"One day and a night and a day"

  I'm currently reading The Lost 116 Pages by Don Bradley.  One of the interesting details I did not previously know is that the Eight Witnesses reported that the engraved characters were stained "with a black, hard stain, so as to make the letter more legible and easier to read." (Footnote 20 on page 44.)

Bradley makes the point that this means the characters as they appeared on the plates were an inverse in a way from the translation Joseph saw when looking at the seer stone in his hat:

The Book of Mormon hieroglyphs ... were set out in black against a bright background of gold. Conversely, the translated images or words that appeared as Joseph looked at the seer stone occluded in his hat were light against darkness. Thus, through the stone, the records original, untranslated state was inverted: its meaning previously hidden in characters literally and figuratively "as dark as Egypt." (p.44)

The metaphor of Joseph the Seer bringing spiritual truth out of the darkness and into the light is a powerful one. It's been on my mind quite a bit lately.  As I read this week's Come Follow Me chapters, I couldn't help but see two symbols from Samuel's words in a new light.

"Many signs and wonders in heaven"

Among the signs prophesied by Samuel was "one day and a night and a day as if it were one day and there were no night." (Helaman 14:4)  This day-night-day as one day symbol fits in with another pattern: Nephites-apostasy-latter-day restoration.

These signs and wonders in heaven would also have the effect that "ye shall all be amazed, and wonder, insomuch that ye shall fall to the earth."  The signs from heaven cause mortals to fall to the earth. Reminds me of this recent post from Stisa.

Slippery treasure

In another part of his sermon, Samuel says:

18 And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our great and true God, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more, because of the great curse of the land, save he be a righteous man and shall hide it up unto the Lord.

19 For I will, saith the Lord, that they shall hide up their treasures unto me; and cursed be they who hide not up their treasures unto me; for none hideth up their treasures unto me save it be the righteous; and he that hideth not up his treasures unto me, cursed is he, and also the treasure, and none shall redeem it because of the curse of the land.

20 And the day shall come that they shall hide up their treasures, because they have set their hearts upon riches; and because they have set their hearts upon their riches, and will hide up their treasures when they shall flee before their enemies; because they will not hide them up unto me, cursed be they and also their treasures; and in that day shall they be smitten, saith the Lord.

21 Behold ye, the people of this great city, and hearken unto my words; yea, hearken unto the words which the Lord saith; for behold, he saith that ye are cursed because of your riches, and also are your riches cursed because ye have set your hearts upon them, and have not hearkened unto the words of him who gave them unto you. (Helaman 13)

I couldn't help but compare the loss of buried treasure to the immense spiritual benefit which comes to the world (at least those who believe) through the Book of Mormon, which was engraven on gold plates and buried in the earth.

Both of these connections are loose, but I believe something deeper connects these scriptural metaphors. The gathering of the word is associated with the gathering of the House of Israel. The record of one covenant people can be of great worth to another covenant people.  The promises made to the fathers are fulfilled through the latter-day gathering.