Azazel in Alphabetics; Personal Resonance

Samuel [Luke],

I want to thank you for sending me "Azazel One Mighty and Strong."

I finished reading it this morning with great interest.

First, I would like to ask permission to post the entire booklet at GreaterThings.com Could you send me the electronic text?

Second, I have a few general and personal affirmations of your premise.

Azazel as a word itself is very interesting.

A and Z in the English alphabet are the equivalent of alpha and omega (first and last letters) of the Greek alphabet. "El" is the word for God in Hebrew.

Azazel is word 5799 in the OT lexicon. The word immediately before it is "Uzza," which is the name of the man who set forth his hand to steady the ark, mentioned in D&C 85. This juxtapositioning of these two words is a strong affirmation of your premise according to the hundreds of similar arrangements that I have observed in studying "alphabetic" http://www.greaterthings.com/Word-Number/

Gesenius (OT lexicon) provides the following comment regarding the meaning of the word Azazel:

"I have no doubt that it should be rendered 'averter'. "

I love that meaning because it conveys the idea of turning away the destructions that are prophesied to come. Yet, ironically, those who stand as averters are not popular with the people. Their message is not welcome, and their personal lives stand in stark contradiction to the normal way people go about doing things. In the so-called 'mystic symbol' figure ( I H / ) I have at the top of each page at GreaterThings.com, it is the last mark that is slanted to the right -- the marred servant. Hence the tendency of scholars to see meanings of "evil demon" associated with the name "Azazel." In the words of Isaiah, "and when se shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him."

He is not a charismatic figure that wows the masses. But rather is a humble servant who goes largely unnoticed by the world until his and his associates' work is complete.

You mentioned that Oct. 7 1988 was a very significant turning point, and that several individuals have noted this date to mark a major shift in their personal lives.

You can add me to the list.

That year and that day in particular, marked for me the turning from pursuing a normal path in life to one of serving the Lord in the foreordained ministry to which I was called before the foundations of this earth.

I was given and experience at that time that to this day is one of the most significant of my life thus far.

I had been in graduate school at BYU and took time out to begin writing the book "The Vision of All: Our Past, Present, and Future as Foretold in Book of Mormon History." Around the time of General Conference in 1988, my work on that project reached a crossroad. I was being told that to write such a book was outside of my right, and that I did not have the authority to produce such a work, and that only the prophet or one of the brethren could write a book like this.

What happened was that four verses from Alma 4:43-46 parallel four consecutive days of my life, on the day I memorized them (I was memorizing Alma 5 one verse at a time, one verse each day). I give a little more detail on this experience at:
http://www.greaterthings.com/Books/Vision/Opening/Prologue2nd.htm

The upshot of that experience was the Lord reassuring me that I was called to this work, and that I was bearing record of that which the Lord had spoken to our fathers (the Lehites).

Six months later, I realized that Alma 5:43-46 parallels Helaman 7:29 and 8:3 which section of the Book of Mormon is where I compare Helaman to the Davidic Servant.
http://www.greaterthings.com/Parallels/BofM/Zip/Alma5-Hel7-PAR.zip

According to the calendar, Oct. 7 was on a Friday. If I remember correctly, my four-day experience began on Saturday and concluded Tuesday.

Word 1988 in the NT lexicon means: "One set over, master. In the NT, addressed in the vocative to Jesus, 'Master,' as having the authority of a teacher or rabbi among His disciples." I find relevance in this definition because (1) I had been a "masters" student in 1988, and (2) I left that to write a book, for which my "authority" was called into question by man, but affirmed by God.

I received my Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from BYU in 1987. Word 1987 in the Greek NT includes the derivative "scientist."
See http://www.greaterthings.com/Word-Number/1963-1999Years.htm

In Nov. 2003 I will turn 40.

My ministry work began in 1988 at the age of 25 with the writing of the Vision of All, which 'commission' was affirmed during the time of Oct. Gen. Conf 1988.

So yes, I find resonance with your thesis.

I do believe, though, that while there may be one individual who epitomizes the position, the calling of one mighty and strong will be accomplished by many individuals working in harmony. One, mighty, and strong.

Sterling D. Allan