I hadn’t heard this kind of Church story before and it intrigued me.
In Russia they don’t have wards, only branches and districts. Recently, two patriarchs went there and gave patriarchal blessings among the small and grateful memberships. What was discovered astounded both the patriarchs and the First Presidency: They found every one of the tribes of Israel.
Brother John M. Madsen of the Seventy came to our stake leadership meeting this evening and shared that with us. It’s amazing news, but he didn’t say whether that was a first and I didn’t ask him afterward when I shook his hand. I also wonder what kind of implications this discovery has. Have we found the lost tribes? Does this discovery bring us one step closer to the Savior’s coming? Have we found the crack to strike and bring on a deluge?
5 responses so far ↓
1 annegb // Nov 11, 2007 at 9:47 pm
David, I’m glad you commented on my post–I really hate it when people come on the group blogs and get lost in the shuffle.
Why do you call your blog Rough Stone Rolling, isn’t that a blatant steal from Richard Bushman?
I’m kind of excited by your premise. I hate the war in Iraq, I don’t hate President Bush, I just hate that so many of our young people are dying for people who would kill each other anyway. My grandson will be 18 next month and I frankly think I would lose my mind if anything happened to him.
But what you describe is progress toward the second coming without contemplating the deaths of young men I know.
2 David // Nov 11, 2007 at 10:48 pm
Thanks for stopping by, Ann.
Actually, Richard Bushman entitled his book “Rough Stone Rolling” because that’s how Brother Joseph described himself:
“I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force against religious bigotry, priestcraft, lawyer-craft, doctor-craft, lying editors, suborned judges and jurors, and the authority of perjured executives, backed by mobs, blasphemers, licentious and corrupt men and women–all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty, who will give me dominion over all and every one of them, when their refuge of lies shall fail, and their hiding place shall be destroyed, while these smooth-polished stones with which I come in contact become marred” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 304).
I feel like a rough stone rolling in a bit of a different way. I am a willing saint, rough around the edges, needing the daily polish that comes from learning,testimony and service. When Joseph Smith said this of himself, I feel close to him, even if he meant it in a slightly different context.
I tend to stay away from the Iraq War as a subject. I feel I am too under-educated about it and I don’t trust the talking heads that tell me how I should feel. That said, I am anxious for the conflict to reach a speedy end and I pray your grandson doesn’t have to experience the terror of such a situation.
I hope you come by again.
3 Elise // Nov 19, 2007 at 1:47 am
My husband served in Ukraine and said that there was even distribution of all tribes there when he served. The thing is, I don’t think it’s that incredible. As I understand it, the “found” or “unlost” tribes of Israel are the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, those who were not taken captive. Doesn’t that technically make Ephraim a lost tribe?
4 David // Nov 19, 2007 at 3:37 am
Yes, Ephraim was a lost tribe. Technically, the “lost ten tribes” are as follows: Reuben, Asher, Ephraim, Dan, Issachar, Half Tribe of Mannaseh #1, Half Tribe of Mannaseh #2 (Machir), Naphtali, Zebulun and Gad
It was remarkable to me because I’ve never heard of such a discovery before, nor do I understand why the seventy would say the patriarchs were astounded if it’s already such common knowledge.
On the other hand, it’s true that not all members of the tribes listed above were taken captive. Some members of these tribes were left behind on the land, while others fled to the kingdom of Judah for refuge. I guess that means descendants of the lost tribes remained among the Jews and have spread throughout the world. That means the odds are good some of each of the tribes have already been gathered together as members of the Church.
5 Nebraska // Nov 26, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Issachar = Vietnamese
Having served in a Vietnamese branch I found that 99.9% of all the Vietnamese members were from the tribe of Issachar. The three that were not Issachar were from Ephraim - including my wife.
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