Tag: Ether 4
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“Blindness of mind” and “rending the veil of unbelief”
The ideas I’ll cover in this post have been simmering in my head for quite some time. I occasionally have thoughts while studying the scriptures that I instantly recognize as significant, but which take weeks or months to develop into ideas I can actually write down. This is an example of that. “Blindness of Mind” This curious…
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The Lord’s “bare arm” and His “instrument of human working”
21 And now it came to pass that when Alma had said these words unto them, he stretched forth his hand unto them and cried with a mighty voice, saying: Now is the time to repent, for the day of salvation draweth nigh;22 Yea, and the voice of the Lord, by the mouth of angels, doth declare it unto all nations;…
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"and they became a sign"
Today’s post will outline an interesting new idea I recently had about this promise in Isaiah: 26 ¶ And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth… (Isaiah 5) I’ve always thought of this “ensign” as a positive thing — a banner or a beacon to which the honest…
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Subtle evidence that the latter-day Gentiles are meant to be a covenant people
32Â (And these are the words which I spake unto my servant Moses, and they are true even as I will; and I have spoken them unto you. See thou show them unto no man, until I command you, except to them that believe. Amen.) (Moses 4) As I finished up my most recent three part…
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Covenant as messenger — "[God's] strong reasoning" (Part 2 of 4)
This post is a continuation of this post, in which I looked at the description of the covenant as the messenger before God’s face as noted in Doctrine & Covenants 45. In part 2, we’ll look at the first of three phrases from Section 45 which describes how the covenant helps prepare a Zion people:…
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The power of the name — Part 1
There are multiple posts on this blog (too many to link) discussing the power of \”the word\”. It is clear from the scriptures that the word is much more than a string of letters. It is the means of creation and salvation. It is quick and powerful and sharper than a double edged sword. It…
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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…
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A Christmas metaphor for Ether 4:13-15
It just so happened that Christmas came just as I have been contemplating one of my favorite passages in the Book of Mormon, found in Ether 4:13-15. One of our family traditions is to make sure there is an unwrapped gift from Santa near the tree for each of the little children to find on…
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Heart and mind
I was actually studying and reflecting on the contrast between faith and reason. I might still post about that soon, but I got distracted when I learned something new. First I searched for the verses including both \”heart\” and \”mind\” because I thought they reflected this contrast between faith and the intellect. Then I looked…
Book of Mormon Notes 