As you study the Marvelous Work and a Wonder you will come to realize that the term is virtually always synonymous with the term RESTORATION when used in the scriptures speaking about the events of the last days.
As Latter Day Saints we commonly refer to the 15 year ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith as the time of restoration because this is the time period in which the church was restored to the earth..
Although the LDS restoration movement in the 1830's was a time of restoration for that reason, the term restoration really confuses many Latter Day Saints because the scriptures NEVER use the term "restoration" to refer to the time when the church was restored in 1830! The Book of Mormon the the D&C always use the term restoration to refer to the events of the last generation of time spoken of in Matt 24.
Do a key word search on the word restoration in the D&C and the B of M and you will be surprised at what you find!
Here is one of my favorite uses of the term restoration by the Prophet Joseph Smith
15 Q. What is to be understood by the two witnesses, in the eleventh chapter of Revelation?
A. They are two prophets that are to be raised up to the Jewish nation in the last days, at the time of the restoration, and to prophesy to the Jews after they are gathered and have built the city of Jerusalem in the land of their fathers.
As you can see from this question and answer period that Joseph conducted, the time of the restoration is the time when the two witnesses mentioned in the Book of Revelation are on the earth.... during the last generation... during the Marvelous Work!
In future posts I will discuss other scriptural uses of the word restoration that give additional clarity and proof that the final restoration of all things, which is synonymous with the Marvelous Work is yet to come.
11 comments:
Are the two prophets Joseph and Sidney, and what does it mean to "be raised up"?
There is a possibility of that, certainly Joseph and Sidney are at least a type and shadow of the two witnesses, however, I lean towards the two witnesses being Moses and Elijah as stated in some of the ancient texts.
I believe Joseph and Sidney will be gathering the elect and preparing them during the tribulation period.
The two witnesses seem to have a calling to witness to the stiff necked terrestrial people of God... those who need to be shaken before they repent and humble themselves.... primarily the kingdom of Judah or "Jews".
I think the two witnesses represent the "Law and the Prophets" or the "Law and the Testimony"
Moses represents the law since he gave the Children of Israel the Law.
Elijah represents the prophets since he was one of the greatest prophets and commanded the elements with fulness of priesthood power.
additionally Elijah, according to the New Testament AND the JST transmigrated into the New Testament in the person of John the Baptist.. who became the witness or testator of the Lamb of God... hence the two witnesses represent the "Law" (Moses) and the "Testimony" (Elijah/John the Baptist)
Since both of them died a physical death, they will both need to be "raised up".
This explains why they will have power to call down fire and do miracles.
This is why no one will be able to hurt them until their appointed ministry is up...
I'm not sure I follow your last comment, are you saying that Elijah is John the Baptist? Maybe it's just late here...
Also, Moses and Elijah were both translated. They had to be in order to pass on the keys on the Mount of Transfiguation.
The bible tells us in at least two places that Moses died.
It was part of his punishment for sinning against the Lord caused by the atonement he made for Idolotrous Israel.
JS did not change those passages in the inspired version.
It is a false doctrine that crept into the modern Utah church, in later years, that Moses was translated.
And yes, you understood me correctly about Elijah and John the Baptist..
..somewhere in all of these blogs and comments, I provide all of the scriptural passages (at least five) that document that Elijah of the OT was the transmigrated charactor we know as John the Baptist in the NT, which is in part, why Jesus referred to JTB as the greatest prophet that had ever lived and why JTB referred to himself as the "friend of the bridegroom" instead of part of the bride, like the rest of us hope to be....
I don't have time to find where all of the references are but if you keep moving forward in the blog I suspect you will come upon it.
So... it probably is late where you are, but you did understand me properly.
That's interesting about JTB being Elijah. I'll have to wait to read it.
I have some questions as to why JTB came to restore the Aaronic Priesthood in May 1829 and Elijah to Restore the Sealing Power April 1836 as two separate beings...
As for Moses not dying I get that from Jude 1:9 that says the Michael contended with Satan for his body and in Alma 45:18-19 where it states that Moses was taken up by the Spirit of the Lord.
As you mentioned the Bible states in two places that Moses died and JS didn't change it.
However, as you stated in an earlier post that JS didn't finish his work on the Inspired Version of the Bible and will return to do so.
In fact the sermon May 12, 1844 shows that JS's views on what Matt 24 says changed since he originally translated the JST Matt 24 in 1831.
The same is true for Rev. 1:6. His interpretation of that verse changed over time as well per his sermon June 16, 1844.
I think that it would be consistent with your previous posts to allow for the interpretation that Moses didn't die and was translated per Jude and Alma and that JS didn't make ALL the changes to the Bible he could or wanted to make when translating it on early on.
I look forward to finding the post on Elijah and JTB.
Thanks for the great information and discussion.
Can you share where in the Bible it says Moses died and how come you believe those verses over Jude and Alma where it says The Lord took him unto himself?
Also, doing a word search for "restoration" was a fun exercise. Thank you.
I came across D&C 84:2 which on the surface looks like the church was restored by JS and done until reading in context that it's not until the New Jerusalem is built will that be fulfilled.
The only verse I found that I couldn't reconcile was D&C 132:45.
I know you believe this to be a false revelation, but in your analysis of the section you didn't mention this verse in any great detail.
"For I have conferred upon you the keys and power of the priesthood, wherein I restore all things, and make known unto you all things"
This gives the impression that the JS was restored all things.
The death of Moses is either alluded to, or clearly declared in the Bible, ten times. Not one of them to my knowledge was changed or altered in the JST to indicate otherwise.
"Thy days approach that thou must die." (Deut. 31: 14.)
"And thou shalt die on the mount." (Deut. 33: 50.)
"For I am going to die."
"For I know that after my death." (Deut. 31: 29.)
"And how much more after my death." (Deut. 31: 27.)
". . . Blessed the children of Israel before his death." (Deut. 33: 1.)
"And Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died." (Deut. 34: 7.)
"And it came to pass after the death of Moses." (Josh. I: 1.)
"Moses, my servant, is dead." (Josh. 1: 2.)
The death of Moses is not just a random thing, it was necessary. It was one of the consequences of the intercessory sin he committed, per the atonement he made for Israel and the type that he set for the one like Moses that would come later.
The phrase "I will take him unto myself" does not necessarily mean translation. See D&C 124: 19, 130, 132
Stay out of Section 132, it is evil! LOL
Watcher,
Some Important Questions for my Understanding:
1. If I have understood you right, in order for one to be transfigured into another body, e.g., Elijah -> JTB, you must first be translated and therefore neither a resurrected being, e.g., Christ, nor have died a natural death. Is that right?
2. So, If one dies a natural death and is not yet a resurrected being, then one must be raised up from the grave in order to complete their mission, and this is why you think that JS and SR and Moses (and now Elijah, since JTB was beheaded) must be literally raised up from the dead instead of showing up in transfigured bodies - because they were not translated but died natural deaths?
3. Does that mean the spirit of Elijah will be resurrected for immortality in his second body (AKA JTB) and not in his first physical form?
That is all just speculation on my part. I have been trying to find trends based on what appears to have happened in the past according to the scriptures
Nevertheless, I don't want to try to limit what God can do. I suspect that if he wanted to transmigrate the spirit of a dead person into a new body, He could probably do it... we just don't know for sure what all of the rules and parameters are that God has either created, or works under.
You should take my speculations with a grain of salt :)
Right! Just trying to understand some of your speculations more closely. I forgot to ask in the last post, but in TPJS 104 that you linked to previously (the conversation with Joshua/Mattias), one of the subheadings states,
"Transmigration is of the Devil"
The subheadings are not of Joseph Smith then, but were added later by the Church?
I've written a pretty extensive article addressing the topic of what history of the church says about Joshua the Jewish minister, etc.
But it would be better for you to finish this blog before getting into the articles on the other blog
Post a Comment