“Utah”– Tops: In latter times, the word of
the Lord comes from the “tops of the mountains,” Salt Lake City, where
the prophets and leadership of the Lord’s kingdom and the tribe of
Joseph are presently situated. The Ute Indians used the word Utah to
denote the tops of the mountains. It is also the only other range of
mountains that extends from the northern to the southern borders of the
land. It is also the “land of everlasting hills.” Judah and Utah even
sound linguistically similar. There is an Arab village close to Hebron
that is called Yatta. An old synagogue of the first century was found
there with characteristics of Levitical use. Some even suggest it to be
the wilderness area of Judah where John the Baptist (a Levite) might
have lived.
“Everlasting Hills” Have, Are and Will Affect All the World:
“. . . on the head of Joseph . . .” (Genesis 49:26)
“Everlasting is also used to signify the eternal, lasting, and enduring
nature of some particular thing. For instance: the "everlasting
covenant" (D. & C. 1:15), "the everlasting gospel" (D. & C.
36:5), "songs of everlasting joy" (D. & C. 45:71), "an
everlasting inheritance" (D. & C 57:5), "the everlasting hills."
(D. & C. 133:31.) (Mormon Doctrine, Bruce R. McConkie, Pg.243)
Isaiah, who knew the mountains of Judah, also knew the Lord and
combined the majesty of both in teaching us about the Savior. “How
beautiful . . . Thy God reigneth!” (Isaiah 52:7)
Mount of Olives: Looking at the sacred event that redeemed us
from the sins of life, bruises of experience, captivity of conscience,
blindness of bigotry, hurt of hearts broken, poverty of stinginess and
the imprisonment of self pity, we are drawn to the Mount of Olives. Two
thousand years ago, He sank below all things, experiencing deeper depths
than we would ever reach so that we would never have to. Bleeding from
every pore of His body, he was stained for us. How beautiful upon the
Mount of Olives are the feet of Him who brings good tidings. Good
tidings are the “good news,” the gospel of joy. Isaiah wrote the words
of the Savior’s testimony, seven hundred years before the Savior would
speak them. “. . . he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them
that are bound;” (Isaiah 61:1) (Luke 4:18)
Day of Atonement: Although the principle of “one atoning for
our sins” in Judaism has diminished over the years, one day every year
is set aside as the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. “The Day of Atonement
is the last of the Ten Days of Penitence which begin with Rosh Ha-Shanah,
and is the climax of the repentance and soul-searching incumbent on
every Jew during this period.” “So important is Yom Kippur that it is
the only fast day which may be observed on the Sabbath and is never
postponed until the next day. Moreover, the Torah describes the holiness
of Yom Kippur by calling it the "Sabbath of Sabbaths."
(Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Day of the Scapegoat: “In the times of the Temple in
Jerusalem, the . . . high priest . . . took two identical goats and cast
lots to see which would be sacrificed and which would be sent to (the
wilderness) Azazel. After sacrificing one of them, he sprinkled its
blood on the altar and then confessed the sins of the people while
placing his hands on the head of the live goat. Then the goat was sent
into the wilderness (to die on its own) . . . each man must repent for
his wrongdoings in order for the Day of Atonement to have its purifying
effect.” “The service begins at twilight and is concluded at nightfall
when . . . declarations of faith are recited aloud and a single blast of
the shofar is blown to announce the end of the Day of Atonement. The
congregants respond "Next year in Jerusalem," and return home to break
their fast, confident that their sins have been forgiven.”
(Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Since 1967 Jews Pray “Next Year in Jerusalem-rebuilt:” This is
an expression of rebuilding the temple in the mountains of Judah. “. .
. let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of
Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths:
for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3) “. . . my messenger . . shall prepare
the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to
his temple . . .” (Malachi 3:1) “. . . I will suddenly come to my
temple.” (D.&C. 36:8)
Beautiful Garments: How beautiful upon the mountains of Judah
and Joseph are the feet of Him who brought salvation to all of us! How
beautiful are the garments of them that are worthy to bow at His feet.
Jews use garments to remind them of ancient temple rituals. The garment
is called a ‘Tallit’ and it has four sets of Zizit (strings), with knots
that are reminders of the binding covenants. “The tallit is usually
white and made either of wool, cotton, or silk . . . strictly observant
Jews wear the tallit katan (small tallit) under their upper garments
the whole day.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) In many Jewish weddings, a
special white garment is worn called the Kitel. “. . . the bride and
groom . . . pray that their past sins will be forgiven and they can
start their life together afresh. The white of their clothing symbolizes
the purity and the forgiveness of sin for which they are hoping. For
this reason a similar garment is used to clothe the dead for burial. The
kitel therefore also serves to remind the wearer of how brief life is,
and of the necessity for atonement.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Repentance Consists of Several Stages: “Firstly the sinner
must reflect on his actions and realize that he has indeed done the
wrong thing. He must then make up his mind never to do it again, and
confess his sin. This confession is not made to any other human being
but is made by the sinner directly to God. On this basis the two
confessions Ashamnu and Al-Het were introduced into the prayers for the
Day of Atonement which is a special occasion for repentance and
forgiveness. However, even when a sinner has done all these things, his
repentance is still not final until he has been exposed to the same
temptation and withstood it. Of course he should not deliberately put
himself on that spot again.” (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Repent–Return: “Repentance in Hebrew is known as teshuvah,
which literally means "return," and signifies a return to God. A person
who repents his sins is known as a ba'al teshuvah. Many rabbis of the
Talmud believed that the real ba'al teshuvah is greater even than a
person who has never sinned and they furthermore said that when a
person repents out of love of God (and not just out of fear of divine
punishment), all the sins he had committed are considered to be mitzvot.
This is perhaps the most comforting doctrine that Judaism has given to
the world.” (Encyclopedia Jucaica Jr.)
Temple Services about Repentance: The Hebrew term for
sacrifice, korban, is from a root meaning "to draw near," and originally
denoted that which was brought near, or offered, to God. It is also
possible that the term signified ‘that which brings man near to God’”
(Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.) Where would be a better place than going to
the mountain of the Lord’s house and drawing near to Him? How beautiful!