An Introduction to One of the Greatest Chapters in All of Scripture
An Introduction to One of the Greatest Chapters in All of Scripture
Book of Mormon Notes - Monday, June 3, 2024, Ether 12
Who was Ether?
In a previous post, I explored some of the things that we know about the great prophet Ether. In that same post, I asked about the lessons that Moroni drew from Jaredite history and the prophet Ether. The twelfth chapter of Ether helps us to answer these questions in remarkable ways. It is one of the greatest chapters in all of scripture, and one of my favorites.
As a review and a refresher, let me copy and paste a portion of my previous post about the prophet Ether and his book:
What do we know about Ether from the Book of Mormon? Among other things we know that:
He was a prophet in the days of Coriantumr2: Ether 12:1–2
He prophesied great and marvelous things: Ether 12:5
He was rejected: Ether 13:2
He spoke of Jesus Christ and the New Jerusalem: Ether 13:4
He made a record on twenty-four gold plates called the Book of Ether: Ether 1:2, 6
He hid in caves and witnessed the entire destruction of the Jaredites: Ether 13:13–14, 18
He watched, but did not join his people Ether 15:12–13
He called Coriantumr2 to repentance: Ether 13:20–22
His prophesied were fulfilled: Ether 13:21, 24
He recorded his last words: Ether 15:34
He finished and hid his record: Ether 15:33
Coriantumr2 remembered his words: Ether 15:1
What is the Book of Ether? The LDS Guide to the Scriptures contains a helpful summary:
THE BOOK OF ETHER
A book in the Book of Mormon that contains portions of the record of the Jaredites. The Jaredites were a group of people who lived in the western hemisphere many centuries before the people of Lehi. The book of Ether was taken from twenty-four plates found by the people of Limhi (Mosiah 8:8–9).
Chapters 1–2 tell how the Jaredites left their home at the time of the Tower of Babel and began their journey to what is now known as the American continent. Chapters 3–6 explain that the brother of Jared saw the premortal Savior and that the Jaredites traveled in eight barges. Chapters 7–11 continue the history of wickedness that dominated much of Jaredite history. Moroni, who edited Ether’s record, wrote in chapters 12–13 of wonders done by faith and of Christ and a New Jerusalem to come. Chapters 14–15 tell how the Jaredites became a mighty nation but were destroyed by civil war due to wickedness.
Ether was a descendent of the brother of the brother of Jared. In other words, he was a descendent of Jared. If we return to the genealogy of Ether that Moroni provides at the beginning of his abridgment of Ether’s record, we can see how Moroni listed the genealogy of Ether exactly in reverse order, and then used that list as the outline for his abridgment:
And on this wise do I give the account. He that wrote this record was Ether, and he was a descendant of Coriantor.
Coriantor was the son of Moron.
And Moron was the son of Ethem.
And Ethem was the son of Ahah.
And Ahah was the son of Seth.
And Seth was the son of Shiblon.
And Shiblon was the son of Com.
And Com was the son of Coriantum.
And Coriantum was the son of Amnigaddah.
And Amnigaddah was the son of Aaron.
And Aaron was a descendant of Heth, who was the son of Hearthom.
And Hearthom was the son of Lib.
And Lib was the son of Kish.
And Kish was the son of Corom.
And Corom was the son of Levi.
And Levi was the son of Kim.
And Kim was the son of Morianton.
And Morianton was a descendant of Riplakish.
And Riplakish was the son of Shez.
And Shez was the son of Heth.
And Heth was the son of Com.
And Com was the son of Coriantum.
And Coriantum was the son of Emer.
And Emer was the son of Omer.
And Omer was the son of Shule.
And Shule was the son of Kib.
And Kib was the son of Orihah, who was the son of Jared; (Ether 1:6-32)
John W. and Greg Welch created an excellent outline of the chronology of the Jaredite kings referred to in the Book of Ether, their familiar ties to each other, and whether they were righteous, unrighteous, or in captivity all their days (in which case their moral character went unremarked).
One thing that strikes me about this list is that Ether is not only a direct descendent of Jared and the successor in the line of Jaredite kings, but that he somehow managed to become a righteous prophet after a long line of wicked kings. Like Shez, Levi, and Com, Ether broke the pattern of wickedness that preceded him. How was this possible? Even though Ahah, Ethem, and Moron reigned in wickedness before him, Coriantor dwelt in captivity all his days. As the son of his captive father, Ether must have learned some things about why he was in captivity.
Furthermore, in the days of Coriantor there also came many prophets, and cried repentance unto the people. Thus Ether lived during a time when many Jaredite prophets prophesied that the Lord God would execute judgment against them to their utter destruction unless they should repent. These prophets also prophesied that the Lord God would send or bring forth another people to possess the land, by His power, after the manner by which He brought their fathers, unless they should repent.
Even though most of the Jaredites rejected all the words of the prophets because of their secret society and wicked abominations, Ether did not. When Coriantor begat Ether in captivity, perhaps Ether was still a baby when these prophets were rejected by the people, or perhaps Ether was already a young men when the prophets still prophesied. Whatever the case, Ether did not follow the wicked ways of his fathers Ahah, Ethem, and Moron. We don’t know what Coriantor was like, but perhaps his captivity humbled him and paved the way for Ether to break the line of wickedness.
Ether’s father Coriantor died, but somehow Coriantumr became king of all the land. Moroni informs us that the days of Ether were in the days of Coriantumr the king, a man who was not a direct descendent of Jared or a direct relative of Ether. How did Coriantumr become king? Perhaps Coriantumr became king because Coriantor died in captivity. This Coriantumr was the same man whose story was inscribed upon the large stone that Mosiah interpreted by the gift and power of God (including the interpreters, or urim and thummim):
And they gave an account of one Coriantumr, and the slain of his people. And Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla; and he dwelt with them for the space of nine moons. (Omni 1:21)
Thus Ether, a contemporary of Coriantumr, living at the end of the Jaredite civilization, was also a contemporary of the people of Zarahemla. In other words, there was a significant amount of overlap between the end of the Jaredite civilization and the beginning of the Lehite civilization. The Lord had already brought Lehi and his family into the Promised Land as the Jaredite prophets were prophesying that the Lord God would send or bring forth another people to possess the land, by His power, after the manner by which He brought their fathers. I wonder if such is also already the case in the United States of America today, that is, that the Lord has already brought another people into the Promised Land to possess the land, by His power.
Moroni describes the great prophet Ether in glowing terms:
And Ether was a prophet of the Lord; wherefore Ether came forth in the days of Coriantumr, and began to prophesy unto the people, for he could not be restrained because of the Spirit of the Lord which was in him.
For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled- (Ether 12:2-3)
Listen to Elder Holland’s recent talk in general conference, “Motions of a Hidden Fire,” and consider how Ether-like his comments were:
Another experience began 48 hours after my wife’s burial. At that time, I was rushed to the hospital in an acute medical crisis. I then spent the first four weeks of a six-week stay in and out of intensive care and in and out of consciousness.
Virtually all my experience in the hospital during that first period is lost to my memory. What is not lost is my memory of a journey outside the hospital, out to what seemed the edge of eternity. I cannot speak fully of that experience here, but I can say that part of what I received was an admonition to return to my ministry with more urgency, more consecration, more focus on the Savior, more faith in His word.
I couldn’t help but feel I was receiving my own personal version of a revelation given to the Twelve nearly 200 years ago:
“Thou shalt bear record of my name … [and] send forth my word unto the ends of the earth. …
“… Morning by morning; and day after day let thy warning voice go forth; and when the night cometh let not the inhabitants of the earth slumber, because of thy speech. …
“Arise[,] … take up your cross, [and] follow me.”1
My beloved sisters and brothers, since that experience, I have tried to take up my cross more earnestly, with more resolve to find where I can raise an apostolic voice of both warmth and warning in the morning, during the day, and into the night.
Elder Holland, like Ether, cries from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed. Elder Holland, like Ether, teaches that by faith all things are fulfilled.
In answer to the question concerning what lessons Moroni drew from Jaredite history to teach his latter-day audience, this lesson strikes me as the most salient and significant: that by faith all things are fulfilled. Like his father Mormon, Moroni abridged the Book of Ether and included it among the plates of the Book of Mormon in order to promote faith in Jesus Christ.
Ether was filled with the Spirit of God to overflowing and to such an extent that he could not be restrained. Ether the prophet was positively on fire with the Spirit of God, like Jeremiah:
Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. (Jeremiah 20:9)
Drawing upon Ether’s example and testimony, Moroni shares this hopeful message:
Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God. (Ether 12:4)
I love this verse. Faith in Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ are the fountain from which hope springs. Later in this chapter, Moroni shows us how the gift of charity also springs from faith and hope in Christ. I know that by believing in God we can with surety hope for a better world. I am grateful to know that there is a better world, even a place at the right hand of God, for which we can with surety hope. In the tumultuous world of commotion in which we now live, I am grateful for the anchor of faith and hope in Christ, an anchor that makes us sure and steadfast. Faith and hope in Christ enable us to abound in good works and lead us to glorify God, even when hopes in lesser things are dashed:
Significantly, those who look forward to a next and better world are usually “anxiously engaged” in improving this one, for they “always abound in good works” (D&C 58:27; Alma 7:24). Thus, real hope is much more than wishful musing. It stiffens, not slackens, the spiritual spine. It is composed, not giddy, eager without being naive, and pleasantly steady without being smug. Hope is realistic anticipation taking the form of determination—a determination not merely to survive but to “endure … well” to the end (D&C 121:8). - Elder Neal A. Maxwell, “Brightness of Hope”
Think of the reservoirs of hope that Ether and Moroni needed as they witnessed the destruction of their respective civilizations. The faith and hope in Christ that these two great prophets developed were so strong and deep, and they so firmly anchored them to the Lord that He made them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God, even as everything around them crumbled.
Despite his great faith and hope in Christ, and despite his prophesies of great and marvelous things, the Jaredites rejected Ether because they did not believe him. They did not believe, because they did not see. But as Moroni teaches us, that’s not how faith works. Faith is much greater than anything that we can perceive with our physical senses:
And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. (Ether 12:6)
Moroni then launches into his great discourse on the power and effects of faith in Jesus Christ. What examples does Moroni use to teach hope and faith in Jesus Christ? Why does Moroni use these particular examples? This is an abbreviated list of Moroni’s examples of the results of faith:
Jesus Christ showed Himself unto the Nephites at Bountiful
They of old were called after the holy order of God
The law of Moses was given
God prepared a more excellent way through the gift of His Son
Alma and Amulek caused the prison to tumble to the earth
Nephi and Lehi wrought the change upon the Lamanites that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost
Ammon and his brethren wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites
All they who wrought miracles, both before and after Christ, wrought them by faith
The three disciples obtained a promise that they should not taste of death
Many could not be kept from within the veil even before Christ came, and they truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith
The brother of Jared saw the finger of the Lord, and the Lord revealed Himself and all things unto him
Moroni’s fathers obtained the promise that the Book of Mormon would go forth from the Gentiles unto the Lamanites
The brother of Jared removed the mountain Zerin
The Lord manifested Himself unto His disciples
The Lord prepared a house for man and an inheritance among the mansions of His Father
Moroni saw Jesus and spoke with Him face to face
Ether 12 is one of the greatest chapters in all of scripture, and entire volumes could be written about it. Most of the conclusion of the chapter is a beautiful conversation between the Lord and His great servant Moroni. There is no way to do justice to this conversation in a blog post, but one thing that stands out to me is that Moroni traces the three theological virtues - faith, hope, and charity - to Jesus Christ. Later we learn that Moroni’s father Mormon gave the greatest sermon of all time on Christ and the three theological virtues, and this sermon must have reverberated through Moroni’s own heart and mind as he conversed with the Lord Jesus Christ face to face.
Like Ether, Moroni emphasizes the principle of faith in Jesus Christ, demonstrating that by faith all things are fulfilled. Ether preached from the morning until sunset exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, but the Jaredites rejected his invitation. Sadly, Moroni’s contemporaries also rejected him. Thus Moroni focused his attention on future generations who might be reached with the same hopeful message of Christ and repentance. Because he foresaw the world in which we now live, a world that is in many ways even worse than that of the Jaredites or the Nephites, Moroni preached faith in Christ and a sure hope for a better world. Moroni knew that his future faithful readers would receive the Book of Mormon in the last days during the impending downfall of yet another great civilization upon the American continent.
If you are looking for great faith and hope in Christ, this chapter is a great place to start.