D&C 133-134 Quotes and Notes

D&C 133.3 Make bare his holy arm – Isaiah 52.10

D&C 133 quotes a great passage of Isaiah from the very start:

The Lord shall suddenly come to his temple… for he shall make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of their God… Go ye out from Babylon… Awake, and arise, go forth to meet the Bridegroom…^[1]D&C 133.1-10. This passage combines elements from both New Testament and Old Testament concepts or ideas and is drenched in temple symbolism for those who have been initiated.

Isaiah 52 is a message to Zion and is also response to Isaiah 47, the message to Babylon. In Isaiah 47, the virgin daughter of Babylon is commanded to “come down, and sit in the dust,” as there is no throne remaining for her. She is to be replaced by the daughters of Zion who are exchanging places with her. I call these two passages “The Great Exchange.”

Isaiah 52 reads as follows:

Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

² Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

³ For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.

⁴ For thus saith the Lord God, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

⁵ Now therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the Lord; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.

⁶ Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.

⁷ How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

⁸ Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

⁹ Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

¹⁰ The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

¹¹ Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.

¹² For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your reward.

¹³ Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

¹⁴ As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

¹⁵ So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

I want to explore the LXX of Isaiah 52.15, and give a different rendering, especially for the first part of the verse, where it says that the Lord will “sprinkle” many nations. The JST says that the Lord will gather many nations. The LXX says that the Lord will totally blow the nations away in wonder, the word thaumazontai – θαυμάσονται (from thaumázō – θαυμάζω) is used, a word that means to amaze, or cause one to wonder.^[2]The full Greek text of Isaiah 52.15 from the Septuagint reads as follows: οὕτως θαυμάσονται ἔθνη πολλὰ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ καὶ συνέξουσιν βασιλεῗς … Continue reading So the Greek text of Isaiah 52.15 seems to have more to do with causing the nations to be amazed than to be sprinkled. This could be because the hiphil form^[3]The Hiphil stem is generally used to express causative action in the active voice. of the Hebrew verb nāzâ נָזָה means “to startle” or “to leap.” Perhaps this verse has some more layers to it. What if this is in connection to the prophet Moses sprinkling the blood of sacrifice upon the children of Israel (Exodus 24.8) when they covenanted to follow Jehovah, and this verse has multiple application: startling, sprinkling, gathering, and covenant making? These are just some possibilities that I see embedded in this small verse of Isaiah’s temple imagery laid out here in chapter 52.

Rise from the dust – Isaiah 52.1-2

Jeff Lindsay^[4]Jeff Lindsay, “Arise from the Dust,” part 2, p. 239-240. makes the following observation:

Brueggemann builds on the 1967 work of J. Wijngaards.^[5]J. Wijngaards, “Death and Resurrection in Covenantal Context (Hos. VI 2),” Vetus Testamentum 17, Fasc. 2 (April 1967): 226–239 Wijngaards observed that “dying and rising” describe the voiding and renewing of covenant relationships, and that calls to “turn” or “repent” involve changing loyalties or entering into a new covenant. He also cites other scholars who found that New Testament themes of resurrection are built on Israel’s ancient enthronement rituals and that when Christ was “raised up” from the dead “on the third day,” the concept was dependent upon a variety of related Old Testament passages. “The important gain of these studies is the recognition that the motifs of covenant-renewal, enthronement, and resurrection cannot be kept in isolation from each other, but they run together and serve to illuminate each other.”^[6]Walter Brueggemann, “From Dust to Kingship,” Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 84/1 (1972): 1. Brueggemann’s exploration of the dust theme in the scriptures led him to conclude that rising from the dust is tied to divine covenants. To keep them is to rise from the dust but not only to rise but to be endowed (Lindsay’s term) with power and authority. Rising from the dust is a symbol of enthronement. To break covenants is to return to the dust and to lose one’s position of authority. Dust is used to describe the status of the covenant maker:

Behind the creation formula lies a royal formula of enthronement. To be taken “from the dust” means to be elevated from obscurity to royal office and to return to dust means to be deprived of that office and returned to obscurity. Since the royal office depends upon covenant with the appropriate god, to be taken from the dust means to be accepted as a covenant-partner and treated graciously; to return to the dust means to lose that covenant relation. … To die and be raised is to be out of covenant and then back in covenant. So also to be “from dust” is to enter into a covenant and to return “to dust” is to have the covenant voided. Dust is not to be taken literally but as a figure for being out of covenant, impotent, and unimportant, or as Wijngaards has suggested, “dead.” The dramatic movement of dust to life to dust [Genesis 2:7, 3:9, 1 Kings 16:2–3] is in fact imagery describing the fortune and standing of the royal occupant.^[7]Walter Brueggemann, “From Dust to Kingship,” p. 2-3.

Lindsay continues:

Since my explorations on this topic began with 2 Nephi 1:23, where dust and obscurity are linked but initially seemed to me like an awkward pairing in the midst of other easily recognized parallels, it was intriguing to read Brueggemann’s statement quoted above that “To be taken ‘from the dust’ means to be elevated from obscurity to royal office and to return to dust means to be deprived of that office and returned to obscurity” (emphasis added). That fits Lehi’s speech nicely. Brueggemann’s finding that rising from the dust is also related to kingship, to enthronement, to covenant keeping, and to resurrection also corresponds well with Book of Mormon usage.^[8]Lindsay, “Arise from the Dust,” part 2, p. 241.

D&C 133.5,7, 14 – Go out of Babylon

The phrase, “go ye out of Babylon” is hinted at in Isaiah 52.11 and in John’s apocalypse. The word for Babylon is also a pun in the Hebrew language, as Babel can mean “confusion,” something the authors of the Old Testament worked to emphasize as they created their sacred scripture and recorded the words of the prophets anciently.^[9]Babel (Genesis 11.9), where the beginning of the verse reads as … Continue reading

An allusion to the return of the Jews from their Babylonian captivity beginning in 539 B.C., when the Persian king Cyrus defeated the Babylonians. By New Testament times, Babylon had become a symbolic term for the fallen world, for the kingdom of Satan established illegitimately in opposition to the kingdom of God (see Revelation 17.5; 18.2-4). Further, just as those who carried the sacred vessels of Solomon’s Temple out of Babylon to reestablish Judah (Ezra 1.7) were required to be clean and worthy, so all those who bear the responsibility of establishing Zion are required to depart from the world and bear worthily the holy things of God just as he commanded the priests of the Jerusalem Temple to be clean (Isaiah 52.11). The commandment to leave Babylon, or the world, behind us is repeated here three times (vv. 5, 7, 14). In times past, the members of the Church left their homes in foreign lands and gathered to Zion in the United States. Today, the Saints are required to remove themselves spiritually from Babylon, the wickedness of the world around us (v. 14), and to make their present homes, wards, and stakes the spiritual Zion that is made up of “the pure in heart” (D&C 97.21), free from the influences of modern Babylon.^[10]Garrett and Robinson, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, volume 4, Deseret Book, 2005.

D&C 133.9 – Enlarge the borders… strengthen the stakes

This has reference to Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 54. Isaiah 54.1-7 reads as follows:

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.

² Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

³ For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

⁴ Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

⁵ For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

⁶ For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

⁷ For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

LeGrand Baker and Stephen Ricks^[11]LeGrand L. Baker and Stephen D. Ricks, Who Shall Ascend to the Hill of the Lord? The Psalms in Israel’s Temple Worship In the Old Testament and in the Book of Mormon, Eborn Books, 2011, p. … Continue reading have this to say about this passage, especially as it relates to Moroni’s farewell in the Book of Mormon (Moroni 10):

28 I declare these things unto the fulfilling of the prophecies. And behold, they shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the everlasting God; [God is speaking, so we are listening] and his word shall hiss [whisper]^[12]“Whisper” is the dictionary’s synonym for “hiss.” The connotation seems to be that it is spoken in a whisper, as is a secret or a mystery. Baker, p. 722. forth from generation to generation. [It will always be the same.]

29 And God shall show unto you [God is showing, so we are watching], that that which I have written is true.

30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ [in the Feast of Tabernacles temple drama, that happened after the coronation ceremony], and lay hold upon every good gift [one does that with one’s hand], and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing. [There will always be counterfeits, and they must be left alone.]

31 And awake, and arise from the dust,^[13]One author gives the following insight in the phrase “arise from the dust”: The Book of Mormon’s use of dust as a theme strengthens its covenant-related message and highlights the role of the … Continue reading O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled (Moroni 10.28-31).

This is a paraphrase of Isaiah, so it comes from his culture rather than from Moroni’s. In the Near Eastern desert, when a man married, he gave his wife a tent, just large enough for the two of them. It was then hers, and she was responsible for it. As her family grew, she made additional flaps for the tent, and added more stakes to secure it. Thus, Moroni’s statement may be a reference to family homes—eternal families— “forever” —rather than being about future church units of wards and stakes. The Isaiah passage that Moroni paraphrased is also about God’s promise of eternal families. It reads:

2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes (Isaiah 54:2).

“Thine habitations” are homes. The tents are the places where families dwell. Moroni continues:

and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled (Moroni 10.31b).

If those words are about the ancient Nephite temple experience, then Moroni’s last words are about what one did after one left the ancient temple:

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot (Moroni 10.32-33).

Then, as though to give evidence that what he had recommended was well within the realm of possibility, he concluded with his own testimony:

34 And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen (Moroni 10.34).

133.17, 36 – The Lord has sent forth the angel… through the midst of heaven

This has reference to Revelation 14.6-7:

⁶ And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

⁷ Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

D&C 133.18 – The Hundred and Forty-four Thousand

This is a reference to Revelation 7.2-4 and Revelation 14.1-4:

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins.^[14]παρθένοι, plural, virgins, those who have abstained from the uncleanliness associated with the world. Draper gives the following interpretation: The term virgin (Greek parthenos) used by … Continue reading These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

For further commentary regarding the 144,000 see “What is going on in Revelation 7.2-4 with the 144,000?”

D&C 133.20 – He shall stand upon the mount of Olives… even the great deep

The standing of the Lord upon the Mount of Olives has reference to the passage in Zechariah 14:

Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

² For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

³ Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

⁴ And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

⁵ And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

⁶ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear,^[15]The negative particle turns יְקָרוֹת into something like “not valuable,” or “not precious.” Yakar יָקָר is translated as precious 25 times in the Old Testament. … Continue reading nor dark:^[16]The LXX is as follows: ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ οὐκ ἔσται φῶς καὶ ψῦχος καὶ πάγος. My translation: … Continue reading

⁷ But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.

⁸ And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

⁹ And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.

The second coming of Christ to the world will be preceded by a host of other comings. These preparatory comings will be to his servants charged to make his paths straight; these will be those worthy to stand in his presence and bear his name. The number of these comings and the places where he will appear suggest the numerical strength the Church will enjoy in that day. This text lists the Mount of Olives, the mighty ocean, the islands of the sea, and the land of Zion. To these we can add visits to his temples which will dot the earth and the great meeting yet to be held in Adam-ondi-Ahman.^[17]Joseph Fielding McConkie and Craig J. Ostler, Revelations of the Restoration: A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants and Other Modern Revelations, Deseret Book, 2000, p. 1110-1111.

The Great Deep

D&C 133.20 has the Lord Jehovah “standing upon the mighty ocean, even the great deep.” D&C 133.23 has God commanding the great deep! What is going on here? This image, of a mighty god, standing upon the waters is better understood if we get into the context of the people that lived in the Ancient Near East and understand this motif as they would have viewed it. Instead of thinking of this as God standing on waters (which is a perfect way to view this verse), imagine this as a story of a mighty warrior God who has just slain a terrible chaos dragon. This is one way to view this passage: that God has slain the chaos of this created order and has now established his peace, his tranquil earth and is hence “standing upon the deep.” The idea of the deep comes (possibly) from an ancient name of a chaos monster in the mythological stories of the peoples of either Babylon or the Levant. We also see similar ideas in Greek creation myth.

This is a reference to Tehom תְּהוֹם, the word used for “The Deep” in the Old Testament.^[18]Heb Tehom is etymologically related to Akkadian Tiamat, which derives from an older Semitic root, thm, known in Ugaritic and other semitic languages as a designation of … Continue reading For example, Psalm 77.16 reads as follows:

The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.

The deeps or the depths in this verse is the translated term coming from the Hebrew תְהֹמֽוֹת the plural of the word tehom. John Day^[19]John Day, Gods Conflict with the Dragon and the Sea, p. 7. offers the following explanation:

“Tehom, ‘the deep’ (Ps. 77.17, 104.6; Isaiah 51.10; Hab. 3.10; Gen. 1.2; Ps. 33.7) has often been compared with the name Tiamat, the chaos monster defeated by Marduk in connection with the creation of the world in the Enuma Elish. However, although tehom and Tiamat are certainly etymologically related, there is no reason to think that the Hebrew term is directly derived from Babylonian…”

Day goes on to explain that tehom is related to the early traditions of the Canaanite religion, something Day asserts that “scholars still have not grasped.”^[20]Day, p. 51. Day offers the view that the story of tehom or the deep being subdued by God has roots in early mythological stories of creation in the land of Canaan and that these stories were possibly later borrowed by the Babylonians as they composed their stories of Marduk’s ascension over the monster Tiamat. Day writes, “this lends support to the view that the West Semitic original, the conflict between Baal and Yam, was likewise associated with creation.”^[21]Day, p. 11. He notes that Ninurta’s defeat of Anzu follows these same themes, something I have written about in a separate post.

D&C 133.24 – The Land Before it was Divided

To me (Mike Day), I don’t take these literally, but am open to them being interpreted either way, literally or figuratively.^[22]or both! I see this as a message of unity and not division: God is one with his people, his kingdom, and his king. God is one (Deuteronomy 6.4). By this I mean that the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost (and Heavenly Mother) are all one in purpose, desire, heart, and spirit. They are gods, and these individuals work as one to bring to pass the immortality and eternal lives of all mankind. The Son bled on the tree, was resurrected, and will take us home. The Holy Ghost is the testator who teaches truth and lights our souls when we experience the rich manna from heaven. Both Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother are our eternal parents, who love us and have desire that we should return. All good things come from God. The land is a metaphor for the kingdom, and it is God’s will that the kingdom come,^[23]Matthew 6.10. and that it be not divided.^[24]D&C 38.27.

That being said, clearly there are other interpretations of this passage.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: “Knowing as we do from latter-day revelation that the islands and continents were once joined in one landmass and will yet again be joined, we find new meaning in allusions and comments found in the ancient scriptures. As part of a description of the Second Coming, John tells us: ‘And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.’ (Rev. 6:14). In connection with the greatest earthquake of the ages, John says: ‘And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.’ (Rev. 16:20). Also in a Second Coming setting John speaks of the voice of the Lord ‘as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder.’ (Rev. 14:2). This is the identical language used by the Lord in telling Joseph Smith that the mountains and valleys shall not be found, that the great deep (apparently the Atlantic Ocean) will be driven back into the north countries, ‘and the islands shall become one land.’ (D&C 133:22-23). The voice of many waters and of a great thunder could well be the thunderous surging of a whole ocean moving half an earth’s distance from where it now is. And all of this gives deep meaning to John’s account, which says: ‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.’ (Rev. 21:1). The apparent meaning of this is that the sea, or ocean, that separates the continents will cease to be, for their great landmasses will be joined together again.^[25]Bruce R. McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 623-24. I do not agree with this interpretation, rather, I see passages like these inviting readers to see how the sea was conceptualized anciently, meaning … Continue reading

I see many of these passages as a message of the fulfilment of the cosmic king, coming to take his rightful place as Messiah, deliverer, and bringer of justice to all the earth. Jesus is this king, according to the Book of Mormon and New Testament believers in him and his salvific blood. As to the literal reading of much of these texts, the following commentary from Garrett and Robinson is helpful:

Because of their strong similarities with the book of Revelation, the following verses are those most likely in Doctrine and Covenants 133 to employ symbolic or apocalyptic imagery. Although God has restored the gospel through the angel Moroni and others, the image of Moroni “flying through the midst of heaven,” found in both Doctrine and Covenants 133:17 and in Revelation 14:6, is likely to be symbolic rather than literal—at least as Moroni’s biography is described in scripture. Further, the falling of the mountains and the raising of valleys cannot be entirely literal. Mount Zion must remain. The Mount of Olivet must remain. The “everlasting hills” must remain (Isaiah 2:2). Moreover, the mountains and valleys were not created by the division of the earth in the days of Peleg (Genesis 10:25; 1 Chronicles 1:19), for the mountains were part of creation and existed in the days of Enoch before the Flood (Moses 6:34). During the Flood, the mountains, which already existed, were covered with water (Genesis 7:20) and were still there when the waters receded (Genesis 8:4–5). Thus, mountains and valleys were part of the paradisiacal earth before the Fall and are likely to remain as part of the beauty and variety of the millennial earth also. Certainly, there will be great geological and geographical changes when the Savior comes, just as there were when he visited the Nephites (3 Nephi 8:12), but we don’t have enough information yet to draw a map of the future millennial earth, neither can we always be sure which prophecies are literal and which are symbolic or apocalyptic in nature.^[26]Garrett and Robinson, Commentary, volume 4. These commentators seem to open the window to the possibility that these passages can be read in multiple ways. I see myself sitting in this position in … Continue reading

D&C 133.23 – The Great Deep will be “driven back” into the north countries… I dry up the sea – v. 68

This could be a reference to Tehom being defeated by the powers of God. Psalm 74 could be speaking of these ideas. In this text we read the following:

¹² For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

¹³ Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.

¹⁴ Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

¹⁵ Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.

John Day writes, “it must be strongly emphasized that the Old Testament so frequently uses the imagery of the divine conflict with the dragon and the sea in association with creation…”^[27]Day, p. 17, emphasis added. Later he points out that “Yahweh’s kingship was closely associated with the creation of the world… (and) Chaoskampf (German: The struggle against chaos)^[28]David Toshio Tsumura, The Chaoskampf Myth in the Biblical Tradition, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 140, No. 4 (October-December 2020), pp. 963-970. Tsumura cites Mobley … Continue reading (is also) associated with creation. What would be more appropriate than for the creation (and with it the Chaoskampf) to be celebrated about the time of the New Year, when we recall that for the ancient Israelites creation would naturally have been regarded as taking place at the time of the first New Year? Finally, there is evidence suggesting a link between the festival of Yahweh’s enthronement and the Covenant… Taking all these points into consideration, it may be argued that a strong case can be made in support of the argument that the motif of Yahweh’s kingship, and with it the Chaoskampf with which we are primarily concerned here, had its Sitz im Leben^[29]Setting in Life. Though sometimes rendered by phrases like “life setting”, “situation in life” etc. Herman Gunkel first coined the the German term Sitz im Leben in the … Continue reading in the Feast of Tabernacles at New Year’s eve… it is reasonable to suppose that this motif was also a feature of the Autumn Festival.^[30]John Day, God’s Conflict with the Dragon and the Sea, Cambridge University Press, 1985, p. 21, emphasis added.

D&C 133.26 – Smiting rocks and flowing ice

The idea of the children of God coming out of the north countries and being brought into the presence of God and hearing his voice is a very ancient concept. The association with the north is something that goes way back to some of the earliest texts in the Bible. The word “north” in Hebrew צָפוֹן is ṣāp̄ôn. It refers to one of the common directional points. But because of what Israelites believed waited in the north, the word came to signify something out of this world.

Michael Heiser explains:

The most obvious example is Bashan, which was also associated with Mount Hermon. In Jewish theology, this is where the rebellious sons of God of Genesis 6 infamy descended to commit their act of treason.^[31]To really understand this idea, one needs to read Heiser’s book The Unseen Realm, where he shows how the text of Enoch demonstrates that there was a rebellion by powerful beings in the heavens who … Continue reading

But there was something beyond Bashan—farther north—that every Israelite associated with other gods hostile to Yahweh. Places like Sidon, Tyre, and Ugarit lay beyond Israel’s northern border. The worship of Baal was central in these places. These cities of Phoenicia and Syria were Baal’s home turf. The fact that the center of Baal worship was just across the border was a contributing factor in the apostasy of the northern kingdom of Israel.

Specifically, Baal’s supposed home was a mountain, now known as Jebel al-Aqraʿ, situated to the north of Ugarit. In ancient times it was simply known as Tsaphon (“north”; Tsapanu in Ugaritic).^[32]Or ṣāp̄ôn. It was a divine mountain, the place where Baal was believed to hold council as he ruled the gods of the Canaanite pantheon. Baal’s palace was thought to be on “the heights of Tsapanu/Zaphon.”

Baal was outranked only by El in Canaanite religion. However, Baal ran all of El’s affairs, which explains why Baal was called “king of the gods” and “most high” at Ugarit and other places. In Ugaritic texts, Baal is “lord of Zaphon” (baʿal tsapanu). He is also called a “prince” (zbl in Ugaritic). Another of Baal’s titles is “prince, lord of the underworld” (zbl baʿal ʾarts). This connection to the realm of the dead of course dovetails with our discussion of the themes associated with the serpent figure from Genesis 3. It is no surprise that zbl baʿal becomes Baal Zebul (Beelzebul) and Baal Zebub, titles associated with Satan in later Jewish literature and the New Testament.

In short, when an Israelite thought of the north in theological terms, he or she thought of Bashan, Mount Hermon, and Baal. Later Jews would have made connections to the serpent, the great adversary of Genesis 3.

This backdrop will help us understand how Jews living in the latter parts of the Old Testament period on through the Second Temple period and the New Testament era thought about end times—the time of God’s final judgment of evil and the ultimate restoration of his rule.^[33]Michael Heiser, Who are Gog and Magog- and what’s so evil about the north?, Logos, accessed 10.20.2021.

From my reading of these ideas associated with early Israelite views on ṣāp̄ôn, the gods of the northern countries, and the captivity, the image of the Saints of God coming to his temple to hear his voice is just another ancient way of stating the obvious: The chaos is conquered. Man is free. Christ has won the victory. Assyria, Babylon, Rome (all “northern” countries) will no longer keep the children of Israel in bonds. They are free to come to Jehovah and proclaim him king of the cosmos. It is a truly beautiful, cosmic passage of grand proportions, all tied into the yearly festal drama when the king was proclaimed God’s representative on the earth and the promise was given that if the king would do justice, God would do Israel just by his mighty arm.

There are also other interpretations of this text. Some read into this passage that the lost tribes have collectively been waiting to return. For example, McConkie and Ostler address this concept:

The Lord’s people always have been and always will be led by prophets. Confusion has been associated with this passage because of the idea that somehow the lost tribes are together as a group with their prophets at their head waiting for the call to return. This notion is fraught with serious difficulties, including the following:

First, a host of scriptural passages attest that the tribes of Israel have been scattered among all the nations of the earth. We cite but one classic illustration from 3 Nephi:

“As surely as the Lord liveth, will he gather in from the four quarters of the earth all the remnant of the seed of Jacob, who are scattered abroad upon all the face of the earth. And as he hath covenanted with all the house of Jacob, even so shall the covenant wherewith he hath covenanted with the house of Jacob be fulfilled in his own due time, unto the restoring all the house of Jacob unto the knowledge of the covenant that he hath covenanted with them. And then shall they know their Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and then shall they be gathered in from the four quarters of the earth unto their own lands, from whence they have been dispersed; yea, as the Lord liveth so shall it be. Amen” (5:24-26, emphasis added).

No other statement in all of holy writ begins and ends with the announcement that if what is being written is not so, then God no longer lives! More emphatic language is simply not possible. The text then assures us that the tribes of Israel have been scattered to the four quarters of the earth and that they will remain in their scattered condition until they come to the knowledge of the covenant that God made with their fathers and the knowledge that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. Now, we would ask, How is it possible for a people to have prophets at their head and yet not have heard of the covenant of salvation or that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God?

Second, Why would God send Moses to Joseph Smith to give him the keys by which Israel was to be gathered if some other prophets had already accomplished the task?

Third, Why would John the Baptist, and then Peter, James and John restore priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery if that priesthood and its keys were already on the earth?

Fourth, What of the statements the Lord made to Joseph Smith stating that he stood at the head of “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth” (D&C 1:30). If priesthood, prophets, and covenants were already to be found upon the earth what truth can be found in such a statement?

Fifth, If we are to accept the standard established in the revelations of the Restoration, we must maintain that none have the right to act in the name of the Lord (and surely that would include leading the tribes of Israel) save they have been “ordained by someone who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church” (D&C 42:11). The Doctrine and Covenants accepts none as prophets save those who have been called, ordained, and received the sustaining vote of the Church. The Lord’s house is and always has been a house of order.

Is it not wholly harmonious with the revelations and all we know about the Lord’s system of governing his people to suppose that the prophets called to lead the tribes of Israel back to the lands of their inheritance will be elders of Israel who trace their priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and through them to Peter, James, and John?^[34]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 1112-1113.

D&C 133.29 – Barren Deserts and Pools of Living Waters

The Lord will restore the earth to its paradise like state as shown in the experience of the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve walked with the Lord. Eden, a prototypical temple, will extend throughout all of creation.^[35]John Walton writes, “Scholars have also recognized that the temple and tabernacle contain a lot of imagery from the Garden of Eden. They note that gardens commonly adjoined sacred space in the … Continue reading It is through Christ that Adam and Eve can act as the true stewards of creation, and in the words of Genesis “dress and keep” the whole world, a set of words used to describe the duties of those that officiate in temples anciently.^[36]See: G.K. Beale, Adam as the first priest in Eden as a garden temple. See also: “Garden of Eden: Prototype Sancuary,” as found in Parry, Temples of the Ancient World, Deseret Book, 1994. For in this way, Adam and Eve are temple priests, caring for all of creation under the direction of Jehovah.

D&C 133.31 – Boundaries of the Everlasting Hills

One interpretation of this verse can be read as follows:

This refers to the Rocky Mountain range. When Jacob blessed his son Joseph, he said, “The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren” (Genesis 49:26). Moses, in like manner, placed a blessing upon the tribe of Joseph, saying: “And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills . . . let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren” (Deuteronomy 33:15-16). Again, Jacob referred to Joseph as “a fruitful bough, . . . by a well, whose branches run over the wall” (Genesis 49:22). It was affirmed to Joseph Smith in his own patriarchal blessing that these references were directed to the Americas. As Joseph of old was separated from his brethren by their choice, so by the will of the Lord he received a greater blessing and, besides his inheritance in Palestine, he also received as an inheritance the land of Zion—America— separated from the inheritance of the other tribes. His blessing which his father gave him “prevailed above the blessings of his [Jacob’s] progenitors” in that the Lord gave to him the choicest of all lands to possess with his seed forever.^[37]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 1115.

D&C 133.32 – Falling down and being crowned with glory by the children of Ephraim

t is for the blessings of the temple that the tribes of Israel return to Zion. It is there that they will be crowned with glory by the children of Ephraim.^[38]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 1115.

D&C 133.37 – The Gospel preached unto every nation

See Matthew 28.18-20:

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

D&C 133.41 – The Presence of God “as melting fire”… which causes the waters to boil

See Isaiah 64.1-4:

Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,

² As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!

³ When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.

⁴ For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

2 Peter 3 seems to echo some of these ideas:

⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

¹¹ Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

¹² Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

¹³ Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

¹⁴ Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

Moses described God as a “consuming fire” (Deut. 4:24), his glory consuming everything corrupt and unholy (D&C 63:34;101:23-24). The Prophet Joseph Smith explained, “God Almighty Himself dwells in eternal fire; flesh and blood cannot go there, for all corruption is devoured by the fire,” but a resurrected being, “flesh and bones quickened by the Spirit of God,” can.^[39]Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 326, 367; cf. Luke 24:36-43; 1 Cor. 15:50; see Turner, Everlasting Burnings, EOM. Heaven, not hell, is the realm of everlasting burnings, a view contrasting with the popular conception of hell as a place of fire, brimstone, and searing heat. Heat is a characteristic of God’s glory (D&C 133:41-44).

Only those cleansed from physical and moral corruption can endure immortal glory.^[40]3 Ne. 27:19; Moses 6:57; TPJS, p. 351. Hence, Isaiah rhetorically asked, “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?” (Isa. 33:14). Joseph Smith taught, “All men who are immortal (i.e., resurrected beings in any of the degrees of glory) dwell in everlasting burnings.”^[41]Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 347, 361, 367. Resurrected bodies are qualitatively different according to their glory.^[42]1 Cor. 15:39-44; D&C 88:28-32.

Describing a vision of the Celestial Kingdom, Joseph Smith reported, “I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire; also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son.” (D&C 137:2-3)

D&C 133.46-48, 51 – Red Apparel, Dyed Garments

Probably because of the descriptions of the risen Lord in the New Testament and Book of Mormon, Latter-day Saints usually picture Christ wearing white robes at his second coming (see 3 Nephi 11:8). However, the following verses make it clear that he will be dressed in red. This fact conveys wonderful symbolic meaning on the appearance of the Savior at the great and dreadful day of the Lord, the day of his second coming. For the wicked, the redness of Christ’s apparel at his second coming indicates that he comes as a judge and as a conqueror, to slay the wicked with the sword of his mouth. Christ the conqueror will symbolically be drenched in the blood of the wicked, which the great judge exacts from them as a just penalty for their crimes and iniquities. For the wicked, the day of the Lord will be “dreadful,” and the blood with which Christ is symbolically covered will be their blood, spilled as he tramples his enemies underfoot in the great day of his vengeance.

On the other hand, for the Saints, the redness of Jesus’ robe at his second coming will symbolize his own blood, shed by him at every pore in Gethsemane and upon Calvary. The redness of his robe will be symbolic of his redeeming blood and atoning sacrifice. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell observed: “Having bled at every pore, how red His raiment must have been in Gethsemane, how crimson that cloak! No wonder, when Christ comes in power and glory, that He will come in reminding red attire (see D&C 133:48), signifying not only the winepress of wrath, but also to bring to our remembrance how He suffered for each of us in Gethsemane and on Calvary!”^[43]Garrett and Robinson, Commentary, volume 4. See also: Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Conference Report, Apr. 1987, 89–90.

D&C 133.52-53 – His Lovingkindness

This could have reference to the love of God as found in many of the Psalms. The term used for this word is ḥeseḏ חֶסֶד, a word that is oftentimes translated in the Old Testament as mercy, kindness, or lovingkindness. The Greek word used in Psalm 40.10^[44]Hesed is used throughout the Psalms, in fact it is used 26 times in the KJV, mostly in the Psalms. John Walton explains the power of the word hesed in this short … Continue reading is ἔλεος, meaning “pity, mercy” or “compassion.” These verses in the Doctrine and Covenants go with this idea as we are told that the Lord “in his pity” redeemed Israel, and “bore them, and carried them all the days of old” (D&C 133.53).

D&C 133.64-65 – Malachi… Neither root nor branch

This image of the tree is another example of the power of the tree imagery throughout many of the sacred texts of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Old Testament both begins and ends with this image (Genesis 1-2, Malachi 4.1-6). The New Testament begins with the family tree of the Messiah (Matthew 1), and ends with the image of a tree (Revelation 22.1-2, 14).^[45]2 Esdras 2.12, an apocryphal text not included in our Bibles, says this regarding the faithful: “The tree of life shall give them fragrant perfume, and they shall neither toil nor become weary.” … Continue reading Those who have read the Book of Mormon know the power of the image of the tree in Lehi and Nephi’s early visionary experiences (1 Nephi 8, 11). Later, Book of Mormon prophets will testify that if we plant the seed and grow the tree of life in our hearts, there will be a day when the fruit of the tree will feed us in our time of need.^[46]Alma 32.40-43.

In the context of D&C 133, and by citing Malachi, we can see that individuals who reject the Savior are cutting themselves off from his salvific power, thus finding themselves unable to be tied into the tree of their family lines. The tree is a multivalent image, powerfully woven throughout ancient and modern scripture. This is one of the interpretations of this image.

Garrett and Robinson give the following commentary:

Note that just as Doctrine and Covenants 133 parallels and expands upon information from the book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, so the Doctrine and Covenants ends with the warning of the book of Malachi (4:2), the last book of the Old Testament. Clearly, the “Lord’s Appendix” was intended to deal with things associated with the end.^[47]Garrett and Robinson, Commentary, volume 4.

D&C 133.70 – Ye shall lie down in sorrow

This passage has reference to the third servant song of Isaiah, found in Isaiah 50.4-11. This reads as follows:

⁴ The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.

⁵ The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.

⁶ I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

⁷ For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

⁸ He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.

⁹ Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.

¹⁰ Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.

¹¹ Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

D&C 134

Historical Background

On 17 August 1835, a conference of the Church was held in Kirtland, Ohio, to examine and approve the compilation of revelations that had been prepared for publication in the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church.

After the priesthood quorums and the congregation had voted unani mously to accept these revelations for publication, W. W. Phelps arose and read an article on marriage. This was voted on and ordered to be published with the revelations. Then Oliver Cowdery arose and read the article on laws and governments that constitutes this section. It too was accepted for publication in the Doctrine and Covenants. Neither article was accepted as a revelation or thought to be other than a general expression of belief. Oliver Cowdery was the author of both articles.

Joseph Smith was not present at this conference. He and Frederick G. Williams were on a short mission to Michigan. He did not learn about the inclusion of these two articles until his return. He did not approve of either action but chose to respect the vote of the conference.^[48]Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3:195. The article “Marriage,” which was written before the revelation known to us as Doctrine and Covenants 132 was committed to writing, was dropped from the Doctrine and Covenants in the 1876 edition. Section 132, which contains the Lord’s law of eternal marriage, was added at that time.^[49]Revelations of the Restoration, p. 1122.

D&C 134.1 – Governments were instituted of God

The supposition that all governments—as this statement implies—”were instituted of God for the benefit of man” is simply not defensible. Certainly we believe that the government known to Adam was given of God, as was that given on Sinai to Moses. We believe that the Founding Fathers of the government of the United States of America were inspired in what they did, but in the context of world history, such governments constitute precious few among countless governments formed by uninspired and conspiring men. Although the principles of righteous government were instituted of God, those principles are not often found in the many forms of government instituted by mankind.^[50]ibid., p. 1122-1123.

D&C 134.4 We believe that religion is instituted of God

If this statement is taken at face value there would have been no need for Joseph Smith and the Restoration. We could simply join the great chorus of voices that tell us that as all roads in the ancient world led to Rome, so all faiths are capable of leading us to salvation. Again, true religion and true worship were instituted by God in the beginning, while man-made philosophies masquerading as religion are not the work of God.^[51]Ibid., p. 1123.

D&C 134.12 – We do not believe it is right to interfere with bond-servants

This verse was intended to appease slaveholders and avoid placing the Saints in the crossfire between the Southern and Northern states over the issue of slavery, though there was very little sympathy in the Church for the same. The Church had enjoyed some missionary success in the Southern states, particularly, Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, and it was feared that if they came out against slavery it would invoke persecution similar to that which they had experienced in Jackson County. “For you will see,” wrote one Mormon, “that if madam rumor, with her thousand poisoned tongues, was once to set afloat the story that this society had come out in favor of the doctrines of Abolitionism, there would be no safety for one of us in the South.”^[52]Messenger and Advocate, 2:313. The Prophet Joseph Smith sensed the precariousness of the situation and took measures to avoid trouble; he and other Church leaders during the spring of 1836 used the Messenger and Advocate to voice disapproval of the abolition movement. “I do not believe that the people of the North have any more right to say that the South shall not hold slaves, than the South have to say the North shall,” he wrote (Messenger and Advocate, 2:289), though he taught that the slave master must treat his slaves “with kindness before God.”

In the spring of 1844, in order to give the Saints a candidate for whom they could vote in good conscience, the Prophet announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. In so doing he also announced a most enlightened platform with included a provision for Congress to pay slaveholders a reasonable price for their slaves with money obtained from the sale of public lands, and from deduction of pay from the members of Congress. The idea, which was ignored, received wide public acclaim eleven years later when it was proposed by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The Prophet continued, “The southern people are hospitable and noble. They will help to rid so free a country of every vestige of slavery whenever they are assured of an equivalent for their property.”^[53]Smith, History of the Church, 6:207.

One Last Triumphal Age

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland helped contextualize many of the prophecies covered in this podcast (and the ones we didn’t get to discuss as well) when he gave his talk Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast:

I have a theory about those earlier dispensations and the leaders, families, and people who lived then…I have thought often about them and the destructive circumstances that confronted them. They faced terribly difficult times and, for the most part, did not succeed in their dispensations. Apostasy and darkness eventually came to every earlier age in human history. Indeed, the whole point of the Restoration of the gospel in these latter days is that it had not been able to survive in earlier times and therefore had to be pursued in one last, triumphant age.

We know the challenges Abraham’s posterity faced (and still do). We know of Moses’s problems with an Israelite people who left Egypt but couldn’t quite get Egypt to leave them. Isaiah was the prophet who saw the loss of the 10 Israelite tribes to the north. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel were all prophets of captivity. Peter, James, John, and Paul, the great figures of the New Testament, all saw apostasy creeping into their world almost before the Savior had departed and certainly while they themselves were still living. Think of the prophets of the Book of Mormon, living in a dispensation ending with such painful communication between Mormon and Moroni about the plight they faced and the nations they loved dissolving into corruption, terror, and chaos.

In short, apostasy and destruction of one kind or another was the ultimate fate of every general dispensation we have ever had down through time. But here’s my theory. My theory is that those great men and women, the leaders in those ages past, were able to keep going, to keep testifying, to keep trying to do their best, not because they knew that they would succeed but because they knew that you would. I believe they took courage and hope not so much from their own circumstances as from yours—a magnificent congregation of young adults like you tonight gathered by the hundreds of thousands around the world in a determined effort to see the gospel prevail and triumph…

One way or another, I think virtually all of the prophets and early apostles had their visionary moments of our time—a view that gave them courage in their own less-successful eras. Those early brethren knew an amazing amount about us. Prophets such as Moses, Nephi, and the brother of Jared saw the latter days in tremendously detailed vision. Some of what they saw wasn’t pleasing, but surely all those earlier generations took heart from knowing that there would finally be one dispensation that would not fail.

Ours, not theirs, was the day that gave them heavenly and joyful anticipations and caused them to sing and prophesy of victory. Ours is the day, collectively speaking, toward which the prophets have been looking from the beginning of time, and those earlier brethren are over there still cheering us on! In a very real way, their chance to consider themselves fully successful depends on our faithfulness and our victory. I love the idea of going into the battle of the last days representing Alma and Abinadi and what they pled for and representing Peter and Paul and the sacrifices they made. If you can’t get excited about that kind of assignment in the drama of history, you can’t get excited!^[54]Jeffrey R. Holland, “Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast,” CES Fireside, 12 Sept. 2004, 5.

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