There is a red thread (Christ) that connects all the events in history. There are symbols, types, and patterns that can be discovered. When Christ appeared on the Road to Emmaus his disciples were not quite believing the stories of wonders, angels, and resurrection as told by the women. Luke 24: 21 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, who were early at the sepulchre;
- 24 Then he (Jesus) said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
- 25 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
- 26 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Let’s first take a look at the patterns, events, and symbols of Christ as seen through the Outpouring of the Spirit as in the Day of Pentecost. Then, we will take a look at how these blessing flow through the Door (or Veil) that is Christ starting with Moses.
The Outpouring of the Hebrew Moreh and Malkosh Harvest Rains
Joel 2:23 which says,
“Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.”
28 ¶ And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
Israel’s holidays were centered on the life giving Harvest Season. The rains that begin in the Fall are known as the moreh, or the early rains, since it is the start of the rainy season. These early rains are reason to be glad after a hot, dry summer, and the ground can be broken up ready to work the fields. Towards the springtime, around the time of Passover, Israel will have the latter rains, known as the malkosh. These are heavier rains necessary for the ripening and harvest of the barley and grain.
“On the Day of Pentecost the Spirit of God was poured out in Jerusalem, on the disciples. It is the outpouring that causes barren lives to bear fruit. It is the outpouring that produced the Book of Acts and changed the history of the world “But there’s a mystery. You see, there wasn’t just one rain in Israel. There were two distinct rains, each with its own name. One was called the moreh, the former rain, and the other was called the malkosh, the latter rain. One came in autumn, and the other in spring . . . two rains . . . two outpourings.” “In the Book of Joel, God promises to send both the former rains and the latter rains, and to pour out His Spirit in the last days. So then there must again be another outpouring. And as the former rains came upon the people of Israel, on Jewish believers and the world, so too will the latter rains. And as it was in the former outpouring, so in the latter, that which was barren will bear its fruit, and that which was dead will come alive again.” (Jonathan Cahn, Messianic Jewish Author)
We know that there was another Pentecost Outpouring of the spirit that took place after the Kirtland Temple was dedicated in 1836. The dedication took place on Sunday March 27, 1836. This was the weekend of Palm Sunday and Shabat Hagadol.
Shabat Hagadol was the beginning of spiritual manifestations in Moses’ Day leading up to their deliverance.
Palm Sunday was the beginning of spiritual manifestations in Jesus’ Day leading up to the resurrection.
The dedication of the Kirtland Temple was the beginning of spiritual manifestations in Joseph Smith’s Day leading up to the restoration of the fullness of the gospel (temple ordinances, etc)
Was the April 2020 General Conference: 200th anniversary celebration/Hosanna Shout/New Bicentennial Proclamation to the world (“monument of words”)/New Church Symbol (Christ in the Doorway/ “Hinge Point in History”/ Start of Covid a beginning of the spiritual manifestations in the Latter Days leading up to the return of Christ? Is the Great (and Dreadful) Day of the Lord Near? Even at the Door? (Malachi 4:5 and D&C 110:11-16)
Joseph Smith told the Twelve Apostles, “Great blessings await us at this time, and will soon be poured out upon us, if we are faithful in all things.”
Church leaders prepared the Saints to expect heavenly manifestations. Sidney Rigdon, Newel K. Whitney, and Oliver Cowdery, in a letter to John A. Boynton, declared: “Within that house God will pour out his spirit in great majesty and glory and encircle his people with fire more gloriously and marvelously than at Pentecost because the work to be performed in the last days is greater than was in that day.”[2]
Thus prepared for their “endowment from on high,” which the Lord had promised by revelation (D&C 105:33), these modern disciples experienced visions and other spiritual manifestations. As attested in journals, letters, and histories, their experiences, similar to those of ancient prophets, enhanced their faith and gave them great joy and gratitude.
Commemorating these spiritual experiences, William W. Phelps wrote the words to a song, “We’ll sing & we’ll shout with the armies of heaven: Hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb!”[6]
Lorenzo Snow enumerated blessings received in the temple during this Pentecostal period: “There we had the gift of prophecy—the gift of tongues—the interpretation of tongues—visions and marvelous dreams were related—the singing of heavenly choirs was heard, and wonderful manifestations of the healing power, through the administrations of the Elders, were witnessed. The sick were healed—the deaf made to hear—the blind to see and the lame to walk, in very many instances.
The Savior appeared in five different meetings held in the temple. Visions, including a vision of the Father and Son, were beheld at eight meetings, and the congregation saw heavenly beings or angels in nine meetings. In other sessions many Saints reported that they experienced such manifestations as the gift of tongues, the sounds of a mighty wind, a pillar of fire resting down upon the temple roof, prophesying, and the voices of angels. Over one thousand people attended these meetings, many of whom testified to having had sacred experiences and put their observations and feelings in letters and journals. My ancestor Newel Knight beheld the Savior in the Kirtland temple.
7 days after the dedication,
On April 3, 1836, Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith saw and received priesthood keys from ancient prophets who held those keys: Moses, Elias, and Elijah. This restoration of keys and authority was so significant the ancient prophet Malachi had prophesied of it. (See Malachi 4:5-6.)
The Prophet Joseph Smith explained how the heavens opened to Oliver Cowdery and him:
“Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.
After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed.
After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us, for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said: Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come—
To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse—
Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.” (D&C 110:11-16.)
The Savior himself spoke of the far-reaching implications of these blessings when he appeared and accepted the temple in April 1836. He told Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery: “Yea the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this house. And the fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands; and this is the beginning of the blessing which shall be poured out upon the heads of my people.” (D&C 110:9-10.)
I love how this appearance was documented as occurring against the backdrop of an arched doorway shaped window that reminds me of the new church symbol.
As I began to study and realize that the Kirtland Temple Dedication was just the BEGINNING of the Latter Day Pentecostal Outpouring I realized that there might be another future Pentecost/Temple event that would be important for the Final Harvest or Final Gathering of Israel. You can imagine my excitement when I caught wind of such an event from the words of a visiting General Authority in the Fall of 2018. In a small meeting this general authority told the story that Elder Eyring had stood up and announced to the Seventy that he feels to prophesy and that this prophecy would be fulfilled within 3 more general conferences. (making that the April 2020 GC)
This is what was relayed: “Individuals are going to have greater power to teach and testify of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in a manner that goes deep into the hearts of the people to whom they minister. I prophesy this will be the case. So what appears to us to be procedural changes (higher and holier ways), are preparatory to a greater outpouring of power upon us and among us and in us. I prophesy that families will begin to feel greater power in their home. It is about bringing people to the ordinances of the gospel, culminating with the most important and sacred ordinances in the House of the Almighty God…the temple of our Lord. What is about to happen is a greater power to testify, greater power in missionary work, to teach and testify and thereby bring the truth of the gospel to the hearts of the people. He then bears testimony of Jesus Christ, of our Heavenly Father and of the call of President Nelson as Gods mouthpiece on the earth at this time. He used the phrase eyes to see, and ears to hear multiple times.” Afterwards this visiting General Authority said that another General Presidency member commented that “they had never seen such strong, direct prophecy in a Seventy meeting before.” The visiting authority then instructed the local leaders to practice the gift of prophecy.
To me, this sounded like the Pentecostal Outpouring Event I was looking for! This General Conference was going to fall on the weekend of Palm Sunday and Shabbat Hagadol (great sabbath before Passover) just like it had at the Kirtland Temple Dedication in 1836! I was so EXCITED for the April 2020 GC!!
In my previous post I tell my personal experiences and dreams that helped me connect the upcoming conference to the themes of the Kirtland Temple Dedication/Pentecostal Outpouring, Passover, and Doorway imagery.
At the April 2020 General Conference:
I was thrilled to note how 7 Different talks including the Prophet and Elder Eyring, and Elder Gong mentioned the Kirtland temple. Palm Sunday was mentioned frequently. Elder Gong talked extensively about the Passover, Palm Sunday, and the Kirtland Temple: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/04/31gong?lang=eng
We performed the Hosanna shout! And the prophet unveiled the new Church symbol: Christ standing in an arched doorway. Since my focus for the year is the “ark”, I can’t help but mention that you could also refer to the mathematical, semicircular shape of the arched doorway as an “arc” which is pronouced like “ark”. Just another personal tie in to my theme and to the idea of the rains pouring through the door.
Deuteronomy 11 connects the imagery of the Latter Day Rains, the temple, and the Door/Passover imagery:
14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
18 ¶ Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
How Blessings Pour Out From Heaven Through the Door (or veil) that is Christ.
Let’s delve into the symbol of Christ standing in the arched doorway:
- Christ is emerging from the open doorway of the empty tomb.
- Christ says he is the door! John 10: 7 (JST) Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheepfold. He is the way to Salvation and he is the veil to eternal exaltation.
- President Nelson said the year 2020 was a hinge point in history. (Imagine a door opening.)
- Palm Sunday imagery. Christ walking through the arched golden doors of the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. (April GC 2020 landed on Palm Sunday and was when this symbol was unveiled.)
- Christ walking into the temple. He stood on the pulpit in front of the arched doorway shaped window of the Kirtland temple. The Nauvoo, Salt Lake, and many temples have arched doorways as well.
- Christ Delivers your home by shutting out the plagues of the Passover and the curses of the last days.
- Christ coming to you through personal revelation. Matthew 7:7 …knock, and it shall be opened unto you
- Shabbat Hagadol imagery starting with Moses. On this day the Jews were to bring the lamb through the front door of their homes and keep it inside their house tied to the bedpost until Passover. (The Saturday of April GC 2020 was Shabbat Hagadol and the 10th of Nissan according to the Hebrew Calendar!) Nissan 10 does not always align with the Shabbat Hagadol but it did on the original Shabbat and also in 2020.
Shabbat HaGadol (“Great Shabbat” שבת הגדול) is the Shabbat immediately before Passover. The first Shabbat HaGadol took place in Egypt on 10 Nisan five days before the Israelite Exodus. On that day, the Israelites were given their first commandment which applied only to that Shabbat, “On the tenth day of this month (Nisan)… each man should take a lamb for the household, a lamb for each home (Exodus 12:3).[1] There is a special Haftarah reading on this Shabbat of the book of Malachi which refers to a day in the future which will be gadol, meaning “great.” 2
Malachi (JST) 3: 1 ...The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple…
Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
To find out how April 2023 General Conference is similar to the April 2020 General Conference watch this video by Christian Homestead. I shared some of my insights with Jared and he ran with it. This has alot of additional insights and details including a peak into why the Community of Christ may soon decide to sell the Kirtland temple to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.