Where the Gospel Isn't; ....the Wisdom of Learning MORE than One Language.

My spouse had a person reach out to him via social media today, saying that {the person} is in Egypt and wants to join the Mormon faith, but now his life is in danger, his family is rejecting him, and he needs help.   My response to my spouse was that this man is far away and the best thing for him is that he get in contact with the church members or leadership closest to his physical location.

So off I went hunting for that information; there is a new Middle East/ North Africa regional church leadership as of last year (2022).  I found the email contact information, so that when my spouse has contact again with the man, he can recommend that {he} email the church.  This is all aside from whether the man is honest or not.  Let's just assume his story checks out.

Anyways, as part of that search, I logged into my {LDS} account and saw the map of the congregation building locations and I was amazed at how many countries the Church is in.  They are in most countries in the world, with at least some representation.  (I tried to photograph the screen to share the map, but it didn't go well).

On the map there are red dots for each area with one or more buildings.  The majority of dots of course are in the USA and other parts of the Americas, with other dots in Europe, Far East Asia and Australia area, South Pacific, and parts of Africa.  

The countries where there were no dots were Cuba, North Africa (the Muslim dominated countries), most of the Middle East, most of the "-stan" countries in the Middle East and Central Asia (again dominated by Islam), a few in Southeast Asia, China, North Korea.  That's pretty much it (Greenland is likely too cold and unpopulated to get a dot).  

Some countries are under-represented when it comes to the gospel.  

I suppose if more Latter Day Saints learned these languages, we could speak on Social Media to these people.  Jesus was known as the Prince of Peace.  Peace can be spread by being friends and sharing the gospel.  

I call upon all Latter Day Saints to become Bilingual families.  Speaking of the American Saints in the USA, I call upon all to learn Spanish next, if English is your first language.  Prophecy and current events speak of the Remnant of Jacob peoples coming here.  You will be at a future greater advantage over your fellow American if you speak Spanish, and they don't.  This is all aside from Politics.  It just has to do with being able to communicate with these people.

Some of you, if you feel moved to because you live in a state with a higher percentage of Natives, could learn an Indigenous Native American language for the purposes of sharing the gospel and understanding more about their cultures. 

I also recommend that in every family if possible, there is one family member that learns a simple conversational level of a third language.  This has to do with either sharing the gospel to the "rejecting countries" or perhaps to those which are (and I hate to say this in a way) the countries most likely to attack our country or our allies.  

Learn:

    * Russian

    * Chinese

    * Arabic or Farsi (Persian/Iranian).  

Note:  It might be easier to learn Hebrew first and then branch into those of Middle Eastern languages.  The Hebrew Alphabet in my opinion is easier to master than the Arabic script, and there are some similarities in the semitic languages. {The Jews also need to be taught the gospel, some of them will accept and our scriptures say we are to teach them.}

    * Korean 

Right now there is a political alliance which is more for economics, but we will see with the passing of time, where the chips fall.  BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa.  In the future there may be other countries joining that alliance.

* Although there are parts of Africa that have the gospel, there is terrible poverty and starvation in some places.  This goes hand in hand with increasing tyranny from their governments and radicals.

I call upon those who feel led, to learn an African language, or to encourage the Black communities here to learn an African language.

Other languages are useful too:

Portuguese,

French, 

German,

Ukrainian or other European language

Sign Language

or any other language you choose to tackle.

Learning another language doesn't just give you a skill, it actually makes your brain more intelligent.

I hope you also learn something about that country, and take the opportunity to converse with first or second generation people that have immigrated here.  If those people convert to the gospel, those people can also share with their relatives back in that country.

Read the Bible or Book of Mormon in another language when you have learned some vocabulary and grammar.

https://store.churchofjesuschrist.org/usa/en/new-category/gospel-study/scriptures/5637160370.c

Good luck!! 

Women have Spiritual Gifts

FYI:  This post is not meant to lower the contributions of male priests or prophets.  It is just to show that all can have spiritual gifts regardless of gender (and even age). 

I stumbled on this Book of Mormon scripture -- Alma 32:23 And now he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea not only men, but unto women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned. 

This is supportive of the idea that the flow of the spirit doesn't have to follow rigid titles and positions in life.  In Numbers 11:24-29 (Moses was exhausted, Numbers 11:14 and 17) verses 24 to 29, Seventy Elders were appointed and given the Spirit of God in the tabernacle, and they prophesied.  Then, Eldad and Medad were going about the camp.  Joshua wanted Moses to stop them, but Moses said he wished that every person would have the Spirit of God with themselves, and could be prophets.

Ha, if you want to read a chapter about transference of the Spirit (Spirit thick in the room) upon unsuspecting people, read 1 Samuel 19:18-24.  It is pretty unusual.

Earlier in the week, I was doing a study on Old Testament scriptures pointing, or possibly pointing to the Messiah.  I remembered that there was a mention of Immanuel (God with us) in Isaiah, so I thought I would check it out again.  After I read Isaiah 7:14 (about the first child called Immanuel) and onward, I found the mention of another child that Isaiah would have with his wife, in Isaiah 8:3.  It calls the wife of Isaiah, "the prophetess."

Other mentionings of prophetesses:

Miriam the prophetess, Exodus 15:20.

Deborah, a judge and prophetess who dwelt in Ephraim.  Judges 4:4-5.

Huldah the prophetess  2 Chronicles 34:22, 2 Kings 22:14.

Noadiah the prophetess (although I am not sure of whether she was favored or unfavored) Nehemiah 6:14.

Anna, a prophetess, Luke 2:36.

As a side note, some people titled Eliza R Snow (of early Mormondom) a prophetess, as only one of her spiritual gifts. 

It is my personal belief that women serve much in the church, but should not be diminished by excessive service in the Church at the expense of righteously raising their children.  I do not believe that women need community priesthood duties on top of whatever else they already do with children at home and service at church and in the community, and jobs to earn money.  I do believe that a woman should not feel inhibited or feel pressured against using her spiritual gifts particularly at home.  Children and grandchildren need their righteous mothers too much at this time.  In the Millennium I believe we will see women step into their roles of not just mothers (etc) but also Queens, priestesses, and prophetesses in the community.  The world is just too wicked for some things at this time.  Women can use their spiritual gifts, and be in training at home!

JOEL 2    A Great Last Days message (read it all)

28 ¶ And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Miriam the Prophetess

From HettienneGrobler: Miriam the Prophetess and the Miriamic tradition (hergracesacredart.blogspot.com)

Deborah the Prophetess with Barak

From Lucia's Blog: THE ISRAELITES IN CANAAN: JUDGES (luciasblog.com)

Anna the Prophetess, with Simeon, and Jesus' family; Luke 2:36-38

From Pin on Библейские сюжеты (pinterest.com)

Some English words related to Hebrew

I want to post words that I have come across that appear to have a link of commonality to the Hebrew language.

Example:  Obedience.  The word for servant or slave in Hebrew is Obed or Abed or some form of that.  The name Obed or Obediah means respectively, Servant, or Servant of God/Jehovah.

Example:  British.  Brit in Sephardic Hebrew means covenant.  Ish means, man.  So British could be related to "covenant man."  Online you will probably find that British is related to Britannia, but where did that come from?  I am only saying that if you break down the word British, that is what it means in Hebrew.  There are accounts of Hebrews coming to the British Isles a long time ago.

Example:  A Hebrew word used for sign or token:  "Ot" (pronounced ot or oth [sounds like oath] spelled alef, vav, tav).  https://biblehub.com/hebrew/226.htm   This is interesting because signs, tokens, and oaths all go together in the scriptures.

Clues to find the Messiah, for today

Recently, I had a couple of realizations about finding the Messiah in the Bible.  An objection to Jesus (Yeshua) being the Jewish Messiah, is that he doesn't seem to be found in the Old Testament (Tanakh).  So they say.  

* Micah 5:2  

2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Most people focus on the born-in-Bethlehem part of the verse.  However, don't forget that it says, that it's a ruler whose goings forth will have been from the old/ancient/ East, and from Everlasting!

Click for alternate translations: Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel--One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity. (biblehub.com)

Click:  Micah 5:2 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com)

Click: Hebrew Concordance: miq·qe·ḏem -- 22 Occurrences (biblehub.com) 

* The usual form of capitol punishment (death penalty) anciently amongst the Jews, was stoning.   Finding a person guilty of death was done by the authorities, but people from the community would be included in carrying out the death penalty.  Should there be a false, apostate messiah prophesied about, one would think that any future event such as this, that stoning would be mentioned in the scriptures.  Prophesying about a "pierced" apostate in their scriptures would be unusual indeed, and even more unusual would be a pierced person on a divine mission sent to atone for or save Israel.

* Two motifs in the Old Testament (Tanakh) which the Jews do not pick up on, or believe in the same reasoning, was the (almost) sacrifice of Isaac by his Father Abraham.  Abraham's hand was stayed by an angel,  and a ram was substituted for Isaac (Genesis 22).  Christians see that event as a prophetic symbol of the future sacrifice by the Father of Heaven on His son, Jesus' (Yeshua's) life as a proxy and sacrifice for sin, and a redemption for mankind.  We see a similar theme repeated in Israelite history:  (Exodus 12) at Passover, a perfect male lamb was sacrificed, and the lamb's blood was put on the door sideposts and lintel (overhead beam).  The destroying angel would see the obediently placed blood of the lamb on the door frames and pass by the believers' home.  Without the lamb's sacrifice, the firstborn of each home would not have survived.  The sacrificial system for sin continued for centuries in the Israelite nation.  Jesus (Yeshua) was that sacrificial lamb, dying at Passover in his day.

* Piercing the hands and feet:  Psalms 22:16-18....also verses 1, and 6-8 (KJV) .  The Psalms were written by King David of Israel.

16  For dogs [Gentiles] have compassed me:  the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me:  they pierced my hands and my feet.

17  I may tell all my bones:  they look and stare upon me.

18  They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

Earlier in that chapter:

1  My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?  why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring?  [yelling out in pain]

6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn:  they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8 He trusted on the Lord, that he would deliver him:  let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

Obviously King David was not prophesying about himself!!

* Please see Matthew 27,  Mark 15, Luke 23, John 18-19 for details about the "piercing" death of Jesus  (Yeshua) of Nazareth, the Jewish Messiah.  The Messiah was and is so much more than his death -- he taught and did many miracles during his lifetime, he died a horrible death, but he rose from the dead and lives today as the Eternal Messiah.  This list is about the piercing.

He will return again alive as King of the earth.

*  Isaiah 53 also talks about the suffering servant, that the sins were laid on him.  Please read that chapter.  Compare how similar it is to the themes mentioned above in Genesis 22 (Abraham offering up Isaac), and in Exodus 12 (the Passover lamb sacrificed to save the obedient believers), and Psalm 22.

* Now let's move to Zechariah 12, speaking of an event that has not yet happened.  There will be a many-nation war which will be burdensome, particularly upon Jerusalem.  A person will come to them after the Lord delivers the people.

Verse 10   And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications:  and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.   ... Zechariah 13: 6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds that are in thine hands?  Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

This mourning in Jerusalem will occur when they realize whom they and their ancestors have rejected, knowingly or unknowingly, for centuries.

Then, a mikvah - a font - shall be opened to immerse the people into a covenant (brit) with the arrived Messiah.  Zechariah 13: 1  In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.  [It's interesting that the word British can be broken down in Hebrew to mean "covenant man." Brit = covenant, Ish=man.]   Our Covenant Man, our Messiah will come again in Glory.

Click here:  Search these scriptures about the everlasting covenant

I have noticed an interesting correlation between Spanish and Hebrew.  Ancient Jews and Israelites, when they fled Israel many centuries ago, SOME of them went to the Iberian peninsula.  In Spanish, the word for friend, is amigo (or amiga for female).  Notice the first two or three letters of that word, AM or AMI.  Am meanings "people" in Hebrew.  Ami means "my people."  Ami is also in the word, familia (family).   Is not friend or family considered one's people?   So we could just as well say that Jesus/ Yeshua's words in the future will mean, the wounds are "with which I was wounded in the house of" my loved people.

* If you read the chapters about the crucifixion of Jesus-Yeshua, you might have noticed that he was crucified-sacrificed at the third hour (Roman time, 9am), and died at the ninth hour (Roman time, 3pm).  It is very very very interesting, that in the Hebrew religion, the morning and evening sacrifices in the temple started and ended at 9am and 3pm, respectively.  

Click here: Tamid Sacrifice 

Click here:  Mishnah text, Tamid chapter 3   This reference (the Jewish writings called Mishnah) is given in the Tamid Sacrifice article above (see link).  I was hoping that this passage of the Mishnah would specifically mention 9am and 3pm, but it doesn't.  It does describe logistics though of the sacrifices.  It is worth having a look at, at least to eyeball the meticulous description of protocol (if you aren't too squeemish for some parts of the reading).  However, in reference to prayers in the New Testament, at 9am and 3pm is in the Book of Acts, as the Tamid Sacrifice (website) article has.  Acts 2:15 and Acts 3:1.  Please remember that the third hour corresponds to our 9am, and the ninth hour corresponds to our 3pm.  I did find an online article within the last couple of weeks which said that the sacrifices were at 9am and 3pm, but unfortunately since the time was late into the evening, I did not write down the reference.

Here's one from the Jewish Historian Josephus that mentions twice a day -- the morning and then later at about the ninth hour (3pm).  The link takes you to section 14.  Then manually scroll down to chapter 4, then verse 3.     Josephus - Antiquities 14.4.3

 

I will just say that I am grateful that animal sacrifice is not part of our worship as it was in ancient days.   Eventually in the scriptures, the Lord said in a manner of words, No more animal sacrifice needed or wanted.  He wants us to sacrifice our lower natures and surrender a broken heart and contrite spirit to Him and to live our daily lives for Him and His causes of righteousness.

 

Another reference that I found was about the Tamid sacrifice occurring at 2pm (instead of the customary 3pm) on a Jewish weekly Sabbath.  Pay attention!!! Jesus died at about 3pm.  So if his death time was meant to be a fulfillment of prophecy, THEN he did NOT die on "Good Friday!"  Did you catch that?  On the Passover Friday (an assumption) IF Jesus died on a Friday, then the Tamid sacrifice would've been at 2pm.  The reason for this is to give the Jews more time to prepare for the Sabbath.  Any other day, the Tamid would be at 3pm.  The scriptures say that Christ would be in the grave 3 days and 3 nights.  Even Jesus said that he would give them the sign of Jonah (who was in the dark belly of the whale for 3 days and 3 nights).  Good Friday death to a Sunday Morning Resurrection would only fulfill 2 nights and 1 full day and a tiny portion of Friday (before Sunset) and a few dark hours on Sunday morning.  This does not qualify to meet the 3 days and 3 nights.  Jesus died on Nisan 14 as required in the Old Testament (Exodus 12: 2,3,5,6) and he rose on the morning of Nisan 17.  In the Old Testament, the people were to bring the lamb into their household on Nisan 10 (this represented Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem) (Exodus 12: 2,3,5,6) (John 12:1,12,-18).  Then 4 days later on Nisan 14 in the late afternoon, the lamb would be sacrificed and the blood would be put on the door posts.  On Nisan 17, this would fulfill one week.  One week is 7 days, and 7 days represents a cycle, 6000 years appointed unto man, and the 7th day (Sabbath) and 7th Millennium (7th thousand years) would be the time of rest.

Recap:

Sunday (Saturday night - Sunday dusk) NISAN 10  Yeshua/ Jesus entered Jerusalem.

Monday (Sunday night - Monday dusk)  NISAN 11

Tuesday (Monday night - Tuesday dusk)  NISAN 12

Wednesday (Tuesday night - Wednesday dusk)  NISAN 13  Jesus introduced the Sacrament and meaning of the yearly Passover meal/lamb to his disciples, that evening.

Thursday (Wedsnesday night - Thursday dusk)  NISAN 14.  14th day of the first Biblical Month.  His Suffering Begins.  Wednesday night, Yeshua/ Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where his suffering began.  Later he was arrested, and went through trials between Jewish officials and Romans, was scourged etc..  This occurred throughout the night and into the morning.  Thursday morning at 9 AM he was crucified.  

This is a Gentile side note, but the planet for Thursday is Jupiter.  Jupiter in terms of rulers, represents a King.  

The sign over Yeshua's/ Jesus' head said Jesus the Nazarene King of the Jews, in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.  That is why with Catholic images you will see INRI.  The letter J is a more recent invention.  Originally it was a Y or an I.   So, I for Yeshua/ Jesus, N for Nazarene, R for Rex (King) and I for Yehudim (Jews).  ישוע הנצרי, ומלך היהודים

The daytime was considered the Passover Preparation Day.  At 3pm, he died.  This would be close to the end of NISAN 14 which was when the families by tradition were to be slaying the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12).

Friday (Thursday night - Friday dusk)  NISAN 15.  Thursday night would've been Passover Evening.   Yeshua/ Jesus was already dead.  He went to the place of the Dead to present Himself and Proclaim Liberty to the captive dead.  Opening of the Mission for the dead.  

1 Peter 4: 5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to ^ajudge the ^bquick and the dead.

6 ^aFor for this cause was the ^bgospel ^cpreached also to them that are ^ddead, that they might be ^ejudged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

1 Corinthians 15: 29 Else what shall they do which are ^abaptized ^bfor the dead, if the dead ^crise not at all? why are they then baptized for the ^ddead?

Saturday (Friday Evening - Saturday dusk)  NISAN 16.   

Sunday (Saturday night - Sunday dusk)  NISAN 17.  Yeshua/ Jesus was the First Fruits and rose from the dead around dawn.  Halleluyah!

These things said here today, all point to Jesus - Yeshua as being the Jewish Messiah and Redeemer of the whole world, those who will come unto Him under the terms laid out for the human race.

Blessings to you for receiving these teachings.