What great and marvelous things did Ether prophesy unto the Jaredites?
Moroni doesn’t tell us immediately the great and marvelous things that Ether prophesied unto the Jaredites, because the Jaredites did not believe them. The Jaredites refused to believe the great and marvelous things that Ether prophesied unto them, because they could not see them. Certainly Ether prophesied of Jesus Christ and His great and marvelous works. I imagine that Ether, like previous Jaredite prophets, also prophesied of the utter destruction of the Jaredites.
Why did Moroni list the specific and particular examples of faith in Christ contained in Ether 12? Notice that Moroni’s examples are not listed exactly chronologically. Because Moroni had his future audience in mind, we might consider why Moroni wanted us to know that it was by faith in Christ that:
They of old were called after the holy order of God
The law of Moses was given
God prepared and fulfilled a more excellent way in the gift of his Son hath God
Jesus Christ revealed Himself
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 wrought them by faith, even those who were before Christ and also those who were after
The three disciples obtained a promise that they should not taste of death
Many could not be kept from within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad
The brother of Jared saw the finger of God, and then the Lord revealed Himself and all things unto him
Each one of these examples describes something that was first hoped for but not seen. But what do these examples teach Moroni’s future audience, namely us? I believe that one of the answers to this question is contained in Moroni’s introduction to his list of examples of faith:
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.
For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him; wherefore, it must needs be that some had faith in him, for he showed himself not unto the world.
But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those things which they have not seen.
Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith. (Ether 12:6-9)
First Moroni teaches us what faith is, namely things which are hoped for and not seen. Then he teaches us that it was by faith that the Resurrected Christ showed Himself unto the Nephites at Bountiful. Then he teaches us that Jesus Christ glorified the name of the Father and prepared the way for others to be partakers of the heavenly gift. Finally, Moroni teaches us that we too may have hope, and be partakers of the heavenly gift if we will have faith in Christ.
In other words, Moroni’s purpose for recording his list of examples of faith was to instill faith and hope in Christ in his latter-day audience. If faith in Christ produced the specific and particular miracles for the ancients, both before and after Christ’s coming, then faith in Christ will also produce miracles for us.
But Moroni could have chosen any number of miracles from the Book of Mormon and other records to share with us. There are many other miracles that were produced by faith in Christ that Moroni left out of his list. I believe that Moroni saw the miracles that we in the last days would need, and how faith in Christ can and will produce the same kinds of miracles that Moroni includes in his list.
Thus, by faith in Christ we can be called after the holy order of God. We can follow the more excellent way through the gift of Jesus Christ. We can receive revelation concerning Jesus Christ. If necessary, we can even cause prisons to tumble to the earth, cause a change upon the Lamanites, baptizing them with fire and with the Holy Ghost, work so great a miracle among the Lamanites like Ammon and his brethren, work miracles, obtain a promise not to taste of death, and receive visions of the Lord and of all things.
The miracles that were wrought among the Lamanites before Moroni are also significant because they foreshadow the miracles that will be wrought among the Lamanites in the last days as prophesied by each of the Book of Mormon prophets. Certainly the Lord’s three beloved Nephite disciples are already involved in this work:
And it is by faith that my fathers have obtained the promise that these things should come unto their brethren through the Gentiles; therefore the Lord hath commanded me, yea, even Jesus Christ. (Ether 12:22)
Think of the many thousands upon thousands of missionaries, beginning with the Prophet Joseph Smith and his associates, who have been sent to the latter-day Lamanites all over the Americas. They are modern Ammons and sons of Mosiah who are fulfilling the prophesies and the promises that the Book of Mormon should come unto the latter-day Lamanites.
Furthermore, Moroni’s purpose for abridging the Jaredite record was to assist his latter-day audience in developing the same kind of faith that the brother of Jared demonstrated:
And behold, we have seen in this record that one of these was the brother of Jared; for so great was his faith in God, that when God put forth his finger he could not hide it from the sight of the brother of Jared, because of his word which he had spoken unto him, which word he had obtained by faith.
And after the brother of Jared had beheld the finger of the Lord, because of the promise which the brother of Jared had obtained by faith, the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight; wherefore he showed him all things, for he could no longer be kept without the veil. (Ether 12:20-21)
In fact, it was the thought of the dissemination of the Nephite writings through the Gentiles that caused Moroni to worry about his weakness in writing. Moroni saw his own weakness as well as the weakness of the Gentiles, and naturally he wondered how the Lord would work through the weakness of both to accomplish such a great and marvelous work. How could the latter-day Gentiles, many of whom are so lacking in charity, receive and disseminate the Book of Mormon? How could the great and powerful words of Christ be transmitted through a book that was written in the weakness of the Nephite language?
After reading and abridging the powerful words of Ether and the brother of Jared that were transmitted from a civilization that had been destroyed, Moroni knew that his words, and the words of his predecessors, would likewise be transmitted from a civilization that had been destroyed to a future great civilization of Gentiles, and from the Gentiles to the latter-day posterity of Lehi. It seems as though Moroni was concerned that the Nephite writings would not have the same impact on us that the Jaredite writings had on him. In some ways, Moroni was right, because too many Gentiles mock or take for granted the Book of Mormon. But careful students of the Book of Mormon understand the power of the Book of Mormon and that by faith in Christ we will also receive the complete Jaredite record and the words of the brother of Jared, or the translation of the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon.
Moroni seemed to be concerned that the Holy Ghost that made the words of the Nephite prophets powerful and great would be hindered by their weakness in writing and the placement of their words, and that the Gentiles would mock at their words. To me, however, the opposite is true. Despite the perceived weakness of Moroni and his fellow authors of the Book of Mormon, the Book of Mormon is true, and the words of the Book of Mormon are powerful. I can only imagine how powerful and great the written word of the brother of Jared must be.
Sadly, there are still too many modern Gentiles who reject or mock the Book of Mormon. The Lord’s epithet for such mockers is appropriate: they are fools.
And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Foolsmock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness; (Ether 12:26)
Remember that the Lord used the same epithet to describe the latter-day Gentiles in His revelation to His servant Nephi:
And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.
But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?
O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people.
Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?
Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?
Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also. (2 Nephi 29:3-8)
The Lord promises Moroni that He will show the Gentiles their weakness, and that He will show them that faith, hope and charity lead to Him, the fountain of all righteousness. The Book of Mormon is saturated with the Spirit of God that instills faith, hope, and charity in its sincere students. The Lord’s promise comforted Moroni:
And I, Moroni, having heard these words, was comforted, and said: O Lord, thy righteous will be done, for I know that thou workest unto the children of men according to their faith; (Ether 12:29)
Then Moroni shares even more great examples of the power of faith in Christ, beginning with the brother of Jared’s miraculous mountain-moving faith:
For the brother of Jared said unto the mountain Zerin, Remove—and it was removed. And if he had not had faith it would not have moved; wherefore thou workest after men have faith. (Ether 12:30)
How did the brother of Jared do this? How did he remove the mountain Zerin? I don’t know where the mountain Zerin was, perhaps somewhere in Asia or Japan or Alaska. But wherever it was, the brother of Jared spoke and it was removed. Jesus Christ taught that even a small amount of faith in Him makes such miracles possible:
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (Matthew 17:20)
Nephi’s brother Jacob and his associates also obtained miracles with such faith:
Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea. (Jacob 4:6)
President Russell M. Nelson recently taught that faith in Jesus Christ is the greatest power available to us in this life, and that all things are possible to them that believe:
Faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation of all belief and the conduit of divine power. According to the Apostle Paul, “Without faith it is impossible to please [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”3
Everything good in life—every potential blessing of eternal significance—begins with faith. Allowing God to prevail in our lives begins with faith that He is willing to guide us. True repentance begins with faith that Jesus Christ has the power to cleanse, heal, and strengthen us.4
“Deny not the power of God,” the prophet Moroni declared, “for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men.”5 It is our faith that unlocks the power of God in our lives.
Then President Nelson teaches as Moroni teaches, building our faith in Jesus Christ:
And yet, exercising faith can seem overwhelming. At times we may wonder if we can possibly muster enough faith to receive the blessings that we so desperately need. However, the Lord put those fears to rest through the words of the Book of Mormon prophet Alma.
Alma asks us simply to experiment upon the word and “exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if [we] can no more than desire to believe.”6 The phrase “particle of faith” reminds me of the Lord’s biblical promise that if we “have faith as a grain of mustard seed,” we shall be able to “say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto [us].”7
The Lord understands our mortal weakness. We all falter at times. But He also knows of our great potential. The mustard seed starts small but grows into a tree large enough for birds to nest in its branches. The mustard seed represents a small but growing faith.8
The Lord does not require perfect faith for us to have access to His perfect power. But He does ask us to believe.
My dear brothers and sisters, my call to you this Easter morning is to start today to increase your faith. Through your faith, Jesus Christ will increase your ability to move the mountains in your life,9 even though your personal challenges may loom as large as Mount Everest.
Your mountains may be loneliness, doubt, illness, or other personal problems. Your mountains will vary, and yet the answer to each of your challenges is to increase your faith. That takes work. Lazy learners and lax disciples will always struggle to muster even a particle of faith.
To do anything well requires effort. Becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ is no exception. Increasing your faith and trust in Him takes effort. May I offer five suggestions to help you develop that faith and trust.
