For this post though, I wish to address something that's been running through my mind periodically for the last several months and has recently come to the forefront of my thought processes because of our study of Genesis 22, Genesis 28, and Deuteronomy 5 in my Hebrew class. We just finished translating Genesis 22, The first four verses of Genesis 28 were our midterm and we've just begun translating Deuteronomy 5.
As we studied these scriptures, there were particular discussions in class and phrases throughout these passages that brought my mind up to the remembrance of these lyrics. These lyrics are ones that I have previously thought in depth about, but had pushed aside for some time because of the relative incompleteness of my knowledge of certain things. As my knowledge has grown, so has my understanding of the lyrics of this sacred hymn. For those that are not familiar with the text, the lyrics are as follows:
1. The Spirit of God like a fire is burning;
The latter day glory begins to come forth;
The visions and blessings of old are returning;
The angels are coming to visit the earth.
2. The Lord is extending the saints' understanding—
Restoring their judges and all as at first;
The knowledge and power of God are expanding
The veil o'er the earth is beginning to burst.
3. We'll call in our solemn assemblies, in spirit,
To spread forth the kingdom of heaven abroad,
That we through our faith may begin to inherit
The visions, and blessings, and glories of God.
4. How blessed the day when the lamb and the lion
Shall lie down together without any ire;
And Ephraim be crown'd with his blessing in Zion,
As Jesus descends with his chariots of fire!
Chorus:
We'll sing and we'll shout with the armies of heaven:
Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb!
Let glory to them in the highest be given,
Henceforth and forever: amen and amen!
LDS Hymns #2
Now, as I've considered the text of this hymn, I have often wondered if this is somewhat a "journey-like" hymn or at least one that is "progressive." Allow me to explain here.
As we are aware, the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints did not come about all at once, nor did it occur with great aplomb, but rather its seeds sprouted forth through the faith of a young fourteen year-old boy who saw God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ in answer to a prayer of supplication to the two Heavenly Beings. Over time, specific truths were revealed and the power of God was gradually returned to the inhabitants of the earth until a fullness of the Gospel existed once again in the mortal realm.
With this gradualness in mind, it offers a somewhat deeper understanding of the lyrics of this song. In the first verse we read that the latter-day glory is beginning to come forth and that angels are coming to visit the earth. This has been fulfilled through the conference of the Priesthood keys upon Joseph Smith - through the hands of John the Baptist and the disciples of Christ - Peter, James and John. The Prophet also received visitations from the angel Moroni in his own bedroom as well as the prophet Elijah - who restored the sealing powers to the earth. Additionally, there are documented visitations of several other angelic beings in the 128th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants - these beings including but not limited to Michael the archangel (Adam), Gabriel (Noah?), Raphael and "of divers angels, from Michael or Adam down to the present time" (Doctrine and Covenants 128:21)
Continue on to the second verse where it clearly notes that the knowledge-base of the Latter-Day Saints is expanding and that the veil over the earth is beginning to burst - which young Joseph demonstrated with his opposition in the Sacred Grove to the power of the adversary and continuing to the spreading of the knowledge of an Eternal Father and a living Christ who performed the action of the Atonement on the behalf of mankind, and the understanding of our divine relationships to both beings.
In verse three is where it gets most interesting. Note the presence of the first line of the verse that states that "we'll call in our solemn assemblies in spirit." This is in direct reference likely to the scripture in Genesis 28:3 which reads "And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and mulitply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people. If one were to translate this verse from is original Hebraic form, they would find that the scripture does not prescribe a "multitude of people" but rather refers to a "large, solemn assembly." Further this with the recognition that in the modern-day - at the passing of the current prophet, the new one is presented to the body of the Church through a solemn assembly - one where the Prophet is sustained by groups, first as a Priesthood body, and eventually embodying the entire Church.
What are the promises of the third first following the first line? That we through our faith may begin to inherit -- or in other words through our support of the Brethren of the Church, including the Lord's Prophet himself, the visions, blessings, and glories of God. In a previous blog I've discussed that the "glory of God" is intelligence or in other words light and truth. (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36)
As Bro. Baron pointed out the other day in class, when we sustain a Prophet of the Lord, we sustain him as not only a Prophet, but also as a Seer, and a Revelator. He then explained that a Prophet speaks of existing truths, a seer sees things not visibile to the natural eye, and a revealator speaks of truths to come. That sure sounds like the "visions, blessings, and glories of God" to me!
Now, the forth verse is one that I find most intriguing. The phrase "How blessed the day when the lamb and the lion shall lie down together without any ire" is the focal point of my thoughts on this verse. This verse is based on the scripture in Isaiah, verse 6 which reads "the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lied down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion, and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."
My thoughts on this are purely speculative, but I believe that the verse should perhaps read: "How blessed the day when the Lamb and the Lion shall lie down together without any ire." The untrained eye may claim that I have made no change in the phrase, but I have - the capitalization of two letters which I believe further annunciates the perhaps intended meaning of this verse.
We don't know much of the Tribes of Israel in their detail - their specific inheritances as they relate the modern-day, their symbols, or really anything. We do know some though. Of the many things that we do know, we know that the tribe of Judah is represented by the symbol of a lion. Jews from birth are of the tribe of Judah - which is where the term Jew came from. Interestingly though, they are still awaiting the coming of Christ - no, not the second one, the FIRST one. We know that one of the many symbols of Christ is the Lamb.
Several modern prophecies and commentaries by the Brethren state that in the Last Days there will be a time of the Genitle and a time of the Jew (the last shall be the first and the first shall be the last; to the Jew first and also to the Greek.) At the time of the jews, the missionary work of the Church will shift its focus on to the Jews across the sea and their eventual acceptance of Christ. When this happens, this will be very soon before the Second Coming and will also perhaps be in fulfillment of the prophetic hymn text that says that the "Lamb and the Lion will lie down together without any ire" or in other words the Jewish nation finally accepting Christ (who is one of their own, but they don't realize that).
In any case, whether my speculations are correct, I gain a great strengthening of my testimony when I hear this song, and wish that more members of the Church would treat this song with the sacredness that it deserves, rather than passively singing this song and nearly every Church occasion that arises.
Those are my thoughts, take them or the leave them!
1 comment:
I like that hymn.
In the chorus, it reads:
"Let glory to them in the highest be given,
Henceforth and forever: amen and amen!" (gavel bangs)
Not too long ago, I learned more about that statement.
After death, everyone will be judged according to their works and the desires of their hearts.
I would very much like to have THAT judgment passed on me.
Post a Comment