The Coming of the LORD

Zechariah 14:4

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Most Christians assume that this scripture is referring to the second coming of Jesus Christ. I would like to encourage a re-evaluation of these chapters of Zechariah and some others. A careful reading of Zechariah 13 will reveal that there are many prophets who shall be accused of speaking lies in the name of the LORD, and that one among them shall respond: I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. After which, they notice the wounds in his hands. The LORD (Jehovah), the Father, is thus indicated as a clear and distinct personage from the Son (the one with the wounds). This makes chapter 14 interesting in that it depicts the arrival of Jehovah himself upon the mount of Olives. If we also look at 1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:2 we find another example of this same confusion:

13. ¶ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Chapter 5
1. ¶ But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

I'd like to draw particular attention to the phrase "them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him" from verse 14. It is the Lord himself (verse 16 -- yes, Jehovah) that will be meeting the saints in the air.

This is not to say that there is no second coming of Jesus Christ. There certainly is, as it is referred to numerous times throughout scripture, but there is also an appearance of the Father to be looked forward to.

The Book of Mormon

Over at ChurchOfEnoch.org Library, there is a special translation of The Book of Mormon called the Key of Joseph Translation. Here is what the Library has to say about it:

This is a revision of The Book of Mormon intended to faithfully complete the unfinished work of revision that Joseph Smith Jr. commenced in 1836 and continued to perform through 1842, at which point he apparently became occupied with other important matters concerning the completion of the Temple, the Anointed Quorum, city affairs of Nauvoo, and his campaign to run for President of the United States. His assassination/martyrdom in 1844 ultimately prevented him from finishing this work and others such as his Inspired Translation of the Holy Bible.

I would encourage everyone to take a look at this book, and compare it to the original and other editions. In addition to being "smooth reading" by having an added level of clarity to the text, the changes are clearly marked and this combined with the scripture reference notes scattered throughout the text are bound to provide a valuable resource for study and inquiry.

Our First Parents

There are many religions that teach that our First Parents, Father Adam and Mother Eve, were sinners that caused the plan of God to be thrown off of its original course. The Jehovah's Witnesses even go so far to teach that Adam is not included in those ransomed (by Jesus Christ). They say that he [Adam] had perfect life, and this he deliberately forfeited (Let God be True, 1952, p. 119).

This sort of teaching denies that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil actually made Adam & Eve "as Gods, knowing good from evil" which Jehovah himself affirms by stating "Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil" (Genesis 3:22) Although Adam and Eve were familiar with God on a first-hand basis, were aware of God's commandment, and possessed the power to reason, when Eve partook of the fruit she was yet in a state of innocence and did not comprehend the notion of Good or Evil in the sense that would have condemned her to a state of unforgivable sin (a deliberate and knowing rebellion against God). This is why Adam and Eve's action is often termed a transgression: It is a violation of the law without necessarily being aware of the consequences.

Members of the Fellowship should consider that the biblical commandment to "Honor thy father and thy mother" rightly extends back to our First Parents. We should honor them as Great Exemplars who chose to descend to a state of mortality and imperfection, and to stay together as husband and wife (Adam partook of the fruit in order that he might remain with Eve) so that we would be permitted to live.

The Serpent's speech to Eve contained truth mixed with lies. The great lie to Eve was in telling her: "Ye shall not surely die." The Serpent also embellished God's law by expanding the restriction to include the phrase "neither shall ye touch it," a statement that was not part of God's original commandment in Genesis 2:17. Some have even suggested that this slight deviation from the Truth is what convinced Eve to believe in the lie: for after touching the tree (perhaps having been nudged into it by the serpent) and seeing no consequence, she presumed that God had lied and that the Serpent had told the truth, and determined that eating of the fruit would likewise bear no consequence.

The only direct consequence of partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was exactly what the Bible said it was: They became as Gods, knowing Good and Evil. This wasn't a lie told by the Serpent, but a piece of truth which, as we have seen, God himself went on to affirm after the fact.

The indirect consequences of partaking of the fruit were:

• God cast our First Parents out of the Garden of Eden, making them unable to partake of the fruit from the Tree of Life. Because they were no longer able to partake of the fruit from the Tree of Life, they were forced to eat earthy food and their bodies became mortal (operating on blood), destined for eventual physical death. By causing this to happen, God was fulfilling his word that "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:17).
• The woman gained the ability to conceive children, see Genesis 3:16.
  
• Their state of mortality passed on to their descendants because they too were separated from the Tree of Life.
• Knowledge of Good and Evil is also passed on to their descendants, through their blood. Sin, "sinful nature", uncleanness or guilt is not passed on, but Freedom of Choice (which, when combined with a commandment, allowed the inevitable introduction of transgression) is. Freedom of Choice was not, however, a consequence of the Tree of Knowledge, but had been inherent in Mankind from the very beginning.
  

We should expect that Adam and Eve, blessed with the power of the resurrection, will not only be present in the kingdom of heaven but will be presiding over all of their righteous descendants who are made clean by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Friday Evening

As the sun sets tonight, I'd like to encourage everyone to consider Sabbath observance.

While the years and months have been interrupted, there is no evidence to suggest that the seven day cycle of the week has ever been interrupted since the time of Moses.

The Bible prescribes Sabbath observance as the Seventh day of the week (Genesis 2:2, Exodus 16:29-30, Exodus 20:10-11) beginning in the evening at the end of the Sixth day and lasting until the evening at the end of the Seventh day. (Leviticus 23:31-32) This was given as a perpetual covenant throughout all generations, to stand as a sign between God and his people forever. (Exodus 31:15-17)

Because Sabbath begins and ends in the evening, it may be desirable to commence and to close it with a family meal. To avoid unnecessary work, preparations for this should be made on Friday before sundown.

The Sabbath should be spent in spiritual things, not for selfish delights or pleasures, but attending to the things of God, and being delighted in Him.

Jesus Christ also observed the Sabbath, setting an example for us, (Luke 4:16) and demonstrating that no part of the Law had passed away, neither would it pass away until after heaven and earth had also passed. (Matthew 5:17-20)

Reconciling Christianity and Judaism

The Fellowship should present a message that allows for a reconciliation and harmony of Christianity and Judaism.

The early Christian Church, perhaps as soon as AD 80 and definitely by AD 150, began to characterize Judaism in a negative manner. This denial of their roots was one of the influences which eventually resulted in complete apostasy. By AD 365 there was a law prohibiting Christians from being "Judaizers" by following Old Testament Laws such as Sabbath observance, the punishment of which was excommunication.

This may have resulted from a radical interpretation of the Apostle Paul's statements, so it would be worthwhile to compare Galatians 5:2-4, Acts 16:1-3, Acts 21:1-6, and 1 Timothy 1:18 to get a picture of how Paul treated the Law.

As the Church became more distant from its roots it became offensive in the eyes of the Jews, so that they could no longer join themselves to it with a clear conscience, acting uprightly before God. As a single point among many, I will suggest the progressive increase of Jesus Christ's role as an object of religious worship in ignorance and defiance to the first of the Ten Commandments as listed in Exodus 20:5. Because of these changes, the Church was no longer adhering to its founding principles, and was no longer a Universal Church, fit for membership of those who sought earnestly to follow the commandments of God.

Within the Fellowship, obedience to the commandments should be seen as a virtue, and therefore the Jewish understanding of God is warmly welcomed, while a purer understanding of Jesus Christ, his life and ministry, a view significantly different from the theories which developed out of apostate Christianity, is humbly presented for the consideration and benefit of all. We should never turn someone away for believing too much, for having too much faith, or for being too obedient.

To achieve reconciliation between these traditions, some cooperation and willingness to change will have to exist on both sides of the equation. In order to reconcile, Jews must come to consider the pure and ancient Christianity established under Jesus Christ's ministry as a continuance of their religion, and the Christians must abandon the subsequent apostate ideas that build up unnecessary walls which are offensive to God, no matter how precious these ideas may seem to their senses.

Joseph Smith Jr. taught that "By proving contraries, truth is made manifest."

The Fellowship

God has placed it in my mind to start the preparatory work of forming a Fellowship. This Fellowship is not to be a Church, but it is to be a place of gathering for those who are waiting for The Second Latter-day Restoration, The Church of Enoch, foretold in scripture. As a point of clarification, those are descriptions of the future Church, and not necessarily the actual names it will be known by.

The following three testimonies are the only requirements for full participation in the Fellowship. Anything more than this is open to individual discernment within the Fellowship. By proper application of these principles it is possible for a consensus or unity of the faith to be developed regarding additional principles, but such principles will not be taken as required testimonies.

Testimony of Faith

1. We believe that God is a being with a personality who has the capacity to think, reason, feel emotion, hear our prayers and answer them.
2. We believe that faith should never be placed in a particular belief, book, creed, or leader, but rather in God, by whose power we may be granted discernment and be led in the ways of truth and holiness.
3. We strive to be obedient to the divine will as it becomes impressed upon our souls. We do this out of love for God and to increase the happiness of ourselves, our families, and the entire human family.

Testimony of Truth

1. We strive as individuals to search out and embrace truth and to reject false principles, regardless of the source of either.
2. We believe that true principles of the highest order may be found in inspired works of all kinds, including art and fiction, in sacred writings such as the Bible or the Tripitaka, as well as in the words of prophets and other spiritual teachers, and that, in the absence of absolute knowledge, these principles should be tested by spiritual discernment or scientific evidence. We reject the doctrines of scriptural inerrancy and prophetic infallibility, including the doctrine of group or corporate infallibility.
3. We believe that it is both possible and desirable for everyone in the world to receive personal divine revelation, which could come in the form of inspired thoughts, promptings, audible voices, dreams, visions, or even physical manifestations.
4. We believe that people who have had genuine spiritual experiences may disagree in their understanding and interpretation of the truth, and that it falls within our moral duty to pay respect to the sacred beliefs of others even when they differ greatly from our own.
5. We believe that to advance in truth we must not only be prepared to admit our own errors, but cheerfully do so.
   

Testimony of Church and Priesthood

1. We believe that, in the past, our Heavenly Father has established an institution, sometimes known as a Church, for the government of His earthly Kingdom, and that it has been led by Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, and other bearers of the Priesthood appointed by His direction.
2. We believe that the Priesthood cannot be assumed, but must be conferred by one having authority to do so.
3. We believe that the ordinances of the Holy Priesthood, including Baptism, Confirmation, Priesthood Ordination, the Initiatory Washing and Anointing, Clothing in the Garment of the Holy Priesthood, the Endowment, Family Sealing, and the Second Anointing including the Washing of the Feet, are only binding after this mortal life if they are ratified by the Holy Spirit of promise after having been correctly performed and authorized by one who possesses the appropriate Keys.
4. We believe that, at multiple times in history, the people and leaders of the Church have apostatized (or, departed from the true faith), either in full or in part, and that a path for the restoration of truth and authority has always been provided, in due time, to the faithful remnant.
5. We believe that many faithful people of the past have taken proactive steps to protest or reform the Church in times of full or partial apostasy and that they have received the blessing of God, and served as instruments to prepare the way for divine restoration.
6. We will individually join ourselves with the restored Church once we have found it and obtained a spiritual witness thereof. We do not believe that the Church must be perfect to join with it, but that if we uphold these principles we will be enabled to join with it in good conscience, proclaiming our own honest testimony.
7. We pray for the leaders of all churches, and particularly those established by the power of God, to be attended by divine revelation to aid them in the proper fulfillment of their offices so that they may do so with persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, kindness, and pure knowledge, without hypocrisy or guile, never exercising any degree of unrighteous control, dominion, or compulsion upon the souls of their fellow servants.