A HEBREW NATION IN AMERICA

A HEBREW NATION IN AMERICA


And 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.— John 10: 16.

IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER, we gave consideration to evidence ~ from the Bible that the Shepherd of Israel led the flock of Joseph to America. We found that the Bible promised to Joseph a special land, a promised land (Deuteronomy 33: 13-16; Genesis 49: 22-26), a land abounding in precious things. This Promised Land was to be “afar off,” “across the sea,” and “unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.” All this involved a great migration or movement of a colony of peo­ple from ancient Israel to America. Before giving direct con­sideration to archaeological evidence that the Shepherd of Israel established a fold (Hebrew social order) in ancient America, let us examine some of the American Indian origin legends.
Paul Radin says,

The Mexicans came from Aztlan. They carried with them an idol called Huitzuilop;tchili. They affirm it was this idol that had commanded them to leave the country, promising them that they would be rulers and chiefs of all the provinces which had been settled by the other six tribes; of a land greatly abounding in gold, silver, precious stones, feathers, rich shawls, and every costly thing conceivable. Thus did the Mexicans set out just as the children of Israel had done in search of the Promised Land, taking with them their idol enclosed in an ark made of rushes just as the others had taken with them their ark of the covenant. They took with them four principal
priests who made their laws, instructed them in their rites and sacri­fices, etc. They traveled with their ark wherever their idol bade them go.l

Mr. Radin says the Mexicans came from Aztlan.
Mr. Baldwin quotes from E. G. Squier: “In the map of their migrations presented by Gemelli, the place of the origin of the Aztecs is designated by the sign of water (atl standing for Aztlan), a pyramidal temple with grades, and near these a palm tree.”2
We shall soon give consideration to the pyramidal temple with grades as one of the signs of the origin of the Aztecs. Another symbol of the origin of the Aztecs is the palm tree. Concerning this palm symbol, Mr. Baldwin says, “In history Jerusalem has been sometimes referred to as the City of Palms.”3 In I Kings 6: 29-36, the walls of Solomon’s Temple are described as being decorated with palm trees carved in wood and overlaid with gold.
Concerning the origin legends of the Maya Quich6s (Guate­mala), Lewis Spence says, “The truth is that the conditions of migration undergone by the Maya were similar to those de­scribed in the Scriptures.”4
According to Mr. Nadaillac, “The people of Yucatan be­lieved that their ancestors had come from the East, across a great body of water.’ ‘~

A HEBREW TEMPLE IN AMERICA

Did the Shepherd of Israel establish a fold for his sheep here in America? If he did, the first evidence we should look for will be a temple of Hebrew design. Solomon’s Temple at Jerusalem was the center of the Good Shepherd’s fold in the Old World. We have also a second strong reason to look for a temple of Solomon in the New World. The “stick of Joseph” (Nephite Record) which contains the record of the Good Shepherd’s dealing with the flock he led to America contains the story of the erection of a temple after the manner of Solomon’s Temple. “And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solo­mon,... and the workmanship thereof was exceeding fine.”
—II Nephi 4: 22, 25.
Solomon’s Temple was composed of three courts, the inner­most being called the Holy of Holies.

A. Hyatt Verrill says, The great temple of Pachacamac, Peru, is composed of courts in the center of which is the Holy of Holies containing the image of their great God.”6
The Nephite Record records that as their civilization devel­oped, the Nephites gradually spread northward (into Central America and Mexico). It is also recorded that they continued to build temples, sanctuaries, and synagogues after the manner of the Jews (Alma ii: 22, etc.).
Mayan temples were usually composed of an outer corridor and an inner sanctuary surmounting a more or less lofty pyramid.7
In Bancroft’s Native Races, Volume 4, page 332, is a draw­ing of the ground plan of the Temple of the Cross at Palenque. This drawing shows an outer court or corridor and an inner corridor and a Holy of Holies, In a tablet on the wall of the Holy of Holies was found the great symbol (cross) of the Shepherd of Israel.
Solomon’s Temple was very large. The temple of the thous­and columns with its courts at Chichen Itza covers five acres. The north colonnade extends across the north side of the court. It is a spacious hall 463 feet long.8
Nephi says the temple he built (after the manner of Solo­mon’s Temple) was of “exceeding fine workmanship.”
Besides its three courts, its size, and fine workmanship, the Temple of Solomon was noted for other things:
A. Greatest collection of gold and silver known -in the Old World (II Chronicles 9:13-22).
B. The flowers, palms, and temple utensils were made of pure gold (I Kings, chapter 6; II Chronicles, chapters 3,4).
C. The nails used in the Temple of Solomon were of pure gold (II Chronicles 3: 9).
A. Hyatt Verrill says,

Taken all together the gold of the Incas was probably the greatest accumulation of the precious metals the world has ever known prior to the time of the Conquest. . . . It is obvious that the Incans, finding the temple ready made, repaired it, added to it and made use of it as their own place of worship. Although the Spaniards transformed the temple to a Christian church, and added a deal of European embel­lishment and adornment to it, yet the greater portion of the structure still remains that of the prehistoric unknown inhabitants of Peru.
Architecturally this Temple of the Sun is one of the most remark­able buildings in the entire world. It is built of immense blocks of amazingly fitted stone, no two of which are exactly alike in size or shape, but which are so accurately designed and cut that the circular interior with its radii is mathematically and geometrically perfect. . . .
In the days when the Incas held sway this temple presented a sight which would have made Aladdin’s cave look tawdry by comparison. The walls, outside and inside, were completely covered with plates of burnished gold. The gardens were filled with trees, shrubs and plants of silver and gold. Among the leaves and branches of precious metals were birds, animals, and insects of gold and silver, and even the fountains, the tools and the implements of the gardener’s trade were of the same metals, . . .
The woodwork of the temple of the sun at Pachacamac was fastened together with gold nails and when, at Pizarro’s orders, these were re­moved, they were found to weigh more than thirty-two thousand ounces, roughly a value of over half a million dollars in our money.

During the months of July, August, and September, 1953, in company with Ronald Anderson of Rich Hill, Missouri, Joseph Anway of Independence, Missouri, and my son, Ward, I visited and photographed two temples in Copan, Honduras, each having outer, inner, and innermost divisions. We also visited an ancient temple in the ruins of Zacaleo in the moun­tains of northern Guatemala. Our pictures, both Kodachrome and third dimension, clearly show the three divisions of the temple.
Archaeology underwrites the Nephite Record claim of temples in ancient America built after the manner of the Temple of Solomon.

THE LAW OF MOSES
We have discovered that the Bible, the Nephite Record, and Indian traditions all indicate that the Shepherd of Israel
led some of his sheep of the flock of Joseph to the new world. The Bible and Nephite Record agree that this “remnant escaped from Jerusalem” just before Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city (about 600 B.c.) . The children of Israel of that day practiced the Mosaic Law.
The Temple at Jerusalem and the Mosaic Law went hand in hand. They were two parts of a whole. Together they comprised the Shepherd’s fold for ancient Israel. If the Shep­herd of Israel established part of his fold here (Hebrew tem­ples), then it is logical to look for evidence of the prehistoric existence of the other part (the Law of Moses) .

The Book of Joseph (Nephite Record) tells us the ancient Americans kept the law of Moses.

And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord, in all things, according to the law of Moses—Il Nephi 4: 14.
The prophets, and the priests, and the teachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all long suffering, the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given—Jarom 1: 24.

- H. H. Bancroft says, “Circumcision was practiced upon all Aztec male children.”10
Theodore A. Willard says,

It is a curious fact that the ancient Itza-Mayas had many habits and customs similar to those of the Jews. Many have remarked that some of the faces carved on the walls and stones are of a Jewish caste, . . . Both the Itza-Mayas and the Jews venerated one God, of whom they made no image. Both worshiped toward the east; and both burned incense in the four directions. The confession of sins and atonement were common to both peoples. Both believed in devils. The Maya like the Jew was punctilious about washing and in making ablutions.”

Concerning the discovery of the great stone heads of La Venta in 1946 (Mexico), Mr. Miguel Covarubbias says,

On stele C two impressive chieftains stand face to face, surrounded by lesser men suspended in space. The face of the man on the left is smashed, but the other is untouched and represents a stern, fully bearded man with an enormous aquiline nose, totally different from the flat-nosed people of La Venta . . . a personage with surprisingly pronounced Semitic features.12

Altars for sacrificing are a common discovery in unearthing the temples of ancient America.
In the National Geographic for July, 1931, is a picture of what is reputed to be the largest and finest altar yet dis­covered (found at Uaxactun, Guatemala).
The Nephite Record says, “And they also took of the first­lings of their flocks, that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings, according to the law of Moses” (Mosiah 1: 30) .
Concerning the similarities between the Mosaic and Aztec systems, Lord Kingsborough says, “There was much in con­nection with the sacrifices that was common to Mexicans and Jews.”13
The Mexicans applied the blood of sacrifices to the same uses as the Jews; they poured it upon the earth, they sprinkled it, they marked persons with it, and they smeared it upon walls and other inanimate things (Ibid. page 154).
No one but the Jewish High Priest might enter the 1-Foly of Holies. A similar custom was found in Peru (Ibid. page 156).
Both Mexicans and Jews regarded certain animals as un­clean and unfit for food (Ibid. page 273).
It was customary among the Mexicans to eat the flesh of the sacrifices of atonement (ibid. page 176).
Mr. C. Reginald Enoch says,

Cloths of vicuna wool, which were interwoven with gold and silver filaments (Peru), have come down to us today in all their primitive freshness. . . . An art which passed in remote times from Babylon to other cities and which is first mentioned as employed in the Ephods of Aaron.’~

THE JUBILEE YEAR

According to the law of Moses (Leviticus 25), the He­brews made a new start every half century. This was called the Year of Jubilee. Mortgages and debts were canceled and all the land returned to the original tribal inheritance, It was a time of celebration and rejoicing.
Thus far we have found evidence of the existence in ancient America of much that the Good Shepherd had in his fold at Jerusalem in Old Testament times. Let us see if there is evi­dence that the Year of Jubilee was known in ancient America. Mr. Jose Jiminez Gomez says, concerning the Aztec calendar stone, “The snake scales are supposed to represent centuries of fifty-two years and on the upper side of the body of the serpents can be seen blazes of fire which means that at the beginning of every century they kindled the new fire.”’5
In the Mexican National Museum in Mexico City there are numerous bundles (stone) of roped years. Manly P. Hall says concerning these bundles of roped years, “The Mexicans had periods composed of what they called the binding of years. These bindings contained fifty-two years and constituted a cycle. “16
Concerning the volador, a religious ceremony of the Totonacs of Mexico, Dr. Alfonso Caso says, “The four macaws descend­ing from the pole and taking thirteen turns are symbols of the 52 years of the Indian cycle, that is to say, of the movement of the sun in 13x4 which gives the 52 years figure.”’7

PATRIARCHY, GENEALOGY, AND TOTEMISM

Patriarchy, genealogy, and totemism were all part of the Old Testament system and found within the Good Shepherd’s fold in ancient Israel. Stephen D. Peet says,

The prevalence of Totemism in the Old Testament is shown by the dying words of Jacob, for in them be described the animal figures which were shown on the escutcheon of each tribe. The lion on the escutcheon of Judah, the serpent on that of Dan, the wild ass on that of Issachar, .and the bird on that of Naphtali.
How the patriarch came to use this language is a mystery. . . . Whatever the explanation is, the passage furnishes a good illustra­tion of a custom which was common among the uncivilized races, and is still prevalent among the aborigines of America; namely, the cus­tom of giving the names of animals and plants to children and making these serve as emblems of the clan or tribe.
Herrera remarks of the Mayas, “They were wont to observe their pedigree very much and therefore thought themselves all related and were helpful one to another. They did not marry any who bore the same name as their father . . . this shows that the patriarchy existed among the Mayas. “18

There are a number of theories as to the origin of the Ameri­can Indian (Mongoloid, Hebrew, Phoenician, Egyptian, indige­nous, etc.) . Concerning the Hebrew origin theory, Mr. Bancroft says, “The theory that the Americans are of Jewish descent has been discussed more minutely and at greater length than any other. Its advocates, or at least those of them who have made original researches, are comparatively few, but the ex­tent of their investigations and the multitude of parallelisms they adduce in support of their hypothesis, exceed by far any­thing we have yet encountered.”19
While traveling in South America in 1949, 1 had a thrilling experience. A young archaeology student at the University of Trujillo in northern Peru was guiding me through the large Museum of Larco Hoyle at Chiclin, Peru. The museum con­tains the world’s finest collection of the ceramics of the ancient Chimus. Instead of painting pictures on canvas the Chimus molded pottery of the object they desired to picture, then painted the pottery. The museum seems to picture all the ob­jects and activities connected with ancient Chimu life. One section is devoted to warriors and war, others to fruits and vegetables, another to various diseases. Finally, we came to a section devoted to crimes and punishments where my guide pointed out a large specimen of pottery. A man and a woman were tied to a post. There were many specks on the ceramic.
My guide pointed out the spots as rocks flying through the air. The crime was adultery punished by stoning to death. This is of course a part of the Mosaic Law, well illustrated by the woman brought to Jesus who was accused of adultery.
THE THEORY OF EGYPTIAN ORIGIN

The British scientist, F. A. Mitchell Hedges, says,

The modern theory is that the Mayas appeared in Central America sometime between 1,000 B.c, and the Christian Era, and that their civilization was derived from Egypt, from which they came across the vast Pacific, The points of resemblance between the Maya and the Egyptian civilizations are too numerous and peculiar to be explained by some imaginary impulse in all prehistoric people to develop along the same line.~

The question may well be asked: If the Shepherd of Israel led the flock of Joseph to America in 600 B.C., and established a fold for his sheep here, why is it that both Egyptian and H~-brew evidences are met with? Joseph was governor of the land of Egypt. He was second to Pharaoh himself. He mar­ried an Egyptian woman. His sons were raised in Egypt. The Bible says, “Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years” (Exodus 12: 40) . As slaves in the land of Egypt, the children of Israel built pyramids and obelisks, and inscribed hieroglyphics on Egyptian monuments.
The Prophet Nephi in the very first verse in the Nephite Record says, “I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians” (I Nephi 1: 1).
The “stick of Joseph” quote, “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.”

The Egyptian Tau or letter T has been found at Palenque, Copan, and in Peru. Mr. Nadaillac says of the palace at Pa­lenque, “Numerous masonry niches in the wall merit special attention on account of their resemblance to the letter T or rather the Egyptian Tau.”2’

THE MONGOLOID THEORY

There is one major theory in the world today concern­ing the origin of the American Indian and the ancient civiliza­tions of the Americas. The Mongoloid theory taught in our school books is based upon the supposition that thousands of years ago uncultured tribes crossed from northern Siberia to Alaska over the frozen Bering Sea which is only twenty miles across. (The Nephite Record) records that the American Indian is of eastern Mediterranean or Hebrew origin.
If the Mongoloid theory is correct, how does one account for so much eastern Mediterranean influence in America (Hebrew style temples, Jewish caste faces, Egyptian pyramids, hieroglyphics, obelisks, etc.)? Another serious question arises. Ancient crude Eskimo type people living in the arctic northern Siberia region would have a tremendous adjustment to make between their native frozen north and the torrid tropics where ancient American civilization reached its heights. Which is the more reasonable—that Mongoloid peo­ple gradually scattered over Canada and the United States and down into Central America there to establish themselves and develop a great civilization, or that a people from the eastern Mediterranean already adjusted and acclimated to the warm regions migrated to similar regions here in the New World?

We make one more observation. The Lord told Abraham, “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22: 18) . It is both historical and remarkable that the four civilizations of the Old World sprang up immediately adjacent to the Promised Land of Abraham—Egypt to the Southwest, Babylon to the east, Greece to the north, and Rome to the northwest. Is it unreasonable that ancient American civilization sprang from this same cultural hotbed?

THE CALENDAR STONE
The greatest Egyptian discovery in America is not pyramids, stelae (obelisks), hieroglyphics, or mummies. It is the Aztec calendar stone. It is a huge round stone, twelve feet wide, four feet thick, and weighs 57,000 pounds. It is on exhibit in the Mexican National Museum in Mexico City. It has eighteen months of twenty days each, with five complementary days and six hours for the measurement of a year’s time. This is similar to the calendar possessed by the ancient Egyptians.
Stephen D. Peet says, “The year in common use, called the vague year, began at different times of the true year through a long cycle. Here we find the analogy between the Egyptian and the American systems very startling.”22
John Delafleld comments:

I have also recognized in your memoir on the division of time among the Mexican nations, compared with those of Asia, some very striking analogies between the Toltec characters and institutions observed on the banks of the Nile. Among these analogies there is one which is worthy of attention. It is the use of the vague year of 365 days, com­posed of equal months, and of five complementary days, equally em­ployed at Thebes and Mexico, a distance of 3,000 leagues. . . . Now, it is remarkable that the same solar year of 365 days, six hours, adopted by nations so different, and perhaps still more remote in their state of civilization than in their geographical distance, relates to a real astronomical period, and belongs peculiarly to the Egyptians, . . . The fact of the intercalation ~by the Mexicans] of 13 days every cycle, that is, the use of a year of 365 days and a quarter, is proof that it was either borrowed from the Egyptians, or that they had a common origin.2~

The works of H. H. Bancroft also touch on this point.~

BARBARIC RELIGIONS
The barbaric religious systems that led to the downfall of ancient Israel were sun worship (Jeremiah 8: 2; 7: 18, etc.),

human sacrifice and serpent ‘worship (II Kings 18: 4) . These three abominations wrecked the Good Shepherd’s fold in ancient Israel and scattered the sheep on a thousand hills.
We have found abundant evidence that the Shepherd of Israel set up his fold in ancient America. Now we are con­fronted with evidence that similar idolatrous abominations wrecked the fold in ancient America. Stephen D. Peet says,

The most remarkable fact which is brought out by this study is that the aboriginal religions of America correspond to the earliest forms of religions which prevailed in the East, The system of sun worship which prevailed among the agricultural tribes of the gulf states closely resembled that which existed in Egypt and Babylonia at the opening of history and many of the same customs were observed.25
The significance of these different works (mounds) will be under­stood if we compare the rites and ceremonies of the sun worshipers of this district with those which prevailed in Syria and Phoenicia in Old Testament times.

It is recorded in the Nephite Record that because of the practices of Solomon the Nephites attempted to introduce polygamy (Jacob 2: 3 5-43) . The Lord’s declaration against this is very revealing—”Wherefore, I, the Lord God, will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old” (Jacob 2: 35). It seems evident that the barbaric beliefs and practices of the American Indians show decided indications of having redone like them of old” in similarities to the eastern Mediter­ranean of ancient times.
The Nephite Record history tells us that soon after the colony of Joseph arrived in America, in about 580 B.C., it divided. One group was faithful to God and kept the law of Moses (Nephites) . The other group reverted back to the idols and religious vices which led to the downfall of ancient Israel. This group (the Lamanites) was cursed and their skins were darkened so there would ‘be no intermarriage between the white, cultured Nephites and the lazy, idolatrous Lamanites.

Eventually, and after the Golden Age of ancient America which followed Christ’s visit here, the entire population gradu­ally drifted away from the Good Shepherd’s fold. A war of extinction broke out between the Nephites and the Lamanites, and both nations turned from the gospel of Christ to idolatry and human sacrifice.

Yea, the more part of them [Nephites] had turned out of the way of righteousness and did trample tinder their feet the commandments of God, and did turn unto their own ways, and did build up unto themselves icfols of their gold and their silver.
And they [Lamanites in last war] did also march forward against the city Teancum, and did drive the inhabitants forth out of her, and did take many prisoners, both women and children, and did offer them up as sacrifices unto their idol gods.

The prophets of ancient Israel warned the people if they did not cease from worshiping the sun and moon and offering their sins and daughters up as sacrifices to the idols of Baal, that the Lord would destroy them and leave their cities deso­late. When Columbus discovered America, the words of the prophets against ancient Israel could just as appropriately have been spoken against the Aztecs for human sacrifice to idol gods or against the Mayas for snake rites (II Kings 18: 4) and against the Incas for sun rites.
Jeremiah says,

Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, . . . they have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, . . . therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.. . . And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing, every one that passeth thereby shall he astonished, and hiss because of the plagues thereof —19: 4-6, 8.

And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.—Jeremiah

AN ARRAY OF SOBERING FECTS

The facts indicate that the God of Israel established his fold in America. His sheep prospered and enjoyed a Golden Age as long as they listened to the voice of the Good Shepherd. The day came (third century after Christ) when they turned away from their Shepherd’s fold and reverted back to the abominations which destroyed the fold in ancient Israel. Now the fold the Good Shepherd established in America is desolate and the words of Jeremiah to Jerusalem and the cities of Judab are startlingly applicable.
Chan Chan, Kabah, and Sayil are “desolate without an in­habitant.” Piedras Negras, Tikal, and Uaxactun are rtdesolate2~ ~and a den of dragons.” Monte Alban, Teotihuacan, Copan, and Chichen Itza, glorious cities of ancient America, are ttheaps~~ and tta;i astonishment to all that pass by.~’
Now, from the pages of the Nephite Record, the warning comes to us and to our cities:

And now we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise, and whatsoever nation shall possess it, shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them.
And the fullness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity; for behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God, or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God.
And this cometh unto you, 0 ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God, that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fullness comet that ye may not bring down the fullness of the wrath of God upon you, as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.—Ether 1: 31, 32, 34.

1. Paul Radin, Sou7ces and Au;henticity ol the Hi.tto7y of the Ancient Mexicans, page 67.
2. Baldwin, Ancient Ame7ica, page 218.
3. Baldwin, Ancient America.
4. Lewis Spence, Myths ol Mexico and Peru, page 152.
5. Nadaillac, Prehistoric America, page 526.
6. A. Hyatt Verrill, Scientific American, March, 1931.
7. S. G. Morley, National Geo,graphic, May, 1927.
8. S. G. Morley, National Geo,graphic, July, 1931 .
9. A. Hyatt Verrill, CIa! Civilizations ol the New World, pages 294, 302, 303,
291.
10. Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 3, page 371.
11. Theodore A. Willard, The Lost Empires ol the Itraes ace’ Mayast page 422.
12. Miguel Covarubbias, Mexico South (1946), page 90.
13. Lord Kingsborougb, Mexican Antiquities, Volumes 6 and 8.
14. C. Reginatd Enoch, The Secret ol the Pacific, page 224.
15. Jose Jiminez Gomez, The Aztec Calendar, page 2.
16. Manly P. Hall, Twelve Great Teachers, page 234.
17. Dr. Alphonso Caso, Archaeological Guide Booh on Mexican National Museum.
18. Stephen D. Peet, Prehistoric America, Myths ace’ Symbols, Volume 5, pages
8-35.
19. H. H. Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 5, page 77.
20. F. A. Mitchell Hedges, London Daily Mail, March, 1924.
21. Nadaillac, Prehistoric America.
22. Stephen D. Peet, Prehistoric America, Volume 5, page 183.
23. Delafield, Antiquities of Ancient America, page 52.
24. H. H. Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 5.
25. Stephen D. Peet, Prehistoric America, Volume 5, pages 7, 321.



WARNING WORDS OF CHRIST FROM ANCIENT AMERICA
Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles, except they repent, for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots, and I will cut off the cities of thy land~ and throw down all thy strongholds:
Thy graven images I will also cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands.

William Prescott in his Conquest of Peru says, “If no one could become rich in Peru, no one could become poor . . . no man, however humble, suffered from the want of food or clothing” (pages 36, 37, 103).
The science of archaeology proves there was once a high state of civilization in ancient America. The Indian legends and the Nephite Record both associate these high tides of blessing and welfare with the Divine Being who came to them. The legends and the Nephite Record also agree that this Divine Being promised a restoration and a New Jerusalem for his people on the American continent. It is a remarkable fact that biblical prophets also believed in, looked for, and promised a restoration of the Jews to Jerusalem and a Zion. The proph­ets clearly indicate two holy cities—Jerusalem in the Old World and Zion or a New Jerusalem in the New World.
Isaiah says,

For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.—Isaiah 62: 1.

Joel in a prophecy about the last days says,

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit, And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.—Joel 2: 28-32.

The prophet Isaiah indicates that Zion and Jerusalem are two separate holy cities—”Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation” (Isaiah 64: 10) .
Isaiah also indicates that the rise of Zion and Jerusalem shall come in the last days:
And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall he established in the top of the mountains, and shall he exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 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 be 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.— Isaiah 2: 2, 3.

The prophet Isaiah agrees with the Nephite Record in indicating that Christ will come to Zion in America:

So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun, . . . And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord—Isaiah 59: 19, 20.

After the long period of dark ages which followed the col­lapse and destruction of the ancient civilization in America the Native American, surviving descendants of a once golden era, yearned for the return of their white hero god and a restoration of the ancient order of things. The arrival of Cortez in Mexico therefore was greeted with rejoicing and high expectancy as the natives thought Quetzalcoatl had returned in accordance with the promise he had made.

Following the medieval Dark Ages in the Old World the so-called period of the Reformation was ushered in. The re­formers as evidenced from their own writings looked forward with expectancy to a day of restoration, a day when the old Jerusalem church with apostles, prophets, and the gifts and powers of the early church would again be set up on the earth. Alexander Campbell, founder of the Christian Church, says,

Some new revelation or some new development of the revelation of God must be made, before the hopes and expectations of all true Christians can be realized or Christianity save and reform the nations of the world. We want the old gospel back and sustained by the ancient order of things, and this alone by the blessing of the Divine Spirit is all we do want, or can expect, to reform and save the World.

THE LOST TRIBE OF JOSEPH FOUND

THE LOST TRIBE OF JOSEPH FOUND


And 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.—John 10: 16.

WE have found strong evidence that the Good Shepherd visited America. We have also found substantial evi­dence that his sheep in America heard his voice and wrote down his words and had a sacred book. We are now con­fronted with the question of the origin of these sheep (house of Israel).
There is much in tradition and in ancient pictographs about the ancestors of the Indians migrating over seas and through vast forests and deserts. As already noted, the Toltecs are said to have carried their books with them.
Bancroft’s works tell us:

The Chileans assert that their ancestors came from the west. The Chepewyans have a tradition that they came from a distant land. . .
The Algonquins preserve a tradition of a foreign origin and a sea voyage. For a long time they offered an annual thank offering in honor of their happy arrival in America. According to Careri, the Olmec traditions relate that they came by sea from the east.1 [ For original Thanksgiving Day, see Mosiah 1: 30 in the Nephite Record.]

In the Popol Vuh, we are told that the Lost Book of God shows clearly “that we came from beyond the sea.”
Mr. Bancroft says, “According to the Quich6s’ tradition, the primitive portion of the Nahu as, or ancestors of the Toltecs, were in a distant East, beyond immense seas and lands.”2
Gregory Mason says that there are many legends along the west coast of South America concerning the remote arrival on rafts, of a very learned and powerful people.3

Brinton says, “The Aztec priests never chanted more regret­ful dirges than when they sang of Tulan, the cradle of their race.”4
Sahagun (pioneer traveler among Aztecs) was asked by the natives if he came from Tiapallan. He had crossed the sea to their country; and the inquisitive natives wanted to know, if he came from the same place their ancestors did.5
The evidence in the New World points across the sea for the origin of the ancient people. Since Christ himself is the Holy One of Israel and said he was “not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” it appears that the Bible might be the most likely place to look for the origin of the flock of sheep who were led to America.

THE FLOCK OF JOSEPH
Give ear, 0 Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellcst between the cherubims, shine forth.—Psalm
80: 1.

Where did the Shepherd of Israel lead the flock ‘of Joseph? Let us trace the movements of Joseph and see if the Bible will not give us a plain, clear-cut answer. Jacob’s blessing to his son Joseph says:

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and bated him:
But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, bless­ings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.—Genesis 49: 22-26.

The next lead we get as to the destiny of Joseph is found in Deuteronomy. Moses gives a description of Joseph’s land to which we shall make future reference.

And of Joseph he [Moses] said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren—Deuteronomy 33: 13-16.

Let us continue to trace the movements and destiny of the tribe of Joseph.

And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah, and of the chil­dren of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim, and Manasseh.— I Chronicles 9: 3.

A REMNANT TO ESCAPE FROM JERUSALEM

For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.—Isaiah
37: 32.

Just before Nebuchad rezzar came against Jerusalem to sack the city and carry the survivors away into captivity, the Prophet Jeremiah, who lived in Jerusalem at that time, delivered a prophecy to someone, instructing them to flee and get far away.

Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, 0 ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the Lord; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon bath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you.
Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth without care, saith the Lord, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone.—Jeremiah 49: 30, 31.

Let us sum up our biblical clues so far. The blessing of Joseph was to be unto the ‘~utmost bound of the everlasting hills” (Andes or Rockies). Joseph’s land was to be blessed with many specific things as mentioned in Deuteronomy. We shall soon search for that part of the earth which best meets the requirements of this prophecy. The flock of Joseph settled in Jerusalem. Someone was to escape from Jerusalem before the king of Babylon destroyed the city. The “zeal of the Lord of hosts” was to do this. In other words, the Shepherd of Israel would lead Joseph like a flock (Psalm 80: 1). Jeremiah delivers the prophecy to those that are to flee and offers some hints as to where they are to go. It was to be far off. It is to be a “wealthy nation which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone.” All the cities of the Old World had walls, gates, and bars, and no nation dwelt alone.

We found strong evidence in the New World, pointing back across the sea as the place “from whence they came.” Now, in the Old World and from the Bible, we find clear-cut evi­dence pointing across the sea to the New World as the place to which the flock of Joseph was led.

JOSEPH’S BRANCHES TO RUN OVER WALL (SEA)

Psalm 80: 1, 8, 11 says:

0 Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock.
Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.


Isaiah says:
For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness:
her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.—16: 8.

Jeremiah says:
o vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer:
thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer:
the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.— 48: 32.

JOSEPH’S LAND DESCRIBED

We have already had strong indications that the Shepherd of Israel led his flock of Joseph away from Jerusalem down “through the wilderness” and “over the sea,” “to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.”
Moses in the thirty-third chapter of Deuteronomy names eight specific points for which Joseph’s land is to be noted. II America is Joseph’s land and the choice pasture to which the “Shepherd of Israel” led “the flock of Joseph,” then we must expect that America will meet the requirements of Moses’ eight points better than any other country in the world.

Blessed of the Lord be his [Joseph’s] land, for the precious things of heaven.

Peter says, “Unto you… which believe, he [Christ] is precious” (I Peter 2: 7). Without question, the Savior is most precious. Joseph’s land was to be blessed because of the precious things of heaven. In other words, Joseph’s land was to be blessed by the presence of the Holy One of Israel. In our first chapter, “The God of Ancient America,” we found that evidence of Christ’s visit to Joseph’s land (America) is indeed great.
Moses used the word “things” (plural), so Joseph’s land is to be blessed with more than one precious thing of heaven. Next to the presence of the Good Shepherd himself, his words or a holy record takes second place as a precious thing of heaven. (SeelSamuel3: 1.)

We found evidences on both sides of the sea that the an­cestors of the Indians came from ancient Israel. Also, we find evidences on both sides of the sea (Old and New World)
that Joseph’s land was to be blessed of a second thing of heaven—a holy book.
The Prophet Ezekiel tells us:

The word of the lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, 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.
And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
—37: 15-19.

According to Ezekiel, Judah was to have a book (the Bible), and Joseph was also to have a book. Where is the Book of Joseph? If America is Joseph’s land, then we ought to find evidence of Joseph’s book on this side of the sea. Among the Indians’ writings and legends as already noted, we find evi­dence that the ancient Americans had a Holy Book of God. The seeker for truth asks, “Where is the book now?”

It does appear that the ancient people knew of thin gold plates with hieroglyphics.
A Spanish colonial history states:
The Mexican Indians sold to some European antiquarians very thin plates of gold, evidently worked with a hammer, which their ancestors had been able to preserve, and on which were engraved ancient hieroglyphics.7

In April, 1949, the author in company with Francis Anderson of Holden, Missouri, visited the awe-inspiring Museo de Oro or Museum of Gold in the Bank of the Republic at Bogota, Colombia.
The Museo de Oro contains by far the largest and finest collection of ancient gold artifacts the author has seen in the Western Hemisphere. Among the fabulous arrays of jewelry and golden artifacts, there is one showcase devoted to numer­ous rolls of thin gold paper. On the wall of the showcase are a number of specimens of the thin gold plates or paper on which there are inscriptions.
We have given consideration to the first of eight different things for which Joseph’s land was to be blessed. Let us briefly consider the seven remaining points.
Blessed of the Lord be his [Joseph’s] land, for the dew and for the deep that coucheth beneath.

For great rivers, fountains, and lakes, America is far ahead of any other part of the world.
According to Hendrick Van Loon’s Geography, the Missis­sippi-Missouri River is the longest river in the world (4,221
miles). It is navigable 3,550 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, a distance greater than from New York to London.
The Yukon, known as the “Wandering River,” rises within fifteen miles of the Pacific, flows 2,300 miles, then empties into the Pacific. Steamboats cover all but fifteen miles of it. Next to the Mississippi-Missouri River, the Amazon is the longest river in the world (3,900 miles). For volume of water, no river can compare with the Amazon. During the wet season, the mouth of the river is said to be fifty miles wide. The Amazon River drops only one inch each five miles in its last seven hundred miles and flows only two and one quarter miles per hour, yet its current is felt two hundred miles at sea.

And fo7 the precious fruits brought forth by the sun.
The agricultural fruits of America are indeed precious now. Because America is so far ahead of the rest of the world in agricultural resources, it is helping greatly to feed the world. Countless millions across the sea depend upon the world’s bread basket (Mississippi Valley) for their food. In statistics published in 1938, before the war had upset the world’s econ­omy, the United States (only one of the nations living in Joseph’s land) was producing 60 per cent of the wheat and cotton of the globe.

And for the precious things put forth by the rnoon.
It is well known that the moon as well as the sun plays its part in influencing and wooing plant life into maximum activity.
Mr. Nadaillac says:
In no region of the globe has nature been rnore prodigal than in the vast districts stretching from Guiana to Uruguay, from the Atlantic to the forest spurs of the Andes, forming the empire of Brazil. The fer­tility of the soil, under the double influence of heat and moisture, is wonderful; forest trees grow in great variety everywhere; valuable medical plants spring up in profusion which are not to be met with in any other climate; and vegetables, good for food, or fruits pleasant to
the palate of man, with flowers of the most brilliant colors. Fifteen thousand vegetable species peculiar to Brazil have already been recognized.8

And for the chief things of the ancient rnountains.
There are no forests in the Old World that begin to compare with the vast forests of the United States and Canada. “Found­er’s Tree” on the Eel River in northern California is the tallest tree in the world (364 feet). In the Sequoia National Forest in California, there is one tree which contains enough lumber to build fifty-five five-room homes. Hooker’s Oak, near Chico, California, is the largest oak tree in the world. There are trees in California with a circumference of ninety-eight feet.
In the Kansas City Star for March 24, 1949 is a feature ar­ticle about three giant cypresses in a valley in Mexico. The largest of these trees has a circumference of more than 114 feet. Its age is estimated as high as 10,000 years.

And for the precious things of the lasting hills.

The United States possesses (1938) almost $11,000,000,000 in gold, or nearly half of the world’s monetary metal. It has two thirds of civilization’s banking resources. The purchasing power of the popu­lation is greater than that of the 500,000,000 people in Europe and much larger than that of more than a billion Asiatics. These figures are to be found in the record. They are the envy of the world. Turn­ing to one of our journals, The United States News, we find more statistics concerning automobiles. This country has 22 to every 100 persons. Canada has ii; France, 5; United Kingdom, 5; Germany, 2; and Italy, 1.
The United States produces 50 per cent of the copper and pig iron, and 40 per cent of the lead and coal output of the globe.9

These figures are taken from an article published in 1938. The title of the article is “America Has Highest Living Stan­dard of the Nations.”
According to a recent chart prepared by the National Fed­eration of Small Business in Washington, D.C., the United States has one auto for each four persons, Britain one auto for each twenty-two persons, Sweden one for twenty-nine persons, Italy one for ninety-three persons, and Russia one auto for two hun­dred and fifty-two persons. And though only possessing 6 per cent of the world’s land area we possess 40 per cent of the world’s telegraphs and 30 per cent of its railroads.

And for the precious things of the earth and fullness thereof.

The United States, exclusive of the other countries of the New World, produces 70 per cent of the world’s oil (1937-38).
The United States contains 6 per cent of the world’s area and 7 per cent of its population; but because of its wealth, based on the richness of its vast natural resources, it consumes 48 per cent of the world’s coffee, 53 per cent of its tin, 56 per cent of its rubber, 72 per cent of its steel, 36 per cent of its coal, and 42 per cent of its pig iron.

And for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush.

A great mass of evidence discloses that the ancient Americans had prophets and a Sacred Book, and that Jesus Christ visited them. In what other part of the world (Europe, Siberia, India, Australia, Africa) is there such evidence of having “the good will of him that dwelt in the bush”?
If we take Moses’ eight points in Deuteronomy as the deter­mining factor in identifying Joseph’s land, there can be no other conclusion than that America is Joseph’s land and that it is the place where the Good Shepherd led the flock of Joseph (Psalm 80: 1).


1. Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 5, page 22.
2. Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 3, page 270.
3. Gregory Mason, Columbus Came Late, page 68.
4. Brinton, Myths of the New World, page 90.
5. Brinton, Myths of the New World, page 91.
6. Ann Axtell Morris, Digging in Yucatan, page 262.
7. Dr. Saville, Goldsmith’s Art in Ancient Mexico, page 175.
8. Nadaillac, Prehistoric America, page 465.

THE MYSTERY OF THE “LOST BOOK

THE MYSTERY OF THE “LOST BOOK
OF GOD”


And 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.—John 10: 16.

WHEREVER OR WHENEVER in the Old World the words of the Good Shepherd or his undershepherds were heard,
there was an urge to write them down that they might be pre­served for the inspiration and salvation of coming generations.
From the time the Lord instructed Moses to write the Book of Genesis and the other books in the Pentateuch until He instructed John on Patmos to “Write the things which thou hast seen” (Revelation 1: 19), books and instructions about writing are mentioned no less than 175 times in the King James Version of the Scriptures, according to Young’s Analyti­cal Concordance.
The urge of prophets, patriarchs, and holy men to write down the words of life that came when they heard the voice of the Good Shepherd is well illustrated in the Book of Job:

Oh that my words now were written! Oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.—19:23-27.

In the Old World they wrote down the words when they heard the voice of the Good Shepherd. It is reasonable to assume they would do the same when the Shepherd of Israel visited his sheep in the New World, and they heard his voice.

SPANIARDS DESTROYED ENTIRE LIBRARIES OF ANCIENT DOCUMENTS

Because of the many similarities to Christianity which the Spanish priests found in the native religion, they thought that the Devil had attempted to build a counterfeit church here in America.
Father Duran at the end of his Historia Antiqua de la Nueva Espana (1585) wrote, “I verily believe that the evil spirit himself must have somehow supplied these poor people with a spurious edition of the Bible.” (Quoted from Jesus Christ Among the Ancient Americans, by Paul M. Hanson.)
The Catholic priests thought they could destroy this so-called spurious work of Satan by destroying the ancient writings.
Brinton says,

Immense masses of such documents were stored in the archives of ancient Mexico. Torquemada asserts that five cities alone yielded to the Spanish governor on one requisition no less than sixteen thousand volumes of scrolls. Every leaf was destroyed.’

Archaeologists and students of ancient America greatly regret this wanton destruction of such a priceless treasure. Without question, these vast libraries of Mexican documents would have cleared up many mysteries and questions which now baffle the academic and scientific students of prehistoric America.
There is one man who was acquainted with the contents of the libraries who has given us an inkling of what these ancient volumes contained. His name is Ixtlilxochitl. He was a grand­son of the king of Tezcuco. Tezcuco, a small kingdom allied with the Aztecs, was situated on the west of Mexico City. Ixtlilxochitl wrote a history of prehistoric Mexico.

THE TEOAMOXTLI OR LOST BOOK OF GOD
From the works of Ixtlilxochitl, Bancroft gives us this story of the Teoamoxtli:

Returning now to the other version of Toltec history we learn that after the death of the first king of Tollan, his son Ixtlilcuechahuac mounted the throne. His reign, like that of his predecessor, was peace­ful and prosperous; but the only event recorded was a meeting of all the sages under the direction of the aged Hueman which took place only a few years before the end of the second king’s term of office. At this assembly there were brought forward all the Toltec records reaching back to the earliest period of their existence, and from these documents, after a long conference and the most careful study, the Teoarnoxtli, or ‘book of God~’ was p’re pared. In its pages were in­scribed the Nahua annals from the time of the deluge, or even from the creation; together with all their religious rites.2

TEOAMOXTLI AND THE NEPHITE RECORD COMPARED

Ixtlilxochitl’s account of the end of the prehistoric Toltecs is startling in its similarity to the story in the Nephite Record According to the Nephite Record, the golden age of peace and prosperity in ancient America lasted for about two hun­dred years after the visit of Christ, About the beginning of the third century after the appearance of Christ, a war broke out between the Nephites and the Lamanites.
Three hundred and five years later, when the empire had been long at peace, a revolt broke out (Native Races~ Volume 5, pages 210, 211) .
After several years of war, the Nephite Record records that a treaty was reached in which the Lamanites would not come again in battle against the Nephites for ten years.
From the account in Bancroft’s Native Races, we find a similar story.

Unable to resist this formidable army, the Toltec king was com­pelled to send ambassadors bearing rich presents to sue for peace. . . . . A truce. was concluded to the effect that the Toltecs should not be molested for ten years.—Volume 5, page 279.

After the expiration of the ten-year period of truce, the Nephite Record and Ixtlilxochitl tell a similar story in their accounts, the one of the end of the Nephites, and the other of the end of the Toltecs. The points of their similarity include:
A. Introduction of a new religion (Native Races, Volume 5, pages 280-282)
B. Women join men in battle (Ibid. page 283)
C. Cities sacked and burned as fast as conquered (Ibid. page
283)
D. War continues year after year for a long time (Ibid. page
284)
E. Immorality, bestiality, and iniquity reigned (Ibid. page 277) . Lamanites eat flesh and drink blood of Nephites (Nephite Record, pages 772, 773)
F. Numbers engaged in the war (Ibid. page 282)
The Nephite Record tells us that the Lamanites “were not numbered because of the greatness of their numbers.” In the last day of battle after years of conflict, 230,000 Nephites perished. From the Nephite Record account, there must have been millions of men engaged on each side during the long death struggle of the Nephites.
Bancroft says:
It is difficult to credit the statements of the old authors respecting the number of Chichimecs that espoused Xolotl’s cause. Ixtlilxochitl and Veytia state that no less than three million, two hundred and two thousand men, women, besides children rallied to his standard.3

It should be noted that the works of Ixtlilxochitl were not available in 1830, since the Spanish colonial manu­scripts were not collected and translated and published to the English-speaking world by Bancroft until several decades after publication of the Nephite Record.

In the previous chapter, we found that ancestors of the Aztecs were not the only ones who were present in that great day when the Good Shepherd appeared; likewise we find that other tribes besides the Aztecs had a knowledge of the existence of a prehistoric sacred record.

THE POPUL VUH

The story of the Pcpul Vuh, like the story of the Teoarnoxtli, comes from the writings of a native author. The original Maya Quiche text was translated into Spanish in the early days of colonial history.

The manuscript, however, remained in . obscurity in Catholic archives in Guatemala until it was discovered by Doctor Scheizer in June, 1854, and translated and published in the English language. Like the Te’carncxtii of Ixtlilxochitl, the Pcpul Vub of the Maya Quiches could not have been known to in 1830.

Concerning the Popul Vuh (Book of God) Bancroft says:

I pass next to the tradition of the Quich6 nations as preserved in the Popul Vuh, . . . These traditions, the authenticity and general ac-curacy of which there is no reason to doubt . . . with apparent, although vague references here and there, to actual events in the primitive history of the people whose descendants were the Quich6s.4

Bancroft continues with an excerpt from the Popul Vuh:
The Popul Vuh, the national book, is no longer visible, in which it was clearly seen that we came from beyond the sea . . . It is the first book, written in olden times, but its view is hidden from him who sees and thinks.
Wonderful is its appearance, and the narrative of the time when he (the Creator) finished everything in heaven and on earth.5
Like Quetzalcoatl, Votan was the first historian of his people, and wrote a book on the origin of the race.6

THE TEMPLE OF HIEROGLYPHICS

At Copan, Honduras, there is a temple containing large tablets of hieroglyphics. The stairway which leads to the en­trance of the temple is literally covered with hieroglyphics. At the base of the stairway stands an imposing figure of a man holding in his hand a king’s escutcheon. I had the good fortune to visit Copan, Honduras, in 1941, in company with a group of archaeologists from the United States. As we ap­proached the entrance to the mysterious temple of the hiero­glyphics with its prehistoric figure in stone standing guard, someone asked the leading Carnegie Institute archaeologist as to the identity of the imposing statue. His answer was, “Your guess is as good as mine.” Similar answers were given to other questions regarding the elegant ruins of this very ancient city. There is very much that science does not know about the an­cient Americans. Archaeology has not yet scratched the sur­face. Much exploration is yet to be done.
There are, however, some conclusions that can be drawn about Copan as well as other archaeological sites. The peo­ple who built Copan were a religious people. The presence of temples and beautiful altars attests this fact. They had a system of writing as is attested by the abundance of hiero­glyphics. If the Good Shepherd of Israel visited these people and they heard his voice, why would it not be possible that they would inscribe his words on temples and tablets of stone? If guessing is in order, why not venture the guess that the tablets of hieroglyphics (as yet undeciphered) in the temple of the hieroglyphics may contain words of Jesus Christ.

We have already noted that the name “Toltecs” is identified with Quetzalcoatl and the golden age of prehistoric America. We have also noted that the Toltecs were a pale skin people.
Dr. Eduard Seler says:

In the traditions of the Mexican and Central American races, there is mention of a civilized nation, said to have been in the country before all others, which was the originator of all arts and sciences. This was the Toltec nation. Among other things, the invention of the calendar is ascribed to this nation, and we are told that they carried their books with them on their migrations.7

If the Toltecs were of Hebrew origin and had brought the Hebrew Scriptures with them in their migration from the Old World to America, the evidence should be readily discernible in the creation legends of the Indians.

DID THE ANCESTORS OF THE INDIANS KNOW THE
STORY OF GENESIS?

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.—Genesis 1: 2.

From the Popul Vuh:

And the earth was without form, and void: and darkness was upon angle and alignment, and its boundaries fixed towards the four winds by the Creator and Former, and Mother and Father of life and exist­ence—He by whom all move and breathe, the Father and Cherisher of the peace of nations and of the civilization of his people. . . .
Behold the first word and the first discourse. There was as yet no man, nor any animal, nor bird, nor fish, nor crawfish, nor any pit, nor ravine, nor green herb, nor any tree; nothing was but the firmament. The face of the earth had not yet appeared—only the peaceful sea and all the space of heaven. There was nothing yet joined together, nothing that clung to anything else; nothing that balanced itself, that made the least rustling that made a sound in the heaven. There was nothing that stood up; nothing but the quiet water, but the sea, calm and alone in its boundaries: nothing existed; nothing but immobility and silence, in the darkness, in the night. . . . And on the instant it was formed; like a cloud or a fog was its beginning.8

MIXTEC CREATION LEGEND

“In the year and in the day of obscurity and darkness, yea, even before the days or years were, when the world was in a great darkness and chaos . . .“~
According to Genesis, creation involved a period of seven days and was accomplished by the word of God’s power.
The Aztec book, The Anales de Quauhtitlan, states that the world and all therein was created in seven days. “In the sign Tochtli the earth was created, the firmament was erected in Acatl, animals came into being in Tecpatl, and man was made out of dust or ashes on Ehecati, the seventh day.”10

CREATION LEGENDS OF PERU

All things emanated from Pachacamac, the all-pervading spirit, the maker and molder of matter. Pachacamac it was who breathed the breath of life into man.
“By means of his word . . . the creator, a spirit, powerful and opulent, made all things.” The formula of his words in Peruvian prayers: “Let the earth and heaven be,” “Let there be night,” “Let the light shine.”1’

AZTEC LEGENDS

Lewis Spence says that Tezcatlipoca deceived the first woman who committed sin. Ixnextli is the name of an Eve who sinned by plucking forbidden roses and was cast out of a paradise with her husband.’2

Consideration of the scriptural analogies contained in the legends of all the Indian tribes of the New World would be a very large undertaking. We therefore conclude the subject with a statement from the well-known English nobleman, Lord Kingsborough:

It is impossible when reading what Mexican mythology records of the war in heaven and the fall of Zontemonque and other rebellious spirits; of the creation of light by the word of Tonacatecotle; and of the division of the waters, of the sin of Xztiacoliuhqui, and his blindness and nakedness; of the temptation of Suchiquecal and her disobedience in gathering roses from a tree and the consequent misery and disgrace of herself and all her posterity not to recognize scrip­tural analogies. But the Mexican tradition of the deluge is that which bears the most unequivocal marks of having been derived from a Hebrew source.13

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the entire question of whether Jesus Christ visited the ancient Americans in person and they heard his voice lies in the fact that the Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas pictured their~ god as a white man with a full beard and a Hebrew caste face so unlike the physiognomy of the native Americans. ‘The Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas have no beards and appear incapable of raising one.

When Christianity was carried to China, their artists (un­less trained otherwise) pictured the Savior as a Chinaman. The same is true of the artists of India and Africa where the . Savior has been pictured as a Hindu or a black man. But in
Mexico the most beloved of their gods was Quetzalcoatl, white and bearded.
In the face of these facts how can anyone conceive of the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas depicting their god as a white man with Hebrew caste face and a beard unless they had seen him in person and heard his voice?
7. Dr. Eduard Seler, Signiflcsa’ice of ihe Maya Calendar in Historic Chronol­ogy, Bulletin 23, Bureau of American Ethnology. (Quoted from Jesus Christ Among the Ancient Americans, by Paul M. Hanson.)
8. Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 3, pages 44, 45.
9, Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 3, page 70.
10. Lewis Spence, The Gods of Mexico, page 46.
11. I.ewis spence, The Myths of Mexico and Peru, page 305.
12. I.ewis Spence, The Gods ol Mexico, pages 103 if., 190.
15. Lord Kingsborough, Mexican Antiquities, Volume 4, page 401.
1. Brinton, Myths of the New World, page 13.
2. Bancroft, Native Races~ Volume 5, pages 250, 251.
3. Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 5, page 292.
4. Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 5, page 170.
5, Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 5, page 171.
6. Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 3, page 451.

THE GOD OF ANCIENT AMERICA

THE GOD OF ANCIENT AMERICA


IN JOHN 10: 16, Jesus gives expression to one of the most significant statements to be found in the Scriptures: “And
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.”
It is recorded in the fifteenth chapter of Matthew that a woman of Canaanite descent followed Jesus and cried to him in behalf of her child. It was only after persistent and con­tinued effort that Jesus was persuaded to minister to her child. Jesus explained his slowness to respond to the Gentile woman’s cries with this terse but very significant statement: ‘1 am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15: 23, 24). A candid, open-minded, truth-seeking approach to the meaning of John 10: 16 leaves no alternative but to look somewhere (Africa, Australia, Siberia, America, or elsewhere) other than Jerusalem for evidence that the Good Shepherd had another flock of sheep (House of Israel) whom he visited and who heard his voice.
A survey of the history, legends, and archaeology of various nations quickly reveals that one does not have to be a detective to recognize that in Quetzalcoatl of the Aztecs we have a clue of the first order.

COURTS AND TEMPLE OF QUETZALCOATL AT TIKOTIHUACAN

About thirty~five miles northeast of Mexico City lie the famous pyramids of Teotihuacan. In prehistoric times, Teotihua­can was a great city that filled a large area in the valley. The dwelling places of the people have long since disappeared, but broken pieces of pottery and other evidences of ancient occu­pation are numerous. According to Robert Marett, the great government and religious structures of the city occupy an area
four miles long by two miles wide.1 Among the most impos­ing structures are the huge Pyramid of the Sun (twelve acres) and the awe-inspiring courts and temple of Quetzalcoatl. Paul found on Mars’ Hill an altar dedicated to an unknown god. In contrast, we find at Teotihuacan a temple dedicated to a mysterious prehistoric personage (Quetzalcoatl) which with its impressive courts and priest’s quarters occupies many acres.

THE DIEGO RIVERA MURALS OF QUETZALCOATL

Diego Rivera, a full-blooded Indian artist of outstanding ability, has recently completed a history of Mexico. This history is painted in murals on the expansive inner walls of the presidential palace in Mexico City. The history starts with the depiction of the presence in ancient Mexico of the white god, Quetzalcoatl. He is shown seated on a throne surrounded by a worshiping throng of brown-skinned Aztecs. In another scene he is shown seated on a white cloud ready to depart over the sea toward the rising sun from whence legend says he came. Before his departure he is said to have promised to re­turn. In both scenes he is depicted holding in his right hand a scepter strongly resembling a shepherd’s crook. United States historians also recognize Quetzalcoatl. In an eminent text­book, Epic of Ame~rica, which is used in colleges and univer­sities in the United States, James Truslow Adams introduces the student to the history of the United States with the story of Quetzalcoatl.

WHAT THE LEGENDS SAY ABOUT QUETZALCOATL

Mr. Lewis Spence, well-known English anthropologist, in a comparatively recent book (1923) sums up the Aztec legends of Quetzalcoatl from several trustworthy Mexican codices: “A god of the name of Citallatonac . . . . . sent an ambassador from heaven on an embassy to a virgin of TULAN called CHIMAL­MAN . . . . to whom the ambassador announced that it was the will of this god that she should conceive a son . . . she con­ceived a son without connexion with man, who they call QUETZALCOATLE.
“They say that it was he [QUETZALCOATLE] who effected the reformation of the world by penance, since as, according to his account, his father had created the world and men had given themselves up to vice, on which account it had been fre­quently destroyed, CITINATIONALI sent his son into the world to reform it.”—Ibid., page 131.
“He alone had a human body like that of men; the other gods were of an incorporeal nature.”—Ibid., page 128.
“Quetzalcoatl was a white man . . . with long black hair and a beard heavy and round.”—Ibid., page 120.
“He instituted fasting and mortification, and never married.”
—Ibid., page 127.
“He forbade all war and disturbance.”—Ibid., page 127.
“The arts had their inception with Quetzalcoatl.”—Ibid., page 123.
“As they considered him their advocate, they celebrated a solemn festival and fasted during four signs.”—Ibid., page 132.
“They adored him as a god, . . . for they believed it certain that he had ascended into heaven.”—Ibid, page 131.
“He desired of them at the time of his departure to restrain their grief and to expect his return, which would take place at the appointed time.”—I bid., page 130.
“When he died he was not visible for four days, during which period he tarried in the underworld.”—lbid., page 132.

“He had priests who were called QUEQUETZALCOHUA, that is to say, ‘priests of the order of Quetzalcoatl.’ “—Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 3, page 259.
Paul found an altar on Mars’ Hill dedicated to an unknown god. In Mexico we find the largest pyramid in the world dedicated to Quetzalcoatl as the “Author of Light.”
Gregory Mason comments on the size of the pyramid of Cholula in Mexico:
The greatest Toltec pyramid is the one at Cholula. . . It is inferior to the more famous work of the Egyptians in height, although its sum­mit was more than two hundred feet above the surrounding level... . But the base of this Cholula pyramid averages more than one thousand feet on a side, and the structure has three times the volume of the pyramid of Cheops.3

QUETZALCOATL PROMISED TO RETURN

Such was the impression left on the native mind by this mysterious person (Quetzalcoatl) that notwithstanding the centuries had rolled away since his appearance; the Aztecs thought he had reappeared when Cortez and his followers landed on their coast.
Brinton says: “Therefore when they first beheld the fair complexioned Spaniards, they rushed into the water to embrace the prows of their vessels, and dispatched messengers through­out the land to proclaim the return of Quetzalcoat1” (Brinton, Myths of she New Word, page 203).

QUETZALCOATL OR JESUS CHRIST IN THE NEW WORLD

The impact of the personality of Jesus Christ on the course of history in the Old World has been tremendous and incal­culable. When we pick up the evening paper or write a letter or look at the calendar, we are confronted with the evidence of the impression of the personality of the “Good Shepherd.” Every time we write the date or look at the date, we honor the Savior from whose birth time is measured.
One biographer has said,
I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that were ever built, and all the parlia­ments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as has that One Solitary Life..—Author Unknown; c1uoted in Reader’s Digest, January 1954, page 36.

The impression of the personality of Quetzalcoatl on the legends and temples and minds of the Aztecs is of such propor­-tions that the identity of this white god born of a virgin in the distant East cannot be reasonably interpreted as being other than the Good Shepherd of Israel.
Manly Palmer Hall in his book, Twelve World Teachers, published in 1937 by the Philosophical Research Society of Los Angeles, includes Quetzalcoatl along with Confucius, Mo­hammed, Jesus Christ, et al, in his work on “the twelve” great teachers of history.
The evidence that Quetzalcoatl was Jesus Christ is not com­plete until we add to the impact of his personality on prehis­toric America the traditions which link and weld the history of Quetzalcoatl with the story of the Good Shepherd.
Briefly, and in addition to the excerpts quoted by Mr. Spence, we present further milestones in the life of Quetzalcoatl:
A. QuetzalcOatl’5 birth was accompanied by the appearance of a new star and mysterious omens and wonders in the heavens.
B. Tradition is silent as to his childhood years.
C. Manly P. Hall says, “We read of the temptation of Quet­zalcoatl, how during his penance the spirits of evil came to him and tried to divert him from his course. In another place is the account of his fasting for forty days which later became a definite part of the Mexican ritual.”4
D. Quetzalcoatl had power of bidding the winds to be hushed; hence he is called “God of the Wind.”
P. Quetzalcoatl destroys the death god (victory over death).
F. One of his many appellations in the ancient language signi­fies a vine or juice thereof.5
G. The morning star was his symbol.
I-I. Spence says, that Quetzalcoatl died and was invisible for four days, after which he was resurrected and ascended his throne.6
I. Between his death and resurrection, Quetzalcoatl tarried in the underworld.

AUTHENTICITY OF AZTEC TRADITIONS

Mr. Paul Radin, anthropologist of the University of Cali­fornia who has made a special study of the reliability of Aztec traditions, says, “Many oral myths give us such details which not only look historical but have so often been subsequently proved to be correct that there is a certain presumption of their being correct whenever we find them.”7
Quetzalcoatl, the God of the Aztecs, was not himself an Aztec. The Aztecs were preceded in Mexico by the Toltecs.
Nadaillac says that the Toltec era “is enshrined in the memory of the Nahuas as their golden age.”8
Brinton says, “In Mexican legends the early Toltecs were of fair complexion.”9
As we travel farther south in Mexico we come to the state of Oaxaca. Eighty per cent of its inhabitants are Indian, mostly Zapotecs. Nine miles above its capital city by mountain road are found the ancient mountaintop ruins of Monte Alban. Its ruins are estimated to spread over an area of 24 square miles. Again and again the archaeologists have found the picture of a bearded god carved on the stones of the principal buildings. One of the finest of these stone portraits shows the figure in an attitude of prayer.
Only a stone’s throw away from the figure of a bearded god in prayer is a large tomb in the form of a cross. Two other large cruciform tombs constructed of fine-cut stones and adorned with mosaics and inscriptions are to be found at Mitla and El Garron also in the state of Oaxaca. In August of 1953 my son Ward and I visited the mountaintop tomb of El Garron. We measured one of the largest stones in the cruciform and found it to be roughly twelve feet long, three feet wide, and four feet high.
South of the state of Oaxaca is the frontier state of Chiapas. Chiapas borders on Guatemala. Vast areas of its southern reaches are unexplored and still occupied by the wild, uncivil­ized Lancadone Indians, many of whom wear animal skins
and hunt with bows and arrows. For twenty-eight miles along the eastern base of the mountains of Chiapas lie the ruins of the Mayan city of Palenque. Here explorers and archaeologists were amazed to find a temple containing a large tablet, in the center of which was a cross. This famous temple is now known as the “Temple of the Cross.”

On the Isthmus of Yucatan many ancient Mayan cities have been found. Perhaps the greatest of these is Chichen Itza. As at Monte Alban so at Chichen Itza we find portraits in stone of a bearded white god. Explorers and writers have referred to this figure as a “Jewish caste face.” The Mayans call their god Kulculcan. They tell the same kind of story about him that the Aztecs tell about Quetzalcoatl. He was a white man born of a virgin and came from the distant East beyond the sea. When he departed from them he promised to return.

And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand, and spake unto the people, saying, Behold I am Jesus Christ, of whom the prophets testified should come into the world.—III Nephi 5: 9-11.

In the great assembly at the temple where Quetzalcoatl or Jesus Christ made his appearance, there were present not only the ancestors of the Aztecs but also the ancestors of the Mayas and other Indian tribes. After his first appearance, he announced that he would return and meet the people again on the morrow. His appearances were continued over a protracted length of time. The startling news that Jesus Christ the Shep­herd of Israel was making appearances at “the temple in the land Bountiful” spread like wildfire. It is indicated in the Book of Mormon that great numbers of people traveled all night as well as by day to reach the temple in the Land Boun­tiful (III Nephi 9: 3).
It is also recorded (IV Nephi 1: 3) that within two years of his visit, the entire population of ancient America was con­verted to Jesus Christ. This means that not only were ancestors of the Aztecs converted to Jesus Christ, but ancestors of every tribe had been gathered into the fold of the Good Shepherd. Consideration of Quetzalcoatl’s counterpart among all the tribes of the New World would require a volume or series of volumes. It is within the scope of this presentation to offer only a few brief references.

NUMEROUS TRIBES WORSHIP WHITE GOD DRESSED IN
LONG WHITE ROBE

Both the Book of Mormon and Aztec traditions tell us that Jesus Christ or Quetzalcoatl appeared in ancient America dressed in a long white robe.
Bancroft says,
Although bearing various names and appearing in different coun­tries, the American culture heroes—all present the same general char­acteristics. They are all described as white, bearded men, generally clad in long robes; appearing suddenly and mysteriously upon the scene of their labors, they at once set about improving the people by instructing them in useful and ornamental arts, giving them laws, ex­horting them to practice brotherly love and other Christian virtues, and introducing a milder and better form of religion; having accom­plished their mission, they disappear as mysteriously and unexpect­edly as they came.10

THE TEMPLE OF THE DESCENDING GOD

The story of a blond bearded god descending out of the sky to visit the ancient Americans is not only told in legend, picto­graph and ceramics, but in recent findings carved on temples in the remote fastnesses of Quintana Roo. In August, 1953, through the kindness of the Mexican air force, I was able to land with an air force pilot in a light plane in a small clearing near the fabled ruins of Tuluum overlooking the picturesque Caribbean Sea. In the ancient ruins of Tuluum is a temple called by archaeologists, “The Temple of the Descending God.” Over the entrance to the temple there is clearly carved on the facade a personage descending. His feet are upward and his arms and legs extended downward.

BORN OF A VIRGIN

Mr. Brinton says,
Many of the great gods of the race, Quetzalcoatl, Viracocha, and loskeha, were at times said to have been born of a virgin. Even among the Indians of Paraguay the early missionaries were startled to find this tradition of the maiden mother of the god. . .
Quiche legends of earliest men say they were white children, white sons, leading a white life beyond the dawn. Creation itself is attrib­uted to the dawn, the white one, the white sacrificer of blood.11

If it is true as the evidence seems to strongly indicate that Jesus Christ visited ancient America in person, then we should expect to find not only the evidence of his person but also the evidence of his teachings.

CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES IN PREHISTORIC AMERICA

Mr. P. De Roo says, “The first missionaries of the fifteenth century were greatly astonished to find them [Peruvians] in possession of several tenets of Christian doctrines and practic­ing a number of Christian rites.”12

Mr. Brinton says,

These reformers [ Quetzalcoatl, Votan, Virachocha, etc.] were credited with an ethical elevation in their teachings which need not blush before the loftiest precepts of the Old ‘World moralists. Ac­cording to the earliest and most trustworthy accounts, the doctrines of Tonapa were filled with the loving kindness and the deep sense of duty which characterize the present Christianity. Nothing was want­ing in them, says a historian, save the name of God and his . Son, Jesus Christ.13

William Prescott says, “They [Spanish missionaries] could not suppress their wonder, as they beheld the Cross, the sacred emblem of their own faith, raised as an object of worship in the temples of Anahuac, . . . Their surprise was heightened, when they witnessed a religious rite which reminded them of the Christian communion. On these occasions, an image of the tutelary deity of the Aztecs was made of the flour of maize, mixed with blood, and after consecration by the priests, was distributed among the people, who, as they ate it, ‘showed signs of humiliation and sorrow, declaring it was the flesh of the deity.’ “14

THE HAND DESIGN OF ANCIENT AMERICA

In his ministry at Jerusalem, Jesus healed the sick, the blind, and the lame by touching them with his hands.

Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray. And the disciples rebuked them, saying, There is no need, for Jesus hath said, Such shall be saved. But Jesus said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.—Matthew 19: 13-15, KJV.

And they [his disciples] shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.—Mark 16: 18.
Now, when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases, brought them unto him: and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.—Luke 4: 40.

If the Good Shepherd brought blessings to his flock in the Old World by placing his hands upon them, why should it not be reasonable that he should pursue the same course in bring­ing blessings to his flock in the New World? .
The open human hand has been found extensively among the ruins of prehistoric America. At Copan, Honduras, there is a large beautiful specimen of the open hand sculptured out of stone. Channing Arnold says that the human hand is found extensively on ruins at Chichen Itza, island of Cozumel, and other Maya ruins.15
Mr. Bancroft says, “Another form in which we may recog­nize Zamna is the image of Itzamat UI, or the ‘dew of heaven’ who is said to have been a great ruler, the son of god, and who cured diseases, raised the dead and pronounced oracles.”
Mr. Bancroft also says, “This class of devotees generally resorted to the temple where he [Zamna] was represented in the form of a hand, Kab Ul, or working hand, whose touch was sufficient to restore health.”’6
Henry Clyde Shetrose, director and archaeologist of Ohio State Archaeological Association, says that the human hand is found in the Hopewell Mounds and is related to the hand design of middle America.’7

Is GOD A RESPECTER OF PERSONS?

The golden text of all Christendom says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso­ever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Did God give his Son to the Old World only? It is esti­mated that at the time of Christ the civilizations of ancient America were in full bloom with a culture as great and in some respects superior to the civilizations of Rome, Greece, Babylon, and Egypt. Estimates of the population in Mexico, Central America, and the Andean region at the time of Christ run as high as three hundred million people. Did God respect the Old World above the New World that they should enjoy the priceless benefits of Christ’s personal ministry while great civilized nations in America should be left to go it alone with­out a personal visitation and ministry of God’s Son?

Is THERE A FIFTH GOSPEL?

Jesus said, “Other sheep I have, which are not of -this fold:
. . . and they shall hear my voice” (John 10: 16).
Were these sheep in America? The last verse of the Four Gospels in the New Testament says, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” -
It is perhaps good to close this chapter with an answer to the questions from the legends of the Chibchas Indians of Colom­bia, South America.

BOCHICA, ENVOY OF THE OMNIPOTENT

Kathleen Romoli, noted authority on the cultures of South America, sums up the Chibcha story of the coming of the white god to America.
Bochica must have really existed. He came to Cundinamarca from the east, from the direction of the Orinoco, and when his mission was over he returned, alone as when he came. . . . He leant upon a shep­herd’s crook and his long white beard fell to his waist. (This beard is one of the most curious features of the Bochica legend. It is extremely bard to imagine whiskers of which you have never heard, and the Chibchas were beardless.) The Messenger of God was dressed in long robes, and a mantle covered his shoulders; his skin was fair, and on his forehead was the sign of the cross. He went up and down the land, teaching, and wherever he stopped the people crowded to hear him. He preached of the resurrection of the body and of the Last Judgment, of the afterlife and the immortality of the soul, and of the beneficent power of God; he enjoined his followers to practice good works and charity, . . . The children of Bach6e said that Bochica lived with them fourteen centuries before the Conquistadores—whose coming he foretold; . . . . the Spaniards believed he was St. Bartholomew.18


The last statement in this legend of Bochica is remarkable. Fourteen centuries before the arrival of the Spaniards in the New World puts us back to the very time when Jesus said, “Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: . . . and they shall hear my voice.”

(All italicizing is by the author for emphasis.)


1. Robert Marett, A,-chaeological Tours from Mexico City, page 27.
2. Lewis Spence, The Gods of Mexico, page 129.
3. Gregory Mason, Columbus Came Late, page 236.
4, 5. Manly P. Hall, Twelve World Teachers, page 230.
6. Lewis Spence, The Gods ol Mexico and Peru, page 132.
7. Paul Radin, The Sou,-ces and Authenticity of the History ol the Ancient Mexicans, page 137.
8. Nadaillac, Prehistoric Anze,-ica, page 275.
9. Brinton, Myths ol the New World, page 195.
10. Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 5, page 23.
11. Brinton, Myths ol the New World, pages 161, 209.
12. P. De Roo, Histo,-y ol America Belore Columbus, Volume 2, page 111.
13. Brinton, Myths ol the New Wo,-ld, page 337.
14. Willi~.m Prescott, Conquest ol Mexico, Volume 3, pages 321, 322.
15. Channing Arnold, American Egypt, page 266.
16. Bancroft, Native Races, Volume 3, pages 465, 464
17. Henry Clyde Shetrose, The-Mound Builders, pages 117, 118.
18. Kathleen Romoli, Colombia: Gateway to South Ame,-ica, pages 62, 63 (1941) .

Understanding Romans 13:1-7

  How are we going to overcome Romans 13? What was Apostle Paul really saying? The best way to bring understanding on Romans 13 is to ask, "Who was apostle Paul writing to at Rome?" The answer is found at Romans 1:7: Paul was writing to all those in Rome who are "beloved of God, called to be saints." He was not writing to the general population at Rome. He was specifically addressing the "called out ones," the Body of Christ.
     If apostle Paul was advocating obedience to secular authorities, then Caesar would have no cause against him. Why would Caesar have Paul beheaded if he was promoting obedience to Rome?
     The world loves its own. If Paul belonged to Caesar, Caesar would not want to kill his own. If Paul was promoting "be subject to Caesar," then Paul would be Caesar's friend. You would not kill your own. You don't destroy the very instrument that advertises for you.
     The truth is that Apostle Paul was beheaded for promoting a rival government known as the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. Already this new government was turning the world upside down. Caesar had Paul killed to help stop this threat to Rome's power.
     If Romans 13 does not mean "obey the State," what does it mean? Romans 13 means, "Remember them which have the rule over you," as you will also find at Hebrews 13:7. Since Paul was addressing the saints at Rome, it is logical that he would instruct them to submit to those who look after their souls. It is a reminder to be obedient to the authorities God has placed over His people. For they are truly the "ministers of God to thee for good." Unlike worldly rulers, God's ministers are not a terror to good works but to the evil. Therefore, "do that which is good and thou shalt have praise of the same."

Powers Not Ordained By God
     Romans 13 is probably the most devastating thing to a Christian in the hands of the ungodly. It sounds so convincing to obey those who appear to be in power. For too long, secular governments have used Romans 13 as a club to beat Christians into obedience to them. Just because a group maintains power through their guns and jails, does not mean God put them there.
     God said there are powers not ordained by Him at Hosea 8:4, "They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not."
     God didn't put them in power over the righteous. That's Satan's idea. The righteous don't need worldly, filthy authorities, which are no authorities at all. Do you think that they can instruct the righteous? They themselves steal. They themselves are perverts. And they presume to instruct the righteous? I don't think so.

Secular Governments Persecuted Paul

     Apostle Paul had many troubles with worldly rulers. He was given 39 stripes five times by the Jews, beaten with rods three times, in perils by his own countrymen and by the heathen, and frequently in prison. (See 2 Corinthians 11:23-26). In Damascus the governor kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to apprehend Paul. "And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands," wrote Paul at 2 Corinthians 11:32. That is the same Paul that wrote Romans 13. He was forced to flee from the civil authorities, those "powers that be" that people say are ordained of God. Sorry folks, this does not compute. When Paul says, "the powers that be," he is saying the powers that be powers, are ordained of God. In other words, the only true powers are those that God ordains.
     The crux of the matter is this, Does Paul in Romans 13:1-7 argue that the civil government of this world has legitimate authority over the people of God? We believe that the obedient, called-out people of God are not bound to obey manmade civil governments. God's people are answerable to God above all else and are bound by His commands. At the same time, God's people are not to use their liberty as a cloak to do evil, to foment rebellion or waste time trying to influence the politics of the governments of this world. Furthermore, we believe Paul in Romans 13:1-7 is referring to the spiritual leaders of the Body of Christ, not the civil authorities of this world.
     If Paul is saying, "Obey the civil authorities," then he has a conflict in his life. Is Paul promoting Caesar or separating from Caesar? If Paul is promoting Caesar, there is no way I want Paul in my Bible. He can't work for Caesar and Jesus Christ. Caesar already has his writings, they are called "revised statutes" or the "law of the land." You can have them if you want. I would rather have God's Word. Actually that which is called the "law of the land," is the law of the devil. The term is used in the U.S. Constitution, where men claim that their laws are the supreme law of the land (See U.S. Constitution, Article VI).

Supreme Law of the Land

     "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:36-40). Do you know what that represents to a Christian? These two commands are the Supreme Law of the Land. If you believe that something else is the supreme law of the land for a Christian, someone has deceived you. It was a thief who drew you away from the true Supreme Law of the Land (see John 10:8).
     If you have the two great commandments, how much allegiance do you have left for the worldly rulers of this dark age? Let me tell you, you have ZERO allegiance to Satan
and his agents. All your time is spent "loving God" and "loving neighbor," and there is no room left over for obeying Satan and his minions.
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. 1 John 5:19

Submitting to the King of Heaven

     As true followers of Jesus, we are led by the Spirit and our lives reflect the fact that we belong to another kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven. Our stay on earth is only transitory. As citizens of Heaven, we are bound to submit and pledge allegiance to the King of Heaven and His government over us. We are not bound to obey the government of some nation just because we happen to be living within their so-called "borders."
     Remember, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof" (1 Corinthians 10:26). Yet there is a pack of thieves out there who have divided up the earth and perverts are ruling over it. And they are doing it at the egging on of Satan himself.
     Romans 13 has been wrongly interpreted by ruling secular governments to mean a Christian must submit to them. This misinterpretation forms a powerful weapon to neutralize and misdirect the power of God's Kingdom.
     As the followers of Jesus Christ, we belong to another Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom has its own government, its own laws, and its own leaders. Apostle Paul was not commanding us in Romans 13 to submit to the civil authorities of the kingdoms of this world. He was commanding us to submit to the authority of God's leaders who oversee the "called-out ones."
     It is a fallacy that Paul was commanding Christians at Rome to submit to the secular government. It is time that Christ's followers renounce their allegiance to the ever-changing governments of men. They must set an example that there is a higher and more perfect form of government, the Kingdom of Heaven.
     Of course there will be consequences. Jesus was brought to Pilate to be crucified on charges of "perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King" (Luke 23:2). We, too, must be willing to sacrifice even our very lives to proclaim God's sovereign rulership over us.

Loyalty and Obedience to Christ

     When we boldly declare that we belong to God's Kingdom, we are left with no choice but to trust God for His provision in the face of a hostile world. We quickly learn that our safety is in our obedience. To trust in carnal weapons and physical force is vanity. We serve a living God. He is well able to make a way for us regardless of how much the modern day Nebuchadnezzars rage and threaten to destroy us.
     Christians are in no way bound by the Scriptures to obey and support the manmade governments of this world. We are bound to live peaceably with all men to the greatest degree possible. Yet our loyalty, allegiance, and obedience must always be found at the feet of Christ. Our goal is to see souls brought to Christ. The more fully we separate from the world and consecrate ourselves to God, the more power we will have to infiltrate the hearts and minds of men with a living example of the Gospel. The world must see that God does have a people on this earth, and that His power dwells in their midst. Let us commit ourselves to His kingdom and be His people.
     Warning: Beware of the Living Bible and the Good News Bible. They are merely Bible paraphrases, not translations. The wording is not true to the original Hebrew and Greek.
The scriptures are perverted to support secular Christianity.


If Apostle Paul was telling the Church, "Be subject to secular government," why did the secular authorities behead him?
Does Romans 13 mean "Obey the Law of the Land"?
If Romans 13 does not mean "Obey the State," then what does it mean?
The Living Bible paraphrase says, "The policeman is sent by God to help you." Is this job of "policeman" created by and for Jesus Christ, or for "other purposes"?
Are the governments of the world ordained by God or are they Illegitimate Governments?
True Christianity is a way of life which involves renouncing the world and pledging our allegiance to the Kingdom of Heaven. But what about the secular authorities? Does Paul argue in Romans 13:1-7 that manmade governments have authority over the people of God?
"You ought to pay your taxes, Jesus did." Or did He?
In assuming the State as their higher authority, they forget that Jesus said you cannot obey two authorities.


Some Bibles are not Scriptural!

KING JAMES:      Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
     2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
     3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
     4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
     5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
     6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
     7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.


NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
     Let everyone obey the authorities that are over him, for there is no authority except from God, and all authority that exists is established by God.
     2 As a consequence, the man who opposes authority rebels against the ordinance of God; those who resist thus shall draw condemnation down upon themselves.
     3 Rulers cause no fear when a man does what is right but only when his conduct is evil. Do you wish to be free from the fear of authority? Do what is right and you will gain its approval,
     4 for the ruler is God's servant to work for your good. Only if you do wrong ought you to be afraid. It is not without purpose that the ruler carries the sword; he is God's servant, to inflict his avenging wrath upon the wrongdoer.
     5 You must obey, then, not only to escape punishment but also for conscience' sake.
     6 You pay taxes for the same reason, magistrates being God's ministers who devote themselves to his service with unremitting care.
     7 Pay each one his due: taxes to whom taxes are due; toll to whom toll is due; respect and honor to everyone who deserves them.


LIVING BIBLE
     Obey the government, for God is the one who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power.
     2 So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow.
     3 For the policeman does not frighten people who are doing right; but those doing evil will always fear him. So if you don't want to be afraid, keep the laws and you will get along well.
     4 The policeman is sent by God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for he will have you punished. He is sent by God for that very purpose.
     5 Obey the laws, then, for two reasons: first, to keep from being punished, and second, just because you know you should.
     6 Pay your taxes too, for these same two reasons. For government workers need to be paid so that they can keep on doing God's work, serving you.
     7 Pay everyone whatever he ought to have: pay your taxes and import duties gladly, obey those over you, and give honor and respect to all those to whom it is due.


GOOD NEWS
     Everyone must obey the state authorities, because no authority exists without God's permission, and the existing authorities have been put there by God.
     2 Whoever opposes the existing authority opposes what God has ordered: and anyone who does so will bring judgement on himself.
     3 For rulers are not to be feared by those who do good but by those who do evil. Would you like to be unafraid of the man in authority? Then do what is good, and he will praise you.
     4 For he is God's servant working for your own good. But if you do evil, be afraid of him, because his power to punish is real. He is God's servant and carries out God's wrath on those who do evil.
     5 For this reason you must obey the authorities -- not just because of God's wrath, but also as a matter of conscience.
     6 This is also the reason that you pay taxes, because the authorities are working for God when they fulfil their duties.
     7 Pay, then, what you owe them: pay them your personal and property taxes, and show respect and honor for them.


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You said that in a State incorporated church, the board of elders and the Pastor are acting in behalf of the State and that the attorney general for the State is the true head of the church. Because the State attorney general has many times acted at odds with the evangelical churches, I find it improbable that the office has any direct power over church pulpits. Do you have any documentation to support this?
     As far as church incorporation, it is a basic principle of law that what one creates, one controls. Any church that is incorporated, gets its life from the State and must obey the State or lose its corporate status. "Corporate" means shaped into a body. State incorporated churches are part of the body of the State. We are to be the body of Christ and receive our life from Jesus Christ, not the State.
     In the State of Oregon, the Attorney General has the final authority over a corporation. ORS 61.065, Section 3 states:
He may ". . . enjoin the corporation from performing unauthorized acts."
     What kind of unauthorized acts? In Medford, Oregon, a church ran into trouble for not getting a permit to park their church buses. Another church did not get a new educational ministry approved by the State and was forced to close it. Another church tried to expand its buildings without a building permit and was stopped. The attorney general has the power to shut down an incorporated church for any breach of State statutes.
     When a church incorporates under the State, the church comes under the jurisdiction of the State and therefore surrenders its headship to the State. The church's chief officers become official representatives of the State by virtue of their corporate charter.
     Those who incorporate transform their churches into fictitious entities created by the State and ruled by State laws. Such institutions are State churches and they can prove it.

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