Gathering of Israel – Last Days Decoded

Two Men of Destiny: I am Cyrus

So much of history doesn’t make it into either the history books or the nightly news, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important or inspiring. The Old Testament often shines a new light on the place of musty, dusty history in relation to the events of our day – if we look closely:

Isaiah 46:8-10:
8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind,
O ye transgressors.
9 Remember the former things of old:
for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done,
saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Ecclesiastes 1:9:
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be;
and that which is done is that which shall be done:
and there is no new thing under the sun.

Restated: The patterns of the past show us the future. So keep studying the past as depicted in scripture, and elsewhere, then it will be easier to recognize the same type of event when it shows up in our day, and the same type of people! I recently came across a stunning example while studying the history of how modern-day Israel came into being, primarily in Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn’s book, The Oracle. Here’s the background:

Israel has a long and checkered past. We can go back to when God rewarded Father Abraham for his righteousness with the gift of a Promised Land:

Genesis 13:12, 14-15:
12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan,
and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain,
and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him,
Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward,
and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest,
to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

Where was this land? It was the land of Canaan (later Palestine, now Israel). There’s been centuries of dispute over the rightful owner of this land: Christians, Jews, Muslims? To answer this questions we need to look at the title records, much as we do in real estate when property changes hands:

From Genesis 13 above, we clearly see that God gave this land to Abraham who lived about 4,000 years ago and “his seed after him.” Political control has not followed God’s estate plan for Abraham but has fallen in order to: the Egyptians, Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Turks, Arabs and Jews (source: https://graham.uchicago.edu/events/early-history-holy-land-08-15-22).
It’s not news that this is hotly disputed in our day. The big schism emerges between claims from human history versus God’s history.

Let’s look at two examples from human history to see how title was returned to the Israelites. The first occurred after their 70-year captivity in Babylon. The Persian King Cyrus conquered the Babylonians and took control of much of the Middle East in 539 BC (Wikipedia “Fall of Babylon”). In 538 BC, he freed the tribe of Judah to return to the Holy Land with the injunction to build the house of the Lord God of Israel (Wikipedia “Edict of Cyrus”), also described in the Book of Ezra:

Ezra 1:1-3:
1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia,
that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia,
that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom,
and put it also in writing, saying,
2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia,
The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth;
and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem,
which is in Judah.
3 Who is there among you of all his people?
his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem,
which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel,
(he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.
(Also see Isaiah 44:28)

What did Cyrus do? He restored the Tribe of Judah to its original homeland given them by the Lord God of Israel. As you can see in this map, the land of Canaan was clearly under Cyrus’ control:

The Persian Empire, 490 BC, under King Cyrus’ successors
Courtesy Wikipedia Commons

So what is King Cyrus’ place in history that qualifies him as a “Man of Destiny”?

He just happened to conquer Babylon as Judah’s 70 years of captivity approached its necessary end or when they were due to be paroled from their enforced observation of 70 Shemitah years (a Sabbath on the Land every 7th year) that they had failed to voluntarily observe for 490 years previously (490 ÷ 7 = 70). So they were put into jail or captivity in Babylon while their homeland lay fallow, before being released by King Cyrus.
His edict not only releases them but commands them to return to Jerusalem and the land of Judah and build the house of the Lord God of Israel!
He was both a powerful general and a magnanimous ruler. He maintained respect for the history, culture, and religion of conquered lands, clearly shown by his actions towards the Israelites, and essential to their release from captivity.
On his tombstone and at the end of many official documents, he stated:
I AM CYRUS, King of the World.
He fulfilled both the Shemitah and Jubilee year promise of Restoration and Return of a lost people to their lost homeland, see Leviticus 25 below:

Leviticus 25:4, 8-10:
4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land,
a sabbath for the Lord:
thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee,
seven times seven years;
and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee
forty and nine years.
9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound
on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make
the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year,
and proclaim liberty
throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof:
it shall be a jubilee unto you;
and ye shall return every man unto his possession,
and ye shall return every man unto his family.

Note every 7th year was a Sabbath year (Shemitah in Hebrew), and every 50th year was a Jubilee year, both of which represent a restoration of possessions and blessings as well as a return to one’s possessions and land. So clearly the ancient Cyrus facilitated the tribe of Judah’s return to Canaan to rebuild Jerusalem and their second temple (known as Herod’s Temple).

So who is the other man of destiny? As World War II was winding down in Europe, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to a 4th term in spite of bad health and took office in January 1945. He died shortly thereafter, on April 12, in Warm Springs, Georgia, of a massive stroke. That same evening, his Vice President, Harry S. Truman, was sworn in as President.

Truman was a nobody in Washington, a “Johnny Come Lately” to the pinnacle of power. Earlier, he had failed in business, then turned to politics in 1923, becoming a district judge in Missouri, then elected to the US Senate in 1934. He supported FDR’s New Deal and was prominent in passing bills and regulations in the burgeoning transportation industry, becoming known for his efficiency and integrity.

From 1941 to 1944, Truman headed the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program, which worked to reduce waste and mismanagement in U.S. military spending. Commonly known as the Truman Committee, it saved American taxpayers millions of dollars and propelled Truman into the national spotlight. (www.history.com)

Subsequently, he completed FDR’s term in office and ran for re-election in November 2, 1948 against Thomas E. Dewey who was heavily favored to win, but which turned out to be one of the greatest upsets in American history. Some newspapers even announced Dewey’s win ahead of the poll results:

Truman’s Surprise Upset Victory
(various sources)

Truman came from an obscure background into a glittering world of power and privilege. He only emerged into the spotlight upon the death of FDR and then remained a relatively unheralded participant in postwar events. So what’s his claim to a unique place in history? Is it this:

From www.history.com: In an effort to end the war in the Pacific and prevent the massive U.S. casualties that could result from an invasion of Japan, Truman approved the dropping of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (on August 6) and Nagasaki (on August 9). Japan’s surrender was announced on August 14, 1945; however, Truman’s use of the atomic bomb continues to be one of the most controversial decisions of any American president.

As horrific as those events were, they may be eclipsed in the next world by his pivotal role in another historic event not even mentioned in that article or others: The restoration of the Nation of Israel as a Jewish homeland. Here’s a quick summary:

As WWII was winding down, the US State Department commissioned a study of the condition of Jewish Refugee camps in Europe. Earl Harrison’s report showed they were almost as bad as the Nazi concentration camps had been. Truman, incensed, sent the report to British Prime Minister Attlee asking the British government to renew the vast number of expiring visas for Jewish emigration to Palestine, a British protectorate since 1917. Attlee answered with a letter of resistance and warning.
Truman then responded by releasing both the report and Attlee’s letter to the press. The resulting public uproar pressured Britain into issuing 100,000 much needed visas to Jews desperate to leave Europe and begin reclaiming their ancestral homeland.
In late 1947, the newly formed United Nations proposed and passed a partition plan for the area between Jews and Arabs. Six months later, on May 14, 1948, Jewish leaders in the region formed the state of Israel. British troops left, thousands of Palestinian Arabs fled and Arab armies invaded Israel. In the Arab-Israeli War, Israel defeated its enemies. (New York Times Archive, U.N. Partitions Palestine, Allowing for Creation of Israel).
Here’s what happened next, according to the account in Rabbi Jonathan Cahn’s book, The Oracle: Truman’s backing of the future Jewish state was fiercely opposed by his own State Department, which appeared resolved to thwart his will on the matter at every turn. Despite this he persevered and would be pivotal in the passage of the UN resolution that would bring Israel back into existence. And then, at the moment of Israel’s resurrection, it was because of Truman that America would become the first nation to grant UN recognition.
The newly formed country then sent their first official chief rabbi, Isaac Herzog, to America to visit the president. Rabbi Cahn continues:

The rabbi told the President that when he was still in his mother’s womb, the Lord had called him to be the instrument to bring about the rebirth of Israel after two thousand years. He told him that the Lord had given him the mission of helping the Jewish people at a time of despair and bringing about the fulfillment of the promise and prophecy of their return to the Promised Land. But the rabbi would become even more specific. He told Truman that in ancient times a similar mission had once been given to the leader of another great nation . . . Cyrus. The rabbi told Truman that Cyrus had also been given the mission of helping to redeem the Jewish people from their exile and restore them to their ancestral land. And then he read to the president the words of the ancient Persian king: “The Lord God of heaven hath . . . charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.” (See Ezra 1:2)

But wait, there’s more! God seems to enjoy embedding little clues or bread crumbs in history to be sure we don’t miss His hand in events important to His work:

Cyrus was in power for 30 years. Truman was in politics from 1923 to 1953, also 30 years.
Most scholars place Cyrus’ birth between 600 and 599 BC, so he would be about 60-61 when he conquered Babylon and ascended to the peak of his power, in 539 BC. Harry Truman was born May 8, 1884 and became president and leader of the free world April 12, 1945, just 1 month shy of his 61st birthday! Both were around the age of 60-61 when they ascended to power.
Cyrus issued the world’s first charter of universal human rights written on a “cylinder” declaring the right of those who had been exiled and displaced from their lands to return home, including the captive Jews. Truman’s working partnership with his UN appointee, Eleanor Roosevelt (the only woman among six) was effective in crafting and promoting the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, approved December 10, 1948. It’s interesting reading; see the full article in Providence Magazine.
King Cyrus freed the Jewish people after 70 years of captivity. President Truman was a singular driving force behind the creation of the modern nation of Israel in 1948, exactly 70 years after the first Israeli settlements in 1878.
King Cyrus issued his edict freeing the Jews in his first year in power. Truman publicized the Earl Harrison report on Jewish refugees in Europe toward the end of 1945 that successfully allowed many thousand of Jewish refugees to settle in Israel, also in his first year as president.
In Jonathan Cahn’s book, The Oracle, the Hebrew word Tashuvu means you shall return and included in Leviticus 25 at least twice. Each Hebrew letter also has numbers associated with it, as well as meaning that combines for the meaning of the word they spell. Interpreted in a rather convoluted fashion, the four letters in Tashuvu are: tav = 400, shin = 300, beit = 2, and vav = 6. Added together, they equal 708. Rabbi Cahn reports that the number 660 = the year 1900. So 660 = 1900. 708 – 600 = 48. 1900 + 48 = 1948 in Western years – the year Israel was made a nation! The rest of the explanation is even more convoluted, so if you want the details, read chapter 32 of his book . . . . I’m starting to believe that there’s a reason why the Tribe of Judah were leaders in the Old World and will be one of two in the Millennium – Ephraim being the other. They must have thought up all the crazy symbolism embedded in Hebrew and for proof, just read the Book of Isaiah!
Finally, President Truman’s letter to Prime Minister Attlee was dated August 31, 1945, a Friday and the start of the Jewish Sabbath day at sundown. It is a long-standing custom for all Jewish congregations worldwide to read the same passage of scripture before their congregations on the Sabbath (called a Parashah). Which particular one was read the next day of the full Sabbath, worldwide? Could any of us have picked one more appropriate?

Deuteronomy 30:3-5:
3 That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity,
and have compassion upon thee,
and will return and gather thee from all the nations,
whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.
4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven,
from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee,
and from thence will he fetch thee:
5 And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land
which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it;
and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.

A final word from Rabbi Cahn’s book: The president asked the rabbi if the hand of the Almighty was in his actions toward the Jewish people. The rabbi responded that Truman had been given the task once fulfilled by King Cyrus and that he, like Cyrus, would hold a place of honor in the history of the Jewish people.

And here’s the capstone of this story – note this took place in the research institute of Hebrew University named for President Truman – Rabbi Herzog’s prophecy already fulfilled and reported in Advancing Jewish Thought, an online magazine article: The Story of Cyrus the Great, Invoked by Harry Truman, Is a Cautionary as Well as a Hopeful Tale):

In 1978, scholars and statesmen from the United States and Israel gathered for a symposium to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of Israel at the Harry S. Truman Research Institute at the Hebrew University. Among the presenters was Moshe Davis, a founding scholar in the field of America-Holy Land Studies, who offered his reminiscences of a 1953 meeting with Truman at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Truman’s longtime friend Eddie Jacobson had escorted the former president to the meeting and introduced him to the gathered scholars as “the man who helped create the State of Israel.”¹ According to Davis, the remark caused Truman to turn to his friend and say, “What do you mean ‘helped create?’
I am Cyrus. I am Cyrus,” evoking the Persian ruler from the sixth century BCE who was hailed in the Hebrew Bible for allowing the exiled Judeans to return to their homeland.
Note: I’m sure this was not uttered in pride but acknowledging the earlier words of Rabbi Herzog about his foreordained mission fighting for the State of Israel.

To all who also consider themselves humble and obscure servants of truth and righteousness, this story should give us hope of being able to make a real contribution to the growing good of the world, an ending quote describing Dorothea, a humble and forgotten woman in the novel, Middlemarch). And while we may not have academic institutions named for us, nor being able to say, I am Cyrus, with a more obscure president, Harry S. Truman, we can contribute to the growing good of the world, especially in these times fraught with increasing darkness but also exploding with goodness and miracles.

Then we can also say with Elisha to his servant in 2 Kings 6:15-17:

They that be with us are more than they that be with them!

Elisha and the Chariots of Fire
Courtesy www.godsbreathpublications.com

A Feast of “Fat Things”

When we think of the coming events of the Last Days, how many of us think it will be a “Feast of Fat Things”? Not many – if any – but the book of Isaiah is clear about the Lord’s promises to His faithful:

Isaiah 25: 3-4, 6, 8-9:
1 O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
6 ¶ And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people A FEAST OF FAT THINGS, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.
9 ¶ And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

But aren’t these amazing promises? They’re echoed a little differently in D&C 58:1-21, but with still powerful reassurance. This doesn’t mean that the phrase “Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord” is only GREAT. It will also be DREADFUL and we can see many signs of those times coming at a gallop. The reason for this dichotomy is that Satan and God/Christ are at war, have very different methods, and provide us with opposition in all things (2 Nephi 2:11).

Satan works by FEAR and the Lord works by FAITH (see related BLOG). The Lord creates boundaries for how far Satan can go in each of our lives and nations, although it doesn’t usually feel like it. If people who experience near-death experiences can be believed, we all at least agreed to the adversities we would face in this life and some probably even volunteered for them, for added glory in the next life (implied in Revelation 20:4). And if you carefully study God’s “appointed times,” you will see how He also regulates the flow of history to create a beginning and end to global adversities. See my related blog posts: God’s “Appointments” With Man and God’s “Appointments” For Great Events. If the Lord could exactly time the events of the last week of Christ’s life to match the 3 celebrations around Passover, how much more can He orchestrate events and their timing in our lives?

To reiterate from my recent talk, Approaching Adam-ondi-Ahman, at the Book of Mormon Evidence Conference on April 6, 2023, we in America only get to the “Feast of Fat Things” at Adam-ondi-Ahman, grace for grace just as Christ did in His early life (D&C 93:18-20). At the last minute, the Spirit directed me to the image below, which speaks powerfully about our climb from the darkness of the Telestial world up our own individual progression to the Celestial glory in the Church of the Firstborn (D&C 76:52-54). We then end up qualified to be there when Christ comes to the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman. With each victory, we stand on higher ground, in greater light.

We are symbolically in an enclosed stone tower and, if we’re lucky, we’ll have a few small windows looking out on the promised glory, to keep us going in this relatively drab and often very scary world. So I want to share some of the “dishes” that will be served up to us at the final feast – hopefully for you to store away and trot out when you need a dose of hope!

Our Symbolic *Upward* Journey to Adam-ondi-Ahman
Inside the **Arc de Triomphe**, Public Domain Image

When we finally get to the top, we find where our own personal tower of growth and suffering ends: in a high place of glory, and literally at the coming of Christ at Adam-ondi-Ahman (D&C 88:95-98). In that promised glory, we will witness and assist in the great gathering of the 12 Tribes, symbolized by the 12 roads leading to this Paris landmark, the renowned Arc de Triomphe, and where this dark stairway actually goes, up onto its roof:

Aerial view of Arc de Triomphe, Paris – Licensed for use by shutterstock.com

Compare the long climb up that dark tower with the wonder and glory of emerging on top of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, built to commemorate France’s great military victories of the past, symbolic of our own personal triumphs.

Not only will you be crowned with deliverance, glory, and eternal rewards at Adam-ondi-Ahman, but you will be in a spiritual leadership position to see the entire gathering of the 12 Tribes of Israel, to participate in the building of the New Jerusalem, and then watch Zion spread out across America, then North America, safe in God’s protective care. While the rest of the world battles it out during Armageddon and is pummeled by the Abomination of Desolation, faithful seekers are rescued out of them by the 144,000, then brought to us, their nursing mothers and nursing fathers (1 Nephi 21:22-23). It’s hard to imagine a more glorious ending to our mortal Telestial struggles. Then read how an early Patriarch, Charles D. Evans describes Life in Zion:

The light of the gospel, which had but dimly shown because of abomination, now burst forth with a luster that filled the earth.
Cities appeared in every direction, one of which, in the center of the continent, was an embodiment of architectural science after the pattern of eternal perfections, whose towers glittered with a radiance emanating from the sparkling of emeralds, rubies, diamonds and other precious stones set in a canopy of gold and so elaborately and skillfully arranged as to shed forth a brilliancy which dazzled and enchanted the eye, excited admiration and developed a taste for the beautiful, beyond anything man had ever conceived.
Fountains of crystal water shot upward their transparent jets in the brilliant sunshine . . . .
Gardens, the perfections of whose arrangement confound all our present attempts at genius. . . .
Schools and universities were erected, to which all had access; in the latter Urims were placed, for the study of the past, present and future . . . .
All learning was based on eternal certainty.
Angels brought forth the treasures of knowledge which had lain hid in the womb of the dumb and distant past.
(published in The Contributor magazine in 1894; full version at www.NoFearPreps.com and in her book, The Great Gathering, pp 50-52)

Under Christ, Ephraim will manage the world’s government from the New Jerusalem and in spiritual partnership with tribe of Judah in the old Jerusalem – 2 capital cities. Finally the abuses and excesses of “wickedness in high places” will be vanquished, and one Mighty and Strong will lead us:

Isaiah 2:3 – 2 Capitals during the Millennium:
. . . Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
(See also Micah 4:2 and 2 Nephi 12:3)

D&C 85:7:
7 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 inheritances 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;

We have this and many other promises of eternity to anticipate:

From the Prophet Brigham Young:
Let me here say a word to console the feelings and hearts of all who belong to this Church. Many of the sisters grieve because they are not blessed with offspring. You will see the time when you will have millions of children around you. If you are faithful to your covenants, you will be mothers of nations. You will become Eves to earths like this, and when you have assisted in peopling one earth, there are millions of others still in the course of creation. And when they have endured a thousand million times longer than this earth, it is only as it were at the beginning of your creation. Be faithful and if you are not blessed with children in this time, you will be hereafter. (Deseret News, Vol 10, p 306, Oct 14, 1860)
And guys, you will be needed too . . . creating whole worlds, together with your own Eve!

For more inspiration, watch Michael Rush’s wonderful video on YouTube: Reality is Not What You Think It is . . . FYI: The second half contains most of the meat.

Finally, remember the words of an old man who suddenly stood up at the back of his Sunday School class that was criticizing the Willey and Martin Handcart companies for “foolishly” leaving for Utah so late in the year: You know nothing about it. What I experienced to come to know my Savior was WORTH IT, and I would do it again. That silenced the critics, and are “words to remember” when times look extra dark. God’s purpose is to refine us enough to qualify for all His promised blessings.

So onward and upward – Listen to some of my favorite music to put some pep in your step when you feel down, then add your own links in the Comments section:

Savior, Redeemer of My Soul – Dallyn Bayles and Jenny Oaks Baker
The Prayer – Tabernacle Choir with Katherine Jenkins and intro by composer David Foster
Come Go With Me – Kenneth Cope
Ye Elders of Israel – Priesthood Conference choir
Hope of Israel – Sung by us ordinary singers in General Conference
Nearer, My God, to Thee – Vocal Point
Mozart: Ave Verum Corpus– The Romanian Foundation for Excellence in Music, International Music Festival 2014 – a reminder that we have many brothers and sisters not yet gathered – and a benediction on you all!

God’s “Appointments” With Great Events

If we want evidence that Hebrew Feast Days are truly “appointments” for holy occasions, let’s see if they align with any past and then future events. Here are only some:

(1) Events of the last week of Christ’s mortal life,
(2) God and Moses parting the Red Sea,
(3) God and Joshua parting the Jordan River,
(4) The fall of the walls of Jericho,
(5) Feasts Days aligned with events of the Restoration of the Gospel in our day through the Prophet Joseph Smith,
(6) Christ coming at Adam-ondi-Ahman to the faithful,
(7) Christ splitting the Mount of Olives to rescue the Jews at the end of Armageddon,
(9) The “Hidden Day” or Day 8 of Tabernacles symbolizing Christ’s Final Coming in the Clouds – The Day and the Hour No Man Knoweth (Matthew 24:36)

LET’S LOOK AT THE DETAILS:

(1) THE LAST WEEK OF CHRIST’S LIFE line up perfectly with PASSOVER EVENTS:
Nisan 10 (Monday): Triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem on the day the Shepherds annually brought the Temple Lambs to be inspected and selected by the priests. He was the real Lamb, and ever after called The Lamb of God. See John 12:1-19)
Nisan 14 (Friday): Passover which starts at sundown and followed by: the Last Super, Gethsemane, betrayal by Judas, scourging, trials, crucifixion, burial just before sundown, and the end of that day, when “the Sabbath” would begin.
Nisan 15 (Saturday): First Day of Unleavened Bread and a High Holy “Sabbath”
Nisan 16 (Sunday): Weekly Sabbath – Originally held on Sunday, only later changed by Hillell II to Saturday in response to Constantine’s actions (SOURCE). The two Sabbaths fulfill the “3 days and 3 nights in the tomb,” see Jonah 1:17, Matthew 12:40.
Nisan 17 (Monday): FirstFruits when Christ is resurrected early in the morning. See Mark 16:9; Matthew 28:1; John 20:1, 14-16.
This is the exact sequence of celebration that had been followed by the Israelites for 1500 years, since the Exodus with Moses at Mt Sinai, in preparation for these events. The Israelites were so blinded by tradition and the pride of their leaders, few recognized the lowly man from Nazareth as their awaited Messiah. The tribe of Judah and their descendants paid a fearsome price for the His crucifixion, which will only to reach final resolution when Christ comes to rescue and forgive them at the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14).

(2) GOD, WITH MOSES, PARTED THE RED SEA on the 7th day of Unleavened Bread, always on Nisan 21, which was also First Fruits that year, the original “Day of Deliverance for Israel”:
As far as the sequence of events, Passover was after sunset on the 14th of Nisan/Abib (Exodus 12:6) and the death angel passed-over at midnight (Exodus 12:23-29). During the early daylight hours on the 14th of Nisan/Abib, the children of Israel received gold and precious things from the Egyptians (Exodus 12:35-36). They left Egypt at night of the 15th of Nisan/Abib (Exodus 12:42; Deuteronomy 16:1). Late on the 16th of Nisan/Abib, the children of Israel arrived in Succoth (Exodus 12:37). Later, apparently on the 18th of Nisan/Abib, Pharaoh decided to pursue them (Exodus 14:5). On the 20th of Nisan/Abib, Pharaoh’s armies get near the children of Israel (Exodus 14:9). On the 21st of Nisan/Abib, GOD PARTED THE RED SEA AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CROSSED IT ON DRY LAND (Exodus 14:20-22, 29). [Then] during the daylight hours of the 21st, the Egyptian army pursues and is destroyed (Exodus 14:23-28).
NOTE: The Israelites cross the Red Sea on a Day of Deliverance: Nisan 21 when FirstFruits coincides with the 7th day of Unleavened Bread. See earlier POST for explanation, and remember days in the Hebrew calendar go from sundown to sundown, not midnight to midnight.
Source: https://www.cogwriter.com/news/doctrine/7th-day-of-unleavened-bread/

(3) GOD, WITH JOSHUA, PARTS THE JORDAN RIVER for the Israelites to finally enter the Promised Land, arguably on Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement, the most holy day in the Jewish calendar: And the people came up out of Jordan on the TENTH DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho (Joshua 4:19). We know that Nisan in the spring is the “first month” in the Jewish calendar, but there are 2 Jewish New Years annually: Nisan 1 (the Passover feasts) and Tishri 1 six months later (the feasts surrounding the Day of Atonement). Which is the “first month” referred to above? See Joshua 5:8-9: Shortly after crossing the Jordan: 8 And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. 9 And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I ROLLED AWAY THE REPROACH OF EGYPT from off you. Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement on Tishri 10 is the one day of the year that the Lord forgives sins in Israel, which is then followed by 5 days of preparation and 7 days of the Feast of Tabernacles, the most joyous festival in the Jewish calendar that celebrates being forgiven and the prospect of dwelling with the Lord and His protection and care. So I maintain this is when the 40 years of wandering and condemnation were lifted off the Israelites, because it better matches the wording and significance of this event.

(4) THE WALLS OF JERICHO FELL on day 7 of Unleavened Bread that also coincided with FirstFruits. These two will foreshadow when Christ comes to Adam-ondi-Ahman on FirstFruits, which also occurs when it is also the 7th day of Unleavened Bread. Evidence here:
Joshua 3:7 This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.
Joshua 5:10 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and KEPT THE PASSOVER on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. (NISAN 14)
NOTE: Then continuing immediately after Passover:
Joshua 6:1-5:
1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
2 And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do SIX DAYS.
4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the SEVENTH DAY ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
NOTE: The SEVENTH DAY is of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and in this year was almost certainly also a day of FIRSTFRUITS and therefore a DAY OF DELIVERANCE.

(5) HEBREW FEASTS ALIGN WITH THE RESTORATION of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here’s a sampling:
FEAST OF TRUMPETS when Joseph took plates out of the ground on September 22, 1827 – The Book of Mormon’s call was to REPENTANCE and to PREPARE, both physically and spiritually, for the great days ahead. This matches the ancient meaning of this important day (Tishri 1).
The Day Before PASSOVER – The Church is organized on April 6, 1830 (Nisan 13).
TRUMPETS – Mission calls are issued September 14, 1830 to take the Book of Mormon to the Lamanites in Missouri (Tishri 1).
PASSOVER – Priesthood Keys are restored in the Kirtland Temple, April 3, 1836 (Nisan 14).
SHABBAT NACHAMU (the Sabbath of Consolation, 1 of 7 each year) – The first settlers arrive in Salt Lake Valley, July 24, 1847.

(6) CHRIST COMES TO ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN, also another “Day of Deliverance for Israel” – when Michael stands up, and Christ appears. Details coming soon!

(7) CHRIST SPLITS THE MOUNT OF OLIVES on Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement when repentant Jews will finally be forgiven for His crucifixion, followed by the Feast of Tabernacles to which all Israel’s enemies are invited (see Zechariah 14).

(8) THE FINAL COMING IN THE CLOUDS on The “Hidden Day” of Tishri 22 – it will remain unknown until it actually happens because only Heavenly Father knows when every last person on Earth finally and definitely decides which church he chooses (Christ’s or the Devil’s), the last sifting of the “Sheep and Goats” before the Millennium.
See BLOG POST: The Day and the Hour No Man Knoweth for further explanation.

The Second Coming by Harry Anderson,
Courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Day & The Hour No Man Knoweth

Everyone in the Christian world is familiar with this scripture:

Matthew 24:36:
But of that day and hour knoweth no man,
no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

And it frequently put the brakes on research into the timing of the Second Coming, until recently. What changed? Two things:

I’d been taught by my church educators that there are at least three Second Comings – NOT JUST ONE:
(1) Adam-ondi-Ahman in America,
(2) The Mount of Olives splits in two, rescuing the Jews during Armageddon, and
(3) The final coming in the clouds, in power and great glory – this is the one we hear about in Sunday School, etc.

$64,000 Question: So does that scripture in Matthew refer to all three?

And many in and outside of our church are studying how the ancient Hebrew Feasts Days are connected to the events of Christ’s life and death, as well as events of the Restoration. What’s really new, and even thrilling, is that they also seem to be deeply entwined with Last Days events. Here’s just one example, connected to Christ coming to the Mount of Olives [EMPHASIS added].

Zechariah 14:3-4, 16-19:
3 Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations,
as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives,
which is before Jerusalem on the east,
and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof
toward the east and toward the west,
and there shall be a very great valley;
and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north,
and half of it toward the south. . . .

16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations
which came against Jerusalem
shall even go up from year to year to worship the King,
the Lord of hosts, and to keep THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES.
17 And it shall be, that whoso will NOT come up of ALL the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts,
even upon them shall be no rain.
18 And if the family of Egypt go NOT up, and come NOT, that have no rain;
there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen
that come NOT up to keep THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES.
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt,
and the punishment of all nations that come NOT up
to keep THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES.
[EMPHASIS added]

The Feast of Tabernacles is not a casual connection to this appearance of Christ to the Jews – this is a “Sheep and Goats” sifting event. It gets even more interesting when we see that Christ’s Second Coming is likened to the Wedding Feast, practiced in ancient Israel to celebrate mortal weddings. Invited guests are expected to attend, and those who don’t incur social consequences that mirror the spiritual consequences of failing to accept the Lord’s invitation to the Wedding Supper of His son to His Bride, the Church. See Matthew 22:1-14 and the Elder Bednar talk referenced below, for the Parable of the Marriage of the King’s Son. Coincidentally, Hebrew weddings were celebrated for 7 Days, and so is the Feast of Tabernacles.

Further background: Seven Hebrew Feast Days (or Holy Convocations) are described in Leviticus 23 and this BLOG POST, grouped with 3 in the spring, 1 in summer, and 3 in the fall. The fall feasts were especially sacred, relevant to the above description:
The Day of Trumpets (on the month of Tishri 1) which calls Israel to 10 days of repentance, preparing for:
The Day of Atonement (Tishri 10), the only day of the year they believe that God would forgive sins, then 5 days later culminating in:
The Feast of Tabernacles (Tishri 15-21) which originally celebrated God’s providential shelter for the Israelites: living in tents during the Exodus from Egypt and 40 years in the Wilderness of Sinai, as well as the miracles of sustenance He provided. The Lord also wants to dwell in our tabernacles now, with us, enjoying the life of the righteous. This is a week of great joy and celebration, and is likened to the marriage feast or wedding supper celebrated by mortal Hebrews for centuries.

How does this wedding tradition relate to any of those Second Comings? Read below:

Revelation 19:7-9:
[refers to war on enemies of Israel right after Mt of Olives]
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him:
for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen,
clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
9 And he saith unto me, Write,
Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb
[or the Feast of Tabernacles to all left on Earth].
And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
(See Elder David A. Bednar talk, Put On Thy Strength, O Zion, Oct 2022)

Pair these two scriptures above (Zechariah 14 and Revelation 19), and you can see the important connection between the ancient rituals and how they gain new life in the critical days and events to come.

But we now come to one more day connected to these fall feasts that help unlock the scripture in Matthew 24: The 8^th Day of Tabernacles, called the Hidden or Great Day (Tishri 22). The ancient Jews did not know what it represented, but we can see it matches The Day and the Hour No Man Knoweth, or the FINAL SECOND COMING IN THE CLOUDS because:

The first reason can be ascertained from WHO will experience the prior 2 Second Comings:

(1) Christ comes to THE GENTILES, especially Ephraim, at Adam-ondi-Ahman in America, which ultimately becomes ZION. This is a private appearance to God’s faithful, first to our current leaders, then to the heads of all dispensations of time meeting with Christ our Lord, and finally all the faithful both living and dead, see:

D&C 116:1:
Spring Hill is named by the Lord Adam-ondi-Ahman,
because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people,
or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet.
D&C 88:96-98:
96 . . . And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive,
shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.
97 And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth,
for their graves shall be opened;
and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven—
98 They are Christ’s, the first fruits, they who shall descend with him first . . .

(2) Christ then comes to the Mount of Olives, only to THE JEWS, after Christ defeats their enemies from the War of Armageddon:

Zechariah 14:3-5:
3 Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations,
as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 ¶ And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives,
which is before Jerusalem on the east,
and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof
toward the east and toward the west,
and there shall be a very great valley;
and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north,
and half of it toward the south.
5 And ye [the Jews] shall flee to the valley of the mountains; . . .

After that, we know Christ comes to all the rest of the world – His final Second Coming – the one in the clouds with power and great glory. See the scriptures listed above in Zechariah 14:16-19 which essentially describes all others in the world after Armageddon. And all of them, who had been fighting against Israel, will have been invited to the Feast of Tabernacles, in a grand gesture of forgiveness and inclusion.

The final scriptural clue that Christ’s final coming is the one described in Matthew 24: 29-30 – and is the antecedent to verse 36:

29 Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days
[days of Armageddon]
shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
and the stars shall fall from heaven,
and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:
and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn,
and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

The verse 36 that follows: But of THAT day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

“Antecedent” is the technical word for the idea or topic that a later description applies to. In this case, verse 36 applies to verse 30, which clearly describes only the final coming in the clouds, in power and great glory, words always used to describe this. This isn’t definitive by itself, but when paired with the other evidence above, it’s compelling.

FINAL CLUE: The more detailed explanation of our Matthew 24:36 scripture is contained in the Hebrew Marriage Traditions and Rituals and which was always intended as a PARABLE of this final Second Coming, summarized here:

A betrothed couple signs a contract, as binding as the upcoming wedding ceremony.
The bride then returns to her father’s house to prepare her clothes and household goods, always keeping a lit candle or oil lamp in the window to show fidelity to her intended.
The bridegroom also returns to his father’s house, to build a dwelling for his bride. He regularly sends a “friend of the groom” to let his bride know all is progressing and to see if she has remained faithful. The bridegroom cannot go get his bride until HIS FATHER gives the final approval to the dwelling or “mansion” the groom has prepared. No one else knows when it’s deemed complete, only his father.
Once that permission is given, the Friend of the Groom goes ahead to give the bride and their guests just enough warning to don their wedding finery and assemble for the Wedding Feast.
Then the groom appears, they all go in to the wedding supper, and the doors are shut and locked. Those who fail to appear, come late, or without the designated wedding garment are not admitted (see Parable in Matthew 22).
These traditions were practiced in ancient Israel for hundreds of years, and not just by the Tribe of Judah, but all 12 Tribes observed them, perhaps without knowing their symbolic representation of the Coming of their Messiah in the End Times.
SOURCE: Beloved Bridegroom: Finding Christ in Ancient Jewish Marriage and Family Customs, by Donna Nielsen, available on Amazon, and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING)

In the Last Days, the “Hidden Day,” or 8th Day of Tabernacles, symbolizes this last Second Coming only and is the event Matthew 24:36 refers to. It’s timing is truly hidden from our sight. And why?

After the Gentiles and the Jews have been gathered, only the Father knows each individual person, and when their “mansions” or hearts are ready. He will not send his Son, the Bridegroom to get the remainder of His church, His Bride, until the Father deems every last soul on Earth to have chosen either the Church of Christ or the Church of Satan, using their sacred gift of Free Agency (see 1 Nephi 14:10). He may even know what and when each person will choose, but He holds back until they make a clear decision, so He cannot announce this event to anyone before its time and violate anyone’s Free Agency.

Then the righteous are taken up into heaven while the wicked are destroyed by fire (and to be sent to Spirit Prison for yet another possible chance to repent and ascend higher in God’s kingdom during the Millennium):

Matthew 24:41-42:
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill;
the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:
for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

In our day, Christ’s church will be “adorned” with righteousness, not jewels or fancy clothes, and the Bridegroom is Christ coming to get his Bride, the Church. Only those waiting and watching, with oil lit in their lamps, will be admitted to the Wedding Supper, fulfilling Isaiah 61:10:

Isaiah 61:10
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God;
for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments,
and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

But can we know the timing of Adam-ondi-Ahman and Christ’s return to the Mount of Olives or are they part of Matthew 24:36?

That’s a topic for another day – see my book coming by Nov/Dec 2023. This analysis at least makes it possible.

FOR FURTHER STUDY and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:

Living in the Millennium, by Robert L. Millet, book published by Deseret Book, with a detailed description of 4 Second Comings (extra one I didn’t include above = Christ suddenly comes to His temple in Malachi 3:1)

FAQ Paper by Rhonda Pickering on www.propheticappointments.com, and her video, The Day and the Hour No Man Knoweth. In it she also gives a second meaning to the 8th day of Tabernacles, with its alternate name of The Great Day – which foreshadows the 8th “day” or an additional period of 1,000 years when the Earth is celestialized after the Final Judgment at the end of the Millennium (the 7th day).
– We normally describe the history of the Earth as lasting 7,000 years from creation, or 7 “days,” each lasting 1,000 years. This 8th day prophetically follows after that and can also symbolize The Hidden Day or the final coming of Christ in the clouds – the true day and hour that no man knoweth.

Beloved Bridegroom: Finding Christ in Ancient Jewish Marriage and Family Customs, by Donna Nielsen, available on Amazon.

My blog post: God’s “Appointments” with Man

A Breaking Wave

I don’t know how many of you know the back story of the House of Israel. You’ll know something if you’ve seen Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat where Pharaoh is portrayed by an Elvis look-alike. The show takes off from there: It’s imaginative, hilarious, and energetic but it’s still also based on the true story of the 12 sons of the ancient Patriarch Jacob (from multiple wives). The older sons were jealous of the younger, favored one, Joseph. They conspired to throw him into a pit and kill him but in the end chose to sell him into slavery in Egypt instead. There he makes lemonade out of those nasty lemons, but you’ll have to read the Old Testament for the rest of his story.

Sadly, the sibling rivalry doesn’t end there. Later the nation of Israel is ruled by a greedy king who discovered, as many have since, the great wealth to be had through heavy taxation. The tribe of Ephraim took great offense, picked up their marbles and huffed off to Samaria, just northwest of their homelands around Jerusalem. Nine other tribes went with them and formed a new nation specifically called Israel (as opposed to the more general use of the term). They ultimately became The Lost Ten Tribes as they were scattered by the idolatrous kingdom of Assyria because of their apostasy and wickedness.

Remaining in their first homeland were the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, presided over mostly by Judah’s priestly class. Christ was born there, launched His three-year ministry, then was condemned for blasphemy, and executed by the people He had come to save from sin and death. Why did the priests not recognize the Messiah they had long prayed and sought for? The short answer is pride in their own learning and expecting Him to come as a great warrior and free them from the oppressive rule of Rome, but Christ brought spiritual salvation, not political, at least not then.

Christ left behind many dedicated converts and so was born Christianity whose followers hid and scattered. Another great schism began between blood brothers: Christianity and Judaism, really just more sibling rivalry in ecclesiastical garb.

Fast forward almost 2000 years. Those same divisions exist today: Judah is increasingly centered in Israel with Jerusalem at its head and Joseph’s son Ephraim’s descendants making up a large portion of the membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Book of Isaiah says:

And many people shall go and say,
Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways,
and we will walk in his paths:
for out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:3 (also Micah 4:1-2, and Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 12:3)

This scripture refers to revelation given to our LDS prophets that Zion (Ephraim as leader) will be built in America and be one of two spiritual capitals in the world during the prophesied Millennium of 1000 years of peace and goodness – the other being in Jerusalem headed by the tribe of Judah. And many people are still watching for the Messiah to return and for the Restoration of the Ten Tribes “from the land of the north”:

In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel [Ephraim],
and they shall come together out of the land of the north
to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
(Jeremiah 3:18)

Jeremiah goes on to describe the greatness of this event – so great it will eclipse the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt:

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said,
The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north,
and from all the lands whither he had driven them:
and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
(Jeremiah 16:14-15)

Many of us in the Christian world are awaiting the return of our Messiah to unite these two tribes with the 10 others, but I’m here to testify that, on a small scale, it has already begun! My introduction to this came by listening to some deep LDS gospel scholars who have discovered the connections between events of my church’s history with Hebrew “Feast Days.” Two articles in our church magazine started them on this journey, entitled:

(1) Symbols of the Harvest: Old Testament Holy Days and the Lord’s Ministry, by Lenet H. Read. Read it HERE, but be aware that other scholars align the Passover Feasts with the last week of Christ’s life somewhat differently.
(2) The Golden Plates and the Feast of Trumpets, by Lenet Hadley Read, HERE.

Many Jewish people are accepting that Jesus Christ is their long-awaited Messiah. Many Christians are recognizing the tribe of Judah as brothers with a common heritage and are also mindful of the greatness of this particular tribe of Israel, long leaders in religion, business, the arts, and more. They have laboriously climbed out of the deep pit of the condemnation they incurred because of their role in the death of their Messiah, and have embraced growing goodness and devotion to God which, I believe, will be crowned by reclaiming their leadership position in the House of Israel, restored.

So, the title of this blog originally comes from my summer in Ocean City, Maryland where I worked as a waitress and enjoyed leaning to swim in the ocean. It was salty, no mystery there, but the big learning experience was being knocked down by breaking waves and ground into the sandy beach, an experience I wanted to learn from quickly! I then learned to watch a wave approach and dive right into the middle of it as it broke over my head. Cowabunga – success! In the blink of an eye, I was on the other side and feeling more like a dolphin than a human volley ball. Next I started to look farther out to sea and watch the slight swells on the water’s surface – waves in their infancy. Often, one would be bigger and more powerful looking than the others. I would wait for that one and it never disappointed me – it was extra big and extra thrilling to dive into.

I liken this small swell of interest building between Christians and Jews with those long ago oceans swells, and I have the same confidence that this will be even more thrilling to dive into someday as it breaks upon an amazed people. Just like a fractured family, old wounds will be discussed, grieved over, then healed by the overarching love of God – the same God for all! And do we want to be like the girl above, not seeing the wave breaking out of our immediate sight or do we want to turn around and watch this wonderful time unfold?

We can then enter the glorious world of the promised Millennium, working together for the good of all mankind and not just a privileged few. It will be a wholesome world where love and fairness reign, and creation steps into endless fulfillment, “worlds without number.”

Billions of Stars in a Single Galaxy Courtesy Pixabay.com Image 10995

For some quick inspiration listen to the Tabernacle Choir sing Jerusalem, the Holy City and imagine singing that with our Jewish siblings, from both “Jerusalems”! Stanford Olsen could hardly keep it together as he sang and neither can I, although a later version with the Choir was more “performance perfect”! Pick your fav . . .