The Plates of Brass
“Thus saith the LORD God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.” –Ezekiel 37:19 KJV
The following is a divinely inspired translation of the plates of brass by David that began March 8, 2018. (If you are unfamiliar with the plates of brass, Mormon Rescue has made a video covering them here.) Being awoken around 2 am, he was given the first few chapters of the Book of Melchizedek. Working from there, he continued the “translation” little by little, as he has been instructed by the Lord.
Finding Your Identity in Christ
“If anyone be in Christ, they are a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new; and all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” -2 Corinthians 5:17-19
“Identity crisis.” We hear the term thrown around, some even saying it is not real. But everyone at some point asks the questions, “who am I?” and “why am I here?” This is not a new line of thought, as we see the even the people of the scriptures wrestled with these questions.
The Endowment of the Deacon
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.” -1 Timothy 1:12
On May 4, 1842 Joseph Smith Jr. introduced on the second floor of his Red Brick Store in Nauvoo, Illinois what some call the Nauvoo Endowment to nine Brethren: James Adams, Patriarch Hyrum Smith, Bishops Newel K. Whitney and George Miller, and Apostles Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards.
The Kirtland Endowment
“Hearken ye Elders of my Church, whom I have appointed: Ye are not sent forth to be taught, but to teach the children of men the things which I have put in your hands by the power of my Spirit; and ye are to be taught from on high. Sanctify yourselves and ye shall be endowed with power from on high that ye may give even as I have spoken.” -Doctrines of the Saints 2b:18-21
In the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ, held from June 3 to June 6, 1831, a number of men were ordained to the High Priesthood of Melchizedek, and this ordination consisted of an endowment to bestow authority. The Kirtland endowment ceremonies consisted of preparatory washings, at first administered in the homes of the Saints. Men washed and purified their bodies with soap, clear water, and perfumed whiskey (Kirtland Elders’ Quorum Record 1836).
Types of Kabbalah
“Kabbalah is a mysticism, a theology, and a thaumaturgy; Kabbalah is the tradition of Israel, it is my doctrine, and thus it is a mysterious art, for my doctrine is too simple for mankind to comprehend.” -Doctrines of the Saints 125:7-8
There are two main misunderstandings I encounter over and over when talking about Mormon Kabbalah. The first is that Kabbalah is a book. The second is that there is only one type of Kabbalah. This article will not be an exhausting look at Kabbalah by any means. However, it is the hope of the author to help readers and students better understand Mormon Kabbalah in light of other types of Kabbalah.
Building Homes for the Spiritually Homeless
“And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” -Acts 5:42
In the early Jewish sects that would become Christianity, worship services took place mainly in homes, as we see described in the book of Acts and various epistles (see Acts 2:46, 5:42, 2020; Romans 16:5; Colossians 4:15; and Philemon 1:2). It is clear that these brothers and sisters found fellowship and practiced their religion by walking closely in Christ together. Christianity grew and eventually dotted the lands with both simple and grand places of worship. Meanwhile, the Jewish people suffered a collective loss when the second Temple was destroyed, creating the Judaism we know today—a shadow of its former self.
Baptism or Tevilah?
“And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water to fulfill all righteousness, O, then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water.” -2 Nephi 13:7 RAV, 31:5 OPV
When reading the Book of Mormon, we see baptism mentioned repeatedly throughout the book. However, Nephi and others would not have understood this as we understand baptism today. They would have understood baptism as tevilah, a full body ritual washing for cleansing rather than absolution.
Thirteen Attributes of Mercy
“YHVH is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” -Psalm 103:8
Shelosh-‘Esreh Middot HaRakhamim (שְׁלוֹשׁ־עֶשְׂרֵה מִידּוֹת הַרַחֲמִים) is known in English as the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. These are Divine Attributes taken from Exodus 34:6-7 and tell us that that God governs the world, according to Kabbalah and Judaism. We see these attributes mentioned throughout the scriptures.
Tishrei: a Month of Holy Days
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” -Exodus 20:8
In modern times, we as Christians for the most part remember the first Sabbath, the Sabbath of the Seventh Day. However, we typically reject the other four Sabbaths: Passover, Yom Teruah (today called Rosh Hashanah), Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. Three of these Sabbaths, sometimes called Holy Days, are in the Hebrew month of Tishrei, September-October in the Gregorian calendar. These are eternal Holy Days given to us to celebrate Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, and meet together as families and as Saints.
Contend Against No Church
“Condemn not other branches of the Church of Christ, for contention is not of me; but build bridges that all may come and worship the Father in my name.” – Doctrines of the Saints 14d:18
In June of 1829, Joseph Smith received a revelation for all those called to be Apostles in these last days. In part they were commanded not to contend against any “church, save it be the church of the devil” (Avahr 25:39, DoS 12a:35). But this commandment wasn’t new.
Not to Condemn the World
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” -John 3:17
John 3:16 may be the most popular and well known scripture in the world. And that is a good thing. It teaches the Doctrine of Christ. Summing this passage up, is says all who believe in the Son, Jesus, may be saved. And this is a beautiful truth! Unfortunately, we see too many rather vocal Christians then reject the very next verse, that Jesus was sent to save the world, not to condemn it. By ignoring this important truth we find a vocal Christian minority condemning anything and everything. As we preach and teach of Christ, we must be clear that love is the way.
When is it Time to Leave Your Church?
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” -1 Corinthians 1:10
All Christian churches, sects, or denominations have one thing in common: faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But once we get past this commonality, our shared religion begins to fracture. How then do we follow Paul’s advice that we “all speak the same thing?” (1 Corinthians 1:10). The answer is simple: the Lord has given us numerous congregations, sects, and denominations to choose from. The question isn’t about finding the one that is right, but the right one for you and your family.