Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.
—Isaiah 28:2
In our examination of the fourth blood moon, we now turn to the symbolism of pouring out—as embodied in the constellation Aquarius. As I mentioned before, the outpouring represents both water and fire, which we’ll cover in due course. But the outpouring also represents a flood, which is the topic of today’s post.
Floods Destroy
In Noah’s day, the Lord used a flood of water to destroy all flesh, with the promise that such a general flood would not happen again. The “floods” of destruction since have been of a different type:
Yea, and I say unto you that if it were not for the prayers of the righteous, who are now in the land, that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction; yet it would not be by flood, as were the people in the days of Noah, but it would be by famine, and by pestilence, and the sword. (Alma 10:22)
The imagery of a flood is applicable for an overflowing surge, even when water is not involved. For example, the word “flood” is used in nearly every current news report covering the Middle-East refugee crisis. Millions of refugees from Syria, North Africa, and the Middle East in general, are flooding into Europe and, to a lesser extent, North America. Most are fleeing war, oppression, or poor living conditions in their prior home countries. Not
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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. (Isaiah 11:11)
If you take a few minutes to research the ancient locations of Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shiner and Hamath, you’ll find that these regions cover the Middle East and North Africa. Syria, historically a melting pot of many groups and cultures, is right in the center of it all. In other words, now that the Lord has set his hand again the second time to recover the remnants of his people, we can watch in awe as this prophecy is literally fulfilled by the gathering out of people from the very areas Isaiah identified. You couldn't ask for a more literal fulfillment.
I believe this flood of refugees necessarily includes a mixture of the blood of the Northern ten tribes of Israel, carried away captive in 722 BC by the Assyrians into the areas now known as Iran, Iraq and Syria. Undoubtedly, there was a mixing of the bloodlines as Jacob’s descendants settled the area.
Similarly, the southern kingdom, taken captive by Babylon, mixed their bloodlines in Babylon, and only a small portion of the Israelites returned to Israel when the opportunity was granted 70 years later.
There have been enough mixtures, migrations, and interbreeding to ensure that nearly everyone in the Middle East has some mixture of the blood by which they may have right to the covenant of Israel. And though many in those areas passionately hate the nation of Israel, they do so while unaware that they carry the blood of the man Israel in their veins.
This flood of refugees (over 4 million, from Syria alone) is overwhelming the infrastructure of many of the countries where the refugees arrive. The European union, already plagued with economic difficulties, is on the verge of fracture as nations divide and struggle over how to deal with the crisis. Some have erected walls and razor-wire fences, while others have opened their doors without restriction. But no matter the reception, the sheer volume of migrant refugees is staggering.
Note in that Isaiah 11 passage above, he also mentions “the islands of the sea” as a source from which the scattered remnants will gather. This is the same language used in the Book of Mormon to describe the American continent. (2 Nephi 10:20-22)
Here in the U.S., in addition to Middle-Eastern refugees, we also have a massive flood of migrants crossing our porous southern border. Arriving primarily from Central America, many of these migrants are children, and they’re coming by the hundreds of thousands. Numbers have actually doubled since last year, though the news cycle has moved on and offers little coverage of the Central American migrant flood into the U.S.
Gentile Nations
These migrations share a commonality; they involve people flooding into countries that are primarily populated by white Europeans or descendants of white Europeans. Or, in the parlance of the Book of Mormon, the remnants are flooding into the Gentile nations. Interestingly, in the New Testament, “Greek” is the term often used to denote a Gentile. And the nation of Greece is now not only the most economically crippled nation in the EU, but is also the highest-volume recipient of fleeing migrants. The Gentiles are symbolically and literally overrun, even now.
In the case of America, remember, none are brought to this land, but by the hand of the Lord. (2 Nephi 1:6) Therefore, we must conclude that the Hand of the Lord is involved in both the current refugee migration, and the migration over our southern border. He has indeed set his hand, just as Isaiah said.
But why?
Well, according to the Lord:
Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Thy hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. (3 Nephi 20:16-17)
And again:
And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Their hand shall be lifted up upon their adversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off. (3 Nephi 21:12-13)
There’s much more that could be said about the Gentile destruction and about the gathered remnants building New Jerusalem (3 Nephi 21:23-29). But what I've quoted makes the point that these massive, unprecedented movements of millions are absolutely part of the Lord’s plan. The Gentile nations, having passed their day of grace, will now be trodden down by the remnants of scattered Israel, and it has already begun.
The remnants are not gathering into Gentile lands by accident. If we have eyes to see, we are watching the cast assemble for the winding-up scenes of this world. This is not random, cannot be stopped, and does not end well for the Gentile nations.
Treading Down
Aside from some well-publicized acts of terrorist violence perpetrated by immigrants, the much greater threat is economic. Destitute immigrants, arriving penniless and by the millions, require housing, food, employment, medical care, education, welfare assistance, legal help, transportation and law enforcement—overwhelming the already weakened Gentile nations, who are only providing for themselves by borrowing. When the receiving nations cannot provide for the arriving refugees, chaos results. We can already see this process unfolding, and it will lead to collapse.
With collapse comes the prophesied violence, disease, famine, and scenes too horrible to contemplate. An invading army is not required to tread down and tear in pieces the Gentile nations. A failure of the fragile Gentile infrastructure will be enough to topple the whole house of cards. The only hope for any of us is the establishment of Zion.
And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God; And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion.
And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety. And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another. (D&C 45:66-69)
Zion will come, but cleansing will precede the blessing. The proud Gentiles, confident in their strength, trusting in the arm of flesh, unfamiliar with the Lord’s voice, following men, and filled with iniquity, will discover too late that their trust was misplaced. God will cleanse the land, not only through a flood of remnant migrants, but in other ways as well:
And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel;
But they receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men. And in that generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land. But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die. (D&C 45:28-32)
This uncomfortable prediction of an overflowing scourge brings us squarely back to Isaiah 28, which we studied in Blood Moon 3:
Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. (Isaiah 28:14-18)
Blind Watchmen
Unfortunately, this dire outcome is now inevitable. But it didn’t have to happen this way. The Lord called for watchmen, who should have warned us:
Ought ye not to have done even as I commanded you, and—after ye had planted the vineyard, and built the hedge round about, and set watchmen upon the walls thereof—built the tower also, and set a watchman upon the tower, and watched for my vineyard, and not have fallen asleep, lest the enemy should come upon you?
And behold, the watchman upon the tower would have seen the enemy while he was yet afar off; and then ye could have made ready and kept the enemy from breaking down the hedge thereof, and saved my vineyard from the hands of the destroyer. (D&C 101:53-54)
Why do the watchmen NOT raise the warning? Why do they tell us all is well? Why do they point to their life experience and reliance upon trained scholars, rather than their connection to heaven and understanding of scripture? Why do they tell us to keep our eyes on them, rather than on the Lord who can save us? Why do they insist we stay in the boat they blindly steer toward the rocks?
And why, oh why, must a nobody like me raise the warning? Are we really that blind? With the scriptures before us and the signs above us, why is the truth not in us? How have we so utterly failed to recognize our predicament? Why have we trusted the arm of flesh?
It breaks my heart—truly—to consider how many still trust their lives to ignorant, sleeping watchmen, rather than awakening and arising themselves. The flood is already upon us, the tempest is raging, and we perish.
His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. (Isaiah 56:10-12)
So What Does this Have to do with the Blood Moon?
The 4th blood moon appeared on September 27th in America and 28th in Europe.
September 28th was the day that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, in a move widely regarded as thumbing his nose at America, announced the formation of a coalition with Iran, Iraq, Syria and Russia united to combat ISIS. Visibly absent was not only the U.S., but even any notice to, or consultation with the U.S., despite the U.S. alliance with, and presence in, Iraq. In other words, Russia essentially has stepped in to take over the fight against ISIS, regardless of American involvement or wishes. Russia immediately began air strikes, against not only ISIS, but also against U.S. trained and supported rebel fighters in Syria.
In other words, the blood moon of September 28 marked the beginning of a proxy war between the U.S. and Russia, carried out in Syria, with Russia supporting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, and America trying to topple him. Meanwhile, Russia’s greatly increased air attacks and military presence have weakened U.S. interests, and driven many more refugees fleeing for their lives into Europe.
Not coincidentally, on September 28, President Barack Obama tweeted the following:
Both men, Obama and Putin, though adversaries, are unwittingly participating in and performing the Father’s work of Gentile destruction by means of the remnant flood. Therefore it’s more than just a little ironic that President Obama, in his weekly address the day before Thanksgiving, compared the fleeing refugees to the Mayflower Pilgrims.
They’re really sides of the same coin.
The Pilgrims marked a milestone in the growing Gentile invasion that eventually decimated and nearly destroyed the Remnants of Israel on this continent. (1 Nephi 13:14). And now, the refugee flood begins the process of treading down the Gentile nations and restoring the gospel covenant to Israel. (3 Nephi 21:12-13)
Both events were explicitly prophesied in the Book of Mormon. The prophecies have been, and will be fulfilled. Will you repent and be numbered among the House if Israel? Or will you be swept off and destroyed by the flood? It’s entirely up to you, but those are your only two choices. Aquarius is pouring out the water pot.
When a flood comes, you float or you sink. There is no other option.
And it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that the sword of my justice shall hang over them at that day; and except they repent it shall fall upon them, saith the Father, yea, even upon all the nations of the Gentiles.
—3 Nephi 20:20
A Note about Refugees
Note that I have not taken any position for or against the refugees. I've only observed the meaning and potential outcome of these migrations. The vast majority of refugees appear to be truly desperate and fleeing for their lives, with no intent to do harm. As followers of Christ, we all have an obligation to do what we can to help with their needs. There's no point in fighting against them; if the Father wants them brought here, they will come, regardless of Gentile opposition.
Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis spoke passionately about the coming economic collapse of Europe in the face of this flood. Then he observed the following, regarding whether Europe ought to help:
“I don’t have the answer. The numbers of people are very large. But if someone knocks on my door at three in the morning, scared, hungry and having been shot at, as a human it is my moral duty to let them in and give them a drink and feed them. And then ask questions later. Anything else is an affront to…civilization.”