Happy Christmas

First of all, I'd like to wish you a very happy Christmas.  

Second, in keeping with the theme of the blog, I have a few questions that I think are particularly important to consider, on this day above all days.  The answers are yours to reflect on - mine are irrelevant to you, so will not be shared later.  

And third, I'd like to share a Christmas tradition I have started which I've really found value in.

Happy Christmas:

I know that Christ was born in the spring, around the time that the shepherds of the temple flock who were getting ready to provide lambs for the Passover, were abiding in the fields at night.  But I have also learned that the Winter Solstice points to the birth of the Savior.   (https://gramaryeblog.blogspot.com/search?q=solstice)

So, this time of year, it truly is important to reflect on the babe wrapped in saddling clothes lying in a manger of hay (and not just because the rest of the Christian world has chosen to celebrate His birth now).  Jesus Christ IS the god who condescended to come to this dark world to work out our salvation with fear and trembling and save us.  

Questions That Need Answering: 

What think ye of Christ?  

Since the Lord has "graven thee upon the palms of (His) hands", what does He think of you?

Have you spiritually been born of God?  Have you received His image in your countenance?  Have you experienced the Mighty Change in your heart?  Have you awakened?

If you have experienced a mighty change of heart - have been baptized by fire - and have felt that song of redeeming love within you, can you feel so now?  Have you abided true to the covenant you made?  Have you stayed on the path or strayed and are wondering lost in strange roads?  Have you arisen?

Are you filled with charity, the pure love of Christ?  Signs follow those who believe, so how do you know you are filled with His love and light?  If you have awakened and arisen, are you following His Way? 

Have you come unto Christ?  Do you truly know Him in the flesh?  If not, what has He told you is your next step?  Are you doing it?  If you have, what has He told you is your next step?  Are you doing it?  Have you partaken of the Fruit of the Tree which is most precious?

And His Name Shall Be Called:

Years ago I received a gift at a Christmas party: a set of handmade ornaments each with a different name or title for Christ written on it; there were maybe 30 of them.  I bought a small, pre-lighted Christmas tree for the ornaments - to keep them separate from the family Christmas tree.  It soon became my favorite Christmas tradition - some time in the evening after we'd decorated the house and the kids were either in bed or, when teenagers, out with their friends, I would decorate "my tree."  I'd reflect on each name or title as I'd put the ornament on the tree: "Wonderful Counsellor", "Bread of Life", "Immanuel", "Prince of Peace," etc.  Over time I started wishing I had a few more ornaments - there was no "Lion of Judah" to contrast with "Lamb of God", no "Suffering Servant" to go with "The Mighty God", no "Shiloh" or "Yahweh".  I am not an artisan but part of what I love about these ornaments is how simple and homemade they look - a rectangular piece of painted wood with a name in a beautiful script and a length of waxed string to hang it on the tree with.  I decided to try to make a few more - and a "few" became 30 as I thought about the names and titles for Christ which mean the most to me.  I also thought about some of the scriptures in which these names are used - so lately, what I've done is decorated my tree with my scriptures in hand, taking the time to remember Him through His names - and worship Him as I reflect on the great things He has done for me and how much I love Him for it.  

In case you'd like to do something similar, I've included the names and scriptures I use and a couple of examples of what the ornaments look like (I created my versions in PowerPoint and used a craft adhesive to attach them to 2x1 inch pieces of painted wood) - but, as in all things "Gramarye", the true value is to share an idea which might inspire you to create something that helps you to worship and come unto Christ yourself: 

Wonderful Counsellor – incomprehensible & wise advisor (Isaiah 9:6)

The Mighty God – El Gibbor, the God of Strength (Isaiah 9:6)

The Very Eternal Father – Father of this physical creation & the Father of our spiritual rebirth (Alma 11:38-39; Mosiah 15:1-5)

Prince of Peace – Prince of shalom or the spiritual harmony and calm brought about by an individual’s restoration with God. (Isaiah 9:6)

Jesus Christ – God Saves - the Anointed One (3 Nephi 11:8-11)

Son of God – mortal man begotten by God (Mosiah 15:2-3)

The Messiah – Anointed One (Isaiah 61:1)

Anointed One – consecrated or made sacred in a ceremony with oil (Acts 4:27-30)

Savior – one who brings salvation, specifically from sin (Matthew 1:21)

Deliverer – one who rescues another from harm or danger (1 Sam 17:37)

Redeemer of the World – to free from captivity by payment of ransom (Alma 11:40)

King of Kings – the high king who rules over lesser kings (1 Timothy 6:15)

Lord of Lords – the God who rules over lesser gods (Deut 10:17)

Lord of All – ruler or master of all things (Zechariah 6:5)

The Good Shepherd – lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11-15)

The Lamb of God – gentle, pure and innocent, yet sacrificed (John 1:29)

Beloved Son – one who the father feels great affection for (Matthew 17:5)

Only Begotten – actually fathered in the flesh (Moses 5:57)

Little Lord Jesus – Jesus was divine as a newborn (Luke 2:6-14)

Carpenter’s Son – derogatory phrase used in Nazareth by the priests to humanize Jesus (Matthew 13:55)

YHWH – Yahweh, name of the God of Israel; the tetragrammaton (Genesis 2:4)

Jehovah – English version of Yahweh, the name of God (2 Nephi 22:2)

Adonai – My Lord; substitute for the sacred name YHWH (Genesis 2:4)

Creator – the organizer and maintainer of the world (Mosiah 2:20-21)

Holy One – one who is consecrated to God and sanctified (3 Nephi 22:5)

El Shaddai – God Almighty (1 Nephi 1:14)

God of Israel – the god of those who covenant with Him (3 Nephi 11:14)

King of the Jews – the rightful ruler of Israel (Matthew 2:2)

Lion of Judah – authority & strength of the ruling tribe (Revelation 5:5)

The Son of David – son or descendent of the King, David (Rev 22:16)

Light of the World – source of the light which fills the universe (D&C 88:12)

Life of the World – His resurrection saves us from death (2 Ne 9:10)

Bread of Life – He provides spiritual nourishment & stops hunger (John 6:35)

Fountain of Living Water – source of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39)

Fisher of Men – He catches the fish (souls) in His gospel net (Matt 4:19)

Walker in the Path – Companion & example in walking back to God (Luke 24)

The Way – The prototype of the saved being (LoF 7:9; John 14:6)

Keeper of the Gate – There is no other way to God (2 Ne 9:41)

The Suffering Servant – God’s servant suffered for us (Mosiah 14:3-11)

Immanuel – God with us; condescension to earth (Isaiah 7:14; 1 Ne 11:26-28)

I Am – Jehovah; He that exists – that is self-existent (Exodus 3:14-15)

Alpha – the first; the beginning (D&C 84:120)

Omega – the last; the end (2 Ne 31:20; 2 Ne 32:4-7)

Logos, the Word – the reason or plan implicit in the cosmos (John 1:1-14)

Yeshua – Joshua or Jesus; to rescue or deliver (Matthew 1:21)

Jesus of Nazareth – from small village in backwater Galilee (John 1:45-46)

The Son of Man – son of a human (Mary); son of the Man of Holiness (Moses 6:57)

The Bridegroom – husband to Israel via intimate covenant (Matt 22:2-14)

Chief Cornerstone – ensures the stability of all salvation (Isaiah 28:16)

Rock – prime element of an ancient foundation (2 Ne 4:30,35; Jacob 4:15-16)

The Branch – from the royal line of David (Zechariah 6:12; Isaiah 11:1)

The True Vine – living plant that will save those grafted in (John 15:1-16)

Bright & Morning Star – outshines others; point of reference; Venus whose orbit makes a five-pointed star symbolic of Christ (Rev 22:16)

Rabboni – master teacher; spiritual instructor; enlightened guru (John 20:16)

Exemplar – example in all things; prototype of salvation (LoF7:9)

Great Physician – physician who heals via His own sacrifice (John 5:2-9)

Comforter – to tenderly console; to give hope in darkness (John 14:15-21)

Advocate & Intercessor – one who speaks or mediates on behalf of another (D&C 45:3-5; 2 Ne 2:9; 1 Samuel 25:18-24)

Master – ruler, lord, owner of servants (John 13:13-16)

Shiloh – he to whom it belongs or he whose right it is; the glorious Messiah who at His coming will dry every tear and right every wrong (Genesis 49:10)

Abiding the Day (Malachi)

An Unacceptable Offering

READ Malachi 1:7-8, 10, 13-14

What are the priests offering on the altar of the Lord?

Old, blind, lame, sick “three-legged ewes”.

They are offering the dregs of what they have, not the “first fruits without blemish”.

 

READ 3 Nephi 9:19-20

What is the equivalent of a “three-legged ewe” in the context of what sacrifice the Lord requires of us today? (I.e. a broken heart and contrite spirit)

It is talking the talk but not walking the walk (“draw near unto me with the lips, but their hearts are far from me” see JSH 1:19).

It is living the outward standards and behaviors but not offering one’s “whole soul” on the altar (“make clean the outside of the cup… but within are full of extortion and excess” see Matt 23:25-28).

What rewards do those receive who are sacrificing an unacceptable sacrifice?

The praise of the world – they can seem very “religious” and even outwardly “righteous”.

And that’s about it… the Lord is not happy with this “deceiving” action.

 

 

Who Shall Abide the Day of His Coming

READ Malachi 3:1-3

What is the role of the true messenger sent from God?

To prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.

That “coming” is ultimately His Second Coming in glory, but also refers to His coming to you, preparatory to His coming in glory so that you can be sanctified to the degree that you won’t be utterly wasted when He comes in glory; the first is the coming of the Lamb to His temple on earth (you) while the second is the coming of the Lion to the world at large, to defeat all armies and reign on the earth in its terrestrial state of light. 

What does it mean that the Lord will “suddenly come to his temple”?

He is unexpected when He comes.

Things may progress quickly – where one might think, “there is much to do before He comes”, those things may come to pass very quickly.

Temple = in the New Jerusalem.

Temple = your body is a temple (see 1 Corinthians 3:17 and 6:19-20).

Who may abide the day of His coming?

Only those who are prepared: received the truth and taken the Holy Spirit as their guide (see Parable of the 10 Virgins in Matt 25:1-13 and D&C 45:56-57).

Those who are purified as He is pure – they hear His voice, they see Him, they are not asleep but have awakened, arisen, have entered the Gate to His path, and have navigated that path to the Tree and Fruit at its end (see D&C 35:21 and D&C 38:8).

They that turn to God with all their heart (see Joel 2:11-13).

They that have put on the whole armor of God (see D&C 27:15-18).

 

 

An Unchangeable God

READ Malachi 3:6-7

How changeable is an unchangeable god?

Not at all!

The Son is the great prototype of all saved beings (LoF 7:16), for any mortal to be saved they must be assimilated into His likeness, to the degree that a saved being must be “precisely what He is and nothing else” (LoF 7:9).

So where does all the change come from?

From us – we have “gone away from mine ordinances” – changed them and not kept them; but we have tried to disguise our changes as His will as defined in the current practices of the Church (we have done this today – and the Israelites in the 100’s of years prior to Christ’s birth had done the same.  

What must we do?

Return to Him and He will return to us.

Receive Him in your hearts and live the true, unchanged “new and everlasting” covenants, ordinances and doctrines.

Seek to understand what you’ve lost via prayer and study of the scriptures – and prepare yourself to receive true messengers from heaven to teach you what you’re missing. 

 

 

Tithing

READ Malachi 3:8-11

Why does the Lord ask us to prove Him?

We are here to live by faith.

We are here to connect with Him again.

He has the capability to bless us in very temporal and tangible ways, if it is His will for us.

But if not, He his goal is our immortality and eternal life – and whatever experiences we need to go through to facilitate that ultimate objective, which may include abject poverty. 

 

 

Return of Elijah

READ Malachi 4:1

Who will be burned as stubble?

The proud and ALL who do wickedly.

What does “leave them neither root nor branch” mean?

They and their posterity will be completely annihilated physically and will not be saved spiritually, plus their line will end (the branch).

Their dead ancestors in the spirit prison will have no hope of salvation either (the root).

 

READ Malachi 4:5-6

What is the curse the Lord will smite the earth with?

That unless Elijah’s work is successful, ALL will be burned as stubble and left neither root nor branch (see Jacob 5:46-48 – it is the “loftiness” or pride of the vineyard that causes nothing profitable to be produced by it).

 

To truly understand the mission and spirit of Elijah, we have to read from a talk that Joseph Smith gave in January of 1844, months before his death. 

READ TPJS 371:8-372:4 and 373:2-374:1

“What shall I talk about to-day? I know what Brother Cahoon wants me to speak about. He wants me to speak about the coming of Elijah in the last days. I can see it in his eye. I will speak upon that subject then. The Bible says, “I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Now, the word turn here should be translated bind, or seal. But what is the object of this important mission? or how is it to be fulfilled? The keys are to be delivered, the spirit of Elijah is to come, the Gospel to be established, the Saints of God gathered, Zion built up, and the Saints to come up as saviors on Mount Zion. But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building their temples, erecting their baptismal fonts, and going forth and receiving all the ordinances, baptisms, confirmations, washings, anointings, ordinations and sealing powers upon their heads, in behalf of all their progenitors who are dead, and redeem them that they may come forth in the first resurrection and be exalted to thrones of glory with them; and herein is the chain that binds the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, which fulfills the mission of Elijah. And I would to God that this temple was now done, that we might go into it, and go to work and improve our time, and make use of the seals while they are on earth. The Saints have not too much time to save and redeem their dead, and gather together their living relatives, that they may be saved also, before the earth will be smitten, and the consumption decreed falls upon the world. I would advise all the Saints to go with their might and gather together all their living relatives to this place, that they may be sealed and saved, that they may be prepared against the day that the destroying angel goes forth; and if the whole Church should go to with all their might to save their dead, seal their posterity, and gather their living friends, and spend none of their time in behalf of the world, they would hardly get through before night would come, when no man can work; and my only trouble at the present time is concerning ourselves, that the Saints will be divided, broken up, and scattered, before we get our salvation secure; for there are so many fools in the world for the devil to operate upon, it gives him the advantage oftentimes. The question is frequently asked, “Can we not be saved without going through with all those ordinances? I would answer, No, not the fulness of salvation. Jesus said, There are many mansions in my Father’s house, and I will go and prepare a place for you. House here named should have been translated kingdom; and any person who is exalted to the highest mansion has to abide a celestial law, and the whole law too. But there has been a great difficulty in getting anything into the heads of this generation. It has been like splitting hemlock knots with a corn-dodger for a wedge, and a pumpkin for a beetle. Even the Saints are slow to understand. I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions: they cannot stand the fire at all. How many will be able to abide a celestial law, and go through and receive their exaltation, I am unable to say, as many are called, but few are chosen.”

What does “turn” the hearts mean?

To bind or seal the people together.

What is Joseph concerned about?

The Saints don’t understand the importance of the coming mission of Elijah.

The Saints won’t accept things that are contrary to their traditions (and it seems like the message about Elijah may be contrary, or he wouldn’t have said that).

The Saints don’t have much time to get the Nauvoo Temple finished so that they can “make use of the seals while they are on the earth”.

And unless they finish the Nauvoo Temple such that the Lord visits and accepts it, and restores the High Priesthood that had been lost, the Saints will be cursed and scattered and will not regain the priesthood which enables being sealed and saved (see D&C 124:27-50).

As a result of this, Joseph laments that he does not know how many Saints will be able to abide a celestial law and receive their exaltation, for many are called but few are chosen. 

What is Elijah’s latter-day mission?

To turn the hearts of the children on earth to their “fathers” in heaven who have received God’s promises and hold the High Priesthood or Holy Order and are “sons of God” – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the other patriarchs (see JST Genesis 9:21-23).

Such that they are sealed together to them as sons to fathers.

And adopted into the same family – the House of Israel.

And Elijah has the power to do this – to open the heavenly portal and descend with this sealing power and enact what must be done on earth to prepare a people to withstand the glory of the Lord and His people who will come with Him at His Second Coming, so that those on earth are not utterly wasted by the glory that emanates from them.

This was the reason that Elijah was translated, so that they could come back to earth and open the way for those in the heavens to descend and be sealed to those faithful souls on earth.

 

READ Abraham 1:2-3

What was Abraham’s goal?

To reconnect the chain of saved souls back to Adam which had been broken with the idol worship of his fathers.

…Through the sealing or adoption of himself into that family by acquiring for himself the “rights of the fathers” or to enter the “ancient order of things” which the fathers had also entered; he needed to “turn his heart” to the fathers who had possessed these blessings.

If Melchizedek was a “new name” for or title given to Shem the son of Noah, Abraham could have received the sealing necessary to join the family when he met Shem to pay tithing and receive “blessings” from him (see JST Genesis 14:25-37).

And if we, through the mission of Elijah, can connect ourselves with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob or the “fathers in heaven” to whom were given the “promises” that Adam and his family had from generation to generation ending with Shem, we too can avoid being utterly wasted when they all come back with Christ as His family in their glory to the earth, because we will be one of them.  No wonder they will fall upon our necks and kiss us, as family who are reunited after a long parting (see TPJS 380:2 and 381:2).

 

Abiding the Day (Malachi) QUESTIONS

An Unacceptable Offering

READ Malachi 1:7-8, 10, 13-14

What are the priests offering on the altar of the Lord?

 

READ 3 Nephi 9:19-20

What is the equivalent of a “three-legged ewe” in the context of what sacrifice the Lord requires of us today? (I.e. a broken heart and contrite spirit)

What rewards do those receive who are sacrificing an unacceptable sacrifice?

 

 

Who Shall Abide the Day of His Coming

READ Malachi 3:1-3

What is the role of the true messenger sent from God?

What does it mean that the Lord will “suddenly come to his temple”?

Who may abide the day of His coming?

 

 

An Unchangeable God

READ Malachi 3:6-7

How changeable is an unchangeable god?

So where does all the change come from?

What must we do?

 

 

Tithing

READ Malachi 3:8-11

Why does the Lord ask us to prove Him?

 

 

Return of Elijah

READ Malachi 4:1

Who will be burned as stubble?

What does “leave them neither root nor branch” mean?

 

READ Malachi 4:5-6

What is the curse the Lord will smite the earth with?

 

To truly understand the mission and spirit of Elijah, we have to read from a talk that Joseph Smith gave in January of 1844, months before his death. 

READ TPJS 371:8-372:4 and 373:2-374:1

“What shall I talk about to-day? I know what Brother Cahoon wants me to speak about. He wants me to speak about the coming of Elijah in the last days. I can see it in his eye. I will speak upon that subject then. The Bible says, “I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Now, the word turn here should be translated bind, or seal. But what is the object of this important mission? or how is it to be fulfilled? The keys are to be delivered, the spirit of Elijah is to come, the Gospel to be established, the Saints of God gathered, Zion built up, and the Saints to come up as saviors on Mount Zion. But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building their temples, erecting their baptismal fonts, and going forth and receiving all the ordinances, baptisms, confirmations, washings, anointings, ordinations and sealing powers upon their heads, in behalf of all their progenitors who are dead, and redeem them that they may come forth in the first resurrection and be exalted to thrones of glory with them; and herein is the chain that binds the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, which fulfills the mission of Elijah. And I would to God that this temple was now done, that we might go into it, and go to work and improve our time, and make use of the seals while they are on earth. The Saints have not too much time to save and redeem their dead, and gather together their living relatives, that they may be saved also, before the earth will be smitten, and the consumption decreed falls upon the world. I would advise all the Saints to go with their might and gather together all their living relatives to this place, that they may be sealed and saved, that they may be prepared against the day that the destroying angel goes forth; and if the whole Church should go to with all their might to save their dead, seal their posterity, and gather their living friends, and spend none of their time in behalf of the world, they would hardly get through before night would come, when no man can work; and my only trouble at the present time is concerning ourselves, that the Saints will be divided, broken up, and scattered, before we get our salvation secure; for there are so many fools in the world for the devil to operate upon, it gives him the advantage oftentimes. The question is frequently asked, “Can we not be saved without going through with all those ordinances? I would answer, No, not the fulness of salvation. Jesus said, There are many mansions in my Father’s house, and I will go and prepare a place for you. House here named should have been translated kingdom; and any person who is exalted to the highest mansion has to abide a celestial law, and the whole law too. But there has been a great difficulty in getting anything into the heads of this generation. It has been like splitting hemlock knots with a corn-dodger for a wedge, and a pumpkin for a beetle. Even the Saints are slow to understand. I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions: they cannot stand the fire at all. How many will be able to abide a celestial law, and go through and receive their exaltation, I am unable to say, as many are called, but few are chosen.”

What does “turn” the hearts mean?

What is Joseph concerned about?

What is Elijah’s latter-day mission?

 

READ Abraham 1:2-3

What was Abraham’s goal?

The Return to Israel & the Second Temple (Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai)

Returning to Israel

Background: The temple of Solomon was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC, when they sacked the city, killing or taking captive back to Babylon, the Jews.  In 539 BC, Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians.  Soon after, Cyrus the Great of Persia allowed the Jews to return to Israel.  Another twenty years later, the Jews completed the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.  This “Second Temple” survived for almost 600 years until it was destroyed by the Romans several decades after Christ’s life. 

 

 

Rebuilding the Temple

READ Ezra 1:1-2

Who commanded that the temple be rebuilt in Jerusalem?

Cyrus the Persian King.

After learning that Isaiah had prophesied about Cyrus by name, 150 years previously (see Isaiah 44:28).

But the fact that a true prophet prophesized that something would happen in the future DOESN’T mean that God commanded that it should happen. 

What issues might the Jews have had in rebuilding the Temple?

They were not commanded by God to do so.

They received no promise that God would accept the temple as His House with His presence.

They had lost much of their religion during there time in Babylon; and one could argue that the reason they were taken conquered and taken captive by the Babylonians in the first place was that they had broken and changed God’s covenants and forgotten His Ways long before they were ever forced to leave Jerusalem. 

They lacked direct revelation from God and angels to restore that which they had lost.

 

READ Haggai 1:3-4, 7-8

Did the Lord want this temple built - why?

Yes.

The Lord will use any tattered ruin He can, if the people will soften their hearts and listen to Him; the Lord will take us where we are – His patience is long if our hearts are soft, even if we lack the faith and knowledge to rend the veil at first and truly commune with Him.

Haggai and Zechariah were “minor” prophets – the Lord did inspire and perhaps reveal truth to men like this, but there is no account of their ever seeing God.

 

 

The Word of the Lord

READ Nehemiah 8:1-3, 8-11, 17-18

Who was Ezra?

A scribe and priest, but not a prophet.

What did Ezra do for the people?

He read the scriptures to them.

He interpreted the scriptures to them.

Why did the people weep to hear the scriptures?

They had been unavailable to the vast majority of Jews during the years of exile in Babylon and Persia.

Most of the people had never read the scriptures – never seen the scriptures.

How was Ezra able to help the people understand the scriptures?

As a scribe, he would have used the tools of scholarship.

There is no record of Ezra or any of the other scribes or priests being prophets and communing directly with God, enabling them to understand the scriptures because they could inquire of the Lord and be assured that they would receive an answer that they could trust as being directly from God.

Having said that, the Lord would still rather us reading the scriptures than not reading them; if we read them, there is more likelihood that we will hear Him trying to communicate with us through the veil, as we are reading and pondering His words.

Note: it is interesting that the Pharisees and Scribes first came on the scene during this period of time; the same with the Sadducees, who were the priestly families of wealth who administered the temple to the people.

 

 

The Legacy of Josiah

One might ask why, with the exception of Malachi 100 years later, that from the time of Daniel to John the Baptist, there were no actual prophets in Israel? 

If an individual or a people do not abide in God’s presence, it is because one or more conditions are true: either they are not keeping all of God’s commandments that He has revealed to them, or they are not yet in possession of the commandments they need to enter into and remain in His presence. 

Far from restoring the true religion, the Jewish leaders who returned from Babylon to rebuild the temple were led by the heathen political figures who enabled their return; these false teachers had not been chosen by God but by men.  Israel had lost the mysteries of godliness, were punished by Babylon and cursed for generations afterward to struggle under the stumbling block of lost truth and cunning priestcraft. 

The Book of Mormon provides a stark standard against which to judge the Second Temple religion and its scriptures.  But other hints also exist.  Josiah and the Deuteronomists knew what they were doing – they hid the mysteries (see Deuteronomy 29:29; Margaret Barker’s BYU talk “What Did King Josiah Reform” given on May 6, 2006).

From reading the Book of Mormon (which was written by prophets before the attack by Babylon) and hints from the New Testament, what truths were hidden/distorted/changed by Josiah and the Deuteronomists?

Entering into the presence of God (Deuteronomy 4:12 versus Exodus 24:10 and Isaiah 6:1).

Sons of God or men who ascended to the status of Immanuel or “God with us” – a calling they didn’t have previously (see D&C 93:12-14); a human who had entered the holy of holies and had become an “angel” or a transfigured or perhaps even a translated being; one who could ascend to heaven – born again as a Son of God, having entered His presence and been sealed up, clothed in light and anointed.

Forsaking “Wisdom” or the truth about the Goddess or Queen of Heaven, which Josiah purged from the temple when he removed the “Tree of Life” or stylized menorah shaped like an almond tree which symbolized Heavenly Mother, who is Wisdom (see Deuteronomy 4:6 versus Proverbs 9:1-6).

The plurality of Gods; as mentioned, Heavenly Mother or the Goddess is nowhere to be found in the Old Testament except as the idol for heathens; and Jehovah became “THE” God of the Old Testament with the Father not really appearing on the religious scene until the New Testament.

Changing the nature of sacrifice by abolishing a version of child sacrifice where the victim is killed and brought back to life again as Abraham and Isaac performed (see Hebrews 9:12; Hugh Nibley “Abraham in Egypt” pp 320-344, 372-375).

Aspects of the Atonement; including Moses’ attempt to offer himself on Sinai as atonement for the sins of the golden calf – his intercession on behalf of the children of Israel.

An understanding and regard for the hosts or powers of heaven – the angels with a correct understanding of the true routing system for answering prayers, how protection for mortals is provided, and the nature of priesthood, which is an association between mankind and angels or gods through the veil (see Deuteronomy 4:6 versus Isaiah 6:1-5).

Worshiping on a high place with an altar of unhewn stones, a sacred tree behind the altar and a white stone set between them; God comes to his people “through” the sacred tree – think about the incense in the temple of Solomon which acted as a “veil” in the shape of a tree, between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, which represents the presence of God and angels.

 

Out of this apostasy, masquerading as truth, came the “dry ground” or lack of revelation from God that the people found themselves living in when John the Baptist and Christ were born – an extremely piously religious people who were devoid of the Spirit of the Lord and, ironically, ended up killing the One sent from heaven to teach and save them.