A Mighty Hand And A Stretched Out Arm

My latest post dealt with the parting of the Red Sea, allowing the children of Israel to go free from bondage. Since it's Easter and a day of reflection I hope you will forgive me for waxing a bit personal as I share a personal experience sacred to me.

My journey back to this Church and gospel began with my struggle as a practicing alcoholic and addict. When I hit a hopeless bottom and thought life was well over for me, I one night attended a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous where I had previously read the Twelve Steps posted on the wall at a local Alano Club. I was only interested in that "club" that summer morning twenty seven years ago, because I thought it was a bar, since the word "club" appeared in the title.

Two years later, when I hit rock bottom, I remembered three words I had read in Step One: "powerless over alcohol." After two weeks of attending meetings, often twice per day, I still could not stay sober for even a single day. I went home one night not knowing whether to give up on AA or to make an attempt to seriously work the Twelve Steps. After an hour-long battle with the enemy, I fell to my knees and offered perhaps the shortest but most sincere prayer I have offered to date. I felt a strong feeling of peace come over me and something tried to whisper to my soul that things would work out alright. I pleaded for God's help and asked for the biggest miracle of my life--one day without alcohol, something I had not experienced in seven years.

In spite of myself, God was able to perform this miracle, and I began to live my life sober with God's grace one day at a time.

Forty sober days later I was in Washington DC on a trip I had signed up for months earlier. I checked into my hotel room all alone, and knowing myself to be a long way from home and on vacation, I felt extremely weak and vulnerable. I thought it best to go to the dresser drawer in search of a phone book so I could call AA and get myself to a meeting. I pulled open the drawer but found no phone book. Instead, my eyes fastened on what looked like about 50 mini bottles of hard liquor. My beverage of choice was there right in front of me!

I slammed the drawer shut, dashed out of the room, and went downstairs to a payphone where I called the local AA Central Office and got some addresses of AA meetings. I called a taxi and found one of the best AA meetings I ever attended.

But I knew I had to go back to that hotel room surrounded by liquor. When I walked into the room the compulsion to drink was overpowering beyond description. I felt like I was being consumed in my addiction. It seemed like an evil monster in the room and seemed inescapable. I was sweating, breathing hard, and felt my heart race.

Not knowing what else to do, I got down on my knees and with clenched fists pounded on the bed, pleading for help or relief of some kind. After struggling like this for a few minutes and feeling there was no way out, something then happened that totally surprised me.

I felt a calmness come over me and suddenly began to feel very tired. My energy seemed sapped and completely disappeared in a matter of seconds. A peaceful feeling replaced the feelings of fear and despair, but the feeling only lasted a few seconds, as I fell harmlessly asleep. It was so bizarre. It was like going to sleep on a roller coaster. I partially woke up later; I don't know how much later. It may have been a few minutes or a few hours. I could not tell. It seemed to take all my energy to pull myself into the bed, where I instantly fell asleep again.

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and relatively full of energy (something not common for me). I walked over to the dresser drawer again and thought about my experience of the night before. It seemed surreal, almost like a dream. I pulled open the dresser drawer and there saw the same mini bottles staring me in the face. But now it was different. I felt absolutely no compulsion to drink them. It was then that I decided to look in the fridge I had discovered in my room. I opened the fridge to find some beer, soft drinks, and bottled water. Being allergic to water (just kidding) and with the grace of God, I chose the Diet Coke.

I slept peacefully in the same room with my enemy for four more nights and checked out of that hotel with all the mini bottles and beer cans (and water bottles) unopened and full to the brim. The Diet Coke didn't last til sundown.

I walked out of that hotel with the absolute assurance that the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob is still alive and well! And He had rescued me. This miracle for me is as major (really more important to me) as the parting of the Red Sea. Years later I read about how Jesus stood in the ship and calmed the tempest. He "rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:39). I know He calmed the tempest because He calmed the storm inside of me.

Every Easter I am grateful and awed by His willingness to go to that garden, where He "began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy." In the Greek sore amazed means struck with terror. Here He said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death." Here He "went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him." It was here He pleaded with His Father in familial terms of affinity, "Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:33-36). Nonetheless He "partook and finished (His) preparations unto the children of men" (D&C 19:19).

"This Is The Spirit of Revelation"

In a revelation to Oliver Cowdery the Lord admonished, "Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground." Previously the Lord said, "Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart" (D&C 8:2-3).

I was shocked the first time I read this. You mean simple impressions coming into the heart and mind as feelings, and sometimes in words, are the media of the Spirit to perform an awesome miracle like parting the Red Sea? Then I went back and read the events of the parting of the waters.

The story goes like this:

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea" (Exodus 14:1-2).

Can you imagine if Moses were having a bad day? Being too tired, worried, unworthy, busy, stressed-out, or a multitude of other conditions could have blocked this simple instruction which could have been conveyed in feeling or actual words. What if Moses were out of tune or simply not listening to the Spirit?

But he was very obedient to this prompting and led the children of Israel to this exact spot. Pharaoh chases after them, and in just nine short verses later the people exclaim something to the effect of, "Moses, you idiot!" "Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness" (vv. 11-12). Sometimes a prompting from the Spirit will test your faith.

What if Moses said, "Well, maybe you're right. Maybe that was a bad idea?" And maybe he ignores the next prompting or simply quits listening. Then the Egyptians overtake them and an ugly slaughter ensues.

Then suddenly without warning, another prompting comes: "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea" (vv. 15-16). So Moses does it.

The waters, which often represent chaotic, unorganized element (especially during the Creation), now stand like a solid wall--something that could stand in the presence of God. The Israelites go into the midst of the sea and so do the Egyptians. Moses has to be thinking, "I'm 0 for two now, and neither prompting has worked out the way I wanted." But then the Lord gives them a little break by driving hard the wheels of Egyptian chariots and the wheels begin to bind up on the Egyptians.

But Egyptians run hard and Israel is not out of the woods (or water) yet. This could have been a literal bloodbath! But wait, there is another prompting:

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen" (v. 26). The seas close on the Egyptians just as Israel runs to safety.

Jehovah, who knows the end from the beginning (see Abraham 2:8), could have spared Moses a lot of grief by simply stating the entire plan and how they would overcome each obstacle in the way. But He didn't. He let Israel learn "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts" (2 Nephi 28:30).

And THAT is the Spirit of revelation.

The Paschal Lamb

Passover begins at sundown tonight and there is a little part of me that would like to go celebrate in these three required Old Testament feasts. Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), and Feast of Tabernacles are the required feasts in ancient Israel and practiced still in Judaism (Deuteronomy 16:16).

I'll give credit to my friend, Eric Huntsman, of the BYU Religion Department, the source of some of these ideas, which we gleaned from Education Week and also his marvelous book, God So Loved the World.

The days match between the Hebrew and Gregorian calendars, something that rarely happens, so the Passover beginning, Nisan the 14th is also April 14th this year.

On the 10th (last Thursday) we would select the paschal lamb, a male of the first year without blemish, to meet the symbolic requirement described by Peter, who said,

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

"But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Peter 1:18-19).

The paschal lamb would be slain this evening, on the 14th day of Nisan (or Abib).

Many of the events in the last week of the Savior's mortal life were foretold by symbols of the Passover.

1. Examining for Blemishes

Between the 10th and 14th days of Nisan the paschal lambs would be examined for any defects. If we move the birth date of the Savior from December to April 6th, as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants, section 20, verse 1, and reaffirmed by Elder Bednar last week in conference, the Christmas story in Luke becomes clearer:

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke 2:8). It makes sense that shepherds would be watching over their flocks during the Passover season to make sure they remain safe and free from any blemish or injury.

But even more significant are the events in the corresponding final week of the Savior's life. While shepherds were carefully examining the paschal lambs during these three days before Passover, scribes, Pharisees, and chief priests were examining and cross-examining the real Paschal Lamb, our Savior Jesus Christ. These were among the questions that the Pharisees, chief priests, and others were asking during these three days before Passover. The irony here is remarkable.

"And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?" (Matthew 21:23).

"Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not?" (Matthew 22:17).

"Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:

Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.

And last of all the woman died also.

Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her." (Matthew 22:25-28).

"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" (Matthew 22:35-36).

2. Blood on the Side and Upper Door Posts

The children of Israel were commanded to take the blood of the paschal lambs and strike it upon the two side posts and the upper door post, or lintel, allowing such homes to be passed over. Israel was saved by the blood of the lambs (Exodus 12:13). The vertical side posts adjoined to the upper post would form the horizontal and vertical beams of a cross. At the crucifixion of Christ, blood, water, and spirit all left the Savior's body. In other scripture, blood, water, and Spirit are components of birth and spiritual rebirth. Thus, the wooden cross is transformed into a tree of life (see John 19:34).

In the Book of Moses we read: "That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory" (Moses 6:59).

3. Eaten With Bitter Herbs

"And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it" (Exodus 12:8). This can symbolize the bitterness of Egyptian bondage, but it's also relevant to our Savior's mission. When Jesus visited the Nephites upon the American Continent after His resurrection, He said:

"And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning" (3 Nephi 11:11).

4. Hyssop Dipped in Blood

"And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning" (Exodus 12:22).

Hyssop was used in ritual cleansing of lepers in Leviticus 14, but during the crucifixion vinegar was given to our Lord while on the cross and it was "put . . . upon hyssop, and put . . . to his mouth" (John 19:29). Hyssop has close connections with the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

5. No Broken Bones

The Israelites were commanded to not break any bones in the paschal lambs. When the Roman soldiers approached Jesus on the cross the scripture states:

"Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.

"But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs.

"For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken."    (John 19:32-33,36).

John is careful to record all these events so you can't miss the idea that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Paschal Lamb.

6. Timing of the Death of Jesus

The Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, said that on Passover the paschal lambs were brought to the temple courtyard at 3 o'clock in the afternoon to be slain. John chapter 13 begins by saying,

"Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him" (John 13:1-2). John never calls this Last Supper a Passover meal as the other Gospels do. So if this Thursday night supper is the evening before actual Passover, and if the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are correct when they say Jesus died at the ninth hour, which would be 3 o'clock in the afternoon (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44), then there is an incredible irony here! At the exact moment when the paschal lambs are being slain in the temple courtyard, the real Paschal Lamb is voluntarily surrendering His life to rescue you and me!

An Ancient Patriarchal Blessing Part 2

The blessing given by Jacob to his son Joseph highlights great promises for the restored gospel in the latter days.

I want to talk about some key phrases in Genesis 49, verses 22 to 26, highlighted below:

"Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall"

Joseph's posterity would become numerous in the latter days and they would have access to the restored gospel and ordinances, because they are watered by the Savior's well of living water--a "well of water springing up into everlasting life" (see John 4:10-14).

Joseph's posterity would eventually leave the Holy Land and both branches (Ephraim and Manasseh) would "run over the wall" to the American Continent. Lehi descended from Manasseh (see Alma 10:3) and Ishmael descended from Ephraim. And even today, the Americas are filled with descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh.

"His bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel)."

The Lord previously established the rainbow as a token of the covenant. He said, "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth" (Genesis 9:13). Hebrew, like English, uses the same word for a hunting bow as it does a rainbow. Both rainbow and bow are qesheth in Hebrew. Remember when Laman and Lemuel's bows lost their springs (1 Nephi 16:21)? There is a symbolic message here. Laman and Lemuel had lost the power of the covenant because of disobedience. The "hands" that pull the bow are "made strong" by the hands of the Shepherd and Stone of Israel, even Jesus Christ. In His strength "we can do all things" (Philippians 4:13). Our strength comes through the Atonement and grace of Jesus Christ. A stone becomes a secure foundation and it is where our strength is built. Helaman called it "the rock of our Redeemer" (Helaman 5:12).

"Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb."

The "blessings of heaven above" are latter-day revelations given to bring about the Restoration of the Gospel. This began, of course, with the First Vision received by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and according to President Uchtdorf, the Restoration is still underway.

"Blessings of the deep that lieth under" are the blessings of the Book of Mormon, which lay underground in the form of gold plates, which were eventually translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith.

If we abide in the covenants we have made, we are prospered and nourished both temporally and spiritually.

"The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren."

This verse tells us where the "branches run over the wall," or where they run to. The "everlasting hills" refers to the American Continent. "Everlasting hills" are a continuous mountain range running the entire length of the continent. There is only one such mountain range in the world. The Rocky Mountains begin in Alaska and run down the North American Continent (including Utah), into Central America, and down the continent of South America.

These great promises and blessings are not reserved only for people who dwell in America, though. Those who are faithful will eventually wear the "crown." The Lord has said, "And those who receive it (the Lord's work) in faith, and work righteousness, shall receive a crown of eternal life" (D&C 20:14).

An Ancient Patriarchal Blessing

Jacob blesses all of his sons in Genesis chapter 49. I want to look at only two of the 12 sons and their blessings.

Jacob said, "Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise." The name Judah means "praise" in Hebrew. Later on, Caleb, a descendant of Judah, would be given choice land as an inheritance because of his faithfulness (see Joshua 14).

Let's look at some other key phrases in this blessing to Judah.

"Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee" (v. 8). Before Israel was split as two kingdoms in the days of Rehoboam and Jeroboam, Israel dominated against their enemies in battle. The descendants of Judah were the kings in Israel, so the other tribes bowed down to them. With the exception of Saul, who was a Benjamite, the kings in united Israel and the kings in the Southern Kingdom were of Judah.

"Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?" (v. 9). Just as the lion is the king of the jungle, the tribe of Judah served a kingly role. But when John the Revelator sees the hosts of heaven weeping because there is none worthy and able to open the book, representing God's plan, "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" prevails to open the book. The Lion is Jesus Christ, who is able to carry out the Father's plan (see Revelation 5:5).

"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be" (v. 10). Scepters, swords, cups, and crowns are among the kingly paraphernalia. The Davidic line would hold reign down to Christ, who is referred to here as "Shiloh." The footnote tells us, "The Hebrew word shiloh may be a short form of asher-lo, which can be rendered “whose right it is.” A latter-day revelation states, "Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet" (D&C 58:22). Notice how enemies are "subdued under feet" in both verses. During Christ's millennial reign, those on earth will be gathered to Him.

"Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes" (v. 11). A young colt would represent the offspring of his parents. We can become spiritually-begotten sons and daughters of Christ through making and keeping covenants. Jesus referred to Himself as "the true vine" and He referred to his apostles as the branches of the vine (John 15:1-5). His garments were washed in wine, symbolic of blood, during His Atonement, as He bled through every pore. He said in modern times, "I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press alone" (D&C 76:107).

"His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk" (v. 12). Once again, wine is symbolic of blood, and this relates to the Savior's Atonement. Our Savior chooses to see us through the eyes of His Atonement--after we have been cleansed and sanctified in the blood of the Lamb. Our garments can be washed white like milk through His atoning grace. In the Book of Revelation, someone (perhaps Enoch), rides a white horse, symbolic of victory, as he goes conquering (Revelation 6:2).

In my next post, I will consider the great blessings given to the descendants of Joseph.

Two Joseph's Compared

In an earlier post I compared Joseph who was sold into Egypt as a type of Christ. In this one I want to compare Joseph in Egypt with the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Today, April 6th, is a predetermined sacred day according to the preface of Doctrine and Covenants Section 20. The Prophet wrote, "We obtained of Him [Jesus Christ] the following, by the spirit of prophecy and revelation; which not only gave us much information, but also pointed out to us the precise day upon which, according to His will and commandment, we should proceed to organize His Church once more here upon the earth.”

The calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith was foreordained and prophesied in previous millennia. Let's begin with Joseph's (the former one) birth and name. The footnote a in Genesis 30, verse 24 tells us, "'Joseph' relates both to the Hebrew root yasaph, 'to add,' and to asaph, meaning both 'to take away' and 'to gather.' The context plays upon all of these meanings."

Joseph's mother, Rachel, said, "The Lord shall add to me another son." Joseph named his second son Ephraim, which in Hebrew literally means a double portion. The Lord added to Joseph's prosperity and made him "fruitful in the land of (his) affliction" (Genesis 41:52).

Joseph was sold into Egypt where he was "taken away" from the rest of the family of Israel (Jacob). But his separation from his brethren created a great blessing for the entire family of Israel. It was in Egypt where he fulfilled the role of the third part of his name, meaning he became a "gatherer."

"And he (Joseph) gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.

"And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number" (Genesis 41:48-49).

The word corn probably should be translated as grain, and thus, Joseph implemented a food storage plan which eventually saved the family of Israel. The reference to the grain being "as the sand of the sea" in number is an obvious allusion to the Abrahamic Covenant and Abraham's posterity being as the "sand of the sea" (see Genesis 22:17). When the famine waxed sore in the land of Canaan, the family of Israel was saved by the grain "gathered" by Joseph. The family of Israel, now increased to seventy souls, went down into Egypt and were saved by Joseph and his food gathering.

Let's fast-forward almost two thousand years and we find the General Epistle of James who writes to "the twelve tribes (of Israel) which are scattered abroad" (James 1:1). If you were James and were writing to scattered Israel, wouldn't you hope your words would end up in the hands of a Joseph--a "gatherer?" If James had such a secret prayer, his prayer was surely answered as Joseph Smith reads James Chapter One and exclaims upon reading verse 5, "Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again" (Joseph Smith--History 1:12).

You know the rest of the story. Joseph goes into the Grove and "offers up the desires of his heart," as a true Old Testament burnt offering--a surrender to God. The Father and Son appear and utter the first word spoken to open the dispensation of the fullness of times. Joseph records, "One of them spake unto me, calling me by name" (Joseph Smith--History 1:15,17). So the first word spoken to open this dispensation was the name "Joseph." It is that Hebrew word meaning "to add," "to take away," and "to gather."

The seed of Joseph had already been "taken away" twice now--really three times, at least, if you count the capture of Samaria by the Assyrians (2 Kings 17). The Nephites and Lamanites are the "branches that run over the wall" and go to America, the land of "everlasting hills," the Rocky Mountains, the only continuous mountain range on any continent in the world (Genesis 49:22,26).

The two branches (sons) of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, leave the Holy Land and "run over the wall" to the American Continent. Lehi was a direct descendant of Manasseh (see Alma 10:3) and Ishmael, who allowed his sons and daughters to marry Lehi's children, was a descendant of Ephraim, according to Joseph Smith as recorded by Erastus Snow (see Book of Mormon Reference Companion pages 400-401). When the early converts to the Church began migrating to America in the 1800's, many of them were descendants of Ephraim, and thus the prophecy continues to be fulfilled and the tribe of Joseph and his branches are "taken away" to another promised land.

Joseph Smith and his family were "taken away" as his ancestors immigrated to America. He was born in Vermont and then moved to Palmyra, New York.

As Joseph went to the Grove to pray he had a question about which church he should join. His knowledge was "added upon" and he came away knowing much more than his original question posed. One hundred and eighty-four years ago today, Joseph and a handful of others met in a small cabin and organized a church according to the laws of the State of New York. The Church has been "added upon" as it now has over 15 million members.

Joseph of Egypt "gathered" grain, in fulfillment of his name, to save the family of Jacob from famine and starvation.

Joseph Smith went into the Grove and he records, "I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (Joseph Smith--History 1:17). The phrase, "calling me by name" has two meanings. Of course, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ knew young Joseph intimately. But also, he was called by name, or in other words, his calling came in his name, meaning to "gather" and to "add upon." Joseph Smith would also "gather" the grain. His calling is to gather scattered Israel, and to gather the wheat from the tares.

Three revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants emphasize this point. Joseph would eventually see his older brother Alvin in celestial glory and he "marveled how it was that he had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to gather Israel the second time, and had not been baptized for the remission of sins" (D&C 137:6).

In Doctrine and Covenants section 113, the Prophet answers questions about some verses in Isaiah 11. He is asked about the "root of Jesse," which is a prophecy that, in part, points to him. He doesn't name himself directly out of humility, but says, "Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days" (v. 6).

Joseph in Egypt "gathered" grain to save the family of Israel from physical starvation. Joseph Smith's calling to gather Israel is to save the house of Israel (and everyone one else who will listen) from spiritual starvation.

Then in another revelation speaking of the welding of keys of dispensations, the scripture records,

"For it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together (or gathering) of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid (or "taken away") from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed (or "added upon") unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times"     (D&C 128:18).

As President Dieter F. Uchtdorf stated last evening, the Restoration is an ongoing process as the Lord "will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God" (Article of Faith 9). He said he hopes we don't sleep through the Restoration. He spoke of addictions. As a recovering alcoholic and addict I sincerely hope I don't go to sleep during the Restoration in the dispensation of the fullness of times.

I am so grateful for living prophets, seers, and revelators, and so grateful for the scriptures we have. Wasn't General Conference so awesome!

The East Wind

There is a middle-eastern term called "the east wind," which has symbolic connotations. Its symbolic content appears vividly in the Book of Mormon, as well as the Bible.

Pharaoh has a dream in which he sees seven ears of corn "full and good." Then he sees "seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind" (Genesis 41:22-23). The seven ears "blasted with the east wind" represent seven years of famine and destruction.

In another Old Testament example, Jonah runs from his calling and then displays some "attitude." The next verse is telling:

"And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live" (Jonah 4:8).

In the Book of Job Eliphaz asks, "Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?" (Job 15:2). We see from this example that the east wind is not merely a meteorological condition.

In middle-eastern language, belly or bowel would equate to the heart in the western world. This would be the center of feeling. The Savior expresses, "Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy (3 Nephi 17:7). And wind is something else besides. Both in the Old Testament and New Testament wind is associated with life and spirit (see Strong's H7307 and G4151).

The east wind is a spirit that destroys. You can take your pick of the LDS Bible Maps 5, 6, or 7. Find Jerusalem and then go due east. What do you run into? Yes, it's Babylon. The east wind is the spirit that blows out of Babylon. The east wind blows from Babylon, across the Arabian Desert, and withers, wilts, and destroys everything in its path. A belly full of the east wind is a poisonous spirit. It is the spirit of Babylon.

So let's proceed to the Book of Mormon.

Abinadi prophesies that, because of the wickedness of the people, a host of calamities will fall upon them:

"Thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that this generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into bondage, and shall be smitten on the cheek; yea, and shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh."

That's pretty graphic! But Abinadi goes on to explain:

"And it shall come to pass that I will send forth hail among them, and it shall smite them; and they shall also be smitten with the east wind; and insects shall pester their land also, and devour their grain" (Mosiah 12:2,6).

King Limhi declares, "And again, he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the chaff thereof in the whirlwind; and the effect thereof is poison. And again he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the east wind, which bringeth immediate destruction" (Mosiah 7:30-31).

Can you see the middle-eastern influence of these ancient American westerners? You can plainly see that these westerners descended from the Middle-East.

Filthiness brings an evil spirit and the "effect thereof is poison."

This is a further testimonial to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Would such terminology proceed out of the mouth of an American farm boy with the equivalent of a third-grade education?

I think not.

I am grateful to be able to listen to living prophets and apostles this very weekend.