29 And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.
30 For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.
31 And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.32 And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men. (Moroni 7)
I'm going to break down verses 31-32 to help lay out his point about angels. According to Mormon, the office of the ministry of angels is to:
- call men unto repentance
- fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father
- prepare the way among the children of men
They accomplish this by "declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him."
He concludes:
"And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way
- that the residue of men may have faith in Christ,
- that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof;
- and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men."
Mormon is demonstrating how the covenants are brought to pass -- by the ministering of angels to prophets who then declare the word of Christ to the people.
I believe this gives us some insight as to why we get the stories Mormon selected for the abridgement he made. Think about how many times we see an angel declare the word to a prophet, who then goes on to teach "the residue of men."
This is not only a divine pattern explained in simple detail in two verses, it is also a source of numerous examples of internal consistency. This was a theme that Mormon learned as he reveiwed the records of the Nephites, and one that he found so important that he included numerous instances where the pattern was followed.
More on that, including a discussion of the examples, to come in future posts.