The Gospel Connection

It is important for any Mormon investigating the claims of Talbott and other scholars and scientists about the early history of Earth’s heavens to know the extent to which Joseph Smith’s views support their unorthodox views. What we find there is remarkable.

While the capacity of Catastrophism, the Saturn myths and the Polar Configuration to consistently and fully explain the most enigmatic scriptural symbolism and temple iconography argues eloquently for their validity, another verification can be found in the documented teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the subjective statements and observations of the Saints who recorded their impressions of his teachings.

It is in those revealing statements that we see how similar Joseph’s views were to those who champion these unconventional views of ancient cosmology in our day and age. Indeed, as it is with the scriptures and temple iconography, these statements by a prophet can be fully appreciated only from the perspective of Catastrophism, the Saturn myths and the history of the Polar Configuration. This provides yet another level of confirmation or substantiation of this author’s assertions that Joseph would have embraced the work of those iconoclastic scholars who pursue these ideas.

There are dozens of accounts, preserved by both the prophet and his close confidants, which point us in the same direction. Ironically, most orthodox LDS scholars choose not to explore the implications of such statements. In fact, they tend to avoid them like the plague. Hence, search as one might, explanations of these views of early Mormons cannot be found in current church manuals, recent conference talks or in learned dissertations. This is probably so because those researchers lack the frame of reference to understand such symbolism and imagery. They have been indoctrinated in the tenets of Uniformity, which blinds them to concepts beyond their training. When, on rare occasion, they do turn to such accounts, they discount them as implausible, fanciful or of dubious merit, rather than address them with the gravity and sobriety that they deserve.

A list

As we have seen, the most convincing evidence that Joseph Smith understood the concept of the Polar Configuration is in the Dibble illustration, which has been thoroughly documented and examined elsewhere. That information leaves little room for doubt that Joseph thoroughly understood the crucial role that the ancient co-linear planetary alignment played in stimulating religious symbolism worldwide, as well as in the scriptures. That is, that unique alignment of planets alone can explain the imagery and iconography of the past, as modern researchers assert. While Dibble’s facsimile is anecdotal, since the prophet himself did not document it, it nevertheless comes from a reliable source. From the time of his conversion in 1829 in Kirtland, Ohio, until his death in Springville, Utah, in 1895, Dibble was a devout and faithful Latter-day Saint. During his lifetime, Dibble was a bodyguard to Joseph Smith, as well as a close friend and confidant.

The next most revealing teaching of the prophet was his address to the Saints who gathered on the floor of the Nauvoo Temple for a General Conference in 1843. His comments at that time regarding the second coming have been thoroughly documented in Volume 5 of the History of the Church. In that talk, Joseph unequivocally designated a planet or comet as the primary heavenly sign of the last days; it contains the best evidence of Joseph’s belief that an errant or rogue orb will play a profound part in those future events. Moreover, that same belief, by inference, colored his perspective of prophecy and its meaning.

Corroborating accounts

The rest of the evidence for Joseph Smith sharing these views is anecdotal, and therefore more questionable and subject to criticism. Nevertheless, it conforms with the views cited in evidence and noted above to such a high degree that it serves as corroboration, though it should be considered with care. Much of this supportive evidence from early diaries and journals of Latter-day Saints can be found in volumes one and three of The Prophecy Trilogy, so it will not be repeated here.

The first of two accounts we will examine comes from Orson F. Whitney, who served as an Apostle from 1906 until his death in 1931. He is remembered in church history for a haunting and poignant vision, which he called a dream, of the Savior’s agony in Gethsemane. But it is his explanation of the biblical Tower of Babel event to which we turn herein that reveals Joseph Smith’s concept of ancient conditions.

Bishop Whitney, as he preferred to be called, is an excellent source since his career as a newspaper and magazine editor as well as an assistant church historian taught him the virtue of disciplined accuracy. Of course, his calling to the Council of the Twelve Apostles puts his comments beyond reproach for any good Latter-day Saint.

The Babel planet

Among his collected discourses is a remarkable allusion to Joseph Smith’s belief that Zion once hovered above the Earth. Of course, things that linger in Earth’s heavens are commonly called planets and moons.
Elder Whitney wrote:

It has been taught that it was the object of the people who built the Tower of Babel to reach heaven, to attain to one of the starry planets, one of the heavenly bodies. This sounds, indeed, like a fairy tale ... that they could actually reach the sun, moon, or one of the stars, simply by piling brick upon brick and stone upon stone. But the Prophet Joseph Smith, whose mission it was to shed light upon the darkness of this generation, is said to have declared that it was not their intention to reach heaven, but to reach Zion, which was then suspended in mid-air, between heaven and earth, or at such a height as to render the project feasible. This certainly is more reasonable.” Collected Discourses, Vol.1, p. 359.)

Such a statement by a general authority must be taken seriously. In fact, when considered in light of Dibble’s illustration and Talbott’s Polar Configuration thesis, it makes perfect sense. If the Dibble drawing represents Joseph’s belief regarding the positioning of planets with respect to the Earth anciently, then he would have naturally envisioned that the Tower of Babel was constructed to reach observable orbs in close proximity. As a result, the ancients would have perceived the project as feasible.

Using the gospel taught by the prophet as a yardstick, the novel view of Earth’s ancient past proposed by Talbott et al becomes logical and understandable, no matter how science may view it. The common axis of rotation depicted by Joseph Smith in the Dibble illustration means that the fundamental tenet of Talbott’s thesis is certainly correct: Saturn and its companion planets appeared to hover in a fixed position in the heavens above Earth’s northern horizon due to that unique alignment.

As Elder Whitney noted learning from the prophet, the Babylonians were not trying to reach some distant planet, moon, sun or star, which all appear to steadily, unceasingly traverse the arch of the heavens. They knew that reaching one of those moving, distant bodies was futile. On the other hand, a planet or cluster of planets that remained fixed in the heavens presented an entirely different prospect: It appeared close enough to be reachable and was fixed to one point in the sky. This is the implication of Elder Whitney’s observation when taken together with the Dibble drawing and Talbott’s thesis.

Thus, disparate pieces of evidence come together to further corroborate and substantiate the premise that Joseph Smith believed that the Earth was once part of a congregation of planets.

An interesting evening with the prophet

There is one more anecdotal account that sheds still more light on this confluence of ideas. Taken from a book by Robert W. Smith called, Scriptural and Secular Prophecies Pertaining to The Last Days, this account attributes some remarkable statements to the prophet, Joseph Smith. It purports to be an interview with Homer M. Brown, a past Patriarch of the Granite, Utah, Stake and grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Brown, the principles in the story.

In that interview, Patriarch Brown explains that the setting for his grandparents’ story is their home in Nauvoo before the prophet was martyred and the Saints were forced to move West. According to the account, one evening Joseph Smith came to his grandparents’ door seeking refuge, saying, “Brother Brown, can you keep me overnight? The mobs are after me.” He was granted asylum and offered a meal, which he accepted.

In the gospel discussion that followed, Bro. Brown inquired of the prophet as to the whereabouts of the Lost Tribes of Israel. Joseph Smith’s response was to take them outside. “Come to the door and I will show you,” he said. “Come on, Sister Brown, I want you both to see.”

According to the account, the reason Joseph took them out into the starlit night was to find Polaris, the North Star.

“Brother Brown, can you show me the Polar Star?”

“Yes, sir,” responded Brother Brown, pointing to the North Star. “There it is.”

“Yes, I know,” said the Prophet, “but which one? There are a lot of stars there.”

“Can you see the points of the Dipper?” asked Brother Brown.

The Prophet answered, “Yes.”

“Well,” he said, pointing up to the largest star, “trace the pointers. That is the North Star.”

“You are correct,” the Prophet answered. (Scriptural and Secular Prophecies Pertaining to The Last Days, pp. 89, 90.)

One is compelled to ask why the Prophet insisted that the Browns not only locate the North Star but that they do so using the “Dipper,” the constellation Ursa Major, to find it? What made stargazing so important in the Prophet’s mind that he would risk exposure in the midst of his flight from the mob by going out-of-doors with the Browns — even if only momentarily? Obviously, he must have felt it was a vital point to make in his attempt to answer Brother Brown’s question. But, what made it so important?

Curiously, the answer to those questions is never provided. While the prophet went on to reveal many vital and crucial concepts on that occasion, according to the account as we have it, the concept of locating the North Star is never revisited. Patriarch Brown never explained why Joseph sought to make that point.

However, a clue to why may be found in a place we might never expect to look — high up on the west wall of the Salt Lake Temple.


Many visitors to Temple Square over the years have gazed up at the temple and wondered, no doubt, why the stars of the constellation Ursa Major, the Bear or the Big Dipper are etched there in stone. Certainly, those icons were not placed on that sacred edifice by chance or whimsy.

A moment of deliberation reveals that those mute temple stones echo the concept that Joseph Smith tried to teach to the Browns on that evening in Nauvoo. They involve the same celestial bodies, Polaris and Ursa Major, and are an iconic representation of that same concept he tried to impress upon the Browns.

The presence of that illustration on the Salt Lake Temple allows us to infer that the Browns’ account is accurate and that Joseph must have taught the same concepts to others. We can also infer that, without a doubt, it was Joseph Smith who passed on the relevance and meaning of these astronomical elements to Brigham Young, Truman O. Angel and Orson Pratt, those responsible for the iconography of the Salt Lake Temple. Certainly Pres. Young, the prophet who oversaw the construction of the Salt Lake Temple, felt they were important enough to include them in the iconography of that sacred edifice.

But why?

With these two correlations in evidence — the Brown account and the temple icons — we are still left with the same question. Why were these stars important to a Prophet of God? What significance do they have to the Prophet’s teaching of the restored gospel?

To answer those questions, we must turn to the Dibble illustration, for it is in an analysis of that drawing that the answers can be found.


The logical reason for locating and focusing on the pole star is represented in this illustration. If two or three planets were ‘stacked’ one proximate to another along a common axis of rotation, where the poles of each were in alignment with one another, the inhabitants of the ‘bottom’ planet in the stack would see the other planets in only one place in their sky: at the same place Polaris sets today in ours. Thus, the exercise of locating Polaris in the heavens today is the only way of knowing where this ancient configuration of planets stood. Polaris, then, represents the polar axis drawn through the three orbs in the Dibble illustration.

Thus, in the Dibble illustration we have the explanation of the Brown account and the Salt Lake Temple icons. We find a convergence of these concepts taught by the prophet only in the arrangement illustrated in the above picture. These three bits of evidence serve to more fully explain one another, at the same time demonstrating what the prophet’s thinking was on this concept.

The correlation between these three accounts is not coincidental, invented or forced. The rational conclusion is that the prophet’s fixation on the pole star in the Browns’ account, its duplication on the west wall of the Salt Lake Temple and its representation in the Dibble drawing constitutes compelling evidence of his belief that is intriguing and eye-opening.

Further, it serves to confirm that a prophet of God held similar views of Earth’s ancient history to those of Dave Talbott, the primary proponent of the Saturn myths and the Polar Configuration of planets in modern times. Three planets did stand, anciently, in the place where Polaris stands today.

The Polar Configuration

At a distance, the grouping looked much like this illustration. Left to right, the orbs, as Talbott proposes them are Saturn, Venus, Mars and Earth.


From the perspective of earthbound observers, the grouping would have looked as they do in the next panel.


Note that from the alignment of the planets in this illustration, the three orbs appeared to hover above Earth’s north pole — precisely the alignment referred to in the present discussion.

Misguided criticism

Perhaps it should not be surprising that most Mormon scholars have been critical of this assessment as well as the Whitney account, the Brown account and the Dibble illustration. They see them as too fantastic to believe, if considered only as isolated, unrelated items, which have little or no scientific substantiation. Their worldview does not take into account the temple symbols, nor do they know anything of Talbott’s research.

That modern LDS scholars do not give much credence to the Dibble illustration or the Brown account is an indication of their ignorance. The connection with temple symbolism is unmistakable and the commonalities are undeniable to all but the most calloused observer.

Only one set of conditions in Earth’s ancient heavens can provide a context for all this evidence: Talbott’s Polar Configuration. Only a group of planets aligned on a common axis of rotation with the Earth could provide a context for understanding the intersection of these ideas. The temple icons, the Dibble illustration and the Brown account therefore form a tripartite confirmation that this was Joseph’s belief.

More confirmation from temple icons

But there is more to the account that further confirms the relevance of the Browns’ story while also expanding our view of the Prophet’s understanding. According to the Brown account, Joseph went on to point out another star in the sky that night.

“Now, do you discern a little twinkler to the right and below the Pole Star, which we would judge to be about the distance of 20 feet from here?” asked Joseph.

“Yes, sir,” said Brother Brown.

The prophet then asked, “Sister Brown, do you see that star also?”

“Yes sir,” was her answer. (Ibid., p. 90.)

Taken at face value, this part of the account seems to have little meaning. The distance of “20 feet from here” and direction the prophet cited between the “little twinkler” and the pole star is entirely subjective. Only if we could see where he gestured as he spoke could we know what star was indicated. Due to the vagueness of the account, we cannot.

However, there is a relationship between Polaris and another prominent star in our present skies, as suggested by Talbott, that may help us identify what star the prophet pointed out to the Browns. That planet is Saturn, the most prominent planet in myth and legend.

Evidence that Joseph may have been pointing to Saturn, along with Polaris and Ursa Major, on the occasion of his visit with the Browns can also be found in Salt Lake Temple iconography. The original architectural renderings (see south elevation below) of the Salt Lake Temple, where an icon of a planet with a ring around it can be seen near the top of the buttresses along the south wall, above the Sunstones, show that Saturn held a prominent place in the designers’ hierarchy of symbols for the temple.


Though these icons were not used in the final building, it is well documented in Mormon history that the designers specifically designated these as Saturnstones.

Thus, while it is not evidenced in the laconic account of the Browns, it is reasonable to conclude, based on obscure temple symbolism, that Joseph sought to point out the planet Saturn on that occasion.

Still more prophetic insights

Having established the validity of the Browns’ account while noting its deficiencies, we can proceed to the additional information that it brings to our understanding of the Prophet’s views. Patriarch Brown continued with his grandparents’ account.

After re-entering the house, the Prophet said, “Brother Brown, I noticed when I came in that you were reading the Doctrine and Covenants. Will you kindly get it?”

He did so. The Prophet turned to Section 133 and read, commencing at the 26th verse and throughout to the 34th verse. He said, after reading the 31st verse, “Now, let me ask you what would cause the everlasting hills to tremble with more violence than the coming together of the two planets?

“Now,” he said, “scientists will tell you that it is not scientific, that two planets coming together would be disastrous to both. But, when two planets or other objects are traveling in the same direction and one of them with a little greater velocity than the other, it would not be disastrous because the one traveling faster would over take the other. Now, what would cause the mountains of ice to melt quicker than the heat caused by the friction of the two planets coming together?”

And then he asked the question, “Did you ever see a meteor falling that was not red hot? So, that would cause the mountain of ice to melt.” (Ibid.,pp. 89, 90.)

The most striking thing about these comments is that the prophet was talking about planetary catastrophism, something most Mormon scholars are unwilling to acknowledge and part of the reason why the Brown story is disparaged in scholastic circles within the church. Yet, these comments are consistent with Joseph’s observation that the “grand sign” of the last days will be a “comet, a planet,” (History of the Church, Vol. 5, p. 337.) lending additional credibility to Patriarch Brown’s account.

Unmistakably, the Prophet attributed future events and conditions predicted for the last days in Section 133 to a near-collision of planets. By inference, that was the primary mechanism of change in the past as well. If we are to take our lead from Joseph Smith, then we, too, must see those events, past and future, from that same perspective.

Worlds in collision

Joseph took great care to point out to the Browns that scientists in their day would not share his scenario of one planet overtaking another. Ironically, over a hundred years later, in 1950, when Velikovsky proposed a similar scenario for the Exodus events, scientists and scholars universally condemned him. Little had changed in that time.

Sadly, little has changed in this regard today, over 160 years later. Mormons who presently accept the prophet’s view of planetary catastrophe also face ridicule and derision — as often as not from their peers in the church as well as from sectarian and secular sources.

Electromagnetic effects were clearly not part of the prophet’s paradigm since they were not known by science in his day. Nevertheless, he recognized that an overtaking of one planet by another would involve some mechanism that would produce heat, which he attributed to “friction of the two planets coming together.” While there would be no actual contact of the two orbs, which he accurately deduced, the interaction of the electrically charged plasma boundaries would, in effect, collide, deflecting the two planets from any collision while producing prodigious amounts of heat.

The same electromagnetic properties of the two planets that prevents an out-and-out collision would also serve to lock the two into an orbital embrace, one with another, if, as the prophet asserted, one gradually overtook the other. Such is the nature of electromagnetic fields in space. The simultaneous attraction/repulsion power of their respective electromagnetic fields, which is vastly stronger than the force of gravity, would cause them to “join,” in effect, either temporarily or permanently.

A new polar configuration

This is clearly the scenario the prophet envisioned in his discussion with the Browns, one that would see a reestablishment of the same celestial manifestations as those seen anciently in the Polar Configuration proposed by Talbott. Hence, the remainder of the story told by Patriarch Brown of his grandparents reflects elements already familiar to those who have embraced the concept of the polar grouping and the great pillar, river, mountain or highway that seemed to connect it to the Earth.

Thus, the meaning of the prophet’s final observations to the Browns is clear.

“And relative to the great highway which should be cast up when the planet returns to its place in the great northern waters, it will form a highway and waters will recede and roll back.”

He continued, “Now, as to their coming back from the northern waters, they will return from the north because their planet will return to the place from whence it was taken.

“Relative to the waters rolling back to the north, if you take a vessel of water and swing it rapidly around your head, you won’t spill any. But if you stop the motion gradually, it will begin to pour out.

“Now,” he said, “Brother Brown, at the present time this earth is rotating very rapidly. When this planet returns it will make the Earth that much heavier, and it will then revolve slower. That will account for the waters receding from the Earth for a great while, but it has now turned and is proceeding rapidly eastward.” (Ibid., p. 91.)

Once again, a prophet of God has a keen understanding of the forces at work in such an event. In such a ‘joining,’ two natural forces would combine to “recede and roll back” the oceans of the Earth to the poles. As Joseph noted with his bucket-swinging analogy, Earth’s rotation might slow, thus diminishing the centrifugal force that currently pushes the oceans toward the equator, allowing a more even distribution of ocean water around the globe, the net effect of which would be to lower water levels at the equator while raising them at the poles. Additionally, the gravitational tug of the neighboring body located above Earth’s north pole would create a permanent tide at both poles, thus serving to further move water to the poles. This is the sum and substance of Joseph’s final comment to the Browns, one that modern catastrophists readily acknowledge as a recognized consequence of planets locked together in a common polar alignment.

A thorny, ‘tribal’ issue

One other issue must be dealt with before closing this investigation of the Prophet’s beliefs. When Joseph Smith spoke of “they” in this account, he was speaking of the Ten Lost Tribes. Indeed, the reader should know that it was in the context of understanding the fate of those missing tribes that the entire Brown story was told.

The question of the Lost Tribes has plagued the church from the Nauvoo period forward. This is likely so because Joseph taught this concept to many Nauvoo-era Saints, as will be documented further on. Acrimonious debate among church members regarding the fate of those tribes of Israel caused the brethren to suppress the entire issue by labeling it a “mystery,” and counseling the Saints to avoid such discussions. It is not the objective of this author to violate that prohibition or incite anew a debate as to the whereabouts of those vanished tribes. Each Saint must decide this issue for himself or herself.

The vital point one would hope to make in all this is that Joseph Smith clearly believed in the two primary tenets of this author’s thesis regarding ancient history: Planetary catastrophes were the agents of ancient supernatural events and conditions recorded in the scriptures, which are also predicted for the last days; equally important is the concept that Earth was once part of a extraordinary grouping of planets that now move on independent orbits within the solar system.

More collision accounts from the prophet

Many other early accounts from those who personally knew Joseph Smith repeat the theme of planetary catastrophism in the context of the Lost Tribes question. Herewith are three additional such recollections for the reader to contemplate — one from the Patriarch Brown account we have just reviewed and the other two from personal journals.

Brother Brown, will you give us some light and explanation of the 5th verse on page 396 of the Hymn Book which speaks of the Ten Tribes of Israel, or the part of this earth which formed another planet, according to the hymn of (written by) Eliza R. Snow.

“Yes, sir. I think I can answer your question. Sister Eliza R. Snow, in visiting my grandparents was asked by my grandmother, ‘Eliza, where did you get your ideas about the Ten Lost Tribes being taken away as you explain it in your wonderful hymn?’
“She answered as follows, ‘Why, my husband (Joseph Smith) told me about it.’” (Ibid., p. 88.)

Thurs., Mar. 10 (1881) … at night paid Sister Eliza R. Snow a short visit and had some conversation with her on the dividing of the earth. She told me that she heard the prophet say that when the ten tribes were taken away the Lord cut the Earth in two, Joseph Striking his left hand in the center with the edge of his right to illustrate the idea and that they (the 10 tribes) were on an orb or planet by themselves and when they return with the portion of this earth that was taken away with them, the coming together of these two bodies or orbs would cause a shock and make the ‘Earth reel to and fro like a drunken man.’ She also stated that he said the Earth was now ninety times smaller now than when first created or organized. (Journal of Charles Walker, p. 38.)

The winter following (1840), I attended a public meeting held in Vincent Knight’s house at which the Prophet Joseph Smith gave the following instruction: ‘When this world was first made it was a tremendous big thing. The Lord concluded it was too big. We read in the Scriptures that in the days of Peleg the earth was divided, so the Lord divided the earth. When the ten tribes of the children of Israel went into the north country he divided it again, so the earth has been divided and subdivided. We also read in the Scriptures that the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunken man. What shall cause this earth to reel to and fro like a drunken man? We read that the stars shall fall to the earth like a fig falling from a fig tree.

When these stars return to the place where they were taken from, it will cause the earth to reel to and fro. Not that the planets will come squarely against each other, in such case both planets would be broken to pieces. But in there rolling motion they will come together where they were taken from which will cause the earth to reel to and fro. (Journal of Samuel Holister Rogers, p. 8.)

Such seemingly extravagant and speculative accounts, attributed to Joseph Smith by early church members and general authorities, have been discounted and all but forgotten in recent years by church members. They are never mentioned in church manuals, quoted in conference talks or discussed in any way. This is probably so because such statements contradict our present cultural views, given us by modern science, of the past history of our solar system and Earth’s career in it.

Curiously, only with the alternate perspective that Velikovsky, Talbott, et al bring to the equation do these statements attributed to Joseph Smith take on renewed meaning. Indeed, the views of those unconventional scholars serve as added corroboration for Joseph’s many, otherwise seemingly nonsensical, statements recorded by early Mormons.

For those of us who sincerely believe that Joseph was a visionary and seer, this knowledge allows us to better appreciate the depth of his marvelous contribution to our understanding of the gospel, the scriptures, the past and the future.

Now we can comprehend them as he understood and taught them.

© Anthony E. Larson, 2004

Understanding Section 133

The acquisition of vital information from catastrophists and comparative mythologists about the traditional, cultural archetypes that dominate our scriptures and the information contained in an anecdotal story related by Patriarch Homer M. Brown of his grandparents’ encounter with Joseph Smith one evening in Nauvoo now allow us to turn our attention to one of the more symbol laden, latter-day revelations about future events given to the prophet.

In Doctrine and Covenants, Section 133, the Lord reveals much about the changes in the heavens and the earth that will be seen one day. But in order to fully understand what is recorded there, we must combine our understanding of the Saturn traditions and the concepts Joseph Smith communicated to Benjamin Brown.

A new reading

We turn our attention to the verses in Section 133 that focus on a series of events seen to occur prior to the second coming. “For behold, the Lord God hath sent forth the angel crying through the midst of heaven, saying: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight, for the hour of his coming is nigh—.” (Doctrine & Covenants 133:17.)

This verse sets the scene. We are about to be told of events that will transpire immediately prior to the second coming. Thus, we now have at hand a method of understanding more clearly the nature and impact of those things that will be seen in the very last days.

In the next verse, we are immediately immersed in traditional, astral imagery. “When the Lamb shall stand upon Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” (Ibid., v. 18.)
For a full interpretation of these allusions used in the prophetic language in verse 18, we must turn to the Saturn traditions.

The lamb of god

Just as the crescent in its inferior position on the limb of Saturn ...


... became the symbol for the sacred cow or bull, ...


... so the same crescent when located in the superior position ...


... was characterized as a ram due to the similarity in appearance of the planet’s inverted crescent with the horns of a male sheep.


The “lamb” in the polar configuration was the small, red planet, Mars, the son of the “sire,” the “ram,” Saturn. The use of this imagery became highly anthropomorphisized in Egyptian art and was rendered accordingly, as seen above.

Given that imagery, it is iconographically correct to refer to the son of the ram god as a “lamb,” an often-used allusion in ancient symbolism.

Naturally, the prophets would immediately see the symbolic value of referring to the Savior, the Son of God, as a lamb. It was an association that anyone steeped in ancient symbolism would easily understand. So, the phrase “Son of God” became the “Lamb of God.” Once made in antiquity, the connection would persist to become part of the language of the prophets and the scriptures, right down into New Testament times.

The fact that revelations produced by Joseph Smith display the proper use of such ancient iconography speaks eloquently for their authenticity. False prophets in this day and age have no grasp of such idiographic relationships and thus fail to use them properly, if at all.

Mount Zion

Looking further, we see that Mount Zion mentioned in verse 18 is, of course, the axis mundi, world or cosmic mountain upon which the polar configuration, the temple or city of god, appeared to stand, answering to the this archetypical image.


This “mountain” is the basis for temple imagery the world over—Olympus in the Greek culture, Jerusalem’s Mt. Moriah in the Israelite culture—where temples are often either designed to resemble a mountain, mound or pyramid, or set on top of one or next to one. It is also the basis for a similar allusion in the scriptures where the temple is described as “the mountain of the Lord’s house.”

The 144,000

So, too, is the “hundred and forty-four thousand” named in verse 18. That symbolically derived number (12 x 12 x 1000) is simply a metaphoric means of saying “more than you can count.” It was never meant to express a fixed number, as it is so often misinterpreted in modern prophetic schemes.

These ‘individuals’ are also prominently mentioned in Revelation where they stand with a “Lamb” and are part of mount “Sion.” Joseph Smith and the scriptures depict them in symbolic terms, as though they were individuals, servants of God or priesthood holders. Originally, they were based in the thousands of illuminated prominences that radiated outward from the edge of the celestial planet/god/city, as seen in this exploded view.


They were characterized in tradition and mythology as the inhabitants of the celestial city, and as such are iconographically useful in depicting those saved or exalted souls who will stand with Christ at the final judgment, as John and Joseph Smith explained.

The returning hero weds

The next verses introduce a new dimension to our investigation, allowing us to see the origins of Christian symbolism in the more ancient cultural and religious usages.

“Wherefore, prepare ye for the coming of the Bridegroom; go ye, go ye out to meet him. (Ibid., v. 19.)

While the reference to the “Bridegroom,” as every Christian knows, is clearly an allusion to Christ’s role as husband to the church, this reference goes back to a more ancient, cosmological tradition.

During the evolution of the polar configuration, Mars was seen to move away from the center. In doing so, it seemed to the ancients to “wander” about heaven and grow much larger as it engaged in a variety of metamorphoses in a planetary ‘dance’ that engaged both Venus and the Earth.






These phases of the planetary epic spawned a multitude of myths and traditions about cultural heroes who wandered away from home, orphaned or dispossessed, who then engaged in a series of misadventures, challenges or contests in which they performed miraculously and then finally returned home to discover their heritage, roots or exalted station in life. These mythical archetypes are recognizable to modern eyes, for example, in recent incarnations such as the story of Aladdin, the Prince and the Pauper, the story of King Arthur or the tales of Hercules.

Eventually, Mars returned to the center place after several eventful excursions. This return was seen as a marriage ceremony wherein the two planets, the warrior/hero Mars and the goddess/queen Venus, were ‘joined’ or ‘wed’ after the wanderer’s long absence from the center place or home.


So the early Christian church adopted this cultural tradition to describe the returning Christ, coming to initiate the Millennium after his long absence from the Earth. Hence, the Christian imagery of the bridegroom and the bride, as used by the Lord and Joseph Smith in Doctrine and Covenants, find their roots in ancient planetary imagery.

Bigger than life

The next verse leaves the impression that the Lord’s return will see him as a giant standing on the Earth, with one foot on the Asian continent and the other on the American continent. “For behold, he shall stand upon the mount of Olivet, and great deep, and upon the islands of the sea, and upon the land of Zion.” (Ibid., v.20.)

Once again, such imagery is based on ancient symbolism spawned in the Saturn configuration of planets when it assumed the prototypical image of the “heaven man” with its ‘arms’ stretched heavenward and its ‘feet’ planted on the limb of the Earth, as seen in this illustration.

This Egyptian glyph, below, is perhaps the best example of the heaven man archetype and a reminder that the primary symbols were occasionally portrayed most precisely in ancient art. More than most, this example approaches an accurate portrayal of the archetypical symbol derived from the polar configuration and serves as strong evidence that this symbol was the origin of much biblical imagery.


In this instance, the planet Venus, seen to sit in the center of Saturn, was considered the head, Saturn’s crescent formed the outstretched arms, Mars at the top of the column became the chest or torso and the pillar the legs of the heaven man or angel archetype.

While the return of the Savior will undoubtedly be a magnificent manifestation, just as it was when he descended from heaven after his resurrection to appear before the Nephites, his stature will not assume epic proportions as this verse implies.

A celestial metaphor

Indeed, it is the thesis of this presentation that these verses are not at all meant to be descriptive of the Savior’s coming, as it is commonly supposed. While it is symbolically correct to apply these metaphors to his advent, the imagery tells us more. It betrays a celestial scene based in cosmological origins.

If we return to the first verse quoted in this monograph, we find that we were introduced to an angel “crying through the midst of heaven.” Ironically, it is the very “heaven man” image from which the ancients derived the “angel” icon. Thus, this icon is likely the origin of the “angel” image of prophecy, used by so many prophets.

This opens the door to a more meaningful or amplified reading of these verses. It is the concept that what is described here is not Christ’s advent at all, but a planetary encounter between the Earth and another planetary body — the harbinger of the second coming or last “grand sign” of the Savior’s advent. And, in fact, when we consult Joseph Smith’s pronouncements as recorded in the Brown account regarding these very verses, we find that, indeed, he spoke plainly of a planetary encounter.

After re-entering the house, the Prophet said, “Brother Brown, I noticed when I came in that you were reading the Doctrine and Covenants. Will you kindly get it?”

He did so. The Prophet turned to Section 133 and read, commencing at the 26th verse and throughout to the 34th verse. He said, after reading the 31st verse, “Now, let me ask you what would cause the everlasting hills to tremble with more violence than the coming together of the two planets? (Scriptural and Secular Prophecies Pertaining to The Last Days, pp. 89, 90.)

What better way to impress on the reader the planetary nature of the events described in these verses than to couch them in symbolic terms reminiscent of ancient times when Earth was a satellite of a gas giant and a companion to other planets? If what will be seen in Earth’s heavens just prior to the Savior’s advent—Joseph’s “planet, comet”—is a planetary display akin to that seen anciently, why not use all the traditional metaphors to memorialize that fact? To do otherwise would be inconsistent with prophetic convention. Anyonewell versed in the ancient traditions, such as a prophet, would be inclined to use the ‘proper’ and ‘correct’ symbolism and metaphor. And, indeed, that is what we see done in these once enigmatic verses.

Moreover, approaching these verses with this in mind, we find immediate clarification of the imagery. All that is needed is knowledge of how these icons were employed anciently and we have the proper interpretation. Or as Peter put it, “No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” Prophecy is meant to be interpreted systematically, using the imagery known in the times of the ancient prophets who spoke these words, imagery common to all ancient cultures. It is we moderns, who esteem this imagery as ‘myth,’ that have stripped it from our culture and our traditions, leaving us unable to grasp its meaning when we encounter it.

Returning planet imagery

Looking back at the verses examined thus far from Section 133, we find that, indeed, all the imagery has its basis in ancient planetary imagery, just as the following verses. “And he shall utter his voice out of Zion, and he shall speak from Jerusalem, and his voice shall be heard among all people; And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found.” (op. cit., vs. 21, 22.)

Sound was an integral part of the ancient events. Electrically energetic planets in close proximity were easily capable of generating a multitude of electromagnetic oscillations that became audible in Earth’s atmosphere, from the most subtle to excruciatingly loud. It is proper to refer to the sounds as coming from a geographical location — “he shall utter his voice out of Zion, and he shall speak from Jerusalem” — because the sound or voice would seen to emanate from there since the entire Earth would become a planet-sized transducer or speaker, oscillating in response to electromagnetic waves propagated by nearby planets.

Thunder and crashing water are probably only somewhat reminiscent of those sounds since they were heard to accompany the tremendous shaking of the ground, as alluded to in these verses. Furthermore, it is appropriate to connect these colossal sounds with the transformation of Earth’s topography — “which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found” — because they likely went hand in hand.

The next verse further confirms our thesis. “He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land. (op. cit., v. 23.) Let’s learn what this means in Joseph’s own words from the Patriarch Brown account.

“Relative to the waters rolling back to the north, if you take a vessel of water and swing it rapidly around your head, you won’t spill any. But if you stop the motion gradually, it will begin to pour out.

“Now,” he said, “Brother Brown, at the present time this earth is rotating very rapidly. When this planet returns it will make the Earth that much heavier, and it will then revolve slower. That will account for the waters receding from the Earth for a great while, but it has now turned and is proceeding rapidly eastward.” (op. cit., p. 91.)

Here we see yet another anticipated effect of the Earth joining in a polar orbit with another, larger body. Joseph was exactly right in assessing that our planet’s rotation might slow when electromagnetically joined with a new neighbor, thus significantly diminishing the centrifugal forces that maintain an equatorial bulge at the equator. This would have the effect of raising the ocean levels at the poles and diminishing or depressing those around the equator.

But there would be another, even greater reason for this oceanic migration that may not have occurred to Joseph: tremendous tidal action due to gravity, which would also serve to draw Earth’s oceans into gigantic tides, the primary one centered on the North Pole and the secondary or reflexive tide on the South Pole.


A consequence of such permanent polar tides would be the appearance of heretofore submerged land bridges between many of the continents — especially at the equatorial latitudes where the effect would be the most dramatic. Water levels in some places might subside hundreds of feet in great, worldwide tsunamis as the oceans raced to the poles, thus “receding from the Earth.” Imagine a ring of dry ground girding the equator, joining all the continents.

Thus, we would see the literal fulfillment of verse 23. “… the great deep … shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land.”

A planetary “docking maneuver”

Having introduced the concept of intersecting planets, “the coming together of the two planets,” Joseph next refers to a circumstance that has no meaning except in a universe governed by electromagnetic forces.

“Now,” he said, “scientists will tell you that it is not scientific, that two planets coming together would be disastrous to both. But, when two planets or other objects are traveling in the same direction and one of them with a little greater velocity than the other, it would not be disastrous because the one traveling faster would overtake the other.”

In fact, the perception by science of such an event has not changed since Joseph’s day. Scientists still speak, hypothetically, of such events as collisions, insisting that they would be, as Joseph said, “disastrous.”

The Roche limit is the orbital distance at which the gravity of the larger planet will begin to tidally tear apart the smaller planet as they approach one another. Even if, as Joseph proposed, the planets were traveling in the same direction or sharing a similar orbit as one gradually overtook the other, their approach would eventually bring them within the Roche limit, which would be utterly disastrous to the smaller orb. It would be summarily sundered into so many chunks.

Yet, Joseph’s scenario sees no such outcome. Saying emphatically that “it would not be disastrous,” he seems to understand what orthodox science denies to this day: There are greater forces at work in such a scenario than gravity. These electromotive forces would serve to both prevent an outright collision or dismemberment and, at the same time, lock the two planets together in a tandem orbit.

In fact, proponents of the electric universe theory insist that electromagnetic plasma layers — once called VanAllen belts but now called Langmuir sheaths — surrounding both approaching planets would pull the planets together at a distance, yet also prevent them from colliding by holding them apart as the distance between them diminished. In effect, the two planets’ approach would first be cushioned, then the two would electromagnetically couple, held in stasis at a distance from one another, neither drifting apart nor colliding. And while the tidal effects would be tremendous, pulling the oceans to the poles, they would be insufficient to destroy either planet.

Joseph’s prophetic insight

Joseph Smith’s scenario, as we have read, suggests just such a circumstance. Yet, how could he know of this? Even today science denies such a possibility. Indeed, electricity was only a novelty in that day. Thus, its role in creating electromagnetic effects was virtually unknown. In fact it still has no acknowledged role in planetary science even today.

Clearly, Joseph had learned through revelation that Earth was once held in juxtaposition with another planet anciently before being separated, even if he did not completely understand the mechanics of such a coupling. For this reason he speaks of it “returning” in conjunction with the events described in Section 133.
Indeed, this is the only context in which these statements have any meaning.

And this is the point: In the context of modern “scientific” notions, Joseph’s statements in the Brown account sound like the fanciful inventions of a fertile imagination. However, when seen in the context of the Saturn traditions and the electric universe, it is a stunningly accurate depiction and a testament to the prophetic prowess of Joseph Smith. Moreover, the Brown account allows a much more meaningful interpretation of Section 133.

Seen in the light of our new perspective on ancient history, we can see that the next verse from the 133rd Section has been grossly misconstrued by Latter-day Saints. “And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.” (op. cit., v. 24.)

Continents do not drift

This verse does not describe the popular geologic notion of continental drift. As we have seen, Joseph does not speak of shifting landmasses in his interpretation of Section 133. However, he does speak of shifting oceans that will permanently reveal great tracts of land, thus reversing the “division” of the Earth in Peleg’s day.

More significant still is the reference to Jerusalem and Zion being “turned back into their own place.” While such a statement might be construed to be an indication of continents in motion to our ears, seen through the lenses of ancient tradition, it tells a very different story.

Latter-day Saints tend to think of Zion as a people, for so it is used in modern parlance. We also think of Jerusalem as an earthly city in the Middle East. However, anciently this was not so. The archetype of the holy city, Jerusalem was the Saturn configuration, and Zion (Sion) was the name of the heaven-spanning mountain that both held up the celestial city and connected it to the Earth. Thus, if the heavenly city and its sacred mountain are “turned back in their own place,” the phrase refers to the return of that grouping of planets that gave rise to that imagery anciently.

This verse, then, is not about earthly cities. It is, as is consistently done in these verses, an allegory based in celestial constructs. And, in fact, the return of a planet is what Joseph’s instruction to the Browns was all about, lending further credibility to this idea.

The proposed explanation of these verses extends to yet another verse in the 133rd Section. “And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves; and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence.”

Joseph’s explanation of the melting ice is as follows:

“Now, what would cause the mountains of ice to melt quicker than the heat caused by the friction of the two planets coming together?”

And then he asked the question, “Did you ever see a meteor falling that was not red hot? So, that would cause the mountains of ice to melt.” (op. cit., p. 91.)

Once again, we see an explanation that not only supports the contention that Joseph viewed these prophesied events as planetary catastrophes, we also a reiteration of the joining planets theme.

Also, in this same passage, we come to one of the most misunderstood prophecies in all scripture in that many claim the “they” in this verse means the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

Not about the Lost Tribes of Israel

Because ancient tradition connected to the disappearance of the Lost Tribes tells of them disappearing into “the north countries,” modern Saints have interpreted this verse to refer to those Ten Lost Tribes because of the identical reference.
Once again, however, when we look at Joseph’s statement, we get the picture of a returning planet.

He continued, “Now, as to their coming back from the northern waters, they will return from the north because their planet will return to the place from whence it was taken. (op. cit., p. 91.)

That is, their planet will once again take up its historic, traditional position in “the north.” This, of course is indicative of the unique polar orbit posited by Talbott and illustrated in the Dibble facsimile, as drawn by Joseph Smith.


Note that nowhere in the Brown account does the Prophet suggest that the Ten Tribes would come from that planet, only that it was thought to be “their” planet or the one that was connected to them by tradition.

Since Joseph attributes all the other phenomena in this account to effects generated by the return of the old celestial or heavenly order, it seems likely that he meant to convey that same point in this instance rather than referring to the return of any group of people. In fact, placing the Ten Tribes interpretation on this solitary verse in an entire sequence dedicated to planetary symbolism seems completely out of place. A more sensible approach would seem to be to allow the verse to be seen as complementary to the rest of the passage rather than interpreting it as a parenthetical comment.

It bears mention at this point that many early Saints attribute to Joseph Smith the belief that the Lost Tribes inhabited another planet. This, of course, is impossible to verify since there is no direct statement to that effect recorded by the Prophet.

From the standpoint of the polar configuration of planets illustrated above, such a circumstance would seem to be patently impossible. First of all, no known mechanism would allow people to relocate from Earth to Mars or Venus, the two planets most proximate to Earth in the Polar Configuration. The natural forces unleashed in those events would have been too traumatic to humans to see the Lost Tribes survive the transit—even if a transport mechanism could be identified. Secondly, the distances were similar to those that separate the Earth and its moon today. Bridging such a hostile gap would appear to be even more of an impossibility.

Since the traditions tell of no other, habitable planets parking in a polar orbit above the Earth anciently that might have served as a refuge for migrating Israelites, the Lost Tribes interpretation of this verse fails.

Furthermore, space probes to those two planets have returned no evidence that they are inhabited. Indeed, the environments on Mars and Venus today could not support human beings, except one imagines some supernatural intervention to miraculously preserve them alive. Even if these two planets were to return to their former location near the Earth, there could be no people living there to return. Therefore, the interpretation of these verses as the return of an inhabited planet also fails.

The most likely explanation for the belief of many early Saints that Joseph taught such an idea can only be considered a uniform misinterpretation based on the way the prophet explained the concept. Indeed, since the return of the Lost Tribes will coincide with these latter-day catastrophes, the two are closely connected in prophecy and easily mistaken one for the other.

A celestial highway

Moving on, we see another, traditional aspect of the polar configuration reused in the description of the coming event as recorded in Section 133. “And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep.” (op. cit., vs. 27.)

Once again, Joseph clarifies the revelation.

“And relative to the great highway which should be cast up when the planet returns to its place in the great northern waters, it will form a highway and waters will recede and roll back.”

This “highway” was also Mt. Sion supporting the holy city at its apex where it appears to split into twin peaks.


In this phase of the configuration’s career, the pillar or mountain could easily be construed as a road or path. It is the origin of the symbolic notion that the streets of heaven are paved with gold. It is the reason many ancient temples were accessible only via a lengthy causeway or avenue leading up to the gates.

The final verses we will consider here from the 133rd Section follow the returning planet imagery.

Their enemies shall become a prey unto them. And in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land. And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephriam, my servants. And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence. (op. cit., vs. 28-31.)

Lest the reader lapse into interpreting these verses as applying to the Lost Tribes, consider the third verse. The “everlasting hills” do not tremble at the “presence” of any people, but they do tremble at the return of a planet to Earth’s northern skies, re-establishing the ancient heavenly order.

If one reads “them” to mean the returning 144,000 or “servants” that stood about the polar configuration, a more consistent interpretation with internal themes, then these verses simply continue the same planetary metaphor.

So it is that the powerful imagery of these verses from Section 133 are easily interpreted, thanks to the Brown account of Joseph’s teachings about the last days and the pivotal research of modern catastrophists and comparative mythologists.

© Anthony E. Larson, 2004

The Lost Tribes

Jesus was often called a “Galilean” in his day, according to the gospels. That is likely so because he was raised in Nazareth, a city proximate to the Sea of Galilee in an area in Northern Palestine that was known as Galilee or Samaria. Anyone from that area could rightly be referred to as a Galilean.

The practice of calling people from that area “Galileans” was widespread, apparently — certainly more common than calling them Israelites. The name seems to have followed groups of people who migrated from Northern Palestine sometime before the time of Christ to an area south of the Black Sea in what is presently modern Turkey. Evidence of this is found in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, which he addressed to “the churches of Galatia.” (Galatians 1:2.)

Clearly, the Galatians were Galileans who had brought the place-name of their homeland with them, subsequently lending it to their new locality.

Therefore, it should be no surprise to learn that, much earlier, these people were an identifiable group known to both the Romans and the Greeks before them. The Romans called the people from the Galatia region “Galatae,” a Latin pronunciation.

Since Galatia was also proximate to the ancient Greek city-states, the Greeks also recognized them, calling them “Keltoi,” a Greek derivation of the same word.

It is in these two variations that we find a whole new slant on history and the destiny of the biblical Israelites.

What is not generally recognized is that derivations of this same place name can be found in Europe. In his letters to Rome describing his campaign against the barbarians in Europe in 58 B.C., Julius Caesar wrote, “All Gaul is divided into three parts.” Indeed, the “Gallic” tribes he found there are known to us as Gaels who spoke Gaelic. Also known as Kelts, from the Greek “Keltoi,” they are now called Celts.

Evidently, the Galileans had done considerable wandering.

This etymological trail leads us to a remarkable conjecture. Did ancient Israelites living in Northern Israel/Palestine migrate northward in large numbers into Europe anciently, long before the time of Christ, intermingling with the native peoples living there, giving the place name of their homeland, Galilee, to each locale where they settled and to themselves as Galileans?

One of the more enduring enigmas of ancient history is the disappearance of the so-called Lost Tribes — most of the House of Israel. While it is well known that there were once 12 tribes of Israel, today we find only two: Judah and Levi, who are collectively called Jews.

The question is, where are the other ten tribes?

The Old Testament relates that at the death of King Solomon, Israel split into two nations. The tribes of Judah, Levi and some of Benjamin occupied Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom. The other ten tribes occupied the Northern Kingdom. Each territory had its own king, and the inhabitants considered themselves the rightful heirs of the name Israel.

The northward migrations began in Isaiah’s time, when the Assyrian king Sennacherib invaded Israel from the northeast. The people living in Northern Israel could choose to stand and fight, or they could seek refuge from the Assyrian juggernaut by migrating north and westward.

Still later, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar also invaded Palestine. Once again, it is likely that large numbers of Israelites fled northward rather than face the invading Babylonians who went on to conquer and deport all the Jews in Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom to the northern extremity of Babylonia.

Finally, many Jews who were later freed from their exile by a more beneficent Babylonian king chose to migrate northward rather than return to Jerusalem.

Could it be that these three were the migrations that found their way into Europe?

Curiously, there is yet another etymological clue that supports this view.

Anciently, Jews or any of the Israelite tribes were properly called Hebrews. Interestingly, ancient Egyptian letters use that very name, confirming our thesis. Called the Amarna tablets after the site where they were discovered in middle Egypt in 1887, they were written to the Egyptian pharaoh Akenaten by vassal kings in Palestine. (See Tel el-Amarna Letters in the Bible Dictionary in the L.D.S. King James Version of the Bible, p. 780.)

Some of these letters from rulers in Canaan (Palestine) speak of invading marauders from the east desert, calling them “Habiru” — a name clearly related to our word “Hebrew.” Thus we see that as early as the 14th century B.C., Israelites were identified as Hebrews.

Apparently, Galileans, fleeing first Assyrian and then later Babylonian armies, migrated northward to settle in Europe after detouring around the Black Sea — some through the Caucasus on the east where they came to be called Caucasians, and others across the Bosphorous Straits and modern Istanbul on the west where they could follow the same route into the heart of Europe that the Orient Express takes today.

Interestingly, as we look north and west from the Middle East in the directions where the Ten Tribes likely fled, we find many place-names and people that use some form of the root word Habiru or Hebrew.

In the far north of modern Russia we find a region called Siberia. Once again, the root ‘iberia’ or ‘iberiu’ is prominent, indicating that many Hebrews may have migrated there. Notably, some historians place the Lost Tribes in the area of the Volga River in the Russian Steppes where it is likely that the inhabitants named their city Samara after their homeland Samaria. Additionally, their ruling aristocracy spoke fluent Hebrew. More than 700 inscriptions in the Crimea suggest Hebrew origins, and Hebrew burial tombs have been traced as far north as Sweden where 19 of 22 Hebrew tribal symbols have been found in the area occupied by Germanic tribes. (Church News, May 15, 1982, p. 10.)

From the city Tarshish (Tarsis), home of the Apostle Paul on the southwest coast of modern Spain, we learn that the Celts in that locality called themselves “Iberiu,” a name strikingly similar to the Habiru of the Amarna letters and our word “Hebrew.” Indeed, France, Spain and Portugal occupy a peninsula that is called Iberia to this day, derived from the name of the people who inhabited the region. In fact, the people who live there were historically called Celtiberians, a combination of the two names the Israelites brought with them: Kelts (Galatae, Galileans) and Iberiu (Habiru, Hebrews).

And they persisted in their westward migration. The last bastion of Celtic culture in modern times is Ireland — the furthermost westerly bit of real estate in Europe — whose ancient name is Hibernia, another derivation of Hebrew (Iberiu).

All these similar sounding names cannot be mere coincidence. Clearly, the migrating Galileans also took the name “Hebrew” with them, subsequently using it as a root word for many place names where they settled on the European continent. If such were the case, then one might expect to find Hebrew words in the many European languages. And so it is.

Linguistic research done by Dr. Terry M. Blodgett, a Latter-day Saint whose doctoral dissertation, “Phonological Similarities in Germanic and Hebrew,” delineates a dramatic “Semitic Sound Shift” that occurred in the Germanic languages (German, English, Dutch and Scandinavian) between 700 B.C. and 500 B.C. — precisely the time frame for the three northward migrations of Israelite tribes detailed previously.

Dr. Blodgett compares the Germanic language changes with ancient Hebrew and finds similarities between the two that are more than coincidental.

“At the same early period of history identified previously, the Germanic dialects added many new words to their vocabularies which were not Indo-European in origin. Approximately one-third of all Germanic vocabulary is listed in the etymological dictionaries as being of unknown origin. A comparison of these words with Hebrew vocabulary reveals that these words are similar to words in Hebrew.” (Church News, May 15, 1982, p. 10.)

There were several identifiable migrations of Hebrew-speaking people into Northern Europe, according to Dr. Blodgett, and it was that sudden influx of Hebrew-speaking people that was the likely cause of the Germanic Sound Shift.

In fact, there may be many ethnic groups names and place names in Europe that are Hebrew in origin but used in a Germanic syntax, a predictable effect of the blending of the two languages which reverses the order of the Hebrew words. For example, “son of Isaac,” in Hebrew (Ben Isaac) becomes “Isaac’s son” in English. Joined and abbreviated over time, the name became “Saxon.”

The word ‘British’ may be a combination of two Hebrew words: brit, meaning ‘covenant,’ and isha, meaning ‘man’ — brit-isha or British.

The conclusion is inescapable. When Joseph Smith sent out the first missionaries to a foreign country, they went to the British Isles because “England is rich in the blood of Israel” — not an idle comment since those wandering Israelites have been moving westward ever since they entered Northern Europe over two millennia ago.

Of course, a prophet of God would know these things. It only makes sense that a restoration of the true gospel in the last days would take place among descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) who would be compelled by subtle, spiritual urges to settle in their “land of promise.”

Hence, we now see new meaning in the words of Joseph Smith when he wrote, “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 …” (The Articles of Faith, #10.)

So, if you are of European descent, the next time someone asks you where the Ten Lost Tribes went, you can say, “You’re lookin’ at ‘em!”

© Anthony E. Larson, 2002

Nephite History: A Harbinger For Our Time (Part 1)

Nephi used a handy teaching device to instruct his people. He found it useful to compare events and conditions in his time to those found in his scriptures, "the books of Moses" and the "writings of Isaiah." He wrote, "…for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning." (1 Nephi 19:23.) He later amplified on that concept by adding, "Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men." (2 Nephi 11:8.)

This is a vital key for our study. In a similar manner, we as well can "liken" events in Nephite history to those in our time "for our profit and learning." When we do so, some rather remarkable similarities stand out, parallels that allow us to better see our reflection in the mirror of Nephite history and even permit us a glimpse of what may await in our future.

Most Latter-day Saints understand that the Book of Mormon was written so we could learn from the shortcomings of the Nephites and the Lamanites. What most fail to consider is that the two histories — Nephite and American — are strikingly similar.

Mormon may have intended that this 'likening' of the two histories be far more comprehensive and penetrating than the superficial comparison usually made. He may have intended that we see the remarkable similarity between events and conditions in our time and those in Nephite times.

This becomes especially meaningful when we consider that both Moroni and Mormon clearly saw our day in vision. Speaking to the Gentiles, Mormon wrote, "Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing … for I know that ye shall have my words." (Mormon 8: 35; 9:30.)

Having seen our day, he was in the unique position to compile Nephite history so as to emphasize the similarities between them and us. With a repetitive, detailed review of Nephite problems, those prophets sought to teach us about our own difficulties. In that manner, it seems, they diligently portrayed our destiny in vivid and graphic narrative, using their history like a paintbrush on the canvas of our day and time.

Our thesis: Americans are the modern counterparts of the ancient Nephites.

Seen thusly, Nephite history is a prophetic harbinger for our time — a Paul Revere, if you will, to our modern world, riding out into our age of moral darkness to warn of what is about to overtake us.

President Ezra Taft Benson wrote of these similarities, "The record of the Nephite history just prior to the Saviors' visit reveals many parallels to our own day as we anticipate the Savior's second coming." (A Witness And A Warning, p.37.)

So, let’s examine the record to see what this enhanced perspective brings.

Tracing the threads of both histories back in time, we find that both Nephite history and American history began in the Middle East with the house of Israel.

Led by revelation, Lehi’s party left Jerusalem in the Southern Kingdom and traveled southward and eastward, halfway around the world to settle in the Promised Land. Fleeing incursions by the Assyrians, and later by the Babylonians, many residents of the Northern Kingdom also emigrated in the same epoch as Lehi’s party. Only, these Israelites migrated northward and westward. What’s more, Assyrians relocated captive Israelites to the northernmost borders of their empire.

From there, it is evident that they migrated into Europe around the Black and the Caspian seas. President Joseph Fielding Smith, in Answers to Gospel Questions, wrote, "From these (Israelite) exiles many without question found their way into the area which formed the nations of northern Europe."

But that is only the beginning of our comparison. Many good examples of these remarkable parallels are found when we compare the origins of both cultures to learn who are today’s equivalents of the Nephites and the Lamanites.

· Founders of both Nephite and American cultures, respectively, wandered in the "wilderness" during their different sagas, covering great distances.

· Both crossed oceans to get to the New World: The Nephites did so early in their history; the Americans did it late in their history.

· Both emigrated to distant lands, where they settled. For the Nephites, it was the "land of original inheritance" in the New World. For the forerunners of the Americans, it was greater Europe.

· The Western Hemisphere ultimately became home to both cultures.

· In the Book of Mormon saga, the Nephites were forced to separate themselves from their brethren, the Lamanites in the South, due to religious persecution and intolerance. They moved North, away from the "lands of original inheritance," to found their new nation. In American history, our forebears departed Europe, the land in which their forefathers first settled, or their "first inheritance" after leaving the Middle East, to flee religious persecution and intolerance. There, in the West, they founded a new nation, leaving their 'brethren' behind in the East.

· Both nations were the 'good' half of a 'good guys - bad guys' duality. For the Nephites, their nemeses were the Lamanite groups, their relatives. For the Americans, their nemeses were European groups, their relatives.

· Like the Nephites, Americans in the West were constantly defending themselves against the 'bad guys' in Europe, in the East — most especially during the recent period known as the Cold War.

· The orientation of the struggle between the Nephites and their Lamanite cousins was north and south. The orientation in our day, especially during the Cold War, has been a struggle between the East and the West.

Thus, by comparing American history with Nephite history, we see how very similar the two are — even to the point that both chronicles concern descendents of the House of Israel.

Lest anyone doubt that the prophets of the restoration taught that we are Israelites and that this comparison of American ancestry to Nephite ancestry is therefore invalid, consider that Moses appeared to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple to commit "the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the tem tribes from the land of the north." (Doctrine and Covenants, 110:11.)

This revelation raised the question: Who and where are the Israelites? One simply must first identify them in order to gather them. The answer came with the first callings to foreign missions in this dispensation: They went to England and Europe.

And, here’s the reason why:

· The Prophet Joseph Smith once said, "There are thousands of good people in England and those old countries (lands of original inheritance) who are waiting for the fullness of the gospel, and it will not be long before they will flock to Zion, for Ephraim (Israel) dwells largely in those parts" (Joseph Grant Stevenson, The Life of Edward Stevenson, master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1955, p. 25).

· In a 1937 General Conference, Elder John A. Widtsoe said, "The blood of Ephraim, the blood of Israel, runs strong in European countries …."

· In his book, Progress of Man, President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote, "… the blood of Israel is profusely scattered throughout the island of Great Britain.

· Elder Orson F. Whitney, in Gospel Themes, wrote, "… it is also a fact that from Scandinavia and the nations of Northern Europe has come much of the blood of Israel — the blood of Ephraim now within the pale of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

These discoveries set the stage for even greater revelations regarding striking similarities between the Nephites and the Americans, which we will explore in three future installments in this series.

© Anthony E. Larson, 2007

Out of the Past

Joseph Smith lived his life with one foot in the present, the other in the past. That is, in order to effect a ‘restoration,’ he had to know what from the past had been lost in order to restore it.

It’s evident from the abundance of information he bequeath the church that he had a profound understanding of the past. In fact, his entire journey as a modern prophet began because he sought for the original, primitive church. The gold plates entrusted to him contained the ancient history of at least two migrations to the New World long before Columbus. The Egyptian papyri, which he explained with self-assured confidence and considerable accuracy at a time when scholars knew little or nothing about their meaning, dealt with an ancient culture with a rich heritage that scholars are still trying to fully fathom.

One could go on for pages, listing his research into and exposure to the past.

So, ancient history played a huge role in the prophet’s life and career. Given that fact, it would be natural to expect that if anything closely approximating what this author affirms about dramatic changes in the heavens and the earth occasioned by past planetary catastrophes, Joseph would have had something to say about it.

In fact, this was the question that prompted one of the early searches this author initiated into ancient history: Did Joseph Smith describe a world in the past that was in any way notably different from the one we know today? The search yielded a wealth of evidence, some of it direct, some of it anecdotal, that, indeed, Joseph knew of and taught about a very different heaven and earth than the one we see today.

For example, speaking of the Tower of Babel story, Apostle Orson F. Whitney said, “… the object of the people who built the Tower of Babel (was) to reach heaven, to attain one of the starry planets, one of the heavenly bodies.

“… I cannot conceive how … a race of people … could cherish the idea that they could actually reach the sun, moon, or one of the stars simply by piling brick upon brick and stone upon stone.

“But the Prophet Joseph Smith, whose job it was to shed light upon the darkness of this generation, is said to have declared that it was not their intention to reach heaven, but to reach Zion, which was then suspended in mid-air between heaven and earth, or at such a height as to render the project feasible. This certainly is more reasonable.”

Orson Pratt, another Apostle, amplified on this idea, saying, “About the time of Abraham, the Tower of Babel was built. … They thought that the City of Enoch was caught up a little ways from the earth, and that the city was within the first sphere above the earth; and that if they could get a tower high enough they might get to heaven where the City of Enoch and the inhabitants thereof were located.”



Of course, we have the Philo Dibble illustration, presented to him by Joseph Smith, which gives us a virtual picture of Earth in a tandem arrangement with other planets that makes the above statements meaningful. This was Joseph’s vision of what the ancient heavens looked like, what Orson Hyde called “one grand constellation of worlds,” a concept that he undoubtedly learned from Joseph.

This picture of the ancient Earth with its companion planets explains the following statement by Apostle Orson Pratt: “The Prophet Joseph once in my hearing advanced his opinion that the Ten Tribes were separated from the Earth or a portion of the Earth was, by a miracle, broken off and that the Ten Tribes were taken away with it, and that in the latter days it would be restored to the Earth or be let down in the polar regions.”

Fast forward to the present, and we find that most Mormons today know nothing of such accounts because they seem extravagant, far-fetched and implausible in light of the modern, scientific model of our solar system. They simply have not taken the time or made the effort to learn all that Joseph Smith taught. And LDS scholars have simply avoided quoting such observations because they don’t fit the “scientific” or “logical” worldview we embrace and are therefore an embarrassment or an enigma to them. So, they avoid them entirely.

Yet, as it turns out, the very information that mainstream, LDS scholars have an aversion to is actually what the Prophet believed.

Unlike our founder, it can correctly be said that we Saints today live with both intellectual feet firmly planted in the present. Our motto seems to be, “Forget the past,” a position diametrically opposed to our founding prophet’s perspective.

Even when studying the scriptures, we mostly restrict ourselves to an analysis of their content for a spiritual message. We rarely strive for a contextual, temporal picture of the ancients’ world in order to more fully understand the perspective offered in their writings. Instead, we tend to spiritualize what we don’t understand, substituting metaphysical or supernatural explanations to fill the gaps in our understanding. Hence, the entire study of the gospel has become an exercise designed to give everything a spiritual meaning, entirely ignoring the temporal side of all the scriptural accounts.

Try suggesting to most modern Latter-day Saints that a thorough study of antiquity is necessary to understand the restored gospel, and you will note how their eyes glaze over, their brain switches to the ‘off’ mode and they start looking for the exit sign.

Given the unbounded interest of their church’s founder in the past, one must ask, “What’s wrong with this picture?”

© Anthony E. Larson, 2006