accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection"
(Heb. 11:35) the Prophet says: "Translation obtains deliverance from
the tortures and sufferings of the body; but their existence will
prolong as to the labors and toils of the ministry, before they can
enter into so great a rest and glory. On the other hand those who were
tortured not accepting deliverance, received an immediate rest from
their labors." He also explains the difference between an angel and a
ministering spirit--"the one a resurrected or translated body, with
its spirit, ministering to embodied spirits; the other a disembodied
spirit, visiting or ministering to disembodied spirits." . . . .
Translated beings, "designed for future missions," "cannot enter into
rest until they have undergone a change equivalent to death."--"The
Mediation and Atonement." pp. 75, 76.
12. Moses 7:4.
13. Ib. v. 66. Compare D. and C. 61:4-6, 14-19.
14. Moses 7:26, 28.
15. Ib. vv. 29-31.
16. I Peter 3:18-20; 4:6.
17. Moses 7:48.
18. Ib. vv. 60, 61.
19. Moses 7:62-64.
20. I Cor. 15:51. 52.
21. D. and C. 84:99-102.
ARTICLE SIXTEEN.
Noah and the Deluge.
Methuselah, Son of Promise.--God, having shown to Enoch the approaching
utter destruction of Earth's wicked inhabitants, covenanted with
the founder of the Sacred City that the repeopler of the devastated
globe should be of his lineage. In order that this promise might not
fail, Enoch's son, Methuselah, distinguished among men as the one who
attained to the greatest age in mortality, [1] "was not taken" when
Zion was translated, but remained to become the father of Lamech and
grandfather of Noah. [2]
Earth's Baptism.--The Deluge was Earth's baptism. Baptism symbolizes
birth or creation. In a certain sense, our planet was "born of water
and of the Spirit" at the very beginning. [3] In Noah's day, which was
reminiscent of that beginning, it experienced a rebirth, "a washing of
regeneration," typical of a spiritual and fiery immersion yet to come.
Like Unto Adam.--It devolved upon Noah to recommence, after the Flood,
the work begun by the great sire of the race under God's original
command--the command to "multiply and replenish the earth." Noah's
time, therefore, typified the period of the Creation. He, like Adam,
"was the father of all living in his day, and to him was given the
dominion." [4]
The Flood Foretold.--Blest and ordained by Methusaleh when but ten
years old, Noah, like his predecessors in the patriarchal line, was a
prophet and a preacher of righteousness. The word of the Lord came to
him, saying:
"My spirit shall not always strive with man; . . . . yet his days shall
be an hundred and twenty years; and if men do not repent, I will send
in the floods upon them." They hearkened not, and God then decreed:
"The end of all flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with
violence, and behold I will destroy all flesh from off the earth." [5]
Shem, Ham and Japheth.--Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham and
Japheth--naming them in the order usually given. Japheth, however, was
the eldest, and Ham the youngest, of these brothers. [6] They were
among the eight survivors of the Deluge; [7] "and of them was the whole
earth overspread." [8] Japheth peopled Europe, Shem Asia, and Ham
Africa.
Noah's blessing upon Shem and Japheth, and his curse upon Canaan, son
of Ham, are thus recorded:
"Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
"Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
"God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem;
and Canaan shall be his servant." [9]
The Curse upon Canaan.--Part of the curse upon Canaan was "a
blackness," similar to that which had been placed upon "the seed of
Cain." [10] The curse also deprived the Canaanites of the Priesthood;
though they were blessed "with the blessings of the earth and with the
blessings of wisdom." [11]
Ham's sin, which brought the curse upon Canaan--a sin vaguely hinted
at in the sacred narrative--may not be fully known; but even if it
were, there would still remain the unsolved problem of the punishment
of a whole race for an offense committed by one of its ancestors. It
seems reasonable to infer that there was a larger cause, that the sin
in question was not the main issue. Tradition has handed down something
to that effect, but nothing conclusive of the question is to be found
in the standard works of the Church. Of one thing we may rest assured:
Canaan was not unjustly cursed, nor were the spirits who came through
his lineage wrongly assigned. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap." Or, putting it inversely: Whatsoever a man reaps, that hath
he sown. This rule applies to spirit life, as well as to life in the
flesh.
Israel and the Gentiles.--From Shem came Abraham and the House of
Israel; from Japheth, the Gentiles, founders of the most civilized and
enlightened nations of modern times, including Great Britain, France,
and the United States of America. How wonderfully God has "enlarged
Japheth," the original Gentile!
Israel wields the powers of the Priesthood, and administers the laws
and ordinances of the Gospel. These are his prerogatives. But the
children of Japheth also have their mission--a mission in statecraft
and commerce, in science and art, in discovery, invention, and kindred
activities.
It was the Gentiles who discovered and peopled America; who fought for
and won the freedom and independence of this chosen land, an event
preparatory--though they knew it not--to the founding of a government
under which Christ's work might come forth and not be crushed out
by the tyranny of man. The God of Israel was with Columbus, with
Washington, with the Pilgrim Fathers, with the patriots who founded
this republic [12]--Gentiles all, though probably of a mixed lineage,
having much of the blood of Israel in their veins. [13] He is with
all good and great men whose hearts are set to do right and to uplift
humanity--is with them, whether they recognize it or not, and he uses
them as seemeth him good, to effect his beneficent designs.
Ham's Descendants.--The descendants of Ham became eminent, wealthy,
wise and powerful in Egypt, "the cradle of civilization;" reaping "the
blessings of the earth" and the blessings "of wisdom," richly realizing
the heaven-inspired promises made to their forbears. They have
prospered also in other African countries. But in Europe, America, and
other lands, they were long held in slavery. Nor are the days of their
bondage even now at end in Africa and some parts of Asia. The Ethiopian
has served the Gentile and the Semite, just as Noah predicted.
Japheth and "The Tents of Shem."--What are "the tents of Shem?" In the
Scriptures "tent" is a term used figuratively as well as literally. The
canopy of heaven is compared to a tent; as is also the Church of Christ
and the city of Jerusalem. [14] The word may therefore be applied to a
country or a place of sojourn. How Japheth has dwelt "in the tents of
Shem," is partly shown by the history of Palestine, Israel's original
homeland, long dominated by the Saracens and Turks--both Gentile
peoples--and only recently delivered from the Moslem yoke by the
military power of the British, a racial blending of Japheth and Shem.
[15]
Japheth's remarkable blessing has also been realized in America, the
Land of Joseph, which the Gentiles now possess, and where, according
to the Book of Mormon, they are to assist in gathering Israel and in
building the New Jerusalem. It is their privilege to share, if they
will, in all the blessings of the chosen people, and to be even as the
seed of Abraham. [16]
The Asiatic, and especially the Israelitish countries, with North and
South America--homes of God's people, ancient and modern, now inhabited
by the children of Japheth--these I think, may be properly regarded as
among "the tents of Shem."
As it Was, So it Shall Be.--Noah's period had a twofold significance.
Pointing backward as well as forward, it symbolized both the Beginning
and the End. The reminiscent pointing has already been indicated. The
prophetic import is made plain by the words of the Savior, when weeping
over Jerusalem and predicting the downfall of the Jewish commonwealth,
an event also typical of the final destruction of the wicked: "As the
days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be."
In Noah's day "a veil of darkness" covered the earth. A like condition
is to characterize the Last Day, thus foretokened. [17]
The disaster that overwhelmed the Antediluvians, destroying the wicked
with water, is to have as its sequel a more fearful calamity, in
which the unrighteous will be consumed by fire from Heaven. And as
unexpectedly as came the regenerating Flood wherein our planet was once
immersed, will come the purifying Flame that shall cleanse it from all
iniquity and prepare it for eternal glory.
Footnotes
1. Gen. 5:27.
2. Moses 8:2-9.
3. Gen. 1:2, 9.
4. Hist. Ch. Vol. 3, p. 386.
5. Moses 8:17, 30; Gen. 6:3, 3.
6. Ib. 8:12; Gen. 10:21.
7. I Peter 3:20.
8. Gen. 9:19.
9. Ib. 9:22-27.
10. Ib. 4:15; Moses 7:8, 2.
11. Abr. 1:26.
12. I Nephi 13:12-19.
13. The word "Gentile," as used in "Mormon" writings, is not a term
of reproach. It comes from "Gentilis," meaning of "of a nation," and
is used in sacred history to designate the nations not of Israel. The
Latter-day Saints themselves, are Gentiles in part; for while they
claim lineal descent from the Hebrew patriarchs, it is mostly through
Ephraim, who "mixed himself among the people" (Hosea 7:8)--that is,
among the peoples that have furnished proselytes to "Mormonism." As a
result of that racial mixture, they also are of Japheth's blood.
14. Isa. 40:22; 54:2; 33:20.
15. The delivery of the Holy Land from the Turks dates from December
11, 1917, when General Allenby, at the head of a British army, entered
and took possession of the City of Jerusalem. Subsequently Herbert
Samuel, an English Jew, was made Governor of Palestine by the British
Government.
16. Abr. 2:10.
17. Matt. 24:37-39.
18. Moses 7:26,
ARTICLE SEVENTEEN.
Abraham and the House of Israel.
The Lord's Lineage.--The House of Israel was established in order that
the God of Israel, who became the Savior of the World, might have a
proper lineage through which to come, and a worthy medium whereby to
promote His great and benevolent designs toward the human family.
"Prince of God."--The name "Israel" means "Prince of God," and is first
used in the Scriptures as the surname of Jacob, from whom sprang the
Hebrew nation or the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Jacob, returning from
Padan-Aram, whither he had fled from the jealous wrath of his brother
Esau, came to the ford Jabbok, where "there wrestled a man with him
until the breaking of day." We are left to infer that Jacob believed
this "man" to be God; for he "called the name of the place Peniel,"
saying, "I have seen God face to face."
"Let me go," demanded the heavenly visitant. "I will not let thee go,"
replied Jacob, "except thou bless me."
The "Man" then blessed him and changed his name from Jacob to Israel;
"for," said he, "as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and
hast prevailed." [1]
Jacob's Blessing Confirmed.--Subsequently the name Israel was confirmed
upon Jacob at Bethel, where the Lord appeared to him and blessed him,
promising that a nation and a company of nations should be of him, and
that kings should come out of his loins. [2]
The Father of the Faithful.--But while this was the origin of the
name Israel as applied to Jacob, it was not the origin of the race
of which he is the titular head. It is written that Jacob's wives,
Rachel and Leah, "did build the House of Israel; [3] and build it
they did, through their children and the children of their handmaids,
Bilhah and Zilpah, whom they had given to their husband as wives.
Already, however, had the foundation of that house been laid by Jacob's
grandsire, Abraham, the Friend of God, the Father of the Faithful.
Jehovah's promises to Jacob and to his father Isaac concerning their
posterity, were virtual repetitions of promises made to their great
ancestor.
"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country, and
from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will
show thee; and I will make of thee a great nation; and I will . . . .
bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in
thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." [4]
Definition of "Hebrew."--Abram, for so was he then, called, dwelt in
Ur of the Chaldees, a city of Mesopotamia, which signifies "between
the rivers." The rivers were the Tigris and the Euphrates. Abram had
to cross the Euphrates in order to reach Canaan, the land that the
Lord showed him. Because of this circumstance, he was called by the
Canaanites a "Hebrew," meaning "one from beyond the river." The origin
of the name is also traced to Heber or Eber, one of the ancestors of
Abram. Mesopotamia was the fountain-head of idolatry in Western Asia;
and because the Lord wished to raise up a people who would worship
him and him only, Abraham was required to separate himself from his
idolatrous surroundings. [5]
Meeting with Melchizedek.--Following his arrival in Canaan, and a brief
sojourn in Egypt, came the episode of Abram's meeting with Melchizedek,
King of Salem and Priest of the Most High God. To him Abram gave a
tenth part of the spoils that he had taken in battle with certain
kings. [6] And Melchizedek blessed Abram and conferred upon him the
Priesthood. [7]
The Law of Tithing.--This is the first Bible mention of the ancient Law
of Tithing. "Consider," says the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews,
"how great this man was, unto whom even the Patriarch Abraham gave
the tenth of the spoils." [8] So great indeed, that the Priesthood of
the Son of God was named for him, and is now called the Priesthood of
Melchizedek. [9]
Abram Renamed.--After this interview with the King of Salem, the Lord
appeared to Abram, established His covenant with him, and changed his
name to Abraham, which signifies, "father of a multitude." [10]
The Offering of Isaac.--Then followed the supreme trial of Abraham's
life--the offering, at God's command, of his son Isaac, an act
foreshowing the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, who was
to be slain for the world's redemption. But Abraham was not permitted
to consummate the act. [11] His integrity having been shown by his
willingness to do as he had been directed, a further mark of favor
was given by Jehovah to his tried and faithful Friend. The original
promise, "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed," was now
expanded to: "I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as
the sand which is upon the seashore; and in thy seed shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed."
Why Was Abraham Blessed?--What had Abraham done to merit this high
distinction? He must have done something. God rewards men according
to their works, and not even an Abraham would have received from Him
an honor unmerited. It cannot be that he was chosen for so mighty a
mission simply for migrating from his own to another country, nor even
for his willingness to offer up his beloved son. As a matter of fact,
the original promise was given before the sacrifice was demanded.
Undoubtedly these acts of obedience were greatly to Abraham's credit,
but how could they be placed to the credit of his posterity, the unborn
millions who were to inherit the covenant and share in the great reward?
The Problem Solved.--The Patriarch himself helps us to a solution of
the problem:
"Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were
organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of
the noble and great ones.
"And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst
of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among
those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said
unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou
wast born." [12]
The Pre-Existence.--Abraham had been shown in vision the spirits of
the pre-existent human race, waiting for an earth to be made, that
they might come upon it and pass through a mortal probation. Here they
were to obtain bodies, thus becoming "souls," [13] capable of eternal
increase and progression. Also, they were to be tested as to their
willingness to do all that the Lord might require of them.
First and Second Estates.--They who "kept their first estate,"
manifesting fidelity in the pre-mortal life while "walking by sight,"
were to be "added upon"--that is to say, given bodies of flesh and
blood, with opportunities for education and development. They who kept
"their second estate," continuing loyal during their life on earth,
where men are required to "walk by faith," with knowledge of the past
temporarily obscured, would be glorified eternally. [14] All were
"good," but some better than others; and all were to be "added upon,"
yet not all alike. Some were more deserving, some nobler and greater
than others; and because of their superior merit and larger capacity,
they were to be made "rulers" over the rest. Abraham was one of these.
Sowing and Reaping.--Here is exemplified the great principle enunciated
by St. Paul: "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." [15]
Rewards and punishments are not all deferred until the final judgment
at the end of the world. There is a judgment passed upon the spirits of
men before they tabernacle in mortality. Satan and his dupes, failing
to keep their first estate, were denied bodies, [16] while all the
rest, rewarded for keeping their first estate, were given bodies, with
the promise of a glorious resurrection after death. Thus, in a general
way, punishment and reward were both meted out before this life began.
A question put to the Savior by his disciples: "Master, who did sin,
this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" [17]--throws out a
hint in the same direction. This is not to say, however, that all who
suffer in the flesh have merited their sad fate. There are exceptions
to the rule. The Savior's case is one of them; and righteous Job's
another. Speaking generally, however, man's conduct in one life
conditions him in the life that follows.
Original Excellence.--What had given to Abraham his superior standing
in the Heavens? Had he always been noble and great? Was it an original
or an acquired excellence, or both? That there is such a thing as
original superiority, with varying degrees of intelligence among
spirits, is plainly taught in the Book of Abraham; [18] and that all
intelligence is capable of improvement, needs no assertion.
"I Know Abraham."--When God said of Abraham: "I know him," [19] it
is hardly probable that He was referring merely to a knowledge of
him in the present life. The founder of the Hebrew nation must have
been one of the foreknown and predestined, mentioned by Paul [20] and
by Alma [21]--must have been among those "called and prepared from
the foundation of the world, on account of their exceeding faith and
good works." It was "according to the foreknowledge of God;" but that
foreknowledge, that divine prescience, was based upon experience, and
had history as well as prophecy for a foundation. Such characters as
Abraham were cast for their parts in life's drama long before the
curtain rose on the first act of the play.
A Spirit Israel.--There was a House of Israel in heaven before there
was a Hebrew Nation on earth. Else what does Moses mean when he
tells how the Most High, in "the days of old," in "the years of many
generations," "separated the sons of Adam" and "set the bounds of the
people according to the number of the children of Israel?" [22] He must
have had in mind, not a temporal Israel, unborn at the early period
indicated, but a spirit Israel, according to whose numbers, known in
heaven before they had taken bodies on earth, the boundaries of "the
people" were determined.
Privileges and Requirements.--It was intended that this chosen nation
should have "room to dwell." It was of the utmost consequence that a
people upon whom rested so weighty a responsibility should be well
placed, with every facility for the accomplishment of the sacred
mission unto which they had been called. They were the oracles of God,
the custodians and dispensers of heavenly wisdom. Upon them devolved
the high duty of keeping alive on earthly altars the fires of Divine
Truth. They were not to bow down to idols, as did the heathen nations
around them, but worship the true God, the invisible Jehovah, walking
by faith where others, less worthy, walked by sight, demanding to see
before they would believe. They were forbidden to intermarry with other
nations, lest they might worship the gods of those nations, practice
their vices, and corrupt the noble lineage through which was to come
the Savior of the World. The Lamb of God had to be "without blemish,"
and that he was so, physically and in every way, was partly due, no
doubt, to the choice ancestry and parentage provided for him.
Gem and Setting.--Jesus of Nazareth, a descendant in the flesh of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, fulfilled the divine promise made to those
patriarchs, that in their Seed should all the nations of the earth be
blessed. But in contemplating the central fact of the Savior's personal
ministry, we must not overlook the related facts that went before or
followed after. The gem has its setting. Christ redeemed mankind,
"treading the wine press alone;" but the House of Israel prepared the
way for his coming, and carried on the work that he began. This is
especially true of the prophets who foretold his advent, and of the
apostles who preached the Gospel to Jew and Gentile. There is only one
Savior, but He has "many brethren," and they are preeminently "the salt
of the earth," the preserving or saving element among men.
Princes and Servants.--If the name Israel means "prince of God" when
applied to Jacob, may it not mean "princes of God" when applied to his
posterity? He was promised that kings should come out of his loins. And
have they not come?--princes and priests and kings, the nobility of
Heaven, though not always known and appreciated on earth. The Greatest
among them was not recognized even by "His own." The wise Solomon was
never wiser than when he said: "I have seen servants upon horses, and
princes walking as servants upon the earth." [23] The mighty Prince of
Peace, the glorious King of Heaven, walked unknown and unhonored by his
own servants in the dust of his own footstool.
Footnotes
1. Gen. 32:22-30.
2. Ib. 35:10, 11.
3. Ruth 4:11.
4. Gen. 12:1-3; Abr. 2:3-11.
5. Geike, "Hours with the Bible," Vol. 1, Ch. 13.
6. Gen. 14:18.
7. D. and C. 84:14.
8. Heb. 7:4.
9. D. and C. 107:1-4.
10. Gen. 17:3-6.
11. Ib. 22:1-18.
12. Abr. 3:22, 23. Read also verses 24-26.
13. Gen. 2:7; Moses 3:7, 9; D. and C. 88:15.
14. Manifestly, the second estate is a greater test of integrity than
the first, and ought to result, as it does to those who overcome, in a
far more glorious reward.
15. Gal. 6:7.
16. See Article Twelve.
17. John 9:2.
18. Abr. 3:18, 19.
19. Gen. 18:19.
20. Rom. 8:29.
21. Alma 13:3.
22. Deut. 32:7, 8.
23. Eccl. 10:7.
ARTICLE EIGHTEEN.
Moses and Aaron.
Joseph in Egypt.--In the whole range of Bible literature, if we
except what is told of the Redeemer and Savior, there is nothing more
beautiful than the story of Joseph in Egypt. Joseph the dreamer, sold
into slavery, exalted to a throne, and becoming, by God's design,
a savior to his father's house. Who cannot see in this a prophetic
likeness of the universal redemption wrought out by Him who descended
below all, that He might rise above all, and deliver the souls of men
from spiritual famine and starvation?
The Exodus.--Another foretokening of the same sublime event was
Israel's exodus from Egypt, after centuries of oppression. Egypt,
with its dusky population, devoid of priesthood and of gospel light,
symbolized the sable bondage of sin and death. Moses, leader of the
Exodus, and reputedly "the meekest of men," [1] was a type of the Great
Deliverer, "like unto Moses," who led an enslaved universe out from the
Egypt of Darkness into the Promised Land of Freedom and Light.
The Passover.--In commemoration of the Egyptian exodus, the Feast of
the Passover was instituted, an observance designed to perpetuate, in
the minds of the children of Israel, their liberation from slavery, and
at the same time prepare them to comprehend in due time, the mightier
Redemption thus foreshadowed.