7 Names of God from the Torah
“And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said: Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.” -Genesis 32:29
There are many names for the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. God, Jehovah, Jesus Christ, Awmen, and Allah are just a few. Which names come from the Torah? And, what do these names mean? Why are they used? In this article we will briefly cover seven of the names of God used in the Torah.
Forgery or Misattribution?
“Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord.” 1 Samuel 10:25a
In Lost Christianities page 9, Bart Ehrman begins by stating, “Almost all of the lost scriptures of the early Christians were forgeries.” He goes on to state, “Scholars have long recognized that even some of the books accepted into the canon are probably forgeries. Christian scholars, of course, have been loathe to call them that and so commonly referred to them as pseudonymous writings.”
Free Will
Many say that the greatest gift God has given us is the Atonement of Christ. This makes sense, as it is this atonement that grants us the Grace that offers us salvation. However, until we accept it, this grace is merely that—and offering. Perhaps then, the greatest gift God has granted us is the freedom to choose for ourselves.
Avoiding Fornication
To understand God’s view of fornication, we must understand the relationship between God and the Church. In the Scriptures, God is the Groom. The Church (all of us) is the Bride.
God is Father-God is Mother, Never One without the Other
“And he said unto me, Nephi, what beholdest thou? And I said unto him, A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.” -1 Nephi 3:54b-55, 11:14b-15 OPV
Mother Mary represents the feminine aspect of the Godhead. For Mary as well as Jesus, their lifetimes were their final initiations for the ascension. Both Jesus and Mary attained Godhood at the end of their lifetimes and took their places in the Spiritual Hierarchy as well as leaving a record in the etheric realms of this event for posterity. Jesus reminded us throughout his ministry he was the way shower, to remind us that we could do all that he could and more if we followed in his footsteps.
Poly Problems
Polygamy (used here to describe polygyny, a marriage in which one man has multiple spouses; polyandry, a marriage in which one woman has multiple spouses; polyculy, those having more than one husband and wife, or a group marriage) are ways some relationships are enjoyed. They aren’t for everyone and not every person that identifies as “poly” is in a polygamous relationship. And that’s okay. There is a misguided idea floating around that choosing to make another person’s feelings and desires a priority in any way somehow makes that other person selfish. This is an extremely pessimistic and self-serving point of view.
The Hidden Book of Moses
“Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” -Luke 16:29 KJV
Of the many great mysteries posed by the bible, the attitude of the Jews toward the Samaritans is not one. Perhaps no other explanation need be sought as to why the proceeding work was not considered for inclusion in the Hebrew Canon of scripture, notwithstanding their having preserved the oldest manuscript of the Torah available for centuries. Had relations been better, we all may have grown up revering the present work. It is therefore a delight to find the diamond that they overlooked.
The People of Israel
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the terms “Zion” and “Israel” come up a lot. Sometimes they are even used interchangeably. But what do these words mean? And what do they have to do with us, today?
The Book of Enoch
The Book of Enoch, or 1 Enoch, is an ancient religious work that was once a part of the Jewish and Christian canons.
Making the Shift from the Church Age to the Kingdom Age
“And these will seek out and teach all those seeking my name, not to build up a kingdom unto men, but unto me; therefore it matereth not if these should join my Fellowship, so long as they find their home in me they are a part of my vineyard and my Church shall be with them as they gather with others in my name.” -Doctrines of the Saints 6b:17-18
We have now entered into the Aquarian age. This also indicates a change in the frequency of our world, just as every cycle indicates. Looking at it from the Latter Day Saint (LDS) point of view and the teachings of the LDS movement in past years has been a focus on being in the telestial realm. This could also be translated as the Piscean age. The point of the LDS faith was to reinforce that we were not ready for anything more then that level of consciousness.
Serving Others
“And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.” Mosiah 1:49 RAV, 2:17 OPV
In Kabbalah, there is a focus on moving away from Ego towards godly altruism. The essence of not just Mormon Kabbalah, but every form of Kabbalah is “love thy neighbor as thyself,” the second greatest commandment as taught by Jesus (Leviticus 19:18, 33-34). Kabbalist teacher Rav Akiva taught that loving others as we love ourselves is the purpose of all spiritual teachings and the very heart of our spiritual work. Altruism, to the Kabbalist, isn’t just giving, it is serving others; it’s not just a hand out, it is a help up. And, it is more than what we do or what we give, there is a focus on the how and the why as well.
Polygamy and the Saints
“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” —Genesis 2:24
Editor’s note: This article contains topics of a more sensitive nature discussing sex and sexuality. Reader discretion is advised.
From the moment the Lord called me to start the Fellowship of Christ, one of the questions I have been asked over and over has been marriage. More specifically, polygamy. It took months before we received the first revelation on the topic, and even this felt to me more because people were pushing for it than the Lord saw we were ready for it. Later that same day we were given the second revelation, on how marriage should work in the Fellowship. This too felt premature, as we were not yet in real need of it.