Enoch's Solar Calendar - Month VII?

(Times and Seasons series: Post #XIII)

Note: These calendar posts are my way of exploring Enoch’s calendar. I don’t know yet how to reconcile Enoch with present-day observations, but I plan to keep observing and studying. If these posts prompt others to greater observation and inquiry then so much the better. We learn by asking questions and observing, which we should probably be doing more of since much of God’s sign-language is forecast to occur in the Heavens according to His schedule and calendar. If there are mistakes herein they are undoubtedly mine, not Enoch's.

Background:

Signs, Seasons, Days, and Years: # II (Enoch)¹
Pondering Enoch's Calendar?²

According to the Book of Enoch, the sun continues southward, now rising and setting through East and West portal 3 for 30 days. My observation over the past months is that the sun's movement seems incremental and does not manifest a sudden jump to a new portal after a 30 or 31 days cycle. However, here is an additional observation of the sun's movements from 2 Enoch mentioning that each gate has 61 and ¼ stadia*:

Chapter 13, 1 Those men bore me [Enoch] away to the east, and placed me at the sun’s gates, where the sun goes forth according to the regulation of the seasons and the circuit of the months of the whole year, and the number of the hours day and night.

2 And I saw six gates open, each gate having sixty-one stadia and A quarter of one stadium, and I measured (them) truly, and understood their size (to be) so much, through which the sun goes forth, and goes to the west, and is made even, and rises throughout all the months, and turns back again from the six gates according to the succession of the seasons; thus (the period) of the whole year is finished after the returns of the four seasons. | 2 (Slavonic) Enoch (English translation by W. R. Morfill).³
[* Stadia: a surveying method for determination of distances and differences of elevation by means of a telescopic instrument having two horizontal lines through which the marks on a graduated rod are observed | https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stadia]

Allegedly, Month VII has 30 days, with the light / dark division being 8L / 10D (out of 18 parts); and follows Day 31 of Month VI, being the Autumnal Equinox which for 2023 is reportedly this very day, Sep. 23⁴); except, according to Enoch's calendar, the first day of Month VII always falls on Day One of the week (our Sunday). Month VII is also unique as it hosts 3 important Jewish commemorations:

The Feast of Trumpets:
23 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. (Old Testament | Leviticus 23:23-25)

1 AND in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you. (Old Testament | Numbers 29:1)

This feast was a call to stop work and remember the Lord. The people were to hold the feast on the first day of the seventh month and you were to present a fire offering to the Lord. Throughout the day, the Israelites could hear the sound of a trumpet or shofar, hence the name Feast of Trumpets.
No daily work was completed on this day. It was a sacred time. The Feast of Trumpets was an outward expression of the feeling of anticipation the Israelites had. The Lord had shown himself to Moses at Mount Sinai, and the people anticipated the Lord showing himself again.
This feast is also a beautiful picture of the second coming of Christ, and Jews around the world continue to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets today. https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-is-the-feast-of-trumpets.html

The Day of Atonement:
26 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God. (Old Testament | Leviticus 23:26-28)

7 ¶ And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein: (Old Testament | Numbers 29:7)

Atonement, in its purest sense means to be “at one,” or, right with God, with no enmity or division. https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-is-the-day-of-atonement.html#google_vignette

Feast of Tabernacles (Booths):
33 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. (Old Testament | Leviticus 23:33-36)

12 ¶ And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: (Old Testament | Numbers 29:12)

The Feast of Tabernacles takes place on the 15th of the Hebrew month Tishri. This was the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar and usually occurs in late September to mid-October. The feast begins five days after the Day of Atonement and at the time the fall harvest had just been completed. It was a time of joyous celebration as the Israelites celebrated God’s continued provision for them in the current harvest and remembered His provision and protection during the 40 years in the wilderness. https://www.gotquestions.org/Feast-of-Tabernacles.html

Below is a PDF grid of what Month VII (Seven) might look like if we looked to the Book of Enoch instead of Pope Gregory (assuming, of course, that Enoch hasn't suffered text corruption — and who knows for sure?!). As previously noted, Day 1 of Month VII, in theory, follows Day 31 (Autumnal Equinox?) of Month VI. Also, this Month Seven follows the same pattern layout as Months One, Four, and Ten. To see the full year, repeating grid, see here.⁵



For those interested in what has happened in scripture / history during Month VII [Gregorian September / October], here is a list. And if there is parallelism or déjà vu in times, seasons, and prophecy, could any of these recitations of date have any relevance to these last days? — (the last week of Daniel's 70 weeks?)

Month Seven (29 references)

4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. (Old Testament | Genesis 8:4)

29 ¶ And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:
30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.v 31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. ...
34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses. (Old Testament | Leviticus 16:29–31, 34)

23 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
26 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.
29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
33 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.
35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.
37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:
38 Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD.
39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when
ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.
41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: (Old Testament | Leviticus 23:23-42)

8 ¶ And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. (Old Testament | Leviticus 25:8-9)

1 AND in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.
2 And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish:
3 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram,
4 And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs:
5 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you:
6 Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.
7 ¶ And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:
8 But ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD for a sweet savour; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish:
9 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals to a bullock, and two tenth deals to one ram,
10 A several tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs:
11 One kid of the goats for a sin offering; beside the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings.
12 ¶ And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days:
13 And ye shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; thirteen young bullocks, two rams, and fourteen lambs of the first year; they shall be without blemish: (Old Testament | Numbers 29:1-13)

2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.
4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up. (Old Testament | 1 Kings 8:2–4)

25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah. (Old Testament | 2 Kings 25:25)

1 NOW the children of Israel after their number, to wit, the chief fathers and captains of thousands and hundreds, and their officers that served the king in any matter of the courses, which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, of every course were twenty and four thousand.
10 The seventh captain for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. (Old Testament | 1 Chronicles 27:1, 10)

2 ¶ Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.
3 Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month.
4 And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark.
5 And they brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites bring up. (Old Testament | 2 Chronicles 5:2-5)

8 ¶ Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt.
9 And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.
10 And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.
11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the king's house: and all that came into Solomon's heart to make in the house of the LORD, and in his own house, he prosperously effected. (Old Testament | 2 Chronicles 7:8-11)

7 In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month.
8 And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD, and his people Israel. (Old Testament | 2 Chronicles 31:7-8)

1 AND when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.
2 Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.
3 And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.
4 They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;
5 And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD.
6 From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. (Old Testament | Ezra 3:1-6)

73 So the priests, and the Levites, and the porters, and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinims, and all Israel, dwelt in their cities; and when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities.
1 AND all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.
2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:
6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. (Old Testament | Nehemiah 7:73-8:6)

13 ¶ And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.
14 And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month:
15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.
16 ¶ So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.
17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.
18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner. (Old Testament | Nehemiah 8:13-18)

15 ¶ Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.
16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.
17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month. (Old Testament | Jeremiah 28:15- 7)

1 NOW it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.
2 Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. (Old Testament | Jeremiah 41:1-2)

25 In the seventh month, in the fifteenth day of the month, shall he do the like in the feast of the seven days [as in the first month – see v. 18+], according to the sin offering, according to the burnt offering, and according to the meat offering, and according to the oil. (Old Testament | Ezekiel 45:25)

1 IN the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying,
2 Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,
3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.
6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. (Old Testament | Haggai 2:1-9)

4 ¶ Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,
5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? (Old Testament | Zechariah 7:4-5)

19 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace. (Old Testament | Zechariah 8:19)

6 Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges. (Book of Mormon | Alma 10:6)

42 But it came to pass that they did not pursue us far before they halted; and it was in the morning of the third day of the seventh month. (Book of Mormon | Alma 56:42)

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1. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/09/signs-seasons-days-and-years-part-ii.html
2. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/02/pondering-enochs-calendar-v.html
3. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.marquette.edu/maqom/morfill.pdf
4. https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@5159809?month=9&year=2023
5. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/02/pondering-enochs-calendar-v.html
The calendar / time series posts:
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/04/gods-prophetic-day-evening-to-evening.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/09/deciphering-heavens-times-signs-and.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/09/deciphering-night-and-day-or-day-and.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/12/signs-seasons-iv-do-we-need-sundial.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/02/whats-with-moon.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/03/new-season-new-year-enochs-calendar.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/03/new-season-new-year-enochs-calendar.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/04/enochs-solar-calendar-month-ii-two-t.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/05/enochs-solar-calendar-month-iii-t-ix.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/06/enochs-solar-calendar-month-iv-t-x.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/07/enochs-solar-calendar-month-v.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/08/enochs-solar-calendar-month-vi.html

#5: Church & State - Christian Nationalism?

(#5 in the Church & State series¹)

(I take the prerogative in this post, to use man and male pronouns herein for brevity and economy. Be assured, man includes every soul. [“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Old Testament | Genesis 1:27)]

Before considering and contrasting the words of Jesus and Paul about attitudes to authority, let us explore the controversy of Christian Nationalism, or as some append: white Christian Nationalism (hereafter abbreviated as CN). As to the appendage of white to CN, I would venture that there are, perhaps, as many black or other non-white Christian pastors as white ones in the U.S. that might identify with CN, so affixing white to the controversy only muddies the waters and throws a red herring² into the mix. So leaving out the red herring, here is one definition of CN:

Christian nationalists want to define America as a Christian nation and they want the government to promote a specific cultural template as the official culture of the country. Some have advocated for an amendment to the Constitution to recognize America’s Christian heritage, others to reinstitute prayer in public schools. Some work to enshrine a Christian nationalist interpretation of American history in school curricula, including that America has a special relationship with God or has been “chosen” by him to carry out a special mission on earth. Others advocate for immigration restrictions specifically to prevent a change to American religious and ethnic demographics or a change to American culture. Some want to empower the government to take stronger action to circumscribe immoral behavior.³

Do the above words appeal to any of us, the-people-of-the-books, because of these words:

12 Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written  (Book of Mormon | Ether 2:12 bold emphasis added);

and if so, how do we (should we?) defend the wall of separation advocated by Roger Williams⁴ in the mid 1600s; reiterated by Thomas Jefferson and others in the 1700s; and incorporated into the U.S. Constitution (1788-1791⁵)? — a Constitution divinely approved in a revelation from 1833:

4 And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.
5 And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.
6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;
7 And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 98:4-7; bold emphasis added)

So what would be "MORE than this” [the constitutional law of the land]? the combining of church and state?

We should know from history that oppression, torture, and martyrdom (horrifically detailed) have always been a “Church”-State affair.⁶ We should also know, from as recent as the last three years, that belief narratives underwritten by state power can, in a matter of weeks, turn a culture of freedom into one of fear, hostility, discrimination, and brazen bullying — all the way to aggressive denial of inalienable rights and psychopathic domination.

Many of the Founders were familiar with the church-state toxicity of England and Europe; even of the early Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Founders reared the wall of separation knowing it was vital to safeguarding inalienable rights and freedoms; and we should also know by our own Mormon history and “by sad experience”⁷ that separation is fundamental to agency. Thus, it has been offensive and intolerable to the enemy of agency⁸ since its ratification. In comparing past with present, Christian Nationalism just repeats many of the same claims and imaginations from the incessant appeals against separation since the 1800s.⁹ Some CNists seem blissfully oblivious to history and the natural man.¹⁰ Others vow that legislating the U.S. to be a Christian nation will do nothing adverse to freedoms, but merely acknowledge reality. But what is that reality for Moscow Idaho’s CN pastor, Doug Wilson, whose fight to make Moscow Idaho a Christian town has divided Moscowians for over a decade¹¹? Is his the reality USians want?

If Jesus Himself says He is the God of this land and then justifies a Constitution that does not mention Him, is it because His invitation to redemption is not to come through or be monitored by the state? because coercive state power is anathema His plan of happiness? because a collectivized, ecclesiasticized Caesar (a Christendom¹²) has no standing in Christ? because gifts, giving, forgiving, and worship are free-will offerings and receipts, outside the jurisdiction of a power collective¹³?

If we understand:

▪ the purposes of agency;
▪ that we are in the midst of divine provings and probation¹⁴;
▪ that inclinations toward power, gain, glory, and domination are within each of us;
▪ that historically humans have repeatedly imposed their beliefs and the god(s) of their interpretation upon others;
▪ that Christ knows that use of His name has often devolved into abuse of it, and that “church” aligned with state always devolves to abuse,

then we might be better prepared to confront the realities of a church-state proposal.

Yes, CNist words may sound reasonable, but to pretend that reasonable words haven’t often presaged evil actions is naïve, if not manipulative. Coerced or manipulated worship is not true worship. Coerced or manipulated obedience is not true obedience. How is man to prove true to God if he is fenced and channeled down alleys and chutes into the appearance of things? If accountable Man is to be judged on the congruence of heart, mind, and action with the measure of his creation ameliorated by his repentance and God’s Mercy, and Grace, then surely, he should be left free to seek that congruence according to his conscience.

Yes, God asserts He is God of this land, indeed God of all creation, but at the judgment bar, I suspect we might be asking ourselves: “Did I live a Christian life?” not “Did I live in a Christian Nation?” I also suspect that we will stand solo to answer, amongst other things, whether we tried to coerce, manipulate, or deceive others, directly or indirectly, into our or some other’s belief system? Did we personally get the rendering right between God, our neighbor, and lastly, Caesar?

So, like some others, I see Christian Nationalism as one more attempt to compromise or “destroy the agency of man”; “to deceive and to blind men” into trusting that the horrible past of church-state will never be its future; into believing / hoping that making Christ mandatory (or even respected) via state sponsorship will save souls. And, by the way, whose interpretation of "Christ" is to prevail or be preferred? Pastor Wilson's?

In summary, this is  my defense of the wall of separation:

▪ history, in every nation and age, proves that mankind cannot be trusted to combine belief systems with state power;
▪ individuals are accountable to God alone for their beliefs;
▪ accountability for all actions also belongs to God, with some actions also subject to civil law when individuals are judged accountable (by a civil enforcement system) for actions proven to have caused actual injury or harm to another or their property (which includes breach of contract);
▪ where actual injury or harm occurs by the action of another, justice and social order require a just remediation, with the proviso that a civil court or lawful adjudicator has no authority to extend forgiveness or mercy to those found guilty; such can be granted ONLY by an un-coerced victim;
▪ almost all current civil law¹⁵ (including that in North America) that limits or compels action is outside civil jurisdiction. Over the years, there has been a vast, accumulating overreach because there has been too much conjoining of civic power with belief systems of whatever nature, religious or otherwise (see also footnote 6 below);
▪ civil law has no jurisdiction to compel speech or action that violates a person’s conscience;
▪ hurt feelings or questioning another’s beliefs do not constitute remedial injury or harm;
▪ individuals are accountable to God and to their neighbor for harms done; governments are accountable to the people [WE believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 134:1)];
▪ generally speaking God judges sin; government (civil law) judges crime (murder, assault, theft, false witness) and enforces remediation for injury or damage to another's person or property;
▪ the saving of souls is an ecclesiastical duty; the safeguarding of rights and freedoms and adjudicating remediation for injuries and harms to others is a state duty accountable to the people. 

Parting questions: Could this verse below convey a jurisdictional marker — a layered meaning in addition to chiasmus or the Old World meaning? In short, did the latter-day law (Constitution) go forth out of Zion¹⁶ and the word of the LORD (Book of Mormon) from JerUSAlem?

3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Old Testament | Isaiah 2:3; Old Testament | Micah 4:2; Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 12:3)

Have we measured up? And do these verses confirm that God, Himself, justifies the separation of church and state:

5 And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 98:5)

8 I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free.
9 Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 98:8-9)

2 We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 134:2)

27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. (Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 2:27)

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1. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/06/a-troubling-trend.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/07/back-to-future-again.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/08/2-understanding-separation-church-state.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/08/4-church-and-state-discerning.html
2. A red herring is something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important question.[1  It may be either a logical fallacy or a literary device that leads readers or audiences toward a false conclusion. A red herring may be used intentionally, as in mystery fiction or as part of rhetorical strategies (e.g., in politics), or may be used in argumentation inadvertently.[2] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_herring)
3. • What Is Christian Nationalism? An explainer on how the belief differs from other forms of nationalism, patriotism, and Christianity. | PAUL D. MILLER | February 3, 2021 at https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2021/february-web-only/what-is-christian-nationalism.html
Additional Interpretations of meaning:
• Christian nationalism is a type of religious nationalism that is affiliated with Christianity, which primarily focuses on the internal politics of society, such as legislating civil and criminal laws that reflect their view of Christianity and the role of religion in political and social life.[1] In countries with a state church, Christian nationalists seek to preserve the status of a Christian state by holding an antidisestablishmentarian position to perpetuate the Church in national politics Christian nationalism supports the presence of Christian symbols in the public square, and state patronage for the practice and display of religion, such as school prayer and the exhibition of nativity scenes during Christmastide, and the Christian Cross on Good Friday.[5][6] Christian nationalism draws political support from the broader Christian right of the political spectrum of a country.[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_nationalism
• What is Christian Nationalism? | Stephen Wolfe
(Canon Press | Nov 26, 2022 | Time 3:06 min.) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m55qFdpvBFk
• https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/10/27/views-of-the-u-s-as-a-christian-nation-and-opinions-about-christian-nationalism/
• Christian nationalism, ideology that seeks to create or maintain a legal fusion of Christian religion with a nation’s character. Advocates of Christian nationalism consider their view of Christianity to be an integral part of their country’s identity and want the government to promote—or even enforce—the religion’s position within it. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christian-nationalism
• Christian Nationalism Is ‘Single Biggest Threat’ to America’s Religious Freedom
An Interview With Amanda Tyler of the Baptist Joint Committee (APR 13, 2022 at https://www.americanprogress.org/article/christian-nationalism-is-single-biggest-threat-to-americas-religious-freedom/
• Christian Nationalism Explained: An Interview with Rutgers Professor Joseph Williams | Written by John Chadwick | https://sas.rutgers.edu/news-a-events/news/newsroom/faculty/3406-religious-nationalism
• How Christian Is Christian Nationalism?
Many Americans who advocate it have little interest in religion and an aversion to American culture as it currently exists. What really defines the movement? | By Kelefa Sanneh | https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/04/03/how-christian-is-christian-nationalism March 27, 2023
• What Is the Meaning of Christian Nationalism?
A current hot-button topic and issue in the USA is Christian Nationalism. But what is it? | LISA LORAINE BAKER | AUG 01, 2022 | https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-is-the-meaning-of-christian-nationalism.html#google_vignette
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Williams  (c. 1603 – March 1683). And even before Roger, there were others like Robert Browne (1550s–1633) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Browne_(Brownist); and Henry Barrow  (c. 1550 – 6 April 1593) (who was hanged for his separatists views) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Barrowe
5. https://constitutioncenter.org/amp/blog/the-day-the-constitution-was-ratified?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu8XppreogQMVAhqtBh1-fAsTEAAYAyAAEgLUevD_BwE
6. Church is here defined as a group of believers (whether organized formally or informally) who manifest “a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion) which, in this writer's opinion and in its broadest sense, includes political, economic, social, cultural, religious, spiritual, and pscience ideologies or dogmas, including: socialism, communism, fascism, Gnosticism, cultism, WEFism, WOism, transgenderism, etc. (even capitalism).
Historical References:
▪ Foxe, John. Fox's Book of Martyrs Or A History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Triumphant Deaths of the Primitive Protestant Martyrs.
▪ The Voice of the Martyrs. Extreme Devotion: Daily Devotional Stories Of Ancient To Modern-Day Believers Who Sacrificed Everything For Christ
▪ New Testament | John 16:33
   33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
▪ New Testament | 2 Timothy 3:12
   12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
▪ Doctrine and Covenants | Section 101:35-36
   35 And all they who suffer persecution for my name, and endure in faith, though they are called to lay down their lives for my sake yet shall they partake of all this glory.
   36 Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full.
▪ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_martyr
▪ Research news articles about latter-day martyrs worldwide.
7. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 121:39
   39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
8. Pearl of Great Price | Moses 4:3-4
   3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
   4 And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.
9. Jones, Alonzo. The Two Republics: or Rome and the United States of America. Adventist Pioneer Library. Kindle Edition.
Jones, Alonzo. The Rights of the People: or Civil Government and Religion. Adventist Pioneer Library. Kindle Edition.
Jones, Alonzo T. . The American Sentinel: Volume 1. Adventist Pioneer Library. Kindle Edition.
10. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2010/05/natural-man.html
Book of Mormon | Mosiah 3:19 ~ For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
New Testament | 1 Corinthians 2:14 ~ But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Book of Mormon | Alma 26:21 ~ And now behold, my brethren, what natural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent.
Doctrine and Covenants | Section 67:10-12 ~ And again, verily I say unto you that it is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you that have been ordained unto this ministry, that inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am—not with the carnal neither natural mind, but with the spiritual. For no man has seen God at any time in the flesh, except quickened by the Spirit of God. Neither can any natural man abide the presence of God, neither after the carnal mind.
New Testament | 1 John 2:15-16 ~ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
New Testament | James 4:3-5 ~ Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
New Testament | Romans 8:6-7 ~ For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
11. Christian Nationalism On The Rise (NBC News | Sep 15, 2022 | Time 27:24 min.) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymyAXjc1je4
12. Christendom: term used by Roger Williams to distinguish its politicized nature from separatist Christianity. Gaustad, Edwin S., Liberty of Conscience: Roger Williams in America. (p. 31), Judson Press, 1999,
13. For those who want to return to a Moses in the wilderness paradigm, I suggest they read the Torah again as if a Sinai wanderer. I frankly don't understand the micro-managing of everything, but even with all the rules and reckonings, it took 40 years of wandering and death attrition before the children got to their promised land. Much of the subsequent history of God's people (Biblical record) seems a mix of prophets, priests, judges, and kings with no defined separation of jurisdiction. From my view, the constitutional achievements of 18th and 19th Century North America (more particularly the USA) were phenomenal. but like all great empires, we let the natural man get above us, not because of the separation of church and state, but for the separation of man from memory. Whether we can find our way forward, seems up in the air.

14.   Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 10:20 21
   20 Therefore remember, O man, for all thy doings thou shalt be brought into judgment.
   21 Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment–seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever.
Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 2:21
   21 And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men.
Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 9:27-28
   27 But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!
   28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.
Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 33:9
   9 I also have charity for the Gentiles. But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation.
Book of Mormon | Alma 12:24
   24 And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.
Book of Mormon | Alma 42:3-4, 10, 13
   3 Now, we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit—
   4 And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God. ...
   10 Therefore, as they had become carnal, sensual, and devilish, by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state. ...
   13 Therefore, according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance of men in this probationary state, yea, this preparatory state; for except it were for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it should destroy the work of justice. Now the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God.
Book of Mormon | Helaman 13:38
   38 But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.
Book of Mormon | Mormon 9:28
   28 Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God.
Doctrine and Covenants | Section 29:43-45
   43 And thus did I, the Lord God, appoint unto man the days of his probation—that by his natural death he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life, even as many as would believe;
   44 And they that believe not unto eternal damnation; for they cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall, because they repent not;
   45 For they love darkness rather than light, and their deeds are evil, and they receive their wages of whom they list to obey.
15. (as in civic, not Roman)
16. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 63:24-30 (Bold emphasis added.)
   24 And now, behold, this is the will of the Lord your God concerning his saints, that they should assemble themselves together unto the land of Zion, not in haste, lest there should be confusion, which bringeth pestilence.
   25 Behold, the land of Zion—I, the Lord, hold it in mine own hands;
   26 Nevertheless, I, the Lord, render unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's.
   27 Wherefore, I the Lord will that you should purchase the lands, that you may have advantage of the world, that you may have claim on the world, that they may not be stirred up unto anger.
   28 For Satan putteth it into their hearts to anger against you, and to the shedding of blood.
   29 Wherefore, the land of Zion shall not be obtained but by purchase or by blood, otherwise there is none inheritance for you.
   30 And if by purchase, behold you are blessed;

#4: Church and State - Discerning Jurisdiction?

What has been the narrative
historically when church
combined with state?

This post is #4 in a series¹ relating to the separation of church² and state because conjoining the dogmas of a group of believers (of any stripe) with “state” power may be the most dangerous crisis we are now facing. Historically, church-state partnerships have presided over oppressive, soul-crushing regimes. It was a hard-fought battle to move from the persecuting dogmas of England and the early Americas³ to the U.S. Bill of Rights with its freedom of religion / conscience protection. These posts are my exploration of limits and jurisdiction.

If, as Jesus said, we are to “render ... unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's; and unto God the things that are God's,”⁴ then what is the guide to discern which things belong to Cæsar?

Perhaps discerning jurisdiction is not that complicated in theory.⁵ We have: 1) moral duties to God, and 2) civic duties to our fellow humans to help maintain a civil society. Our moral duties are listed in the Ten Commandments.⁶ The first four belong to God alone and are entirely outside the purview of the state; whereas the last six (one positive, 5 negative) duties to:

honor (respect) parents,⁷
not murder,
not commit adultery,⁸
not steal,
not bear false witness,
not covet,⁹

speak to the relationship of: 1) individual to individual; and 2) individual to society. Historically, three of these duties have had enduring, secular parallels in legal or civil (Cæsar) systems in the nations and empires of both modernity and antiquity, even under pagan regimes. 

In a true separation of church and state, our civil duties to: not murder, not steal, not bear false witness would not be legislated as divine, moral directives, but as civic necessities to maintain social order and security. Of course, exemptions from “duty” have often been claimed by the power elites for themselves and their “friends,” but some measure of social and civic order necessitates limits to personal actions. Much can be achieved through informal social rules and networks, but justice often requires recognized authority to compel civic remedy for injuries to others or damage to their property. So how do we discern jurisdiction? Is the jurisdiction line between what is sin and what is crime? Prof. W. T. Harris observes (as quoted by A. T. Jones):

“A crime, or breach of justice, is a deed of the individual, which the State, by its judicial acts, returns on the individual. The State furnishes a measure for crime, and punishes criminals according to their deserts. The judicial mind is a measuring mind, a retributive mind, because trained in the forms of justice, which sees to it that every man’s deeds shall be returned to him, to bless him or to curse him with pain. Now, a sin is a breach of the law of holiness, a lapse out of the likeness to the divine form, and as such it utterly refuses to be measured. It is infinite death to lapse out of the form of the divine. A sin cannot be atoned for by any finite punishment, but only (as revelation teaches) by a divine act of sacrifice.... It would destroy the State to attempt to treat crimes as sins, and to forgive them in case of repentance. It would impose on the judiciary the business of going behind the overt act to the disposition or frame of mind within the depth of personality. But so long as the deed is not uttered in the act, it does not belong to society, but only to the individual and to God. No human institution can go behind the overt act, and attempt to deal absolutely with the substance of man’s spiritual freedom.... Sin and crime must not be confounded, nor must the same deed be counted as crime and sin by the same authority. Look at it as crime, and it is capable of measured retribution. The law does not pursue the murderer beyond the gallows. He has expiated his crime with his life. But the slightest sin, even if it is no crime at all, as for example the anger of a man against his brother, an anger which does not utter itself in the form of violent deeds, but is pent up in the heart,— such non-criminal sin will banish the soul forever from heaven, unless it is made naught by sincere repentance.”¹⁰

A.T. Jones adds:

Thus civil statutes define crime, and deal with crime, but not with sin; while the divine statutes define sin, and deal with sin, but not with crime. As God is the only moral governor, as his is the only moral government, as his law is the only moral law, and as it pertains to him alone to punish immorality, so likewise the promotion of morality pertains to him alone. Morality is conformity to the law of God; it is obedience to God. But obedience to God must spring from the heart in sincerity and truth.¹¹

By this it is demonstrated that to no man, to no assembly or organization of men, does there belong any right whatever to punish immorality. Whoever attempts it, usurps the prerogative of God. The Inquisition is the inevitable logic of any assembly of men to punish immorality, because to punish immorality it is necessary in some way to get at the thoughts and intents of the heart.¹²

Is this not the same jurisdictional separation outlined in the Doctrine and Covenants with the proviso that “Whatsoever is more or less than this cometh of evil”?

4 And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.
5 And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.
6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;
7 And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.
8 I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free.
9 Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.
10 Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 98:3-10; bold emphasis added.)

4 We believe that religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul.
5 We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.
6 We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws all men show respect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker.
7 We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy.
8 We believe that the commission of crime should be punished according to the nature of the offense; that murder, treason, robbery, theft, and the breach of the general peace, in all respects, should be punished according to their criminality and their tendency to evil among men, by the laws of that government in which the offense is committed; and for the public peace and tranquility all men should step forward and use their ability in bringing offenders against good laws to punishment.
9 We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied.
10 We believe that all religious societies have a right to deal with their members for disorderly conduct, according to the rules and regulations of such societies; provided that such dealings be for fellowship and good standing; but we do not believe that any religious society has authority to try men on the right of property or life, to take from them this world's goods, or to put them in jeopardy of either life or limb, or to inflict any physical punishment upon them. They can only excommunicate them from their society, and withdraw from them their fellowship.
11 We believe that men should appeal to the civil law for redress of all wrongs and grievances, where personal abuse is inflicted or the right of property or character infringed, where such laws exist as will protect the same; but we believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, and property, and the government, from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of all persons in times of exigency, where immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 134:4 - 11; all bold emphasis added.)

As we ponder the jurisdictional breaching that is flooding through our present church-state culture can we awaken to the “awful situation” that we have allowed to get above us?¹³ And could it be that one of the distinguishing characteristics of the "church of the devil" in this world is the conjoining of church and state?

10 And he [the angel] said unto me [Nephi]: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth. (Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 14:10)

In the next in this series, I intend to contrast words and actions of Jesus with the words of Paul, the Apostle concerning obedience to authority.

----------------------------------/
1. First three separation posts:
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/06/a-troubling-trend.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/07/back-to-future-again.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/08/2-understanding-separation-church-state.html
2. Church is here defined as a group of believers (whether organized formally or informally) who manifest “a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion) which, in this writer's opinion and in its broadest sense, includes political, economic, social, cultural, religious, spiritual, and pscience ideologies or dogmas, including: socialism, communism, fascism, Gnosticism, cultism, WEFism, WOism, transgenderism, etc..
(NOTE: the congruity of the cult of Ishtar with some of today's ideologies:
“Often identified as being neither male nor female, the role of the priests and priestesses of Inanna [aka, Ishtar] was to promote the fertility of the land. If they did not have sexual intercourse, it was thought that the land would no longer produce. They served at her temple in Uruk, the principal center of worship, and at numerous other shrines and temples to the goddess throughout Mesopotamia. As the goddess of fertility, Inanna was sometimes depicted as both male and female, and was said to have the ability to transform men into women and women into men. People who did not conform to Mesopotamian gender norms were often made into priests of Inanna. Such gender ambiguity also made Inanna an accessible deity, as both men and women could identify with her.” DK. The Mythology Book (Big Ideas) (p. 338). DK Publishing. Kindle Edition; bold emphasis added.)
See also this definition from Elder Bruce R. McConke: CHURCH OF THE DEVIL: ... The titles church of the devil and great and abominable church are used to identify all churches or organizations of whatever name or nature— whether political, philosophical, educational, economic, social, fraternal, civic, or religious—which are designed to take men on a course that leads away from God and his laws and thus from salvation in the kingdom of God. (Bruce R. McConkie. Mormon Doctrine, 2nd Edition, Bookcraft, 1966. pp. 137-38)
3. (not to mention almost every other church-state partnership in history world-wide)
4. New Testament | Matthew 22:21
Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's; and unto God the things that are God's
5. In practice, however, jurisdiction gets complicated very quickly because, as history proves, the natural man (who obsessively pursues power, gain, glory, and domination) is an enemy to himself, his family, his neighbors, his community, and his God (if he admits to one). See https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2010/05/natural-man.html
6. Old Testament | Exodus 20:3-17
   3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me[1].
   4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
   5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
   6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments[2].
   7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain[3].
   8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
   9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
   10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
   11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it[4].
   12 ¶ Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee[5].
   13 Thou shalt not kill[6].
   14 Thou shalt not commit adultery[7].
   15 Thou shalt not steal[8].
   16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour[9].
   17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's[10]. https://religions.wiki/index.php/Ten_Commandments
7. The secular equivalent may be obedience to the (Cæsar) system when it is acting within its legitimate jurisdiction
8. Jesus expanded adultery to include a state of mind which is solely within God's jurisdiction, but perhaps civic remedy could arise within state jurisdiction also if it entailed a breach of contract between two persons.
9. As covetousness is a state of mind, I believe it, too, is outside the reach of state power with accountability only to God.
10. As quoted by Jones, Alonzo. The Rights of the People: or Civil Government and Religion (p. 25). Adventist Pioneer Library. Kindle Edition.
11. Jones, Alonzo. The Rights of the People: or Civil Government and Religion (p. 21). Adventist Pioneer Library. Kindle Edition.
12. Ibid., (p. 23).
13. Book of Mormon | Ether 8:24-25
   24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.
   25 For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.

Additional relevant jurisictional quotes:
• But it may be asked, Does not the civil power enforce the observance of the commandments of God, which say, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, and, Thou shalt not bear false witness? Does not the civil power punish the violation of these commandments of God? Answer— The civil power does not enforce these, nor does it punish the violation of them, as commandments of God. The State does forbid murder and theft and perjury, and some States forbid adultery, but not as commandments of God. From time immemorial, governments that knew nothing about God, have forbidden these things. If the civil power attempted to enforce these as the commandments of God, it would have to punish as a murderer the man who hates another; it would have to punish as a perjurer the man who raises a false report; it would have to punish as an adulterer the person who thinks impurely; it would have to punish as a thief the man who wishes to cheat his neighbor; because all these things are violations of the commandments of God. Therefore if the State is to enforce these things as the commandments of God, it will have to punish the thoughts and intents of the heart; but this is not within the province of any earthly power, and it is clear that any earthly power that should attempt it, would thereby simply put itself in the place of God, and usurp his prerogative. Jones, Alonzo. The Rights of the People: or Civil Government and Religion (pp. 23-24). Adventist Pioneer Library. Kindle Edition.
• Other illustrations might be given, but these are sufficient to show that obedience to the moral law is morality; that it pertains to the thoughts and the intents of the heart, and therefore the very nature of the case, lies beyond the reach [23] or control of the civil power. To hate, is murder; to covet, is idolatry; to think impurely of a woman, is adultery;— these are all equally immoral, and violations of the moral law, but no civil government seeks to punish for them. A man may hate his neighbor all his life; he may covet everything on earth; he may think impurely of every woman that he sees,— he may keep it up all his days; but so long as these things are confined to his thought, the civil power cannot touch him. It would be difficult to conceive of a more immoral person than such a man would be; yet the State cannot punish him. It does not attempt to punish him. This demonstrates again that with morality or immorality the State can have nothing to do. (Jones, Alonzo. The Rights of the People: or Civil Government and Religion (p. 19). Adventist Pioneer Library. Kindle Edition.)

Enoch's Solar Calendar - Month VI?

(Times and Seasons series: Post #XII)

Background:

Signs, Seasons, Days, and Years: # II (Enoch)¹
Pondering Enoch's Calendar?²

According to the Book of Enoch, the sun continues southward, now rising and setting through East and West portal 4 for 31  days. My observation over the past months is that the sun's movement seems incremental and does not manifest a sudden jump to a new portal after a 30 or 31 days cycle.

Allegedly, Month VI is the second calendar month (out of a yearly four) that has 31 days, with day 31 being the autumnal equinox, reportedly being (Gregorian) September 23. If the autumnal equinox is, indeed, (Gregorian) September 23, then theoretically, the 31 days of Month VI ends September 23, when daylight and darkness are equal or nearly so; however according to Time and Date,³ the closest light/dark, equal split occurs on September 26.

Below is a PDF grid of what Month VI (Six) might look like if we looked to the Book of Enoch instead of Pope Gregory (assuming, of course, that Enoch hasn't suffered text corruption — and who knows for sure?!). Day 1 of Month VI, in theory, follows Day 30 of Month V. Also, this Month Six follows the same pattern layout as Months Three, Nine, and Twelve. To see the full year, repeating grid, see here.⁴



For those interested in what has happened in scripture / history during Month VI [Gregorian August / September], here is a list. And if there is parallelism or déjà vu in times, seasons, and prophecy, could any of these recitations of date have any relevance to these last days? — (the last week of Daniel's 70 weeks?)

Calendar - Sixth Month (eight references):

1 NOW the children of Israel after their number, to wit, the chief fathers and captains of thousands and hundreds, and their officers that served the king in any matter of the courses, which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, of every course were twenty and four thousand.
9 The sixth captain for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. (Old Testament | 1 Chronicles 27:1, 9)

1 AND it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain. (Old Testament | Ezekiel 8:1-4)

1 IN the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,
2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD's house should be built.
3 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?
5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
7 ¶ Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. (Old Testament | Haggai 1:1-9)

13 Then spake Haggai the LORD's messenger in the LORD's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.
14 And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
15 In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king. (Old Testament | Haggai 1:13-15)

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. (New Testament | Luke 1:26-37)

7 And it came to pass that they did come up to battle; and it was in the sixth month; and behold, great and terrible was the day that they did come up to battle; and they were girded about after the manner of robbers; and they had a lamb–skin about their loins, and they were dyed in blood, and their heads were shorn, and they had head–plates upon them; and great and terrible was the appearance of the armies of Giddianhi, because of their armor, and because of their being dyed in blood.
8 And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites, when they saw the appearance of the army of Giddianhi, had all fallen to the earth, and did lift their cries to the Lord their God, that he would spare them and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.
9 And it came to pass that when the armies of Giddianhi saw this they began to shout with a loud voice, because of their joy, for they had supposed that the Nephites had fallen with fear because of the terror of their armies.
10 But in this thing they were disappointed, for the Nephites did not fear them; but they did fear their God and did supplicate him for protection; therefore, when the armies of Giddianhi did rush upon them they were prepared to meet them; yea, in the strength of the Lord they did receive them.
11 And the battle commenced in this the sixth month; and great and terrible was the battle thereof, yea, great and terrible was the slaughter thereof, insomuch that there never was known so great a slaughter among all the people of Lehi since he left Jerusalem. (Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 4:7-11)

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1. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/09/signs-seasons-days-and-years-part-ii.html
2. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/02/pondering-enochs-calendar-v.html
3. https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/@5159809?month=9&year=2023
4. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/02/pondering-enochs-calendar-v.html
The calendar / time series posts:
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/04/gods-prophetic-day-evening-to-evening.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/09/deciphering-heavens-times-signs-and.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/09/deciphering-night-and-day-or-day-and.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/12/signs-seasons-iv-do-we-need-sundial.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/02/whats-with-moon.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/03/new-season-new-year-enochs-calendar.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/03/new-season-new-year-enochs-calendar.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/04/enochs-solar-calendar-month-ii-two-t.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/05/enochs-solar-calendar-month-iii-t-ix.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/06/enochs-solar-calendar-month-iv-t-x.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2023/07/enochs-solar-calendar-month-v.html