Tag: Mosiah 4
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The people's response to King Benjamin
Twice in the course of King Benjamin’s sermon, the people respond “with one voice” (see Mosiah 4:2 and Mosiah 5:2). I used to wonder how they could spontaneously just cry out in unison like that when they were so many. I have later learned that it probably was not that spontaneously. We don’t get all…
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Filled — Part 3
In my studies about how \”filled\” is used in the scriptures, I have so far learned The Hebrew root sometimes links this term to an ordinance. It can also mean \”complete\” or \”endowed\”, depending on the context The term is used in the Book of Mormon in the same manner for physical and spiritual nourishment…
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The Office of the Ministry of Angels — Part 2
In yesterday\’s post, we looked at this pattern (found in Moroni 7:31-32): Angels are sent. They call men to repentance. They \”fulfill\” and \”do the work of the covenants\” of the Father. This is accomplished by declaring \”the word of Christ\” … …unto \”chosen vessels of the Lord.\” The chosen vessels bear testimony of Him. By so doing, God…
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Preparing the way from the beginning
Yesterday\’s post about feet and the preparatory gospel got me thinking about the idea of preparation in general. Like so many scriptural terms, \”prepare\” (and the variations on this word) gets used in many interesting ways in the Book of Mormon. I believe we can learn a lot about the plan of salvation in general…
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Crying out to God for mercy (and finding it through Jesus Christ) — Part 1
There is a pattern in the Book of Mormon that shows up repeatedly. I\’m not sure if the writers are intentionally referencing other writers, or not. I\’ll show three examples in this post and then in the next post I\’ll show a few more passages that convince me this is a major Book of Mormon…
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Past, Present, Future — Subtle (and some not-so-subtle) examples
As discussed in my previous post on the topic, one important aspect of the plan of salvation is that it was established before the foundation of the world. One of the many ways this is touched on in the scriptures is through the use of the past/present/future wording. Many such examples can be found in…
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"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…
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"Misery" in the Book of Mormon
Misery is an apt word to describe Satan\’s desire for each and every one of us. To bring about that result, he wants us to have hard hearts and blind minds (As opposed to \”broken hearts\” and \”eyes to see\”). Misery/miserable is found 30 times in the Book of Mormon, notably in 2 Nephi 2,…
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Dust and fruit: Symbolism in the Garden of Eden and beyond
Long post warning! I have been fascinated with symbols and symbolism in the gospel for a long time. Finding meaning in symbols is a great way for me to learn eternal truths. I do realize that others might find different meanings in the same symbols teaching them equally important truths. I don’t think there always…
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The taste of God's love
King Benjamin is using a curious expression in Mosiah 4:11 when he says if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love What does God’s love taste like? I think this is an allusion to the tree that Lehi saw in a dream. The angel explained to Nephi that the fruit represented the…