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HIDDEN LDS/JEWISH
INSIGHTS #6
DOCTRINE & COVENANTS Gospel Doctrine Supplement by Daniel Rona
Weekly E-mail Reminder
<< I WILL TELL YOU IN YOUR MIND AND IN YOUR HEART, BY THE HOLY GHOST >>
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(1.)
CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF THE HOLY GHOST:
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The Hebrew word for breath and wind (ruach) is closely related to spirit. Ezekiel spoke of breath bringing life into dead bones (etzemot). As the sticks (ETZ-emot)
of the body are clothed again with flesh and come alive again, so shall the stick (ETZ) of Judah, the dead skeleton of a once true and living religion, come together with the stick of Joseph. This
symbolizes the true religion, and with the “breath” of the Lord (His spirit) a resurrection of body and religion and a new life begins.
(Ezekiel 37)
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(2.) HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE MESSIAH:
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The key to recognizing
the Messiah and the true meaning of his life and those who testified of Him is
the SPIRIT, the breath– wind of God. Moses knew that gift well and desired that
everyone would have it. “. . . Would God that all the LORD'S people were
prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!” (Numbers 11:29)
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(3.) GOD’S SPIRIT IS A GIFT, PENTECOST:
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The gift of belief comes from God. The day that Jesus gave His apostles the gift of the spirit was the Jewish Pentecost. This occurred on the Mount of
Olives fifty days after the Passover when Jesus completed the great atonement. In the Biblical calendar, fifty days after Passover is Shavuot, a day to commemorate receiving the “Law of Moses at Mount
Sinai,” the Jewish Pentecost.
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(4.) CONFIRMATIONS AND “PENTECOST:
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“In many modern synagogues, the
ceremony of confirmation takes place on Shavuot . . . The custom began with the
Reform Movement's efforts . . . to emphasize the relationship between Shavuot
and the study of Torah (scriptures).” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) For Latter-day Saints, the procedure of confirmation includes giving the gift of the Holy Ghost (as
Jesus did on Pentecost–Shavuot).
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(5.) TOOL OF THE SPIRIT, URIM AND THUMMIM:
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A Symbol in modern Judaism is known by non-Jews as The Star of David. “Magen David (‘Shield of David’), the six-pointed star, has become the . . .
emblem of the Jewish people. [Also,] “During the early Middle Ages, Christians decorated their churches and cathedrals with the Magen David. For Muslims it was a magical sign; in Arabic sources . . .”
(Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
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(6.) JESUS RELATES TO THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS:
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(6.) WHAT DO URIM AND THUMMIM LOOK LIKE? The Magen David is always shown as two triangles, interwoven. One possible explanation is that the two triangles represent a characterization of the
Urim and Thummim. According to Joseph Smith, the Urim and Thummim were two triangular stones connected by a silver bow. One pointed up and the other pointed down. Superimposed, they make a fascinating
Magen David! John Tvedtnes, now Senior Researcher at FARMS (BYU), point out that the words Urim and Thummim may come from Egyptian words similar to “RMMM” and “TMMM,” one with positive meaning, the
other a more negative meaning. As simple as the most complicated computer, heavenly answers, if we are ready, will be yes or no. “. . . study it out in your mind; then you must ask me . . .”
(Doctrine
& Covenants 9:8)
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(7.) SOMETIMES ANSWERS DON’T COME WHEN EXPECTED:
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A parable . . . a farmer dragged stones from his field in a row around his property. Later, a worker built the loose stones into a rock wall
each stone supporting itself and the others around it. At one point the worker reached a place where no stone seemed to fit. He simply left a gap and continued constructing. At the end, leftover
stones filled the gap! “. . . line upon line, precept upon precept . . .”
(Doctrine and Covenants 98:12) “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.”
(Isaiah 28:14-16.)
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(8.) IMAGERY OF STONE IN SCRIPTURES:
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The Lord is the “Rock of Salvation.” Our testimony of Him comes with repeated experiences from the “still small voice.” Even the strongest stone wall is
made from many smaller ones.
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