Isaiah : Part 7-A Joseph and Cyrus

          The distinction between literal lineage and spiritual lineage is relevant to Joseph as it is to Jesse. The spiritual lineage of Jesse applied to those who experienced spiritual rebirth and are adopted into the family of Christ by covenant.[1] As sons and daughters of Jesus Christ they share the spiritual lineage of their spiritual Father, Jesus Christ.

          A similar circumstance exists with the lineage of Joseph. Like the lineage of Jesse, the house of Joseph has literal and spiritual components complete with a litmus test to identify spiritual Ephraimites.

          For two hundred years since Joseph Smith, church patriarchs pronounced blessings declaring the lineage of each participant. The majority of those receiving blessings in the United States were from Ephraim.

          After Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt, he married Aesenath the daughter of the Egyptian high priest.[2] Joseph’s wife bore two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Jacob, later named Israel, adopted Joseph’s sons and gave to Ephraim the right of the firstborn.[3] This right gave Ephraim responsibility for the temporal and spiritual welfare for Israel.

          If patriarchal blessings pertained only to literal lineage, those pronounced to be of Ephraim could affirm the presence of Israel and Egypt in their bloodlines. A request to Ancestry.com would establish the patriarchal declaration of lineage if literal lineage was exclusive.

          Just as adoption into Jesse’s lineage required spiritual rebirth through a covenant with God, Ephraim requires specific spiritual attributes as well. A test to determine if a person is from Ephraim and bears the right and responsibility of the firstborn is provided in the Teachings and Commandments.

“Behold, the Lord requires the heart and a willing mind, and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days. And the rebellious shall be cut off out of the land of Zion, and shall be sent away, and shall not inherit the land. For truly I say that the rebellious are not of the blood of Ephraim, wherefore they shall be plucked out” (RE T&C 51:9, emphasis added).

One may be “called” by a patriarchal pronouncement into the tribe of Ephraim to assume the firstborn responsibility, but the Lord only chooses[4] those who “willingly” surrender their hearts and have “willing and obedient minds” to receive citizenship in Zion. It is impossible to be rebellious against God and His commands and be from Ephraim. To attempt to do so is an invitation to be “plucked out” from the Ephraimites of Zion.

          Normally I steer clear of personal anecdotes, but there is one experience relevant to this subject. Early on in my study of Isaiah I attended a lecture by Hugh Nibley in the Wilkinson Center at Brigham Young University. Professor Nibley stood at the podium and raised a question I often pondered. “Why do we have these Egyptian hieroglyphics in our scriptures?” After a pause for dramatic effect, Dr. Nibley proclaimed, “These are our people!” He went on to explain that Joseph of Egypt married the daughter of the Egyptian high priest who bore two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Those sons were half Israelite and half Egyptian. When Jacob adopted the brothers, they became the gateway for Gentiles to receive the blessings of Israel. Ephraim, as bearer of the right of the firstborn has responsibility for gathering both Israel and repentant Gentiles.

          Another point of interest derived from Dr. Nibley was the realization that one could identify the modern counterpart to ancient Egypt by locating the residence of modern Ephraim. If you know where the majority of modern Ephraim is located, you know the identity of modern Egypt in Isaiah. This is relevant to our discussions because Egypt plays a prominent role in RE Isaiah 5:5.

“ . . . And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue [spokesman, chief leader] of the Egyptian sea [military, like Noah’s flood], and with his mighty wind [divided the Red Sea in Moses day, power and Spirit of Elijah] he shall shake his hand [Lord’s servant draws on the Spirit of Elijah] over the river [Joshua divided the river and crossed on dry land in the overthrow of Jericho], and shall smite it [river, military forces of Egypt] in the seven streams [divide and conquer, spirit of Elijah, “ . . . put at defiance the armies of nations . . .” ], and make men go over with dry feet [Spirit of Elijah]. And there shall be a highway [literally through a body of water but also a passage through the heavens[5]] for the remnant of his people [Israel] which shall be left from Assyria [anti-Christ forces], like it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt” (RE Isaiah 5:5, emphasis added).

The reasoning behind Dr. Nibley’s conclusion suggests modern Egypt in Isaiah is the United States of America. If this conclusion seems unlikely, consider the following description of ancient Egypt by Victor L. Ludlow:

“Although the pharaohs of the post-imperial period (1100 to 700b.c.) often took forays into Palestine and Syria [feel like recency bias?], Egypt was unable to reassert full control over her former vassals [minor kings, governors?]. Egypt’s weakness in foreign affairs was due largely to domestic weakness and internal dissensions; the Egyptian rulers were unable to control the various provinces [states] that composed the country. Often the provinces remained petty independent states or banded into two larger states, upper [North?] and lower [South?] Egypt.

During Isaiah’s youth, while the twenty-second dynasty continued to rule at Tanis-Zoan in the delta area of lower Egypt, a twenty-third dynasty was already establishing a power base in the south, near Thebes. Neither dynasty was able to gain substantial control because of weak leaders, resulting in a civil war centered at Thebes. Hoshea, the last king of Israel, foolishly relied upon one of these weak pharaohs as a source of military aid in his rebellion against powerful Assyrian masters. It is no wonder that help never came to save Samaria from its fall” (Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet, Victor L. Ludlow, pp.21-22).

Dissension among states governors (Abbott, Newsom, Hochul, Pritzker, DeSantis, etc.), “petty independent states,” Israel “foolishly relying” on weak heads of state. Assuming modern Egypt is the United States, Isaiah’s words regarding Egypt are prescient for both ancient and modern Egypt and Israel.

The Right Side of the Chiasm Priesthood Ascension

          A chiasm is more than a general pattern. In addition to showing the order a series of events descend and ascend, the events on the descending side mirror expressly what happens on the ascent in reverse order. Using Denver Snuffer’s chiasm from his “Things To Keep Us Awake at Night” talk we see individuals mentioned by name and the Priesthood they represent. Adam represents the Spirit of Messiah, Enoch represents the Spirit of Elijah, and Noah, the Spirit of Elias. On the three Spirits, Denver offers commentary related to events of their respective days or objectives they sought to complete. For Adam, Denver said the following:

“The spirit at the beginning was the spirit of Messiah. Adam dwelt in the presence of God. Adam represents that original fullness. Adam was the first man. Adam received instructions and spoke to God face to face. He dwelt in a temple setting called Eden, from which he was cast out, but he dwelt in a temple. Therefore, Adam represents the Spirit of Messiah” (Things To Keep Us Awake At Night, Denver Snuffer Jr., p.16, emphasis added).

For Enoch, Denver said:

“The Spirit of Elijah is represented by Enoch who, when the Earth was threatened with violence, and men were to be destroyed because of the wickedness upon the face of the Earth, was able to gather people into a city of peace, and to have the Lord come to their city of peace and remove them from the coming violence and ascend in the fiery chariot into heaven. Enoch is a type of the Spirit of Elijah, because it is the Spirit of Elijah that ascends into heaven to prefigure the return of the Spirit of Messiah in the last day. The Spirit of Elijah is needed to gather a people to a place that God will acknowledge, will visit and will shield from the coming violence at the destruction of the world. And so Enoch becomes the great type of the Spirit of Elijah, although the name “Spirit of Elijah” is associated with a man who lived later. Elijah duplicated, among a hardened people in a fallen world, the same achievement as Enoch accomplished, albeit Enoch did so with a city, and Elijah did it as a solitary figure. Yet it will be Elijah and his spirit that in the last days will likewise prepare a city for salvation and preservation” (Things To Keep Us Awake At Night, Denver Snuffer Jr. pp.16-17, emphasis added).

And Noah:

“Then there is the Spirit of Elias, represented by Noah, wherein everything that had gone on before was lost. Things began anew and Noah had a ministry to preserve what had been taught before and was lost by preaching repentance. And so Noah as the messenger, or the Elias, bears testimony of what once was” (Things That Keep Us Awake At Night, Denver Snuffer Jr., p.17, emphasis added).

For those questioning what occurs when this pattern reverses on the right side of the chiasm, they need only review these descriptions to understand what happens when this pattern is reversed. The objectives remain the same but the order of these events is inverted. Instead of the descending pattern of Adam, Enoch, and Noah, the ascension begins with Elias, Elijah and Messiah. The ascending right side of the chiasm is explained in Isaiah’s metaphor of the Stem of Jesse, the rod and the root of Jesse. Christ is the “Stem of Jesse” or a tree stump. Israel was the fallen tree when they rejected a covenant with God twice, once in Moses day and then when the Savior ministered to the Jews. The tree of Israel was cut down and branches scattered throughout the earth.

“Before the Lord’s return, these same three spirits need to have been brought into the world. These will complete the plan Adam described in prophecy. It has always been in the heart of the Lord from before the foundation of the world for the fall of man to be reversed. We will return through the same stages as man fell” (Things To Keep Us Awake At Night, Denver Snuffer Jr., p.17, emphasis added).

The depiction of the Savior as the stump of Israel’s tree suggests the metaphor only applies to the ascending, second half of the chiasm because it remains unfulfilled. There is no way to confirm the parallel between the Savior being a severed stump and Isaiah being placed in a hollow log and sawn in half. Perhaps Isaiah’s death holds symbolic meaning for several things. It’s possible Isaiah’s death in a sawn log suggests he was cut down as his Savior would be. It may symbolize that Isaiah’s record should be cut in half to represent Israel and the Gentiles, Jesse and Joseph. In God’s economy such things are common place but only confirmed by divine revelation.

 The right side of the chiasm begins with Joseph Smith. According to the Lord, he is given “much power”[6] to complete preparations for the Spirit of Elijah.

“The Spirit of Elias declaring the gospel will come again into the world has returned in the person of Joseph Smith, the message he delivered, in the scriptures that he restored, and in the message and practices he taught. No matter how short-lived his message was, he laid a foundation in the Spirit of Elias. Without Joseph’s ministry, we could not now move forward. Elias and the Spirit of Elias came through Joseph Smith into the world. We have yet to take the Spirit of Elias seriously enough to move on to receive something further . . .” (Things To Keep Us Awake At Night, Denver Snuffer Jr., p.17, emphasis added).

This observation that two hundred years have passed since Joseph Smith lived but we have yet to take his Spirit of Elias efforts seriously enough is telling of our current circumstance. Joseph Smith was restricted in what he could teach by our ignorance and unwillingness to accept new light when offered.[7] What Joseph taught in his day was limited by our disbelief and pride. Consequently two hundred years pass and we are surprised to learn the profundity in Joseph’s teachings because one who acts as a spokesman for Joseph declares them clearly, logically and openly.

          There are only two processes in play in this chiasm. One is restoration [ascent, right side] and the second is apostasy [descent, left side].

“ . . . There are only two processes. The instant one process ends the other begins. The first process is “restoration” and the second is “apostasy.” There is no pause between them. Either there is an active restoration underway, with greater things revealed constantly, or there is apostasy and light is lost. It is impossible to preserve light. Without an active connection to the living vine there is only death. (John 15:4-5) Joseph was a restorer, and when he died restoration ended. The moment Joseph and Hyrum were killed, the world began to lose light. [contrary to the narrative] The pace at which light is now being lost among the various Mormon sects has accelerated. But a new restoration has begun and a new dispensation of the gospel has opened. Whether the light now offered to us will achieve anything more than came in Joseph’s time remains an unanswered question. The Lord cannot force us to receive Him; He can only offer. We must accept. We are now facing a crossroads in which it is possible to continue the work and move forward. Moving forward successfully however, will require us to accept the Spirit of Elijah. This time the Spirit of Elijah is not to prepare a people to ascend into heaven, but instead to prepare a people so that those who come will not utterly destroy them. There must be a people prepared to endure the burning that will come. Just as Enoch’s people were prepared, shielded and then worthy to ascend so as to avoid destruction by the flood [baptism of the earth], the Spirit of Elijah must prepare people to endure the day that shall burn [baptism of the earth by fire] the wicked as stubble. The Spirit of Elijah can prepare people to gather in a place of peace, to be the only people who are not at war one with another. (D&C 45:69) They must be people willing to accept the Lord’s teachings and allow those teachings to govern their daily walk; with each other and with God. Being eager to receive “commandments, not a few,” and also “revelations” from the Lord is what the people of Zion must necessarily be willing to do” (Things To Keep Us Awake At Night, Denver Snuffer Jr., p.17, emphasis added).

Denver now begins discussing the “root of Jesse,” in the context of “the one mighty and strong.”[8]

“We are promised that one will come who will be part of Jesse and part of Ephraim who will set the Lord’s house in order again. (D&C 85:7) Although many have claimed this role as theirs, that identity will only be established by the work accomplished . . .” (Things To Keep UIs Awake At Night, Denver Snuffer Jr., p.18, emphasis added).

This verse contains a bit of prophetic sleight of hand because it conflates two scriptures into one, offering one reference for both. The phrase, “one will come who will be part of Jesse and part of Joseph is an excerpt from RE T&C 129:3.

“Question: What is the Root of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter [Isa. 5:4]?Answer: Behold, thus says the Lord: It is a descendant of Jesse as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the Priesthood and the keys of the Kingdom, for an ensign and for the gathering of my people in the last day” (RE T&C 129:3, emphasis added).

Two Steps In the Ascension Side of the Chiasm

          Denver Snuffer aligned the mission of Joseph Smith with the latter-day coming of the Spirit of Elias. He notes we have not given enough attention to this Aaronic Spirit but people of this day may move forward to a greater Spirit. To do so it is necessary to obtain the Spirit of Elijah.

          The “root of Jesse,” a descendant of Jesse and Joseph builds on the foundation established by Joseph Smith. Joseph moved the ball to the twenty yard line, the “root of Jesse” punches it into the end zone.

          This point may seem random and of little note, but it becomes evident Cyrus is a type for the role played by Joseph Smith and Artaxerxes, a descendant of Cyrus is the type for the “root of Jesse.”

          Isaiah spoke of Cyrus approximately 150 years prior to his birth. Cyrus was aware of Isaiah’s prophecy when he conquered Babylon and liberated Jews from captivity. Isaiah said the following of Cyrus:

“ . . . I am the Lord that makes all things, that stretches forth the heavens alone, that spreads abroad the earth by myself, that frustrates the tokens of the liars and makes diviners mad, that turns wise men backward and makes their knowledge foolish, that confirms the word of his servant and performs the counsel of his messengers [the Lord revealed to Jeremiah at the beginning of the Babylonian captivity it would last 70 years, RE Jeremiah 11:1], that says to Jerusalem, You shall be inhabited — and to the cities of Judah, You shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof; that says to the deep [symbolic of parting literal waters by the Spirit of Elijah and traversing the heavens when we learn to “walk in the Savior’s paths, see RE T&C 171, Testimony of St. John 12:14], Be dry, and I will dry up your rivers [Spirit of Elijah]; that says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd [priest][9] and shall perform all my pleasure; even saying to Jerusalem, You shall be built — and to the temple, Your foundation shall be laid”  ( RE Isaiah 15:17, emphasis added).

At the beginning of the Babylonian captivity, the Lord revealed to Jeremiah Israel would be captive for seventy years. Cyrus was the Lord’s means for liberating Israel from Babylonian captivity. The latter-day descendant of Joseph side of the “root of Jesse” does the same for latter-day Israel. The bondage in modern Babylon is not literal but cultural and spiritual.

“ . . . Go out from Babylon, be clean that bear the vessels of the Lord [returning the vessels of the Temple to Jerusalem from Babylon, removing the sacred from the profane]. Call your solemn assemblies and speak often one to another, and let every man call upon the name of the Lord [personal, individual representation before the Lord, transition from Aaronic priesthood to Melchizedek].

Yea, truly I say unto you again, the time has come when the voice of the Lord is unto you: Go out of Babylon, gather yourselves out from among the nations, from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to the other . . . Go out from among the [Gentile] nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon. But truly thus says the Lord: Let not your flight be in haste, but let all things be prepared before you; and he that goes, let him not look back, so that sudden destruction won't come upon him [Sodom and Gomorrah]” (RE T&C 58:1-2, emphasis added).

Cyrus of Persia liberated ancient Israel from literal captivity in his day. The modern version for whom Cyrus is a type for the Joseph and Gentile side of this ancient counterpart. Deliverance from modern Babylon is to break free from the bonds and corruption of cultural and spiritual Babylon. Become cleansed in the blood of Christ and restore modern Israel through a connection to heaven or “ensign” at the Temple in Zion. The “ensign” is metaphorically represented by the pillar of fire throughout scripture.[10] The Lord says of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd [priest][11] and shall perform all my pleasure; even saying to Jerusalem, You shall be built — and to the temple, Your foundation shall be laid.”  The last statement of this verse, “Your [temple] foundation shall be laid” has been conflated to mean Cyrus would rebuild the temple. The Lord, through Isaiah is precise in wording while we often conflate meaning. Cyrus would only lay the foundation of the temple. Historically that is all Cyrus did. The same was said by the Lord of Joseph Smith.

“ . . .Yea, even my servant Joseph might have power to translate through the mercy of God, by the power of God, the Book of Mormon. And also, those to whom these commandments were given might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth with which I, the Lord, am well pleased — speaking unto the church collectively and not individually . . .” (RE T&C 54:5, emphasis added).

“Behold, there shall be a record kept among you [Joseph Smith] and in it you shall be called a seer, a translator, a prophet, an apostle of Jesus Christ, an elder of the church through the will of God the Father and the grace of your Lord Jesus Christ, being inspired of the holy ghost to lay the foundation thereof and to build it up unto the most holy faith, which church was organized and established in the year of your Lord eighteen hundred and thirty, in the fourth month and on the sixth day of the month which is called April” (RE T&C 1, Joseph Smith History Part 18:3, emphasis added).

“Question: O Lord, show unto your servants how much you require of the properties of your people for a tithing.Answer: Truly thus says the Lord: I require all their surplus property to be put into the hands of the bishop of my church of Zion, for the building of my house, and for the laying the foundation of Zion, and for the priesthood, and for the debts of the presidency of my church. And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people. And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually. And this shall be a standing law unto them for ever, for my holy Priesthood says the Lord” (RE T&C 135:1, emphasis added).

“And again, truly I say unto you, how shall your washings be acceptable unto me except you perform them in a house which you have built to my name? For, for this cause I commanded Moses that he should build a tabernacle, that they should bear it with them in the wilderness, and to build a house in the land of promise that those ordinances might be revealed which had been hid from before the world was. Therefore, truly I say unto you that your anointings, and your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn assemblies, and your memorials for your sacrifices by the sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy places wherein you receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments for the beginning of the revelations and foundation of Zion, and for the glory, and honor, and endowment of all her municipals, are ordained by the ordinance of my holy house, which my people are always commanded to build unto my holy name” (RE T&C 141:12, emphasis added).

“And again, truly I say unto you, if my servant Robert D. Foster will obey my voice, let him build a house for my servant Joseph according to the contract which he has made with him, as the door shall be open to him from time to time. And let him repent of all his folly, and clothe himself with charity, and cease to do evil, and lay aside all his hard speeches, and pay stock also into the hands of the quorum of the Nauvoo House, for himself and for his generation after him, from generation to generation, and hearken unto the counsel of my servant Joseph, and Hyrum, and William Law, and unto the authorities which I have called to lay the foundation of Zion, and it shall be well with him, for ever and ever. Even so, Amen” (RE T&C 141:38, emphasis added).

Like Cyrus, Joseph Smith was called to lay the “foundation” for the temple and Zion. He was successful in constructing the temple in Kirtland but true to his teachings regarding the Spirit of Elias,[12] the Kirtland endowment was Aaronic in substance and did not transcend Joseph Smith’s bounds as a latter-day Elias.

The revelation of Joseph of Egypt in the Covenant of Christ subtly makes this distinction when Joseph Smith is compared to Moses. Both Moses and Joseph Smith have spokesmen. However,  the one associated with Joseph Smith is referred to as a “spokesman” in the ascending context of the chiasm while Aaron serves in the midst of Israel’s descent. Moses was first called and then Aaron. In the ascending side of the chiasm, Joseph Smith lays the foundation and his spokesman declares it, building on the foundation laid by Joseph Smith.

“The Lord also told me: I’ll give your descendants also a prophet [Joseph Smith, rod of Jesse] and make a spokesman [root of Jesse] for him. I’ll inspire the one to write [Joseph Smith] the record of your descendants to bless your offspring. And that spokesman [root of Jesse] will declare that record . . .” (CofC 2 Nephi 2:6, emphasis added).

It is necessary for Joseph Smith’s spokesman to first fill the Aaronic role of “spokesman” because his first responsibility explains what Joseph Smith taught, reaffirming the “foundation” Joseph left. This is why David in Ezekiel’s latter-day prophecy of the sticks of Joseph and Judah joining together leads to David being initially a king [head of the Aaronic Priesthood like ancient David[13]] in verse RE 19:6. Thereafter he becomes a “prince for ever.”[14] Cyrus and Joseph Smith lay the foundation for a temple to be completed at a later time. That is why Joseph Smith’s role is initially in weakness, only to made strong when Israel is gathered.[15] For those who conclude that Joseph Smith failed in his mission, I suggest Joseph did exactly, precisely what the Lord sent him to accomplish.

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him (and I will disarm the loins of kings to open before him the two leaved gates, and the gates shall not be shut[16]): I will go before you [Spirit of Elias, John the Baptist[17]] and make the crooked places straight [18] [as John the Baptist did for the Savior], I will break in pieces the gates of brass and cut asunder the bars of iron [liberation from Babylonian captivity], and I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you [Cyrus] may know that I, the Lord, who call you [Cyrus] by your name [by the mouth of the Lord of Israel’s servant 150 years prior to birth], am the God of Israel [something Israel knows but Gentiles do not]. For Jacob [Israel] my servant’s sake, and Israel my elect, I have even called you [Cyrus] by your name. I have surnamed you [a Gentile], though you have not known me. I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God besides me. I girded you [Cyrus, to overthrow Babylon and deliver Israel from bondage], though you have not known me, that they [Israel] may know from the rising of the sun and from the west that there is none besides me. I am the Lord and there is none else . . .” (RE Isaiah 15:18, emphasis added).

The Lord’s language to describe Cyrus and his role resembles the Lord’s description of John the Baptist in his preparation for the Savior’s ministry. In Isaiah’s prophecy of Cyrus it is apparent the Spirit of Elias and its preparatory function is at the center of the work of the Gentile king.

Because the length of this paper exceeds my self-imposed page limit it is necessary to divide the content into additional parts. Part 7-B will soon follow.

[1] “ . . . Now because of the covenant you’ve made, you’ll be called the sons and daughters of Jesus Christ. Today, He has spiritually begotten you. You’ve said your hearts have changed through faith in His name. As a result, you’re born of Him and have become His sons and daughters. You’re now free under His wings, and there’s no other Savior under whose wings you can be sheltered. There’s no other name given through which salvation comes. Therefore all of you who have made the covenant with God to be obedient for the remainder of your lives, take upon yourselves the name of Christ. Those who do this will be found at the right hand of God and will answer to the name of Christ” (CofC Mosiah 3:2, emphasis added).

[2] “ . . . And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh. And without you shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-Paneah. And he gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On” (RE Genesis 11:25, emphasis added).

[3] “And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons and said, Who are these? And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons whom God has given me in this land. And he said, Bring them, I pray you, unto me, and I will bless them. Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see well. And he brought them near unto him, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see your face, and behold, God has shown me also your seed. And Joseph brought them out from between his knees and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him. And Israel [Jacob] stretched out his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly, for Manasseh was the first born. And he blessed Joseph and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who fed me all my life long unto this day, the angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads. And let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. And he held up his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head, and Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father, for this is the first born. Put your right hand upon his head. And his father refused and said, I know it, my son, I know it. He also shall become a people and he also shall be great, but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he. And his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In you shall Israel bless, saying, God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And he set Ephraim before Manasseh. And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die, but God shall be with you and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. Moreover, I have given to you one portion above your brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow” (RE Genesis 12:18, emphasis added).

[4] “Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen, and why are they not chosen? . . .” RE T&C 139:5, emphasis added).

[5] “After this Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This is an account of that event: There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael from the city of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others, also disciples. Simon Peter said to them, I ascend to the deep. They responded to him, We go with you. They went forth, and entered into the ark; and they could not grasp anything.

But at the horizon of the morning star, Jesus stood at the sacred entry; however the disciples could not recognize it was Jesus for the glory about Him. Then Jesus asked them, Children, have you celebrated the ritual meal? They answered Him, No. And He directed them and said, Approach the veil to the east and you will find what you seek. They approached the veil as instructed, and now they were overcome by the multitude of what was received. Therefore the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he quickly clothed himself (for he did not wear the apparel), and cast himself into the great deep. And the other disciples came into the ark and parted also the veil (for they were not bound by the limits of this world).

As they ascended, they saw a fire burning at the offering place and the Flesh Offering was upon it, who is also the Bread of Life. Jesus said to them, Rise above the flesh you now occupy, and Simon Peter ascended, and drew the veil open, and there were ministering a hundred, and then fifty, and then three; and for these many who they beheld, yet the veil remained open.

Jesus said to them, Come and eat the food of the rising sun. And none of the disciples asked of him, What name is now yours? knowing that it was their Lord. Jesus then served to them His flesh and blood, and they were filled by His Spirit. This was now the third time Jesus ministered to His disciples following His rise from among the dead” (RE T&C 171 Testimony of St. John 12:14-17, emphasis added).

[6] “Question: What is the Rod spoken of in the 1st verse of the 11th chapter [Isa. 5:4] that should come of the stem of Jesse?Answer: Behold, thus says the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the House of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power” (RE T&C 129:2, emphasis added).

[7] “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 [cornbread] for a wedge, and a pumpkin [hard wooden for a beetle [hard wooden hammer]. 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” (Smith Jr., Joseph. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (pp. 379-380, emphasis added). Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition).

[8] “ . . . Yea, so says the still small voice which whispers through and pierces all things, and often times it makes my bones to quake while it makes manifest, saying, And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the scepter of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words, while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth, to set in order the House of God, and to arrange by lot the inheritance of the saints, whose names are found, and the names of their fathers and of their children, enrolled in the Book of the Law of God . . .” (RE T&C 83:4, emphasis added).

[9] In RE Ezekiel 19:6 it says, “And David my servant shall be king over them, and they all shall have one shepherd.”  I previously made the case scripturally the shepherd is the Lord. Since drawing that conclusion I have concluded it may also be a reference to a priest because David, in verse 7 of the same chapter becomes a “prince for ever” which consolidates the office of king with a priest as in the example of Melchizedek.

[10] “The ensign Isaiah prophesied refers to a zodiacal map, or to the constellations overhead. This is a depiction of the heavens themselves. The ensign to be reared will tell those in Zion how to walk in the paths of God, through the heavens, back into God’s presence. Zion will be a connection between heaven and earth, where those living will learn the ways of the God of Jacob. They will walk in His paths. Heaven and earth will be connected. The stairway connecting the two will be opened. The heavens and the earth will be reunited. This will happen in the top of the mountains” (Snuffer, Denver. Preserving the Restoration, p.277, emphasis added) . Mill Creek Press. Kindle Edition.

“The fact is that a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of smoke by day is an allusion, an attempt to refer to things we are familiar with to describe things that we are not familiar with. A conduit that reaches up into heaven (as the temporary appearance of the Lord to Joseph in the First Vision) is intended to be a permanent connection at some place. It will be one of the reasons why people say, “Let’s not go up against the people of Zion because Zion is too terrible.” The presence of God is dreadful to the wicked; it’s frightening to them. They get near it, and it convicts them of their unworthiness. They dare not go up. But the pure and the humble and the noble are drawn to it. They will want to be there. And so, that “conduit,” that “fiery pillar,” that “stairway to heaven,” Jacob’s ladder… Comment: The chariot of fire. Denver: …the “chariot of fire”—all of those things are an attempt to describe that heavenly connection, that heavenly presence. Now, to the unworthy and the ungodly looking at it, they may or may not be able to see anything about it, but they will sense extraordinary dread. It will frighten them. To the worthy, there will be something enlightened about the very presence of the place. It will not seem to them to just be another place. It will seem as though the God of heaven has some base established there. That’s when you know that an ensign has been established in the tops of the mountains to which nations will flow saying, “Come, let us go up and learn from the God of Jacob,” because that ensign is actually something godly, holy, edifying, instructive, revelatory, filled with light, and redemptive—and the god who dwells there is going to be the Lord. So, we don’t have time to… And if you think about it, Enoch taught for 365 years before his people were prepared enough to go up. And we have to be prepared enough for them to come down and not destroy us by the brightness of their presence” (Snuffer Jr., Denver C. . The Teachings of Denver C. Snuffer, Jr. Volume 5: 2018: Kindle Edition (The Teachings of Denver C. Snuffer Jr. Readers Edition Series) (p. 41, emphasis added). Restoration Archive. Kindle Edition.

Snuffer Jr., Denver C. . The Teachings of Denver C. Snuffer, Jr. Volume 5: 2018: Kindle Edition (The Teachings of Denver C. Snuffer Jr. Readers Edition Series) (p. 41). Restoration Archive. Kindle Edition.

Snuffer, Denver. Preserving the Restoration . Mill Creek Press. Kindle Edition.

[11] In RE Ezekiel 19:6 it says, “And David my servant shall be king over them, and they all shall have one shepherd.”  I previously made the case scripturally the shepherd is the Lord. Since drawing that conclusion I have concluded it may also be a reference to a priest because David, in verse 7 of the same chapter becomes a “prince for ever” which consolidates the office of king with a priest as in the example of Melchizedek.

[12] “John [the Baptist]  did not transcend his bounds, but faithfully performed that part belonging to his office; and every portion of the great building should be prepared right and assigned to its proper place; and it is necessary to know who holds the keys of power, and who does not, or we may be likely to be deceived. That person who holds the keys of Elias hath a preparatory work” (Smith Jr., Joseph. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (p. 386, emphasis added). Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition).

[13] “Although David was a king, he never did obtain the spirit and power of Elijah and the fullness of the Priesthood [The alternative being the Aaronic Priesthood]; and the Priesthood that he received, and the throne and kingdom of David is to be taken from him and given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage” (Smith Jr., Joseph. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (p. 389, emphasis added). Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition.

[14] “And David my servant shall be king over them, and they all shall have one shepherd. They shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelled. And they shall dwell therein — even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever. And my servant David shall be their prince for ever” (RE Ezekiel 19:6, emphasis added).

[15] “The Lord said: His weakness will be made strong. My work will then begin among all My people. I’ll restore you, O house of Israel” (CofC 2 Nephi 2:4, emphasis added).

[16] “My dear people, remember how awful it is to transgress against that holy God and how awful it is to yield to the temptations of that crafty one. Remember, to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life eternal. My dear people, listen carefully to my words and remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel. Don’t claim I’ve spoken harshly against you. Because if you do, you’ll reject the truth, since I’ve spoken your Maker’s words. I know the truth is blunt about all uncleanliness, but the righteous aren’t afraid of it, because they love the truth and aren’t shaken. Then, my dear people, come to the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that His paths are righteousness. The way for man is narrow, but it lies in a straight course before him. And the gatekeeper is the Holy One of Israel, and He doesn’t use any servant there. There’s no other way except through the gate, and He can’t be deceived since His name is the Lord God. He’ll open to whoever knocks. And the worldly, the educated, and those who are rich, who are inflated with pride because of their knowledge, education, and wealth — they’re the ones He looks down upon. And unless they abandon these things and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, He won’t allow them through the gate. Real wisdom and real understanding will be hidden from them forever, and shared only with the holy ones to give them joy” (CofC 2 Nephi 6:11, emphasis added).

[17] “What I want to impress upon your minds is the difference of power in the different parts of the Priesthood, so that when any man comes among you, saying, "I have the spirit of Elias," you can know whether he be true or false; for any man that comes, having the spirit and power of Elias, he will not transcend his bounds. John did not transcend his bounds, but faithfully performed that part belonging to his office; and every portion of the great building should be prepared right and assigned to its proper place; and it is necessary to know who holds the keys of power, and who does not, or we may be likely to be deceived. That person who holds the keys of Elias hath a preparatory work . . .” (Smith Jr., Joseph. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (pp. 385-386, emphasis added, Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition).

[18] “And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John [the Baptist], What went you out into the wilderness to see? Was it a reed shaken with the wind? And they answered him, No. And he said, But what went you out to see? Was it a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft raiment are in kings’ houses. But what went you out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet; for this is the one of whom it is written: Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way before you [see RE Isaiah 14:1]. Truly I say unto you, among them that are born of women, there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist. Notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he” (RE Matthew 6:2, emphasis added).

“ . . . Then what you seal on earth, by the keys of Elijah, is sealed in heaven; and this is the power of Elijah, and this is the difference between the spirit and power of Elias and Elijah; for while the spirit of Elias is a forerunner, the power of Elijah is sufficient to make our calling and election sure; and the same doctrine, where we are exhorted to go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, &” (Smith Jr., Joseph. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (pp. 387-388). Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition.

Scott Roderick

8/23/2025

Isaiah Part 7 A Joseph and Cyrus.pdf

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