is now in the Milky Way, researchers reported in Thursday's online edition of the journal Science that it originated in a separate galaxy that was later cannibalized by ours.

That makes the new planet, which is about 20 percent larger than Jupiter, the first found to have originated in another galaxy.

"This discovery is very exciting," Rainer Klement of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, said in a statement.

"For the first time, astronomers have detected a planetary system in a stellar stream of extragalactic origin. Because of the great distances involved, there are no confirmed detections of planets in other galaxies. But this cosmic merger has brought an extragalactic planet within our reach."

The new planet is orbiting a star from what is known as the Helmi stream - a group of stars that originally belonged to a dwarf galaxy that was devoured by the Milky Way about six to nine billion years ago.

The researchers say the new planet is also one of the few planets known to have survived the period when its host star expanded massively after exhausting the hydrogen fuel supply in its core. The star has now contracted again, they report.

Johny Setiawan, also from the Max Planck Institute, added that "this discovery is particularly intriguing when we consider the distant future of our own planetary system, as the Sun is also expected to become a red giant in about five billion years."

The study also raises questions about the formation of giant planets, the researchers said, since the host star appears to contain very few elements heavier than hydrogen and helium.

"It is a puzzle for the widely accepted model of planet formation to explain how such a star, which contains hardly any heavy elements at all, could have formed a planet. Planets around stars like this must probably form in a different way," said Setiawan.

AMERICA'S FUTURE - MARK E PETERSON

I just got this fresh from LDS Freedom Forum and thought it was worth posting. I have not verified any of it:

Post subject: America's future by Mark E. Peterson.
New postPosted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 6:04 pm

AMERICA'S FUTURE

The future of the United States is glorious, but a cleansing must precede its final destiny.

As has been seen, the establishment of this nation was a necessary early step toward the final acts of the great latter-day drama of the Lord. The restoration of the gospel and the kingdom of God is, of course, likewise prologue to the coming of the Savior.

To restore the kingdom of God is one thing; to bring its mission to fruition is quite another. But it will come—and on this land. Indeed it will be glorious.

The kingdom of God is now on earth. It is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The kingdom of heaven is yet to come, to be merged with the kingdom of God when Christ reigns.

President Joseph F. Smith defined the kingdom of God like this: "What I mean by the kingdom of God is the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, over which the Son of God presides, and not man. That is what I mean." (Gospel Doctrine, p. 72.)

In October of 1831 the Lord gave a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, section 65 of the Doctrine and Covenants, in which he said: "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."

It was like the message of John the Baptist heard again in modern times.

Giving an insight into the future events and the meaning of it all, the Lord then continued:

The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto men on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth.

Yea, a voice crying—Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make ready for the Bridegroom.

Again how like it is to the Baptist's warning at the first advent of Christ. The Lord then added:

Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth.

Wherefore, may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thine enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor, power and glory, forever and ever. (Italics added.)

It is a remarkable revelation, and it will be fulfilled here in America. The great modern city of New Jerusalem will be built in Jackson County, Missouri (see D&C 57), in the heartland of America. That is what the centuries of preparation were all about.

The Prophet Joseph declared that "the whole of 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." (History of the Church, 6:318-19.)

Jackson County is equidistant from coast to coast and from border to border in the United States. It is the center of the land, and there the city of Zion, or the New Jerusalem, will be built, a place of refuge and peace for the latter days.

How important this is! What a great destiny! How wonderful is the future of America!

It is just as we say in our tenth Article of Faith:

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion will be built upon this [the American] continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

And it is as Isaiah said so long ago when he looked to our day: ". . . for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:3), and this to all the world.

By revelation in July 1831, the Lord designated Jackson County as the place for the city of Zion. (See D&C 57 and 58.)

The presiding brethren went from Kirtland to Independence, Missouri, where, under the direction of the Prophet Joseph, that land was dedicated by Sidney Rigdon on August 2, 1831. The Saints from Colesville, who had settled in Kew County, Missouri, were directed by the Prophet in laying the first log "for a house, as a foundation of Zion, in that place." The log was carried by twelve men representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

Wrote the Prophet: "It was a season of joy to those present, and afforded a glimpse of the future, which time will yet unfold to the satisfaction of the faithful." (Joseph Fielding Smith, Essentials in Church History, Deseret Book, 1974, p. 110, Italics added.)

The words of President Rigdon as he consecrated the land are the interesting: "I now pronounce this land consecrated and dedicated unto the Lord for a possession and inheritance for the Saints, and for all the faithful servants of the Lord to the remotest ages of time. In the name of Jesus Christ, having authority from Him. Amen." (History of the Church, 1:196. Italics added.)

The faithful Saints made a heroic effort to build the city at that time, as the Lord had directed. Great divine promises were made to them if they would do so faithfully. But there were dissonants among them who hedged up their way and who caused discontent and even enmity among some of the Saints, and this was displeasing to the Lord.

It was the plan of the Lord that the city of Zion should actually be started at that time, or he would not have called his people there for that purpose. But he can only work on righteous principles, and when his people do not observe his commandments, he cannot work through them.

As he projected the city of Zion at that time, he said that "the city of New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation." (D&C 84:4.) That was his instruction. He was ready to proceed with this great undertaking—if the people were worthy and able. He had given revelation commanding the Saints to gather there to build the city and the temple. Many had already arrived, and many more were expected.

As the Lord described the temple to them—the building they were invited and commanded to erect—he said that "this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house." (D&C 84:5.)

Some of those Saints were later to see this very thing take place at the Kirtland Temple, where indeed the glory of the Lord was present.

But the promises thus made by the Lord for Jackson County rested upon the obedience and righteousness of the Saints. He gave them the opportunity, one of the most blessed in the latter days, to erect the temple and city of Zion. But they could not—or did not.

A number of the brothers and sisters became rebellious and by doing so made it impossible for the Lord to use them in this holy enterprise, the building of Zion. Their stubbornness cancelled out all of the sacred promises so far as they themselves were concerned and forced an indefinite postponement of their fulfillment.

Hence, in their day neither the city nor the temple could be built as the Lord had promised them if only they had been faithful. By their wickedness they forfeited this great privilege. The work now must await a later and more righteous generation of Saints.

Because of the Saints' lack of harmony, the Lord allowed the mobs to come upon them all, worthy and unworthy alike, and the whole colony was driven out, the obedient, as usual, being compelled to suffer with and because of their disobedient brothers and sisters.

Since such impressive promises had been made concerning the building of the city and its temple at that time, and since now all seemed to be lost, the Prophet Joseph was deeply disturbed. He could not understand why the Lord had allowed the mobs to so afflict the Saints. He pleaded in humble prayer for an answer and was told:

1, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them, wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of their transgressions.

Behold, I say unto you, there were jarrings, and contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires among them; therefore by these things they polluted their inheritances.

They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; therefore, the Lord their God is slow to hearken unto their prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble.

In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me. (D&C 101:2, 6-8.)

Thus the Lord withdrew his promised blessing, allowing the mobs to prevail, and the Saints were forced to leave their Zion.

Were the plans of the Lord then to be frustrated? No! They never are! But in this, as in other instances where the people have disobeyed, he simply postponed his plans. And so he said: "Therefore, in consequence of the transgressions of my people, it is expedient in me that mine elders should wait for a little season for the redemption of Zion." (D&C 105:9.)

So all was postponed: the building of the city, the construction of the great temple, the gathering of the people to that place. The promises that had been made were for the time being suspended.

But all this was only a postponement. Otherwise, plans were not changed. "Zion shall not be moved out of her place," the Lord promised; the Saints will yet return "to build up the waste places of Zion—And all these things that the prophets might be fulfilled. And, behold, there is none other place appointed; neither shall there be any other place appointed. . . ." (D&C 101:17-20.)

So in the Lord's own time the city will yet rise in its glory. In the Lord's own time his temple will yet be erected. A new generation will be allowed to carry on instead of those who began it, but who, "because of transgression," were not permitted to continue it. Transgressors cannot build the city of Zion nor its temple, for "Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself." (D&C 105:5. Italics added.)

But Jackson County—in the United States—is still the place for it, and its development will be a part of the future destiny of America.

In writing to N. E. Seaton, a publisher in Rochester, New York, on January 4, 1833, the Prophet Joseph said:

The city of Zion spoken of by David, in the one hundred and second Psalm, will be built upon the land of America. "And the ransomed shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads" (Isaiah xxxv: 10); and then they will be delivered from the overflowing scourge that shall pass through the land. But Judah shall obtain deliverance at Jerusalem. See Joel ii:32; Isaiah xxvi: 20 and 21; Jeremiah xxxi:12; Psalm 1:5;Ezekiel xxxiv: 11, 12 and 13. These are testimonies that the Good Shepherd will put forth his own sheep, and lead them out from all nations where they have been scattered in a cloudy and dark day, to Zion, and to Jerusalem. . . . (History of the Church, 1:315. Italics added.)

In the same letter he predicted that the United States will be cleansed of the wicked by pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake "to open and prepare the way for the return of the lost tribes of Israel." (Ibid.)

The overflowing scourge he refers to is mentioned by the Lord in section 5 of the Doctrine and Covenants, wherein he says:

For a desolating scourge shall go forth among the inhabitants of the earth, and shall continue to be poured out from time to time, if they repent not, until the earth is empty, and the inhabitants thereof are consumed away and utterly destroyed by the brightness of my coming.

Behold, I tell you these things, even as I also told the people of the destruction of Jerusalem [Matthew 24]; and my word shall be verified at this time as it hath hitherto been verified. (D&C 5:19-20.)

It is referred to likewise in Doctrine and Covenants 45:31.

But the Prophet, as above quoted, says the righteous will be delivered from this affliction. Also in the United States, the Ancient of Days, Father Adam, who is Michael the archangel, will come prior to the final day, there to meet the Saints and the Savior. That will be at Adam-ondi-Ahman, which again is in Missouri.

President Wilford Woodruff quoted Brigham Young as saying, "Joseph, the Prophet, told me that the Garden of Eden was in Jackson County, Missouri. When Adam was driven out he went to the place we now call Adam-ondi-Ahman. Daviess County, Missouri. There he built an altar and offered sacrifices." (Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff: History of his Life and Labors, Bookcraft, p. 481.)

Tribulations will not deter the work of the Lord. Both latter-day movements—the pouring out of tribulations upon the wicked and the forward march of the kingdom of God—will go forward simultaneously, neither one obstructing the other.

Said President Joseph F. Smith:

The kingdom of God is here to grow, to spread abroad, to take root in the earth, and to abide where the Lord has planted it by his own power and by his own word in the earth, never more to be destroyed nor to cease, but to continue until the purposes of the Almighty shall be accomplished, every whit that has been spoken of it by the mouths of the holy prophets since the world began. (Gospel Doctrine, p. 76.)

President John Taylor made this declaration:

It has been asked . . . whether this kingdom will fail. I tell you in the name of Israel's God it will not fail. I tell you in the name of Israel's God it will roll forth, and that the things spoken of by the holy prophets in relation to it will receive their fulfilment. But in connection with this I will tell you another thing: A great many Latter-day Saints will fail, a great many of them are not now and never have been living up to their privileges, and magnifying their callings and their priesthood, and God will have a reckoning with such people, unless they speedily repent. (Gospel Kingdom, p. 137. Italics added.)

President Taylor further said:

When the people shall have torn to shreds the Constitution of the United States, the elders of Israel will be found holding it up to the nations of the earth and proclaiming liberty and equal rights to all men, and extending the hand of fellowship to the oppressed of all nations. This is part of the program, and as long as we do what is right and fear God, he will help us and stand by us under all circumstances. (Gospel Kingdom, p. 219.)

President Harold B. Lee said:

. . . this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail. . . . I have faith in America; you and I must have faith in America, if we understand the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ." (Ye Are the Light of the World, Deseret Book, 1974, p. 351. Italics added.)

If we have any doubt about the part the United States will continue to play in this great unfolding drama, President Brigham Young's words will reassure us:

When the day comes in which the Kingdom of God will bear rule, the flag of the United States will proudly flutter unsullied on the flag staff of liberty and equal rights, without a spot to sully its fair surface; the glorious flag our fathers have bequeathed to us will then be unfurled to the breeze by those who have power to hoist it aloft and defend its sanctity.

How long will it be before the words of the prophet Joseph will be fulfilled? He said if the Constitution of the United States were saved at all it must be done by this people. It will not be many years before these words come to pass. (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 360.)

After its cleansing, the United States will go on under righteous leadership, as the "home base" of the Lord's latter-day operations, looking toward the glorious coming of the Holy One of Israel.

Through all the tribulations, the Saints who obey the commandments will be preserved to complete their work.

Said the prophet Nephi concerning these days:

For the time soon cometh that the fulness of the wrath of God shall be poured out upon all the children of men; for he will not suffer that the wicked shall destroy the righteous.

Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire.

Behold, my brethren, I say unto you, that these things must shortly come; yea, even blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke must come; and it must needs be upon the face of the earth; and it cometh unto men according to the flesh if it so be that they will harden their hearts against the Holy One of Israel.

For behold, the righteous shall not perish; for the time surely must come that all they who fight against Zion shall be cut off.

And the righteous need not fear, for they are those who shall not be confounded. But it is the kingdom of the devil, which shall be built up among the children of men, which kingdom is established among them which are in the flesh. (2 Nephi 22:16-19, 22.)

And then Nephi concludes:

And now behold, I, Nephi, say unto you that all these things must come according to the flesh.

But, behold, all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people shall dwell safely in the Holy One of Israel if it so be that they will repent. (1 Nephi 22:27-28.)


(Mark E. Petersen, The Great Prologue [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1975], 112.)

SIGNS OF THE TIMES - OVERARCHING CONTROL OVER MAN BY MEGALOMANIAICAL TYPES

One of my first jobs out of college was working for big pharma. I loved what I did as I had very little direction and set each day up deciding which direction I would move in that research environment along with my own budget for the little group that I was lead over.

I was pretty oblivious at the time to the battle going on around me between those who are for proper nutrition and those who mask the the symptoms of improper nutrition by having their patients pop a few pills. My wife got me up to speed as the early years of our marriage progressed and then, after three rapid pregnancies, the issue of proper nutrition reared its ugly head and we were in a battle for our lives as she fought what was diagnosed by the white coats as a "bipolar" condition - but was actually a B12 deficiency. I blogged that earlier under the topic B12.

In the Book of Mormon, we read of secret combinations that will exist in the last days - and the FDA and all their ilk being bought off to the highest bidder in a highly politicized arena fits the classic definition. I ran across this site and thought there was alot of merit to what they have to say:

The big pharma hoax

When the Lord comes again, all of the trash that seeks to hide and shut down the truth will be taken to the curb..... Can't wait!! The Millenium will rock!

CLAY IN THE HANDS OF THE LORD

Sometimes you just wander through life in a morasse of mediocrity and never come to a true sense of whether you stand approved before the Lord (that would be, that you see things as He see things, because you are like him in thought word and deed). I have run into a few people that I know stand approved before the Lord - to the point that they have received the Second Comforter - which is a personal visitation of the Lord. A few years back, after running into the account of Iohani Wolfgramm's life (and his personal witness of the Lord), I decided to scour the internet and find what I could on the topic. I ran into a book that I thought would be rather enlightening - one written by a guy I think has the oddest name - Denver Snuffer. The book is, simply; The Second Comforter.
I ordered it from Amazon thinking I would devour it and found it quite mundane (if the first chapter does not light me on fire, I will usually put it aside). I think I was looking for something of the sensational - which is not God's way.....
My wife, however, found it a great read. Such is the nature of our marriage - we balance each other out nearly perfectly. She then looked Denver up and found his blog - which she then introduced me to. Denver generally picks the Book of Mormon apart verse by verse and brings it to life - something no BYU professor of religion could ever do with any measure of success. I found Denver's daily writings refreshing - clear, honest and direct. I am a daily reader now - even though some of the stuff he writes may seem cutting or critical - it is as the Lord sees things. I gage anything against the writings of the New Testament specifically - and the rest of the gospel generally. That is where the Lord was dealing with a fallen people directly and was rather harsh and direct in his approach to the people of the day - other scripture usually involved a sermon to the choir, so to speak. Denver has the same approach - and so it has rung true with me. Anyone who sugar coats something, I reject outright as a false teacher. If anyone is harsh or not bound by love, I reject them also. Firmness, bounded by love was the Savior's way.

So, I commend Denver and a post which hit me hard as I struggled just a few short years ago in my marriage to my dear wife as she struggled with a vitamin deficiency that left her a fraction of the woman that I married 18 years ago.

Enjoy the link (and feel free to dig through Denver's ample postings!):
http://denversnuffer.blogspot.com/2010/10/3-nephi-12-31-32.html

DEGANAWIDAH THE IROQUOIS PROPHET AND THE REMNANT SPOKEN OF IN THE BOOK OF MORMON?

You will probably have to dig pretty hard to find the actually prophecy in this blog about Deganawidah (who may have been Christ or another chosen servant), but I think this prophecy references a remnant who might be part of the remnant spoken of in the Book of Mormon. Some of the remnant have been instructed to go to the mountains for safety during the coming conflict - others will be sought out when the Saints are driven South just before returning to the New Jerusalem to receive their inheritances.

Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDBN3nJ1q4o


It will truly be an awe inspiring time to live. Only those who have the Spirit for their guide and who abhor violence and love the truth will be allowed to stand.

A COMMEMORATION OF 9/11

On this day (9/11), I have to do something to show the downfall of this nation. This is truly sad. We did what we did to the Branch Davidians (right or wrong), but we let this happen in the name of political correctness.



Let me be very clear on this day that has largely become a symbol of sacrifice of our public "servants", I do not worship our troops, I do not worship our police, I do not worship our fire fighters, I do not worship anyone that gets paid for what they do (they are largely over-paid fat cats in my opinion - not the George Washingtonian public servant model). It is simply a job - and they are amply compensated for what they do and the level of danger and that is their reward. They feel it is their calling just as I feel my line of work is mine. However, I DO have respect and reverence for a humble missionary who travels largely without purse or scrip and is rejected by the proud and haughty but who perseveres in faith. It is missionary armed with God's word who will largely change the world over those armed with instruments of death and force who will compel change. Lets not forget through all of the killing that occurred in the Book of Mormon, it was a few dedicated missionaries who changed an entire culture to the correct side - so much so that the former "bad guys" sent missionaries to set the former "good guys" straight before the Lord came. Lets keep things in perspective folks.

ONE MIGHTY AND STRONG - WHO IS IT??

This is a topic that seems to get alot of attention in the speculative crowd - and for once, I have zero formed opinion. The Fundamentalists seem to have alot to say while the mainstream LDS are largely silent on the matter.

The one thing I do know is that Section 85 is clear that there will be one who will come and set things in order after the purge has begun in the Church and the chaff has been separated out. I look forward to this event with great anticipation. For over 140 years we have largely been adrift - acutely so in the last 50 years. World political and social events dictate that we are on the cusp of major change which will necessitate folks to move one direction or the other.

This is the best grouping of information I have seen yet on the matter (click on the colored text):

http://www.archive.org/stream/onemightystronga00clarrich#page/38/mode/2up/search/Bishop

ENJOY!!