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144th page Dreams and Tools to Remember the Future

These discussions commemorate the passing of Professor Stephen William Hawking, age 76, on ‘pi day’ 2018, late of Cambridge, England. They are extracts of a letter sent in 2003 to the Professor reviewing portions of his book, A Brief History of Time.

John Choate of Connecticut

January, 2003

Stephen Hawking, Professor

c/o Centre for Mathematical Sciences

University of Cambridge

Wilberforce Road

Cambridge CB30WA England

<s.w.hawking@damtp.cam.ac.uk

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A Brief History of Time, 1988 Bantam Books, Dell

Professor Hawking,

You observe (p. 144) we can distinguish the differences between past and future, and ask why do we remember the past but not the future? Apparently God(s) can “remember” the future, enough to put the future into the brain of men, so as to communicate the future. And if the recipient is prominent enough, you can get a page in the Old (or New) Testament. One famous example is when the Pharaoh of Egypt, circa 1715 B.C., had his dreams about fat and thin corn and fat and thin cattle, which was a prophecy of seven plentiful years of harvest, to be followed by seven years of famine. See Genesis chapter 41. The story of Pharaoh’s dreams follow those of a butler and a baker, foretelling a death and a restoration. See Genesis chapter 40. These story follow those of stars and harvest, foretelling power and glory. See Genesis chapter 37. It was not enough to know the future, the future had to communicated in a manner, such as a dream, by which the receiver could act on it. In Joseph’s dream of stars and harvest, his action was to tell his parents and brothers. In the dreams of the butler and baker, their action was to tell Joseph, and then to fulfill their roles in the play, to be hung and to be favored. In the dream of the Pharaoh, Pharaoh’s action was to appoint Joseph to be his “discreet and wise” man. See Genesis chapter 41.

A dream prophetic of success in war was given to confirm Gideon’s battle against the Midianites, circa 14th century B.C. See Judges chapter 7:13. A dream of warning and commandment was given to Joseph that his betrothed Mary was bearing the child Jesus. See Matthew chapter 1:20, circa 1 B.C. A dream of warning to wise men to avoid Herod and to take their leave another way.

See Matthew chapter 2:12, circa 2 A.D. A dream of warning to Pilate’s wife to advise her husband to avoid Jesus. See Matthew chapter 27:19, circa 33 A.D.

There are other dreams of prophesy, recorded in scripture. One difficulty is that, if the prophesy is for a period so long distant, such as beyond the life of the dreamer, or centuries or millennia later, the impact of immediate significance is so delayed as to be all but forgotten. Thus the ones identified above are those being fulfilled within days (Gideon’s battle, and the butler and baker), or months (Mary’s pregnancy), or years (the harvest and famine of Egypt and the rise of a new adviser to Pharaoh).

 

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144th TOOLS TO REMEMBER THE FUTURE

       As we have writings, books, graphics, and, in modern times, audio and video recordings to facilitate our effort to “remember” the past. Another means for “remembering” the future, as recorded, was the Urim and Thummim, mentioned at the time of Moses and the Exodus, circa 1490 B.C. [1]

This Urim and Thummim are the Hebrew characters represented in the Yale University crest[2]. What we now have remaining of the Books of Moses do not describe the Urim and Thummim use. But later references, such as when Saul inquired of the Lord, but received no answer, neither by dreams nor by Urim, indicate it was a information source. See 1 Samuel chapter 28:7. The Urim and Thummim were unknown at least by the end of the Babylonian Captivity, circa 520 B.C., because Ezra notes that some families, claiming Priestly class ancestry, could not show their registration in the Priest genealogy, and were prevented from such Priesthood, until “there stood up a priest with Urim and Thummim.” See Ezra chapter 3:62-63. So the Urim and Thummim was able to reveal the family tree.

Interestingly, the Urim and Thummim use are described, circa 121 B.C.: “Now Ammon said unto [King Limhi]: I can assuredly tell thee, O King, of a man that can translate the records; for he has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called a seer. And behold, the king of the people who are in the land of Zarahemla is the man that is commanded to do these things, and who has this high gift from God. And the king said that a seer is greater than a prophet. And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a many may have great power given him from God. But a seer can know of things which are PAST, and also of things which ARE TO COME, and by them shall all things be revealed, or rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known. Thus God has provided a means that, man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.” (Mosiah chapter 8: 13-18.).   Thus we learn the Urim and Thummim could translate written language otherwise unknown to the Seer. This is decryption. It also allowed the seer to know the PAST and FUTURE. “And now [king Mosiah] translated them by means of these two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow.” (Mosiah chapter 28:13). Probably, this set of the Urim and Thummim were those discovered by Joseph Smith, circa 1824. Joseph wrote, circa 1838, “Also, that there were two stones in silver bows – and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim – deposited with, and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book. . . owing to the distinctness of the vision which I had had concerning it, I knew the place the instant that I arrived there. . . Having removed the earth, I obtained a lever, which I got fixed under the edge of the stone, and with  little exertion raised it up. I looked in, and there indeed did I behold the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate, asstated by the messenger. . . At length the time arrived for obtaining the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate. On the twenty-second day of September, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven, having gone as usual at the end of another year to the place where they were deposited, the same heavenly messenger delivered them up to me with this charge: That I should be responsible for them; that if I should let them go carelessly, or through any neglect of mine, I should be cut off; but that if I would use all my endeavors to preserve them, until he, the messenger, should call for them, they should be protected.” (See Joseph Smith chapter 2:35, 49, 52, 59).

A set of the Urim and Thummim were possessed by Abraham, circa 1960 B.C. as he recorded. “And I, Abraham, had the Urim and Thummim, which the Lord, my God had given unto me, in Ur of the Chaldees. And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it;.” (See Abraham chapter 3:1-2).

As quoted earlier, we learned in the Doctrine and Covenants: 130:4-7, Is not the reckoning of God’s time, angel’s time, prophet’s time, and man’s time, according to the planet on which they reside? I answer, Yes. But there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it. The angels do not reside on a planet like this earth; “But they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE, and are continually before the Lord.

8: The place where God resides is a great Urim and Thummim. This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s.”

Further examples of seeing the future would be cumulative.  Suffice it to say, the ability to “remember” the future is considered to be an attribute of God, which has been shared withman on occasion, either by dream or Urim and Thummim.

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Professor Hawking’s mother was Scottish. His grandfather was James Walker born Glasgow and son of Archibald Walker Jr. and Janet Audrey Margaret Morris. Archibald was the son of Archibald Walker Sr. and Isobel McIntyre Ewing. Janet was the daughter of William John Morris and Margaret McGregor.  Hawking’s mother’s mother was Elisabeth Agnes “Nancy” Stevenson Law, born Glasgow, and daughter of Andrew Law and Agnes Stevenson. Agnes was the daughter of Robert Stevenson who was married 6 August 1852 in Melrose, Roxburgh, Scotland to Isabella Hyslop.

Stephen William Hawking, born 8 January, 1942 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, U.K. Deceased: 14 March, 2018 ‘pi day, 3.14,’ in Cambridge, England, U.K.

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[1] See Exodus chapter 29:30, Leviticus 8:8, Numbers chapter 27:21, Deuteronomy 33:8.

[2] http://archives.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/01_03/seal.html

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