SAVED IN THE KINGDOM

 

 

There are two prophets in the Book of Mormon who I admire for one specific thing: they valued being saved in the kingdom of God more than they valued their lives.

As you will recall, Abinadi, was a prophet sent to the descendants of Zeniff with a grim prediction of bondage and destruction if they did not turn away from their sins. The king who sat on the throne governing this people was Zeniff's son Noah. Unlike his father before him who led the people in righteousness, Noah was the opposite.

Abinadi's message was not well received to say the least. In fact, King Noah sought to put him to death. Abinadi escaped only to resurface two years later not caring much for his life. This time King Noah succeeded in turning Abinadi into one of the great Christian martyrs. 

The scriptures say Abinadi 'suffered death by fire' (Mosiah 17:20). Our modern-day supposition of this would be being burned at stake, however, the description of his death never mentions that this was the case. Instead, it states that Abinadi was 'scourged with faggots'...'until the flames began to scorch him' (Mosiah 17:13,14).

Such a death is almost too much for our modern sensibilities to contemplate because history speaks of the ancient method of burning bundles of sticks (faggots) with which they poked and burnt the victim's skin until he died. Sometimes this process was dragged out for days or weeks to maximise the extent of the agony. This is most likely the death that Abinadi suffered.

Abinadi testified of Christ, spoke at length about resurrection and expounded on Isaiah but the greatest words he uttered were these: "....I finish my message; and then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved." (Mosiah 13:9)

 

Ether was banished by the Jaredites who rejected his ‘great and marvellous prophecies’ and ‘esteemed him as naught, and cast him out’ (Ether 13:13). He was reduced to living in a cavity of a rock where he lived during the day recording the sad tale of the destruction of his people, the results of which he viewed by night (v 14).

Ether spent six years in the cavity of the rock because people sought to kill him (Ether 13:22;14:3;15:14). There was no mention of any friends or family. He lived in such a manner for this long to bear witness of the total destruction of the Jaredites. After their last and fatal battle, the Lord instructed Ether to view the carnage and record that all the words of the Lord had been fulfilled (Ether 15:33).

 

We don’t know what happened to Ether, whether he was translated or whether he died but he didn’t much care according to the very last words he wrote : ‘it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God’ (Ether 15:33,34).

An iron-clad testimony of Christ would mean that you would not only live for it but die for it too. When I read Nephi’s vision of us and the persecution that awaits us before the Saviour comes (1 Nephi 14:12-14), I wonder how many of us would say that it doesn’t matter what happens to us if we are saved in the kingdom of God. I only hope that I am one of them.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Ether by James H Fullmer)

BEING WEAK PART 5

 

This is what I see the most in Ether 12:27. I see Christ’s overwhelming compassion and mercy toward the fallen man.

Over and over I stand amazed at His godly tolerance of our imperfections. I know that is so because all things in the past, present and future are before Him constantly hence His patience and mercy on us in our weakness while we are becoming who He knows in the end we will be.

Because He knows us as embodied spirits from eons of time, He knows who we truly are. Our imperfections and weaknesses are merely a sum of our earthly life’s experiences: our upbringing, our genetic inheritance and our environment.

Deep down in each man and woman is a brilliant spirit with unlimited potential. This is what the Saviour sees and because of it He looks toward our future more than our past:  

“The joyful news for anyone who desires to be rid of consequences of past poor choices is that the Lord sees weaknesses differently than he does rebellion. Whereas the Lord warns that unrepented rebellion will bring punishment, when the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy.”

-        - Elder Richard G. Scott, Personal Strength Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, Ensign Nov 2013.

The main reason for His tolerance is the path that the Saviour has provided for us to rise to our potential. This path is the path of grace through His Atonement. Grace is an enabling power. We can access this power by virtue of our discipleship and not stay in our imperfections forever. This power lifts us above the natural man and redeems us from this fallen world.

When we seek access to the power of the Atonement to overcome our weaknesses, it is imperative that we acknowledge our faith in Jesus Christ. It is far more powerful and effective to say, “through my faith in Jesus Christ and the power of His Atonement, I ask…..”, than to say, “please help me….”.

I see this in the scriptures all the time. Nephi invoked God’s power through the use of His name (1 Nephi 17:48) and Alma asked for deliverance for himself and Amulek ‘according to their faith which was in Christ’ (Alma 14:26). These are just two examples.

As I said in the beginning of my posts on Ether 12:27, I say also in the end…..the weaknesses that we possess in this weakened state of mortality are a path to Christ and His saving grace. They serve to open our eyes to the power of His salvation, the power that will polish us and refine us to become like Him.

“His mission is to cleanse, purify, and refine the human soul so that it can return to his Father’s kingdom in purity, free from dross (3 Nephi 27:19-21). His cleansing power is ‘like a refiner’s fire….And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver’ in that great day when he comes to judge the world (Malachi 3:2-3; 3 Nephi 24:2-3; D&C 128:24)” 

-        - (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2^nd ed. [1966], 624)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Coming Full Circle by Jenedy Page)

BEING WEAK PART 1

 

Ether 12:27 must be the most important scripture in the book of Ether. It is widely known and widely quoted. It deals with weakness.

I don't know of anyone who sees weakness as a positive thing. None of us want to be weak. We don't want to be seen as weak and we don't want to feel that we are weak.

The world tells us we need to be super achievers and excel in all we do and that it is up to us to make ourselves successful.  For this reason we persist in making goals and sometimes tackling that which is beyond our capacity to overcome, relying solely on our motivation and willpower. 

Both motivation and willpower are incredibly difficult to maintain and so we beat ourselves up when we fall short. And in the process we allow our weaknesses to define us.

Consider alcoholism. The weakness of drinking has now become the weakness of disease. I do not agree with Alcoholics Anonymous who define people as 'alcoholics'. What's worse, they tell people they are alcoholics for life.

I get it, they want people to be vigilant but what happens when you label yourself? You act and behave according to that label. If you think you are an alcoholic, you will always struggle with the temptation to drink. Even some who abstain from drink for years fall off the wagon because in the end what does an alcoholic do? An alcoholic drinks.

The danger comes in saying 'I am'. I AM is highly declarative. Once declared, it becomes a reality you live by. Obviously, the importance lies in recognising that what we do is not who we are. It is better to say, "I have a weakness for drink" than to say "I am an alcoholic". This gives one hope that he or she can become free from drinking through the help of the higher power. One thing Alcoholics Anonymous got right.

The Saviour’s explanation of weakness in Ether 12 would have us know that our weaknesses need not define us. According to the Bible Dictionary, weakness is the primary condition of mortality and a state of being in this fallen world. It is unavoidable because mortality means weakness. Weakness means being human.

The weakness of mortality is manifest in individual weaknesses and frailties that each person has.  In Ether 12:27, Christ told Moroni: "If men come unto me I will show unto them their 'weakness."  Notice the word of 'weakness' is singular here. This is the condition of being weak.

What the Saviour is referring to here is the weakness of mortality, not our individual weaknesses, of which He speaks in the latter part of the scripture when He says: "...for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them". The weak things He speaks of are in reference to individual 'weaknesses'.

So being weak is not our fault. Being weak means being human and a condition of living in a fallen world. This does not, however, mean that we are to remain in this condition. Christ’s main purpose is to lift us out of the fallen world and restore us to the Father through His Atonement.

There is so much more to this scripture in Ether which I am eager to expound on in more posts. This is but an introduction to this important subject. In the meantime, remember there is hope:

The Saviour 'descended below all things' so that He might comprehend all things (D&C 88:6), meaning all our sins and our weaknesses. In the words of Elder Tad Callister: "....you cannot sink farther than the light and sweeping intelligence of Jesus Christ can reach.....as long as there is one spark of the will to repent and to reach, He is there....." (The Atonement of Jesus Christ, April 2019).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Sanctify Them by Chris Brazelton)