A few months ago I was introduced to a document that has the potential to bring millions of people flocking to the Church. On the surface this document may seem a bit unusual or unfamiliar, but once you understand the details you can see the truth and importance of this document. The document to which I am referring is a book named the “Ang Aklatan.” Some of you may have heard about this book. You can visit the website here: angaklatan.wordpress.com
To summarize, the Ang Aklatan is a translated ancient record of God’s works in the Philippines. It was translated in vision from April to November of 1987. The Ang Aklatan was first published in 2007. The term Ang Aklatan translates from Tagalog as “The Library.” The man who translated the Ang Aklatan goes by the name Elisha Enoc. He is a Filipino man who was raised in America.
The first thing that should stand out to members of the Church is the relevance this book has for us. It is so relevant that we should have been expecting a book like this for a long time.
Let’s look at a prophecy in the Book of Mormon:
2 Nephi 29:11
11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.
12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it. It is clear that the Lord commanded the people of the islands of the sea to write His words. The Philippines is a island group of over seven thousand islands. If any country fits the description Islands of the Sea it is the Philippines. We know then, that it is not a matter of if a record will come from the Philippines, but when.
Anyone who has seriously read the Book of Mormon should have been expecting a book like this for a long time. This is very important for us because this is yet another piece of evidence that confirms the Book of Mormon is the Word of God and that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet. The greatest piece of evidence a person can have is a witness from the Holy Ghost. What better confirmation for millions who have received, and will receive, such a witness than to see its prophecies coming to pass.
The second thing that should stand out is the way that the Ang Aklatan came forth. A close examination of this process reveals more convincing information. In June 1986 Elisha Enoc had a vision of a stack of copper plates.
Acts 2:17 17
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
He later tried to find the cave where the plates were hidden. He found the cave but wasn’t able to get inside. On his way traveling back home he met an American man who was named Oleeha.
This person is very important to determining the truthfulness of this record. In 1829 Oliver Cowdery tried to translate the Book of Mormon but was unable to. However the Lord promised him, in what would become Section 9 of the Doctrine and Covenants, that he would help to translate other records.
D&C 9:2
2 And then, behold, other records have I, that I will give unto you power that you may assist to translate.
This may seem to many anti-mormons to be a false prophecy because Oliver never helped in any other translations. However the name Oleeha is a clue to seeing the fulfillment of this prophecy. Originally the Doctrine and Covenants used codenames to refer to members of the church.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_code_names_in_the_Doctrine_and_Covenants
Oliver Cowdery’s code name was Olihah. This man Oleeha appears in both the physical realm and the visionary realm in relation to Elisha Enoc. He was the one who helped Elisha to translate the copper plates. It is my conclusion that Oleeha is really the post mortal Olihah or Oliver Cowdery.
If this really is Oliver then we now can show that the Lord’s promise in section 9 was fulfilled. Oliver DID help in translating other ancient records. This is the Lord again confirming the truth of His work through the fulfillment of His prophecies.
There are other elements of the coming forth of the Ang Aklatan that should be of interest to Latter-day Saints. In Elisha Enoc’s account of a vision of Jesus Christ the Lord tells him many interesting things. One of them that may be obscure to some but should stand out to any member of the Church is this:
I asked him, “Why have you come to me?” He said, “I have come to call you to a special mission. For you shall be like unto Paul who was called as an apostle unto the gentiles. Wherefore he was not called to stand with my twelve Apostles but was called to stand in his own appointed place. So it shall be with you. Wherefore you shall preach and serve among my people among the isles of the sea, who have been prepared and preserved for a great and special purpose. Do not claim more authority than thou hast been given and beware of pride.”
Christ describes Paul’s status in ancient times. He was not one of the twelve, yet he was called to witness to a specific group of people, namely the Gentiles. Then the Lord says, “So it shall be with you.” Meaning that Elisha Enoc is not called to stand with the Twelve Apostles, but is called to minister to a select group of people, the “people among the isles of the sea.” Which twelve Apostles today could Elisha Enoc not be called to stand with? Why would the Lord say this, unless He was referring to the Living Twelve Apostles of the Church today?
Later in January of 1987 Elisha says he is preaching the bible in a place when three tall men approached him. These men baptized him and gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost. They also gave him the priesthood through the laying on of hands. It is interesting that this is clearly three people associated with the Church yet Elisha Enoc makes no mention of the Church. These three men could have been missionaries. I think that they were the three Nephites. The clue lies in that these three men could not tell him their names.
3 Nephi 28:25
25 Behold, I was about to write the names of those who were never to taste of death, but the Lord forbade; therefore I write them not, for they are hid from the world.
This is a hallmark of the Three Nephites. Their names cannot be known.
The rest of the coming forth involves Oleeha helping Elisha to translate the copper plates through dreams. The translation is complete on November 21, 1987. Elisha is commanded by Oleeha not to publish the translation for twenty years. During this time he was to “commence other works to help bring forth God’s purposes.”
These things may seem amazing by themselves but the truth is we haven’t even gotten started yet. The third area that should be of interest to members of the Church is the text of the Ang Aklatan itself.
Emphasis on temples. The first books of the Ang Aklatan have a HUGE emphasis on temples. The books go into detail on the construction of their temples. It even explains the ordinances they performed in their temples.
The Book of Ahkman, Chapter 13
“And there are seven in all and they were known unto us as Washing, and Adoption, and Sacrifices, and the Teaching, and Marriage, and Ordination, and Healing. For these things were commanded unto us by the Lord. For they were commanded in the writings we had received. I shall hereafter explain these rites.”
Understanding polygamy. One of the biggest questions for both Mormons and Non-mormons is “Why did the Lord command polygamy?” The Book of Ahkman also discusses a case where the Lord commanded polygamy. It even goes into a specific case of polygamy that was required to bring forth a chosen descendant of one man. It doesn’t answer all questions but it does give additional insight into polygamy.
Homosexuality. In the Book of Arakim There is the son of a prophet named Kodan. He is described as, “greatly confused for his desire was not unto women as with other men but his desire was unto men.” The Lord then teaches Kodan the purpose for his being this way. The Lrod explains what is an isn’t sin in regards to homosexuality.
Kodan is able to overcome temptations in his life and eventually serves as a prophet. This chapter alone may be reason why this book has come forth at this time. Many people have been waiting for the Lord to directly speak about homosexuality. This is it. This chapter will bring comfort for millions who seek to understand the Lord’s views on homosexuality.
Testify of Lehi. There is a Book of Strangers which has some interesting correlation to the Book of Mormon. This first chapter is this:
CHAPTER 1
I, whose name is Maunea, do write the history of my people. And I know not if it is true or false. But I know that these stories are important for my children. And my father had told unto me stories about our ancestors who did travel from a far land. And our ancestor whose name was Elhia was spoken unto by God and he did take is tribe out of their homeland. And they did travel many years until they came unto a great sea. And God did send down a boat from heaven which did carry the tribe across the great sea. And God did deliver these people unto a new land. And there were many tribes in the land and their tribe did spread in the land. Now because of these other tribes they did become mixed and their tribe was diluted. And there was a division among the tribe. Now I know not if these things are true for there are many things that seem to be impossible.
This seems to read as a corrupted oral tradition of the story of Lehi. Elhia could be Lehi. The boat sent down from heaven could be the inspired boat design built by Nephi. It also talks of the division of the tribes. This could be the separation of the Lamanites and Nephites.
The next chapter mention a righteous man and a king killed by flame. This could be Abinadi and King Noah. There are other correlations in Chapter three.
In Chapter three and four a “great father Hagat” leads some people. They build boats and travel away. This is clearly a corrupted reference to Hagoth. The rest of the book goes on to explain that these people eventually made it to the Philippines after many generations. This would explain how the stories could become corrupted into their form in this book.
Christ’s Visit. We know Christ visited the Ancient Americas, but we also know that Christ visited still other sheep.
3 Nephi 16
1 And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister.
The Lesser Gospel Written by Buka gives an account of Christ’s visit to the ancient people of the Philippines. He ministered and shared the same Gospel that his did in Jerusalem and Ancient America.
God of Nature Suffers. In 1st Nephi there is a prophecy that because of the destruction at the time of the death of Christ, the kings of the isles of the sea will proclaim that the God of nature suffers.
1 Nephi 19
12 And all these things must surely come, saith the prophet Zenos. And the rocks of the earth must rend; and because of the groanings of the earth, many of the kings of the isles of the sea shall be wrought upon by the Spirit of God, to exclaim: The God of nature suffers.
There is an interesting sentence in the Lesser Gospel Written by Buka:
The Lesser Gospel Written by Buka, Chapter 1
“And the Spirit of God came upon King Linurang. And he did exit his house and proclaim, with a loud voice saying, The god, which is the god of nature doth suffer.”
We have established that the Philippines qualifies as the isles of the sea. So a king of the isles of the sea exclaimed “The god, which is the god of nature doth suffer.” This occurrence is an exact fulfillment of the prophecy of Zenos.
The fourth area that should be of interest is the evidence supporting the Ang Aklatan. There is archeological evidence to support the Ang Aklatan. There are also prophecies in the Ang Aklatan that have been fulfilled. Prophecies concerning world history and great wars have been fulfilled. For more details on this you can visit their website: http://angaklatan.wordpress.com/evidence
I’ve explained a vast number of the correlations between the Book of Mormon and the Ang Aklatan. These things might not be obvious to Non-members, but to Members of the true Church they are clear. It is plain that this book is a fulfillment of prophecy and an important part of this latter-day work.
It is my belief that this book has come forth at this specific time because it is part of God’s plan. He caused this book to be preserved and translated. I have prayed about the Ang Aklatan and the Lord has confirmed to me that it is true. It can do miracles when used in connection with the Book of Mormon.
I have talked about the Ang Aklatan with some of my non-member friends. They agreed that it sounded interesting and would look in to it. I told them about some of the connections I’ve explained here and they decided they would finally give the Book of Mormon a chance.
Another friend I actually bought a copy of the Ang Aklatan for and gave it to him. He read it and we talked about it. In our discussion I explained these things and he agreed to read the Book of Mormon. Long story short, he and his family were baptized.
There are at four people I personally know who are members of the Church, and three more who are investigating the Church because of the Ang Aklatan.
I don’t know what that status of this group is that publishes the Ang Aklatan is in regards to the Church. But I do know that I have had some great missionary success with this book. It runs perfectly together with the Book of Mormon and the Bible. Heavenly Father’s Words truly are powerful.
Many members of the Church might be worried about this book because it didn’t come from the President of the Church. But I think this is clearly explained in Elisha Enoc’s calling. Many sacred texts have come forth outside of the President of the Church. The Dead Sea Scrolls are one example. What is important is that in order for the Ang Aklatan to be considered scripture it needs to be approved by the Prophet. We need to ask President Monson to pray and see if the Lord wants the Ang Aklatan approved as scripture.
I think it would be very interesting if members of the Church who have read this could share it with their Church Leaders. I don’t know if this book has come to the knowledge of the Church or not. We should ask our local leaders to find out more information about this. It needs to be handled through the proper Priesthood channels. Maybe an official Church representative can contact this Elisha Enoc and learn more.
It would be amazing for President Monson to approve this book as scripture. Just think of the power this book would have in helping bring people to the knowledge of the truth. People will be able to see the fulfillment of Book of Mormon prophecies. They will be able to find answers to questions. And most importantly they will have a confirmation of the witness they received of the Book of Mormon. From personal experience I know that people who never would have given the Church the chance are now faithful Latter-day Saints because of the Ang Aklatan.
I’m sure you’ve felt the Spirit as I’ve discussed the fulfillment of these things. This Spirit has strongly testified to be of the truth and importance of the Ang Aklatan. I think you will feel the Spirit too as well as you read and pray about it..
Please share this article with as many people as you can especially your Bishop and other Church leaders. Perhaps somehow this amazing book will become accepted by the Prophet as scripture and millions can be blessed by its words.
I testify that this is the Lord’s work. He runs His only true Church through Thomas S. Monson. The Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Ang Aklatan, and all other Latter-day scriptures are true. Joseph Smith was a true Prophet and so is our living Prophet Thomas S. Monson. I leave this witness with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
New Mormon Scripture 
How do you resolve the conflict between D&C 77:5 and Ruman ch. 5 concerning 24 elders? Is Jesus Christ right in what he revealed to Joseph Smith or is John right in his explanation to Ruman? Personally, my testimony lies with revelation given to Joseph Smith.
I wrote a post answering your concerns: https://newmormonscripture.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/concerns/
You know, I really appreciate all the time and effort that “captmoroni1981” exhausted in all the things that he feels is true and good. He didn’t have to say a peep. He could have taken that flame and hid it under a bushel. However, because of his righteous nature, developed within the righteous path of the Church, his very sole elected to share the light he has found. That sounds like brotherly love and ministry of truth to me. I have just ordered the book today, in order to read it, ponder it and then pray about it.
My foundation, foremost, is Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ our Savior. This foundation was built with the Holy Sacred knowledge within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the fullness of the Gospel as I and most other members of the Church know it (Standard Works, Ensign, and personal revelation and testimony via the Holy Spirit.) I have come to know, that for us mortal men and women, seeking any knowledge as it relates to truth, that it is by the power of the Holy Spirit, that we may know it. When it pertains to Sacred and Righteous matters, the Holy Spirit will manifest the truth of it, even to our very core. That is when one would think to themselves, “I know it’s true, God knows it’s true and God knows that I know it’s true.”
I will testify that this is the very manner in which I gained a 100% knowledge or witness that the “Book of Mormon” is true. I have and am still studying the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi Texts and others… When I research and study these things, I do it out of curiosity and wonder. I have read and researched several other writings, such as “Books not Included in the Bible”.
My father cautioned me once, “Son, be careful when doing these things, because, sometimes to know more is to know less.” Meaning one could intellectually think they know more (in the manners of flesh and not include the Holy Spirit) and ultimately stray away from the truth.
I understand that, and have always thought of those words… while reading new literature of Christ or anything related. However, I always reflect back on the scripture from Moroni, … if you wish to know if it of God, ask Him. Of course one needs to be as close to “worthy” as they can muster at that time in their life.
I have not read this book… followed by a humble prayer yet…. but I look forward to reading it slowly, cross referencing it, appreciating under the idea of it being similar to our “Book of Mormon”. However, I invite Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to be with me during this fun and exciting mystery adventure… You see…. for me, I don’t need anything to help direct me to the Gospel…. I already have it. I just want to smile and see for myself another example, of what I believe to be one of many examples of Christ and His influence on this Earth.
I believe that when Christ was baptized, and God spoke and said, “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.” That there is written record accompanied of unwritten experiences of people hearing those words… (for example the Eskimos in Alaska) I thing all worthy children of God heard those words, possibly… many of which, being unwritten, were diluted and forgotten from it’s exactness.
As all of us are unconditionally loved by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, that the meaning of “God so loved the world, He gave his only Begotten Son.” That means to me that Christ covered the entire globe, and properly, with ample time, 100%, established the design and nature of his Church.
The most important part of our lives, is actually living the Gospel Principles. That is key. That makes us eligible to deeper Covenants and Ordinances that bring us to a closer and stronger existence within the design and nature of our Heavenly Father’s Kingdom.
As I always ask the Holy Spirit to be my guide, I look forward to reading this book, and calling upon the Lord for any confirmation if needed. I know, that the mysteries of our lives here on this Earth, within this mortal state, are just a drop in eternity when compared to the full sciences (if you will) of our Heavenly Father. Our physical bodies, with our free agency, following the truth of Gospel, over powering evil temptation’s, is a process like the forging of a Samurai Sword, earning a loving and righteous spot with our Heavenly Father.
Hi Anon –
I appreciate your thoughts and words. If you haven’t found a copy of the Aklatan already, I’ve posted the most recent edition of the available text on my blog:
hiddentolight.blogspot.com
Or you can find a hardcopy here:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/elisha-michael-enoc/ang-aklatan/paperback/product-21356945.html
God bless –
newby
Captmoroni1981,
Very interesting connections to the BOM. I thought the same thing about Hagoth when I read the Aklatan. I just finished reading the Ang Aklatan, or at least what is available. I have some questions I was hoping you could help me with.
My first question is about Elisha. Why would he need to use an alias? JS Jr. never did that and I don’t understand why he would need to hide if he were a prophet. That has gotten me puzzled.
Another is that the BOM was translated mostly with the seer stones. the AA was not translated at all like the BOM was. I wonder why. Maybe you have insight?
Lastly, what has me confused the most about the Aklatan and what is truly keeping me from accepting it all the way is in the last book. It is in the book of Ruman that has me confused. John talks with Ruman and tells him that he endorses the record and says [I] “approve these words, And he that shall hearken unto them shall not have plagues added unto him for they will not be adding unto my words…”
Why would John need to say this? When defending the BOM, I always taught that when John the Beloved wrote that warning while he was imprisoned on the island Patmos, he did not know about the existence of a bible. The bible hadn’t been compiled yet. Also he was referring to “this prophecy” meaning the book of Revelation. In fact it was not the last book chronologically in the bible. He wrote his first epistle of John much later. He would be adding to his own words, violating what he said not to do if he meant that warning towards the whole bible, which still had not been put together or known about yet.
So with this in mind there is no reason he would need to endorse the Aklatan by saying it is not adding to his words. Of course the AA wouldn’t be adding to his Revelation or taking away from it, the AA is a completely different set of books. When John wrote Revelation, his warning he wrote was meant for his revelation he wrote on Patmos, not for any other book of scripture written by prophets from any other part of the world. So why would he need to meet up with Ruman to tell him his compilation of scripture was approved and not a violation of his revelation he wrote on Patmos? Once I read this the book lost some credibility for me. However, I am looking for an answer and I am hoping you can help.
At the end of Deuteronomy (4:2) Moses wrote a similar warning, “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”
Moses didn’t need to meet up with Ruman and tell him he approves of the Aklatan or with Mormon or Moroni to tell them he approves of their compiled record. Nor did Moses have to meet up with John to tell him he approves of the Book of Revelation. That is because Moses’ warning was directed for his books, just like John’s warning was for his book. So that is why I am so confused as to why, if the AA is true, it would be necessary for John to endorse the record.
Everything else I read up until that last part has seemed like good fruit and preaches good things about Christ. It reminds me of the Book of Mormon in many ways. However, the BOM didn’t end with John endorsing the plates Moroni was protecting. Again, there was no need. The BOM doesn’t add or take away from John’s revelation in any way. Just like the AA doesn’t add or take away form either Deuteronomy, the Book of Revelation or the BOM.
Please help me understand if you have any insight I am missing. I appreciate all the input and comments. Thanks.
Hi Todd –
Here are some of my thoughts on your questions (if you haven’t had them answered to your liking in these past 5 months).
1) Elisha’s alias could simply be taking a new name as a token of his new life in Christ. After his conversion, Saul went by Paul to do the same and to be a more effective missionary to the Gentiles. Also, Elisha says he was a lifelong Catholic; perhaps, he was following the tradition of the popes in choosing a new papal name to signify who he wanted to emulate in his new calling. (Not that he sees himself as a pope.) And actually, Joseph Smith did use aliases and code names in early revelations and publications to protect the Church and its leaders from persecution and lawsuits. These weren’t removed from the D&C until the 1981 edition. Finally, from what he says, Elisha doesn’t seem to be hiding but actively preaching, so maybe his name is well-known to those he’s preaching to and he’s seeking anonymity so hearers will focus on the message and not the messenger. I’m just throwing things out here.
2) Joseph only ever claimed the Book of Mormon was translated by “the gift and power of God.” As Elisha and Oleeha explain it, the Aklatan seems to have been translated in the same way… but through a different medium. Were the Urim and Thummim and Joseph’s seerstones imbued with heavenly power to translate, and Joseph was just an observer who passed on words and phrases to his scribes? I see it the other way around. Joseph was the Seer, and the stones allowed him to focus his spiritual gift. (Okay, it could be a combination of both…) But how, then, did he “translate” the Bible, Book of Abraham, etc.? It was still through the gift and power of God, just without the means of physical instruments. When Oliver had his go at translating the Book of Mormon (D&C 6, 8-9), the Lord alludes to his own distinct spiritual gifts of revelation and “the rod” that would be used in the translation process. But, however the words came to him, he was ultimately to receive the confirmation of the Spirit that they were correct. This is the same process that Oleeha teaches Elisha.
3) John’s visit is an interesting one, and I think some clues to answering your questions about it are scattered throughout the Book of Ruman. First, at the end of Ruman 4, John gives the purpose of his visit: “I do bring unto you a special *record* and a *witness*, that your writings should be accepted by the *seed of thy brethren*.” This special record (John’s vision) and witness (John’s, and then Paul’s) will help convince a specific audience–the people of the 21st century Philippines and surrounding islands, who inhabit a markedly different religious environment and culture than that of 1830s frontier America where the Book of Mormon emerged.
Ruman 5 then contains explanations of symbols in John’s vision (similar to D&C 77). Nephi saw this but was commanded not to record it since John would. I think the key here, though, is that having these explanations included in the Aklatan would shed light on the mission of John the Revelator and the Book of Revelation, a confusing-as-heck volume that everyone today knows about but no one can really explain. Similar to the Book of Mormon in early America, if the target audience can see how these new writings fit with and clarify the Bible in their day, they will more readily explore them and hopefully accept them as scripture.
In Ruman 6-7, John and Paul provide prophecies, teachings, and witnesses concerning the Aklatan and the world it will come into — one of modern Catholicism, conservative Protestantism, and fundamentalist Evangelicalism. They talk about how these modern Christian denominations will misinterpret their writings (Rev 22:18-19; Gal 1:8) and use them against accepting anything new from God or his messengers. These are the same proof texts thrown at Mormons all the time today; however, these are modern, well-used ammunition against modern revelation primarily because of the rise of Mormonism in the 20th century. I couldn’t find evidence of prevalent use of these verses against Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon until modern Protestant critiques of the 20th century. Again, the target audience of the Aklatan is modern Filipino Christians who will be aware (or at least their pastors and priests will be) of Mormonism and these verses used to combat it. The target audience of the Book of Mormon was the children of Lehi and Gentile frontiersmen in early America, who didn’t have these issues, thus no necessity for added witnesses or clarification.
Again, these are just my ideas on things. Hope this helps some.
Will my comment about John the beloved go up or did you delete it? It was a legitimate question for which I am seeking an answer. If my comment/question got deleted your comments will lose all veracity to me.
Hi Todd –
I think some charity would go a long way ; ) Maintaining and moderating a blog can be tough and time-consuming, and we don’t know the reasons why captmoroni hasn’t been posting or replying lately. In any case, what he does now shouldn’t have much bearing on the truth of the Aklatan or his previous experiences or how they spoke to and moved you to read, explore, and reply.
In all respect –
Have you noted the similarity of the Aklatan character Haga and the Book of Mormon Character Hagoth?
Given the description and context, Haga(t) = Hagoth. There’s also another set of records, the Mentinah Archives, which independently tell of a son of Hagoth who sailed into the Pacific, was blown off course in a storm, and settled unknown islands. The story is pretty much exactly the same as found in the Aklatan.
Has anyone else had any experiences with approaching leadership about this book?
Hi Shawn –
I replied to your question on my blog.
http://hiddentolight.blogspot.com/2014/04/introduction-purpose.html