While the idea of literal ancestry was strongly held in the 19th and early 20th century, my sense is that that view is receding, because it just plain doesnt make a lot of sense. So here we go: First, a little biblical history. unto my servant Joseph, in the room of my servant Hyrum, that my servant Hyrum Land ( Genesis 17:8) The Lord also gave Abraham a duty/blessing that his family would carry the gospel to the whole earth. My most famous Mormon ancestor was Thomas Grover, who was my great, great, great grandfather (on my mothers side). Patriarchal blessings may contain promises, admonitions, and warnings. Most of these blessings have to do with Christ, but Judah is promised that they will always have a king, until the Savior (Shiloh) comes. majority of cases, Latter-day Saints are of the tribe of Ephraim, the that, almost without exception, you are the descendants of Ephraim." In the greater number of blessings given by our patriarchs similar expressions will be found to these: By moved to give admonitions, promises, and assurances. While Davids royal line can be viewed as an analog to Aarons high priest line, we have no indication of a general responsibility for others in Judah towards governance in the same way that others in Levi held priestly responsibilities generally. Ephraim (it was explained) is viewed as the missionary arm, the ones to restore the gospel. I have asked for permission to get a new blessing, telling the reason why, and have been denied. (The entire population was not taken captive, and some escaped to the south as refugees, such as, presumably, Lehis ancestors.) And a reader recently asked us if we could do a post on what patriarchal blessing lineage assignments are supposed to mean. What are the responsibilities and blessings of the Tribe of Manasseh? Knowing these two facts gave me an added sense that I was literally serving my brothers. the following question: Is it possible for all the members of a family, people,". A Non-Nuanced Reading of Lazarus and the RichMan, 2023 May By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog - By Common Consent, 'Come, Follow Me' changes coming in 2024 - LDS Living, FFRF opposes major public school participation in upcoming - Freedom From Religion Foundation, $2.3B awarded in sex abuse lawsuit that named Mormon church - The Associated Press, With growth in Caldwell, ID another LDS stake forms - boisedev.com, Bing has a testimony of the Book of Mormon! If you have received a patriarchal blessing, you may request a copy of it online. Quite honestly, they were probably just absorbed into Assyrian society (and not allowed to maintain a continuing identity and relationships as were the Jews in the later Babylonian captivity). The Brigham Young said that Joseph was a pure Ephraimite, but Ugo Perego through investigation of Josephs DNA discovered that he was old irish and a descendant of Niall of the 9. Photos of Sandra's Patriarchal Blessing This has bothered me for over thirty years. Ill try raising this point next time I need to wreak havoc in HP group. you shall be associated with apostles and prophets, and sit in council with Thus the blessings "of Abraham, Isaac and The lineage thing did not bother me so much. evangelists travel to spread the gospel. Church members are counted as a descendant of Abraham and an heir to all the promises and blessings contained in the Abrahamic covenant (see Abrahamic Covenant). Being assigned to a lineage is symbolic of being made a part of the family of Israel, which is the family of Christ. All our blessings were *exactly* the same word for word. Aug 2, 2015 | AAAA AskGramps Website, Scriptures | 0 comments. . But there was never a blessing which didn't have a corresponding duty or responsibility. 1:4)? A lady in Utah was promised in her 1979 blessing: Now you are a very choice daughter of Heavenly Father, Id rather have her blessing (!) Lets start with the basics. Who knows? Patriarchal blessings are sacred and personal. It makes perfect sense for Slytherin to have only one heir, in spite of having plenty of descendents. Theyre all sons of Abraham / Jacob. He is made the chief of the tribes, and the mightiest. Every worthy, baptized member is entitled to and should receive a patriarchal blessing, which provides inspired direction from the Lord. I mean, thats a pretty convenient view for sure given that nearly everyone has been assigned to Ephraim. Joseph brought his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to Jacob for their blessings. Am I Less Worthy Not Being From the Tribe of Ephraim? Perhaps there is a reason that specific other tribe names are occasionally declared, maybe assigned to a specific role in the kingdom in this life, but I think being declared of Joseph Ephraim and Manasseh is a way of generically representing the 10 tribes, and perhaps separating Manasseh out is also significant as the BofM has many prophesies related to the descendants of the Nephites/Lamanites (which similarly to most of the world becoming the seed of Abraham, it seems as if generally almost all those converted with primary ancestry native to the Americas belong to this group). No blessings have been alike that weve come across in the stake. and its offices, and knowing nothing of patriarch blessings as a necessary | What'sNew | TopicalIndex likewise the blood of others of the twelve tribes of Israel, and that none of Photo of Walter Young's Patriarchal Blessing He mentioned (if I remember correctly) that assigning tribes outside of Ephraim was discouraged as modern members could be adopted into Ephraim and should be used with high discretion. the coming of the Lord, and see peace established in the earth. Whether this lineage is of blood or adoption it does not matter" 11: 1). official office of Patriarch to declare ones lineage and future. To be more accurate according to population genetics: every single one of us is a mixture of all of the tribes of Israel, assuming that each of the Patriarchs has any living descendants today. SURVEY RESULTS: See How Meridian Readers Responded to the Tribe