360 -- Book of Mormon Evidences Abound in Bible-Alphabetics Code

Skip sequence for 'sefer (Book) MORMON' in Bible Code is 360. Words and pages 360 in Bible-based sources provide affirmative commentary on the Book of Mormon.

Page Contents:
Introduction | Write-up on 360 by Sterling | Catalyzing Post by Dean | Feedback | See also | Bibliography

Click here to jump directly to write-up.

The following observations by Sterling regarding '360 evidences' came in response to a letter by Dean Mansfield [below] proposing that the Book of Mormon might be an inspired fabrication.

If this is your first exposure to "Alphabetics" you might want to glance at an introductory document or read a quick teaser.

If you've not been exposed to the equidistant- letter- sequence (ELS) Bible Code, you can read an overview by clicking here.

From: "Sterling D. Allan" <sterlingda@greaterthings.com>
To: [Several lists and individuals]
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2001 8:45 PM
Subject: 360 -- Many Evidences for the Book of Mormon

[click here for archive of original post (the document below will be edited and added upon)]

Fiction Contradiction

Shalom Dean,

The problem with your argument that you want to be open to the possibility that the Book of Mormon was a work of inspired fiction, is that it was not presented that way. Joseph presented it to the world as an authentic record of an ancient people, delivered to him by the angel Moroni, who placed the record in the ground, and that he translated it by the gift and power of God.

Saying now that the book could be a work of fiction, even 'good' fiction, is like saying Moses made up the part about the burning bush to add color to the story. It so thoroughly contradicts the entire foundation as to throw the whole thing in the trash heap.

So Many Witnesses

In addition to witnesses of the Spirit too numerous to count, my Bible Code and Alphabetics studies on the Book of Mormon have only confirmed its veracity.  Also, I happen to be friends with several individuals who are finding things of archeological significance to support the Book of Mormon. e.g.  www.ancientamerican.com  I also have friends who claim to have received angelic visitation from Book of Mormon personages. I myself have felt their presence strongly at times in my life. The beauty and majesty of the chiasms and parallels I have found in the text likewise verify their divine origin.  Furthermore, the teachings contained in the book are the most profound evidence of their authenticity. They are not the work of man alone but evidence the hand of God. Then there are the many Biblical prophecies that portend the branch of Israel separated from its brothers which serves in the latter days to restore the entire household from perishing with famine.

'Sefer (Book) MORMON' Skip Sequence of 360

After reading your post, I pulled out my New Testament lexicon to look up word number 360, because that is the skip sequence I found when looking up "Book Mormon" {"sefer (book) MORMON"} using my Bible Code software.

Word 360 in NT Lexicon

Here is the definition for word number 360 in Zodhiates' New Testament Lexicon:

360 ANALUO (from ANA (303), back again or denoting separation, and LUO (3089), to loose.) The ancient Greeks used the word to indicate loosing the anchor of a ship in order to sail from a port. In the NT, to return (Luke 13;36); to depart by loosing anchor, as it were, and setting sail to a better and more blessed world. . .

Zodhiates lists the following antonym meanings for word 360: "To stay; to remain; to wait or stay in a place; to hinder."

I would say this is pretty good code confirmation. The whole Book of Mormon story line embarks with Lehi's launch from Jerusalem to come to the New World of the Americas as a branch of the house of Israel separated from its brothers.

Number 360 -- Full Circle

The number 360 itself is very interesting, denoting a full circle, or completeness. It follows 359, which is the number of days in the year on which Christmas day occurs.

Page 360 of Gesenius' OT Lexicon

On the first column of page 360 of Gesenius' Old Testament lexicon is the definition (3318) that means

"To go out, to go forth; to lead out, e.g. the people from Egypt; to promulgate doctrine, Isa. 42:1 'he shall promulgate a law to the Gentiles'."

That is a nearly identical meaning in our context to word 360 in the NT lexicon.

The next word (3319) on page 360 means "to bring something to an end, to finish" -- the idea of full circle.

The next word means "to set, to take a stand," which resembles word definition 531 (the number of pages in the Book of Mormon) in the NT lexicon, "Unchangeable."  [See write-up on 531 Book of Mormon.]

Word 531 in the OT lexicon means "strong," another cardinal attribute of God and those who place their trust in him. Word 360 in the OT lexicon means "fortitude, strength." Again, a nearly identical meaning.

The next word definition on page 360 of Gesenius' OT lexicon means "to speak that which is true, certain." (3321) In our context, that certainly presents a strong endorsement of the words of truth contained in the SEFER MORMON of skip sequence 360.

The next word (3322), like a previous word on page 360, also means "to make a stand, to place, to set, to establish."

The final word (3327) on the page is the proper name, Isaac. In our context this brings to mind the idea of the covenant people of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of which the Book of Mormon peoples sprang.

As a tangent note, the word listed before this one means "oil" (3323). What comes to mind is the oil wealth of the Arab countries who descend from Isaac's brother, Ishmael. But in our context this also has application, especially in archeological/geographical terms. Remember my point to you earlier about how people have been looking for Book of Mormon archeology in the wrong places, such as Central America, when they should be looking in North America. I personally believe that some of the key history took place right here in Utah where the current population centers of Mormons are found today. And speaking of oil, there is a huge reservoir underneath nearly the entire girth of the state, untapped, preserved for a time when we will need it.

The words on and surrounding page 360 of Zodhiates' New Testament lexicon are particularly interesting. Smack dab in the middle of the page is the lone definition occupying most of the page: "hell." It is word 1067, GEENNA. The word before it begins on the very bottom of the previous page, and is the proper name Gedeon, which means "a hewer." Combined, these two definitions on page 360 convey the meaning of "a hewer of hell." Consistent with this, the definition following GEENNA is GETHSEMANE (1068).

The word prior to 1066, GEDEON, is 1065, GE, which is a particle that conveys the meaning of "greater." I think of "greater things." The Book of Mormon represents a greater revelation designed to prove, expound, and bring greater completion to the Bible.

Another application I would like to make here is in the explanation Zodhiates gives under the entry for GEDEON, or Gideon, as we spell it. He makes reference to the miracle in which Gideon selects a mere 300 men from an army of 32,000 and with these men miraculously defeats the occupying enemy and delivers the children of Israel from bondage. In my book The Vision of All, I compare this event to the 300 Laminates in prison who beheld the shekinah glory of God, were filled with the Holy Ghost, and how through their conversion many thousands were converted and delivered from the bondage of sin. This event in the Book of Mormon is among the most remarkable instances of a group baptism by fire, and is made reference to by the Resurrected Savior when he spoke of the need for all to receive the baptism of fire and of the Spirit, "like the Lamanites" "who knew it not" (III Nephi 9:20) -- namely they didn't know WHAT was happening to them, but the definitely knew SOMETHING had happened, and were never the same after that, but were steadfast and immovable in keeping the ways of the Lord.

This doctrine is central in the Book of Mormon, and is listed as one of the primary intents for which the book was written. (See Mormon 7:9,10.) So this mention of Gideon and its metaphorical comparison to the baptism of fire of the 300 Lamanites in prison is very fitting, as this is the foundation upon which we are to build, the rock of Christ who administers this mighty change of heart -- the way we become "set" or "established" so that the gates of hell will not prevail against us -- the gate by which we enter."

Page 360 of Webster's '71 Dictionary

Speaking of 'gate,' that is one of the definitions on page 360 of my Webster's '71 dictionary. Right next to 'gather.'

Page 360 of Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

And as a fitting synonym match to "gather," on page 360 of Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible are the headings, "followed, follower, followeth, following." Wherefore, what manner of men ought we to be? even as Christ, our Savior and Exemplar. Another word on the page is "food," calling to mind the 'bread of life.'

Also on that page, as well as on the facing page, 361, are the antonym words, "folly" and "foolish." This ties in tightly as well, both through the name "Mormon," which has become the nickname of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who adhere to the Book of Mormon in addition to the Bible, as well as through the number 801, which is the telephone area code of Wasatch Front Utah which is the headquarters of the modern Mormon world.

The words alphabetically surrounding the transliteration of MORMON in Greek mean "foolish, as salt that has lost its savor" (3471-3474). Word 801 in the NT lexicon means "foolish." See extensive write-up on this, "Mormons and Area Code 801 -- Salt Losing Savor?"

In general, these Wasatch Front Mormons have such a rich treasure in the Book of Mormon, but are failing to live up to the destiny which is theirs given the greater light and knowledge that has been imparted to them. For one, instead of following the Lord, the clarion call has become, 'follow the prophet,' which man is given to the people by the Lord because they refuse to go directly to the Lord -- even as the children of Israel insisted on having a king. They call him a prophet, but he doesn't prophesy nor does he warn of the impending calamities that we face. They are fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah 28 that talks about the drunkards of Ephraim in the head of the fat valleys, overcome of wine (the metaphorical stupor that is synonymous with spiritual foolishness). Isaiah says point blank that even the "priest and the prophet err in vision and stumble in judgment."

There would not be prophecies such as in Daniel 7, Revelation 13, D&C 103, III Nephi 16, 20, 21 of the Lord's people being trodden down, and of the Beast or Devil making war with the saints and prevailing against them, if the people of the Lord were truly founded on the rock of Jesus Christ. The promise of the doctrine of Christ is that the gates of hell will not prevail against those who are founded on the rock.

Page 360 of the LDS Topical Guide

On page 360 of the LDS Topical Guide are an interesting combination of headings.

"Patriotism" is one of the words, for example, which calls to mind the injunction that is laid upon the people of the Lord to stand for freedom, like the Founders of this nation, who shed their blood to redeem the land of its tyrannical hold. What does patriotism mean today to the average Mormon? It means falling in line with whatever government is in power -- even if that government is a Satanic exercise of unrighteous dominion -- a fact which is lost on them because of their stupor in following the prophet who says they are to fall in line to whatever government is in power.

"Peace" is another heading on the page, which has both gospel and government ramifications, both for light and for delusion. It is the cry of "peace, peace," or "all is well in Zion" that lulls the people of God to sleep, while Satan leads them carefully down to hell.

"Pay, Paid" is another heading, calling to mind several things, including the free salvation offered by Christ, which the Mormons erroneously think they have to work for (a doctrine not supported by their Book of Mormon, which speaks powerfully of the gift of the mighty change of heart through the baptism of fire, which is an event, not a process as the Mormons teach it to be). This idea is further emphasized in that another heading on the page is the name "Paul," whose teachings on the salvation of Christ are unsurpassed, except perhaps by a few passages in the Book of Mormon.

The heading "Pay, Paid" also has political ramifications, as it is through the literal buying and selling under the administration of the beast that the saints sell their souls to the devil. I've never heard the mark of the beast discussed in a mainstream Mormon setting. Never. But there is an amazing clause of redemption in this word "paid" as well, in that the latter-day messianic deliverance on a temporal scale that will be wrought will be undeserved and miraculous, just like the spiritual deliverance wrought by Jesus at the first coming of Messiah. "Ye have sold yourselves for naught, but ye shall be redeemed without money," has both spiritual and temporal overtones. "For shall the lawful captive be delivered?" Yes, "The prey of the terrible shall be delivered." But first there will be a broken heart and contrite spirit episode of three and one half years of hell.

Another heading of note on the page "Pattern." Herein is another great irony in that it has been the failure of the LDS people to see patterns of ancient disaster mirrored in themselves that has kept them from learning from the mistakes of the past. Because they see themselves as somehow set apart from error, they set themselves up for the ultimate error. They are, after all, the people of God, aren't they? Well, so were the Jews, and the Nephites. Just because they have the Book of Mormon, which is indeed an incredible book, and "the most correct book on the face of the earth," does not carry over to make them automatically "the most correct people" on the face of the earth, any more than a Christian's having the Bible ensures their salvation.

Holy Buckets

Dean, I think you need to think again (and a good dose of faith wouldn't hurt either) about the conclusions you are entertaining.

Still, I respect your honesty in wanting consider what you are finding with an open mind to various possibilities, even if it might go against things you have come to believe in the past. It is such openness that enables one to receive greater light and knowledge when it is given. We just have to be careful that such openness doesn't cause us to loose light we have been given.

A hole in a bucket is a great things so long as it is in the top.

Digging REAL Deep for Archeology

One final observation I would like to make is regarding what seems to be an astonishing difficulty to pin down Book of Mormon artifacts.

Bible artifacts are so plentiful that the historicity of the Bible is rarely called into question. Why didn't God design things so that Book of Mormon archeology could be equally easy to find and correlate with the recorded account?

Could it be that along with being a greater revelation, it also requires greater faith (and digging) on the part of its adherents? I would think that the answer to that question is resounding in the affirmative.

Keep up the quest, Dean. You have great talents that can be of tremendous help as we dig deep to uncover the evidences that God will provide to reward our faith.

Sincerely,

Sterling D. Allan
www.greaterthings.com

Chapter 360 in the Bible

The 360th chapter in the Bible is I Chronicles 22, which speaks of David preparing for and turning over the task of building the temple to his son Solomon.  As David ceded the building of the temple to Solomon, so does the Bible cede to the Book of Mormon a greater mission.  [See additional commentary and citation of I Chronicles 22.]  (2/15/01)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dean J Mansfield" <mansfielddj@hotmail.com>
To: <sterlingda@greaterthings.com>
Cc: <dabar@metalliving.com>
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2001 1:40 AM
Subject: For Adam & Roberta


Shalom Sterling (and Yatzi)!

I received the comments Sterling sent to my Yahoo address from Adam and Roberta. First of all, let me say that I am not trying to prove the Book of Mormon is not historical. On the contrary, I have been working under the thesis that it is historical and that I would eventually find confirmation of it in the Torah Code.

There is no exact way, as of yet, to read the Code. All one can do is observe "where" information shows up in terms of proximity and see if there is anything to tie it together with other related information that may also show up. The underlying assumption is, related information "clusters" together.

Anyway, I am trying to be objective in my search, though I would like it to be true that the BoM is a true history. I am aware, however, that some of the greatest LDS scholars and researchers, who also wanted to prove the BoM is true history, came up with negative results. To answer Roberta's main question, who are these "intellectuals," well, probably most of those who read and make contributions to DIALOGUE would be of this persuasion. But two of the most prominent would be the great LDS historian, B.H. Roberts (1857-1933) and the LDS archaeologist, Thomas Stuart Ferguson. (Ferguson, I believe, has also passed away).

All his life, Roberts was involved in trying to prove the Book of Mormon as true. (I believe he was the official Church Historian for awhile as well as a General Authority.) There was a book published in 1992, STUDIES OF THE BOOK OF MORMON. This is Robert's private study of the Book of Mormon, in which he examined historical sources available to Joseph Smith from which Smith could have written the Book of Mormon. He came to the conclusion that Joseph Smith had the talent and means to write the book on his own without divine assistance. (I'm sure the book is available at Amazon. It was published by Signature Books, ISBN 1-56085-027-2.) Thomas Ferguson spent a great part of his life doing archaeological research in Central America. At first he was confident that many of the artifacts discovered in ancient America were related to Nephite civilization. He wrote several books on the subject, which the LDS still use today. He was, I believe, given a large grant by the LDS church to do this research and to establish an archaeological society devoted to this. In the end, however, he came to the same conclusion as Roberts, that the book was the creation of Joseph Smith drawing on other sources. Ferguson's odyssey is described in Stan Larson's QUEST FOR THE GOLD PLATES, THOMAS STUART FERGUSON'S ARCHAEOLOGICAL SEARCH FOR THE BOOK OF MORMON. (Also published by Signature: ISBN 0-9634732-6-3).

I had read Robert's STUDIES OF THE BOOK OF MORMON when it first came out. I had also been aware of a renewed interest in the Spalding theory. The latest information on that can be found at Ted Chandler's <http://www.mormonstudies.com> in which a computer analysis of Spalding's style and the Book of Mormon style of writing is very impressive. There are so many similar expressions and words used peculiar only to Spalding and the BoM, etc.

The two artifacts that I found using the Bible Code cannot be identified as Nephite. I found these by taking the Gematria for "Sareed ha-Nephim" (relic of the Nephites) which equals only one expression in the Torah: "Va-Khapartah" (and thou shalt dig). The Gematria is 699. I've previously explained this. If I were to guess what I had found using the Code, I would say they were 19th century relics, not more than a hundred or so years. So, not being able to identify nor date these relics, the implication would be "Relic of the Nephites" = "a 19th Century artifact."

Now I find a place in Ezekiel (first 4 chapters) in which Solomon Spalding's name is concealed in the manner I indicated my recent e-mail. It could be that it is an encryption about the Spalding theory of the Book of Mormon. But my first impression is that it is saying Joseph wrote the BoM using a work by Spalding. This is based on the way the words show up in proximity and relative to a specified matrix (185).

The use of transliterated English as well as Hebrew in the Torah Code is quite natural. It has existed from the beginning of the discovery of the Code. Since this is an English-speaking subject, it is not surprising the words would be in a form of transliterated English. As to the idea of the BoM being a parable, true, most parables are short, but a parable is more than an anecdote. It is an illustrative story answering a question or pointing to a moral lesson. Implicitly it parallels the situation which calls forth the parable for illustration. The BoM does exactly that: It is a story that parallels our time and illustrates a moral and answers a question. It answers the question concerning the divinity of Christ and points to the moral that if the people of the land do not worship the God of the land, i.e., Christ, we will suffer as the Nephite allegory implies, with divine wrath.

In English literature, the closest thing might be PILGRIM'S PROGRESS by Bunyan. It is a type of parable or allegory that begins very similarly to the Book of Mormon. Christian is warned to flee the City of Destruction. Two companions wish to follow along, Pliable and Obstinate, who later go back when they come to the Sough of Despond, etc. There are also quite a number of early Christian works as well as Anglo-Saxon religious works that imitate the scriptures for the purpose of illustrating a moral and answering a question. In fact, the morality plays of the Middle Ages are of this type.

So I am trying to prepare my mind for the possibility that the Book of Mormon may be an extended parable or prosaic morality play in a Bible-like style that was created to fill a cultural void. The void was the lack of a history for the new world. I am beginning to think it possible that religions are just different cultural ways of worshipping God. The underlying moral beliefs and the belief in a Supreme Being and Afterlife are common to most faiths throughout the world.

It is flattering to think one is of the chosen people or of the chosen land. This can also motivate people to strive harder to live up to greater expectations due to their advantages. But in truth, one eventually realizes God is no respecter of persons and the "chosen people" concept is a fading myth, a phase in our collective religious evolution.

The reason I exist, as the human I am, has to do with the Book of Mormon. Both my parents are Mormon. They met during an outing sponsored by the Book of Mormon Club in Sacramento in the late 1940s. So, the coming together of my parents was due to the Book of Mormon. The first book I ever read was a child's 4-volume set of the Book of Mormon story. The first time, as a child, I got up in front of a large crowd of people was to tell the Joseph Smith story in Sunday School--a 2&1/2 minute talk. My great-grandfather Mansfield left England and walked across the plains to Plymouth Utah because of the Book of Mormon. So, whether it is true history or not, it has had an impact on my existence and has greatly influenced my life.

Eventually the truth will be known. The fact that the BoM may be an allegory or parable, a type of morality play rather than true history, should be faced. By now, some kind of real evidence, such as we find in Bible lands, should have been found that ties in with the Nephites. Not one piece of evidence can be directly linked to anything in the book, nor can one single geographic location be found that corresponds with the book. Not only this, but Joseph Smith's claim to translate the Book of Abraham from Egyptian funery scrolls just does not compute. Now, my efforts to prove it from the Bible Code are coming up with another NIL. Boo hoo! It is not a complete NIL, however, because the Code also suggests to me that it is true as a parable or allegory, and that Mormonism is also A TRUE religion. It just is not THE TRUE religion. (The Catholic faith also gets high marks in the Code, especially the Latin Mass as a form of worship. It shows up in Malachi, for instance, near "offering in righteous- ness" and "My name shall be great among the Gentiles.")

I have spun all kinds of theories to try to account for the discrepancies relating to the Book of Mormon. I have come up with theories of geography and done archaeological research as well as reading the book and studying ancient history and Hebrew. As to the promise that the Holy Ghost would make known the truth, well, I'm sure that the good one gets from it is true, and thus the prayer is answered in that sense. But, is it historical?

I have even tried to reconstruct a Nephite Calendar based on dates in the book and have tried to make Jesus fit into a scheme showing that he was born 2 AD so that Lehi could have left Jerusalem 600 years before Christ and in the year 598 BC so that it could be during the reign of Zedekiah. But the more I have looked into this issue, the more it appears that Jesus was born 4 BC, which would have required Lehi to have left Jerusalem 6 years before Zedekiah even came to the throne. There are so many discrepancies, I am fairly "burned out" in trying to make every- thing fit together. And now the Bible Code lets me down as well. That is to say, it is not giving me the results I would have wished for. The truth may go against our vested interests. We have to learn to accept it wherever we find it, whether it agrees with our beliefs or not. That is why I ask the question, how would one deal with it, if one found out the Book of Mormon was true as a parable or allegory, but not true as history? Perhaps before one could accept the truth, one has to know how to deal with it? Dean.

See also

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This page created on February 23, 2001
Last updated on August 07, 2003
  visits since Aug. 7, 2003