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Whom Can We Trust?

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We live in the information age and artificial intelligence (AI). AI seems to be taking over the world. For instance, they have now made robots with an IQ of 1,500. However, robots have no conscience. The global elite want to take over our free will and take control of us. Then “Whom can we trust?”

I have blog articles related to this question: 1. In Whom Do You Trust? 
2. Trust in the Lord: King James Bible. 3. The Glory of God is Intelligence. 4. Revelation Needed to Thrive. 5. A very important article: Artificial Intelligence (AL) is Destroying Liberty. “As for me and my house, we will [trust in and] serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) And, we will not trust in the “arm of flesh.” (2 Nephi 4:24; 2nd Nephi 28:31; D&C 1:10)

Our Intelligence is Co-Eternal with God

Most don’t know that our intelligence is co-eternal with God’s (D&C 93:29).  Individual sovereignty is an eternal God-given gift. How we use our intelligence makes all the difference in our eternal destiny. Our infinitely loving God is perfectly just and perfectly merciful and honors the desires of our hearts. In our premortal epoch, our infinitely loving Heavenly Parents gave us a spirit body for our intelligence. As the Apostle Paul declared on Mar’s Hill, “We are the offspring of God.” (Acts 17:28-29) In that birthing process our intelligence coupled to our spirit mind.

Then, our earthly parents gave us our physical body. Our intelligence and spirit mind were downloaded into our brain at our birth. In Divine design, our intelligence and our mind are capable of coupling into the Eternity-Domain, if we chose to use our intelligence to do so. The Eternity-Domain is not limited by time and space, as we are here in mortality. This is where God and His angels do their work of helping to bring the pass the immorality and eternal life of each of us as we chose to follow our Savior Jesus the Christ. (Moses 1:39) He is the way and the truth and the life and no one comes unto the Father except by Him (John 14:6). But He always respects our intelligence and right to chose–our agency. (D&C 93:29-34) Those who chose to not follow the light of Christ will find themselves under “condemnation.”

How to not be Deceived.

My joke about the internet is that if you are careful, you can find some truths there. We have the Lord’s extremely important promise: “And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come, and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (JS-M 37) The Lord shares that in the mouth of two or three witnesses is His word established (2 Corinthians 13:1). This important statement is repeated two more times in the JS New Testament: (JS Matt. 24:31 and JS Mark 13:26).

The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is the only book that we know of that has been translated by the “gift and power of God.” This we know because God’s voice spoke this to the three witnesses: Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris. When the Lord asks us to treasure “up my word,” Christ is the Word, and His words are truth. (John 1:1) The Holy Ghost speaks the words of Christ (2 Nephi 32:2-5). “And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:5) This scripture is an incredibly important promise the Lord has given us through the Prophet Moroni.

We have no Accurate Bible Translation.

The some 450 translations of the Bible into English have the bias of the translators and the transcribers. The same is true for the Bible in all other languages. I have a chapter in my new book, My Revelations, discussing serious omissions and distortions in the King James Version of the Bible, which many believe is our best English translation. Clearly, personal revelation is vital in our path to a fullness of joy and Eternal life.

Search These Things

Jesus told the Nephites, “And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah. For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles.  And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake.” (3 Nephi 23:1-3)

Years ago, I had a life-changing event because of this scripture. The Spirit whispered to me to “search these things.” Avraham Gileadi’s book, “The Apocalyptic Book of Isaiah”, had just been published (1982), and it was a Godsend for me to better understand this pivotal book, which the Lord has asked us “to search.”

Avraham’s conversion story is most inspiring. After spending five years in Israel, he encountered the Book of Mormon. That changed his life and he joined the Church. He has become he world’s best expert on the Book of Isaiah. The late Hugh Nibley said of him, “Dr. Gileadi has done the work from which all of us have shied for too long. Because of the great mass and charge of this largest book in the Bible, the formidable difficulty of its Hebrew, and the seemingly involved, repetitious and often perplexing nature of its material, no one  has had the heart to attack the whole boo thoroughly. The author has met the challenge head-on, and after years of determined exertion is now so thoroughly familiar with the book that he can set before us in straightforward, uncomplicated form a clear exposition of what is is all about.”

Avraham has said that the Book of Mormon is the best commentary on the Book of Isaiah. I am so glad to have him as a personal friend. We have copies of our books. He has written several, and I think I have most of them.

As I have shared in my book, “My Revelations“, Chapter 19 is about “Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David.” I am extremely grateful that Dr. Gileadi permitted me to publish his work on the Book of Isaiah about the “Lord’s latter-day Servant.” It is so incredibly relevant to the Second Coming of our Lord. One can get his books from www.IsaiahInstitute.com.His contributions to sacred literature are enormous.

The Annotated Book of Isaiah

In regard to the Book of Isaiah, David Hocking has also published “The Annotated Edition of THE BOOK OF ISAIAH”. David Hocking had Dr. Gileadi review his book and received Avraham’s approval. Also, David’s Annotated Edition of THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES, the JOSEPH SMITH TRANSLATION is another great contribution to helping us have God’s word through the inspiration of a modern prophet, Joseph Smith, Jr.  David Hocking has seven annotated editions of sacred scriptures. They are sold by BookofMormonEvidence.org, by my publisher digitalegend.com and on David’s website: THE ANNOTATED SCRIPTUAL BOOKS | BeaconLight Books LLC.

Gethsemane

The Savior suffered more in Gethsemane than He did from the horrible humiliation and beyond human comprehension His treatment from the Jews and the Romans. As I did the research on the SCIENCE AND THE SHROUD OF TURIN MIRACLE, for my blog article I was again brought to tears.

I was invited by the Israelis to help them with their official atomic clock timekeeping system. We made four trips to Israel for that work. The first thing I did when we went there in 1987 was to go the Garden of Gethsemane. I learned that the word “Gethsemane” is of Hebrew origin, derived from the phrase גַּת שְׁמָנִי (Gat Shemani), which means “oil press” or “press of oil.”

גַּת (gat) means “press,” typically referring to a place where olives are crushed to extract oil.
שְׁמָנִי (shemani) means “oil” or “oily.” How apropos is this name for where the Savior completed the first step in His infinite atonement.

Gethsemane is located at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, where Jesus prayed and experienced suffering so great for the sins of all of Father’s children that he sweated great drops of blood. The name symbolically evokes the process of pressing or crushing, which parallels the emotional and spiritual anguish Jesus went through that Wednesday night just before he was crucified.

Every time I listen to Reese Oliveira sing “Gethsemane“, it makes me weep as I think about what Jesus went through there three times, alone bleeding from every pore for my sins and for all the sins of all of Heavenly Father’s children: “He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;” (D&C 88:6) The infinite atonement took Him from the deepest depths of despair to the greatest heights of ecstasy with His glorious resurrection, which is the capstone to the infinite atonement.

His Church

After the Lord established His church again on the earth on the 6th of April 1830, the Lord later declared that he had given Joseph Smith the: “…power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually—”

But, then the Lord said less than a year later, “And whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me. And by this you may know the righteous from the wicked, and that the whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now. And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation. And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—” (D&C 84:52-57)

Satin’s Last Hour

Satan, knowing it is his last hour, is doing everything he can to stop the work of God. Moroni clearly saw our serious problems in the last days and gave us significant warning about the “secret combinations” that would be amongst us (Ether 8:22-260). 

Secret combinations have infiltrated all nations and churches. “Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing. 

And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts. For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.”

“O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world? Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?” 

“Yea, why do ye build up your secret abominations to get gain, and cause that widows should mourn before the Lord, and also orphans to mourn before the Lord, and also the blood of their fathers and their husbands to cry unto the Lord from the ground, for vengeance upon your heads? Behold, the sword of vengeance hangeth over you, and the time soon cometh that he avengeth the blood of the saints upon you, for he will not suffer their cries any longer.” (Mormon 8:35-41”)

The Solution

“Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I AM, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins; Who will gather his people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble themselves before me, and call upon me in mighty prayer.” (D&C 29:1-2) 

“Look to God and live” the abundant life He has promised. (Alma 37:47; John 10:10)

David W. Allan

Photo: Alamy

My Revelations

Spirituality, ,

Personal revelation can come to each individual in different ways. The Lord wants you to hear Him. He is so gracious as to honor how each individual hears His voice. Some receive immediate answers. Others receive answers when studying scripture. For me, I hear His voice in my mind. How do you receive God’s voice?

On New Year’s Day (2025) I asked the Lord what I could do this year to help with His work. The answer came, “Write another book.” So, I have written a new book and the title is: “My Revelations.” This is the preliminary cover that my good friend, Michael Claridge prepared for me. In other words, the book contains those things the Lord has taught me during my 88 years on this planet that He wants me to share with others.

Hopefully, the information will help others to know of the Lord’s infinite love for them. And, that these insights from Him, given to me, will help them find joy, hope, and greater purpose during their mortal journey. Most importantly the promises of Eternal Life and learning to love like He loves us are worth every effort.  He gave me 25 chapters highlighting the most exciting and useful things He has taught me and wants me to share.  This new book will be available at the Book of Mormon Evidence Conference this April 17th, 18th, and 19th. BookofMormonEvidence.org

The Infinite Atonement

The infinite atonement of our Lord and Savior is the most important event in world history. It is never mentioned in the Bible. But because of its central importance, Satan has masked people’s understanding throughout the world and even in Christianity. The Book of Mormon gives major insights into the infinite atonement.

Chapters 1 and 2 document this most important and crucial event in world history, the infinite atonement. We cannot comprehend this incomprehensible blessing to humankind, but here I have shared some very important dimensions of the infinite atonement.

The Book of Mormon beautifully teaches the infinite atonement, but it is never mentioned in the Bible. I was taught there are seven steps to the infinite atonement:

1) His incomprehensible suffering in Gethsemane where He alone suffered for our sins. Jesus fell on His face and prayed in agony—suffering so greatly that His brow was bathed with blood from the pain. There is a soul-touching hymn called Gethsemane, which I cannot listen to without weeping: Bing Videos. And the children’s choir at the LDS 2025 fall conference.

2) He was taken before the Sanhedrin and rejected by His own people (Israel). There they ripped out His beard.

3) He was taken before the Romans (the Gentiles), and scourged beyond belief with 120 places where His flesh was ripped over His entire body. They placed on Him a mocking crown of thorns, “Hail to the king.”

4) Five nails held Him to the cross: two in his wrists, two in His hands, and one through His feet. He had to stand on that nail in His feet to breathe. Then to relieve the agonizing pain there, He would hang from His wrists, where the nails had been driven through the meridian nerve. 

For three hours He wreathed in pain and suffered beyond our compression for our sins, pains, sorrows, and sufferings because of His infinite love for each of us. Now we have scientific evidence of what happened that Thursday in Jerusalem with the Shroud of Turin  Miracle.

5) He was not killed by the Jews or the Romans. Only after His infinite suffering for three hours was complete did He say, “It is finished.” “Into Thy hands, I commend my Spirit.” He told the Jews, “Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:17-18)

6) While His body lay in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb for three days, He organized missionary work in the spirit world. The spirits were anxiously awaiting this great event. There are about eight times more people in the spirit world than there are here on earth. “For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” Peter 4:6)

His visit to paradise is an extremely important part of the infinite atonement, and it is left out of the thinking of all Christians.

7) His glorious resurrection is the capstone to the infinite atonement. The importance of this final step, as part of the infinite atonement, is also missed by most Christians. “He that ascended up on high, also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;” (D&C 88:8)

I have described these seven steps in detail in three blog articles, and I have found seven sub-steps to each of them: The Infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ and The Perfect Infinite Atonement.

Book Of Mormon Prophets

When the Book of Mormon prophets taught the gospel, they shared the creation, the fall, and the atonement. God’s love motivates true prophets to follow a divine pattern when sharing the gospel. They teach “The Three Pillars of Eternity”—the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement. This pattern appears throughout the Book of Mormon.

Unfortunately, “Organic Evolution” has spread through our education system and society, leading many to become atheists. As a result, they miss the Love of God at the center of all and cannot see the divine pattern and fundamental pillars: the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement. Lacking inner sight prevents them from seeing and feeling the most significant “love story” ever told. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

The Fall vs. Darwinism

If there is no God, Adam and Eve, or the Fall of mankind, there is no love story. There is no need for a Savior and His infinite Atonement from a perfect God, to overcome the effects of the Fall. So we see that teaching that man came from apes, or “organic evolution,” is anti-Christ.

The Fall brought both spiritual and physical death into the world. The infinite Atonement perfectly overcame the effects of the physical death in that because of Christ’s resurrection, everyone will be resurrected, while still having the experiences of mortality. “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)

Because of Christ and our right to choose (our personal free agency), God has opened a way for us to overcome the effects of the spiritual death brought about by the Fall of Adam and Eve, by coming unto Christ. As we have faith in Him and repent, He opens the door for us to be completely clean before the Lord and to receive Eternal life and fullness of joy. This we are privileged to do while growing from life’s experiences. (D&C 122:7)

The Bible shares the fundamental message of the Fall of mankind, but most scientists reject the Bible story.  It is no coincidence that Darwin was born in the same decade as Joseph Smith.  Satan, who is in direct rebellion with God, needed a counter-attack on the fundamental Book of Mormon message: A book that has the power to bring the whole world to God’s love through understanding the Messiah and gives undeniable evidence of the validity of the Adam and Eve story in the Bible, and the purpose of life on this earth.

Evolution

Darwin’s unproven theory of evolution influenced John Wesley Powell, who created the devastating “Manifest Destiny.”  This declaration gave the British and later the American Colonists the awful “permission” to treat the Native Americans as “savages.” They reasoned, citing Darwin that the native peoples weren’t as “evolved” as the folks from Europe and succinctly took away the Native American’s lands, culture, and dignity! Before Darwin died, he admitted he had propagated a false theory.

But Engels and Marx, believing in Powell, gave us communism and socialism, which have destroyed many cultures and nations and have led massive amounts of people away from God. My good friend, Steve Smoot, documents this: Organic Evolution.

Satan, God’s enemy, never sleeps and now knows it is his last hour. He uses socialism and organic evolution as two of his primary tools to blind people’s minds today. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor. 2:14). Satan knows these philosophies are deeply destructive to souls and counter the truth of our eternal nature. Moses testifies of the nature of God and man when he communed with God face to face; “Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name; for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this endless? …And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth; and the first man of all men have I called Adam.” (Moses 1:34)

Chapters 3-4 show God’s fingerprint when bringing forth the scriptures. 

Chapter 5 will touch your heart to the core as I recount the “Power of Prayer” saving our granddaughter, Mary Owen, who spent six days and six nights on Mt. Hood in March of 2013 and miraculously survived with minimum side effects.

Chapter 6 shares that the Lord is the Master Mathematician. Chapter 7 shares the uniqueness of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints doing missionary work on both sides of the veil. Chapter 8 There is no better place to inculcate the gospel of love than in the home. Chapter 9 shares the usefulness of the “null hypothesis” in our search for the TRUTHs of God. The message of Chapter 10 is LOVE IS THE FIRST LAW OF HEAVEN.

Chapter 11 Despite the imperfections of translators and transcribers of the scriptures, we can know and see the manifestation of the Lord’s love in His holy word. Chapter 12 shares the great importance, and warning, of artificial intelligence in these last days. Chapter 13. We have scientific proof that the Shroud of Turin covered the Lord’s tortured body: SCIENCE AND THE SHROUD OF TURIN MIRACLE.

Everyone should get the book because of the information in this chapter. Many atheists and agnostics have turned to the Messiah as they have encountered this miracle. It is the most studied artifact in world history, and I explain how this miracle came about, as the Savior performed it when He was resurrected. Scientists know the Shroud is a miracle, but they don’t know how it came about. It is the most studied artifact in history. You can see pictures of the Shroud and modern technologies ability to share images of our Savior in my blog article. The blood stains on the Shroud tell an amazing amount of the story of what really happened to our Savior on that Thursday in Jerusalem.

Chapter 14 shares the significance of the three occurrences of the “Son of Righteousness” phrase unique to the Book of Mormon. Further, the Book of Mormon geography’s importance and American’s need to repent is shared in Chapters 15 & 16. Glottology gives us great insights in these chapters. Languages are what they are and studying them opens the windows of heaven in our understanding of God’s dealings with His children.

Chapter 17 It is exciting to know that new scriptures are coming forth and will tell the end from the beginning.

Chapter 18 explains why the coming purge is necessary, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. ( 2 Chronicles 14:7).

Chapter 19 describes the importance of the two Hebrew servants to come before the Coming of the Messiah. In Hebrew tradition, Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David are to precede the coming of the Messiah. Our good friend and Jewish convert, Avraham Gileadi, has kindly let me share his information about the “End Time Servant.”

Chapter 20 shares how our perfect God honors our desires. Chapter 21 shares the exciting news that the ideal society, ZION, is coming and how we can be part of it. Chapter 22 shares the incredible loving attributes of our infinitely loving Elohim and our grand opportunity of being ONE with Them.

Chapter 23 is my fun health story about overcoming heart angina problems. 

Chapter 24 shares the incredible blessings that have come into my life as viewed now and from my teenage years.

Chapter 25 summarizes. Writing this book has been a joyful experience. Learning God’s truths is one of the greatest joys of my life.

I am deeply grateful to our second daughter, Karie, for her invaluable editing work; I convinced her to be a co-author because of all the work she has done for the book. Then there is my beloved wife of 66 years, Edna Love Ramsay Allan. Her support and edits have always been useful and insightful. She is my eternal sweetheart. My good friend, Michael Claridge, kindly did the book cover shown above.

David W. Allan

Photo:  David W. Allan

The Importance of the Infinite Atonement

Spirituality, ,

The importance of the Infinite Atonement was emphasized by President Nelson during the October 2024 General Conference. He said that we should learn everything we can about the Atonement. I was delighted to hear this challenge from our Prophet.

While I was serving as Stake President in Boulder, Colorado, I prepared a special talk about the Infinite Atonement and had the High Counselors share this message in all the wards in our Stake. For me, President Nelson’s challenge and my takeaway is, to help as many as I can with what I have learned regarding this most important subject. The Infinite Atonement is the centerpiece of all of world history; it is the most important event ever.

While we were serving our mission in West Africa, Cote d’Ivoire, I wrote a special article for the people there and then put it on our original website: THE FALL OF ADAM and THE ATONEMENT OF JESUS CHRIST are CENTRAL TO CREATION’S DESIGN.

Importance of the Infinite Atonement

The Atonement brought perfection to Heavenly Father’s “Plan of Happiness, and all of Heavenly Father’s children are the recipients. Everyone will be or has been resurrected. Everyone can be forgiven their sins if they repent and receive Christ into their lives. The Infinite Atonement promises the greatest of all the gifts of God, Eternal Life. The more we gain an understanding of the Infinite Atonement, the closer we come to our Savior and enjoy and feel His love in our lives.

The earth and all the hosts of heaven responded to this most important three-day event. The Earth knew its Creator, and during those three hours He was excruciatingly suffering on the cross, “the God of nature suffers.” And rocks were broken up all across the earth and many cities of the wicked were destroyed.

We gain great insights from apocryphal literature:  the prophet Zenos reports, “And the rocks of the earth must rend; and because of the groanings of the earth, many of the kings of the isles of the sea shall be wrought upon by the Spirit of God, to exclaim: “The God of nature suffers.” (1 Nephi 19:12) Then, with His glorious resurrection, the Earth rocked back and forth in rapture, as her Creator commenced by being the first glorious fruits of the resurrection of us all.

The Witness of Jewish Soldiers

When it happened that early Sunday morning, it was witnessed by the hundred Jewish soldiers standing guard as a brilliant light came down from the heavens, and over the night they heard three times: “Adon Mashich Cumi,” which means, “Lord Christ arise.”
The last time was just before sunrise, “the heavens blazed with light… And then the white-robed form tramped on the Roman seal, and then he tore it into shreds; he took the mighty stone in hand as though it were a pebble from the brook, and cast it to the side. And Jesus opened his eyes and said, ‘All hail the rising sun! the coming of the day of righteousness!’

“They saw the body of the Nazarene transmute. They saw it change from a mortal to an immortal form and then disappear. The soldiers heard a voice from somewhere; yea, from everywhere. It said,” Peace, peace on earth; good will to men.”(Chapter 172:26-41 of the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ by Levi)

The Pontius Pilot Account

In Pontius Pilot’s account, he sent his trusted secretary, MALCUS to witness and report. “He said that at about the beginning of the fourth watch, “They Saw A Soft And a Beautiful-Lyght Up Above the Sepulcher.” The Entire Place was lit up and there seemed to be A Crowd Of The Dead Walking around in their grave clothes. Each Of Them Seemed To Be Shouting And Filled With Ecstasy while All Around And Above, was Heard, The Most Beautiful Music he had ever experienced: And The Whole Sky Seemed To Be Full Of Voices Praising: YHV: Yahll’Vol’Hay/God. At This Time there seemed to be a reeling and rocking back-and-forth of The Entire Earth…” (The Crucifixion Report of Pontus Pilot to : Tiberius Caesar, pgs 147-151)
It seems the whole Earth was rejoicing with her Creator’s resurrection.

Gospel of Joseph of Arimathea

We read in the gospel of Joseph of Arimathea transliterated from Old English by Dezert-Owl; fortunately, I have become friends with him. This gospel describes Jesus’ mother Mary’s anguish: “SHE STOOD OUT-SIDE [of the tomb], CRYING BITTERLY (25:74).” Thinking Him dead, she didn’t recognize Him, as He appeared before her, “DRESSED in A BRYGHT-WHITE ROBE Ov LYGHT (25:110).” He asked her, “Why Are YOU BURSTING-OUT In TEARZ Ov A-Fection [over an] “Empty-Tomb (25:112).” “I [have] RELEASED All Ov Thoze Who Were [in the Spirit-world] Who ARE WORTHY [all the way back to Adam and Eve] (25:158).” “THEN SHE ROZE-UP, AN SHE GAVE HYM A GREAT EMBRACE (25:163).” “Then THE VIRGIN-MOTHER Looked Be-Hind HYM, An She Saw The GREAT-NUMBERZ THAT HE HAD TAKEN-UP, Out-From The Grave, ALL DRESSED-UP, IN THEIR PURE-WHITE ROBEZ (25:167).” He told her, “I Am Now PRESENTING Them Az THE GREAT-OFFERING BeFore… Father Az I DELIVER Them To PARADISE (25:166).” Mary’s heart was overwhelmed with joy when she realized what her Son had accomplished. Yet, she saw only a touch of His infinite atonement.

Mary Magdalene, His wife, saw Him immediately after. She went from the depts of despair to the heights of ecstasy when He called her name, “Mary (John 20:16).” In some translations, she also embraced the Lord.

Misunderstandings

Over the centuries, there have crept in a lot of misunderstandings in Christianity about the Atonement and some in our church, as well. The Book of Mormon gives us the clearest understanding of the resurrection as part of Infinite Atonement.  And, the records of early Christianity help us a great deal also.

Good Friday – A False Tradition

Good Friday is a false tradition of great significance. The Savior was crucified on Thursday and not on Friday. He needed those three days to organize missionary work in Paradise, where he went with the thief on the cross (John 23:42-43).

The Book of Mormon and the Bible are clear about the three days, as well as with other ancient American records. We read in the vision of Samuel the Lamanite of the Savior’s Atonement. “But behold, as I said unto you concerning another sign, a sign of his death, behold, in that day that he shall suffer death the sun shall be darkened and refuse to give his light unto you; and also the moon and the stars; and there shall be no light upon the face of this land, even from the time that he shall suffer death, for the space of three days, to the time that he shall rise again from the dead… darkness should cover the face of the whole earth for the space of three days.” (Helaman 14:20, 27)

Jesus gave the Jews a sign that as “Jonas” spent three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so would He spend three days and three nights in the “heart of the earth.” (Matt. 12:38-40) I did a podcast with Brian Nettles and Michael Claridge explaining a stone found by Russell Burrows in the Heartland and given to Wayne May.  It beautifully displays the Atonement, as taught in the Book of Mormon. The stone clearly depicts the three days. The Lord orchestrated in the Hebrew calendar two Sabbaths in a row for His Infinite Atonement. He had Jonah in the whale’s belly symbolically as well. I share the link for that podcast below.


The Validity of Three Days

We also learn a lot from apocryphal literature on the validity of the three days. Ferrar Fenton’s Bible translated from the original Greek shares the two Sabbaths over the three days of the infinite atonement (John 19:20, and see the footnote to this scripture). Joseph of Arimathea took a gospel of Jesus Christ with him to Britain written before the four  gospels. He also took the family of Christ and other dear disciples. The trans-Literation of this gospel by Dezert-Owl mentions the two Sabbaths in a row as well, in conjunction with the Infinite Atonement. (Chapter 25:58)

Seven Steps to The Infinite Atonement

As we study the Infinite Atonement, we find there are seven significant steps that occurred over those three sacred days. Those seven steps changed the world forever. The seven steps are: 1) Gethsemane; 2) Rejected by the Jews; 3) Rejected by the Gentiles (Romans); 4) His crucifixion; 5) He voluntarily gave His life for us, “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself…” (John 10:18); 6) He spent three days in Paradise organizing missionary work and opening the “prison doors”; and 7) His glorious resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-22; 2 Nephi 9:6-8; Alma 42:23).

It is the resurrection that brings us back into the “presence of God.” It is the resurrection for everyone as part of the Infinite Atonement that overcame the physical death brought about by Adam and Eve. With all the repenting we could ever do, we would be lost without the resurrection. Modern saints for the most part and most Christians miss this extremely important Book of Mormon message of the resurrection being part of the Infinite Atonement. President Nelson specifically mentioned the “infinite atonement.”

His glorious resurrection launched early Christianity. After His resurrection, He spent 40 days with the early saints instructing them on the fullness of the gospel—including the temple ceremony and that he was married to Mary Magdalene; see the blog article giving Hugh Nibley’s explanation of Acts 1:3.

Atoning Sacrifice

The Atoning Sacrifice” is a common phrase used in the LDS community.  Our gratitude goes to the core of our being for Christ’s Atoning Sacrifice. But, if one assumes that is the same as the Infinite Atonement, talked about in the Book of Mormon, this is a big omission. “Atoning sacrifice” covers our sins, but the phrase leaves out the last two critical steps in the infinite atonement. The phrase “Atoning Sacrifice” is only mentioned once in our scriptures. Joseph F. Smith introduces this phrase in Doctrine and Covenants 138 in the context of his vision of missionary work in the spirit world. In other words, after the Lord finished His “Atoning Sacrifice,” which includes steps 1) through 5) of the Infinite Atonement, He then completed step 6. Can you imagine how many souls benefitted from Him opening up missionary work in the spirit world?  Many billions have died having not the opportunity to hear the fullness of the gospel.

You see “Atoning Sacrifice” in the headings of several chapters in the LDS scriptures. It seems that modern saints have lost the vision of the great importance of the glorious resurrection, step 7, as the capstone to the Infinite Atonement. In step 7, Christ’s resurrection was the fire that ignited the flame for ancient Christianity. The same happened as the resurrected Lord visited in America. Chief Midegah (David Taylor) of the Ojibway Tribe told us that the Book of Mormon is not about faith because it is fact. It is their history also. They call Him the “Great Peacemaker.” For them, He is a reality.

Resurrection Morning

As mentioned, Christ’s resurrection is the capstone to the infinite atonement. The Bible barely mentions the resurrection of others: “And the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” (Matt.27:53-53) Christ had to remind the Nephites of this extremely important event that had not been recorded. (3 Nephi 23:7-13)

Have you thought about how many people were resurrected that morning when Christ broke the bands of death? This first resurrection included all the righteous over the 4,000 years back to Adam and Eve. I surmise that over a million souls came forth from their graves across the globe that glorious Easter morning.

I think you will enjoy a podcast explaining a stone showing the atonement found by Russell Burrows and given to Wayne May: The Semena Santa Stone – David Allan Interview (youtube.com). It beautifully parallels the Book of Mormon story and augments the Bible account as well. It clearly indicates the three days in the grave and visiting the spirit world, and it is an authentic stone inscription. It has been proven to not be fraudulent.

The Infinite Atonement Massively Includes

1. Covers all the “worlds without number.”
2. Glorious resurrection for all of Father’s children according to their thoughts, words, and deeds.
3. Forgiveness of sins for all who repent and come unto His Beloved Son.
4. After the Earth’s baptism with water and fire, moves the Earth to a paradisiacal glory during the Savior’s millennial reign as King of kings and Lord of lords in a terrestrial location in our galaxy.
5. Then the Savior delivers the Earth and His Kingdom to the Father in Celestial realms of glory, at the end of the millennium. This is depicted in the earthworks near Newark, Ohio.
6. And with the perfect final judgment delivers all the terrestrial folks and Telestial folks to their place, and “the glory of the Telestial surpasses all understanding,” (D&C 76:89) which is the lowest kingdom. (1 Corinthians 15:40-43) How merciful is our God.
7. Then the “sons of perdition” have “no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come…  Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten, Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame.” They suffer a “second death.” (D&C 76:32-37)

The Infinite Atonement includes the “atoning sacrifice” and so much more.

As great as the “Atoning Sacrifice” is, the massive inclusiveness of the Infinite Atonement leaves us astounded—touching on the incomprehensible greatness and infinitely loving goodness of our God. I pray that we may all live our lives to be the full recipients of the incomprehensible great blessings of the Infinite Atonement.

Here are some complimentary blog articles for your study. It is my desire to help you to know that TRUTH IS LIGHT, and that LIGHT, HIS LIGHT, brings us ever closer to our Creator.
https://itsabouttimebook.com/spiritual-science-seven-steps-in-atonement/ 
https://itsabouttimebook.com/the-full-infinite-atonement/ 
https://itsabouttimebook.com/the-infinite-atonement-and-paradise/
https://itsabouttimebook.com/resurrection-capstone-of-the-atonement/
https://itsabouttimebook.com/the-perfect-infinite-atonement/
https://itsabouttimebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/New-The-Resurrection-Disproves-The-Theory-of-Evolution.pdf
https://itsabouttimebook.com/the-infinite-atonement-of-jesus-christ/

David W. Allan (10 October 2024)

Photo : Christ – Wikipedia

Rod Meldrum and Jonathan Neville Podcasts

Spirituality, , , , ,

Rod Meldrum and Jonathan Neville discussed historical ground-breaking material about LDS Church history in two recent Book of Mormon Evidence podcasts. Each discussion was an hour long. (Links Below)

Did you know Benjamin Winchester changed the course of history for the Church? Did you know there were two sets of gold plates for the Book of Mormon? Did you know that Zarahemla is across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo, Ill.? Did you know the Sidon River in the Book of Mormon is the Mississippi? Did you know Zarahemla and Sidon are Phoenician words? Artificial Intelligence (AI) and modern Stylometry reveal the truth, as Jonathan and Rod point out.

Benjamin Winchester

Benjamin Winchester wrote three articles appearing In the Times and Seasons indicating the Book of Mormon took place in Mesoamerica. These articles were attributed erroneously to Joseph Smith. The Prophet Joseph tried to change Benjamin’s mind and couldn’t. Joseph prophesied of Benjamin’s apostasy, and that he would do great harm to the Church. Joseph said Winchester was “rotten at heart.”

Jonathan’s book, The Lost City of Zarahemla, From Iowa to Guatemala—and Back Again, details how Winchester deceived the Church. I share Jonathan’s perspective here: “In 1842, a zealous, committed Mormon [Benjamin Winchester] invented a way to gain more converts. All he had to do was link the Book of Mormon to popular books, including a national bestseller, about Mesoamerica. This proof would be irresistible to the public. Except the prophet disagreed with the tactic. Convinced he was right, he battled Joseph Smith. Formally suspended and silenced, he fought back. He arranged for the publication in the Times and Seasons of articles that specifically linked the Book of Mormon to Mesoamerica. The consequences? Joseph Smith resigned from the paper. The champions of the Mesoamerican theory apostatized from the Church. And the Mesoamerican theory would undermine faith in Joseph Smith’s role as prophet, seer and revelator for the next 174 years. This man’s zeal and subterfuge have remained a secret despite the devoted efforts of historians, educators, and church leaders to uncover the truth. Until now.”

The Lord knows the end from the beginning and can turn bad into good. So, I find it fascinating that the Lord gave Joseph a revelation in March 1841 – “Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.” (D&C 125:3) These controversial articles in the Times and Seasons came later, and they changed the course of history significantly for the Lord’s Church. Here, the Lord has given a revelation to those paying attention to His word to avoid Winchester’s deceit.

In the infinite wisdom of the Lord, this revelation didn’t say Zarahemla was there for His all-knowing wise purposes. The magnificent ruins in Central and South America caught the eye of many Church leaders and academics in the Church. And most believed the articles in the Times and Seasons, promoting the Mesoamerica model, were attributed to the Prophet Joseph. That model came to be believed by most members of the Church. I believed it, as did Jonathan Neville!

Now, AI and modern stylometry techniques show those articles were written by Benjamin Winchester, and the Church members have been massively deceived. Now, we can prove that North America is where the Book of Mormon took place. The Book of Mormon geography is here in this “Land of Promise”—North America.

Edna Allan’s Major Insight

My wife, Edna, knowing the Lord can turn bad into good, had a major insight. She believes the Lord knowing this deceit turned bad into good. This deceit caused the Church to take the gospel to the people in Central and South America much more than otherwise. Because the Church leaders and members believed the Book of Mormon took place in Central and South America, they focused missionary work in that direction. The blessings to those good people have been enormous. Indeed, the course of history for the Church has changed for the good in spite of the deceit.

Exposing The Deceit

Now, the Lord is exposing that deceit, as the North American Indians (Lamanites) are blossoming as a rose in fulfillment of prophecy. Rod and Jonathan, in their podcasts, document this deceit in detail. They share the history of how this deceit came about.

Also, I am privileged to be part of Book of Mormon Heartland showing where the Book of Mormon really took place. This geography model exposes this deceit.  At the same time, in the above links, I prove the Mesoamerica model false.

Because the Lord turned this deceit into good, there are now 8 million members of the Church in Central and South America combined. Interestingly, there are only 7 million in the United States and Canada combined. The combined membership in Central and South America would be much fewer if this deceit had not occurred. Now, 15 million of the 17 million members of the Church are in the Americas.

Membership growth curves have changed dramatically over time. Now the membership in Africa is exploding, while the growth is flat in the Americas and in most of the rest of the world. The main cause of that flattening is Satan’s Wokeism and all the secularism that has invaded our education systems. The proven false theories of Darwinian evolution and the Big Bang are pervasive.

If you go to the statistics on the Church’s website, you will notice that there is no Central America. All the Central America countries are lumped in with North America. I had to add up the membership from the individual countries to get a Central America statistic. I did this from the Church’s Wikipedia page.

Unfortunately, the 2024 “Come Follow Me” manual for the Church still shows pictures from Mesoamerica. Even though the Mesoamerica model for Book of Mormon geography has been proven false.

However, we have seen progress. I taught the “Institute of Religion” class for the Moroni Stake in our Church for eleven years. The original Book of Mormon manual for that course of study had many pictures depicting Mesoamerica geography for the Book of Mormon. They made a new manual and took out all of those pictures.  “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32)

Two Sets of Gold Plates

Most don’t know that there were two sets of gold plates used in translating the Book of Mormon. Jonathan Neville has written an excellent book about this important topic: Whatever Happened to the Golden Plates? He also helped me with a blog article sharing this fascinating dimension for these sacred records coming forth.

Joseph shared that Moroni wrote the Title Page for the Book of Mormon. It was underneath the plates Joseph translated that were given to Joseph from the stone box in the Hill Cumorah. Two-thirds of them were sealed. These are the plates from which Joseph translated the Book of Lehi. The 116 pages of that translation were lost by Martin Harris’s wife, with Satanic designs. He was then instructed by the Lord to translate the Book of Mosiah through and including the Book of Moroni.

Notice the two paragraphs of the Title Page tell us that it is an abridgment of the record of the Nephites and an abridgment of the record of the Jaredites, respectively. These abridgments were made by Mormon and Moroni, respectively. The Title Page mentions nothing of the unabridged portion coming later from the small plates. It is estimated that the large plates taken from the stone box weighed about 60 lbs.

After finishing that translation from the large plates, Joseph was then instructed to give the large plates to a messenger. That messenger took them and put them into the repository in the Hill Cumorah. This is a room of records that was in the Hill Cumorah different from the stone box. As Jonathan points out from his research, that messenger was Nephi, one of the three Nephites. (3 Nephi 28) Nephi then took the small plates from the repository to Joseph Smith in Fayette, NY. Joseph had been instructed to go to Fayette to the Peter and Mary Whitmer home. The Whitmer family were kind supporters of the completion of this sacred work. Joseph then finished the translation from 1 Nephi through and including at least part of the Words of Mormon in the Book of Mormon.

This is a beautiful example of the FIRST shall be LAST, and the LAST shall be FIRST (D&C 29:30). “… the first shall be last, and that the last shall be first in all things whatsoever I have created by the word of my power, which is the power of my Spirit.” The last of the Book of Mormon was translated first, and the first part was translated last. “Brother Nephi” showed these small plates to Mary Whitmer, and she said that was how he introduced himself.

After the translation was finished in Fayette, the Three Witnesses were privileged to be shown the large plates by Moroni. They did not handle them but heard the Lord’s voice witnessing of their truth. All three of these witnesses later became disaffected with the Church, but never denied their testimonies. In a court of law, this would be sufficient evidence for the validation of this sacred record.

Again, as Jonathan points out, Joseph then took these plates back to the repository in the Hill Cumorah. These are the plates that Joseph showed to the eight witnesses near Palmyra. These witnesses were privileged to heft and turn the leaves of the small plates. Joseph’s father was one of those witnesses and said the plates weighed about 30 pounds.
No part of these plates was sealed.

John Whitmer, one of the scribes for the translation of the small plates, copied off some of the characters. This is the famous “CARACTERS” document. AI and Stylometry have identified John as the scribe. These characters are not “reformed Egyptian”, but Demotic Egyptian. That was the language used at the time Lehi left Jerusalem. Bryan Nettles verifies this in a blog article. You can see a picture of the “CARACTERS” document in this blog article.

Some confuse the “CARACTERS” document with the Anthon transcript. It is not. Joseph copied and translated some characters from the large plates, while in Harmony, PA. Martin Harris took these to experts to validate them. This is where we have a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy regarding the Book of Mormon: (See Isaiah 29:11-24 and JS-H 63-65)

  • Isa. 29:11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
  • 12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.

The Found City of Zarahemla

As mentioned, Jonathan Neville wrote the wonderful book, The Lost City of Zarahemla. He later told me, he should have named it, “The Found City of Zarahemla.” I find it fascinating that the Lord gave the revelation to Joseph Smith to name the city across from Nauvoo, Ill, Zarahemla. In His infinite wisdom, the Lord not only did it just before the Mesoamerica, Times and Seasons, deceit problem. The Lord also did not say it was the same site as the city and land so important in Book of Mormon history.

The Lord knew we would find that out later. Which we have after the massive Church’s effort to take the fullness of the gospel to the people in Central and South America. And the Church missionaries have had great success in doing so.

Now we know it is the day when the Lamanites (North American Natives) are blossoming as a rose in preparation for the Lord’s coming. We are learning more and more about the Native Americans. We now know not only where the City and the Land of Zarahemla are. Recent discoveries have shown an amazing, Spotted Bee Balm, an herbal remedy found in that area. It reminds one of the following scripture:

And some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land—but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the climate— (Alma 46:40)

We remember when the saints settled in Nauvoo, they had serious problems with malaria. Now you can go to www.RocktheWorldBotanicals.com and take advantage of this newly discovered herbal blend. Its purest form and greatest abundance is where the Land of Zarahemla was!

Non-member Assistance

It seems that the leadership of our church has taken a neutral stand regarding Book of Mormon geography. Since many of the religion professors at BYU believe in the Mesoamerica model, I am guessing their influence has something to do with why we see Mesoamerica images in the Church’s 2024 “Come Follow Me” program.

Yet, the Lord has set an everlasting decree that whosoever possesses this land shall serve the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ. If they do not, they shall be “Swept off.” The people of North America cannot say, if they are destroyed, they didn’t know. (Ether 2:7-12) The Book of Mormon is very clear on the critical need for the people of this “Promised Land” to repent.

I find it fascinating how the Lord has orchestrated with non-members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Phillip Beale has shown the path of how the Lehites got to North America.  Russell Burrows has found some 4,000 ancient artifacts in the southern Illinois, Indiana area. Many North American Natives are reaching out to assist in sharing that the Book of Mormon is of their ancestry. The DNA of many of the native North Americans have strong Israelite markers. We read in the Title page the Lord’s purpose for the Book of Mormon:

It “is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever— And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations.” Now the Book of Mormon is in 115 languages, and more are coming.

The printing of the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon in the Divine ratio was a major miracle. I was praying about this miracle. And, the Lord revealed to my mind and heart that these 5,000 copies were printed in the Divine ratio: 7 ½ inches / 4 5/8 inches = 1.62. In honor of this miracle, I had my new book, Time & Eternity, printed in the Divine ratio as well.

David W. Allan

Book of Mormon Evidence Part 3

Book of Mormon Evidence Part 4

Photo:  Permission Granted

Proof of the Book of Mormon Location

Spirituality, ,

Proof of the Book of Mormon location is supported by significant evidence in the history of the Great Lakes. You might say, the Great Lakes were Greater than they are now. And the greater “Great Lakes” and their contributories help reveal the Native American peoples in the Book of Mormon.

Significant evidence exists that the Great Lakes were greater than they are now. We will see why Mormon would say that they, “were nearly surrounded by water.” (Alma 22:32) I share a map below from a 1915 Monograph #53 by Frank B. Taylor and Frank Leverett. They were with the US Geological Survey. The map shows that Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Heron were all combined: this is the “West Sea” in the Book of Mormon. It was enormous; it was more than 500 km across based on the areas of these three lakes as they are today. Lake Algonquin–the “west sea”–was much bigger than that at the time of the Jaredites, Lehites, and the Mulekites.

Lake Algonquin

The Native Americans called it Lake Algonquin. Lake Erie and Lake Algonquin are connected by the St. Clair and Detroit rivers (8 feet of drop in 62 miles, 1.3 ft/mi). Historically then, it seems the “West Sea” was connected to the St. Lawrence River by the Ottawa River. It was called the Algonquin River by the Natives connecting the “West Sea” to the St. Lawrence Sea Way. It is also named after the Algonquin word ‘to trade”—dropping less than 1 foot per mile on its way to the St. Lawrence River and to the Atlantic Ocean. That shipping route avoided Niagra Falls. Lake Erie is named after the Erie Indians, and Lake Ontario is named Lake Iroquois by the Native Americans. One meaning of Iroquois is “Original People,” and their population has strong Israel DNA ties. The “West Sea” was also connected to the Sidon (Mississippi River) and to the Illinois River—dropping only ½ foot per mile.

Algonquin People

The Algonquin population also have strong Israeli DNA ties. From their oral traditions, the Algonquin people had their first landing on the St. Lawrence River near Montreal. Their third landing was near Detroit, which would be close to the Land Bountiful in the Book of Mormon and to Lake Erie. The resurrected Lord first visited the Nephites at the temple in Bountiful. (3 Nephi 11)

One of the meanings of the word Algonquin is interesting:  “They are our relatives/allies.” Sounds like a ZION mentality. Back then, since the Algonquin Lake was not only connected to St. Lawrence via the Ottawa River but also to the Mississippi and the Illinois Rivers, it is no wonder the Mulekites ended up in Zarahemla across from Nauvoo. (D&C 125:3) This is the first place the Mississippi River could be crossed on foot back then, when coming up from the Gulf of Mexico.

Key Migrations Unknown to the World

As best I can I like to look at things as the Lord does in how He orchestrated these key migrations to and from America. He had them keep records so we could learn from them God’s will for them and to be preserved for us. Included in these records are critically important information for our day. Given the above information about the greater “Great Lakes,” let us look at some key migrations and some associated artifacts. I will share the migrations of the Jaredites, Mulekites, Hagoth, and the Mi’kmaq. There is a lot more that could be shared about ancient shipping across the oceans. The book, Atlantic B. C., by Philip Beale is a real eye-opener.

Jaredites

The Jaredites are associated with the Adena culture. Their burials have been found in most of the contiguous 48 states and Canada. Utahna Jessop has a fascinating documentary on this culture: Ancient Giants Erased from History.  They are unique in that their language was not confounded after the Tower of Babel, at their request.  The Lord told them they would be the greatest nation in world history (Ether 1:43). He promised to lead them to a land choice above any other (Ether 1:42). Clearly, this was North America, which they inhabited for about 1,600 years. They were destroyed in a massive civil war ending just west of the Hill Cumorah in western New York.

President Marion G. Romney’s “Destiny of America”

“I will give you a lesson today that the Lord has taken great pains to bring to us… In the western part of the state of New York near Palmyra is a prominent hill known as the “Hill Cumorah.” (Mormon 6:6) On July twenty-fifth of this year [1975], as I stood on the crest of that hill admiring with awe the breathtaking panorama that stretched out before me on every hand, my mind reverted to the events that occurred in that vicinity some twenty-five centuries ago—events which brought to an end the great Jaredite nation.

“As I contemplated this tragic scene from the crest of Cumorah and viewed the beautiful land of the Restoration as it appears today, I cried in my soul, ‘How could it have happened?’ …This second civilization to which I refer, the Nephites, flourished in America between 600 b.c. and a.d. 400. Their civilization came to an end for the same reason, at the same place, and in the same manner as did the Jaredites’.

“Now my beloved brethren and sisters everywhere, both members of the Church and nonmembers, I bear you my personal witness that I know that the things I have presented to you today are true—both those pertaining to past events and those about events yet to come. The issue we face is clear and well-defined. The choice is ours. The question is: Shall we of this dispensation repent and obey the laws of the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, or shall we continue to defy them until we ripen in iniquity?”

The Prophet Moroni Saw or Day More Clearly Than any Other

Moroni saw our day more clearly than any other prophet. The need for North Americans to repent or be “swept off” is critical.

The Prophet Moroni gives us a magnificent and very significant summary of the Jaredites in the Book of Ether in the Book of Mormon. Regarding North America, the Lord gives them and us an extremely important promise:

“And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people. And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them. And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off. And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God—that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.” (Ether 2:7-11)

Mulekites

The Jaredite and Mulekite nations had their passageway to North America through the St. Lawrence seaway and the greater “Great Lakes.” The Lord told both the Jaredites and the Lehites of a Promised Land greater than any other. We see how the Lord kept His promise by providing North America—ameliorating the climate and conditions to make this a blessed land for them. This the Lord did and is doing from Adam down to the “Land of the Free” today. His great promises for them and us are incredibly important today, as we prepare for His coming.

I have heard several talks by my good friend, David Doane. I have had many personal conversations with him as well. He is a fascinating Jewish convert. His research shows that the Mulekites came up the St. Lawrence in Phoenician ships, and established themselves in Zarahemla. Zarahemla is a Phoenician word. The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith to name the city across from Nauvoo, Ill, Zarahemla (D&C 125:3). The Book of Mormon shares that the river there is called the Sidon, which is the Mississippi River, which is also a Phoenician word. When the Mulekites joined with the Nephites, several Phoenician words appeared in the Book of Mormon text. David Doane explains how and why they came in Phoenician ships.

Wayne May told me of a Phoenician artifact in a museum in Dear Born, MI, found on the shores of Lake Michigan near Chicago. He sent a picture of it to me.

The Vikings had several settlements in eastern Canada where they lived year-round. The petroglyph writings on the cliffs along the waterways from ships coming from northern Europe are much higher than current water levels. So, we know that current water levels are not as they were then.

Glottology

Glottology is the science of linguistics. Brian D. Stubbs states, “Written records unearthed in the Americas have often been labeled as hoaxes. But, languages show specific ties from ancient to modern times, and thousands of the related languages are beyond fabrication. Many people label artifacts as hoaxes because the material does not conform to their paradigm that Hebrew, Christian, and Egyptian relics should not be found in North America.”

John Whitmer, who helped scribe for Joseph Smith, from the small plates in Fayette, NY, copied characters from the small plates. My good friend, Brian Nettles, has been able to translate some of those. They are Demotic Egyptian, which was the language used at the time of Lehi and Nephi’s writings.

Author, David Hocking shares how the Hebrew language links to North America with the numerous Hebrew names ending in “ah.”  Many of these names are also found in the Book of Mormon.

For example: Utah is a Ute Indian word meaning “In the tops of the Mountains,” and ending in “ah.”  So, using the Ute Indian word in Isaiah 2:2-3, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in [Utah] the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.”

The Ten Commandments

I know of three occurrences in North America of ancient Hebrew renditions of the Ten Commandments in what is called “block Hebrew”.  I have a replica of one of those we saw in a museum in Ohio with the inscription and figure of Moses in block Hebrew at the top.

Hagoth

The Book of Mormon tells us of Hagoth, who built several ships and took thousands of people “north”—probably up Lake Algonquin—the “West Sea.” (Alma 63:4-9) And then most probably east down the Ottawa River to the St. Lawrence seaway.

I believe the Mi’kmaq were part of the Hagoth entourage. The Mi’kmaq settled at the mouth and south of the St. Lawrence seaway. The Mi’kmaq have the tradition of Noah’s flood. The Jesuits found them easy converts to Christianity. Wayne May shares that the Jesuits made a prayer book for them in the Mi’kmaq language, which has several characters similar to Demotic Egyptian, and many of them with the same meanings. That prayer book is still used today by the Mi’kmaq people. Demotic Egyptian was spoken at the time Lehi left Jerusalem in 600 B.C. Over 50% of their population’s DNA ties to Israel.

Geologist, Wayne May has shown direct comparisons of Demotic Egyptian with the Mi’kmaq language and some of the characters have the same meanings.

Narrow Neck

One meaning of the Indian word, Niagara, means “Narrow neck.” Because there were significant changes in the land at the time of all the destruction that happened at Christ’s crucifixion. We are not surprised by the evidence that the Great Lakes area was much larger and very different from what it is today.

In the elevation chart below, you see the distance between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario is 35 miles. The distance a Nephite can walk in a day and a half, as it is described in scriptures (Alma 22:32). Clearly, the “narrow neck” is not Panama. My expert friends have more than one possibility for the “narrow neck” in North America as described in the Book of Mormon.

Book of Mormon Heartland

I am on the board of directors for Brian Nettles, BookofMormonHeartLand.com program. Where we are showing “voices from the dust” from artifacts in the Mississippi drainage area. I did a recent podcast for him on one of these amazing artifacts.  These “voices from the dust”, prophesied by Isaiah 28:4, are telling of Christianity in North America and of the infinite atonement described so profoundly in the Book of Mormon.

This elevation chart below of the Great Lakes to the Atlantic is fascinating.

What we know now is that the Straits of Mackinac join Lake Michigan and Heron. They make the largest freshwater lake in the world, 45,300 sq mi (about 120,000 sq km). How awesome it was back then, when Lake Algonquin was much bigger, and important to them for shipping. Mined copper from that area has been found in other parts of the world.

Lake Algonquin Anciently

The US Geological Survey Monograph 53 is titled The Pleistocene of Indiana and Michigan and the history of the Great Lakes. It was authored by Frank Leverett and Frank Bursley Taylor and published in 1915 12. The monograph describes the glacial features and the great glacial lakes of a district in Indiana and Michigan lying between the areas covered by Monographs XXXVIII, and XLI. The pre-Wisconsin glacial and interglacial formations are given attention, but the principal subject of discussion is the Wisconsin drift of the Saginaw lobe and the neighboring portions of the Lake Michigan and Huron-Erie lobes.

The links for the above map and elevation chart are here:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b7/66/95/b76695bd3637ef2d2b1d301010080310.jpg
http://www.earthlymission.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/great-lakes-profile.jpg

Book of Mormon Heartland

At BookofMormonHeartland.com you will find podcasts sharing “voices from the dust” as the ancient Native Americans tell their story of the resurrected Lord visiting North America and sharing the fullness of the gospel with them. I have been privileged to help with these.

The Book of Mormon Message is True

All of this leads us to know with certainty that the Book of Mormon message is true with Christ being here in North America. Here, He came as a glorified resurrected being sharing the fullness of the gospel. That book is another witness that Jesus is the Christ joining with the Bible. In the Book of Mormon, we learn of God’s perfect and infinite love for us. We learn of His perfect and infinite Atonement amid all our imperfections. We are privileged to live in that day when the Native Americans are now blossoming as a rose. “Voices from the dust” are telling the Book of Mormon story in the heartland of North America. These transpirings are in fulfillment of prophecies in preparation for the Lord’s glorious Second Coming.

David W. Allan

Photo: CC Dreamstime

From Moses, to Joseph Smith, to Jesus

Spirituality, , , ,

God spoke to Moses at the “burning bush.” God spoke to fourteen-year-old Joseph Smith in the burning light (JS-H 16-17). God spoke to Jason Olson, a devout Jew when he tried to burn the Book of Mormon. Thus, The Burning Book! From the Torah, to the Book of Mormon, to the New Testament was Jason’s unusual path.

From devout Jew, to Mormon, and to find true Christianity are described in this inspiring book. Receiving the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as a devout Jew, is his amazing journey. From being a Torah observant Jew to now being a military chaplain is his massive and dynamic life changing experience.

Because of the great importance of the Israeli-Arabic conflict in the world, I highly recommend you read “The Burning Book.” Jason had Israeli professors and Muslim professors. He knows the modern and historical perspective as well of the Israeli-Arabic conflict. As I did, you will learn a lot by reading the book. It is very well written. Jason Olson wrote it with his friend, James Goldberg, a journalist.

“Do Not Burn My Book”

God told 14-year-old Jason, “Do not burn my book!” Doubting the voice that came into his mind, he tried to burn it again, and God spoke to him again in his mind, “Go to your room and read my book.”  The following is a synopsis. But I left out the Israeli-Arabic conflict information. That information makes the book very valuable all by itself.

“The Burning Book”

As Jason began to read the book, he was surprised to read the words of Moroni. Moroni wrote the title page, and it shares this profound message. “[The book] is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever.” The Angel Moroni delivered the gold plates to Joseph Smith to translate. Then Moroni says, “to the convincing of Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.” The Prophet Moroni saw our day more clearly than any other prophet.

The Great Promise

Before Moroni deposited the gold plates in the stone box in the Hill Cumorah in 421 A.D., he closed with this great promise (Moroni 10:3-5).

Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things.

Jason was moved by what Moroni shared encouraging us, “to think back on history, reflect on God’s relationship with humanity, and then pray to know the truth. By the power of the Holy Ghost, the scripture says, we can know the truth of all things.”

Feeling the Spirit of God

Jason knelt to pray, and after reading the book, he closed his prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. This is huge for a Jew to do, who is devout and observing the Torah. “The next moment, I was filled from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet with the spirit of God. I felt full of light. Like I was glowing with it.” Jason made the great comment, “There are moments in life that transcend the limits of our understanding. Moments that fill the heart, enlarge the soul. Moments when God writes his will on us when the flesh of our hearts becomes his tablet.”  God speaking to him clearly and the Spirit’s confirmation totally changed Jason’s life.

One needs to realize that the Book of Mormon is the only book the world has that is translated by “the gift and power of God.” Both the printing and the translation were miracles. The Prophet Moroni, who saw our day more clearly than any other, summarizes the message of the book (Moroni 10:31-33).

“And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled. Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God, ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.”

Jason’s Conversion Background

Jason was fourteen years old when his LDS friends in Scottsdale, AZ, gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon. As a devout Jew, he didn’t want to read it. Because they were his friends, he didn’t want to give it back. He felt not to throw it in the trash. His mother is a devout Jew, and he didn’t want her to see it. That was when he decided late one night “to burn the book.”

Reading the Book of Mormon as a converted Christian, he saw that he needed to be baptized. He asked his LDS friend, Shea Owens, to take him to the lake and secretly baptize him. Shea explained that it doesn’t work that way. He needed to take the missionary lessons, meet with the Bishop, and get his parent’s approval.

When Jason shared his desires with his mother, who is a devout Jew, she was totally upset. She told him, “Absolutely not!” She spent the next years having him meet with Rabbis and anyone who could dissuade him. He finally had to wait until he was eighteen to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The missionaries were excited to teach him—someone who was “genuinely excited about the gospel.” They had some great discussions. One of particular interest was the gender of the Holy Ghost. “For them [the missionaries], that must have seemed like an odd fixation, but for me seeing the Holy Ghost as female was the easiest way to map the Shechinah, a feminine term for God’s presence, from Judaism onto Mormon belief.” Shechinah means in Hebrew “dwelling” presence of God. I find it fascinating that in some apocryphal literature, the Holy Ghost is female and is Heavenly Mother. She is omniscient—all-knowing and filled with infinite love for each of us.

Jason describes his baptism: “I came out of the water feeling truly forgiven and pure. I was born again.” The next day the elders laid their hands on his head and said, “Receive the Holy Ghost.” Being both a blessing and a commandment, he said, “I felt it. It was soft and still, but the baptism of fire entered my soul. I felt like I could sing now in some unseen choir, singing Hallelujah to God and his angels. I have started a new life.”

Jason’s Missionary Experience

As the Lord would orchestrate it, he went on to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was called to serve in the most Jewish-populated areas in the USA, New Jersey, and New York. One time they were teaching congregants in a Messianic Jewish congregation, who already believed that Jesus was the Messiah. The Rabbi called them in and told them to stop.

Along with having several wonderful experiences on his mission, Jason also came to a clear appreciation that the Lord was keeping Jews as Jews for them to go their “Promised Land.” He developed a deep desire to go to Israel. He had gained a new major insight from the Book of Mormon about the gathering of Israel. America was also a “Promised Land” for the descendants of Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 49:22-27; 2 Nephi 1).

After his mission, he felt prompted to go to Israel to study. He took out Israeli citizenship there. He went to a meeting where Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu spoke of the threat of Iranian rockets attacking Israel. Jason felt to do something about it. He found a company working on a missile defense system. He decided to go back to the States to get a degree in Aerospace Engineering and come back and work with them.

Education and Marriage

As fate would have it, he went to BYU, and there he met Sara Ann Terry, who became his wife. He dedicated this book to her, with the citation, “To Sara, my Forever and a Day.” They were sealed in the San Antonio Temple closer to Sara’s family. Jason was deeply touched by the experience and shared: All my life, I’d been looking for something. For the grounding of a covenant, for the authority of a prophet, for the presence of God. In the temple that day, it all came together. This was what I wanted. This is what I was looking for. She was what I was looking for.

During his senior year, he took a class on “the Arab-Israeli conflict.” The professor asked the class, “Are rocket attacks by Hamas against Israel Justified?” The class responded with, “Yes.” After some discussion, Jason could not stand it anymore and stood up and said, “This disgusts me and offends me.” After class, students thanked him for standing up.

Jason then writes, “The clarity that emerged out of that day for me was this: I had given up on my plan to defend Israel from rocket attacks. But maybe learning how to persuasively object to such attacks was as important as learning how to shoot missiles down.” Jason and Sara prayed and headed off to the Brandeis Jewish University in Boston, where he got his Ph.D.

He was doing some of his research in San Antonio, and in December 2013 he got a flight to Boston, where he was to give a paper. He sat by an Airman. They had a great conversation during their four-hour flight to Boston. The Airman said, “After talking to you, I think you would make an outstanding chaplain.” The Airman’s bold statement changed Jason’s heart. He had never thought of chaplaincy before. He called Sara. They prayed. She called back and said, “Let’s go for it.” And so they moved to that path and are having great success.

Podcast Interview

Steven Pynakker has a podcast interviewing Jason Olson, where he tells his remarkable story. Steven is evangelical but loves the Book of Mormon. He says the Book of Mormon saved his life.  He was an atheist. This interview nearly went viral!

God in the Details of Our Lives

Jason’s story in the “Burning Book” is a great example of how our infinitely loving God is in the details of our lives. It is up to each of us to reach out to Him in prayer. He will force no one to heaven; to do so would make it not heaven. Prayer is our shield against the enemy of all Righteousness (D&C 10:5). And prayer is our path to Light and Truth (Matt. 7:7-8). Jesus is the way, the light, and the truth (John 14:6; 8:12).

David W. Allan

Photo of Book by the Author: Amazon

Finding Gold in Ancient Texts

Spirituality, ,

David R. Hocking of Raleigh, North Carolina, is the chief editor of six annotated ancient texts. An annotated book provides additional information, explanations, photos, and charts, which enhance the understanding of the original text.

Hocking’s diligent dedication to providing a better understanding of spiritual subjects includes The Book of Mormon, The Book of Jasher, which is mentioned in the Bible (2 Samuel 1:18; Joshua 10:15) and means the correct record, The New Testament, The Five Books of Moses, The Book of Enoch, and The Book of Isaiah.

His annotated edition books illuminate these sacred texts by providing amazing additional insights, information, explanations, photos, and charts, which greatly enhance the understanding and appreciation of the original text.

High-Tech Advantage

These detailed, pictorial, and text volumes would not have been possible without the “High-Tech” advantage over “Type Setting”. Hocking’s diligent dedication and massive efforts using High-Tech publishing software technology have allowed him to enhance his publications by using red text for words of Deity, blue text for words of angels and quoted scripture, indentation of prophecies, and paragraph grouping for increased comprehension. David’s books are available on his website.

He now has completed 354 pages of “The Revelations of Joseph Smith, Jr. The Chronological History of the Restoration as Recorded in His Journal.” I have been so intrigued by all of David’s books. But, this seventh one in the series, I believe may be the most significant, and a major game changer. I reached out to David offering to help him with this annotated edition. It will be an amazing contribution to sacred literature.

I have already given David several suggestions in my enthusiasm for what he is doing, and he has included several of them in his newest updated volume. The following are some suggestions I have sent to him regarding the miraculous printing miracles associated with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon Printing Miracle – By David W. Allan

The Lord is in the details of our lives. The printing of the Book of Mormon was truly a miracle. The details of the life of Gordon L. Weight, who died in 2004 at the age of 72, is another case in point. He wrote the booklet, ‘Miracle on Palmyra’s Main Street,’ the year before he died. “Gordon is probably the only person on the planet who could have written with authenticity this booklet with the subtitle, ‘An ‘Old-Time’ Printer’s Perspective on Printing the Original Copies of the Book of Mormon.’ “The Book of Mormon has been criticized and praised for nearly 200 years. Now it is recognized and used by many non-LDS scholars and religious leaders. Many Jews have come to know the true Messiah by reading the Book of Mormon.

My good Jewish friend, Rob Kay, was fifteen years old when he picked up the Book of Mormon and immediately recognized it as a Hebrew document. He gave me permission to share his conversion story.  My wife and I have Rob’s insightful Three Volume set in our home–showing the Hebraisms. I have read it five times.

It is particularly fascinating for me, because as he sections off the book many of them begin with one of the 1,800 Adamic phrases that I have found in our scriptures.

First Printing of the Book of Mormon

What Gordon Wright has done is shown in its first printing of the Book of Mormon we have several documented miracles. It would have been impossible for it to be printed as it was without “Divine assistance.”  Thus, this second witness for Christ—a companion to the Bible—was brought forth “translated by the gift and power of God.”  Because of its great importance, it was published in preparation for the coming of our Lord.

“For example, Joseph specified both the kind of type and the kind of paper for the Book of Mormon.  However, the printer had neither or access to the same, but they were provided miraculously. The massive amount of ink for the printing of the 5,000 copies was also miraculously provided. Brother Weight, who had the expertise to say so, estimates a minimum of 22 ½ months to print and bind these 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon.

The Grandin Press had other printing responsibilities in addition such as a newspaper and other customer jobs. “Yet, the 5,000 printed copies were ready in time for the Lord to organize His Church on the 6th of April 1830.” They were printed and bound in a little over 6 months—a clearly documented miracle. It is like what George Washington said when we should not have won the Revolutionary War, but we did. He summarized it in two words, “Divine intervention.” This is like Jesus turning water into wine at Cana of Galilee (John 2).

The Divine Ratio

I was pondering these miracles in the early morning hours of the Vernal Equinox (20 March 2017, 4:28 AM Mountain Standard Time; I remember looking at the clock because of the significance of the impression), and had the feeling that the dimensions of this first printing were in the Divine ratio* or Golden Mean = 1.618… Having a replica, I got up and measured it. It was exact! Another fingerprint of the Lord. I have found no other book in our library with these exact dimensions, and we have well over two thousand books.

Copies of Gordon’s booklet on the Book of Mormon miracle can be obtained from his wife, Dorotha Wright: 4649 S. 345 E. Murray, UT 84107, (801) 262-9290 or palmyramainstreet@gmail.com.

“The Divine or golden ratio is found all over in nature. You find it with the five-pointed star, as an example. The ratio of the last two numbers in the Fibonacci series converges quickly to the Divine ratio. It is equal to (1 + square root of 5)/2–typically denoted by the Greek letter phi. In the case of the original copies of the Book of Mormon, the height is 7.5 inches, and the width is 4.635 inches, which equals 1.618…

In design, the golden or Divine ratio boils down to aesthetics, creating and appreciating a “sense of beauty through harmony and proportion.” And the Divine ratio is the only number equal to 1 plus its reciprocal: phi = 1 + 1/phi. So for the original copies of the Book of Mormon: 4.636/7.5 + 1 = phi.

The Typesetter for the Original Book of Mormon

Mr. John Henry Gilbert was working for Grandin Press and did the typesetting for the original Book of Mormon. David R. Hocking has become the “High-Tech” John Gilbert in providing these seven books in his series of annotated editions.

The popularity of David Hocking’s work is significantly increasing, and he now has sold over fifty thousand copies of his books. He has given several talks at the Book of Mormon Evidence Conferences and will be speaking at the next “Land of Promise” conference in Nephi, Utah on the 20th of October 2023 in the Nephi High School gymnasium.

Book of Mormon and Ancient Records

David Hocking has shown Joseph Smith to be a revealer of ancient records. Not only is the Book of Mormon the keystone of our religion, but David has shown that some content in the Book of Mormon came from ancient records that he could not have had access to when he was translating from the Golden Plates in 1829. As an example, Joseph revealing the Book of Moses is a second keystone of him being a Prophet of God and a revealer of ancient texts. In other words, Joseph’s revealing of these ancient records is a direct validation of his being a Prophet of God.

In addition, the infinite perfect atonement podcast gives further validation.

David W. Allan

Photo: David Hocking Personal Photo

Wokeism and the Book of Mormon Cure

Spirituality, ,

Wokism Wokeism is the promotion of the ideology that someone is “informed, educated, and conscious of social injustice and racial inequality”.  It sounds good, however, it has deep roots in relativism, which is there is no absolute standard of truth or values.

The very moral principles that this country was founded on are under attack. For instance, traditional values such as patriotism and religious faith are being assaulted.

The global elite are using Wokeism to defeat the cause of ZION and to stop the Lord’s work. The global elite are using magician-like tactics to entertain and to make the world believe they are doing something good, when in fact it is not only deceitful but horrendously bad.

The Book of Mormon has the cure for how to avoid this massive defeatism being perpetrated on the world’s populous.

Book of Mormon Evidence Conference

On September 15 – 16, I will be speaking at the Book of Mormon Evidence Conference in Salt Lake City on the topic of “Wokeism and the Book of Mormon Cure”. I will be outlining the New World Order’s deceitful ways. More importantly the cures for how to overcome this malicious attack on the world community.

Presidential Candidate

Vivek Ramaswamy is running for President of the United States and has written an excellent book, WOKE, INC. Inside Corporate America Social Justice Scam. He exposes how corporate America has this hidden “nefarious” plan. In their magician-like tactics, they pretend they are doing something good, when, in fact, they are doing something horrendously bad by using wokeism to destroy our American identity.

Vivek shares:
“Woke culture posits a new theory of who you are as a person, one that reduces you to the characteristics you inherit at birth and denies your status as a free agent in the world.
[Clearly, this is Satan’s plan.] And it deploys powerful corporations to propagate this new theory with the full force of modern capitalism behind it.

Ramaswamy says, “The true solution is to rebuild a vision for a shared American identity that is so deep and so powerful that it dilutes wokeism to irrelevance, one that no longer leaves us susceptible to being divided by corporate elites for their own gain.” Vivek’s solution is very good. I have written an article sharing his great insights and solutions. I will be sharing some of his awareness in my address in September.

You can read more of Vivek Ramaswamy’s views in this blog article: 

Profoundly, the Book of Mormon adds a powerful spiritual dimension to the cure for wokeism. The Prophet Moroni saw our day more clearly than any other prophet, and his insights are paramount.

David W. Allan

P.S. The Firm Foundation Seminar (Book of Mormon Conference) will be held on September 15th and 16th 2023 at the Hilton Hotel: 255 South West Temple St. Salt Lake City. 9 a to 8 pm each day.  I look forward to meeting you there.

Photo:  CC Ted Eytan

The Most Important Spiritual Warning in the Book of Mormon

Spirituality, ,

Pride, the most important spiritual warning? What a value judgment. But there are reasons why it might be so. The spiritual warning in the Book of Mormon is as follows:

“They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men. Oh, the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell.” (2 Nephi 28: 14-15.)”

“Behold, the pride of this nation, or the people of Nephi, hath proven their destruction except they should repent.” (Moroni 8:27)

Pride has Four Great faults

1. Pride does not acknowledge that the advantages one has (health, strength, intelligence, wealth) are all gifts from God. To acknowledge those gifts would be humility, the opposite of pride.
2. Pride keeps us from seeing ourselves as we truly are, in great need of being saved from ourselves.
3. Pride justifies us in trespassing against our neighbor, advancing ourselves at our neighbor’s expense.
4. Pride blocks us from receiving the Holy Spirit, that companionship that is essential to salvation.

Pride Does Not Acknowledge Gifts From God

1. Pride does not acknowledge that the advantages one has (health, strength, intelligence, wealth) are all gifts from God. To acknowledge those as gifts would be humility, the opposite of pride.

The “natural man,” a human being who has not been rescued from spiritual death through faith in Jesus Christ, usually thinks of himself or herself as a product of nature. Blind chance has brought him or her into this world and has given all that the person has, and therefore there is no gratitude due to anyone for any advantages one may have.

Pride Keeps Us From Seeing Ourselves

2. Pride keeps us from seeing ourselves as we truly are, in great need of being saved from ourselves. Our only real enemy is the character weaknesses that allow us to break the commandments of God. One part of Christ’s mission is to direct the Holy Spirit to labor with each of us to give up our weaknesses and gain the strength to become like Jesus Christ. Then we also will only do the will of the Father. Then the world will be at peace and we will have a heaven on earth. If we would each give up our pride in our sinning and become like little children, meek, submissive, and obedient to the Savior, then the millennium would come without the need to cleanse the earth of all pride and arrogance.

Pride Justifies Us Against Our Neighbor

Pride justifies us in trespassing against our neighbor, advancing ourselves at our neighbor’s expense. The proud person thinks to himself “I deserve what I want” and proceeds to take what he wants by any means. This proud person does not know God but does listen to the voice of Satan. Satan assures him that he does indeed deserve what he wants. And Satan always confirms him in his selfish desires, a most desirable companion to those who see themselves as the most important person on the scene.

Pride Blocks Us From Receiving the Holy Spirit

Pride blocks us from receiving the Holy Spirit, that companionship that is essential to salvation. The proud person cannot receive the ministrations of the Holy Spirit because he does not want to do so. He wants to see himself as more, not less, and the Holy Spirit always enjoins one to be humble, as a little child, and to sacrifice to bless others. But the proud person always wants to be more, not less, and to help someone else only if the deed will renown to his own glory.

Remember: The ultimate pride is to reject Jesus Christ and to pretend that we don’t need Him.

Chauncey C. Riddle
“Guest Post”

P.S. Chauncy C. Riddle’s understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ and his political awareness is unmatched.   Chauncey C Riddle is a Professor Emeritus of Philosophy from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He is a religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has written many articles for the Ensign, Sunstone Magazine, and BYU Studies. He has also written countless articles and has published the milestone book entitled, “Think Independently,” which can be purchased at Amazon

You may be interested in additional “Guest Posts” by Chauncey C. Riddle.

“Two Hearts and Two Minds”
“The Most Important Verse in the Book of Mormon”
“The Great And Abominable Church”
“The Most Important Temporal Warning In The Book of Mormon”

His website, “Learning To Think”, has several fascinating articles: chaunceyriddle.org

The Most Important Temporal Warning

Spirituality, , ,

What is the most important temporal warning in the Book of Mormon? The most important temporal warning? What a value judgment! But there are reasons why it might be so.

“And now I, Moroni, do not write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made known unto me that they are had among all people, and they are had among the Lamanites.

And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking, and also the destruction of the people of Nephi. And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold they will be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of the saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet avenge them not.

Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby you may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.

Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that you shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of the secret combinations which shall be among you; or wo be unto it because of the blood of those who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.

For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.” (Ether 8:20-25)

One of the Main Tactics

One of its main ploys is to ridicule conspiracy theories.

The Theosophical Society of America offers this comment on a book about conspiracy theories: “Conspiracy Theories, then, are far from harmless. Such wrongheaded thinking can be pernicious, and ultimately downright destructive. Cassam runs down a list: antivaxxers; anticredentialism in general; “the death of expertise”; Brexit; anti-Semitism on both the left and the right.

“Therefore Conspiracy theories promote symbols and beliefs that have consequences unforeseen by moderates. Furthermore, they “diminish the credibility of legitimate criticisms” and are also a “distraction from big-picture social issues.” Review of Conspiracy Theories by Quassim Cassam, Cambridge, U.K.: Polity Press, 2019.

In other words, public, just believe what you are told.

This Movement is a Religion

This movement is actually a religion, with all the trappings of a religion.

This religion has its temples (universities), priestly vestments (cap and gown), ordinances (graduation ceremonies), a theology (there is no God, all things are natural, there is no right and wrong).

This religion is behind getting rid of public displays of the Ten Commandments. It is behind the LGBT+ movement. It encourages “living together” instead of marriage. It promotes abortion and euthanasia. This movement is the great and abominable church mentioned in the scriptures.

This threat is organized from the Spirit world, inspired and guided by Satan. It will be a major player on the world scene until the Savior comes in his Second Coming. Those who cooperate and participate in this programmed evil are the tares of the earth who will be burned at the Second Coming of Christ.

Control Over All Culture

The humanist movement is the dominant force and idealogy in the world today.

It is the philosophy behind communism and socialism. It has quietly taken control of our education systems, threatens scientific objectivism, controls our media, and is behind the “woke” movement.

Politics in the United States mostly concerns how much socialism we shall allow, with socialism gradually increasing and taking over our politics. Socialism, the governing of the masses by those “most intelligent” human beings, is the antithesis of what the true disciples of Christ seek, which is Zion, a people so pure in heart that they all do only the will of Christ.
They spend their time blessing others in his name and through his power.

Zion is a people who do not take their instructions from any human being unless those instructions are confirmed by the Holy Spirit, which is the will of Christ. The will of Christ is that they become fully honest, true, chaste, and benevolent, having all things in common out of a pure heart.

These latter days are a showdown between the cause of Christ (Zion) and humanism. Humanism seeks to govern all mankind by a socialist world order. Moroni would have us be fully aware of this confrontation and make sure we promote the cause of Christ and do not give power to the cause of Satan.

Chauncey C. Riddle
“Guest Post”

P.S. Chauncy C. Riddle and I have been very good friends for a long time.  His understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ and his political awareness is unmatched.   Chauncey C Riddle is a Professor Emeritus of Philosophy from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He is a religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has written many articles for the Ensign, Sunstone Magazine, and BYU Studies. He has also written countless articles and has published the milestone book entitled, “Think Independently,” which everyone should read.

You may be interested in additional “Guest Posts” by Chauncey C. Riddle.

“Two Hearts and Two Minds”
“The Most Important Verse in the Book of Mormon”
“The Great And Abominable Church”

His website has several fascinating articles: chaunceyriddle.org