Friday, January 19, 2007

2 Nephi 11

Chapter 11 is short and is an introduction to the remainder of the Isaiah chapters.

There are just a couple of points I wish to discuss regarding chapter 11.

First, in chapter 11, Nephi establishes the importance of witnesses (v. 3). Just as missionaries (used to) teach in the discussions, in the mouth of two or three witnesses is the word of God established (2 Cor. 13:1). To me it is ironic that some people who say they want “proof” or a sign, when given three or more valid testimonies, they reject the message completely. God will always establish His word with witnesses whether those witnesses be books of scripture, prophets or other testimonies.

The other point that I really like from chapter 11 is in verse 4. Jacob explains that “all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of [Christ].” I have this verse cross-referenced to Moses 6:63 which basically states the same thing, namely that all things in heaven and on earth are made to bear record of Christ.

Here is a short list of things that I consider that typify Christ:

  • The seasons typify Christ's death and resurrection.
  • Our solar system ... the center of our system is the source of our light just as Christ ought to be the center and source of light for all our souls.
  • The atom is designed similiarly ... nucleus, etc.
  • The North Pole and North Star are both constant and help us in navigation just as Christ's teachings are constant and if followed will guide us to His presence.
GospelDoctrine.com also has a list of things with regard to the Law of Moses that typify Christ.

I also remember reading a post from another blogger (Blogger of Jared) about a talk he had listened to that discusses the parallels be Christ and the Book of Mormon. A follow-up post is also a very good read. (*Update - this blog is defunct.  Not sure what happened.  I found some cached pages on waybackmachine, but not the entire posts).

A search through the gospel library at lds.org proves useful. Symbols from the Scriptures That Testify of Christ, All Things Testify of Him: Understanding Symbolism in the Scriptures, Moses: Witness of Jesus Christ, (one of the authors is Todd B. Parker ... the author of the talk the Blogger of Jared refers to.)

If you can think of anything to add to this list, please leave a comment.

1 comment:

Lizzie Woolley said...

A blogger of Jared isn't there anymore. Thanks for the links to the articles though. I loved the last one. It taught and reminded me things about Moses and his mission.