Tag: Ether

There seems to be no pattern to who reigned in righteousness and who ruled in wickedness. Obviously it is a personal choice rather than a result of outside circumstance.

How long did Jared reign? The answer to that question would shed some insight into the spread of the secret combination. The combination began when Jared desired to rule and began essentially with Akish and his family and friends. Over the course of the reign of Jared the secret combination spread so widely that they…

Two facts stand out to me today in this. First, that when this work comes forth there is a secret combination already at work among us. Second, that secret combinations are always built to destroy freedom.

Shule fought his brother to restore the kingdom to his father and later fought his nephew to retain his own kingdom. He had no lack of challenges despite the fact that he was righteous throughout his life.

I never thought before on the fact that ⅔ of the book of Ether detail the founding of the nation during the lifetime of Jared and the final collapse of the nation during the lifetime of Ether. Another 28 generations pass during the other ⅓ of the record. That should tell us what Ether or…

It seems as though Ether chapter 5 was written directly to Joseph Smith by Moroni. The rest of us can learn some things but Moroni had Joseph in mind as he wrote it.

It continues to amaze me how often the projects in the not of Mormon speak to our day and invite us to partake of the goodness of the Lord and receive the blessings that had been squandered by their people.

How could the brother of Jared know so much and yet think that the Lord would be so vindictive as to kill him for seeing the Lord truly? I would think that while awe would be plentiful if I saw the Lord, I wouldn’t expect Him to smite me.

Moroni makes a point to emphasize that those who are on this land must serve the Lord or face being swept off. This is likely because he used seen the remains of the Jaredites, the demise of the Nephites, and the wickedness of the modern day.

Moroni says that the person who had the plates can get the full account. I wonder if Joseph every sought the full account and if so I wonder if he used that knowledge to inform his actions.