A Lost Gospel Still Lost?

In my last video message, I shared my belief that our Savior Jesus Christ had a family (a belief I've had for many years). I love it when you begin on a topic and the Spirit puts bread crumbs on your path. I happened to stumble across this video last Monday and couldn't believe that there was a possible lost gospel I have never heard about. Yes, I have read the gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Thomas and the many other gospels that are listed here:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Gospels . Gospels that were not selected to make it into the Bible cannon that we have today, and gospels that have been unearthed in the last century by archeologists. So, when I learned that there was another possible gospel, 1,450  years old, that was housed in the Brittish Library (where it still exists) in 1847, and re-discovered and decoded (yes, decoded) by Simcha Jacobovici an investigative archeologist who happens to be a devout Jew, let's just say I was very intrigued.

In 1847 the Brittish Library bought the ancient animal skin manuscript from an Egyptian Monastery. The Syriac text was later translated into English for the first time. The text is about the life of a married couple who are described as the "Son of God", married to the "Daughter of God" and a Divine couple. Because of the many similarities to Jesus and his life, it's believed that this text contains the inside story of Jesus’ social, family, and political life (the missing link to the gap in the New Testament gospels in which which nothing is written about Jesus between the ages of 13 - 30 years of age). I had just said in my last video message, that I believed one day we would discover those missing gaps in the New Testament. We might learn more plain and precious truths that were taken out.

Currently, in our Biblical text, Jesus is depicted as a lowly carpenter's son, this text however portrays Him as a powerful political figure at the highest levels of the Roman Empire, and reveals a plot to kill him 13 years prior to his crucifixion. This depiction coincides with the Biblical depiction of religious leaders and government leaders feeling threatened by His growing popularity. Not only was He believed to be the Son of God by His followers but they believed He would deliver them from Rome. If He were not politically involved, I don't believe the religious leaders and government at the time would have felt threatened.

A few years ago, I remember hearing a woman bear testimony of what she had learned about Jesus' life on earth from her visit to the other side of the veil. She said that His parents were wealthy. Joseph was a renowned Master carpenter and sought out by the wealthy for his work. He had a very affluent reputation for his fine skills. She also said that wisemen traveled in a large caravan with many servants and it was quite the entourage. They brought enough gold for Jesus to sustain He and His family throughout their entire life. Their family was affluent, reputable, and well-to-do.

Now to the background of this mysterious manuscript. What is the backstory? Around 550 A.D. an anonymous individual (believed to be a monk) wrote to his friend, Moses of Ingila. He had come across a "small, very old" book called Of Aseneth in the library in Resh'aina belonging to the bishops who had originally come from Aleppo. Suspecting that it contained a hidden message, he asked Moses of Ingila to translate the work from Greek into Syriac, a language with which he was more familiar. Moses of Ingila obliged, sending him a Syriac translation and noting that it was a work of wisdom, the meaning of which had to be carefully discerned. As he started to indicate the hidden Christological meaning, the text of the covering letter is suddenly cut off, while at the same time confirming the truth of mainstream Christianity and Jesus Christ in his letter perhaps deliberately so in antiquity according to the authors.

This manuscript is said to be the history of two figures named "Joseph and Aseneth", who bear the same names as Joseph of Egypt and his wife Aseneth.  The only problem is that Joseph of Egypt and his wife lived 1,400 years prior to the details and setting of this story, which has all the earmarks of the political & geographical setting in the New Testament. There is very little that connects them to the actual Joseph of Egypt and his wife in the Old Testament, therefore leading the readers to believe that these are pseudo-names to protect the true identity of the couple. The text contains Christian terminology and Eucharistic symbolism making it a non-Jewish text and contains encrypted meanings meant to be decoded. This correlates to the time period in which it was written, where Christians were heavily persecuted and their texts were burned. If someone were wanting to preserve a text or gospel at that time, they would write it in a way that would go undetected as Christian therefore to preserve it. In hopes that at a future date, those meant to discover this lost history would be able to do so.

From what I have heard, this text paints a different form of Christianity that was practiced in the early years of Christianity before it was changed and consolidated into what would become the state religion of the Roman Empire. There are parts in the text that have been cut out and blotted out as if to conceal what was originally written. I will say that I have not read the book yet, so I haven't made a conclusion for myself, however it's very fascinating that this manuscript survived all these years, later being preserved in a library in Britain completely void of interest or awareness to the public.

One last fact to this story that is difficult to ignore, is that the author's of this English translation have been under heavy persecution since publishing their findings in 2014. They have been discredited and shut down in every way imaginable. Because their findings challenge modern-day Christianity in that Jesus was married and had children, they have been made a mockery in their profession. The 1,450 year-old manuscript still remains in the British Library today, and because of the discrediting of their findings, no one is talking about it.

Again, I have not read the book - however, whether or not this text proves to be a true lost gospel, I can't help but wonder how many others throughout history have been shut down, persecuted, discredited etc. because their findings challenge the status quo. How much truth currently exists in plain sight? I am amazed that I stumbled across this finding after pondering the very topic last week. Because nothing is known about the original author of the text, it is difficult to claim truth to the story - but that won't stop me from reading the book anyway, and prayerfully using my gift of discernment. I always walk away with something beneficial from all that I am led to. ;)

Here is a video below with more detail about what I have shared. I highly recommend watching it. 

Truth Will Cut Like a Knife!

I beat the record with the length of this week's video message! There is symbolism in 3:23:00. After publishing the video to YouTube, I noticed those numbers. 23 is the same as 11 in that they are both the final hour of the day. 3rd day power in the 23rd hour!  

In this message I share my experience with the ten-day social media fast, as well as discussing current headlines, happenings, and a powerful message from Elder Ballard who spoke at my regional conference - and just what tools the adversary is using against us in this final hour. What are those tools? Watch to find out.

 

From Catholic to Jew to Mormon - Avraham Gileadi's Story!

Avraham Gileadi - Hewbrew scholar, World War II survivor, former rock band member, convert to the LDS church, excommunicated in 1993 then reinstated back into the church in 1996, and in his own words, "In my case — not a single charge was true or supported by evidence — and all mention of it was expunged from the church’s records." 

Intrigued yet?

In 1988 Gileadi published The Book of Isaiah: A New Translation with Interpretive Keys from the Book of Mormon, followed in 1991 by The Last Days: Types and Shadows from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Prominent LDS scholars including Hugh Nibley, Truman G. Madsen and Ellis Rasmussen praised his work, but his argument that the Isaiah prophesies pointed to a human "Davidic king" who would emerge in the last days, apart from Jesus Christ, was controversial. A reviewer in the Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, while praising Gileadi's erudition and the beauty of his translation, noted that Gilead's "...interpretation of Isaiah diverges widely from previous Latter-day Saint commentary on Isaiah, including that of Bruce R. McConkie." Further, the reviewer contrasted McConkie's commentary in The Millennial Messiah with Gilead's interpretation of Isaiah. The Last Days was pulled from the shelves by its publisher, Deseret Book (see source).

With such a fascinating history and quite the adventure of life experiences,  I was very intrigued to learn more. Though Avraham's books and presentations about Isaiah are incredible and a must read/watch - this post is actually about his personal story.

Fast forward the video below to exactly 1:34:47 and watch until about 1:50:00 (or longer if you want to hear more). I don't want to give anything away before you watch, but I do want to say that I love how Avraham's story involves obedience to the Lord and I especially love what he shares about what he learned about music. A few years ago, I too read the Forgotten Books of Eden (the apocrypha) and I remember when I came across the part about the children of Cain and the music at the bottom of the mountain, I too felt confirmation about how sneaky Satan is with the power of music - especially in our day. I also believe that the woman who gave him a Book of Mormon was an angel which is why she was so persistent.

I have wanted to do a post about Avraham Gileadi for quite sometime now. There is so much that I love about Avraham's story and it's just an added witness of how the Lord works in our lives. When we are on the path to further light and knowledge, the Lord is there to lead us along. People show up in our lives at just the right time, circumstances unexpectedly change, small miracles lead to greater miracles, and before we know it we are surpassing our own expectations and limits. Hope this inspires!

 

The Apocrypha - A Link to the Wisemen's Gifts?

Christmas has come and gone but while the decorations and spirit are still in my home, I'd like to share something I discovered a few years ago that will shed some new light for many on the significance of the three gifts the wisemen brought the Christ child.

So, have you ever wondered why the wisemen of the east brought the young Jesus gold, frankincense, and myrrh? Was it just a kind thought or something valuable to show honor and respect? Or, could there have been great symbolism and ancient scripture supporting these gifts of choice?

New Testament scripture doesn't say much about these wise men or their gifts:

Matthew 2:1,10-11

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

The Bible Dictionary tells us this about the Magi:

It seems likely that they were representatives of a branch of the Lord’s people from somewhere east of Palestine, who had come, led by the Spirit, to behold the Son of God and who returned to their people to bear witness that the king Immanuel had indeed been born in the flesh. We are not told how many wise men there were, but tradition usually speaks of three, because of the three gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense. If they were serving in the capacity of witnesses, there would of necessity have been two or three. 

A few years ago, I received a prompting to read and study the Apocrypha. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Apocrypha, they are a set of ancient texts with unknown authors, that were not selected to be included the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and are generally considered unworthy to be properly called scripture by most Christian denominations. Reformist Martin Luther termed them "Apocrypha, meaning books which are not considered equal to the Holy Scriptures, but are useful and good to read."

The word "apocryphal" (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered too profound or too sacred to be disclosed to anyone other than the initiated. "Apocrypha" was also applied to writings that were hidden not because of their divinity but because of their questionable value to the church.

The Roman Catholic Church recognizes the Apocrypha as scripture and their Old Testament Cannon contains several books from the Apocrypha. At "the Council of Hippo" in 393, and the third Council of Carthage in 397, under the influence of Augustine, who attended both, fixed the catholic canon of the Holy Scriptures, including the Apocrypha of the Old Testament.

So, what are members of the LDS church counseled in regards to the Apocrypha? The Lord gives us this counsel in Doctrine and Covenants 91;

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you concerning the Apocrypha—There are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly;

2 There are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men.

3 Verily, I say unto you, that it is not needful that the Apocrypha should be translated.

4 Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth;

5 And whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom;

6 And whoso receiveth not by the Spirit, cannot be benefited. Therefore it is not needful that it should be translated. Amen.

It's a "read at your own risk" approach. Those who have the gift of discernment are told by the Lord they will benefit from it's teachings. There is no need for translation because it's teachings are simply not for everyone.

In fact, the LDS Bible Dictionary provides a list of Apocrypha books that "are of special value" (see link here) Among these recommended books are the books of the First and Second Maccabees, which reveal the preserved story of Hanukkah which describes in detail the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the lighting of the menorah.

As I eagerly followed my prompting to read the Apocrypha, I was very pleased with what I discovered. When I came to the Forgotten Books of Eden something caught my eye. The Forgotten Books of Eden is a collection of 17th-century and 18th-century English translations some of which were assembled in the 1820s, and then republished with the current title in 1926. Many scholars argue that these books are none other than fiction giving them a negative stigma, while other scholars believe these works to be truthful and of great insight and value to the history and period of that time. They are described as "simply a version of an account handed down by word of mouth, from generation to generation, linking the time that the first human life was created to the time when somebody finally decided to write it down. This particular version is the work of unknown Egyptians." accounts of it can be found in the Talmud and the Koran.

In the First Book of Adam and Eve (also known as "Conflict of Adam and Eve" from the earliest translation of an Arabic original) Chapters 29-31 speak of a token given of the Lord in similitude of the gifts that the Lord will receive as a mortal child, and also as a consolation and comfort to Adam and Eve for trusting in the Lord and the covenant they made with Him. Prior to this token offering, Satan attempts to deceive Adam and Eve and take their lives, by appearing with his hots as angels of Heaven with a promise to return them to the Garden of Eden. He leads them up a steep mountain with the intention to push them off to their deaths. God intervenes and Adam and Eve beg for forgiveness. Adam weeps and begs for something from the Garden that might offer him comfort. The Lord sends His angels to bring tokens of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. He tells Adam that the gold symbolizes His kingdom; the incense symbolizes His divinity; and the myrrh symbolizes His suffering an death.

Chapter 29

5 And Adam wept before the Lord God, and begged and entreated Him to give him something from the garden, as a token to him, wherein to be comforted.

6 And God looked upon Adam's thought, and sent the angel Michael as far as the sea that reaches unto India, to take from thence golden rods and bring them to Adam.

7 This did God in His wisdom, in order that these golden rods, being with Adam in the cave, should shine forth with light in the night around him, and put an end to his fear of the darkness.

8 Then the angel Michael went down by God's order, took golden rods, as God had commanded him, and brought them to God.

Chapter 30

AFTER these things, God commanded the angel Gabriel to go down to the garden, and say to the cherub who kept it, "Behold, God has commanded me to come into the garden, and to take thence sweet smelling incense, and give it to Adam."

2 Then the angel Gabriel went down by God's order to the garden, and told the cherub as God had commanded him.

3 The cherub then said, "Well." And Gabriel went in and took the incense.

4 Then God commanded His angel Raphael to go down to the garden, and speak to the cherub about some myrrh, to give to Adam.

5 And the angel Raphael went down and told the cherub as God had commanded him, and the cherub said, "Well." Then Raphael went in and took the myrrh.

6 The golden rods were from the Indian sea, where there are precious stones. The incense was from the eastern border of the garden; and the myrrh from the western border, whence bitterness came upon Adam.

7 And the angels brought these three things to God, by the Tree of Life, in the garden.

8 Then God said to the angels, "Dip them in the spring of water; then take them and sprinkle their water over Adam and Eve, that they be a little comforted in their sorrow, and give them to Adam and Eve.

9 And the angels did as God had commanded them, and they gave all those things to Adam and Eve on the top of the mountain upon which Satan had placed them, when he sought to make an end of them.

10 And when Adam saw the golden rods, the incense and the myrrh, he was rejoiced and wept because he thought that the gold was a token of the kingdom whence he had come, that the incense was a token of the bright light which had been taken from him, and that the myrrh was a token of the sorrow in which he was.

Chapter 31

AFTER these things God said unto Adam, "Thou didst ask of Me something from the garden, to be comforted therewith, and I have given thee these three tokens as a consolation to thee; that thou trust in Me and in My covenant with thee.

2 "For I will come and save thee; and kings shall bring me when in the flesh, gold, incense and myrrh; gold as a token of My kingdom; incense as a token of My divinity; and myrrh as a token of My suffering and of My death.

3 "But, O Adam, put these by thee in the cave; the gold that it may shed light over thee by night; the incense, that thou smell its sweet savour; and the myrrh, to comfort thee in thy sorrow."

4 When Adam heard these words from God, he worshipped before Him. He and Eve worshipped Him and gave Him thanks, because He had dealt mercifully with them.

5 Then God commanded the three angels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, each to bring what he had brought, and give it to Adam. And they did so, one by one.

6 And God commanded Suriyel and Salathiel to bear up Adam and Eve, and bring them down from the top of the high mountain, and to take them to the Cave of Treasures.

7 There they laid the gold on the south side of the cave, the incense on the eastern side, and the myrrh on the western side. For the mouth of the cave was on the north side.

8 The angels then comforted Adam and Eve, and departed.

9 The gold was seventy rods; the incense, twelve pounds; and the myrrh, three pounds.

10 These remained by Adam in the House of Treasures; therefore was it called "of concealment." But other interpreters say it was called the "Cave of Treasures," by reason of the bodies of righteous men that were in it.

11 These three things did God give to Adam, on the third day after he had come out of the garden, in token of the three days the Lord should remain in the heart of the earth.

12 And these three things, as they continued with Adam in the cave, gave him light by night; and by day they gave him a little relief from his sorrow.

In Chapter 75 the Lord tells Adam;

"Take the gold and give it to Eve as a wedding gift, and promise to marry her; then give her some incense and myrrh as a present; and be you, you and she, one flesh." Adam obeyed the angels, and took the gold and put it into Eve's bosom in her garment; and promised to marry her with his hand.

If true, this could be the very first recorded account in history of the gold wedding band being given as a token of marriage.

In a 2011 article written in the New Era Magazine titled, "Thoughtful Gifts", by Rebekah Atkin we read about the meaning of the wisemen's gifts;

Gold - Practical use: For a young couple who would soon have the expense of traveling to Egypt to avoid the wrath of Herod, the gold would be an invaluable gift.

Symbolic meaning: Gold is the typical gift for kings (see 1 Kings 9:14, 28) because it symbolizes kingship and royalty—a fitting gift for the “King of kings” (1 Timothy 6:15).

Frankincense - Practical use: Aside from its considerable monetary value, frankincense was used as a sweet-smelling incense and perfume.

Symbolic meaning: Frankincense comes from a sweet tree resin and was used in priesthood ordinances, in burnt offerings (see Leviticus 2:1), and in oil for anointing priests. Thus, it can represent the Lord’s priesthood and His role as the Lamb of God to be sacrificed on our behalf (see John 1:29).

Myrrh - Practical use: Myrrh, a bitter oil from a tree resin, was also economically valuable but probably more beneficial to Mary and Joseph for its medicinal uses.

Symbolic meaning: In the New Testament, myrrh is usually associated with embalming and burial because of its preservative qualities (see John 19:39–40). Myrrh’s medicinal uses can symbolize Christ’s role as the Master Healer, and its use in burials can symbolize “the bitter cup” He would drink when He suffered for our sins (see D&C 19:18–19).

I have heard some Christian ministers say that the wisemen would have traveled in large caravans with many servants accompanying them. They would have been very wealthy to afford this for their two-year journey (possibly a four-year journey if you take into account the travel back home). Their purpose was to most likely provide enough gold, frankincense and myrrh to sustain Jesus and his family over the course of his life. And that a master carpenter occupation (as they believe Joseph to have been) was a very well-paid occupation in it's day. They believe that Jesus and his family may not have been wealthy but were most likely well-to-do.

Whether fact, fiction, or pure speculation - one thing is for certain and that is the Divine symbolism in the three gifts that were brought by the wise men. Whether their inspiration came from ancient scripture, or was simply a Divine prompting from God, I believe they knew and understood the meanings of their gifts. Gifts that were fit for a king and not just any king but the King of Kings! Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who was born among men and died among men to save us all. Because He lives we can have eternal life too.