When the Heavens Empty

There are a few peculiar times in the history of the world when the light seemed to burst forth and the heavens empty into the earth as many great and noble ones condescended together. So much of our scripture comes out of these relatively short time periods, lasting in the neighborhood of one hundred years each. I do not fully understand the reasons behind these clusters of the great and noble ones on earth. But an examination of them shows some common themes.[1]

The Founding of the House of Israel

The time of Abraham was one such cluster. This chart may help to visualize this time. If that chart is correct, Abraham was born just after Noah died, and was contemporaneous with Shem. Shem was likely Melchizedek. Either way, we know Melchizedek was a contemporary of Abraham. Of course, Abraham was married to Sarah, another of the noble and great ones, who the lord blessed to be “a mother of nations.” Genesis 17:16.

Abraham and Sarah bore Isaac, who married Rebekah, who in turn raised Jacob, later named Israel. Jacob produced the sons who would be the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel.[2] In Egypt, we find Joseph’s wife, Aseneth, and their boys Ephraim and Manasseh.

The Scattering

The time of the scattering of the Jews by the Babylonian empire was another such cluster. A bit earlier, prior to the siege from the Assyrian empire, Isaiah and Micah were contemporaries. Joel was a perhaps a bit before them, but the timing of his ministry is uncertain. Joel may have come before or after Isaiah. Isaiah ministered approximately the years 740 B.C. to 700 B.C.

Near the Babylonian captivity, in the period of roughly 650 B.C to 550 B.C., when the Jews were fully scattered, the Bible records Jeremiah, Baruch, Zephaniah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Nahum, Obadiah, and Habakkuk all either contemporaneous or nearly so. Of course, the Book of Mormon adds Lehi, Nephi, and Jacob to this list, as well as Mulek. Furthermore, King Zedekiah’s daughters, Tamar Tephi and Scota, performed peculiar and dangerous missions as they brought the blood of the Davidic line to Britain after Jerusalem’s destruction.

Beyond the levant, other light warriors appeared around this time. In Persia, most likely in this same timeframe, Zoroaster (also called Zarathustra) prophesied. In Greece, Pythagoras was born around the middle of the 6^th century B.C, right around the time many of the Jewish prophets were fading away. Pythagoras would bring many high truths to the earth as a part of his ministry.  And around the same time as Pythagoras, Buddha was born in India, where he performed a light ministry that is rivaled by very few.[3]

The Meridian of Time

We next come to Christ’s day. Prior to Christ’s birth, we have record of some prophets of unusual power and prophetic ability in the Book of Mormon. Samuel the Lamanite climbed the wall of Zarahemla and prophesied in a most remarkable manner. The prophet Nephi was given power and authority on par with Elijah. He had the power over war and drought and was conveyed by the Spirit out of the midst of those who imprisoned him. Nephi’s son, also named Nephi, was visited by angels, raised his brother from the dead, and performed other miracles. There were three of the Lord’s twelve disciples in the Americas who asked in faith and were granted life as translated beings to continue the Lord’s work in this place, the so-called three Nephites.

The levant had another such cluster. Of course, Mary the Mother of Jesus was there. But we have record of many people of acute spiritual perspicacity prior to the birth of Christ. Mary’s cousin, Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was an exceptional woman. Simeon and Anna learned from the Spirit to anticipate and recognize the Christ in their day. We also have record of the three wise men who knew to interpret the signs of a King’s birth and worshipped the Christ.

Of course, this was a day of Christ Himself. With Him came John the Baptist, His eventual guardian Joseph of Arimathea, Mary Magdalene, Martha, His twelve apostles, Matthias, Paul, Stephen, and others.

Camelot, Dress Rehearsal for New Jerusalem

There is not a lot of reliable information concerning Camelot and those involved. Arthur historian Geoffrey Ashe spoke well when he called Camelot “Britain’s New Jerusalem.” I call Camelot the dress rehearsal for New Jerusalem, and I believe this is another of those moments when the heavens emptied, and the adversary has worked hard to scrub the memory from available history and to pervert what history we have. Perhaps there are other moments like Camelot of which we are not aware. For now, I just wish to testify that Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin,[4] the knights of the roundtable, and others that attended them were likewise light warriors come to earth to build a Zion city in preparation for their latter-day roles building New Jerusalem. Ultimately, that Zion city was not completed. But the Lord wastes nothing, and I believe that energy will play an essential part in building New Jerusalem in the near future.

New Jerusalem

I cannot say who of these will return to build New Jerusalem. It may be some of them. It may be all of them. But I agree with Robbinius that there is at least substantial overlap in these identities. However, many of these same people are back now, and they are here to establish Zion and build New Jerusalem. I implore everyone to exercise humility, caution, and restraint in considering this thing, as it appears to be a topic on which the adversary descends to spread deception by manipulating the pride energy inherent in us all. However, I also believe there is good reason why this topic is of increasing interest to truth seekers, and it is because the time is drawing close for these ministries to begin.

Discussion

I believe there is good reason why this same cluster of great and noble ones appear at these times. First, there are twelve special servants of Christ here with Him to complete His ministry. The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith, “verily, verily, I say unto you, and it hath gone forth in a firm decree, by the will of the Father, that mine apostles, the Twelve which were with me in my ministry at Jerusalem, shall stand at my right hand at the day of my coming in a pillar of fire, being clothed with robes of righteousness, with crowns upon their heads, in glory even as I am, to judge the whole house of Israel, even as many as have loved me and kept my commandments, and none else.” D&C 29:12.

Pistis Sophia records Christ preaching the following to His disciples after His resurrection in Chapter 7:

“Rejoice then and exult, for when I set out for the world, I brought from the beginning with me twelve powers, as I have told you from the beginning, which I have taken from the twelve saviours of the Treasury of the Light, according to the command of the First Mystery. These then I cast into the womb of your mothers, when I came into the world, that is those which are in your bodies to-day. For these powers have been given unto you before the whole world, because ye are they who will save the whole world, and that ye may be able to endure the threat of the rulers of the world and the pains of the world and its dangers and all its persecutions, which the rulers of the height will bring upon you. For many times have I said unto you that I have brought the power in you out of the twelve saviours who are in the Treasury of the Light. For which cause I have said unto you indeed from the beginning that ye are not of the world. I also am not of it. For all men who are in the world have gotten their souls out of [the power of] the rulers of the æons. But the power which is in you is from me; your souls belong to the height. I have brought twelve powers of the twelve saviours of the Treasury of the Light, taking them out of the portion of my power which I did first receive.”

But there are others in addition to these twelve whom Christ called “saviors.” In Chapter 10 of Pistis Sophia, Christ is given several light vestures after completing His ministry in the meridian of time. Each vesture contains symbolic importance and information concerning some of Christ’s history, condescensions, and glories:

“In the first [vesture] is the whole glory of all the names of all mysteries and all emanations of the orders of the spaces of the Ineffable.”

“And in the second vesture is the whole glory of the name of all mysteries and all emanations which are in the orders of the two spaces of the First Mystery.”

“And in this [third] vesture, which we have just sent thee, is the glory of the name of the mystery of the Revealer, which is the First Commandment, and of the mystery of the five Impressions, and of the mystery of the great Envoy of the Ineffable, who is the great Light, and of the mystery of the five Leaders, who are the five Helpers. There is further in this vesture the glory of the name of the mystery of all orders of the emanations of the Treasury of the Light and of their saviours, and [of the mystery] of the orders of the orders, which are the seven Amēns and the seven Voices and the five Trees and the three Amēns and the Twin-saviour, that is the Child of the Child, and of the mystery of the nine guards of the three gates of the Treasury of the Light. There is further therein the whole glory of the name [of all those] which are in the Right, and of all those which are in the Midst. And further there is therein the whole glory of the name of the great Invisible, which is the great Forefather, and the mystery of the three triple-powers and the mystery of their whole region and the mystery of all their invisibles and of all those who are in the thirteenth æon, and the name of the twelve æons and of all their rulers and all their archangels and all their angels and of all those who are in the twelve æons, and the whole mystery of the name of all those who are in the Fate and in all the heavens, and the whole mystery of the name of all those who are in the sphere, and of its firmaments and of all who are in them, and of all their regions.”

Granted, I do not believe that all of these various quorums and identities necessarily describe people who incarnate on this earth. However, I believe this describes a team of light warriors called by Father and Mother to assist Christ in His work of salvation in this world and others. I think those in the various probations discussed above likely come from this group. I believe those to whom Isaiah declared, “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion” come from this group. Isaiah 52:1; D&C 113:7-8.

Next, I believe that the call to participate in the eventual latter-day gathering and their experience with the diaspora qualified and facilitated these same people to prophecy about the gathering in the last days. In other words, I believe the records of Old Testament prophecy we have concerning the latter-day gathering of Israel is, in effect, a prophecy from each of these prophets concerning their own potential future role in the gathering.

These clusters seem to be directly tied to the house of Israel. They appear at the crucial moments in the narrative concerning Israel: the founding, the scattering, the atonement, and the gathering. In them, we see Father and Mother’s work in practice at its most crucial moments. Certainly, these moments are not the whole of the story of Christ’s work in this world. The Lord has always reached out to any who would hear His voice. However, I believe these peculiar moments to be where the work of the light and the dark was most intense. I believe we are in the midst of just such a moment right now, and the light and the dark will only grow more intense until the final day.

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[1] I do not mean to make a definitive list of “noble and great ones” as used in Abraham 3:22. Some of these people named in this essay may or may not fall into that particular category. However, it is clear to me that in these groups we see groups of people whom I believe would fit into that category.

[2] Robbinius makes some interesting and inspired observations about the twelve sons of Jacob. While I can’t exactly how much overlap there is between them and Christ’s original 12 apostles, I believe the themes in this essay are inspired. “The OG 12 Will Fight as Warriors to Establish Zion.”

[3] Zoroaster, Buddha, and Pythagoras were each miraculously born to virgin mothers, like Christ. This source discusses Zoroaster and Buddha. This source discusses Pythagoras.

[4] Merlin is also said to have been born miraculously to a virgin. The information we have today, such as this source, claim his father was a demon, but I believe this to be a perversion of the truth, that Merlin was immaculately conceived and on a special mission from Christ. If you have more information about this, I would love to see a comment below.