Ether 3-4

Ether 3

The brother of Jared needs to figure out a way to get light in the barges he is building. The Lord is willing to help, but He wants the brother of Jared to come up with the plan.

The brother of Jared cuts 16 white stones (2 for each of the 8 barges) out of the mountain and brings them before the Lord and asks if He will touch them to make them shine and provide light.

The Lord answers the brother of Jared’s request by touching the stones… and the brother of Jared can see His finger! He is so shocked he falls over. He didn’t know the Lord had a finger like man’s!

Then because of his faith, the Lord reveals Himself completely to the brother of Jared – he sees Jesus Christ! Keep in mind this is during Old Testament times, hundreds and hundreds of years before Jesus was born to Mary. Look for new things you can learn about the Savior that He teaches to the brother of Jared:

14 Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.
 15 And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.
 16 Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh.

Jesus Christ is eternal. He was chosen from the beginning of time to be our Savior, and we are created in His image. He is our brother, and God is our Father, and God had a plan for our salvation from the beginning of time which included His Son as our Redeemer. 

Ether 4

Moroni (who is summarizing this record for us) tells us that Jesus commanded for the brother of Jared's story, and all that He showed the brother of Jared, to be kept secret until after Jesus lived on the earth. Remember the brother of Jared lived hundreds (if not thousands) of years before Christ, and now Moroni is living hundreds of years after Christ, so he has approval to include this story in the Book of Mormon records he is compiling.

Using the words of the Lord Himself, Moroni wants to remind us how important this Book of Mormon record is. Those who receive and believe it will have the Lord’s Spirit guide them to do good:

11 But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good.
 12 And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me.

The Lord also tells us that when we have access to this record, it is a sign God’s work in the “last days” has begun, and the prophecies in the book of Revelation (“written by my servant John”) will begin to be fulfilled.

16 And then shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people. Remember, when ye see these things, ye shall know that the time is at hand that they shall be made manifest in very deed.
 17 Therefore, when ye shall receive this record ye may know that the work of the Father has commenced upon all the face of the land.

Serious stuff - and very cool and powerful to me. The book of Mormon is not just a good book that teaches us to be good people, although it is that. It is not just another witness of Jesus Christ, although it is that. It is also a sign from the Lord that He speaks to prophets and mankind today and is leading a living church on the earth until the time of the Lord’s second coming. I don’t really know how to emphasize how important that is… besides a poor attempt at writing a blog to share this book with any friends who will read it. :)