4+1: A Sacred Pattern

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In the Hebrew Book of Enoch, chapter 48(a), sometimes designated 3 Enoch, the angel Metatron shows R. Ishmael Ben Elisha the right hand of God. This is a rare treasure for the Rabbi, as this hand was hidden from the world and from the most angels. Metatron tells him, “not even the Seraphim and the Ophannim are permitted to behold [the hand], until the day of salvation shall arrive.” The hand is well hidden “until the day of salvation shall arrive.” Verse 1.

Metatron tells the Rabbi: “all the souls of the righteous who are counted worthy to behold the joy of Jerusalem, they are standing by it, praising and praying before it three times every day saying, (Isaiah 51:9) ‘Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O arm of the Lord’ according as it is written (Isaiah 63:12): “He caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses.’” Verse 3.

The text immediately follows with: “[i]n that moment the Right Hand of [God] was weeping. And there went forth from its five fingers five rivers of tears and fell down into the great sea and shook the whole world, according as it is written (Isaiah 24:19, 20) ‘The earth is utterly broken (1), the earth is clean dissolved (2), the earth is moved exceedingly (3), the earth shall stagger like a drunken man (4), and shall be moved to and fro like a hut (5),’ five times corresponding to the fingers of his Great Right Hand.” Verse 4.[1]

This description places various linguistic ties to the prophecies concerning the final days of this earth’s telestial existence, the final phase of gathering, in which the gospel is taken to the rest of the house of Israel, and the servant known as the Arm of the Lord.

The number five is not a number with readily apparent sacred value in much of Christian and especially latter-day saint culture. For example, we all recognize that numbers like three, seven, and twelve for the basis for certain sacred patters. Perhaps this is because the hand has been hidden. But perhaps the time for the hand to be known is coming in.

Upon closer examination, the number five appears in various contexts in scripture having to do with the final phase of gathering and the ministry of the Davidic King. But more than just the number five, the pattern appears to be one of 4+1. Four like items and one item that is bounded together with the four but also distinct from them. Look at your hands for the first manifestation of this pattern. You have four fingers and one thumb. In one sense, there are five digits there. But the thumb is distinct from the fingers, making a 4+1 pattern. I believe this is significant in the context of the hand of the lord, as seen in other places where this pattern arises. Let’s explore.

Five Rivers in Eden

Moses describes one river that branches out into four smaller rivers in Moses 3:10-14, as well as in Genesis 2:10-14. Here is an instance of 4+1, as the main river is larger and distinct from the other four, and yet again they all work together.  These rivers are in the area of Eden, which we understand to be the same as New Jerusalem. “And I, the Lord God, caused a river to go out of Eden to water the garden; and from then it was parted and became into four heads. And I, the Lord God, called the name of the first Pison, and it compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where I, the God created much gold . . . . And the name of the second river was called Gihon; the same that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river was Hiddekel; that which goes toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river was the Euphrates.” Moses 3:10-14. 

The vision above from 3  Enoch specifically ties the hand of the lord to five rivers, one from each finger, and the rivers are tied to prophecies about the end times in Isaiah 24:19-20. Thus, we have another distinct instance of a 4+1 pattern tied to the last days.

Consider that what we learn about the garden of Eden in Moses and Genesis may apply equally, or even more, to New Jerusalem. The Gospel of Thomas records an exchange between the Savior and His disciples. The disciples posed the question to Jesus, “Tell us, how will our end come?” Jesus responds with this: “Have you found the beginning, then, that you are looking for the end? You see, the end will be where the beginning is. Congratulations to the one who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste death.” Verse 18.

I highly recommend you read a few essays from an inspired writer who writes pseudonymously as Robbinius. I recommend you start with Gathered on My Right Hand, and Blurring the Roles Between the Greater and Lesser, and also Fear Not, Thou Worm Jacob. When reading these essays, consider that the beginning and the end are the same pattern, as one cycle morphs into the next as the Lord continues on his course of eternal rounds.

The Unicorn

When Israel was encamped in Moab under Moses’ direction, a potentate named Balak employed a soothsayer named Balaam to curse them. See Numbers 22-23. Whatever his flaws were, Balaam spoke truth to his employer when the Lord put words in his mouth on those occasions. After Balak made certain sacrifices in an attempt to facilitate Balaam’s divination, they were disappointed when Balaam returned and told them what God had told him, that the people of Israel were to be blessed instead of cursed. Numbers 22:2-14. So Balak sent even more honorable princes to seek a curse against Israel from Balaam. When Balaam went with the princes to go curse Israel, he was accosted by the angel of the Lord and told to again speak the words that would be put in his mouth. Balaam did as the angel of the Lord told him, telling the princes “how shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? Or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?” Numbers 23:8.

The princes, undeterred, tried a third time. This is what Balaam said on the third try:

“Behold, I have received a commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.” Numbers 23:20-24.

 This prophecy refers to both Jacob and Israel as though they are distinct persons. However, Israel was the new name given to Jacob when receiving certain blessings in Genesis 32. I believe Robbinius explained much of this mystery when he noted that Israel represents a higher latter-day servant and Jacob represents a lower latter-day servant, both of whom work in conjunction to gather Israel in the last days, as noted in the essays linked above, particularly Fear Not, Thou Worm Jacob. I believe Numbers 23 contains a prophecy about the ministry of Israel and Jacob in the last days. For the purposes of this essay, I only want to focus on the unicorn imagery.

In Third Nephi, the Savior gives us this wonderful cliffs notes version of Old Testament prophecy about the gathering. In Chapter 20, He paraphrases Micah 4:13: “for I will make my people with whom the Father covenanted, yea, I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt beat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it.” The Lord also quotes Micah 5 extensively in 3 Nephi 21. This chapter focuses on the destruction of the gentiles at the time of the fulfillment of the time of the gentiles, and this chapter contains a prophecy about a remnant of Jacob who is among the gentiles “in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.” 3 Nephi 21:12 and Micah 5:8, see also 3 Nephi 20:16. Then in Micah 6, Micah makes a reference to the prophecy of Balaam: “O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the Lord.” Micah 6:5.

I do not believe that 3 Nephi 20-21 and Micah 4-6 are scriptures about the LDS church. These are scriptures about those who gather Israel after the great day of tribulation has begun at the close of the day of the gentiles, including the Righteousness of the Lord. This point would make for its own essay. For now, a careful reading of 3 Nephi, chapters 16, 20, and 21, and the book of Micah, should suffice for the reader.

In the hoofs and the horn, we have another instance of 4+1 representing the unicorn. I do not take it for granted that Micah described the unicorn in a way that distinctly evokes 4+1 imagery. The unicorn works as a perfect symbol of the royal blood of Christ’s line working to gather Israel. The royal coat of arms for the United Kingdom contains both a lion and a unicorn. The United Kingdom has a rich history with Davidic blood. It is where the Davidic bloodline has gained refuge on various occasions, including after Christ’s death. Consider this image of a lion kissing a unicorn’s horn taken from the ceiling of a synagogue in Poland in the 1600s.

Here, the lion and the unicorn are depicted as the reconciliation of Judah with the other tribes. Britain is where the blood of the lion and the unicorn were preserved, and this ties into King Arthur and Camelot later (for those with ears to hear). But I will contend that blood is hidden away in the United States, among the gentiles, for now.

I would look to Daniel and Revelation for context about the horn. In Daniel 8, Daniel uses horns to represent the might of wicked nations. In particular, there is one special “stout” horn mentioned in Daniel 8:9-12. This horn seems to represent one man, probably the antichrist of the last days. The angel interprets this vision to say that this horn is “a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences.” Daniel 8:23. In the unicorn’s horn, however, I believe we have a representation of true, theocratic executive authority and power. The type of authority that the “stout horn” seeks to counterfeit, as Lucifer always seeks to counterfeit the Lord and His kingdom. As for the horn’s makeup of iron, in Daniel 2, Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream on the “great image” that represented worldly kingdoms. In that dream, the might of the Roman and European kingdoms was represented by iron, the strongest of the materials noted in this dream. An iron horn is the language of the ultimate in worldly political authority.

As for the brass feet, I do not believe the brass kingdom from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream provides much insight about these. We see brass frequently in a different context from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream elsewhere. Brass was used in purifying rituals in the ancient temple. A brass laver was placed in the temple for Aaron and his sons to wash their hands and feet when entering the tabernacle. Exodus 30:17-21. Solomon made a brazen sea in his temple. 1 Chronicles 18:8. The word of the Lord was engraved upon plates of brass and used to assist the Nephites in their efforts to maintain righteousness. Alma 37:1-10. Translated or exalted beings are described as having a brass appearance at times. See Revelation 1:15, 2:18, Ezekiel 1:7, Ezekiel 40:3, Zechariah 6:1. Moses lifted up a brazen serpent, to which Israel needed to look to be saved from the fiery, flying serpents in the wilderness.  Numbers 21 and 1 Nephi 17:41. Brass is also associated with warfare. For example, Goliath’s armor was made of brass, which we can assume would have been some of the best armor available, given his status within their army. 2 Samuel 17:4-6.

As for the mission of the unicorn, “And thou shalt beat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it.” 3 Nephi 20:19. It may very well be that this reference to “the Lord of the whole earth,” is not regarding Christ, but the Man Child, the Righteousness of the Lord, as it appears that this verse references not one, but two deities, “the Lord” and “the Lord of the whole earth.” There is support for this pattern, a pattern of 5+2 that I will return to later.

            David’s Stones

 After David was anointed to become King of Israel, but before he was enthroned, David went to fight Goliath with a shepherd’s staff “and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook.” 1 Samuel 17:40. David threw one stone to kill Goliath. 1 Samuel 17:49. Here is a 4+1 tied directly to a Davidic King in the deliverance of Israel. The young king of Israel didn’t need more than a shepherd’s staff and a simple 4+1 to save Israel. This pattern will repeat. Several facts from this story are noteworthy for reasons I cannot discuss here. Please consider the following: the stones were smooth and pulled from the water; David brought his shepherd’s staff with him to deliver Israel; and David was noted to be youthful and “ruddy” and was disdained by Goliath for it (1 Samuel 17:42).

            Venus

 This image is from the modern Nauvoo temple, however, so far as I know, this is a recreation of what Joseph had on his temple.

 A similar star is depicted on the Salt Lake temple, as shown below.

 It’s also depicted on Eagle Gate monument:

 Some have considered this evidence of devil worship in the LDS faith, as the adversary has worked hard to coopt this symbol and publish it as perhaps the most recognizable symbol of devil worship. Keep an open mind as I explain why these five-pointed stars are pure symbols of higher things and have nothing to do with any satanism in these temples.

In Revelation 22:16, the Lord says, “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” “The morning star” is a nickname for Venus, as is “the evening star.” It used to be believed that Venus was two separate stars (the word planet is derived from the Greek word planetes which meant wanderer; planets were considered as wandering stars to the ancients). The reason Venus was called both the morning star and the evening star is due to its unique relation to the Earth’s orbit. Here is an article that explains this phenomenon succinctly:

“Venus is close to the Earth as well as the Sun. As soon as the Sun sets and it gets dark enough, Venus can often be seen in the sky. Because it seems in addition to being known as the evening star, Venus was also called the morning star because it could be seen for a few hours before the Sun grew too bright. The planet actually becomes brightest before the Sun rises or just after sunset. The ancient civilizations thought that the morning star and the evening star were separate celestial bodies. Pythagoras, the famous Greek mathematician, is believed to be the first person to realize that the morning and evening stars were actually the same object – Venus.”

The Savior used distinctly Venus-like imagery to describe Himself. Not only is Venus the morning star, it is the brightest object in the sky, after the sun and the moon. Thus, Venus is the “bright and morning star.”

Venus also makes a distinct five-pointed star shape in the Earth’s sky every eight years as it moves in relation to the earth. Here is a diagram of the lines Venus will trace in Earth’s sky from 2017 to 2023:

“When plotted geocentrically – from an Earth-centered perspective – there is a highly noticeable rhythm in the motion of Venus. After eight years, it returns to the same place in our sky on about the same date. This is known as the eight-year cycle of Venus, and stems from the fact that 13 Venusian orbits (8 x 224.8 days) very nearly equals eight Earth years. The cycle was known to, and of great interest to, ancient peoples such as the Maya. Today, many know it as the pentagram of Venus.

“The word pentagram – or five-sided figure – is used because, over the eight years, each phenomenon – each relative position of Earth, Venus, and the sun – occurs five times. Then, over the next eight years, they repeat five times almost identically.” Source here, which contains a link to a great animation of this movement.

 I find it noteworthy that Venus is so closely bound up with the five points it makes that Venus can be depicted or represented by the five points alone. In fact, the traditional five-pointed star we all draw is a depiction of Venus, not a star. Even more noteworthy is the manner in which Venus is depicted on the side of the Nauvoo temple not just with four equal points, but with an elongated point at the bottom, making it a 4+1 pattern.

The Venus star shape also encodes the golden ratio and Fibonacci sequence. This video from Robert Sepehr, Sacred Geometry of Sound, Frequency and Vibration, contains a great explanation and demonstration of this fact. It is no mistake that the Venus star, the ark of the covenant, the colors of the tabernacle, and Noah’s ark were all encoded with the golden ratio. Source here. There is much more to Venus for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. But this is all that is relevant to this essay, and I will move on for now.

            Holy Anointing Oil

 In Exodus 30, the Lord instructed Moses on how to make an holy anointing oil for a specific purpose. It contained four spices: myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia. These four spices were mixed with olive oil to make the holy anointing oil. Exodus 30:23-24. Here we have another instance of 4+1. This oil was used to anoint tabernacle, the ark, many of the artifacts within the temple, as well as Aaron and his sons. Exodus 30:25-30. As noted above, the brass laver was also made for the washing of Aaron and his sons. Exodus 30:17-21. The Lord told Moses to instruct the people: “This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall by holy unto you. Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people” Exodus 30:31-33.

 Another pseudonymous writer for whom I have great respect, who goes by the name Alaris, has pointed out the extent to which Aaron bears a resemblance to the coming Davidic King. I encourage you to read Alaris’ essay The Name of the Angel of the Lord[2] and consider how the holy anointing oil, which contains 4+1 imagery, is tied to the anointing of Aaron, who serves as a type of the Davidic King who gathers all Israel.

            Christ’s Wounds and 5+2 Patterns

 Conventional wisdom holds that Jesus suffered five wounds on the cross, one to each hand, one to each foot, and the spear that pierced His side. According to John, when the spear pierced His side, “forthwith came there out blood and water.” John 19:34. As recorded this way, there is a 4+1 pattern in the wounds Christ suffered on the cross.

The LDS tell this a little differently, adding a nail “in the sure place” in Christ’s wrists. We hear of a nail both in Christ’s hand and in His wrist (arm). I believe this to be inspired and significant. For more commentary on the nail in the sure place, I will again refer to an essay from Alaris, this one entitled The Mystery of the Holy Sacrament. If we look at the right hand of God in this context, I believe we see an expansion of the sacred pattern. First, there is a hand (4+1), and then there are two more distinct things placed here, the nails, giving us a 5+2 pattern.

We see another instance of the 5+2 pattern when Jesus feeds the five thousand with five loaves and two fishes. This story appears in all four gospels. See Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6. As the accounts go, Jesus and His disciples are in a remote area where there are five thousand men (plus women and children) who have no food to nourish them. However, someone produces five loaves of bread and two fishes. Jesus blesses the bread and fishes and then multiplies them so that they can nourish five thousand families. There is enough left over to fill twelve baskets with the remaining food. This is truly a miraculous matter at a time when the Lord’s people did not have access to nourishment, much like the state of powerlessness in which the Lord’s people find themselves at the time the hand is revealed in 3 Enoch 48(a).

As for the two fishes, I think we can look to the so-called Jesus fish for some understanding. The Greek word for fish was ichthys. This word was used to create the acronym “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” The fish became a symbol of Christianity at a time when practicing Christianity was dangerous. To this day, the fish symbol continues to be used to identify Christian believers and Christ Himself. As for the context of the gathering, we are considering two servants of unique importance, two deities, most likely two of the four figures mentioned in Isaiah 11.

            Counsels of 50 and 70

A council of 70 was established anciently by Moses. See Numbers 11:16-25. The Gospel of Luke mentions that Jesus also established a council of 70 to minister in spiritual matters. See Luke 10. Joseph Smith likewise established a council of 70 to assist the apostles in running the church. See D&C 107:25. In each of these instances, the duties of the council of the 70 appears to have been to minister in more spiritual things.

Joseph Smith, however, also established a council of 50 not long before his murder. This council was not established to minister in spiritual matters. It was established to govern civil, political matters. A brief article on the website of the LDS Church states that “[t]he council deliberated not only about how Church leaders would govern these settlements but about how to establish a political kingdom or government in preparation for the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith and his associates saw this council as the beginning of such a kingdom. The council was composed of about 50 members who typically referred to it as the ‘Kingdom of God’ or the ‘Council of Fifty.’” A footnote adds that “a revelation received during a council meeting named the council ‘The Kingdom of God and his Laws, with the keys and power thereof, and judgment in the hands of his servants.” Source here. There were some efforts at using this council after Joseph’s death, but they were short lived.

Of course, if we add five and seven together, we get twelve. And perhaps with both a quorum based on the sacred numerology of the number five governing political matters, and a quorum based on the sacred numerology of the number seven governing spiritual matters, we come to the more perfect sacred numerology of a council of twelve governing all of God’s kingdom on Earth?

An Ancient Concept—4+1 in Other Cultures

The 4+1 pattern appears to be a staple of ancient thinking and worship. If you keep your eyes peeled, you may see this pattern in many places. I will share a few that I have noticed. I would love it if you shared any you discover in the comments.

From the Wikipedia entry, Sacred Mountains of China:

 “The Five Great Mountains or Wuyue are arranged according to the five cardinal directions of Chinese geomancy, which includes the center as a direction. The grouping of the five mountains appeared during the Warring States period (475 BC – 221 BC), and the term Wuyue (“Five Summits”) was made popular during the reign of Emperor Wudi of the Western Han Dynasty 140-87 BC. In Chinese traditional religion they have cosmological and theological significance as the representation, on the physical plane of earth, of the ordered world emanating from the God of Heaven (Tian–Shangdi), inscribing the Chinese territory as a tán (壇; ‘altar’), the Chinese concept equivalent of the Indian mandala.”

So far as I can tell, anciently this pattern revolved around the number four, which represents our telestial Earth, with an additional vertical element. I think this same thinking is encoded into the obelisk, which typically has four sides, and is tapered and pointed at the top, giving it a pronounced vertical element.

The Wikipedia entry on the sacred mountains of China also mentions the mandala, which is another ancient manifestation of the 4+1 pattern. One writer describes the mandala this way:

“In its creation, a line materializes out of a dot. other lines are drawn until they intersect, creating triangular geometrical patterns. The circle drawn around stands for the dynamic consciousness of the initiated. The outlying square symbolizes the physical world bound in four directions, represented by the four gates; and the midmost or central area is the residence of the deity. Thus the center is visualized as the essence and the circumference as grasping, thus in its complete picture a mandala means grasping the essence.” Source.

There are many architectural manifestations of a 4+1 pattern. Consider the following (links are to images): Angkor Wat, Taj Mahal, Koh Ker, Chichen Itza, St. Peter’s Basilica (both the cathedral and the obelisk), Church of Mary Magdalene,  and even more modern structures, such as the Renaissance Center, and the Grand Russian Military Cathedral.

Conclusion

This pattern of 4+1 comes up again and again in scripture, and it is typically tied to the ministry of the Davidic King and the second phase of gathering after the day of the gentiles is fulfilled. I believe there may yet be a quorum of five who assist two special servants, these two fish. I also believe that this truth was widely known anciently, at the beginning of this cycle and the end of the last cycle, and that is why there was so much emphasis on the 4+1 pattern anciently.

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[1] The right hand also appears in a time when there the power of God is not present to deliver Israel:

“But when the Holy One, blessed be He, sees, that there is no righteous man in the generation, and no pious man (Chasid] on earth, and no justice in the hands of men; and that there is no man like unto Moses, and no intercessor as Samuel who could pray before MAQOM for the salvation and for the deliverance, and for His Kingdom, that it be revealed in the whole world; and for His great Right Hand that He put it before Himself again to work great salvation by it for Israel, then forthwith will the Holy One, blessed be He, remember His own justice, favour, mercy and grace: and He will deliver His great Arm by himself, and His righteousness will support Him. According as it is written (Is. lix. 16): “And he saw, that there was no man” that is: like unto Moses who prayed countless times for Israel in the desert and averted the (Divine) decrees from them” and he wondered, that there was no intercessor” like unto Samuel who intreated the Holy One, blessed be He, and called unto Him and he answered him and fulfilled his desire, even if it was not fit (in accordance with the Divine plan), according as it is written (i Sam. xii. 17) : “Is it not wheat-harvest to-day? I will call unto the Lord”. Verses 5-6.

This vision is a pearl and is well worth careful consideration. You can click the link to the full text and control+f “XL VIII (A)” to go to this chapter easily.

[2] I love Alaris’ essays. While I disagree with him on what I consider to be some relatively minor points, I believe he has a gift to see and hear and to articulate concepts that are very difficult to articulate. I encourage everyone to carefully read his essays with a prayer in their heart.

[3] This essay is the product of many discussions with my good friend, Eric Smith. I can’t honestly say where my ideas end and his begin on this topic, so I would like to give him my thanks and credit for much help on formulating these thoughts.