Saturday, April 4, 2020

The End, Part 8: Sword of Justice

And it came to pass that they would not suffer that he should enter into the city, therefore he went and got upon the wall thereof, and stretched forth his hand, and cried with a loud voice, and prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart. And he said unto them, Behold, I, Samuel, a Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lord which he doth put into my heart. And behold, he hath put it into my heart to say unto this people that the sword of justice hangeth over this people. 
—Helaman 5:2



Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8


The term “sword of justice” is unique in scripture. It only appears in the Book of Mormon/Stick of Joseph, and in no other scriptural source, and it appears there, in some form, 8 times. Interestingly, it always appears as a warning to the wicked, though it is used to warn various groups at various times.

We first encounter this term in 1 Nephi 3:17, where a great and terrible gulf that divides the children of men is defined as “even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God and Messiah who is the Lamb of God…” The justice of God, which divides the wicked from the righteous is associated with the large and spacious building of Lehi’s dream—which is something I’ve written about before. Justice divides those in the building from those at the tree of life. (1 Nephi 4:5) This is a general warning to all humanity.

In Helaman 5:2, Samuel the Lamanite warns that the sword of justice would fall on the Nephites if they did not repent and believe in Christ. He associates his warning with the glad tidings declared to him by an angel, but rejected by those to whom he preached. This is a warning to the Nephites specifically, regarding their acceptance or rejection of the Messiah.

In 3 Nephi 9:7, the Savior takes up the same warning, this time directing it to the Gentiles of the latter days:
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.
In 3 Nephi 13:7, Mormon takes up the same warning to the latter-day Gentiles:
And when ye shall see these sayings coming forth among you, then ye need not any longer spurn at the doings of the Lord, for the sword of his justice is in his right hand. And behold, at that day, if ye shall spurn at his doings, he will cause it that it shall soon overtake you.
Mormon continues the line of thought by discussing those who oppose the Lord’s work and specifically his efforts to recover the lost sheep remnants of Israel:
Yea, and ye need not any longer hiss, nor spurn, nor make game of the Jews, nor of any of the remnant of the house of Israel, for behold, the Lord remembereth his covenant unto them, and he will do unto them according to that which he hath sworn. Therefore, ye need not suppose that ye can turn the right hand of the Lord unto the left, that he may not execute judgment unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the house of Israel. (3 Nephi 13:8)
This is something about which I’ve written before as well. Notice that the sword in the Lord’s right hand is associated with justice, destruction, and separating the wicked from the righteous. Also, notice the specific time when the sword of justice will hang over the Gentiles. It is in the latter days, when the gospel has come to the Gentiles, when they have the Book of Mormon, and when its message is directed to the scattered remnants of Israel. In fact, the entire passage deals with the restoration of scattered Israel, and the warning is to those who interfere with or oppose that work.

If the Book of Mormon is any indication, you DO NOT want the Sword of Justice to fall on you. It is associated with “almighty wrath” (Alma 25:2), “heavy destruction” (Helaman 5:2), “utter destruction” (Alma 27:10), and “eternal despair” (Alma 14:18). These are not idle words.


This brings us, of course, to Moroni’s mic drop. As you’re no doubt aware, on March 18, 2020, an earthquake occurred near Salt Lake City, which caused the angel Moroni on top of the Salt Lake LDS Temple to drop his trumpet. Much has been made of this event, and the rather obvious symbolism of the angel now being unable to sound his trump, lacking a message to share, and so forth. In my opinion, these are all very valid interpretations.

But I’d like to discuss yet another take on this event. First, consider the following information, which was shared with me by my friend Marv Bateman:

Moroni’s trumpet on all versions of the temple statue is generally angled upward quite sharply. In the picture, you can see a replica of the Salt Lake statue, which shows the trumpet angle is approximately 30% above horizontal. Therefore, to lose the trumpet, either Moroni’s hand would have to break, or the trumpet would have to slide upward, against gravity, through Moroni’s hand to finally fall out. 





This appears to be exactly what happened, as Moroni’s hand is still clearly intact, including his thumb, as you can see from the overhead picture. In other words, this was a very precise strike that caused exactly the right vibrational frequency and direction to pull the trumpet from Moroni’s grasp and cast it down upon the temple.








Last June, the day after the LDS church ignored the 175th anniversary of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum smith, lightning struck the Moroni statue on top of the Nauvoo temple. Moroni’s eyes were darkened and his trumpet was broken. The watchman on the tower was symbolically rendered blind and mute—unable to sound the alarm. That event was associated with very particular calendar alignments that take place only once in 10,000 years. It was also associated with the coming forth of the Stick of Joseph in the Hand of Ephraim, which makes the prophesied record uniquely available to the scattered remnants of Israel and the Jewish people. I previously wrote at length about these events.

When the earthquake struck Salt Lake City, it was again associated with a calendar alignment (Spring Equinox) and with The Stick of Joseph in the Hand of Ephraim. Whereas the Nauvoo strike aligned with the pre-registration of the copyright, the Salt Lake earthquake aligned with the final registration. The watchman on the LDS tower is not only symbolically blind and mute, but now has no shofar at all to blow.

The blowing of the shofar is the traditional signal for the gathering of Israel. The LDS church, having opposed and spurned the Father’s work, has now lost that opportunity completely. Moroni’s casting down of the trumpet upon their temple makes that point emphatically.

And it also frees up his right hand.

Some have suggested it appears Moroni is now checking his watch, as if to say the Lord delays his coming. It’s a fun meme and all, but has serious notes.
And now behold, I say unto you that when the Lord shall see fit in his wisdom that these sayings shall come unto the gentiles according to his word, then ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel concerning their restoration to the lands of their inheritance is already beginning to be fulfilled. And ye may know that the words of the Lord which have been spoken by the holy prophets shall all be fulfilled. And ye need not say that the Lord delays his coming unto the children of Israel. (3 Nephi 13:7, emphasis mine)
Notice that this passage only mentions the Gentiles as a sign of what the Lord is doing. The coming of the Lord is to the children of Israel, NOT to the Gentiles. And no, he is not delaying his coming; his work is proceeding according to schedule. The book and the gospel came to the Gentiles, the time was fulfilled, and the opportunity passed. It now reverts to the house of Israel, as prophesied.

And likewise, as prophesied, the sword of justice is now in the Lord’s right hand, ready to fall upon the Gentiles, as demonstrated by Moroni, standing upon the decommissioned temple with his right hand outstretched. If earthquakes, viral plagues and locust swarms don’t convince us of our own powerlessness and bring us to repentance, all that remains is the falling of the sword on the Gentiles, starting with those who still claim to be the Lord’s only true church and bearer of the legacy of Joseph Smith.

The LDS church announced a couple of days ago that Moroni will be taken down, and that portions of the temple spires will be removed and rebuilt to repair the damage from the earthquake. This coming just before the April General Conference, held as a broadcast-only event due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Six months of marketing hype from the church have built up this conference to be like no other in history. I’ve noticed a huge emphasis on “The Prophet” (meaning Russel Nelson), Joseph Smith’s First Vision, women, and priesthood. I heard this morning there are plans to call a solemn assembly and hold a Hosannah shout in the Sunday session, in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s First Vision. This is curious because in January 2017, the LDS First Presidency wrote the following letter to local and general church leaders throughout the world:
Dear Brothers and Sisters: 
During the next few years, the Church will enter a period of significant anniversaries of major Church history events. The Church will not be commemorating these anniversaries at the general level. However, stake and ward leaders may choose to commemorate some of them at the local level. 
We ask that any local commemorations not place undue burdens on leaders and members. 
Sincerely yours,
/s/The First Presidency

The current celebration of the First Vision is altogether appropriate and warranted for those who believe in the importance of that event. But it also represents a 180 degree reversal in official church policy. They specifically said they would not do this—and now they are doing it—which adds a great deal of importance to this conference. Therefore, at this extra-important conference, I expect President Nelson to make some sort of big policy change, declaration, or the like. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he claims a vision or revelation on a par with Joseph Smith, whom he asked all members to study in preparation for this conference. Perhaps this won’t be the case, and this conference will come and go with the usual platitudes; but it does seem like an awful lot of hype for a standard conference commemorating something they said they would not commemorate. Time will tell.

Unfortunately, regardless of what may be said, done, claimed, or announced at this conference, Moroni still stands there, inconveniently, high overhead, with his right arm outstretched, figuratively holding the sword of justice, that soon will fall. And though a crane will pluck the damaged statue off the damaged temple, the prophecy yet remains and WILL be fulfilled. God help us.

And now I say unto you that well doth the Lord judge of your iniquities; well doth he cry unto this people by the voice of his angels, Repent ye, repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Yea, well doth he cry by the voice of his angels that I will come down among my people with equity and justice in my hands. 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. But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared. Now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you, then will not the Lord stay his hand, but in his fierce anger he will come out against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword. And the time is soon at hand except ye repent.
—Alma 8:5

11 comments:

  1. If an earthquake in SLC is indication of God's displeasure with the LDS, what does an earthquake near Boise, home of the remnant's strongest fellowship, indicate? ;)

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    Replies
    1. Ha! Good one!

      Yeah, I didn't say the earthquake was the sign. Moroni dropping his trumpet out of an intact hand combined with the prophesied sword of justice is the point here.

      But hey, if you're not worried about the prophecies or the sword of justice, then don't let my ramblings bother you.

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    2. Good post Adrian. I've enjoyed this whole series.

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    3. Boise has the "remnant's 'strongest' fellowship"?

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  2. This reminds me of damage done by an earthquake to the Temple in Jerusalem at the crucifixion of Messiah on Passover (Also tied to the Spring Equinox)

    The fourth century "Church Father" Jerome writes concerning The Gospel According to the Hebrews (a Gospel use by the ancient sect of the Nazarenes (Ancient Jewish believers in Yeshua) along side our familar four Gospels):

    “But in the Gospel which is written in Hebrew characters we read not that the
    veil of the Temple was rent, but that the lintel of the Temple of wondrous size was
    broken and even forced asunder.”
    (Jerome; Letter 120 to Hedibia; Jerome on Mat. 27:51)

    Also in the Historia passionis Domini we read likewise:

    “Also in the Gospel of the Nazarenes we read that at the time of Messiah’s death
    the lintel of the Temple, of immense size, had split (Josephus says the same and
    adds that overhead awful voices were heard which said: ‘Let us depart from this
    abode'."
    (Historia passionis Domini; MS: Theolog. Sammelhandschrift 14th-15th Century, foll. 65r)

    Jerome sees this split of the lintel as having taken place instead of the tearing of the veil. In fact the two events seem to go hand in hand. The lintel was a crossbeam over the doorway to the Holy of Holies in the Temple. The lintel stood
    atop pillars eight stories high which formed this doorway. The lintel was some thirty feet across and made of solid stone. It would have weighed about 30 tons!

    At the death of Yeshua there was an earthquake. This earthquake caused the lintel to split, breaking it in the middle. It would have been no small event when the two pieces of this thirty ton lintel came crashing down eight stories! The veil hung from the lintel and the hekel doors were attached to the pillars. When the lintel broke it caused the veil to be rent in two from top to bottom. (In the Jewish culture it is common for a father to morn the death of his son by renting his garment in just such a fashion.) This collapse of the lintel seems to have damaged the hekel doors as well. The Talmud states:

    [For] forty years before the Temple was destroyed...
    the gates of the Hekel opened by themselves.
    until Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai rebuked them
    saying "Hekel, Hekel, why alarm you us? We know
    that you are destined to be destroyed. For of you
    has prophesied Zechariah Ben Iddo (Zech. 11:1):
    "Open your doors, O Lebanon and the fire shall
    eat your cedars."
    (b.Yoma 39b)

    Thus we have historical evidences that at the crucifixion of Yeshua the sky was darkened so that the sun gave no light, a great earthquake occurred causing the lintel to collapse, renting the Temple veil and damaging The Hekel gates so
    that they fell open by themselves during the last forty years of the Temple (about 30 C.E. to 70 C.E.) just as the Gospels record!

    - Ya'akov ben Y'hudah

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  3. Not sure how this might play but, sounds ominous.
    Did you see that Moroni is being taken down along with part of the temple spires?

    https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2020-04-02/salt-lake-temple-renovation-angel-moroni-statue-spires-temporarily-removed-179208

    It brought to mind this statement by Orson Hyde about Moroni leaving. Maybe it parallels this, and maybe it doesn't, but it's interesting to think about.

    "So sure and certain as the great water courses wend their way to the ocean, and there find their level—so sure as the passing thundercloud hovers around yonder Twin Peaks of the Wasatch Mountains, and upon their grey and barren rocks pours the fury of its storm, just so sure and certain will the guardian angel of these United States fly to a remote distance from their borders, and the anger of the Almighty wax hot against them in causing them to drink from the cup of bitterness and division, and the very dregs, stirred up by the hands of foreign powers, in a manner more cruel and fierce than the enemies of the Saints in the day of their greatest distress and anguish; and all this because they laid not to heart the martyrdom of the Saints and Prophets, avenged not their blood by punishing the murderers, neither succored nor aided the Saints after they were despoiled of their goods and homes.

    "...Had the United States been as faithful a guardian to the Latter-day Saints as the angel of God has been to them, she would never know dissolution, nor be humbled in dishonor by the decrees of any foreign powers.

    "...When Justice is satisfied, and the blood of martyrs atoned for, the guardian angel of America will return to his station, resume his charge, and restore the Constitution of our country to the respect and veneration of the people; for it was given by the inspiration of our God. "
    Journal of Discourses 6:363

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  4. I've had that same impression for some time about the current L-dS president potentially presenting some received revelation to his devoted followers. (It could even be vetted by the Correlation Department working from home.) It is inevitable that when the Lord sets his hand and begins a work that with the increase in light, there will be an increase in counterfeits that imitate and attempt to deceive. And I expect that if it happens it will be a voice similar to the one that can be heard in the claimed revelation presented yesterday by the "dark shepherd" in Brazil. "Revelation", but discernably not from the Heavens.

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  5. I made a general conference meme:

    https://atbmblog.blogspot.com/2020/04/interesting-symbolism-in-hosanna-shout.html

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    Replies
    1. Interesting observations about the proclamations! Great meme, too.

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  6. I see both earthquakes are in places where opposition is the strongest against the remnant

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  7. God destroys a golden idol and the fools mourn instead of rejoice.

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