Five witnesses who were liberated

I will start off by giving credit where credit is due. This post is largely based on another blog post where an interesting observation has been made. The blogger's name is Robert Kay and apparently he is both a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and a Jew.

In Helaman 8, Nephi, the son of Helaman, talks to a crowd of Nephites. He testifies of their wickedness and warns them about the judgments that shall come upon them unless they repent. 

And now behold, if God gave unto this man such power, then why should ye dispute among yourselves, and say that he hath given unto me no power whereby I may know concerning the judgments that shall come upon you except ye repent? (Helaman 8:12)

Ironically, Nephi's most outspoken critics were judges by occupation (see Helaman 8:1). Many of the secular judges in Nephite society are members of the Gadianton band of robbers and reject Nephi's message about the judgments of God. "We are the judges around here, no one else". At the end of the chapter, Nephi prophetically informs the people that their chief judge has just been murdered.

In his speech leading up to the culmination of the murdered chief judge, Nephi specifically mentions five prophets after the time of Abraham who testified of the Son of God, our Chief Judge.

19 And now I would that ye should know, that even since the days of Abraham there have been many prophets that have testified these things; yea, behold, the prophet Zenos did testify boldly; for the which he was slain.

20 And behold, also Zenock, and also Ezias, and also Isaiah, and Jeremiah, (Jeremiah being that same prophet who testified of the destruction of Jerusalem) and now we know that Jerusalem was destroyed according to the words of Jeremiah. O then why not the Son of God come, according to his prophecy?

So we have

1. Zenos (who was slain for his bold testimony according to verse 19)
2. Zenock (who was stoned to death according to Alma 33:17)
3. Ezias (probably a prophet from the brass plates that was familiar to the Nephites but unfamiliar to us)
4. Isaiah (whose death is not recorded in the Bible but who was sawn in two under the orders of King Manasseh, according to Jewish tradition)
5. Jeremiah (who was stoned to death according to extrabiblical sources)

Based on what we know about the other four, perhaps it is fair to assume that Ezias was a martyr too, and that Nephi mentions five witnesses of Christ who died for their testimonies?

Here is the interesting observation by Kay: When Nephi announces the death of their chief judge, there are five men who run to the judgement seat to see if Nephi has spoken the truth. When they arrive there and find that the chief judge dead, just as Nephi had prophecied, they fall to the earth in astonishment. They are accused for the murder and imprisoned. However, on the day of the chief judge's burial, they are set free.

And it came to pass that the five were liberated on the day of the burial. Nevertheless, they did rebuke the judges in the words which they had spoken against Nephi, and did contend with them one by one, insomuch that they did confound them. (Helaman 9:18)

There are striking parallels between the five prophets of old and the five men who find the chief judge dead. Perhaps the Nephite record keepers are trying to teach us a deeper lesson. Just like the five men became eye-witnesses of the death of the chief judge and fell to the ground, the five prophets mentioned were witnesses of Christ, our Chief Judge, testified boldly of him and were killed. However, on the day of Christ's burial, they were liberated, just like the other five men:

16 They were assembled awaiting the advent of the Son of God into the spirit world, to declare their redemption from the bands of death.

17 Their sleeping dust was to be restored unto its perfect frame, bone to his bone, and the sinews and the flesh upon them, the spirit and the body to be united never again to be divided, that they might receive a fulness of joy.

18 While this vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful (D&C 138)

Jesus Christ is our liberator and also our chief judge. Those who are converted to Him will be set free, like the five prophets of old and also the five men who ran to the judgement seat.

And there were some of the Nephites who believed on the words of Nephi; and there were some also, who believed because of the testimony of the five, for they had been converted while they were in prison. (Helaman 9:39)

Those who have not converted and have blood on their garments, like the brother of the Nephite chief judge (thanks for pointing that out, Lord Wilmore), will be found guilty. Nephi told the people about the real murderer. He asked them to pay the brother of the chief judge a visit and instructed them specifically:

31 But behold, ye shall examine him, and ye shall find blood upon the skirts of his cloak.

32 And when ye have seen this, ye shall say: From whence cometh this blood? Do we not know that it is the blood of your brother?

33 And then shall he tremble, and shall look pale, even as if death had come upon him.

This all happened just as Nephi had instructed. Similarly, spiritual death shall come upon us if our clothes are stained with blood and have not been washed clean through the atonement of our older brother, Jesus Christ.

22 And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you?

23 Behold will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness?

24 Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white? (Alma 5) 

 This story teaches us who is the true Judge and also who is the true Liberator.