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Dear Gramps, A few days ago my bishop was teaching seminary and we were talking about the house of Israel. He made the comment that Brigham Young had said that when we are baptized into the church our blood changes to the blood of the house of Israel. That statement surprised me and when I asked if he meant it was a spiritual change, he said no, that it was literal. Is this true? And if it is where can I find the statement by Brigham Young? Also, if it is true could you possibly clarify how this happens scientifically? Thank you, Gidgtmidgt@aol.com

Dear Gidgtmidgt,

What do we mean by “the blood of the House of Israel”? The term “blood” in the context of genealogy signifies a literal descendency, as “of the same blood line.” If genealogy could be traced as far back as Ephraim and Manasseh, it would be found that practically everyone could find some ancestral line leading to one of them. It has been said, for instance, that anyone who comes from England is related to everyone else who comes from England within thirty-three generations.

Occasionally we find from patriarchal blessings that one child of a family is descended from Ephraim and another from Manasseh. This situation could imply genetic differences that could have variations within the members of a given family, such as different eye color among siblings. Thus one child could be predominantly Ephraimitish and the other predominantly Manassehitish.

Abraham was given great promises with respect to his posterity.

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy seed (that is, thy Priesthood), for I give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal” (Abraham 2:11.)

Those who achieve the blessings of life eternal, or exaltation in the celestial kingdom will live in a patriarchal order of priesthood, in an unbroken chain from Father Adam to the latest generation. Elder Bruce R. McConkie has stated that

“Those who shall hereafter rule and reign in eternity as exalted beings will form a patriarchal chain which will begin with Father Adam and spread out until every exalted person is linked in. Exaltation consists in the continuation of the family unit in eternity, and every family which so continues will find its proper place in the eternal organizational framework which the Almighty has ordained. None will be forgotten. Unworthy mortal links will be dropped in eternity, for there is no family in which all generations will attain exaltation; later generations of worthy families will be welded into the links formed by their ancestors who became worthy of a like exaltation with them. All those after the day of Abraham (of whatever literal lineage they may be) who so live as to be worthy of a place in this great patriarchal chain will be welded into Abraham's lineage and shall rise up and bless him as their father. (Abr. 2:9-11.)” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.558.)

The Prophet Joseph Smith observed that

"As the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; ¼while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 149-50.)

So a person who is not of the House of Israel who lives worthily will be adopted into the patriarchal priesthood line, and will become, through the workings of the Holy Spirit, of that lineage in the same sense as if he had born to it.

Gramps

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