Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome. Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4). This priority was not only reflecte...
I've never really been interested in prophesies about the last days or speculating about signs of the times. That's not to say that I don't believe in a literal second coming of Jesus, or His millennial rein. It just means that for better or for worse, I have adopted an attitude that "it will happen when it happens" and tried to focus on the things I need to work on in my life to be a good person.
That is why chapters like Ether 13 are puzzling to me, and prompt me to reconsider my indifference to prophesies of the Second Coming. Ether was an embattled prophet who had to resort to hiding in a cave during the day because the people were trying to kill him. Moroni recorded that "marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but [the people] esteemed him as naught, and cast him out" (Ether 13:13). These must have been desperate and difficult times for the prophet Ether, and I can imagine his struggle to know what he could possible preach to change the hearts of the people. But "they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man" (Ether 13:2).
In this intensely tragic time filled with war, murder, and despair, Ether "spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land. And he spake also concerning the house of Israel" (Ether 13:4-5). Did Ether consider this to be his best shot at shifting the course of his civilization? Of all the doctrines he could have taught, he prophesied regarding the construction of "a New Jerusalem," that " should be built up upon this land [the Americas] , unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph" (Ether 13:6).
Perhaps his prophesies were not intended for his contemporaries. In talking about the New Jerusalem that would be built in the Americas he explained "for which things there has been a type" (Ether 13:6). The construction of a New Jerusalem would not be the first time that the Lord had relocated and reestablished the children of Israel. God's purpose for doing so was "that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph that he should perish not" (Ether 13:7). Ether's prophesies were a message of hope regarding the ultimate destiny of the children of Israel. perhaps it had nothing to do with persuading his people to be righteous. It seems more likely that these prophesies were private insights granted to the prophet for his own perspective and comfort, and recorded for the benefit and learning of those who read the Book of Mormon today.
Ether taught that "the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away" (Ether 13:8) He went on to describe that when the earth passes away, "there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new" (Ether 13:9)
The phrase "they shall be like unto the old" implies to me that heaven and celestial glory, while obviously a superior and elevated state to what we experience now, will have many similar characteristics. The prophet Joseph Smith explained "that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy" (D&C 130:2). To me this emphasizes the importance of the families we create, the relationships we form, and the societies and nations we build now. Nothing will magically change when we die and go to heaven. It will only be heaven because our natures will have been transformed through the atonement of Christ.
Application Questions
Why are prophesies regarding the Second Coming important?
What has God specifically taught you to give you hope and perspective?
What can you do today to make your relationships something you would want to last forever?
Image Credit: bahaiteachings.org
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