Awake, O Sword - The Holy Ghost And The Atonement

Awake, O Sword

The Holy Ghost And The Atonement

Disclaimer: The following article is not official doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but is the sole work of the author. As with all truth, please pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read, and pray afterwards to confirm the personalized message of the Holy Spirit to you.

Introduction: Who is the Father? Who is the Son? Who is the Holy Ghost? What role does each play in the work and glory of God? We may think we know the "Sunday School" answers to these questions, but I believe there is much more to these answers that is still waiting to be unveiled.

What is the scope of the dominion of Jesus Christ? We know He is the beginning and end of this creation - the first and the last. We covenanted to follow Him at the beginning, and by Him may we return to the Father at the "end."

To what end is Jesus' mission? We know His end is to inherit all the Father hath after accomplishing the Atonement. Despite this amazing reward, the Lord focused His teachings on making us joint-heirs with Him. The following is the eighth promise of overcoming in the Book of Revelation:

Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

If this same promise was given to Jesus, is it accomplished then in the same manner? To inherit all the father has does not make one a father for a father cannot hold such a title without a Son. Who becomes the heir of Jesus Christ, and how and when? How is the promise of Revelation 21:7 executed? Is it at the beginning, or at the end? Or both?

When Jesus says He does the works of the Father and is only doing what He saw the father do, how did He witness such? Did He watch it by some vision? Or, was He there? More importantly, did He participate?

To what end is the Holy Ghost's mission? Think on that question for a moment before reading the following scripture and quotes ...

Joseph Smith (President)

But the Holy Ghost is yet a spiritual body and waiting to take to himself a body, as the Savior did or as God did or the gods before them took bodies; for the Savior says the work that my Father did do I also. . . . He took himself a body and then laid down his life that he might take it up again. (The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 382; standardized)

Franklin D. Richards (First Presidency)


Joseph also said that the Holy Ghost is now in a state of probation which if he should perform in righteousness he may pass through the same or a similar course of things that the Son has. (The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 245; standardized) 

The seventh promise of overcoming in the Book of Revelation:

Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

This promised reward is yet another trial of overcoming. The trial of each of the eight promised rewards of overcoming in the Book of Revelation is missing. Some clues can be found in the reward and in the messages to the seven angels of the seven churches of Asia. Yet, in this seventh promise is the promise to overcome again ... as Jesus Himself overcame, and not by some other means. Have a read of the second quote above by Franklin Richards who is quoting Joseph Smith himself - If the Holy Ghost succeeds his probation, he will then go on to experience the same or similar course that the Son has. 

But what is his course now? What has it been? The Holy Ghost's role in the Atonement is the subject of this article.


Sanctification

What is sanctification? From dictionary.com:

sanctify
[sangk-tuh-fahy]
SynonymsExamplesWord Origin
See more synonyms for sanctify on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), sanc·ti·fied, sanc·ti·fy·ing.
1. to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate.

2. to purify or free from sin:

How are we sanctified, or made holy, or purified free from sin? Jesus Himself taught us how when He visited the ancient Americans:

3 Nephi 27:20 Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.

The reception of the Holy Ghost includes a sanctification or purification from sin. Is this not a participation in the Atonement by the Holy Ghost? What gives him the right to remove sin when that power was purchased by another? Is there any indication of this in the scriptures?

Moses 6:59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;
60 For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified;

In the above scripture, the Spirit justifies rather than sanctifies, and the blood sanctifies. Which is it? Or, as is in the case for many scriptures that seemingly contradict, is it both? If it is both, then the Spirit sanctifies with the blood of Jesus Christ. Is there any indication of this truth in the scriptures?

In my article, The Davidic Servant is The Holy Ghost is The Angel of the Lord, I explore the connection between these three identities and put forth my personal belief these are indeed the same person. The Davidic Servant is the fulfillment of Joseph Smith's prophecy that the Holy Ghost would come in the flesh. The Angel of the Lord represents the scope and dominion of the Holy Ghost as executor of the Abrahamic Covenant. In that article, I link the identity of the High Priest of the Aaronic Priesthood to the Holy Ghost whereas the High Priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood is Jesus Christ (There is a separate entry for each High Priest in our topical guide.)

Below is an extremely significant scripture where Paul not only links the identity of the High Priest to the Holy Ghost, but he leaves an important clue as to how the Holy Ghost participates in the Atonement.

Hebrews 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

Paul here refers to the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur, the only day of the year the High Priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies and ... atone for Israel--hence, "The Day of Atonement." The High Priest signifies the Holy Ghost. The High Priest going alone into the Holy of Holies signifies that the way into the Holiest of All (Holy of Holies) is not yet made manifest. This "way" is the overcoming of the sixth promise of the Book of Revelation - where the name of the Father is revealed. 

Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

The name of the Father and the new name of the Son is revealed. Well what is the new name of the Son if not His new role as a Father? And to whom does a Father reveal His name if not His own son? The Day of Atonement is one of the fall festivals that is as-of-yet unfulfilled, and again, according to Paul, the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies signifies the Holy Ghost making manifest the way (or how) to enter the Holy of Holies

But, what does the High Priest do on Yom Kippur? This sacred holy day - considered to be the holiest of all holy days - is an ordinance that was laid out by the Lord in Leviticus chapter 16. The High Priest makes a sacrifice first for himself and his house. Interestingly, the ordinance of Passover is not one sacrifice of one lamb but of many lambs for houses. I believe the Day of Atonement is the manifestation, initially, of the redemption of one house, namely the Davidic line. After the High Priest makes Atonement for himself and for his house, he then atones for Israel. There are two goats that act as a part of this phase of the ritual. One goat is sacrificed, and is labeled "For Jehovah" and the other goat has the sins of Israel pronounced upon his head and is labeled "For Azazel." I believe "Azazel" may actually mean "Mighty and Strong One," but I already covered this subject in another article. 

What is relevant here, is that the High Priest slays the goat "For Jehovah" and then sprinkles the blood of the goat upon the mercy seat seven times. 

Leviticus 16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

Why seven? Of course, seven represents a fullness or a complete cycle. However, if you read my articles on the Seven Levels of Mankind, I believe each sprinkle is linked to one order, or level, of mankind and tied to the seven promises of overcoming in revelation. The eighth promise aligns to the Son of God, who is perfect, and thus no Atonement is required for this level. 

Yet, it is the High Priest who enters the Holy of Holies and makes the Atonement by the blood of the sacrifice, and not the goat. So, the High Priest intercedes on behalf of Israel. Is there any evidence of the Holy Ghost having this role in the Atonement?


Intercessor

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

This is the second time I've drawn from Romans 8; a fantastic chapter where Paul is undoubtedly attempting to unveil the Holy Ghost's role in the Atonement.

Presuming the Davidic Servant is indeed the Holy Ghost, is there any indication of this prophesied servant to fulfill this role? The scripture below is also Isaiah chapter 53.

Mosiah 14:11 He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Recall the scripture from Moses 6 above, where the Spirit justifies. Justification is a process that occurs during judgement, and judgement is a key word linked to the Davidic Servant all throughout the scriptures. Undoubtedly there are scriptures that point to Jesus as intercessor; yet there are those that point to the Spirit as well. Is it one or the other, or both? 

Though intercession and sanctification are key elements of the Atonement, salvation from spiritual death is but one aspect of the Atonement. The other important aspect is the Resurrection of the Dead. Does the Holy Ghost participate in this aspect of the Atonement as well?


The Resurrection

LDS, or any Christian, will often hear about Jesus Christ overcame death. Here are two questions to ponder regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

• Is the Resurrection a sacred ordinance?
• Can any sacred ordinance be performed on oneself?

For those reading this who have been endowed, you will know by what means one is called to resurrect. Now think on that sixth promise of overcoming and how it may pertain to this ordinance:

Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Could it be that this promise pertains to the resurrection of the Son of God? This may seem a stretch, but consider the following scriptures:

2 Nephi 2:8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

Wow, this scripture comes right out and says it! The Lord takes his life again (resurrects) by the power of the Spirit. Why would the Lord - who is greater than the Holy Ghost - require the power of the Spirit to return to life? Again, which ordinances are performed on oneself? Here is another scripture that points to this truth:

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Wow, Paul comes right out and spells it out as well! Have you even heard of this before? I certainly had not, yet there is a scripture in the Book of Mormon and another in the Bible that spell this out. 

I submit that the Holy Ghost was given this power and role and he not only rose Jesus from the dead but he also will call forth the first resurrection.

D&C 88:98 They are Christ’s, the first fruits, they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice of the sounding of the trump of the angel of God.

By the voice of the sounding of the trump of "The Angel of God" is the first resurrection accomplished. Have you ever wondered who will call forth the resurrection? Are there any links to this role and the Davidic Servant? Indeed there are!

Isaiah 62:2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.

"The mouth of the Lord" is another title of "The Angel of the Lord" (see my article on identifying The Angel of the Lord.) The Angel of the Lord calls Israel by a new name - this links directly to D&C 88:98. Here is another scripture:

Isaiah 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Raise up the tribes of Jacob could be literal - a raising from the dead. To restore the preserved of Israel - again could be reference to the resurrection. Notice that the servant of Isaiah here may be salvation unto the end of the earth. What manner of salvation? Could it be he is the executor of the resurrection and even he who literally sprinkles the blood of Jesus Christ as judge of Israel? Read the first verses of Isaiah 11 with this in mind:

Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Righteousness - judgement - both are key words of the Davidic Servant who is the Holy Ghost. We know that this person from Isaiah 11 is not Jesus Christ Himself but one who will have been born from both Ephraim and Judah - perhaps carrying both birthrights and is the literal heir of the Davidic line:

D&C 113:1 Who is the Stem of Jesse spoken of in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of Isaiah?
2 Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ.
3 What is the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse?
4 Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power.

On whom there is laid much power ... could the power of Resurrection be a part of this "much power?" Absolutely!

If the Holy Ghost was present at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, could He have been present at the Garden and at the cross? I have contemplated writing this next section for weeks as it is extremely sacred to me. Did someone pass the bitter cup to Christ as a deacon passes the sacrament? Did Jesus lay down his life by the same power He took it again?


The Sacrifice

How was the bitter cup delivered to Jesus Christ? One of the four gospel accounts reports an angel being present, comforting Christ:

Luke 22:39 ¶ And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.
40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Notice how the Lord first prays that the cup be removed, submits to God's will, then the angel appears, and then Jesus sweats drops of blood. Did that angel deliver the cup? Maybe. There may be other scriptures that reinforce this understanding, but the focus of this section will be on the cross.

We know from modern revelation that Jesus had power to lay down his life and to take it up again. This means that nobody could take the life of Jesus unless He willed it. 

John 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

But, how did He will it exactly? Remember, the Book of Mormon teaches that Jesus takes His life again by the power of the Spirit. Did He lose His life by that same power? Let's consider for a moment the following excerpt from the tremendous book, "Jesus The Christ" by Apostle James E. Talmage. 

If the soldier’s spear was thrust into the left side of the Lord’s body and actually penetrated the heart, the outrush of “blood and water” observed by John is further evidence of a cardiac rupture; for it is known that in the rare instances of death resulting from a breaking of any part of the wall of the heart, blood accumulates within the pericardium, and there undergoes a change by which the corpuscles separate as a partially clotted mass from the almost colorless, watery serum. (Jesus The Christ, chapter 35, James E. Talmage)

Elder Talmage submits the possibility that Jesus died by a ruptured heart as evidenced by both blood and water spilling out of His body. Blood and water tie back to Moses 6 (see beginning of this article) where the blood sanctifies and the water is how we keep the commandment....and yet there is a third element that justifies and accompanies the blood and the water: The Spirit.

Moses 6:60 For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified;

The number of Jesus wounds is considered sacred. Most of Christianity believes there were five. We LDS know better, and we know there were two nail wounds in each arm, not one. However, if we count the spear wound, and the ruptured heart, that is eight wounds! The sacred number eight represents renewal, rebirth, and continuance. Remember, the eighth promise of Revelation aligns to overcoming as a Son of God. 

How does Jesus received this wound in His heart? I read, "Jesus The Christ" over 20 years ago on my youthful mission. This idea of a ruptured heart by far had the most profound impact on my soul; yet I did not wonder how He received this wound directly to His heart. I just figured His heart broke due to the strain of the Atonement. Yet, was there an executioner? Was there one who executed this great and last ... sacrifice? 

A sacrifice to be a sacrifice must have a sacrificer and a sacrificee. Consider again Yom Kippur for a moment. One goat, "For Jehovah" is sacrificed by the High Priest who signifies the Holy Ghost. The High Priest, with fresh blood on his hands, sprinkles the blood of atonement upon the altar in the Holiest place of all to make Atonement for Israel. 

I thought about leading this article with what I am about to share next, yet it feels more appropriate to share this pearl at the end. Weeks ago, I felt inspired to read the book of Zechariah. As I began to read chapter 13, I felt the spirit in its still, small voice that is powerful enough to make my bones quake, tell me that I was about to read something extremely important. I made it to the end of the chapter and thought, "What did I miss?" Then I remembered there was one verse where the spirit subtly pricked me:

Zechariah 13:7 ¶ Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

Awake, O sword - that sounds a lot like the scripture in Isaiah 51:9 where the Lord awakens the Davidic Servant to his identity:

Isaiah 51:9 ¶ Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

That was my first thought, yet I still didn't grasp the importance. Thankfully, there are footnotes on Zechariah 13:7 that helped unlock the supreme importance of this scripture. First, 'that is my fellow" as an OR translation of "who stands next to me." Awake, O sword, against my shepherd and against the man who stands next to me. Smite the shepherd - the footnote for shepherd points to Matthew 26:31, Mark 14:27.

Matthew 26:31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

As soon as I read this, I thought, "This is the scripture the Lord cites the night of the Atonement!!??" As I read on, my suspicion was confirmed:

Mark 14:27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.

Wow. By two witnesses, this is the scripture the Lord cites before He goes to the Garden and before He is betrayed to the hands of Caiaphas. Awake, O sword .. Smite the Shepherd ... We know who the Shepherd is. Now the question becomes, who or what is the Sword? Well there's this famous scripture regarding taking upon us the whole armor of God:

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

The Sword of the Spirit. There it is. Notice how Paul, who linked the Spirit to the Atonement in Romans 8, also compares the Spirit to the word of God. The Lord Himself makes this comparison as He makes this same or similar introduction in many of the revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants: (6:2, 11:2, 12:2, 14:2, 33:1,  121:43 - must be important!)

D&C 33:1 Behold, I say unto you, my servants Ezra and Northrop, open ye your ears and hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, whose word is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of the joints and marrow, soul and spirit; and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Notice how the word is the Sword. The mouth of YHWH is the messenger of the Lord, or the Holy Ghost himself. Aaron epitomized this relationship between the Holy Ghost and Jehovah in his relationship to Moses.

Exodus 4:16 And he [Aaron] shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou [Moses] shalt be to him instead of God.

Aaron was, of course, the first High Priest. Aaron's relationship to Moses was emblematic of the relationship of the ultimate High Priest of the Lesser Priesthood to the ultimate High Priest of the Greater Priesthood. The Lesser High Priest is the mouthpiece, and the Greater is the God. Notice how Moses is to Aaron a God--this implies of the intimate relationship between the Holy Ghost and Jehovah.

Moreover, the servant of Isaiah - the Davidic Servant - is attributed to the one who will bring judgement and justice to the world, and the metaphor of sword and arms is used in conjunction with this end times servant as well:

Isaiah 49:1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

The word of the Lord - the word of YHWH - the mouth of YHWH. This is all the same person, and these prophecies in Isaiah are linking the identity of the Angel of the Lord to the Davidic Servant. Think on this: The same angel who stayed the hand of Abraham may have been the same nameless, hidden angel who executed the great and last sacrifice.

Genesis 22:11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

I wanted to find an image where the Angel is literally staying the hand of Abraham.

If this is the same being who executes the great and last sacrifice - if this is the angel who ruptures the heart of Jesus Christ ... by sacrifice ... 

"I am only doing the works I saw my Father do ..."

Finally, let's look at the scriptures of the events just before Jesus dies on the cross:

Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
36 And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.

Here is the same account in Matthew:

Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
50 ¶ Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

In both accounts, Jesus calls out and in both the audience wonders as to whether He calls for Elias, which is the greek iteration of Elijah. Now, "Eli" in Elijah represents "God" and Jah "Jehovah." What's interesting here, is both accounts are different - one seems to indicate aramaic and one hebrew. Upon googling this, I found several sites and blogs on this topic, and one person asks the very relevant question, "Why didn't the Jews understand Jesus?" If He said, "My God" then why did the Jews think He called for Elijah?

In the article, The Name of the Angel of the Lord, I explore the link of the Angel of the Lord / Holy Ghost to the name of the Angel "Jahoel" from the apocryphal Apocalypse of Abraham. I highly recommend a full read of this article, however, suffice it to say that Jahoel uses the same two words that comprise Elijah ... in reverse. Here are the Hebrew characters, the root words, and the two names.

YHWH: יהוה
YAHU: יהו
EL: אל
ELIJAHU: אליהו 

JAHUEL: יהואל

Could the Lord have been calling out to the Angel of the Lord, or the Holy Ghost himself? Imagine an English name comprised of two easily identifiable words in English such as "John-Paul" as it may be difficult to relate to how a name may have been mistaken in another language. Now imagine Pope John-Paul, a clearly recognizable name among Catholics, where the Lord calls out to Paul-John instead! Would they not be confused and ask, "Is He calling for John-Paul?"

Thus, let's put the name of Jahoel in place here and see if this makes sense:

Jahoel, Jahoel, why hast thou forsaken me? Shortly thereafter Jesus cries with a loud voice and dies! Still, "why hast thou forsaken me" doesn't quite make sense. Is there some other translation here of "lama sabachthani?" According to this blog, the words from Psalm 22:1 are lama azavthani rather than lama sabachthani where the psalm means "why hast thou forsaken me?" and the "lama sabachthani" means, "why do you sacrifice me?" Thani, in particular, means, "You do this to me." Let's assume that lama sabachthani means what this blogger says it means and let's assume that Jesus may indeed have been calling to Jahoel and put this all together.

Jahuel, Jahuel, lama sabachthani, which is to say, "Jahoel, Jahoel, why do you sacrifice me?" And Jesus cried with a loud voice (in pain) and gave up the ghost.

Did Jesus see the Angel of the Lord - the very one who stayed Abraham's hand - to now execute the sacrifice himself? 



Conclusion: The sign of the woman and man-child in Revelation 12 is, in my humble opinion, the making of the heir of Jesus Christ. The woman in the heavenly sign represents the church, but I believe there a dual meaning. Is she the actual bride of Jesus Christ? And to whom is she birthing the man child? I still believe firmly that 9/23/2017 was a sign to indicate the coming of this important end times servant, and the more I study of this man, the more I realize just how central he is not only to the gathering of Israel and building the Kingdom of God but also to actual Atonement of Jesus Christ. "I only do what I saw the Father do," Jesus taught. Did Jesus hold the sacrificial dagger when His father atoned for his kingdom? I only do what I saw the Father do.

D&C 45:9 And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me.

"Messenger," is barely a code word for "Angel" as the Hebrew word for both is the same. The Holy Ghost brings us to Christ and Christ to the Father - is it any wonder that each of them overlap in their roles? Is it any wonder that the Holy Ghost himself prepares the way for Christ in the second coming as John the Baptist did for Christ's first coming?

Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.
10 ¶ But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.
11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?

12 That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?

Isaiah all but names the Holy Spirit as the Davidic Servant in these verses, but in verse 9, the angel of his presence is named as the one who saves. The Lord is the one who empowers the Holy Ghost to save - by sanctification - by justification - by resurrection and salvation from physical death.

In the same section of the Doctrine and Covenants where the Lord reveals that it is by the voice of the Angel of God that the first resurrection is accomplished, the Lord reveals the importance of the Holy Ghost in earlier verses:

D&C 88:3 Wherefore, I now send upon you another Comforter, even upon you my friends, that it may abide in your hearts, even the Holy Spirit of promise; which other Comforter is the same that I promised unto my disciples, as is recorded in the testimony of John.
4 This Comforter is the promise which I give unto you of eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom;
5 Which glory is that of the church of the Firstborn, even of God, the holiest of all, through Jesus Christ his Son—

The Holy Ghost is indeed a critical component of not only the Plan of Salvation but of the execution of the Atonement - perhaps the actual carrying out of the Atonement itself in the Garden, on the Cross, and in the Tomb. Moreover, the Davidic Servant - the end times' servant who gathers Israel, restores them to a knowledge of who they are, to their lands, to their covenants, who calls forth the first resurrection and executes judgement upon the Earth - would it not make sense that this same man would have had a hand in the carrying out of the Father's will through the Son? If so, can you feel it now as you read this?