An Open Letter to the
Native American People
By Douglas Hatten
An Open Letter to the Native American People
This letter was written in the hope of reaching those who seek after truth and are willing to experiment upon possibilities. What is contained in this letter may at first seem unbelievable, but I assure you it is the truth. I have written this letter mainly to individuals of a Native American heritage, given that it should be of great worth to them.
Before I continue, I ask you to please remain open to the possibility that this could be the truth. And I ask you to suspend quick judgment in place of careful study, in prayerful attitude, knowing that there IS indeed a Great Spirit who will guide the spirit of man if he will but listen and obey. The Great Spirit can and will testify to the truth of a thing, causing your mind to expand to the possibilities and your heart to swell in a passion for knowledge. He may even cause that a man should have visions and dreams as the Father of creation wills. Suspend your own understanding of things temporarily, and ask the Great Spirit to tell you if this be the truth or not. If you ask with real sincerity He shall tell you. I have written this because I know that it is the truth, and I greatly desire to share the joy I now have as a result of this truth. This knowledge has remained a mystery to the world because mankind has chosen to remain willfully ignorant.
Native Americans are a chosen people, chosen by the Creator. He has made a covenant with your forefathers and He has not forgotten it, nor has He abandoned you. The arrival of the white man here was foretold, and indeed the Creator has brought them here to this choice land, as He has brought all who ever have lived here. This is a blessed land, a promise land, and a land of freedom. The Creator has brought groups of people here from time to time to preserve those whom He loves, bringing them out of captivity and delivering them to this choice land. It is a hard thing to imagine that the arrival of a people, who would nearly destroy the Indian people, could have been according to the plan of the Creator. But we must also realize that the same Creator who made the Indian people, also made the Whites and the Blacks, the Jews and the Arabs and the Chinese. In fine, He has made all races of people. Even as the white man came, so you once traveled here from the East by boat, and not by land bridge as some paleontologists theorize.
Your fathers were brought to this land by the grace and power of the Creator, even the Father of all. They were a blessed people who were obedient to that same Spirit which does now still lead all who will come into the sanctuary of God and into a covenant relationship with the Creator. Indeed you are a blessed people, chosen of the Creator and he shall raise you up again and restored you as a people. Against all preconceived human ideals, and all worldly wisdom, there is a mystery hid from those who think themselves wise, the mystery of your origin and the mystery of your destiny.
As God liveth, I speak this now plainly, for God is a lover of that which is plain and clear to understand, and He has always dealt plainly with His children. The mystery hid from the eyes of the world is that you are of the seed of Abraham, and a descendent of Jacob. In fine, you are a descendent of Joseph who was taken captive into Egypt and who came out of the prison house, and became second only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt, and ultimately became an instrument in God's hands to preserve Israel.
You are a branch of the House of Israel, specifically of the tribe of Manasseh. Native Americans are a people who have a destiny as instrumental builders of a Kingdom to come, a condition which shall be the ushering in of 1,000 years of peace here on Earth, where the lion will lay down with the lamb. And it shall be called Zion.
I will get to how I know this shortly, but for now I ask you to simply consider my words, and listen for that Great Spirit which I have spoken of, who is most wise and holy. If you listen with real intent and honestly ask if these things be true, setting aside your own preconceived ideals, asking the Great Spirit to guide you, then you will know without doubt that this is a true writing, and you will have just stepped into a bigger world. Although Native American people are currently small in power and dominion, you are called to be a light in this world. The Creator has made you for a very special purpose unimagined by most. By the power of the Creator, you are called to shake the foundation of this world, and usher in a new beginning, and an ancient order where all living things shall live in peace and harmony.
As Israel was scattered abroad, and smitten, so has your people, the great Indian Nations been dispersed, driven and scattered abroad by the Gentiles (the Whites), but God shall gather you again, and He shall restore you as at the first. It is promised.
According to an ancient record which I shall call "The Stick of Joseph," at about 2400 BC, a group was led from the great tower at the time of the confounding of languages. They were led to this land by the Creator using ships to traverse the sea. These people built a civilization which lasted over 2,000 years. These people kept a record of their history and dealings with the Creator.
Later, in 600 BC, a branch of the house of Israel came here from the land of Jerusalem by commandment of the Creator. The families who came here by boat were of the tribe of Joseph, and the man who led them was named Lehi. They soon broke up into various factions, some living righteously and serving the Creator with all their hearts, while others perverted the ways of their fathers, and built up civilizations upon the principles of lust, murder and hatred.
The righteous group, which called themselves the Nephites, kept records engraved upon sheets of metal and gold, so that their writings would survive the ages to come. This group, which kept the most complete record, was exterminated by another group around 385 AD, because they had, of themselves, fallen into disobedience, but their record survived them, having been buried in the ground to preserve their history. This record was also much like a bible. And it is this record from which I have derived this information about them. It contained words of spiritual wisdom, prophesy, history, and admonitions. It was mainly a spiritual book, and contained many words which were given to the people from the Creator.
A third group was led here around 586 BC, and their leader was Mulek, son of King Zedekiah of Judah. Around 200 BC, the Mulekites, as a people, merged with the previously mentioned group of people who were eventually exterminated.
I have knowledge of this ancient record because it has been unearthed and translated, though the record has largely been kept secret from the world. I know the record intimately, having read it many times. I treasure it highly and wish to share it with you.
You might ask, "How can this be?"
I believe it was prophesied of in the Bible. In the book of Ezekiel we find this quote. Ezek. 37:16, 17 "...take thee one stick and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions; then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions; And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand."
The word "stick" in the original Hebrew refers to a scroll, which is what they used as books. So today's modern translation might say: "Take one book, and write upon it, For Judah" (or the Jews) * Could it be that this Jewish record or book is the Bible, since the Bible is a Jewish book?* (continue) "then take another book, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim," * Now keep in mind that Ephraim was one of the two sons of Joseph in the Old Testament and that the record I have told you about, which has been translated says that they were of the tribe of Joseph, and in particular, descended from Joseph's other son, Manasseh.* (continue) "And join them one to another into ONE book; and they shall become one in thine hand." This latter prophecy shows that God intends to join the two records into one, and evidently for a purpose. I'll demonstrate later how Ephraim comes into the picture. *****
Where is this ancient record? I tell you in all seriousness and in the Spirit of all truth, that it has been unearthed and translated already, and that it is available for you to read. This prophecy in Ezekiel has already come to pass, or is coming to pass, and this "stick of Joseph" is the ancient record of your ancestors!
No doubt your head is spinning a bit, and little of this makes sense. But please continue reading, and let us explore the possibility that your ancestors have their roots in the ancient Hebrews. If this were so, then is Jesus really the messiah? And is He our messiah or savior as well? And if so, did he visit the Jews only?
In truth, the ancient record I have spoken of (or the Stick of Joseph) records that Christ did indeed visit the people of this land shortly after His resurrection, and that He taught the people of this continent as well. Is there any evidence of this outside of the Stick of Joseph? Let's look at the Bible (or the Stick of Judah) and see. In John 10:16 Jesus said, (speaking to the Jews) "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold"
What did Jesus mean? Here he was stating that He has other sheep. This could not be referring to the Gentiles as some suppose, because the Gentiles were not as yet converted, so they were not His sheep yet, but pagans. In fact Jesus mentioned that His ministry was NOT to the Gentiles, and that they would not see Him, but rather they would be visited by the Holy Ghost instead. This was demonstrated when the Gentile woman came seeking Jesus, and He told his disciples, "I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the House of Israel." Matt 15:24
Somewhere, there was another fold of "sheep" or believers, who were anxiously awaiting the messiah. Could they have been a people, who's lineage was of the tribe of Joseph? And were there others beside the descendants of Joseph as well? Historically speaking, I would interject at this time, that it is a fact that most of the tribes of Israel were considered lost at the time that Jesus walked the earth.
Lets go to the ancient record, the Stick of Joseph, and see if there is any mention of this. In 3rd Nephi 7:15-24, the record says this, (with Jesus speaking to the people of this land) "And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell it unto your brethren at Jerusalem ...concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, whom the Father has led away out of the land. This much did the Father command me, that I should tell unto them, that other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. And now because of stiff-neckedness and unbelief, they understood not my word; therefore I was commanded to say no more of the Father concerning this thing unto them. ... And verily, verily, I say unto you, that I have other sheep, which are not of this land; (the Americas) neither of the land of Jerusalem; neither in any parts of that land round about, whither I have been to minister."
The above statements seem to be referring to the other lost tribes of Israel. In Paul's writings in Romans 11, he refers to the Olive Tree, which symbolized Israel, and that the Jews (the tribe of Judah) were a branch broken off of the tree through disobedience and disbelief in the messiah, but that the Gentiles were grafted in. But what about the other tribes? Well - the others were lost before Christ ever came among the Jews, so they were already broken off. Are they lost forever? Not if God's word is true, for it states that the tribes will be restored once again. In Revelation (chapter 7) we find a list of the number of them that were saved here on earth from each of the tribes. So the lost tribes shall be restored, and if they will be restored, they must then exist, and if they exist, and all the earth has been explored, then there are those among us who must be descendants of the lost tribes. And I affirm that the Native American (Indian) is of the tribe of Joseph, and that the ancient record I bare witness of is true.
Other passages from the Bible (or the stick of Judah) bare witness of this possibility as well, talking specifically of the tribe of Joseph, we find in Genesis 49:22 Jacob's blessing upon Joseph that his seed would be "a fruitful bough" (branch)" by a well" (source of water), "whose branches run over the wall." Could this refer to the ocean?
Isaiah speaks of a sealed book and says, "Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine." Isaiah 29:13-24
What is this book Isaiah speaks of? Earlier in that same chapter we find God speaking of Israel, that she will, "speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be...out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust." Isaiah 29:4
The last prophet to write in the ancient record (the "Stick of Joseph") wrote these words to the generations yet to come, who would receive these words, (that's us) "And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God, and the Lord God will say unto you, Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead? Yea, even as one speaking out of the dust? I declare these things unto the fulfilling of the prophecies. And behold, they shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the everlasting God; and his word shall hiss forth from generation to generation. And God shall shew unto you, that that which I have written is true. And again I would exhort unto you, that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing. And awake and arise from the dust, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled. Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him." -Excerpts taken from Moroni 10:22-29
If an ancient record, written by your ancestors, were to be unearthed from the ground and translated, and those writings had been written in the hopes that you would one day read it, would it not be as "a voice from out of the ground," or a "whisper from the dust"?
How about the idea that Jesus Christ came to this land after His resurrection, and taught the inhabitants of this continent? Could it have happened? Is there any evidence of this?
In the national CBS television miniseries, "500 Nations", a native narrated the ancient North American story of a god who descended from the sky and walked and taught among the Mississippian Mound Builders. I will quote from the television show: "Along the Missippi river, 6 miles from present day St. Louis, MO, there stood a city which once dominated the heart of the continent. At its center was a powerful leader." The legend: "A great number of years ago there appeared among us a man who came down from the sun. This man told us that he had seen from on high that we did not govern ourselves well, that we had no master, that each of us had presumption enough to think himself capable of governing others, but he could not even conduct himself." Quoting from the Narration: "A thousand years ago, the great sun" (son?), "a leader who was both king and pope, lived atop a man made royal mountain 10 stories high, its 16 acre base larger than any pyramid in Egypt." The legend: "He told us that in order to live in peace among ourselves, we must observe the following points. We must never kill anyone but in defense of our own lives. We must never know any woman beside our own. We must never take any things that belong to another. We must never lie, or get drunk. We must not be avaricious. We must give generously and with joy, and share our subsistence with those who are in need of it." From the heights of his royal estate the Great Sun..." (perhaps 'great Son') "...mediated between the creator and the people..." The name of this city was Cahokia. Narration: "The great sun ruled the thriving center of a vast Mississippian culture. With 20,000 residents, no city in the United States would surpass its size before 1800. Only then would Philadelphia eclipse its size." - 500 Nations CBS MiniSeries
Do any of these teachings sound familiar? These teachings are found in Christ’s sermon on the mount, and also in the Ten Commandments. An extraordinary story, but this legend is not singular to one tribe. Similar accounts have been found in dozens of tribes. The ancient peoples of Central America believed in a god named, "Quetzalcoatl" who taught the people how to live in peace. He was depicted as a bearded white god. Because of the belief that this god would one day return, (similar to the Christian belief that Jesus will return) when the Spanish explorers came in their ships they thought them gods, or the returning Quetzacoatl, because of their white skins and beards. Was Quetzalcoatl the same teacher Jesus Christ? The symbol of the cross was an integral part of the depictions found of Quetzalcoatl. But could this merely be a coincidence?
If the Native inhabitants of the Americas were truly a lost tribe of Israel, then they should share many common beliefs of the Israelites concerning the Creation of the world, and about God. There should be some trace of early Bible teachings even if they have been changed and added to over the years. Also, there should be some record of their coming here from Jerusalem, or from the East.
Let's look at some of the Native American legends concerning the Creation of the World and see if there are any similarities. In the Cheyenne account, as told by Little Bear Inkanish, I quote the following: "In the beginning there was nothing, and Maheo, the All Spirit, lived in the void. He looked around him, but there was nothing to see. He listened, but there was nothing to hear. There was only Maheo, alone in nothing."
Similarly, we find in the Bible, that God was alone in the void, and not until He spoke was there anything created. According to the Cheyenne account of creation we find that Maheo created the animals and the grass before he created man. This is also in agreement with the Bible.
Now let us continue with the Cheyenne legend. "Maheo reached into his right side, and pulled out a rib bone. He breathed on the bone, and laid it softly on the bosom of the Earth Woman (mother earth). The bone moved and stirred, stood upright and walked. The first man had come to be."
In Genesis we find that God breathed life into man, and the story of the rib is a familiar line of thought, as this was the way in which we find Eve was created, from Adam's rib.
After God had made Adam we find that, "for Adam there was not found a helpmeet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman." Genesis 2:20-22
We find a similar account of the creation of the first woman in the Cheyenne story. "He is alone (speaking of the man) with the Grandmother Earth as I once was alone with the void, said Maheo. It is not good for anyone to be alone. So Maheo fashioned a human woman from his left rib, and set her with the man." Here we see that both accounts show the woman (Eve?) created from a rib taken from man (Adam?). That last line (...and set her with the man) also coincides with the last section of Genesis 2:22 where it says, "...and He (God) brought her unto the man."
The Winnebago account is similar and states that, "In the beginning Earthmaker was sitting in space. When he came to consciousness, nothing was there anywhere. He began to think of what he should do, and finally he began to cry and tears flowed from his eyes and fell below him. As they fell they formed the present waters." The Bible also seems to present the idea that there were "waters" before the creation. Genesis 1:1-3 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said let there be light."
As the Winnebago story goes on, it states that the Earthmaker said, "As things are just as I wish them I shall make a being in my own likeness. So he took a piece of clay and made it like himself." In Genesis 1:26 we find the following. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." And in Genesis 2:7 we find that, "God formed man out of the dust of the earth." Here we see that the Winnebago and the Genesis account of the creation of man are remarkably similar. Too similar to simply be coincidental.
In the Winnebago version we also see that the Earthmaker tried to make man come alive, and gave it a mind, but it did not talk, gave it a tongue, but it did not talk, gave it a soul but it still did not come to life, finally he, "breathed into its mouth and then talked to it and it answered." Again both the Winnebago and the Genesis account match. In Genesis 2:7 it says, "and (God) breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." Amazing the similarities!
Also in the Blackfeet version, we read that Old Man, "after he had molded the clay in human shape, he said to the clay, You must be people." In that same account it states the method of "Old Man's" creation and says, "he made some mud images of people, and blew breath upon them, and they became people. He made men and women."
The evidence of the Indian creation accounts having a root in Genesis can be found in many other tribes. The Yakima legend says, "In the beginning of the world, all was water...the Great Chief Above, lived in the sky, ...all alone." And it states he made trees, roots, berries, and then, "made man out of a ball of mud and told him what he should do..." and "When the man became lonely the Great Chief Above made a woman, to be a companion to him."
In nearly every account, the same beginning. In the Zuni tribe: "Before the beginning of the new-making, Awonawilona (the Maker and Container of All, the All-father Father), solely had being. There was nothing else whatsoever throughout the great space of the ages save everywhere black darkness in it, and everywhere void desolation."
The Luiseno, and the Shoshonean state: "In the beginning all was empty space. Ke-vish-a-tak-vish was the only being." And so on...
Besides similarities in the creation account, nearly every tribe has a legend of the great flood where all the world perished except a few who escaped the destruction on a canoe. Indeed nearly every culture, not just Native American, has an ancient story of a great world flood, where only a few survived by boat, including: China and India. And there are yet other Native American legends which parallel Biblical events too numerous to list here.
Beside these ancient stories handed down verbally throughout the centuries, there are also some written records that we can examine. Popol Vul, also known as "The Sacred Book of the Ancient Quiche Maya," is one of the oldest written records of the ancient people of Central America, not including the glyphs etched in stone. Popol Vul was written in Spanish by surviving priests of the Quiche people, by request of a Father Ximenez, who had a concern that the knowledge of this people's history and culture was about to be wiped out forever, and no record left behind.
Popol Vul is a text written by native priest(s) who originally wrote it in the Quiche tongue, and translated by the natives who learned Spanish. Popol Vul, however, is not an original or perfect copy of the original Popol Vul, as the natives told Father Ximenez, for the original book no longer existed. In a cryptic message, the natives told him, "The original book written long ago existed; but its sight is hidden from the searcher and the thinker." Popol Vul, page 18
Even though the native holy men called their book, Popol Vul, they made it clear that what they had written, was not the original book, but rather they had written parts of it. No doubt the teachings had been changed over the years as it was passed on from generation to generation orally, but what they had preserved surely had some element of that original book which, "no longer can be seen which the kings had in olden times, for it has disappeared." Popol Vul, page 19
The original Popol Vul dated back before the Spanish Conquest, back in olden times, a book which kings had, but which was now hid from the world. What was this ancient record which they once had, but had lost?
I believe I have an answer, but let us go on exploring the mystery together. The truth is indeed out there, and if truth exists, then it can be discovered.
The native priest, who helped translate Popul Vul into Spanish, expressed to the Spanish Father that the original Popol Vul was a book of prophecies. The version of Popol Vul that was written for the Spanish priest in 1550, eventually became lost to the world. It was unheard of, falling into obscurity until 1857, when it was published in Vienna after two travelers visited Central America and came across the only surviving copy of the book in the library of the University of San Carlos, in the city of Guatemala.
Today, the book still remains obscured from the eyes of the world. Willful ignorance has dealt truth a serious blow, but truth will prevail. I would like to explore some of fascinating text found in this book, and compare it with that which I have proposed to you, namely that:
The Israelite Connection
Because Popol Vuh is the oldest surviving text, other than the stone glyphs, that we have from the Natives of this land, I will be referring to this book from time to time. Also found in the book are various commentary made by the Spanish historians of the time and I will be referring to some of their commentary as well.
In 1576, the historians Acosta, Clavijero and Ixtlilxochitl stated that the "Indians learned to recite the most notable speeches of their ancestors and the songs of their poets, and that one or another of them taught these to the youths in schools which were connected with the temples, and in this way they were handed down from generation to generation." Popol Vuh, page 8
I quoted this text because it is most notably similar to the Jewish traditions of old, where from a very young age, children are taught the Torah through song and poem, committing entire books to memory. The temple was their school, and all education centered around their traditions, history and religion.
Along this same line of thought, Father Ximenez stated concerning the tales and traditions of the natives, that "they were the doctrine which the natives first imbibed with their mother's milk, and that they knew it almost by memory."
Here we see a very similar tradition among both the natives of this land, and ancient Israel.
Still, one must ask, did the natives hold in their beliefs anything which would point to the idea that they are originally from the land of Jerusalem, a place far in the East?
The native translator of Popol Vuh stated, "we shall bring it to light because now Popol Vuh as it is called cannot be seen anymore, in which was clearly seen the coming from the other side of the sea, and the narration of our obscurity, and our life was clearly seen. The original book written long ago existed; but its sight is hidden from the searcher and the thinker." Popol Vuh, page 18
This brings to mind a scripture in Isaiah about the sealed book, and the words that shall come forth from the dust, and that the they shall say to the "learned" and wise, read the words of this sealed book, and the learned man says, "I cannot; for it is sealed."
Notice also in the narration above, that the native author says the book had clear writings as to their origins, their "coming from the other side of the sea."
Also, interesting to note his wording about their origin, their life, and the ancient record about it, referring to it as "the narration of our obscurity." In Isaiah, it says that when this hidden book is brought forth that, "in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness." Isaiah 29:18
But as the author stated in Popol Vul, that the book was hid, and that their origin and story was hid in obscurity. Yet from his writings we are given a glimpse of what once might have been. Obscure or not, we might trace a path through the narration, and find some truths.
Also interesting to our research on origin is this gem from the historian Ixtlilxochitl, where he stated in 1576, "Huematzin, the king of Tezcuco, had gathered together all the chronicles of the Tolteca in the Teoamoxtli, or Divine Book, which contained the legends of the creation of the world, the emigration from Asia of those peoples, the stops on the journey..." Introduction to Popol Vul, page 9
Again we find evidence, through legend, that the people of Central America came from across Asia. We'll come back to this point later on when we begin to put the pieces together.
Another interesting clue adding weight to a possible Israelite connection in the origin of the people of the American continent, is this observance according to the words of Father Francisco Ximenez. "In the province of Peten, to the south of Yucatan, the Spaniards, during their expedition of 1696 against Itza, found some books written with characters which resembled Hebrew characters."
What happened to these books? Perhaps they were destroyed. Again we have only small clues which may give us some insight. Individually, these clues may not answer our
questions, but together, they begin to form a picture. As the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together, I think we shall find something worth examining. Indeed there is a mystery here, and this is one mystery I believe the Creator wants to reveal to us, but only to those willing to lay aside former prejudices and lay hold of the truth, even if it goes against prior ways of thinking.
Assuming that the ancient inhabitants of this land are indeed a lost tribe of Israel, then as stated earlier, we should continue to find more and more similarities, or peculiar coincidences. Let's look at certain biblical principles and compare them to Native lore and see if other similarities can be found.
Just a couple of other interesting notes: In 1683, William Penn wrote the following in describing his encounters with the natives of this land. "The natives...are generally tall, straight, well-built, and of singular proportion; they tread strong and clever, and mostly walk with a lofty chin...Their eye is little and black, not unlike a straight-looked Jew...I have seen among them as comely European-like faces of both sexes as on your side of the sea; and truly an Italian complexion hath not much more of white, and the noses of several of them have as much of the Roman...For their origin, I am ready to believe them to be of the Jewish race-I mean of the stock of the Ten Tribes-and that for the following reasons: first...I find them them to be of like resemblance that a man would think himself in Duke's Place or Berry Street in London when he seeth them. But this is not all: they agree in rites; they reckon by moons; they offer their first fruits; they have a kind of Feast of Tabernacles; they are said to lay their altars upon twelve stones; their mourning a year; customs of women; with many other things that do not now occur" (Atlantis, p. 185; 1882 edition).
Also: John L. Stephens said: "According to the manuscript of Don Juan Torres, a grandson of the last King of Quiches...the Toltecs as themselves, descended from the house of Israel, who were released by Moses from the tyranny of Pharaoh, after crossing the Red Sea fell into idolatry" (Travels in Central America, vol 2, p. 172).
The evidences are almost without end, and we may touch on others later. But for now, I would like to get back to the original purpose for which I wrote this letter, to introduce you to your origin, and introduce you to an ancient record written by your forefathers.
This book, which I will call "The Stick of Joseph," for now has been unearthed, and translated. I believe that this book is the record which the native translators of the 1550 version of Popol Vuh referred to as the original Popol Vuh, or Holy book, which was: "written long ago, but its sight is hidden from the searcher and the thinker." Popol Vuh, page 18
As I stated before, I believe that both Ezekiel and Isaiah spoke of this record, and that as Isaiah said, when this record comes forward in the due time of the Lord, that it will bring "...understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine." Isaiah 29:32
The Stick of Joseph
When was it unearthed and translated? The ancient record, which was made upon plates of gold and metal, was unearthed on the morning of September 22, 1827. The record was translated in approximately eighty days (less than three months). The manuscript was long, approximately 777 pages with over 500 words per page. The writing added 180 proper nouns to the English language (William Shakespeare added thirty).
How was it translated? By the Spirit of Truth, I tell you that this record was translated by the gift and power of God! How can this be? I tell you this, and stand by it, for the record was also brought forth from its concealed place by the power of God. God had commanded the final chronicler of the record to hide up the plates as the time of his people drew near to an end, and so it was indeed hid up even as the native translator of Popol Vuh stated: "The original book written long ago existed; but its sight is hidden from the searcher and the thinker."
How was it written? Characters were engraved upon metal plates. We find the following written in the sacred record by the last chronicler named Moroni, who ultimately watched the destruction of his own people, "And now behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge in the characters, which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us according to our manner of speech. And if our plates had been sufficiently large, we should have written in the Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in the Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfections in our record. But the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our language, and because that none other people knoweth our language, therefore he hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof."
But why did God order the last keeper of the plates to hide them up? As quoted from the ancient record, "...behold I...began to be old; and knowing it to be the last struggle of my people, and having been commanded of the Lord that I should not suffer that the records which had been handed down by our fathers, which were sacred, to fall into the hands of the Lamanites, for the Lamanites would destroy them, Therefore I made this record out of the plates of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah, all the records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were these few last plates which I gave unto my son Moroni."
-Note: this portion of the record was written by the father of Moroni, Moroni being the last keeper of the plates, and the final author to write in it.
What was the purpose? From the first author, Nephi: "...concerning these plates, behold, they are not the plates upon which I make a full account of the history of my people....nevertheless, I have received a commandment of the Lord that I should make these plates for the special purpose that there should be an account engraven of the ministry of my people. Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him; which purpose I know not." I Nephi 2:93-99
Centuries later, the final author to write in this record, Moroni, stated that the record was made, " to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off for ever; and also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations."
The record was written, preserved, and handed down from father to son for more than a thousand years, so that it might come forth one day, to convince the world of the divinity of Jesus as Christ and Savior. It was preserved by the Creator to bring His chosen people back to a knowledge of their covenants, origin and purpose. God has a mighty plan for them for they are to be a rich people who shall bless all nations, for they are the builders of the Kingdom to come!
The Promise
From the record I quote this promise directed to the Indian people, recorded more than 1500 years ago by way of prophecy. "...the remnant of the house of Joseph (YOU) shall be built up upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come, when the earth shall pass away. And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; ...and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the lamb; And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the lamb; And they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father Abraham. And when these things come, bringeth to pass the scripture which saith, There are they who were first, who shall be last; and there are they who were last, who shall be first. And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden..."
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Please do not turn away now.
Some of what I am about to write, and have been writing may be disturbing, or past experiences and prejudices or some lie you've been told may be holding you from receiving this truth. I understand perfectly, but I ask you to suspend judgment just a little while yet. Already you may be thinking to yourself, is this a Mormon? I am not a Mormon, nor do I pretend to bring you other than what God has put in my heart to bring. Stay with me a while, and let me finish, asking the Spirit of God if this be true or no. For He will reveal it to you in His time, if you ask in sincerity and are willing to hear it.
Bare in mind, that as God plants the good seed, so Satan quickly comes along and plants the tares right along side it. Do not allow past conceptions to mire what good work has already begun in you thus far. This record of which I speak is a true record, I speak it in knowledge, no longer just faith. I speak it boldly! The Adversary has done much to destroy this work, but he has already failed. The record shall come forward and more records shall come forth from the ground after it. The writings of other tribes shall be had, and it shall be as a voice from the dust, and it shall cause the wisdom of the wise to be as foolishness and they that believe they know shall learn.
I do not testify on behalf of the Mormon church for it is a perversion, nor any other organization of man which rebels against the truth, or those who work in secret codes and combinations such as is had among them, for it is an abomination before the Lord. That church, and the false doctrine it teaches, has grown up along side the good seed as tares, and though the good may seem at first over run by the bad, the good still exists. The truth will yet prevail. (See Matthew 13:24-30)
I do not intend to defame my Mormon brothers and sisters, for most are good people. Unfortunately they are deceived by the traditions of their fathers, which traditions and beliefs have been handed down from generation to generation, from the time of the false prophet Brigham Young. Ultimately, the devil is the author of those incorrect doctrines as he is the father of all lies, and Brigham was no monster, but rather an individual who was deceived.
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The Work
The seed which the Lord has planted, and the thing which I must proclaim to you, is not a church, nor any vain philosophy of man, but I witness to you of a work only, the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is coming again very soon and He will gather His covenant people unto Himself, and the Kingdom shall be built right here on earth. He has chosen you. Before the foundation of the earth was set, He has chosen you. Hear Him calling to your soul even now. The Native Americans of this land are descended of Israel, inheritors of the promise. Many prophecies are being fulfilled even now, and many are soon to come to pass. The earth is about to be visited by many terrible and wonderful things. The arm of the Lord is extended to His people. Even now He stands at the door, ready to come when the Father commands.
RISE UP and shake off the shackles of the Adversary, do not let him oppress your spirit, you have a calling and a sacred duty to perform. The devil, the Oppressor, the Adversary, has done his best to destroy your people, but God has preserved a remnant. Hear ye His words! Turn to the Father of the Heavens, even the Creator, and call upon Him that He may come visit you with wisdom and knowledge of things to come, and things that have already come before.
Learn of the Creator and your part in His beautiful plan!
In 1830, God restored on earth the authority of his holy priesthood, the power of his church, the sacred ordinances, and many precious and plain truths. In love and concern for His people, He is unfolding the truth of His gospel in its purest form. He has given us a record, the first of others yet to come in these last days. This record was translated by the power of God, for you today.
Not unlike Israel of old, and the 500 or more Indian nations which once covered this land, God’s church as restored in 1830 has been smitten and scattered, and their dominion is small, for He will have a tried people. We who know the truth are small in number. Judgment has come upon His church and his people, but judgment begins in the house, and from there it goes out and comes upon the world as a fire, and as a rushing whirlwind. (See I Peter 4:17) The sifting time has already come, and the Creator is in the process of purifying His people. He is drawing out from every circle, those who will hear His voice. He is about the return to the Native Americans of this land, the descendants of Joseph, their inheritance. He is about to restore those nations and tribes, and they will fulfill their destiny.
He will raise up a spiritual army. There shall be warriors willing to sacrifice all they have to fight against spiritual powers and principalities. To loose the bonds which hold our brothers and sisters, to turn hatred back upon itself through the weapon of brotherly love, and through the power of the Creator to vanquish the darkness and usher in an age of light. Life shall reign and death shall no longer plague our people.
The Indian people are a covenant people, and God has vowed to redeem them, and to bless them. He plans to raise them from their death-like slumber, and break their bonds, and breathe life into a valley of dry bones, and equip an army!
The Sacred Record
It has been called the Book of Mormon. The word Mormon comes from the name of one of the chroniclers of the ancient record. Mormon was father to Moroni, and the man responsible for abridging the sacred records, condensing more than a thousand years worth of history, and writing them upon a separate set of plates, by commandment of the Lord, for the purpose that those plates would come forward in the last days. Thus the book inherited the name Mormon because he was the man mainly responsible the abridged version we have today, which is only a small part of a greater library that awaits discovery. Mormon was named after a place called "The Waters of Mormon" where the people of Nephi once renewed their covenant with the Creator. Thus the book’s name ultimately refers to the covenant of the Lord. Due to the fact that the Mormon or LDS church believed in the Book of Mormon, they were called Mormons. However, the Mormon LDS church came out from the true church of Christ, and does no longer represent the truth. They claim to believe in the Book of Mormon, but the book condemns many of their beliefs. What would the world think if they only knew that the Book of Mormon strongly condemns polygamy in several places, calling it an abomination!
The Book of Mormon is not their book. It is your book, even the history of your fathers. Do not let the corruption of men dissuade you from believing in the Book of Mormon any more than men should reject Christ or the Bible because evil men in times past used the name of "Christianity" to commit evil acts. The devil has always encouraged men to do so, hoping to push humanity away from the truth. But the truth will prevail. Lies and heresy cannot cover it up. It is there for anyone who wishes to look. Even though the devil will stand at truth’s door and loudly proclaim, "there is nothing but lies and evil behind this door," if you shut him out and rely upon the Great Spirit to guide you, you will prevail.
I refer to this record often as the Stick of Joseph, and sometimes as the Plates of Nephi, as Nephi, the first chronicler in the record, called it. I am not a Mormon, and the people I come from are from a long line of people who remain virtually invisible to this world. A despised remnant who struggle to hold on to the truth, and who await the return of our Lord. I am a servant of the Most High, and it is for Jesus I labor.
The Lord has placed in my heart a special love for the Native American people, a special place within where I feel the pain of their long hard journey. A special place he has placed there that causes me to cry out to Him on behalf of His covenant people for they are my brothers, my sisters. And He has blessed me with a special vision of their work and glory. I have seen their destiny and restoration.
Hear me! Reject Mormonism, reject the things of man, reject vain and foolish doctrines, but embrace the things of God, embrace this record. It is not a Mormon book, though they use it to promote their church. It is your record, your history, your origin, and a light to your soul... awakening you to an understanding of the covenants God has made with you and your seed. I will close with these words from the sacred text. They are words written by the final chronicler, Moroni, after he had witnessed the end of his people.
"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam, even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true;
And if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost; and by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things."
There is only one way you can take this challenge, and that is to read the book. You must read it, and after reading it, you must ask of God, and He will reveal it to you. May God bless you and lift you up at the last day!
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In Search of: "The Book From Heaven"
by Cecil Abbott
Taken from Indian Ministry council of the Americas (IMCA) Volume 1 Issue 9 March, 1997
(Note: the word Laminite in the following text is in reference to Native Americans.)
A delegation of four Chiefs, three Nez Perce and one Flathead, came to St. Louis, Missouri in 1831 to see governor William Clark. Two of them died during their stay, and the survivors took passage up the Missouri the following year on the steamboat, Yellowstone. George Catlin was on board and painted a portrait of the two Indians. Beyond these agreed-upon facts, the story is moot. Interpreters for these seldom-seen tribes in St. Louis were scarce, making understanding difficult. Why did these Indians come from so far away, from west of the Rockies? Historians claim: Probably for better "medicine."
Historians also claim that: Protestants and Catholics alike, taking the red men's presumed request for religious instruction as a divinely inspired thirst for Christianity, seemed to let their enthusiasm run away with them; in their imaginativeness they likely invented a speech the Indians were too handicapped by language to communicate. Knowing all of this; believing that the historians are wrong; and believing that the words of the Nez Perce chief speak for themselves; here are the words said to Governor William Clark upon their departure:
"I came over the trail of many moons from the setting sun. You were the friend of my fathers who have all gone the long way. I come with one eye partly open, for more light for my people who sit in darkness. I go back with both eyes closed. How can I go back blind to my blind people? I made my way to you with strong arms through many enemies and strange lands that I might carry back much to them. I go back with both arms broken and empty. Two fathers came with us. They were the braves of many winters and wars. We leave them to sleep by your great water and wigwams. They were tired of many moons and their moccasins wore out.
My people sent me to get the white man's Book of Heaven. You took me to where you allow your women to dance, and we do ours, and the Book was not there. You took me to where they worship the Great Spirit with candles and the Book was not there. You showed me the images of the good spirit and the pictures of the good lands beyond, but the Book was not among them to tell us the way. I am going back to the long sad trail to my people in the dark land. You make my feet heavy with gifts and my moccasins will grow old carrying them, yet the Book is not among them. When I tell my poor blind people, after one more snow, in the Big Council, that I did not bring the Book , no word will be spoken by our old men or our young braves. One by one they will rise up and go out in silence. My people will die in darkness, and they will go on the long path to the hunting grounds. No white man will go with them and no with man's Book will make the way plain."
In looking back at the history of the Restoration and the "First Missionary Trip" to the Indians, I would say that we as Restoration Saints have much to repent of. It seems obvious to me that the Nez Perce and Flathead tribes received a revelation from the Lord, telling them to go in search of the Book of Heaven.
At the same time, in late October, 1830, the early Restoration church received sections 27 and 31 telling the four missionaries, Parley P. Pratt, Oliver Cowdery, Ziba Peterson and Peter Whitmer to go to the borders of the Laminites, preach the gospel and establish the church among them. Anyone who is familiar with the story knows that the missionary effort of 1830 failed, with Oliver Cowdery and Parley P. Pratt being run out of Indian Territory by the Indian Agent and the Army, under threat of their lives not to return.
My original question was: "Why would the Lord ask those four missionaries to go do a job that was impossible? The answer is clear that he (the Lord) would not. Then why did the 1930 Missionary effort fail? The four men didn't do what they were told when they were told to do it. Instead of going straight way to the borders of the Indians as they were instructed, Parley P. Pratt wanted to stop at Kirtland, Ohio, to evangelize and baptize 127 people, among them being his mentor, Sidney Rigdon. They spent eight weeks at Kirtland, then another week lost at Cincinnati trying to evangelize everyone there caused them to lose two more weeks near St. Louis because of a severe snowstorm. The 11 weeks lost threw the four missionaries behind schedule and their mission failed because they arrived too late. Permits had already been passed out to the missionaries of other denominations and our men simply didn't have the proper permits allowing them to remain in Indian territory.
I can't help but ask myself what would have happened, had our four missionaries done what they were told and gone straight way to Indian territory and attempted to establish the church among the Tribes. Would the church have been in place when the four chiefs from the Nez Perce and Flathead tribes came through there. You know that the four chiefs had to have come right through what is now the Kansas City-Independence area. They would have followed the Missouri river down, just as they followed it back to go home.
I believe that the four Nez Perce and Flathead Chiefs, would not have had to continue on to St. Louis in search of the "Book of Heaven." And that they would have returned home with both eyes open, full of light and truth, carrying the Book of Mormon to their people. I believe their mission failed because our mission failed. So you can see that we have much to repent of. I only pray that the Lord will allow us a second chance to redeem ourselves; that we may go among the Nez Perce and Flathead and apologize for causing their missionaries trip to fail; and for so many of their people who have gone the long way to the hunting grounds without the "Book of Heaven" to lead their way. Forgive us Lord, for in our ignorance, as a people, we knew not what we had done. Help us Lord now to right those wrongs.
This letter is still in progress of being written. Any questions or comments, please contact the author at: DougHatten@hotmail.com