LDS Freedom Forum

Hey all,

I was thinking about the name Gazelem, and I wonder if, like Adam being Michael, Noah is also Gabriel, and Enoch has the amazingly cool name of Metatron, I wonder if Gazelem is the name that Joseph Smith is referred to as an arch angel. As the prophet who was the Lord's mouthpiece for the last dispensation, I would expect that he has an angelic name. This also got me thinking that, as we have discussed, that many of the ordinances in the temple are just preparatory to receiving an ordinance from God. Perhaps we each have a totally unique angelic name that we need to receive.

I did a little digging about Gazelem and found this article which was very interesting. http://bookofmormonevidences.blogspot.c ... -t-he.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A few things that stood out to me from the article.

How many possible words are there in Hebrew? Because of this unique ability of the language there is an almost endless number of words that can be formed. Let me just show how many words are possible. If we make only two-letter words, then there are 484 words that can be made (22 x 22). But if we go to three-letter words, we can make 10,648. If we include four-letter words we can have 234,256 which exceed the total words in many languages today. But these are just two, three and four letter words. If we want to make five-letter words, we could have a total of more than five million possible. If we make words up to eight-letter ones, we could have more than 50 billion and if we go to ten letter words, we could have 24 trillion words possible.

Wow, 24 trillion possible words (or names)! So why not a unique name for everyone?

I thought it was just a made-up name so people wouldn't know who was really being referenced? And when the need for secrecy was past, the real names (not just Joseph's) were put in. Later, the code names were completely taken out of the D&C.

That's cool about the words.

Muerte Rosa wrote:Where do you find Gazelem? I've never heard that before.....

It used to be in several places in the Doctrine and Covenants, in brackets, after Joseph Smith's name. There were other strange names there, too, in brackets after other people's names. There was an explanation that the names had been used when the revelations were first written, instead of Joseph's name (and instead of the others' names) to hide the identity of who was actually being spoken about. Finally, they dropped the names altogether (there may still be an explanation in some of the headings, though).

Alma 37:23 wrote:And the Lord said: I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light, that I may discover unto my people who serve me, that I may discover unto them the works of their brethren, yea, their secret works, their works of darkness, and their wickedness and abominations.

I thought Enoch was Raphael?


Edit to add verse text.

An interesting post. Thanks for sharing.

According to the Scriptures the only Archangel is Michael. There are 6 references, 2 in the NT and 4 in the D&C and 5 of those verses name Michael as the Archangel.

In a discourse given in the Nauvoo Temple, December 28, 1845, President
Brigham Young explained concerning the signs and tokens:

"After his fall, another name was given to Adam, and being full of
integrity, and not disposed to follow the woman nor listen to her, was
permitted to receive the tokens of the Priesthood...the name that was
given to Adam was more ancient than he was - The name Adam was given him
because he was the first man - but his New Name pertained to the Holy
Priesthood and as I before stated is more ancient than he was - there are
4 Penal Signs & 4 Penal Tokens and should I want to address the Thorone
(sic) to enquire after ancient things which transpired on Plannets (sic)
that roled (sic) away before this Plannet (sic) came into existence, I
should use my New Name which is Ancient and refers to Ancient things -
Should I wish to Enquire for Present things I should use my own Name
which refers to present things & should I want to Enquire for Future
things I would use the 3rd Name which refers to the first token of the
Melchizedek Priesthood - or is the 3rd token that is given - &refers to
the son - the 2nd Token of the M. Priesthood is to be given only in one
place and nowhere else - but these signs &tokens that pertain to the
Priesthood should never be given anywhere only in such places as belong
to the order of the Priesthood." (Brigham Young 28 Dec. 1845; record of
the Seventies, Book B, 28 Dec. 1845; N. B. Lundwall Mss. Microfilm Roll
#1; Heber C. Kimball "Journal" Book 93; Woman's Exponent Vol. 12, No. 6
p. 42; William Clayton's Minutes, Church Historical Dept. 28 Dec. 1845;
John Doyle Lee "Journal", 14d, p. 56-57; Minutes of the Nauvoo Temple
Record Sunday, Dec. 28, 1845.)

As for names, yes. The new name specifically given in the Temple is symbolic.

here explains something....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazelem" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Baurak Ale Gazelem
http://search.yahoo.co.jp/search?p=Baur ... brw1&x=wrt" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:-B

My Book of Mormon reading Postby Original_Intent » Sun Dec 20, 2009 5:45 pm

Original_Intent wrote:For the last week or so I have been doing my nightly scripture study by randomly opening the Book of Mormon and reading a chapter or two or three. Last night I came across this in Alma 37: 23-25;

“And the Lord said: I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light, that I may discover unto my people who serve me, that I may discover unto them the works of their brethren, yea, their secret works, their works of darkness, and their wickedness and abominations. And now, my son, these interpreters were prepared that the word of God might be fulfilled, which he spake, saying: I will bring forth out of darkness unto light all their secret works and their abominations; and except they repent I will destroy them from off the face of the earth; and I will bring to light all their secrets and abominations, unto every nation that shall hereafter possess the land.”

I have read the B of M multiple times, I would guess at least a dozen times in my life, and I don't remember this passage. I told my wife about it and she said she didn;t remember ever reading that either. The thing is it is a pretty striking passage, it see,s like it would stand out in my mind and be memorable. Isn't it funny how things things can be passed over so many times and then register when the time is right?

Of course I know that the Lord could reveal anything to the prophet or anyone who needed to know at any time. I still found it reassuring that the Lord prepared a means that we can know exactly what the LDGs are planning.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9938&p=105431&hilit=gazelem#p105431" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

so, op san, any new discovery yet??

search.php?keywords=gazelem&terms=all&a ... mit=Search" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
:-B

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