“And, it Came to Pass” and “Glory to God” are included in probably the most cited Christmas scripture in the bible. Luke 2:1-14,

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
3 And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) [Bethlehem means “House of bread” in Hebrew.]
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men

I believe we were part of the heavenly choir singing with all our hearts, “Glory to God.” Interestingly, in the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ by Levi, we read about His resurrection: “The soldiers heard a voice from somewhere; yea, from everywhere, it said, ‘Peace, peace on earth; good will to men.’ They looked, the tomb was empty, and the Lord had risen…” (172:40-42)

William Tyndale, an Unsung Hero

Even though William Tyndale was martyred 75 years before, seventy-seven percent of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is William Tyndale’s translation. Recognizing Tyndales’s brilliance and inspiration the 47 scholars spent seven years to bring it to publication in 1611. Tyndale is an unsung hero with 70% of the KJV giving the world the most accurate English translation.

Tyndale’s inspiration for translating the Bible into English preserved the Adamic phrase, “And it came to pass.” The late Professor Leanora Leet shows from the ancient Hebrew Kabbalah, that “And it came to pass,” has the gematria meaning, “El,” which is God. This phrase ties to important past historical events. Here we have Luke using it to highlight the world’s pivotal event of the birth of our Savior.

Adamic Phrases

The Lord has led me to 1,800 Adamic phrases in our scriptures. When you look at their use and distribution by the prophets, they validate our scriptures. Both Nephi and Joseph in Egypt prophesied that one of the many reasons for the Book of Mormon coming forth was to validate the Bible. (1 Nephi 13:38-41; 2 Nephi 3:11) And the language of Adamic phrases helps to do that.  “It came to pass” is just one of those phrases.  It is a phrase we see but never think about.

Do We Have it Backward

We have to ask the question, “Do we have this backward?” We celebrate His birth much more than His resurrection. We also know the Savior was born in the Spring. The 25^th of December is a pagan holiday tradition and is tied to the winter solstice. Both His birth and His infinite atonement tie importantly to the Hebrew calendar. We know from scripture that He was born on the 6^th of April. (D&C 20:1).

The Nephites started their calendar at His birth. And we read, “And it came to pass in the thirty and fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm, such a one as never had been known in all the land.” The Earth was responding to His three hours of unimaginable suffering for all the sins of the world, as He hung on the cross. During those three hours, great destruction happened in North America. (3 Nephi 8:5-19). This was followed by three days of total darkness, as His body lay in the tomb. (3 Nephi 8:20-23)

There are seven steps in the Lord’s infinite atonement: 1) Gethsemane; 2) Before the Sanhedrin; 3) Before the Romans; 4) His crucifixion; 5) He voluntarily gave His life (Jn 10:18); 6) Visit to paradise; and 7) His overcoming death for all being the first to rise. The whole world has it wrong, and the Book of Mormon along with the vision of Joseph F. Smith has it right. (D&C 138) Comprehending the infinite atonement is comprehending the incomprehensible. I have not seen or heard of anyone who appreciates the magnitude of the sixth and seventh steps.

Nephi told us that many plain and precious things had been taken out of the Bible by the great and abominable church of the devil. (1 Nephi 13:20-36) And because of these many changes and deletions, the Lord promised Nephi that He would bring forth the fullness of His Gospel unto the Gentiles. Thus, we have the glorious message of the Book of Mormon and latter-day scriptures. Much more is yet to come.

The First Resurrection

The righteous spirits over the four thousand years back from Christ’s resurrection to Adam and Eve were anxiously awaiting His visit to paradise. They knew that three days hence Christ would break the bands of death; they would receive their glorious-resurrected bodies. When He arose, because of Him they would also arise rejoicing in their redemption and go to loved ones. This happened all across the globe. When Moroni abridges the Jaredite record, it is mainly about their wars to remind us in a major way what will happen to us if we don’t repent. But he also tells us that the Lord declared that their 1,600 years here in North America would be the greatest nation in the history of the world. (Ether 1:43) Can you imagine the number of righteous Jaredite saints who arose on resurrection day all across North America? The “First Resurrection” included all those millions of righteous saints back to the fall of Adam and Eve.

That must have been one of the most glorious and majestic days in all the history of the Earth. Nephi prophetically shares, “Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulcher for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings;” (2 Nephi 25:13) The Nephites had it right celebrating his glorious resurrection. We are now learning of thousands of records coming forth from the Nephites in North America describing this most important event and as He came and visited them. I recently was invited to do a podcast discussing stones that were found in the heartland of North America. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the central theme of the interview.  This amazing stone with the North American Native Indian’s word for Christ at the top:  “Yod Hey Vau” for Jehovah depicts the three days in the tomb. 2 Nephi 25:13. I have also written a blog article that tells part of the story. The native Americans used the five-nails used in His crucifixion to denote his name; it is called the mystic symbol, and is their name for Jehovah.

The Nephites celebrated his glorious resurrection more than His birth. They had it right, we have it wrong. We should be celebrating Easter more than Christmas, as the early Christians and Nephites did.  What is the most important common holiday of the year for Arabs, Jesus, and Gentiles?  It is Easter for the Jews, the Gentiles, and the Arabs.

Christ’s Glorious Resurrection

It is fascinating, the Crucifixion Report of PONTUS PILOT to: TIBERIUS CAESAR has an incredible account of the resurrection day. The soldiers guarding the tomb beginning at the 4^th watch (3 a.m.) saw a beautiful light above the sepulcher. Then after His resurrection, the entire place was lit up.

The resurrected saints were “shouting and filled with ecstasy”. They heard the most beautiful music ever experienced. The Earth rejoiced by lovingly rocking back and forth in great honor of their Creator’s resurrection, as He broke the bands of death and hell. (verse 147-151 in the Crucifixion Report of PONTUS PILOT to: TIBERIUS CAESAR).

Isaiah prophesied “voices from the dust.” The Book of Mormon came out of the Hill Cumorah. Now, thousands of records are bearing testimony of the infinite atonement and Christ’s visit to America. Isaiah’s prophecy, “voices from the dust” is still coming to pass. (Isa. 29:4-5)

Let us sing, “Glory to God in the highest” because of His resurrection, which gives us our resurrection. Without it, we are damned. With it all stand before God. His perfect mercy and perfect justice will in due process bring us to the place where we will be the happiest. His infinite love brings that about. “Glory to God.”

David W. Allan
Photo: CC Deviant Art