Apocryphal supplement -- The Sent Ones

This is related to my previous post. Here is more from Hugh Nibley, who has read a ton of apocryphal literature, taken a lot of notes and sharing some of that in the book, "Temple and Cosmos". 

There is the doctrine of the "Sent One" - somebody who is sent. Recently, a great deal of attention is being paid to this doctrine of the "Sent One". Geo Widengren, a Swede, has written a book on the subject of "The One Who Is Sent" - the one who is sent from one world to another with a message and instructions. In fact, the word apostle means "sent one". Instead of personally intervening by direct methods into the affairs of men, God sends his agents to act for him. The purpose of the Sent Ones, all agree, is to help the struggling lower creatures out, by instructing them in what they have to do to survive here and hereafter, and where necessary to show them how to go about following instructions. Their great work is, this, to uplift and to give help to those beneath them. The greatest of the Sent Ones is, of course, the Savior himself. "The Lord brings earth up to Heaven," as 1 Jeu says. 

Nibley goes on to say

In the vast majority of accounts, it is three Sent Ones who instruct Adam. There is no conflict, since the Sent Ones are many. They come whenever they are needed. Indeed, according to sources, Adam himself was one of the three great Sent Ones who created the world in the beginning.

We get some obvious temple vibes from this. It is also interesting to note that Adam, who was instructed by Sent Ones also became one himself. This is another example of High Nibley's findings in the apocrypha supporting and supplementing topics that have been discussed on this blog before. It is a topic that has come up frequently in Lord Wilmore's posts. In fact, there are too many to link to but here and here are two examples. More from Nibley on this:

The reason it is so often the Adam of Light, the premortal Adam, who is sent to help suffering humanity (he's our great helper), is that he, as our first Father, was himself thus helped in the beginning

The apocryphal literature apparently uses Adam a lot but this is a general scriptural pattern. Those who have been awakened/helped/instructed/lifted are assigned to help others, whether angels or men. The word malak (Hebrew for messenger) covers both. Here is a quote from another apocryphal source, the Gospel of Truth:

Whoever has this knowledge is a being from on high. When he is called, he hears, answers, and turns toward him who calls and reascends to him. He knows when he is called; he knows whence he has come, and where he is going. He has turned many from error and proceeded unto places which belong to them, but from which they have strayed. Joy to the man who has discovered himself, awakened, and has helped others to wake up.

The last sentence is what I quoted at the end of my previous post as it also addresses the related deep sleep and awakening pattern. King Benjamin is a good example of this pattern. In Mosiah 3, an angel awakens him and instructs him

2 And the things which I shall tell you are made known unto me by an angel from God. And he said unto me: Awake; and I awoke, and behold he stood before me.

3 And he said unto me: Awake, and hear the words which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come to declare unto you the glad tidings of great joy. (Mosiah 3)

The rest of chapter 3 is the message from the angel about the coming of Christ. But this message is not just for king Benjamin. As he has been instructed, he is to instruct his people. In Mosiah 4 we read about their reaction

3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.

4 And king Benjamin again opened his mouth and began to speak unto them, saying: My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you.

5 For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state (Mosiah 4)

Why would I link king Benjamin to an angel of God with my color coding? Because he has taken that role of malak. The king was awakened by an angel, asked to hear his words and prepared for a message of joy. Afterwards, the king likewise instructs the people, and they are filled with joy and awakened too. King Benjamin hears the words of the Sent One and becomes a Sent One.

Alma the younger is another good example. He was so struck by the message of the angel that he fell to the earth and could not use his limb or open his mouth, another version of the deep sleep. His father gathers the other priests to fast and pray for him

And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the space of two days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength, and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good comfort: (Mosiah 27:23)

Alma and the Sons of Mosiah immediately start to function in their new role

32 And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them, traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them...

37 And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth. (Mosiah 27)

I find the Isaiah quote in verse 37 interesting. It is paraphrasing Isaiah 52:7 about the beautiful feet on the mountain. This is where they now figuratively stand in their new role as malak. Later in Alma 27:4, they are compared to angels by the people that they have been sent to instruct. This pattern is nothing new for long-time readers of this blog, but it is neat to see how this is supported and expanded upon even in the apocrypha.

Apocryphal supplement -- The deep sleep of Adam and Abram

This might turn into a series of posts demonstrating how some of the doctrines and symbols previously discussed on this blog are found in the apocrypha. I am well aware that they are not included in our standard works for a reason. Origins are often unknown or questionable. But at least they reflect religious thinking at the time they were written, and if not directly inspired, they may be based on other inspired writings or teachings that have later become lost. 

I know little about apocryphal literature myself, but fortunately I have Hugh Nibley to help. I am currently reading "Temple and Cosmos", a collection of works where he demonstrates how our doctrine and temple worship is a restoration of partly lost ancient religious ideas. Several of the topics that Hugh Nibley brings up have also been brought up on this blog before. 

In this post, I will focus on the topic discussed in this previous post on the deep sleep of Adam and Abram. This is not even one of the main topics that Hugh Nibley focuses on, but it comes up several times in his quotes from the apocrypha. I have marked the paragraphs that mention this to see how they fit with the thoughts already shared in that previous post and if they can shed any new light on the topic. I simply don't have the possibility to check all of Nibley's sources. Most of them are not available online for free and I don't have those referenced books. So I'm mostly going to quote Nibley, who in turn is quoting or summarizing apocryphal sources. Normally I like to check sources regardless of who brings them up, but I'm going to have to trust Nibley here, and I don't have any problems with that. 

As outlined in the linked post, both Adam and Abram (before becoming Abraham) experience a deep sleep. These events seem to be related as they both wake up to a covenant in a sense. Otherwise there are few details in the scriptural accounts, but the apocryphal literature adds more and verifies this connection. 

“After the physical Adam was created”, says the new apocryphal Book of John, “a messenger was sent to the head of all creations, Adam, and at his call Adam awoke"

According to the Apocalypse of Adam, Adam was awakened from a deep sleep by three men from on high, who said to him, “Adam arise and hear the teachings of the Savior.” (Apocalypse of Adam 65:26-66:8 in NHLE 257)

These two sources repeat most of what we know from the Bible already, except that there are messengers waking him up. But here is one more detail:

When Adam was created, he was found in a deep sleep, from which he was awakened by a helper, who forthwith began to instruct him. (From the Ginza) 

The helper is not to be confused with the help meet for him, Eve. This is a messenger who woke Adam up, after which he gave him instructions. Here we also see the link to Abraham:

The “Adam incident” is repeated in the case of Abraham, who took a trip to heaven, to the stars, end when his spirit came back to his body, he awoke as if from sleep or a daze. After he had first spoken with the Lord, he fell to earth, for his spirit had left his body, which “became as a stone”. “Then the angel who had been sent to me took me by the right hand and said, ‘Abraham, awake and arise! I have been sent to you to strengthen you and bless you in the name of the Creator.’ “ Then the angel instructed him. (Apocalypse of Abraham 10:2-6 in OTP 6:693-94)

In both cases, there is an awakening by a messenger and then instruction. Nibley comments:

And in the Apocalypse of Abraham, Abraham is awakened by the Sent Ones, and their instructions to him and the ordinances exactly parallel those of Adam.

What did these instructions consist of? Here is another paragraph that also mentions the sleep and awakening. It gives us more about the sleep and less about the subsequent events but mentions ordinances after the awakening

Adam, you recall, had lost memory of his former existence. “I have caused a sleep to come over Adam,” says the Abbaton (a significant early writing of the apostles), “and a forgetting. Adam’s sleep was the putting of a veil between him and his former knowledge. It enveloped him like a garment, and , while his memory was shut off by it, his epinoia (intelligence) retained its force. He remained smart, but he forgot everything. In fact, during the episode of the creation, Eve was made (not from a literal rib, according to this source) while Adam was in sort of a drugged stupor, his mind separated by a veil from what was really going on. He is aroused, then, and taught ordinances.

In my previous post that I linked, I speculate about the awakening relating to covenants and more specifically the marriage covenant. Marriage is not mentioned here but Nibley's sources place Adam and Eve together in a set of ordinances. This is very interesting:

The Berlin Papyrus says that at their new birth, Adam and Eve received the seals and the tokens. As Adam stood praying and supplicating, God sent someone who came and gave him a greeting of peace (shalom), embraced him, and preached the gospel to him. The helper came and awakened the Lord of Mysteries, who is Adam. For Adam went though all the ordinances, including baptism, washings, and anointings, says the Mandaean Prayerbook. According to the Ginza, the Lord and two companions taught Adam and Eve all the ordinances and blessed them.

So what does this all mean? In the Old Testament, both Adam and Abraham fall into a deep sleep. Several apocryphal texts describe similar events for both Adam and Abraham, where they sleep, are awakened by one or more messengers, followed by instructions and ordinances. We can only speculate, but at least it should be considered a possibility that these apocryphal texts are describing ancient traditions that contain a fuller account of these events. They imply that the gospel and priesthood ordinances represent an awakening or spiritual rebirth. 

I close with a more general comment about sleep from one of Nibley's sources, the Gospel of Truth, a Gnostic work found in the Nag Hammadi codices.

Joy to the man who has discovered himself, awakened, and has helped others to wake up (Gospel of Truth 22:2-12)

In light of the instructions and ordinances after the awakening, I find it interesting that it is connected to the concept of discovering oneself. To be awakened and then to wake up others ties to other previous themes on this blog and is a segue into my next post.

Gold and the Two Ways -- part 5 (Conclusion)

This is the conclusion of a series of posts about Gold and treasure in the scriptures and how they are used in connection with the doctrine of the Two Ways. Here is an overview and summary of each part with links:

Part 1 -- We begin with an introduction to the concept and a few key examples demonstrating how multiple bible authors speak of God's hidden wisdom as more precious than gold or treasure. 

Part 2 -- In this part we cover examples from the Old Testament and the Book of Moses. The Tabernacle was to be built of gold and treasure given "willingly with [the] heart" (Exodus 25:2, NRSV). One great sin of Israel involves adorning themselves in gold and treasure and holding the necks high (and stubbornly) rather than caring for the poor. Ironically, the gold they begin to worship corrupts them and transforms God's precious chosen people into "earthen pots" (Lamentations 4:2, NRSV)

Part 3 -- This post covers references to gold/riches in the New Testament.  Particular attention is given to how often Jesus speaks of treasure as a potential barrier to spiritual progress. In addition, James 5:1-4 alludes directly to the story of Cain, indicating this is an ancient metaphor/teaching. This post concludes with 1 Corinthians 3:10-16, which discusses a "testing by fire" which will happen at the day of judgment to see what kind of temple each individual has built upon the foundation that is Jesus Christ.

Part 4a -- This post covers references to gold and treasures in the Book of Mormon. We see that wealth is mentioned quite frequently in the context of pride and wickedness.

Part 4b -- This post discusses a closely related covenant symbol of "slippery treasure" and lays out how this curse connects not only to the covenant people's righteousness (regarding how they handle and esteem their riches), but also to a much older doctrine regarding the corrupting "sins of the fallen angels" as taught in the Book of Enoch. The Book of Mormon makes direct reference to demons and angels of Satan in relation to the curse of slippery treasures.

Part 5 -- This post (see below) will attempt to tie this all together and connect several important and powerful metaphors about mortality and the day of judgment 

Dross versus gold at the Day of Judgment

As noted in the previous sections above, several scriptures refer to a test by fire at the day of judgment. This metaphor is referenced in many different ways. Ezekiel 22 offers one particularly stark example. As the Lord is condemning Israel for rebellion, we get this metaphor:

17 The word of the Lord came to me: 18 Mortal, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them, silver, bronze, tin, iron, and lead. In the smelter they have become dross. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As one gathers silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into a smelter, to blow the fire upon them in order to melt them; so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you. 21 I will gather you and blow upon you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted within it. 22 As silver is melted in a smelter, so you shall be melted in it; and you shall know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath upon you. (Ezekiel 22, NRSV)

Book of Enoch references

I won't attempt to list every reference in the Book of Enoch on this topic. I may address these in more depth in a future post, but for now it seems sufficient to offer a few of the clearest examples from the Book of Enoch.

The sins of the fallen angels relating to metal working and treasure can be found in 1 Enoch 8. The bigger context is very interesting, but will have to wait for a different post to keep this one from being way too long.

[Chapter 8]

¹ And Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments ... ² ... And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they ³ were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. ... And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven . . . (source)

Later in the book, as Enoch is seeing visions of the fate of the earth, his eyes "saw all the secret things of heaven that shall be, a mountain of iron, and a mountain of copper, and a mountain of silver, and a mountain of gold, and a mountain of soft metal, and a mountain of lead. " (1 Enoch 52:2)  Enoch asks his angelic escort what the meaning of this vision is, and eventually receives this answer:

6 And these mountains which thine eyes have seen, The mountain of iron, and the mountain of copper, and the mountain of silver, And the mountain of gold, and the mountain of soft metal, and the mountain of lead, All these shall be in the presence of the Elect One As wax: before the fire, And like the water which streams down from above [upon those mountains], And they shall become powerless before his feet. 7 And it shall come to pass in those days that none shall be saved, Either by gold or by silver, And none be able to escape. 8 And there shall be no iron for war, Nor shall one clothe oneself with a breastplate. Bronze shall be of no service, And tin [shall be of no service and] shall not be esteemed, And lead shall not be desired. 9 And all these things shall be [denied and] destroyed from the surface of the earth, When the Elect One shall appear before the face of the Lord of Spirits.' (1 Enoch 52)

Even a mountain of gold will be meaningless at the day of judgment.  It will flow away like water in a stream. The vision continues with more explanation about the fate of those kings and rulers who exploited the knowledge of the fallen angels, not to mention the fallen angels themselves:

[Chapter 54]

¹ And I looked and turned to another part of the earth, and saw there a deep valley with burning ² fire. And they brought the kings and the mighty, and began to cast them into this deep valley. ³ And there mine eyes saw how they made these their instruments, iron chains of immeasurable weight. ⁴ And I asked the angel of peace who went with me, saying: ' For whom are these chains being prepared ? ' And he said unto me: ' These are being prepared for the hosts of Azazel, so that they may take them and cast them into the abyss of complete condemnation, and they shall cover their jaws with rough stones as the Lord of Spirits commanded. ⁶ And Michael, and Gabriel, and Raphael, and Phanuel shall take hold of them on that great day, and cast them on that day into the burning furnace, that the Lord of Spirits may take vengeance on them for their unrighteousness in becoming subject to Satan and leading astray those who dwell on the earth.' (1 Enoch 54)

This imagery falls right in line with the symbols we've been discussing from the scriptures.

If mortality is a test of our mettle (pun intended), to see if we will serve God or seek treasure, then it stands to reason that the day of judgment metaphor will exalt those who have not set their hearts on riches in mortality (they become gold in this metaphor) and those who have set their heart on gold in mortality will find their riches slipping away from them in the day of judgment (they are dross in this metaphor).  It is a grand reversal -- the lofty and haughty shall be abased and the humble shall be exalted. A king who used a knowledge of metal working to oppress his people and wage war will be cast into a fiery pit as one might do with dross.

It occurs to me that the metaphor of this purity test by fire at the day of judgment described in multiple scriptures and in the Book of Enoch may be a direct reference to this ancient metaphor. See 2 Nephi 9:16, 19, 26; Jacob 3:11; Jacob 6:10; Mosiah 3:27; etc.

Conclusion

These deep and seemingly ancient purification metaphors/doctrines related to gold and other treasure offer us a wonderful and sweeping view of God's plan for His children.  To realize our divine destiny, we must be able to overcome the short-term temptations which stem from the sins of the fallen angels. We must see ourselves as gold, not dross, and seek for God's hidden wisdom by consecrating our worldly riches for God's purposes. When we do this, as we read in the scriptures and in the apocryphal Book of Enoch, the earth finds harmony with heaven and creation flourishes. This is the way of mercy, made possible by Jesus Christ, and is the only way we can withstand the day of judgment.

We can tie all of these symbols together by reading Joseph Smith's words to the saints from 1842, found in Doctrine & Covenants 128:

23 Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!

24 Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation. (D&C 128)

Gold and the Two Ways -- part 4b

In this post, we take a detour from our main point, which is that gold and riches are often used in the scriptures to underscore the doctrine of the Two Ways. We'll divert briefly and talk about the related concept of "slippery treasure." I will connect the two concepts by way of a very ancient apocryphal teaching that directly connects to the Book of Mormon and our modern temple worship.

Hidden riches become lost

In his sermon to the wicked Nephites, Samuel the Lamanite makes a very specific prophecy, which makes repeated reference to a curse that will come upon them because of covenant rebellion:

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.
22 Ye do not remember the Lord your God in the things with which he hath blessed you, but ye do always remember your riches, not to thank the Lord your God for them; yea, your hearts are not drawn out unto the Lord, but they do swell with great pride, unto boasting, and unto great swelling, envyings, strifes, malice, persecutions, and murders, and all manner of iniquities.
23 For this cause hath the Lord God caused that a curse should come upon the land, and also upon your riches, and this because of your iniquities.
24 Yea, wo unto this people, because of this time which has arrived, that ye do cast out the prophets, and do mock them, and cast stones at them, and do slay them, and do all manner of iniquity unto them, even as they did of old time. (Helaman 13)

The end of verse 24 grabs my attention. Which people "of old time" is Samuel referencing? 

I've spent some time thinking about this curse. Slippery treasure? It's strange. So strange that I assume it is extremely old. This curse seems to serve as one final stark reminder that the covenant has been broken and the covenant people are almost completely ripe for destruction. It screams to the wicked: "Your false gods will not save you!"

The curse applies to more than just gold and silver.  Samuel goes on to mention how the curse applies to "tools" and "swords" (see Helaman 13:34). 

This aspect of the curse directly connects to the concept to a fascinating doctrine from the Book of Enoch, the "sins of the fallen angels." Though apocryphal, it is worth studying in some depth (if you ask me). You might be thinking that this has no place in a faithful discussion of the Book of Mormon, but you would be wrong. :)  Samuel makes direct reference to "demons" and "the angels of him who hath sought to destroy our souls" (see Helaman 13:37). The fact that he connects these demonic angels to the curse of slippery treasure, including tools and swords, is very interesting, because it aligns with the precise context of the Enoch tradition.

The Sins of the Fallen Angels

Before we get to that, let's step back and take a closer look that the precise nature of the curse -- why it is given and to whom/what it applies. The "slippery treasure curse" offers us a deeply symbolic warning, a stark reminder that false gods cannot save us. This is 

There is one point in Samuel's words that really stands out to me:

21 ... 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) 

The curse applies both to the covenant people and their riches.  It has two specific causes:

1) The people have set their hearts upon their riches, and

2) The people have not hearkened unto God's word.

Compare this to Jacob's warning about riches in 2 Nephi 9:

30 But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their god. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also.

God's covenant people, who definitely ought to know better, have replaced the true and living God with their riches -- a false god of their own making. As a result, both the people and their treasure are cursed. This connects quite clearly with "the sins of the fallen angels." In a 2004 essay titled "Wisdom and the Stewardship of Knowledge," Margaret Barker describes this particularly insidious type of sin, which according to the Book of Enoch were originally taught to man by a group of angels who "bound themselves in a counter-covenant and came to earth ... in this state of rebellion against the Most High God":

The mysterious Wisdom had something to do with spiritual vision, with the human mind, and with knowledge. The harmony of the world was closely connected to her way of perceiving the world, since she joined all things together. What Wisdom gave was not just knowledge and information; it was an attitude to knowledge and information such that the world was in harmony. Conversely, the fragmentation of the world was also due to human perception, to knowledge and how it was used, and the fundamental breach, as we shall see, was the separation of knowledge from the Source of knowledge. Today this is called secular knowledge, but the Enoch tradition recognised it as demonic, the teaching of fallen angels. So should we speak of destructive fragmentation or of post- modern freedom? Of one truth or many? It was and is a matter of perception, and a matter of choice. It is the question of the stewardship of knowledge. (pp. 2-3)

In the case of riches, separating knowledge from the "Source of knowledge" involves convincing us to choose riches over God. Rather than using our material goods to bless and lift our brothers and sisters and build up God's kingdom on the earth, thereby bringing about His purposes (as we have covenanted to do), we see the riches themselves as the path to happiness and set our hearts upon them. It's a subtle perversion with potentially devastating consequences. In the end, the riches we have worshipped transform into chains and we are dragged down to the gulf of misery. Truly demonic!

According to the Book of Enoch tradition, the sins of the fallen angels included a set of very specific secular knowledge (see Barker, p. 12). Metal working is perhaps foremost among these sins, including refining precious metals, constructing weapons, and of course creating tools needed for both. (Picture Satan rebelling against God and promising to use the treasure of the earth to thwart God's plans by making war, tyrants, false priests, and general chaos.)

So this makes Samuel's prophecy all the more intriguing, doesn't it?  Shortly after referencing "they of old time" who rejected the prophets, he declares that the riches, swords, and tools of the covenant-breaking Nephites will disappear and they will be "surrounded by demons." 

34 Behold, we lay a tool here and on the morrow it is gone; and behold, our swords are taken from us in the day we have sought them for battle.
35 Yea, we have hid up our treasures and they have slipped away from us, because of the curse of the land.
36 O that we had repented in the day that the word of the Lord came unto us; for behold the land is cursed, and all things are become slippery, and we cannot hold them.
37 Behold, we are surrounded by demons, yea, we are encircled about by the angels of him who hath sought to destroy our souls. Behold, our iniquities are great. O Lord, canst thou not turn away thine anger from us? And this shall be your language in those days. (Helaman 13)

I'll come back to this concept in one final post in this series that will attempt to summarize what has come out of this study. In the day of judgment, fire will be used to test what we have built up unto God on the foundation that is Jesus Christ. Will our offering pass that test of fire?

Another note about treasure from the ground

There is one additional point to make about this concept of hidden treasure from the ground, this time in a positive context. Moroni, who as the last surviving Nephite certainly understood the devastating consequences of covenant rebellion, hid up the record he and his father had carefully created. He most certainly hid it up unto the Lord, and later instructed the boy Joseph Smith to uncover this hidden treasure and flood the earth with its message.

Recall the specific instructions given my Moroni to Joseph:

I beheld the same messenger at my bedside, and heard him rehearse or repeat over again to me the same things as before; and added a caution to me, telling me that Satan would try to tempt me (in consequence of the indigent circumstances of my father’s family), to get the plates for the purpose of getting rich. This he forbade me, saying that I must have no other object in view in getting the plates but to glorify God, and must not be influenced by any other motive than that of building his kingdom; otherwise I could not get them. (Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith)

This Nephite record was made on plates of precious metal as an offering to God. Jacob knew that "whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away" (Jacob 4:2). King Benjamin taught that these words would "stand as a bright witness ... at the judgment day (see Mosiah 3:24). Alma-2 taught that these words "should be kept and handed down from one generation to another, and be kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord until they should go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, that they shall know of the mysteries contained thereon" (Alma 37:4).

Having received the record, we each have an opportunity to learn the lesson that eluded the Nephites and led to their destruction. We can escape the clutches of the demons and fallen angels spoken of by Samuel and learn to esteem the wisdom of God above the treasures of the earth.

"Before the foundation of the world" in the Book of Enoch

One very important aspect of the plan of salvation is that it was prepared from the beginning, before the foundation of the world. Recently I've begun to appreciate how significant this doctrine really is. The great plan of redemption is not a backup plan, it is the plan. The entire purpose of creation centers around this plan.

This truth is taught plainly in the Book of Mormon.

King Benjamin taught it:

6 I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—
7 I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world. (Mosiah 4)

Alma-1 referenced it in his baptismal prayer:

13 And when he had said these words, the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he said: Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the foundation of the world. (Mosiah 18)

Alma-2 taught it:

25 Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no resurrection of the dead; but there was a plan of redemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, of which has been spoken.
...
30 And they began from that time forth to call on his name; therefore God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the foundation of the world; and this he made known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their holy works. (Alma 12)

There are other examples, too.

In the Book of Enoch, we get a description of Enoch's vision of "the Son of Man" being prepared before the foundation of the world to be "a fountain of righteousness" and "the light of nations."

1. In that place I beheld a fountain of righteousness, which never failed, encircled by many springs of wisdom. Of these all the thirsty drank, and were filled with wisdom, having their habitation with the righteous, the elect, and the holy.
2. In that hour was this Son of man invoked before the Lord of spirits, and his name in the presence of the Ancient of days.
3. Before the sun and the signs were created, before the stars of heaven were formed, his name was invoked in the presence of the Lord of spirits. A support shall he be for the righteous and the holy to lean upon, without falling; and he shall be the light of nations.
4. He shall be the hope of those whose hearts are troubled. All, who dwell on earth, shall fall down and worship before him; shall bless and glorify him, and sing praises to the name of the Lord of spirits.
5. Therefore the Elect and the Concealed One existed in his presence, before the world was created, and for ever. (1 Enoch 48)

Here we have yet another connection between the Book of Enoch and the Book of Mormon, supporting the idea that some version of this text was present on the Brass Plates, and that the priesthood tradition of the Nephites more closely followed the High Priest/prophetic tradition than the Deuteronomic tradition we find in the Old Testament.