Tue, Mar 20, 2012
The One Mighty and Strong (Messiah to Ephraim, saith the Lord) is also predicted in scripture to be cut off, or “excommunicated” by the chief rulers (“scornful men that rule over my people”-see Isaiah 28).
The Lord says the stone that Daniel specifically saw is not Jesus, nor the Church, but the One Mighty and Strong, who is Messiah to Ephraim, Ephraim have been “gathered out upon the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine”-Isa 28 in the mountains. These scornful men also rejected him as the Jews did Jesus, who was also a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to the Jews, these two “stones”, are my rulers, saith the Lord of the whole earth, even my Father, who is Adam, the Ancient of Days who shall sit upon his throne as Governor of the whole earth. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 65:2)
34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Daniel 2:34
Stone Cut out of the Mountains Smashing Image
Chapter 12
THE EXCOMMUNICATION OF
JESUS CHRIST AND HIS BELIEVERS
When Jacob gathered his 12 sons together to give them their patriarchal blessings, he prophesied
what would happen to their descendants down to the last days. In the blessing for Judah and his
tribe, he declared, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his
feet, until Shiloh (the Savior) come; . . . (Gen. 49:10)
To Moses was given the task of giving the Priesthood (sceptre) and its higher laws, but the
people did not qualify. So Moses established a church with the Aaronic Priesthood and its lesser
laws. The Jews (descendants of Judah) maintained both the Priesthood, its principles, ordinances
and church down to the time that the Savior (Shiloh) came to earth.
Jesus was born and raised in this church and soon became a full-fledged Rabbi with all their
rights and privileges of teaching the Gospel. Jesus, however, was blessed with such wisdom and
understanding that even at age 12 He confounded the wisest of the Pharisees on Priesthood issues.
When He began to teach the laws of the higher Priesthood, he was rejected and "cast out" of the
synagogues. This story of Christ's rejection is told in the King James version of the Bible, but
it is told better in some of the other versions. For example, note Daniel's prophecies of this
from three different Bible versions:
[197]
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; . . . (King
James Bible, Daniel 9:26)
After the sixty-two sevens, the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. (New International
Bible, Daniel 9:25)
. . . seven of those seventy will pass till the appearance of one anointed, a prince; then for
sixty-two it will remain restored, rebuilt with streets and conduits. At the critical time, after
sixty-prince will be removed, and no one will take his part.
the sixty two have passed, the anointed
(Oxford Study Bible, Daniel 9:25, p. 926)
Some Bibles actually translate the original Greek words into the English word "excommunication"
pertaining to Jesus and His disciples. Most of the people lived in fear of the Pharisees, knowing
that they, too, might be "cast out" or excommunicated from the church.
Jesus was already a marked man when He was born in the meridian of time. Many innocent children
were murdered in Herod's effort to kill Him. Not only was He persecuted, smitten and tried by the
law of the gentiles, He was also rejected "of His own." These were times that tried men's souls,
and it was also a trial of the fullness of the Holy Priesthood.
As a Rabbi, Jesus held a very high position in the community and was a master teacher in all the
synagogues. But knowing well the verses in the Old Testament and teaching higher principles did
not fare well with others who became envious and jealous of this teacher. They cared less for Him
when He chastised them for quoting but not living the commandments and laws of the Priesthood.
They finally turned against Him when He was teaching in one of the synagogues. The story is
recorded:
[198]
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the
synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book,
he found the place where it was written,
THE CHURCH
http://ogdenkraut.com/Church Priesthood Formatted.htm[3/6/2012 8:50:40 AM]
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;
eyes, away, he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering
of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all
them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. * * *
And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
thrust him out of the city,
t
And rose up, and
rd fille
... (Luke 4:16-21; 28-29)
The Pharisees and chief priests became violently opposed to Jesus, and some of the instances of
opposition were mentioned by Matthew. They said—
He "casteth out devils through the prince of the devils." (9:34)
He was called "Master of the house Beelzebub." (10:25)
He was "gluttonous and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners." (11:19)
"This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." (12:24)
"They were offended in Him." (13:57)
"The Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying." (15:12)
"He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes."
(16:21)
"The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him." (19:3)
[199]
"When the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, . . . they were sore
displeased." (21:15)
"When the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of
them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, ... (21:45-46)
"Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk." (22:15)
"The chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, . . . consulted that they
might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him." (26:3-4)
"Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to
put him to death; . . ." (26:59)
In addition, John wrote about other charges and opposition that Jesus suffered:
"He came unto his own, and his own received him not." (1:11)
"Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus. . . because he had done these things on the sabbath
day." (5:16)
"He would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him." (7:1)
"No man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews." (7:13)
"Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come."
(7:30)
"Ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you." (8:37)
"Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?" (8:48)
"Then they took up stones to cast at him." (8:59)
"For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy. (10:33)
"If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away
both our place and nation." (11:48)
[200]
"The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself
the Son of God." (19:7)
The Jews tried every possible way to trap or condemn Jesus—everything from eating with dirty
hands to talking to harlots. When they finally got him before a trial, they confessed, "We have
no king but Caesar" (John 19:15), and committed themselves to the laws of the land rather than
the laws of God.
Any man being charged with all these allegations by the councils of the Pharisees and the chief
priests would not be able to remain long in the membership of their church.
There is a story related in chapter nine of the Book of John that gives us a good insight into
The Living
i
the subject of excommunication. The following account is a modern version taken from
Bible,
bject published by Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois. This version was also published
by Coverdale House Publishers in London, England.
As he was walking along, he saw a man blind from birth.
"Master," his disciples asked him, "why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins
or those of his parents?"
to demonstrate the power of God."
parents?
"Neither," Jesus answered. "But God. All of us must quickly carry
out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, for there is little time left before the night
falls and all work comes to an end. But while I am still here in the world, I give it my light."
Then he spat on the ground and made mud from the spittle and smoothed the mud over the blind
man's eyes, and told him, "Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam" (the word "Siloam" means "Sent").
So the man went where he was sent and washed and came back seeing!
[201]
His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, "Is this the same
fellow—that beggar?"
Some said yes and some said no. "It can't be the same man," they thought, "but he surely looks
like him!"
And the beggar said, "I am the same man!"
Then they asked him how in the world he could see. What had happened?
And he told them, "A man they call Jesus made mud and smoothed it over my eyes and told me to go
to the Pool of Siloam and wash off the mud. I did, and I can see!"
"Where is he now?" they asked.
"I don't know," he replied.
Then they took the man to the Pharisees. Now as it happened, this all occurred on a Sabbath. Then
how Jesus had smoothed the mud over his
happe
the Pharisees asked him all about it. So he told them
eyes and when it was washed away he could see!
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