A temple pattern in the Book of Mormon, continued -- overcoming the devil (part 1)

I'll continue with my series on the temple pattern in the Book of Mormon.  Se these two prior posts for background and references to shaking:

Overview

Shaking

We left with Mormon's words from Helaman 12 about the power of God's voice to save us if we will hearken. In that passage, he also laments: "how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!" (Helaman 12:5)

In the fallen world in which we now live, we are enticed by two voices. (See 2 Nephi 2:16.) Once we have identified the power of the voice of God, the next important step is to learn to overcome the power of the devil.

The next few posts will review some important passages in the Book of Mormon which teach us how to overcome the devil. We'll begin with a man who set such a good example, presumably Mormon named his own son after him.

The example of "Captain" Moroni

Mormon writes very lofty words about that Moroni who led the armies of the Nephites:

17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men. (Alma 48)

Notice the use of past/present/future at the start of the verse as well as the word "forever." I believe both of these are designed to point our minds to things of eternal significance. Moroni wasn't just a dedicated public servant or military leader, his example includes a range of commendable attributes.

Notice also the description of the "powers of hell" shaking and the devil "never hav[ing] power over the hearts of the children of men." This echoes themes from the temple pattern described in the overview. 

In the preceding verses, we find a list of powerful attributes which allowed Mormon to make such a claim:

And Moroni was:

1. a strong and a mighty man
2. a man of a perfect understanding
3. a man that did not delight in bloodshed
4. a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;
5. a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people
6. a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.
7. a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood. 
8. his heart did glory --
• in [the promise that if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land] 
• in preserving his people, 
• in keeping the commandments of God
• and resisting iniquity.

This is a great list.  I see elements of obedience, willingness to sacrifice, dedication to resisting evil, centering one's life on covenant promises, gratitude, and commitment to the "welfare and safety" of God's covenant people.

These are the attributes which bind Satan and cause his kingdom and powers to shake.

A note about "perfect understanding"

This phrase shows up only once in the Book of Mormon.  We find it in Luke 1:3 as well, but that instance doesn't add much. The only other closely-related instance comes from D&C 97:14 in a revelation about the building of the temple:

13 For a place of thanksgiving for all saints, and for a place of instruction for all those who are called to the work of the ministry in all their several callings and offices;
14 That they may be perfected in the understanding of their ministry, in theory, in principle, and in doctrine, in all things pertaining to the kingdom of God on the earth, the keys of which kingdom have been conferred upon you.
15 And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it;
16 Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God. (D&C 97)

Take that for what it is worth.

In the next post, we'll look at other scriptures that teach how we can overcome the devil.

Fallen -- Part 2 (The Brother of Jared)

In part 1 I described the plan of salvation in terms of down and up movements. The fall and exaltation are key parts of the plan. But even though the fall was part of the plan and it is also normal to slip during the ascension on the covenant path, we must be careful not to become fallen again by abandoning the covenant completely as exemplified in certain Book of Mormon passages.

I may have given the impression in that last post that the downward movement is always negative and the upward movement is always positive. It's a bit more complicated than that. For instance, we can be lifted up in pride. This is a type of false ascension and is not sustainable. We also read that King Benjamin's people had fallen to the earth and begged for mercy through the atoning blood of Christ in Mosiah 4:1-2. Obviously a good thing.

For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted (Luke 14:11)

The point is not any ascension but the right kind of ascension. The right kind comes by first humbling yourself (which can somewhat ironically be considered a downward movement) and then covenant with a being that exist on a higher level than yourself with the power to lift you up. Sometimes that even entails beings on a higher level descending to get you and pick you up. This is the ministry of angels. They need to descend to reach us with their ministry (see Mosiah 27:11 and 3 Nephi 17:24, for instance). When the high priest in the ancient temple had been in the Holy of Holies symbolizing the celestial realm, he went out again to serve the people and symbolically atone for their sins again the next year. Similarly, Nephi, the Brother of Jared, Moses and others went down from those mountains to fulfill their mission on a telestion earth and teach others. Christ has been seen descending out of heaven too on several occasions, see 1 Nephi 1:9, 1 Nephi 11:7 and 3 Nephi 11:8. He even descended below all things (D&C 88:6).

With this as backdrop, we will take a closer look at the Brother of Jared, because there is a lot of play on this theme in his story.

First of all, and this is something I have posted about before, the name, "Jared", in Hebrew means "descend" or "go down". As we often see in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, there are puns on his name in the text. In the Book of Ether, the story of the Brother of Jared figuratively starts with him symbolically coming down from the Tower of Babel (Ether 1:33). Then he goes down into the valley (1:42, 2:1, 2:4), falls down before the Lord (3:6), goes down out of the mount (4:1, 6:2), bows down in the promised land (6:12) and goes down to the grave (6:19, 6:21). The interesting part is that the Brother of Jared obviously has his own name, it's through the use of his brother's name that the word-play is working.

Keeping in mind that Christ descended below all things and other similarities, it makes sense to view the Brother of Jared as a type of Christ. But in addition to the puns on his name (or rather his brother's name), there is an intricate play on this theme in the story of the Brother of Jared on the mount.

We know the story. He is on the mountain with the stones and offers a humble prayer.

...we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee... (Ether 3:2)

Again, in verse 6

And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear.

This is one of those puns. If you translate "Jared", you read that "go down fell down". The Brother of Jared humbles himself as advised in that verse in Luke. After this, the Lord tells him to arise (verse 7) and brings him back into his presence (verse 13). "he that humbleth himself shall be exalted". But as mentioned, he doesn't stay on that mountain but goes down again. He has a mission to fulfill, just like Christ went down to fulfill his mission. This is specified in Ether 4:1

And the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord, and write the things which he had seen; and they were forbidden to come unto the children of men until after that he should be lifted up upon the cross

So there is another pun when the Lord commands the brother of "Go down" to go down. But the theme continues. He is commanded to write what he saw. But it is "forbidden to come unto the children of men" until after Christ is "lifted up" on the cross. We are not told why, but the Brother of Jared undoubtedly saw wonderful things pertaining to exaltation on that mountain, which is only made possible through Christ being "lifted up".

 

A temple pattern in the Book of Mormon, continued -- shaking, quaking, trembling, tumbling

 I believe deep symbolism can be found in each mention of shaking, quaking, trembling, and tumbling in the Book of Mormon. This symbolizes a part of the conversion process.  Each of us will inevitably shake, quake, tremble, or tumble, whether it be during mortality or at the judgment day. 

In this post I outlined a temple pattern that can be found all over the Book of Mormon. One major component of that pattern is the fall -- initiated by Adam and Eve to bring about God's eternal purposes for mortality. Alma teaches that the fall to earth enabled a "a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God." (See Alma 42:4.) It was necessary for us to be "cut off both temporally and spiritually from the presence of the Lord" during this phase so that we could become "subjects to follow after [our] own will." (See Alma 42:7.) That was certainly part of "the fall."

I believe there is another aspect of the inevitable fall that comes to each of us by way of conversion through the voice of the Spirit.  To the extent that we have built a great and spacious building in our heart, that edifice must come tumbling down as we humble ourselves and repent.

These words from Nephi have been ringing in my ears for weeks now:

14 And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it.

15 For behold, saith the prophet, the time cometh speedily that Satan shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men; for the day soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned. (1 Nephi 22)

If this "tumble" can happen to a nation, certainly it also happens on some level to each individual who wars against the house of Israel or perverts the right way of the Lord.

Perhaps this explains why there are so many accounts in the Book of Mormon of individuals shaking, quaking, trembling, and falling to the earth. 

Here is one such example from 1 Nephi 17, after Nephi confounds his brothers:

53 And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thine hand again unto thy brethren, and they shall not wither before thee, but I will shock them, saith the Lord, and this will I do, that they may know that I am the Lord their God.
54 And it came to pass that I stretched forth my hand unto my brethren, and they did not wither before me; but the Lord did shake them, even according to the word which he had spoken.
55 And now, they said: We know of a surety that the Lord is with thee, for we know that it is the power of the Lord that has shaken us. And they fell down before me, and were about to worship me, but I would not suffer them, saying: I am thy brother, yea, even thy younger brother; wherefore, worship the Lord thy God, and honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee.

Note that the purpose of the shaking was not to destroy them, but to convince them of God's power. They fell as a result, humbled.

In some cases, these accounts of shaking and falling are accompanied by covenant symbols. Notice this example from 1 Nephi 1. Lehi's vision (the one that follows verse 7) includes a vision of God's throne, Jesus Christ descending followed by twelve others, and a book filled with prophecies. Verses 14 and 15 are overflowing with praise of God and covenant symbols.

6 And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and heard he did quake and tremble exceedingly.
7 And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast himself upon his bed, being overcome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen. ...

 

14 And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!

15 And after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen, yea, which the Lord had shown unto him. (1 Nephi 1)

Notice also how Alma-2, who experienced another notable example of shaking by the power of God, falling, and then arising as a new creature (see Mosiah 27:11-18), references 1 Nephi 1:8 when he recounts his conversion experience to his son Helaman.  See Alma 36:22.

The deeper lesson is clear: a focus on covenants allows us to overcome the power Satan has over our hearts, so that we can eliminate his influence from our lives and continue unhindered on our ascension to the tree of life.

The first invitation is the voice of God speaking to our hearts, which shakes us and humbles us (if we heed it), allowing us to fall from the great and spacious building (as needed) back down to earth and begin our ascent on the covenant path.

In Helaman 12, Mormon dispenses with any ambiguity or narrative symbolism and speaks of these things directly. 

4 O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world!
5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!
6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.
7 O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth.
8 For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God.
9 Yea, behold at his voice do the hills and the mountains tremble and quake. ...
11 Yea, by the power of his voice doth the whole earth shake;
12 Yea, by the power of his voice, do the foundations rock, even to the very center. ...
21 And if the Lord shall say—Because of thine iniquities thou shalt be cut off from my presence—he will cause that it shall be so.
22 And wo unto him to whom he shall say this, for it shall be unto him that will do iniquity, and he cannot be saved; therefore, for this cause, that men might be saved, hath repentance been declared.
23 Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are they that shall be saved.
24 And may God grant, in his great fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace for grace, according to their works.

Fallen -- Part 1

We believe in 3 kingdoms or levels of glory, called the celestial, terrestrial and telestial. We don't know much about the details, but we have some points of reference within each category.

Celestial - God's state of glory, his presence

Terrestrial - The paradisaical state of Eden, the millennial state of the earth

Telestial - This earth in its fallen state

This will do for the purpose of this blog post, even though I know that a telestial glory in the telestial kingdom is not the same as living mortal life on a telestial earth. 

The plan of salvation can therefore be summed up in a journey down through the ranks and up again. We are in the presence of heavenly parents in the pre-mortal existence. The earth is created in a terrestrial state and "man" (Adam in Hebrew) is created to dwell there. The history of man on earth starts with the fall resulting in the transition to a telestial state. It ends with the millennial reign where the earth returns to a paradisaical/terrestrial state. Finally, through the redeeming power of Christ, we can reach exaltation, a return to the celestial state, but this time with a celestial body and necessary experiences that makes this state very different from the pre-mortal existence. The fall and subsequent arising and exaltation are all part of the plan.

It is primarily the transition from the terrestrial to the telestial when Adam partook of the fruit, that we refer to as "the fall". But reading Helaman 4:26 the other day, I noticed the word "fallen" and started reflecting on how often this is used in the scriptures both with reference to the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and the fall of specific people throughout history.

For behold, they saw that the strength of the Lamanites was as great as their strength, even man for man. And thus had they fallen into this great transgression; yea, thus had they become weak, because of their transgression, in the space of not many years.

How can you fall when you are already in a telestial state? The simple answer could of course be that this is not referring to the different states or degrees as given above but is just an idiom. But I want to challenge that notion and make a case for "fallen" in the scriptures applying to both Adam in the garden and Adam/mankind in the telestial world in the same way.

Our purpose on earth is to eventually get back to the celestial state. In this fallen state we need to prepare for that by arising and ascending. This ascension starts here on earth in this life. We are asked to "arise from the dust". We are asked to live in the world but not to be of the world. We are asked to make covenants that bind us to a being on a higher state than ourselves with the power to lift us up. We commit to live a higher law than the telestial. The scriptures are full of symbols and language typifying this ascension. Here is a great description of Lehi's dream in this context. There is also beautiful symmetry in the partaking of fruit as part of the fall and then partaking of fruit again as part of the ascension, both as integral elements of the plan.

The temple endowment is also an ascension story as is the ancient temple. We notice that mountains were used when temples were not available. The two most notable visions on mountains in the Book of Mormon (Nephi in 1 Nephi 11-14 and the Brother of Jared in Ether 3-4) happened in circumstances where no temple was available. Nephi was "caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, into an exceedingly high mountain" (1 Nephi 11:1). Here are the words of a Jewish rabbi commenting on this verse

High mountain: In ancient Mesopotamia a high mountain was the place where the gods were worshipped because it was believed to be the closest places to heaven from an earthly perspective. This theme is found all throughout the Jewish Bible. When Nephi says that he was taken to an exceedingly high mountain upon which he had never set foot before it means two things:

#1# The mountain being exceedingly high shows that there is no other G-d besides the G-d that Nephi worshipped.

#2# The fact that he had never set foot on it would be understood as Nephi having received such a profound level of closeness to G-d that he had never experienced before.

I believe that this event was an important part of the background for Nephi introducing himself in the Book of Mormon as "highly favored". But this description has also been used for the Nephites in general. Even though not everyone literally climbed that mountain, they did have temples. As we leave this telestial state (while still in our mortal lives on earth) through covenants, we have the potential to fall, just like Adam. The verse I quoted in Helaman 4 is a description of precisely that, a covenant people who had fallen into transgression. Another example in Alma 9.

19 For he will not suffer you that ye shall live in your iniquities, to destroy his people. I say unto you, Nay; he would rather suffer that the Lamanites might destroy all his people who are called the people of Nephi, if it were possible that they could fall into sins and transgressions, after having had so much light and so much knowledge given unto them of the Lord their God;

20 Yea, after having been such a highly favored people of the Lord; yea, after having been favored above every other nation, kindred, tongue, or people; after having had all things made known unto them, according to their desires, and their faith, and prayers, of that which has been, and which is, and which is to come;

...

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.

Notice the description of their status as highly favored with knowledge given to them, echoing Nephi's description in 1 Nephi 1:1. They were a covenant people and had been on Nephi's mountain in the form of the temple. But because of their hardened hearts they had become a "fallen people". Falling into "sins and transgressions" is a symbolic fall down from that mountain back to the telestial state.

I will create a second part, because I think there is some beautiful symbolism related to this topic found in the story of the Brother of Jared.

"Forever"

"Forever" is a pretty common word in the Book of Mormon. It shows up 99 times in a variety of contexts. Most commonly, "forever" connects to a statement about the state of the soul, either in a positive context or a negative one. I see this word as a reminder that the choices we make in this life have consequences that reach far beyond mortality.

Other contexts are also interesting, including the unchanging nature of God, the promised land, and Adam and Eve.

The Negative Context

Satan wants us to be miserable like he is. 

• "And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind." (2 Nephi 2:18)
• "[the devil] leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever." (2 Nephi 26:22)

Sin leads to destruction

• "...except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God." (Mosiah 4:17)

The guilt of the wicked lasts forever

• Then is the time when their torments shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever; and then is the time that they shall be chained down to an everlasting destruction, according to the power and captivity of Satan, he having subjected them according to his will. (Alma 12:17)

See also Mosiah 2:38, Mosiah 3:27

The Positive Context

Eternal blessings

• "because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever;" (Helaman 10:5)
• "The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever." (Alma 37:46)

See also Alma 28:7.

Timelessness of the Order of God

• "Thus they become high priests forever, after the order of the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, who is without beginning of days or end of years, who is full of grace, equity, and truth." (Alma 13:9. See also verse 14.)
• "... these twelve ministers ... are righteous forever; for because of their faith in the Lamb of God their garments are made white in his blood." (1 Nephi 12:10)

See also Mosiah 15:17.

Praise Him forever

• "Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever." (Alma 26:16. See also verses 12 and 14.)
• " ... yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever." (Mosiah 18:30)
• "Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation." (2 Nephi 4:30)

Man was created to keep the commandments and glorify God. 

• "And all flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them, that they should keep his commandments and glorify him forever." (Jacob 2:21)

Godly attributes

• Charity endureth forever. Mormon invites believers: "Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail-- But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him." (Moroni 7:46-47)
• May grace abide forever. Moroni offers this invitation: " And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever." (Ether 12:41. See also Moroni 9:26)
• May Christ's mercy and hope lift you up and rest in your mind forever. Mormon: "My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever." (Moroni 9:25)

Other Contexts

God is unchanging

• "his ways are righteousness forever." (2 Nephi 1:19)
• "the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever." (2 Nephi 2:4)
• "I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever..." (2 Nephi 27:23)

See also 2 Nephi 29:9.

Warning/promise about the purpose of the promised land

• "...if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day ... And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, ... they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever..." (1 Nephi 14:1-2)
• "Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever ... " (2 Nephi 1:5. See verses 7, 9, and 31.)
• "And may the Lord consecrate also unto thee this land, ... for thy security forever, if it so be that ye shall keep the commandments of the Holy One of Israel." (2 Nephi 3:2)
• cursed be the land forever and ever unto those workers of darkness and secret combinations, (Alma 37:31)

See also 2 Nephi 10:19.

Adam and Eve

• "Mercy could have claim on them no more forever." (Mosiah 3:26)
• "Live forever" Alma 12:21 (See also Alma 42:2, 5.)
• "Forever miserable" Alma 12:26. (See also 2 Nephi 2:5, 18)
• "Lost forever" Alma 42:6
• "Consigned ... forever to be cut off from his presence." Alma 42:14)

Costly apparel versus clothing their nakedness

Clothing and nakedness with its symbolism has been discussed extensively on this blog before. The robe of righteousness or "clothed with glory/purity" and similar terms have deep symbolic meaning. But when actual physical clothing is described in the Book of Mormon, there might be some underlying symbolism as well. I just noticed that when the Nephite society is described and their clothing is mentioned, there are usually two alternatives:

1. A wicked society wearing fine/precious clothes coupled with pride
2. A righteous society where clothing is solely used to "cover their nakedness"

The price of the clothes we wear is not usually considered an indicator of our righteousness or wickedness in church today. It must have had a much more significant cultural and symbolic meaning among ancient Nephites. I cannot even begin to link all relevant previous posts touching on these concepts, but the idea of covering our nakedness is closely linked to the atonement (the Hebrew word for atonement means covering). The recurring theme of lifting yourself in pride has also been discussed extensively, and sometimes appears together with costly apparel. Perhaps this can be seen as a symbol of trying to cover your own sins instead of letting the atonement do it, similar to lifting yourself in pride instead of letting Christ lift you.

There are several examples supporting the pattern outlined above. 

For instance, in the Book of Mormon the wicked are often described as wearing costly apparel, and it is almost without exception coupled with pride.

because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel (Jacob 2:13)

And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and trample the Holy One under your feet; yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches? (Alma 5:53)

And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel (Mormon 8:36)

Conversely, we see another pattern when clothing of a righteous people is described.

And I did cause that the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen, yea, and cloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness; and thus we did prosper in the land - thus we did have continual peace in the land for the space of twenty and two years. (Mosiah 10:5)

Notice how "prosper in the land", the promise of the Mosaic covenant, follows when their clothing was only used to cover their nakedness. A very similar statement is found in Helaman.

Behold their women did toil and spin, and did make all manner of cloth, of fine-twined linen and cloth of every kind, to clothe their nakedness. And thus the sixty and fourth year did pass away in peace. (Helaman 6:13)

...and in a rare period of righteousness and prosperity among the Jaredites

And they did have silks, and fine-twined linen; and they did work all manner of cloth, that they might clothe themselves from their nakedness. (Ether 10:24)

We see both of these patterns play out in Alma 1, where we are introduced to Nehor, who is described in verse 6

And he began to be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel

Those who did not support him and belonged to the true church of God are described in verse 27

And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely.

Interestingly, the next verses go on to relate that the members of the church became "far more wealthy than those who did not belong to their church" (Alma 1:31). Consequently, they could have afforded much more expensive clothes than those who did not belong to the church. Yet, those who did not belong to the church are described thus in verse 32:

For those who did not belong to their church did indulge themselves in sorceries, and in idolatry or idleness, and in babblings, and in envyings and strife; wearing costly apparel; being lifted up in the pride of their own eyes

While the prosperous, righteous people of the church were concerned with "not send[ing] away any who were naked" (Alma 1:30).

Another observation is the similarity between the righteous people of the church in Alma 1:29

And now, because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth.

...and the great and abominable church in 1 Nephi 13:6-7

6 And it came to pass that I beheld this great and abominable church; and I saw the devil that he was the founder of it.
7 And I also saw gold, and silver, and silks, and scarlets, and fine-twined linen, and all manner of precious clothing; and I saw many harlots.

The phrases in bold are very similar but a noticeable difference is the description of the clothing. "all manner of good homely cloth" versus "all manner of precious clothing". 

 

A temple pattern in the Book of Mormon, Overview

The purpose of this series of posts is to connect Nephi's concept of "the two churches" with shaking/falling [to the dust]/and arising -- a major theme I've encountered in scripture (especially the Book of Mormon). Stisa has already extensively discussed one of the topics I'll be covering, here and here.

First, a little overview of an important temple pattern.

An important pattern from the temple

Modern temple worship in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches us an important pattern:

1. The Purpose -- In the beginning, before the foundation of the world, we lived with God and desired to live with Him and like Him.
2. The Fall -- In order to be "prove[n]" we chose to leave God's presence and come down to a lower realm in which Satan could tempt us.
3. The Angels -- We would not be left helpless, though, as God would send messengers to teach us His ways and administer covenants. 
4. The Fruit (of heeding the voice of angels) -- These messengers would have power over the devil and the knowledge we need to overcome the fallen realm and progress back to God. When we use our agency to choose to bind ourselves to God (through covenanting to obey His commandments), we receive power to bind Satan and can no longer be enticed by his deceitful snares.
5. The Eternal Reward -- "Heed[ing] the word" leads us to knowledge of the mysteries of God and eternal bliss. 

That "lower realm" can be referred to as the telestial kingdom, or the world in which we now live. It is a world of opposites, filled with contrasting elements of good and evil.

Obligatory reference to "dust"

One subtle but vital scriptural symbol related to this lower kingdom is "dust." We've written extensively on this blog about dust. Stisa connects dust to the telestial kingdom in this post. A broad overview of many scriptural lessons about dust can be found here. There is a beautiful gardening double-metaphor in God's seed (His spirit children) being placed in a world of dust and then being offered the word of God (another type of seed) and invited to test that seed (the invitation itself is a test). The result of the test, if we succeed, is twofold:

1. We are gathered back into God's presence (symbolized by the tree of life).
2. We also grow a tree of life inside our heart as we walk the covenant path. (See Alma 32:41-43.)

A double metaphor that begins with two seeds in a context of dust results (when successful) in a new generation of trees, so to speak. (As an aside, in this context, John 10:27-38 takes on added depth.)

A note about "the two churches"

The tree of life is everlasting (see Alma 32:41), just like the work of those divine messengers who engage in the struggle for souls that is happening in the telestial realm.

7 For the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvelous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other—either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil, of which I have spoken. (1 Nephi 14)

The work is binding and eternal in consequence.  We end up "convinc[ed] ... unto peace and life eternal" -- at one again with God, or "deliver[ed] ... into captivity and destruction."

This is not just about good versus evil, either.  The key feature of the church of the Lamb of God is that they are covered by the everlasting covenant.

Nephi does not equivocate on this point as he writes the words of the angel and what he saw in vision:

8 And it came to pass that when the angel had spoken these words, he said unto me: Rememberest thou the covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel? I said unto him, Yea.
9 And it came to pass that he said unto me: Look, and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose founder is the devil.
10 And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth. (1 Nephi 14)

In short, the purpose of mortality is to sift, to sort, and to determine which spirit we each "list to obey." (See Alma 3:26-27.)

Covenants define the church of the Lamb of God

In this passage, Nephi makes it abundantly clear that anyone who does not belong to the church of the Lamb of God belongs by default to the other church.  In a later verse, he gives us some important distinguishing features of the members of the church of the Lamb of God:

14 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.

Here's a list:

• the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb
• the covenant people of the Lord
• scattered upon all the face of the earth
• they were armed with righteousness
• [they were armed] with the power of God in great glory.

The covenant people of the Lord comprise the church of the Lamb of God. They are defined by their unique commitment to heed the voice of God through covenant-making and covenant-keeping and to ignore all of the other voices of the world.

Summary

In the coming weeks, I'll provide examples of each of the points above from the Book of Mormon.  This temple pattern is undeniably reflected in the worldview of its authors, although I can't come up with a naturalistic explanation for how 23 year-old Joseph Smith could have had this temple/covenant worldview so clearly defined so early in the process of the restoration.

What does it mean to be stiffnecked?

Stiffnecked is a term used quite frequently in the Book of Mormon. Where does it come from and what does it mean? According to the Lexham Bible dictionary.

An idiom based on a farm animal stiffening its neck to refuse the yoke (Exod 32:9, 33:3, 33:5, 34:9; 2 Chr 30:8, 36:13; Neh 9:16–29; Prov 29:1; Jer 7:26, 17:23, 19:15). For the people of Israel, bearing the yoke was living in obedience to the covenant; stiffening the neck against the yoke was disobedience. The idiom seems to be used first after the incident with the golden calf (Exod 32:9). Stephen compares the Jewish leaders who resisted the Holy Spirit in his day with the “stiff-necked” of Israel (Acts 7:51).

 As the quote states, Exodus 32:9 is the first time we encounter the term in the scriptures.

9 And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people

The setting here is Moses on Mount Sinai speaking with the Lord. He is about to give the Israelites his law, but in the meantime they make a golden calf to worship instead. From then on, this expression is used several times in Exodus and Deuteronomy, where the Mosaic covenant is established and reiterated.

Jehovah wants to be their God and lead them (as symbolized by the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night). Their stiffneckedness is used to describe how they are set in their own wicked ways and are not willing to hearken or be led, like a stubborn ox. Even when this expression is used on a few occasions later in the Bible, it is often with reference to the stubborn Israelites. In Jeremiah 7, for instance:

22 Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.

23 But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.

As the Lexham Bible Dictionary states, Stephen in Acts 7 also talks about the Israelites of old and refers to them when calling the Jewish leaders of his day stiffnecked. 

Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. (Acts 7:51)

As usual, I have been interested in seeing how this understanding and context of the term fits its use in the Book of Mormon. I first started reflecting on this reading Jarom 1:4

And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith.

Notice how it compares with the other quoted verse from Acts in relation to the Holy Ghost.

Frequently, the word "stiffnecked" in the Book of Mormon is used together with a hardened heart. I will not quote all the examples but references include Jacob 6:4, Alma 9:5, 2 Nephi 25:12 among others. Interestingly, the idea of a hard heart also originates from Exodus and is used there far more than any other book in the Bible. First it is Pharaoh who repeatedly hardens his heart, but eventually the Israelites do not "enter into His rest" because of their hardened hearts. After studying this, I believe that stiffnecked and hardhearted are allusions to a covenant people of old who failed to keep their part of the covenant. Sometimes it is stated directly, like in Jacob 4:14

But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand.

as well as Jacob 6:4, Mosiah 3:14 and Mosiah 13:29.

But it is also used as a description of a contemporary people, and I believe by using the term they are being compared with the Israelites of old. As mentioned, it is used as a description of a people who stubbornly pursue their own wicked ways instead of being guided by God when He offers his covenant. The Book of Helaman provides several examples:

But Nephi said unto them: O ye fools, ye uncircumcised of heart, ye blind, and ye stiffnecked people, do ye know how long the Lord your God will suffer you that ye shall go on in this your way of sin? (Helaman 9:21)

Yea, and this was not all; they were a stiffnecked people, insomuch that they could not be governed by the law nor justice, save it were to their destruction. (Helaman 5:3) 

O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and ye stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that the Lord will suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be led by foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light? (Helaman 13:29)

Yea, they began to remember the prophecies of Alma, and also the words of Mosiah; and they saw that they had been a stiffnecked people, and that they had set at naught the commandments of God (Helaman 4:21)

 

A description of "knowledge" in 1 Nephi 15:14

Repetition can be a very powerful literary device.  Nephi's words to his brothers struck me as I recently read them.  In responding to their questions about the words of their father, Nephi explains what he has learned through his study and through revelation:

14 And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord; and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved. (1 Nephi 15)

Notice that "know" or "knowledge" appears six times in this verse.  Here is a list of the items Nephi says the remnant of their seed would come to know in the latter days:

• that they are of the house of Israel
• that they are the covenant people of the Lord
• the knowledge of their forefathers
• the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer
• the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine
• how to come unto him and be saved

What a powerful summary of the key things each of us must come to know for ourselves! 

According to Nephi, this knowledge would come as a result of "the fulness of the Gentiles" in "the latter days." In other words, as a result of the restoration of the Gospel through the Gentiles. This blessing of the restoration is not only to benefit the remnant of the Lehites, but for the the entire world:

18 Wherefore, our father hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. (1 Nephi 15)

I love this connection back to the Abrahamic covenant. I've already pointed out a connection between Nephi's opening description of himself and Abraham here.  Stisa has posted a great overview of the Abrahamic covenant in the Book of Mormon here, here and here.

In this same sermon, Nephi reminds his brothers how we are to come to this knowledge:

If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you. (1 Nephi 15:11)

Physical and spiritual healing

I love Lord Wilmore's idea of miracles being physical miracles in their own right, but also symbols of the greatest miracle of all: The salvation through Christ and covenants and the ministry of angels.

One type of miracle that we read about frequently in the scriptures is healing from sickness. It is very often connected with one or several senses: Restoring eyesight or the ability to hear or speak, for instance. Reflecting on this, I have found multiple scriptures supporting the view that accounts of physical healing also point to the spiritual healing offered by Christ. Here are some examples:

The gospel of John

In John chapter 9, Jesus heals a man that was born blind and restores his sight. He also says in verse 5:

I am the light of the world.

In John chapter 11, Jesus raises Lasarus from the dead. In verse 25, he says:

I am the resurrection, and the life

Obviously, these statements mean something more than the literal, physical implication. Jesus is performing miracles to help someone in need but at the same time he point us to the greatest miracle of all that can help all mankind.

Isaiah 6

This is the chapter describing the calling of the prophet Isaiah. In verse 9 and 10, God gives Isaiah the following instructions:

9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Much poetry in Isaiah as usual. A parallelism in verse 9 and chiasmus in verse 10, seen by the reversed order of the colored words. The colored words are recurring key elements as we shall soon see. Healing is often linked to eyes, ears and heart. John 9 in the example above deals with one of them, eyes/vision.

Obviously, Isaiah is using symbols and not talking about a literal healing of senses. But using the physical senses as symbols we see how the physical and spiritual healing go hand in hand. In fact, John 12, the chapter after the last one quoted above, quotes this passage from Isaiah arguing that it was fulfilled when the people saw Jesus' miracles and still didn't believe. (See John 12:37-40). So when people saw Jesus heal the blind, for instance, they still didn't believe, implying that they "shut their (spiritual) eyes" as Isaiah prophecied - a reversal of the very act that Jesus performed when he opened the eyes of the blind man. 

This Isaiah passage is quoted no less than three times in the New Testament. Gileadi's comment to these verses:

The verb “go” denotes Jehovah’s actual commission of Isaiah as his prophet. The terms “these people” or “this people” (ha‘am hazzeh), however, reflect the people’s repudiation of their covenant relationship with Jehovah that is commonly expressed by the possessive “my people” (‘ammi). When they grow alienated, they see things their way, not his (Isaiah 55:8-9). Hence the words, “Go on hearing, but not understanding; Go on seeing, but not perceiving.” As Jehovah forewarns, a wayward people’s typical response when a prophet appeals to them to repent is to harden their hearts and dull their senses.

Although Isaiah’s role as a hardener of his people’s hearts seals upon them Jehovah’s condemnation, there exists a redeeming side to his prophetic ministry. “Seeing” with the eyes, “hearing” with the ears, “understanding” in the heart, and “repenting” at the same time constitutes Jehovah’s formula for “healing” or salvation. A remnant of Jehovah’s people—a “holy offspring” comprised of those who repent (v 13)—thus survives destruction in his Day of Judgment. Typifying them are Isaiah’s disciples, for whom Jehovah provides sanctuary at the time others suffer covenant curses (Isaiah 8:13-17).

King Benjamin

In the very beginning of his speech to the people, King Benjamin has a special request to the crowd

My brethren, all ye that have assembled yourselves together, you that can hear my words which I shall speak unto you this day; for I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view. (Mosiah 2:9)

In the next chapter, King Benjamin speaks of Christ's coming to earth

5 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.
6 And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men. (Mosiah 3:5-6)

This is another example of senses used in a spiritual sense and a physcial sense. The physical healing is also symbol of spiritual healing and just a few verses later

And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men (Mosiah 3:9)

Jesus in America

My final example is also mentioning physical and spiritual healing in two successive chapters. When Jesus says "now I go unto the father" in 3 Nephi 17:4, the people wants him to stay a bit longer and he does. He asks:

Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy. (3 Nephi 17:7)

The people bring their sick and afflicted to Jesus and he heals them. In the next chapter, Jesus says:

Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your synagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them. (3 Nephi 18:32)

Jesus repeats "I will/shall heal them" but this time it is about spiritual healing and salvation. A few verses later he also repeats "now I go unto the father" (3 Nephi 18:35) and this time he does. Demonstrating his healing power was one of the things that he wanted to do before leaving. 

The Great Healer, Jesus Christ, touched some people with his physical healing 2000 years ago both in Palestine and America. But if that were the whole point, he really didn't reach out to many of Heavenly Father's children. However, the point is to reach the whole world, all mankind, with healing power that the physical miracles merely foreshadowed. When we walk the covenant path, we need ears to hear, eyes to see and a soft heart. Whatever we lack, we can come unto Him and be healed. His great spiritual healing power reaches you and me today.