2004) and Q&A (New Era, May 2002 and Mar. Hey there, cousinanother Grover descendant here. The Lord said to Abraham, I give unto thee a promise that this right [meaning the right to receive the gospel and the priesthood] shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (Abr. Kevin, a natural extension of this principle would seem to apply to literal descendants of Aaron, which D/C 68 tells us are entitled to be bishops (at least male firstborn desecendants). Latter-day Saint Life Patriarchal Blessings: What to Do When Yours Isn't "Coming True" Therefore, your life and priesthood have remained, and must needs remain through you and your lineage (D&C 86:810). Many Latter-day Saints are of the tribe of Ephraim, the tribe given the primary responsibility to lead the latter-day work of the Lord. Diversity and Unity in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Environmental Stewardship and Conservation, Joseph Smiths Teachings about Priesthood, Temple, and Women, Peace and Violence among 19th-Century Latter-day Saints, The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage, Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham. But I really like what was said in the OP about the tribes basically being all mixed in with the entire world population. I thought there was something unique to that until I worked as a temple worker for a few years and understood how the names really work. There was a disappearance of the dividing line between time and eternity. Im sure everyones grandpa was a great man with unique experiences and uplifting stories. Perhaps there was a genetic difference that was passed along. If one is worthy, all promises will be fulfilled in the Lords due time. I believe the prophesy (D&C 133:26-34) of a specific group representing the 10 tribes gathered in from the North has already been fulfilled with the influx of converts from Northern Europe who came and made up a large portion of the membership in Utah and laid the foundation for full work of the gathering of Israel from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people (D&C 77:11) in these last days. Am I Less Worthy Not Being From the Tribe of Ephraim? I dont know whether this was a uniform church policy or just local practice, but years ago, my mission president told me that when he was stake president, one of his responsibilities was to briefly read through each patriarchal blessing just to ensure that the patriarch is still pronouncing fresh, unique, inspired blessings and not falling into rote patterns. This last summer when we had a family reunion, I saw my fathers granddaughters moving about tending to the food and ministering to the young children and the elderly, and the realization came to me that Fathers blessing had been literally fulfilled; he has, indeed, many beautiful daughters. And, if inspiration is tied to it, Im fine being told my lineage whether that relates to some gene manifestation, some promise, or something tied to my spirit. D&C 84:33-34). Ive been asked this question, and had a thought hit me that seemed correct at the time. [2] 41 But they took this counsel among themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth into a further country, where never mankind dwelt. It contains personal revelation and instructions from Heavenly Father, who knows our strengths, weaknesses, and eternal potential. And if he did not have descendants that survived to today, well, then obviously no one alive today is a descendant of Ephraim. And my guess is that people have just assumed you can think in the same way about the biblical patriarchs; I might be descended from one, and you from another. My most famous Mormon ancestor was Thomas Grover, who was my great, great, great grandfather (on my mothers side). Too many members use it the wrong way. 32, right (16 +16)? Those promises and blessings that are not realized in this life will be fulfilled in the next. Salvation and exaltation are often used synonymously, but salvation (being resurrected) will be granted to all through Gods grace while exaltation (ones final degree of glory) hinges on our choices. Book of Mormon: broken promises, false prophecies, historically inncorrect, poor grammarhow can you trust this? "Prophet" John Taylor in prison for polygamy. Will the United States be on the side of Israel in the last war? In the second half of the 8th century B.C. Why arent prophets giving us specific signs to watch for? 31:9; cf. Multiple non-Ephraim blessings would be flagged. Those who have received a patriarchal blessing should treasure its words, ponder them, and live to be worthy to receive the promised blessings in this life and in the life to come. I dont know how they do it. I think he also mentioned reviewers (SP and SLC). I was not ready for it but my Bishop pushed for me to get it. These chosen men live lives that entitle them to the inspiration of heaven. To answer about the personal importance I attached to lineage, I would stay the most important impact has been on my mission. Probably even their dogs had wonderful characteristics and spiritual gifts. After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. Are comments like "blacks are slaves mentally" really from the God of the Bible or racist men? Most of those people are dead now. From an address given at Brigham Young University on March 30, 1980. Teaching Children about Patriarchal Blessings, What a Patriarchal Blessing Can Do for You. Grab the info you need on several topics all in one easy access point! I received my own patriarchal blessing when I was but a boy of 12. Kinderhook Plates and The Greek Psalter Incident serve as further proof Smith was a false prophet. The patriarch who gave my father his blessing had spiritual vision to see beyond this life. The one youre supposed to know. I dont like the fact that patriarchal blessings (which I consider to be very personal) are being read by SPs without permission. An elder in our mission who had a black father, and white mother was quite disturbed by his patriarchal blessing because he was declared to not have a lineage of any tribe. 2. The blood of one tribe, therefore, may be dominant in one child and the blood of another tribe dominant in another child, so children from the same parents could belong to different tribes. Was the restriction of unclean foods in the Bible a commandment. There are many coming into the Church who are not of the blood lineage of a specific tribe of Jacob. 3:6). They are then entitled to all the rights and privileges of heirs (TPJS, Darius Grey was declared to be of all the tribes except one. Widtsoe, John A. Evidences and Reconciliations, pp. I mean, thats a pretty convenient view for sure given that nearly everyone has been assigned to Ephraim. . While the primary responsibilities of Ephraim are to spread the gospel, the primary responsibilities of Judah are to maintain and keep the records. .. They are then entitled to all the rights and privileges of heirs (TPJS, pp. Eldred G. Smith said this Many of us are a mixture of several tribes of Israel, and so it is the right of the patriarch to declare that line through which the blessings of Israel shall come., many of us are a mixture of several tribes. Elder John A. Widtsoe, an Apostle, declared, "In giving a blessing the patriarch may declare our lineage-that is, that we are of Israel, therefore of the family of Abraham, and of a specific tribe of Jacob. Why do Mormons attack the body of Christ if they're Christians? The Lord continued to acknowledge Ephraim's blessing centuries later when he said, "I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn" (Jer. Good questionand I dont feel confident that I have a handle on an answer. They have failed to remember that, in the gospel, life with all its activities continues forever and that the labors of earth may be continued in heaven. No blessings have been alike that weve come across in the stake. I dont see any of us better or different than others just because we come from a different tribe. But there are genuine bottlenecks in places like New Guinea, the Amazon, and other places where small populations have lived for very long times without outside contact. Therefore, whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do you even unto them. "for I know whom I have believed" 2 Tim. Amen! You can when you receive your patriarchal blessing. Regarding Patriarchal blessings and the declaration of lineage, President James E. Faust stated: . I found his perspective to be rather blurry, administrative and academic as compared to other patriarchs in the church, but was appreciative of his personal honesty and openness to the processes and policies. 3:5). First, the patriarch will be inspired to declare your lineagethe tribe of Israel to which you belong. 12: 21 ), but the nearness to Jerusalem seems to have caused Benjamin gradually to become part of the kingdom of Judah. Second, guided by the spirit of prophecy, the patriarch will pronounce blessings and may also provide promises, cautions, or admonitions that apply specifically to you. British Israelism. In Abraham we are told, And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father (Abr. Yet we know so little about spirituality and the connection between a body and spirit that its hard to even know where to start. Mormon Salvation vs. Biblical Salvation. . God knows our spirits; He knows our strengths and weaknesses. To me that is significant in that every last one of us is one of gods covenant people and that the restoration of the tribes could therefore more broadly be seen as the reconciliation of every human being with deity. Whether this lineage is of blood or adoption it does not matter" (p. 73; cf. (I tried posting this once and it didnt take; apologies if this becomes a duplicate). The lembda carry confirmed cmh so can they serve as a bishop by right of lineage with no counselors required? The patriarchal office is one of blessing, not of administration, nor of counseling. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, ed. asos mens hoodies Ephraim was the son of Joseph and Asenath and the younger brother of Manasseh (Gen. 41:50-52). I am going to keep trying for my husband and myself to get new blessings. This is excellent I dont necessarily have an answer to what they mean in an objective sense, and I have some thoughts about what they mean to me personally (I value them), but this is a really informative summary of the concept of the Twelve Tribes and the population genetics problem associated with taking too literal a belief in being a descendant of one particular patriarch (but not all the others, which, as you note, if there are living descendants of any of them, all human beings are among those descendants). Whether his children directly through bloodline or through adoption, we are heirs to both the blessings and responsibilities of the Abrahamic covenant. It doesnt really seem to be a meaningful category for me personally. The views expressed by individual users are the responsibility of those users and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. I would HATE that calling . A patriarchal blessing is a unique and remarkable privilege that can come to the faithful members of the Church having sufficient maturity to understand the nature and the importance of such blessings. In a similar vein, Ive always found D&C 15 and 16 a fascinating phenomenon. Circling back to the topic, I think grammar and precise word choice matters in the gospel. No one need assume that he or she will be denied any blessing by reason of not being of the blood lineage of Israel. 20% of verses in the Book of Mormon contain the phrase "and it came to pass", Almost 4,000 changes to the Book of Mormon and over 7,200 Greek and Latin words found, Book of Mormon Artifacts; Smithsonian & National Geographic says no artifacts found. But after Solomons death the kingdom fractured into two: a northern kingdom called Israel, and a southern kingdom called Judah (including Jerusalem). . I never really put much stock in my lineage. Aggregated Content Copyright 2008-2011 by the original authors. What are the blessings of the tribe of Ephraim? How do I get rid of inappropriate thoughts? What does it mean to be from the lineage of Joseph? The only name that counts in the temple is the name of Jesus Christ. The southern kingdom was nominally comprised of two tribes: Judah and Benjamin (which basically had been absorbed into Judah), and the northern kingdom of the remaining ten tribes. The office of patriarch is one of the great separate priesthood offices of the Melchizedek Priesthood. 46 Then dwelt they there until the latter time; and now when they shall begin to come. He served (serves) as Patriarch of the Manhattan stake. Those who are not literal descendants are adopted into the family of Abraham when they receive baptism and confirmation (see Law of Adoption ). There were no daughters born to them, but of course they treated the wives of their sons as daughters. Ask any patriarch and they will tell you that the Stake President is supposed to regularly review the blessings given. The Patriarch who did my blessing years earlier before my spouse was still Patriarch and did my spouses blessing. Those who are not literal descendants are adopted into the family of Abraham when they receive baptism and confirmation (see Law of Adoption). Evidently, the Church thinks enough of this tradition that they continue to insist that declaration of lineage is the most essential part of the blessing. The real answer: nobody knows. Post author: Post published: June 12, 2022 Post category: amalfi furniture collection Post comments: somerdale nj police chief somerdale nj police chief over a 20-year period several thousand Israelites were taken captive to Assyria and resettled there. So how many slots would there be in the year 1800? Mormon lives are busier than most. It does not matter if a persons lineage in the house of Israel is through bloodlines or by adoption. An examination of the LDS' latest teachings from the presidency to the women's groups. The biblical temple and Mormon temples have virtually nothing in common; find out why. YMMV, of course. And again: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises (Rom. The patriarchal blessings of most Latter-day Saints indicate that they are literal, blood descendants of Abraham and of Israel. How many ancestral slots would there be at that time depth? I believe I know what it means for me but I couldnt tell someone else what theirs means. JSJ preached a little on physical blood changes upon conversion, which we dont teach today but which clearly influenced the patriarchal blessing process and how we view lineage today: 14. What it means to me is that we are ALL, every one of us on the face of the earth, brothers and sisters, literally. From that short blessing I learned something about my responsibilities and my labors in establishing the kingdom. While the idea of literal ancestry was strongly held in the 19th and early 20th century, my sense is that that view is receding, because it just plain doesnt make a lot of sense. If you look at how the office of patriarch came about, you find that Joseph may have been just a little jealous of Brigham for coming up with the idea of patriarchal blessings first and so elevated his own father to patriarch over the whole church. According to Religion 430-431 - Doctrinces of the Gospel Student Manual, the tribe of Ephraim is greatly praised by the LDS Church. Why are there so many rules to obey for salvation if Mormonism is a Christian church? The Twelve Tribes according to their inheritance of land in Palestine were as follows: Eventually the northern kingdom ran afoul of the great world power at the time, Assyria. My ancestry is both from old england, and spain with many crypto and sephardic jews mixed in. So I talked to some other members my age who I knew, told them what I discovered, and asked if they would take my blessing and compare it to theirs, as they had same Patriarch. Its symbolic with occasional nods to obvious ethnicities. These blessings include access to the Book of Mormon, which stands as another testament of Jesus Christ. Anyone or anything that disagrees with the LDS Church is considered anti-Mormon. Find out who and why we shouldn't trust their testimonies. The patriarchal blessings of most Latter-day Saints indicate that they are literal, blood descendants of Abraham and of Israel. Should we trust someone who's involved with these things? It was also promised specifically to Judah that he would be a ruler and overcome his enemies-. Evidences and Reconciliations, arr. When the Lord tells us not to seek out soothsayers or fortune tellers, Hes not just yammering on with another rule. Our patriarchal blessings indicate what the Lord expects of us and what our potential can be. "We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent" (A of F 10; cf. Our blessings can encourage us when we are discouraged, strengthen us when we are fearful, comfort us when we sorrow, give us courage when we are filled with anxiety, lift us up when we are weak in spirit. But what about the over 600 hundred laws? 72-77. Very interesting, thank you. But a passage in 2 Esdras 13 of the Apocrypha portrays them as maintaining coherence as a group: 40 Those are the ten tribes, which were carried away prisoners out of their own land in the time of Osea the king, whom Salmanasar the king of Assyria led away captive, and he carried them over the waters, and so came they into another land. I read my deceased parents blessings, from a different Patriarch, and what a difference. This has bothered me for over thirty years. Those who follow the counsel in their patriarchal blessing will be less likely to go astray or be misled. Its nice to have that extra copy of the will around with some reassuring words that you havent been disinherented, I suppose. The overwhelming number of such assignments of lineage are to Ephraim, with substantial numbers being assigned to Manasseh (especially in central and south America and the Pacific Islands), and Jews are generally assigned to Judah. 8:9). According to other Book of Mormon scriptures, Lehi belonged to the tribe of Manasseh. Ephraim is the tribe of the restoration. Patriarchal blessings should be read humbly and prayerfully and frequently. Patriarchal blessings are sacred and personal. tribe of ephraim lds patriarchal blessing [Patriarchal Blessings] Patriarchal Blessing of Joseph Smith, Jr., given by Joseph Smith, Sr. stated "thou shalt stand on Mount Zion when the tribes of Jacob come shouting from the north, and with thy brethren, the sons of Ephraim, crown them in the name of Jesus Christ: Thou shalt see thy Redeemer come in the clouds of heaven (2) The Gathering of . canik sfx recoil springs hoop central 6 script pastebin sherwinwilliams wood stain colors. Ive ordered copies of some ancestors patriarchal blessings in preparation for a family reunion in Nauvoo, and especially liked the instances of people with multiple blessings over several decades, including two or three different lineages. Quite honestly, they were probably just absorbed into Assyrian society (and not allowed to maintain a continuing identity and relationships as were the Jews in the later Babylonian captivity). A look at the 3 gods of the Mormon godhead. Everyone baptized into the gospel belongs to one of these 12 tribes, but what does it mean if you don't belong to the same tribe as your family? As a person studies his or her patriarchal blessing and follows the counsel it contains, it will provide guidance, comfort, and protection. I met David Stewart (of cumorah.com) years ago and he mentioned that he tracked patriarchial lineages online from people whod volunteer that info. I compared our two blessings.they were exactly word for word. I tried to explain these population dynamics to some relatives this past weekend and failed spectacularly. This website is not owned by or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). It has a meaning. I think the point of this post and thread is to get past a bit labels like son of a whore and son of a prophet at least in a certain sense (the sense of are we not all beggars, or are we not all children of Adam and Eve?), Coincidentally, since my last post, I came across this germane passage in Romans 9: Further, a "choice seer" would arise from Joseph's descendants who would "do a work for the fruit of [Joseph's] loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I [the Lord] have made with thy fathers" (2 Ne. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his (Rom. 1:12, Would a true apostle say this? I think theres some parallels with patriarchal lineage. (E.g., a baby born in 2000 had two parents born in 1975, four grandparents born in 1950, eight great grandparents born in 1925 and 16 great, great grandparents born in 1900.) Elder John A. Widtsoe stated, Whether this lineage is of blood or of adoption does not matter.2. It is a common feature of patriarchal blessings to declare the tribe from which the person receives the blessing descends. Many Latter-day Saints believe that they are of the branch of Ephraim, of whom Joseph prophesied (2 Ne. They got hung up on the real world bottlenecks you describe (What about an isolated tribe from Iceland?) and so rejected the whole argument. Were all probably descended from all 12 of the sons of Jacob. You can read more about it here in an awesome article Melissa wrote! Our patriarchal blessing names the predominant bloodline to which each individual will be held accountable, and so it is not uncommon for members of the same family to be declared of different tribal lineages. Each tribe is named after one of the sons of Jacob, and carries with it certain primary duties. Sorry, hit wrong button and comment sent before conclusion. Id say the other ordinances (baptism and sealing) are sufficient for establishing heirship, perhaps thats why they are essential ordinances and PBs arent. The 10 th President of the LDS Church, Joseph Fielding Smith, said, "A blessing given by a Patriarch is intended to point out the path which the recipient should travel. If Ephraim had descendants that survived to today, then pretty much everyone on the planet is a descendant of Ephraim (excluding some limited areas where reasonable mixing does not occur, such as say Australian aborigines). May 30, 2012 | AAAA AskGramps Website, Bible, Blessings, Family Roots | 3 comments. (2 Kgs. Yes, know that there have been and probably are patriarchs who are on automatic. Our patriarchs give total devotion to their callings and do all they can to live in faith and worthiness so that each blessing is inspired. She has 17 descendents (4 children, 8 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren), but only one heir to her throne, Prince Charles. I recall him saying that the tribe of Dan is overwhelmingly from Ireland. Only one of those descendents was willing and desirous to carry on what hed begun removing the muggleborns from the school. Jesus said; "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Historical evidence proves Lehi & Nephi didn't exist! 16:11-12; 3 Ne. Adoption into the House of Israel Our blessings can encourage us when we are discouraged, strengthen us when we are fearful, comfort us when we sorrow, give us courage when we are filled with anxiety, lift us up when we are weak in spirit. And if the 12 patriarchs all had descendants that survived until today, then each of those patriarchs is going to fill many, many slots on that pedigree chart for our hypothetical child.
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