I stumbled upon these verses, which have never really jumped out at me, when I was looking into the concept of "preparation." See this post as a refresher if needed before reading on.
I've learned to pay close attention to words and patterns when I study the Book of Mormon -- the words have been carefully prepared for us to allow us to spend a lifetime learning from them, one layer at a time, one concept at a time, if we are willing to take the time and effort to "give heed" to them. (See Alma 12:9-10).
In the previous post linked above, I outlined a pattern given by Mormon in Moroni 7:31-32 to explain the work angels are called to do (and why).
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)
Here is the pattern outlined in those two verses, with color coding added to help us keep track of each element:
- Angels are sent.
- They call men to repentance.
- They "fulfill" and "do the work of the covenants" of the Father.
- This is accomplished by declaring "the word of Christ" ...
- ...unto "chosen vessels of the Lord."
- The chosen vessels bear testimony of Him.
- By so doing, God "prepareth a way" for the residue of men to have faith in Christ...
- ...so that the power of the Holy Ghost can have place in their hearts.
I love it when a pattern is so detailed I run out of unique colors to use and I have to resort to darker hues with white texts. I count ten distinct details loaded into these two verses.
In other words: angels minister to mankind by calling prophets to teach the people to repent and have faith in Christ and be changed by the power of the Holy Ghost. This is the essence of the preparatory gospel.
The pattern and examples as evidence internal consistency
Not only is the pattern a fascinating doctrinal teaching, it also serves as yet another example of the Book of Mormon's incredible internal consistency.
It makes sense that Mormon would be able to summarize this pattern so succinctly -- he saw it happen over and over. He made a point to document the elements of this pattern repeatedly (without overtly stating this is what he was doing).
For me, this is a remarkable discovery. It reinforces the fact that Mormon is the author of the Nephite abridgment. We get a summary of the pattern in two short verses at the very end of the large plate abridgment, long after the many examples of the pattern have been given. We also see this pattern a few times on the small plates, too.
Examples in the Book of Mormon
Off the top of your head, can you think of sermons in the Book of Mormon where the speaker states he is rehearsing the words given to him by an angel? I could think of a few, and so I started with those. It turns out there are many.
I'm not sure if Mormon learned this pattern as a result of abridging 1,000 years of Nephite records, or if he already knew the pattern from his own private spiritual experiences. Either way, studying the major examples of this pattern can teach us about how God works to fulfill His covenants.
Rather than spell out every example in one post, I'm going to offer up one pattern and then spend the next 4-5 posts highlighting additional examples. I'm sure there are more to find now that I know what to look for.
Alma 9
Let's begin with a short example from Alma 9. I'll color code the text according to the pattern spelled out above.
25 And now for this cause, that ye may not be destroyed, the Lord has sent his angel to visit many of his people, declaring unto them that they must go forth and cry mightily unto this people, saying: Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is nigh at hand;
26 And not many days hence the Son of God shall come in his glory; and his glory shall be the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people and to answer their prayers.
27 And behold, he cometh to redeem those who will be baptized unto repentance, through faith on his name.
28 Therefore, prepare ye the way of the Lord, for the time is at hand that all men shall reap a reward of their works, according to that which they have been—if they have been righteous they shall reap the salvation of their souls, according to the power and deliverance of Jesus Christ; and if they have been evil they shall reap the damnation of their souls, according to the power and captivation of the devil.
29 Now behold, this is the voice of the angel, crying unto the people.
30 And now, my beloved brethren, for ye are my brethren, and ye ought to be beloved, and ye ought to bring forth works which are meet for repentance, seeing that your hearts have been grossly hardened against the word of God, and seeing that ye are a lost and a fallen people. (Alma 9)
Notice that in this example, almost every detail is in there, all packed into 6 verses, 8 out of the 10, to be precise. What is missing?
First, we don't get a direct statement that Alma is a "chosen vessel," just a generic statement that the Lord sends angels to "visit many of his people." Don't worry, though, that detail is specifically addressed by Amulek, who follows Alma in speaking to the wicked Nephites of Ammonihah:
7 ...behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto me and said: Amulek, return to thine own house, for thou shalt feed a prophet of the Lord; yea, a holy man, who is a chosen man of God; (Alma 10)
Second, we don't get a mention of the the power of the Holy Ghost having place in the heart of the people. The people were very wicked, so instead, in this case, Alma mentions that their "hearts have been grossly hardened against the word of God."
Also notice that the bulk of the passage above is Alma-2 quoting the angel (from the end of verse 25 through the end of verse 28). He is passing along a specific message, not just winging it.
I like to think that Mormon had a checklist as he searched the records and made his abridgment, and that he made a point to include each detail to show that the work was proceeding in the days of Alma-2 as at other times in Nephite history.
One final note -- a tender detail
Moroni seems to have cherished this sermon, which include his father's description of the sacred work of the ministry of angels. Thus, it is poignant to remember that Moroni would later be chosen to be the angel who opens the final dispensation. He would visit the "chosen vessel" -- a boy named Joseph Smith -- and deliver the word of God to Him. His figure would stand atop the temples of God in the last days as a symbol of the "work of the covenant."
I love this detail.
If you find this kind of pattern-finding helpful/interesting, take a look at this series of posts outlining a completely different pattern: Crying to God for mercy and finding it through Jesus Christ. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)