Sacred Calendars and the Seventh Seal (part 2)

If you would like to begin by reading part 1, I highly recommend it.  This post assumes you have already digested that post about sacred calendars and predicting the future.


In doing some personal research on sacred calendars, I have decided to research the timing of the great meeting at Adam-ondi-Ahman.  For you scriptural scholars out there, I know exactly what you are thinking... "Which one?"  (For those who have no idea what I am talking about, bear with me...)

Adam-ond-Ahman (part 1)

As we discussed previously, I am fascinated by the work of John Pratt on astronomy, sacred calendars, and religious history.  I have seen his list of hundreds of historical dates that have been calculated based on the alignment of holy days (or "holidays") on sacred calendars.  My understanding is that the list is ongoing.  Dr. Pratt has used scriptural, historical, and apocryphal works to approximate a date range and then looks to see if their is a logical calendrical alignment.  If the planets align (literally and figuratively) then he concludes that the day of their alignment must be the day in question.

There are many clues in the scriptures about the timing and dates of certain events in history.  Thus the reason Dr. Pratt has such a long list.  However, there is one date that has not been published by him, and I wanted to try my hand at finding it myself.

The date I wanted to find is mentioned in this scripture:

53 Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing.
54 And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel.
55 And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever.
56 And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and, notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation.
57 These things were all written in the book of Enoch, and are to be testified of in due time. (D&C 107:53-57)

I wanted to know the date of the first assembly at Adam-ondi-Ahman that occurred "three years previous to the death of Adam."  To do so, I used the calendar program Dr. Pratt provides on his website and the death date of Adam discovered by Dr. Pratt previously.

[The given day our father Adam died was Tuesday, 26 Sep, 3071 BC, fulfilling the prophecy from God himself concerning the forbidden fruit where he said to Adam, "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:17)]

Because there are no clarifiers in the text of the scriptures (such as nearly, almost, more than, exactly, etc.), we can't tell how closely the date would line up with the three year mark.  So, I looked at dates between Jan 3074 BC and April 3073 BC.  The two dates that seem most interesting are:

Friday, 5 Sep 3074 BC 

• This is a holy day on 5 sacred calendars:
• Sacred Round, Mercury, Uniform Mercury, Mars, and Chronos (Uranus)
• Anniversary of Adam's birthday:
• Sacred Round, Mercury, Chronos
• Anniversary of Enoch's birthday:
• Sacred Round, Uniform Mercury

The alignments here with the Chronos (Uranus) calendar are significant.  Of all the Chronos holidays, the most important is the day that Adam was born.  It was that same holiday that the Book of Mormon was first published and Jesus was presented at the temple as a baby (along with other events).  Because the cycle of Uranus is so long, holiday alignments on the Uranus calendar are extremely rare.  If this is the correct date for the first Adam-ondi-Ahman council, having it be the same day as Adam's birth on three calendars is remarkable by itself, but it is astounding to have one of them be the Chronos calendar.

Adam was certainly the central figure of this meeting.  It was Adam that called together his posterity.  He blessed them.  He prophesied to them.  He was praised and blessed by those present.  The Lord himself also appeared to comfort and bless Adam.  Even the valley itself was named after him.  It would definitely be appropriate if the sacred calendars were also celebrating Adam, the Prince, on that extremely special day.

Saturday, 22 Nov 3074 BC

• This is a holy day on 7 sacred calendars:
• Sacred Round, Mercury, Uniform Mercury, Uniform Venus, Mars, Uniform Enoch, Priest, Jubilees
• This is a Saturday (the Sabbath) which is also holy
• Future date of the founding of the city of Enoch (Zion):
• Sacred Round, Mars, Uniform Enoch, Priest
• Future date of Christ's birthday:
• Sacred Round, Mercury
• Future Date of Christ's resurrection:
• Mercury

The most "holy" days in all history according to sacred calendars are:

1. The day that time began (in the scriptures this is called "the beginning of time" or "the foundation of the world")
2. The day that Christ went to the spirit world "to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound" to begin the work that would free the innumerable spirits in prison from the effects of sin and death
3. The day that Christ was resurrected, fully breaking the bands of death for all mankind

Another event that is also extremely important on the sacred calendars is the birth of Christ.  However, this event is celebrated on two different days.  These two days taken together are significant reminders of the importance of the birth of Christ: 

• The actual day of his birth
• The day that he was "presented to the Lord" at the temple (see Luke 2:21-24)  

The day of presentation marked the end of the days of purification for Mary, and a sacrifice of two turtledoves was made according to the law of Moses.  It seems that the Lord wanted to make it clear that this child was to be the great and last sacrifice, the sacrifice of the Son of God to purify all mankind.

I mention these most sacred days because other holy days have always been made more holy if they fall on these calendar days.  This second date, in addition to falling on an amazing number of holy days, also falls on the dates of Christ's birth and his resurrection.  That day, if truly the same day as a sacred event, would have been very special indeed.

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So, which of these days is the actual date of the first meeting at Adam-ondi-Ahman?  Well, I can't tell.  Perhaps, significant events happened on both days.  Maybe Adam's posterity dwelled with him for a couple of months, to learn all they could from him and to hear him predict "whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation."  When you get that kind of spiritual power together in one gathering, the only conclusion is that many remarkable things would have happened.  One day may not have been enough time for it all.

We may very well find out which day was the most important when we have the second meeting with Adam at Adam-ondi-Ahman.  That day may be on the anniversary of the original gathering and will surely be holy on many sacred calendars as well.  I look forward to that very much.

Sacred Calendars and the Seventh Seal (part 1)

I watched a debate yesterday between a Protestant Scholar (Dr. James White) and an LDS Apologist from the University of Utah (Dr. Martin Tanner).  There were many things that stand out, but one of the things that was mentioned by Dr. White was that "God created all things, even time itself."

Let's take a look at time in the way God looks at it.

God Created Time

First, what is time?  Time is defined by the way it is measured.  For example a day is one complete spin of the earth.  A year is one revolution of the earth around the sun.

Our "times and seasons" are literally defined by the movements of the "heavenly bodies" in our solar system.  We learn this in the Doctrine and Covenants:

42 And again, verily I say unto you, he hath given a law unto all things, by which they move in their times and their seasons;
43 And their courses are fixed, even the courses of the heavens and the earth, which comprehend the earth and all the planets.
44 And they give light to each other in their times and in their seasons, in their minutes, in their hours, in their days, in their weeks, in their months, in their years—all these are one year with God, but not with man. (D&C 88:42-44)

In other words, the solar system is a giant clock.  Literally.  We are very familiar with the cycles of the sun, earth, and moon in relation to each other.   They determine our days, months, seasons, and years.  However, while the sun is the center of the solar system, it is important to note that the heavenly clock created by the Lord was designed for us on earth.  We are the focal point.

John Pratt's work in a few paragraphs

In studying the times and seasons, I have been fascinated by the work of astronomer and programmer John Pratt.  His website outlines just about everything you would ever need to know about calendars and dates in relation to the scriptures and LDS church history.  He has defined 14 calendars that can be considered Sacred Calendars because the Lord has used them to mark important dates throughout history.  In other words, special days for the Lord and his work fall on special days on these calendars.

Here is an example.  One of the holiest days on the Hebrew calendar is the "holi-day" of the Passover.  Christ was born on the Passover.  The day Christ was born was obviously an important day for the Lord and he used the Hebrew calendar to designate that day as holy.  It also happened to fall on "holy days" on the Venus calendar, the Mercury calendar, and the Mayan calendar (or Sacred Round calendar, as Dr. Pratt calls it).

Here are the calendars that have been defined and researched by Dr. Pratt:

1. Mercury calendar
2. Venus calendar
3. Mars calendar
4. Uranus (Chronos) calendar
5. Hebrew calendar
6. Sacred Round calendar (variation of the Mayan calendar)
7. Enoch calendar (described in the apocryphal book of Enoch)
8. Temple Priest calendar
9. Jubilees calendar

The planetary calendars are based on their position in our sky.  Each major change in position or direction  is considered a "holy day."  For example, the first day when Mercury disappears because it is between the Earth and the sun.

The Sacred Round calendar has the same cycle as Mercury (both are 260 days long).

The Hebrew calendar is based on moon cycles rather than sun cycles and uses correction months and days to realign it with "new moons" and the solar year.  In fact, almost all of the calendars have these corrections to realign things with solar years.

Dr. Pratt found that if you take existing sacred calendars (using their primary pattern) and eliminate these correction days, you have a completely new set of "holy days."  Using this principle, he added what he calls "uniform" calendars:

1. Uniform Mercury calendar
2. Uniform Venus calendar
3. Uniform Mars calendar
4. Uniform Enoch calendar
5. Uniform Jubilees calendar

According to these calendar alignments, the most holy days in all of history are the first day of Adam's mortality (or what the scriptures call "the beginning of time"), the day Christ visited the Spirit World, and the day of the resurrection of Christ.

Lessons About Time

God is Exact

The first lesson is that God is exact when it comes to dates and times.  If these calendars are accurate (and they seem to be), Christ was born exactly 4000 years after the first day of mortality (the beginning of time), to the day!  Both days were Passover on the Hebrew calendar.

The Doctrine and Covenants revelation about the birth of Christ is likewise accurate to the day.  The church was organized exactly 1830 years after the birth day of Christ.  (That day was revealed to Joseph Smith, by the way, as the exact day the church was to be born.  The church and the Savior will share a birthday forever now!)

So when God says that he has divided his works into seven parts (or "seals") which are the seven thousand years of the Earth's temporal existence (see D&C 77:6-7), he is saying each of the seven seals is exactly one thousand years long to the day.

The Meridian of Time

Because we are still in the sixth seal, and there have been more than 2000 years since the birth of Christ, then something happened that changed the reckoning of time.

Apparently, the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ were all separate from the "hidden things of [God's] economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence." (D&C 77:6)  This period between seals is called "the meridian of time" in the scriptures.

When did the meridian of time end?  Well, here is one clue:

21 Wherefore, the Almighty God gave his Only Begotten Son, as it is written in those scriptures which have been given of him.
22 He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them.
23 He was crucified, died, and rose again the third day;
24 And ascended into heaven...
25 That as many as would believe and be baptized in his holy name, and endure in faith to the end, should be saved—
26 Not only those who believed after he came in the meridian of time, in the flesh, but all those from the beginning, even as many as were before he came, who believed in the words of the holy prophets, who spake as they were inspired by the gift of the Holy Ghost, who truly testified of him in all things, should have eternal life,
27 As well as those who should come after , who should believe in the gifts and callings of God by the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father and of the Son; (D&C 20:21-27)

Perhaps the reason the meridian of time is separate is because it has never been hidden.  It has been spoken of by all the Holy Prophets since the world began.  For all true prophets testify (or prophesy) of Christ.

This scripture mentions the temptations, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.  If the "meridian of time" includes his coming "in the flesh," which events would count as occurring "in the flesh"?  You could make the claim that death is the end of mortality and so the day of the crucifixion is the final day he was here in the flesh.  You could also say that his body was still here and that he still had claim upon it.  Therefore, the resurrection was his final day "in the flesh."  Because this scripture mentions the ascension as well, that may need to be included likewise "in the meridian of time."

The ascension, interestingly enough, is grouped together with these events in other places as well:

2 Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and death of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven. (Mosiah 18:2)

This scripture seems to imply that Christ's "ascension into heaven" was an essential part of our redemption.  That, of course, makes sense.  The whole purpose of the redemption is to bring us back into the presence of God.  Christ ascended into heaven and shows us the way back to the Father.

20 Now, my son, I do not say that their resurrection cometh at the resurrection of Christ; but behold, I give it as my opinion, that the souls and the bodies are reunited, of the righteous, at the resurrection of Christ, and his ascension into heaven. (Alma 40:20)

Here again the ascension is grouped with the resurrection.

So, the "meridian of time" ended with either the crucifixion, the resurrection, or the ascension of Christ.  Consequently, the seventh seal should be opened exactly 2000 years from one of these dates:

• Crucifixion - April 1, 33 AD
• Resurrection - April 3, 33 AD
• Ascension - May 12, 33 AD

I believe the day of the crucifixion of Christ would be the most likely end for the meridian of time.  This was the last event of the Savior's ministry that was seen by the world, both the wicked and the righteous.  Everything since that time was hidden from the world with Christ in God.  It was also the last day of Christ "in the flesh," or in other words, his last day with a mortal body.

Predicting the Future

Using the same methodology Dr. Pratt used for discovering dates in the past, we can try to discover possible dates in the future.  If we look, for example, at each of the possible dates for the beginning of the seventh seal, here is what we find:

• Crucifixion Anniversary - Friday, April 1, 2033
• This day is exactly 2000 years after the crucifixion on our modern calendar
• It is a Friday, just like the crucifixion
• This is a Holy Day on the following 7 calendars:
• Mercury, Uniform Mercury, Venus, Uniform Mars, Sacred Round
• After sunset: Hebrew (sunset starts the Biblical New Year), Enoch
• This day shares holy days with the birth of King David (M/SR) and the death of ancient Joseph (M/PHC)
• Very appropriate for the passing of the Kingdom from the tribe of Joseph to the second King David (Christ) 
• It also shares two holy days with the date of the publishing of the Book of Mormon (V/PHC)
• Resurrection Anniversary - Sunday, April 3, 2033
• This day is exactly 2000 years after the resurrection on our modern calendar
• It is a Sunday, just like the resurrection
• This is a Holy Day on the Enoch calendar and Priest calendar (in the morning)
• On our modern calendar, it is exactly 197 years after the appearance of Christ, Moses, Elias, and Elijah in the Kirtland Temple and shares a holy day on the Enoch calendar with that event
• It is General Conference weekend, the modern anniversary of the birth of the latter-day church
• It is the "third day" on 5 calendars
• It also shares a holy day on the Enoch calendar with the beginning of time, the birth of ancient Joseph, and the resurrection of Christ
• Ascension Anniversary - Thursday, May 12, 2033
• This doesn't appear to be a holy day on any calendar
• The Hebrew equivalent anniversary would be May 26, 2033 and that day is likewise ordinary

While this future anniversary of the resurrection seems special (and very well could be), it appears that the anniversary of the crucifixion is the more significant day and a better candidate for the day the seventh seal will be opened, the millennium will begin, and a new era will be introduced for the earth.

Words of Caution

While these calendars and these exercises are fascinating, there are a few things to remember:

• I believe everything I am writing here and not trying to mislead in any way.  However, if you are relying on a blog to prepare you for the millennium and the second coming, might I suggest adding some additional sources with a more direct line to heaven.  Always follow the prophets, seers, and revelators of the church.
• I have not seen these dates or events in vision (yet).  Predicting the future without revelation from the Lord is perilous business.  If these dates turn out to be correct, I will not be surprised.  If they turn out to be incorrect, I will not be surprised.
• Many will balk at this exercise and say that we are not allowed to know the date of the second coming.  They might even add an (!) or two.  That may be true for now, but keep in mind that the opening of the seventh seal is not the date of the coming of Christ.
• Many of the "times and seasons" designed into the planets and stars are meant for us in the latter-days.  No other generation had the ability as a society to see the planets and stars or study them like we can.  These dates, then, are our responsibility to study and ponder.  If you ask the Lord to reveal these things to you, it will be easier if he has something to start with.  How will you even know what to ask if you haven't thought this through?

Stay tuned for more of my research into future dates of extreme importance.

Why we are still in the sixth seal

It has been a while since my last post, but this is something worth elaborating.

Are we in the sixth seal or the seventh seal?

Well, we can only be in the seventh seal, or more properly "in the thousand year period after the opening of the seventh seal," if all of the prophecies concerning the sixth seal have been fulfilled.  (I am not one of those that thinks there is some sort of cosmic crossover of the seals because time does not exist to God, or some sort of similar logical stretch.)

Alright, so are there any of the prophecies of the sixth seal that are yet to be fulfilled?

First, let me explain how we might be able to look beyond the book of Revelation to find "other" sixth seal events.  There are really only two straightforward locations in the scriptures that explicitly speak of the sixth seal.  One is, of course, in the book of Revelation (Rev. 6:12 through Rev. 7:17).  The other is in Doctrine and Covenants (77:8-11).  Any other prophecy concerning the second coming requires estimation or guessing to put it "in the right seal."  Or does it?

I actually think that the Lord uses these time periods more often than we might think.  In JST Peter we read:

8 But concerning the coming of the Lord, beloved, I would not have you ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (JST Peter 3:8)

This is specifically "concerning the coming of the Lord."  So, when a second coming scripture says "the day of the Lord" or "in the great and terrible day of the Lord" it is speaking of the seventh seal. When it says "before the day of the Lord shall come" or "before the great and coming day" it is speaking of the sixth seal.

Here are some examples of sixth seal scriptures that follow this format:

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. (Joel 2:31) 

5 ¶Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: (Malachi 4:5)

42 And before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven. (D&C 45:42)

24 But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose. (D&C 49:24)

Notice that most of this has already happened.  It is arguable whether we have seen "the stars fall from heaven" or whether "the Lamanites [have] blossom[ed] as the rose."

The Great Earthquake

One significant prophecy that I believe we have yet to see is the great earthquake mentioned by John the Revelator.

12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake... (Rev. 6:12)

This earthquake might be part of the same series of events as these signs as well:

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. (Rev. 6:14)

I could be mistaken, but I don't think we have seen these things yet.

The Sealing of the 144,000

The Doctrine and Covenants says that the 7th chapter of Revelation takes place during the sixth seal:

9 Q. What are we to understand by the angel ascending from the east, Revelation 7th chapter and 2nd verse?...
10 Q. What time are the things spoken of in this chapter to be accomplished?
A. They are to be accomplished in the sixth thousand years, or the opening of the sixth seal. (D&C 77:9-10)

There are some pretty significant sixth seal events that are described in Revelation chapter 7. They include:

• "the wind should not blow on the earth" - verse 1
• "there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel." - verse 4
• "a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb" - verse 9

Again, unless I am significantly out-of-the-loop, these events are also in the future.

The Restoration of the Jews

One final thing, and we'll leave it alone:

The "restoration of the Jews" is an important period of time that must occur before the second coming of Christ.  It will culminate in the appearance of Christ himself to the Jews at Jerusalem.  When he sets his foot upon the Mount of Olives, causing it to divide asunder. the Jews who remain will finally know and fully recognize their true Messiah.  The beginning of the restoration of the Jews must be, according to our method of reckoning, during the sixth seal.  The clue is found in this scripture:

42 And before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven.
43 And the remnant shall be gathered unto this place; (D&C 45:42-43)

Notice, first of all, the phrase: "before the day of the Lord shall come."  We have a reference once again to the darkening of the sun, the moon turning to blood, and the stars falling from heaven.  Then the scripture also says that "the remnant shall be gathered unto this place."

Lest you think these are unrelated, the next verse says, "then they shall look for me, and, behold, I will come."  Anytime a scripture says "then" we know that it will happen in a specific chronological order. Therefore, we have a time period here "before the day of the Lord" and another afterward when the Lord says, "I will come."  The remnant will be gathered unto "this place" during the sixth seal.

The Remnant

Who is the remnant?  It is the Jews.  This particular revelation is an extension of the revelation given by Christ to his Apostles in Jerusalem.  He talks about the remnant earlier in the revelation when he says:

24 And this I have told you concerning Jerusalem; and when that day shall come, shall a remnant be scattered among all nations;
25 But they shall be gathered again; but they shall remain until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (D&C 45:24-25)

So, the first thing we notice is that this "remnant" of Jerusalem (the Jews) will be scattered among all nations.  Later, after the "Times of the Gentiles" is fulfilled they will be gathered again.  In the previous scripture, we learned that this gathering will occur "before the day of the Lord shall come."  The gathering of the Jews to Jerusalem will occur during the sixth seal.

The Times of the Gentiles

"Ah," you say, "Now I've got you!  The Jews were gathered a long time ago to the State of Israel!  So this proves nothing!" Before getting all hasty and stuff consider this quote from President Benson:

“The Lord has designated these days in which we live as the ‘times of the Gentiles.’ ... The ‘times of the Gentiles’ refers to that period of time extending from when the gospel was restored to the world (1830) to when the gospel will again be preached to the Jews—after the Gentiles have rejected it.” (Ezra Taft Benson, “Prepare Yourself for the Great Day of the Lord,” New Era, May 1982)

Again, unless I am totally out-of-the-loop, we are still preaching to the Gentiles and they have not collectively rejected the gospel yet.  Consequently, this time period called the "Times of the Gentiles" is the period in which we are now laboring.

Furthermore, we read this:

9 That through your [Joseph Smith's] administration they may receive the word, and through their [the First Presidency's] administration the word may go forth unto the ends of the earth, unto the Gentiles first, and then, behold, and lo, they shall turn unto the Jews.
10 And then cometh the day when the arm of the Lord shall be revealed in power in convincing the nations, the heathen nations, the house of Joseph, of the gospel of their salvation. (D&C 90:9-10)

Again, notice the word "then."  When the First Presidency "turn[s] unto the Jews" it will be before "the day when the arm of the Lord shall be revealed in power," a seventh seal event.

Timeline

Let's outline everything here:

1. The Times of the Gentiles began in 1830.
2. The Times of the Gentiles will end when the gospel is again preached to the Jews and the Gentiles have rejected it.
3. The First Presidency (and missionary work) will "turn" unto the Jews. (D&C 90:9)
4. The Jews will be gathered unto Jerusalem. (D&C 45:43)
5. The seventh seal will be opened and the seventh thousand years, or the day of the Lord, shall come. (D&C 45:42)

I hope this helps everyone understand that we are still living during the opening of the sixth seal and the Times of the Gentiles.