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In this discussion I have divided First Nephi 20 and 21 into the following subsections: 

1. The premortal apostasy, 1 Nephi 20:1-11

2. Joseph Smith in the Council in Heaven, 1 Nephi 20:12-17

3. Apostasy preceding the Restoration, 1 Nephi 20:18 to 21:1a

4. Those who will help the Prophet Joseph, 1 Nephi 21:1-6

5. Joseph Smith restores the Temple services, 1 Nephi 21:7-11

6. The Gathering of Israel, 1 Nephi 21: 12-26

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12 And then, O house of Israel, behold, these shall come from far; and lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.{1}

“Israel” is a covenant name and represents several different covenants, or perhaps more accurately, the same covenant, made on several different occasions. It is apparent from these chapters of Isaiah, as well as from the psalms, that “Israel” was the name given in the spirit world to those who covenanted to support the Savior then. It is also the name given to the man Jacob and to his children and their descendants in this world. It is also the name given to those who belong to the kingdom of God in this last dispensation.

13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

The Old Testament reads:

13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted (Isaiah 49:13).

The phrase “for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established” has been removed, but remained on the brass plates from which Nephi copied this passage. The phrase is a declaration of eternal priesthood and kingship.

The east is the direction of the rising sun, the source of light, the holy place. The establishment of the feet of the people of the east is related to sacral kingship and the ancient temple coronation rites. The king of Israel was anointed king; then as a legitimate son and heir, he sat on the throne of God in the Holy of Holies of Solomon’s Temple. The footstool of that throne was the Ark of the Covenant that contained the regalia of kingship and priesthood: the tablets on that God had written the Ten Commandments, the rod of Aaron, the jar of manna (they were there at least in theory, if not in fact, for some of those things were lost rather early in Israelite history). Thus while sitting upon the throne, the king placed his feet on the sacred box that contained the tokens of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants. The king had “established” his feet—both asserting and giving evidence that he was the personification of the covenants associated with that kingly and priesthood regalia. This idea is different from one’s walking along the way, that is, to perform the ordinances and otherwise become worthy to enter behind the great veil of Solomon’s Temple into the presence of God. The king is no longer moving along the path— he has reached his destination and his feet are established in the authority and legitimacy of kingship and priesthood.{2}

The greatest tragedy of ancient Israel was the destruction of Solomon’s Temple and the loss of the ordinances performed therein. The next lines of our verse promise that the time will come when the temples will no longer be subject to destruction:

and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they [the temples] shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted [empowered] his people

“Comfort” is a code word defined in Isaiah 61:1-3 where it means to make one a part of Zion: to wash, to remove ashes, anoint, clothe, and give a new name that may be a promise an eternal family.{3}

14 But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.

The words “but he will show that he hath not” are not in the Bible.

15 For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.

The phrase “O house of Israel” is not in the Bible.

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands

That is a literal as well as a figurative description of the Savior’s part of the covenant.

thy walls are continually before me.

“Walls” are defenses. When one’s walls are before an enemy, they attack. When one’s walls are before a friend, he is on the inside, helping in the defense. This says that Jehovah will defend Zion.

17 Thy children shall make haste against thy destroyers; and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

18 Lift up thine eyes round about and behold; all these gather themselves together, and they shall come to thee. And as I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on even as a bride.

The sense of gathering is lost in the Old Testament but restored in the Book of Mormon. The phrase “and they shall come to thee” is simply “and come to thee” in the Bible.

Gathering also has a covenant and priesthood connotation. The elements were gathered out of the chaotic waters to create cosmos, which, in the beginning of this world’s history, was the Garden of Eden. When the Nephites were threatened destruction from the robbers, they were gathered together for their protection. The gathering in this verse is the ultimate fulfillment of the Lord’s covenants with Abraham and Joseph.

And as I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on even as a bride.

The idea expressed here is marriage. It is explained more fully by Isaiah in the last two verses of chapter 61, where those who are dead prepare to be married for eternity and then to celebrate the resurrection.

There is another sense of marriage that is taught here. It is an extenson of posterity.

19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants; and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away
20. The children whom thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the first, shall again in thine ears say: The place is
too strait for me; give place to me that I may dwell.
21. Then shalt thou say in thine heart: Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? And who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where have they been?

We are of Israel, but we are also gentiles because our historical identity as the covenant people had been lost. The gathering of Israel has two parts, both dependent on the restoration of the gospel and the temple, and both have to do with sealing eternal families. Israel—the living in this world—had lost their identity over the years of dispersion and apostasy. Israel—those who had died before the restoration—had also lost their eternal connections with family and friends. Now all of Israel could be united again and both could marvel: “Behold, I was left alone; these, where have they been?”

22 Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers

There are two kinds of kings and queens: those who rule countries (and there are not many of those left any more) and sacral kings and queens who are such by virtue of their priesthood and ordinances. The Beatitudes twice say “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet;

That is probably not literal, but not altogether figurative either. The hallmark of Zion is the mutual respect and love sacral kings and priests have for sacral kings and priests.

and thou shalt know [know means Know.] that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

There were two major functions of ancient Israelite kingship. One was temporary, the other was eternal. The temporary one was that of a military leader. The idea of military leader is expressed either in terms of actually fighting with the enemy (war in heaven, establishment of the modern state of Israel, and Jehovah’s name-title of Lord of Hosts ) or of missionary work. It remains important as long as there is evil to be subdued, but after that it will not be important. The other is to be a judge. The chief characteristic of a priesthood judge is mercy that is very akin to charity. That characteristic is permanent. This part of this chapter seems to be using it in both senses.

24 For shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives delivered?
25 But thus saith the Lord, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

This affirmation that Jesus is Jehovah is still in the Bible.

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In this discussion I have divided First Nephi 20 and 21 into the following subsections:

1. The premortal apostasy, 1 Nephi 20:1-11 

2. Joseph Smith in the Council in Heaven, 1 Nephi 20:12-17

3. Apostasy preceding the Restoration, 1 Nephi 20:18 to 21:1a

4. Those who will help the Prophet Joseph, 1 Nephi 21:1-6

5. Joseph Smith restores the Temple services, 1 Nephi 21:7-11

6. The Gathering of Israel, 1 Nephi 21: 12-26

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1 Nephi 21:7-11 

7 Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nations abhorreth, to servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful.

Having discussed those who will assist the Prophet, Isaiah now turns to Joseph himself. In the first half of his introduction, he describes him in terms of all the tensions Joseph encountered in his own lifetime and the contrasts that still inform opinions today, “to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nations abhorreth.” During his first visit, Moroni warned the young prophet of those contradictions. Joseph recalled:

33 He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people (Joseph Smith-History:33).

As though to fulfill that prophecy, years later when a Boston newspaper reported that the Prophet had been murdered, the editor wrote:

But notwithstanding this, he was a remarkable man, and has left the impress of his genius upon the age in which he lived; he has carved out for himself a title to a page in the history of his country, and his name will be remembered, for good and for evil, when the names of half the ephemeral statesmen of the age will be forgotten.{1}

The second half of Isaiah introduction is equally appropriate:

to servant of rulers

In the Beatitudes, when the Savior spoke of the Twelve, he emphasized their role as servants. He said, “Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants (3 Nephi 12:1) Being a servant is not a unique responsibility of the prophet and the apostles, because we are all required to serve and bless each other. We may know that these priesthood responsibilities are what Isaiah had in mind by the next phrases:

Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful.

These kings are the sacral kings who have eyes that see and ears that hear. They stand to make covenants. Princes are those who are anointed to become kings. They are enabled to worship correctly because the Lord has kept his part of the covenants with regards to their collective and individual missions.

It is true with Isaiah, as it is with many other prophets, that in order to read with understanding anything the prophet wrote, one must first understand other things he wrote. As an example, this chapter is a prophecy of the life and work of the Prophet Joseph and is set in the context of his covenants in the premortal spirit world. However, it can best be understood in light of Isaiah 61 which is a prophecy of the redemption of the dead after the Savior’s resurrection. For that reason, it seems necessary that before we continue, we carefully examine that later chapter of Isaiah.

Reading Isaiah 61 is not so much a tangent as it might appear, for key elements in Isaiah 49 (1 Nephi 21) are written with the same subtextual code as Isaiah 61where the context makes the code easier to unravel. So reading Isaiah 61 first will focus a bright shining light on the meaning of Isaiah’s description of the mission of the Prophet Joseph in 1 Nephi 21. It will also help us understand why the Savior defined his own mission by quoting from that chapter in the synagogue in Nazareth.

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,{2}
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears (Luke 4:16-21).

The other chapter he quoted, promised that he would give sight to the blind, but it was also an affirmation that he would deliver the prisoners from their darkness.

5 Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
8 I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images (Isaiah 42:5-8).

The key that unlocks the whole meaning of Isaiah 61 is D&C 138. Isaiah 61 is a prophecy of the Lord’s visit to the world of the spirits of the dead during the period between his own death and his resurrection. The first verse is quoted in D&C 138:42 as Isaiah’s prophecy that the Savior would visit the dead and liberate them from the spirit prison. With that key the entire chapter comes into focus, so not only is it intelligible but in its clarity it provides us the meaning of other code words in other parts of Isaiah, as well as in the Psalms and other scriptures.

President Joseph F. Smith saw in vision the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy. He also clarifies that. It was the Savior who was anointed at the Council in Heaven, and lists some of the prophets who were present to greet the Savior in the spirit world. Among those he mentions Isaiah.

42 Isaiah, who declared by prophecy that the Redeemer was anointed to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were bound (D&C138:42).

Throughout his own vision President Smith used much of Isaiah’s language. Not only does he quote its beginning in verse 42, but also in verse 31, he tells of the Savior’s sending missionaries to the dead who did not accept the Savior in their time of life on the earth. He describes their mission in the same terms that were used by Isaiah in chapter 61.

Please go to the “Scriptures” section of this website, then to Old Testament, and then Isaiah. You will find a discussion of those terms in “Isaiah 61 – LeGrand Baker – An Endowment for the Dead”

8 Thus saith the Lord: In an acceptable time have I heard thee, O isles of the sea, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee my servant for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages (1 Nephi 21:8).

In light of Isaiah 61, the symbolism of the next few verses of Nephi 21 that promises the restoration of the temple ordinances requires virtually no explanation. What little is necessary is provided by a footnote in the current edition of the Book of Mormon.

In an acceptable time

An acceptable time is a time when the ordinances and covenants are valid because they are done with correct authority and in the correct way (zedek). One of the Prophet’s most important missions is to restore that “acceptable time” with its promises of salvation for the dead.

have I heard thee, O isles of the sea and in a day of salvation have I helped thee and I will preserve thee,

As in verse one, the references to the people who are of the “isles of the sea” probably refers to the people of the Book of Mormon.

and give thee my servant

In the Book of Mormon, at the words “my servant,” footnote 8a reads: “2 Nephi 3:11 (6-15); 3 Nephi 21:11 (8-11); Mormon 8:16 (16-25).”

The first of those references reads:

6 For Joseph truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins. …
11 But a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins—and not to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them. …
15 And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation (2 Nephi 3:6-15).

9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness

The prisoners who sit in darkness may well be the persons in the spirit world who are awaiting the ordinances that will enable them literally to “go forth.”

They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

Again, we have a reference to the feast at the conclusion of the ancient Israelite temple drama—which has became the sacrament of the Last Supper.

“Way” is code for one’s journey to the top of the mountain of the Lord. To feed there is to partake of the fruit of the tree of life. The symbolism of “pastures” reflects the 23rd Psalm where one, as a sheep who follows his Savior, eats the fruit of that tree and drinks freely of the waters of life. Then, later in the psalm, the feast is prepared “in the presence of mine enemies,” meaning that the enemies are irrelevant to both the sanctity and the efficacy of the feast.{22} Those ideas are encapsulated in the Savior’s Beatitude:

6 And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness [zedek, correctness in priesthood and temple things], for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 12:6).

10 They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

This beautiful imagery is a reference to the tree of life and the waters of life. The dead shall have access to the fruit of the tree and therefore shall not hunger. They will symbolically rest under its shade and therefore the sun will not smite them. There they may drink freely of the waters of life. That same imagery is found in the Twenty Third Psalm:

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters (Psalms 23:1-2).

In John’s Revelation, this represents the ultimate blessing: having eternal access to the tree of life and giving “unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely” (Revelation 21:6. See all of chapters 21 and 22).

11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted (1 Nephi 21:11).

“Mountains” may refer to the ancient Israelite temple. “Way” and “highways” may refer to for the ordinances and covenants one must follow to ascend to the pinnacle of the mountain.{23}

Even though these references to temple work and kingship seem to be primarily about ordinances for the dead, they necessarily imply that the Prophet Joseph will also restore the sealing power and other ordinances for the living as well.

This verse completes the part of the chapter that deals with the Prophet’s assignment to restore the ordinances and blessings of the temple. The rest of the chapter talks about the Prophet’s other major assignment: to gather Israel and to restore the government and culture of this earth to their proper order—to bring about Zion.

The restoration of the temple with its ordinances and covenants had to come first in Isaiah’s prophecy because it does come first in time. There can be no gathering of Israel if there are not temples to which they can gather. So now, Isaiah has established that Joseph will restore the ancient temple rites, he can proceed with his prophecy to describe how Israel will be gathered.

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FOOTNOTES

{1} Daily Evening Transcript, Boston, Mass., August 1, 1844.

{2} When John the Baptist’s disciples came to Jesus to ask if he were the Messiah, he quoted this passage to them (Matthew 11:4-5).

{3} Margaret Dee Bratcher,”Salvation Achieved, Isaiah 61:1-7; 62:1-7; 65:17 – 66:2,” Review and Expositor, v. 88, 1991, 178.

{4} For anything to be acceptable to the Lord in the Old Testament, it had to be done correctly and with the right authority—in zedek. Here the dead are to be given assurance that the ordinance performed on the earth will be valid and acceptable. One finds a similar statement in D&C 93:51.

{5} Anderson, Time to Mourn, 84. An important example of the way “comfort” is used in the Bible is this verse from Isaiah:
3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody (Isaiah 51:3).

{6} Anderson, Time to Mourn, 85.

{7} For an excellent discussion of the coronation ceremony, see Ricks and Sroka, “King, Coronation, and Temple,” 236-71.

{8} For a more detailed discussion of the Israelite coronation ceremony see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 461-516; Second edition, p. 336-360.

{9} For a more detailed discussion of “beauty instead of ashes” in the ancient Israelite coronation ceremony see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 471-77; Second edition, p. 342-46.

{10} For a more detailed discussion of the anointing in the ancient Israelite coronation ceremony see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 477-83; Second edition, p. 346-49.

For discussions of the anointing of Israelite kings, see Donald W. Parry, “Ritual Anointing with Olive Oil in Ancient Israelite Religion,” Allegory of the Olive Tree, 266-71, 281-83. For a discussion of the olive tree as the Tree of Life and of the tree and its oil as symbols of kingship see Stephen D. Ricks, “Olive Culture in the Second Temple Era and Early Rabbinic Period,” Allegory of the Olive Tree, 460-76.

{11} For a more detailed discussion of the two-part royal clothing in the ancient Israel see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 483-95; Second edition, p. 349-58.

{12} For a more detailed discussion of this new name and of the Israelite royal new covenant name see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 495-516; Second edition, p. 358-73.

{13} Ellis T. Rasmussen, A Latter-day Saint Commentary on the Old Testament (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1993), 536.

{14} Borsch, Son of Man, 92-93.

{15} Mowinckel, He that Cometh, 84. As examples, Mowinckel’s footnote gives Psalms 132:11ff; 72; cf. 20:8f; 21:10; and Isaiah 55:3. Besides Mowinckel, other scholars who have pointed out that this was a participatory drama were: Widengren, “King and Covenant,” 21-22. Borsch, Son of Man, 184; Johnson, Sacral Kingship, 7-8, 91; Grace I. Emmerson, “Women in Ancient Israel,” The World of Ancient Israel, Sociological, Anthropological and Political Perspectives, ed. R. E. Clements (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989), 371-94; Robert Davidson, “Covenant Ideology in Ancient Israel,” World of Ancient Israel, 342-43; Geo Widengren, “Baptism and Enthronement in Some Jewish-Christian Gnostic Documents,” The Savior God, Comparative Studies in the Concept of Salvation Presented to Edwin Oliver James, ed. S. G. F. Brandon (New York: Barnes & Noble, 1963), 205-17; Johnson, “Hebrew Conceptions of Kingship,” 215-35.

{16} For a discussion of the concept, “Be true to the Law of your own Being,” see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 537-39; Second edition, p. 387-88.

{17} Margaret Dee Bratcher,”Salvation Achieved, Isaiah 61:1-7; 62:1-7; 65:17 – 66:2,” Review and Expositor, v. 88, 1991, 178.

{18}  Monte S. Nyman, Great are the Words of Isaiah (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1980), 236.

{19} For a discussion of Psalm 82 see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 227-55; Second edition, p. 359-81.

{20} For a discussion of the temple feast see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 605-41; Second edition, p. 431-57.

{21} For a discussion of “a broken heart and contrite spirit” see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 886-89; Second edition, p. 622-23.

{22} For a discussion of the feast in Psalm 23 see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 619-41; Second edition, p. 448-49.

{23} For a comparison between the sacred mountain and Solomon’s Temple see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 365; Second edition, p. 263.

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In this discussion I have divided First Nephi 20 and 21 into the following subsections:

1. The premortal apostasy, 1 Nephi 20:1-11 

2. Joseph Smith in the Council in Heaven, 1 Nephi 20:12-17

3. Apostasy preceding the Restoration, 1 Nephi 20:18 to 21:1a

4. Those who will help the Prophet Joseph, 1 Nephi 21:1-6

5. Joseph Smith restores the Temple services, 1 Nephi 21:7-11

6. The Gathering of Israel, 1 Nephi 21: 12-26

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First Nephi Chapter 21 can best be understood as a continuation of chapter 20 rather than as a subject separate from it. The outline of this two-chapter unit is as follows:

.  Events in the premortal spirit world

1. 1 Nephi 20:1-11 — Isaiah shows the extent of the premortal apostasy.

2. 1 Nephi 20:12-17 — He describes a Council meeting at which Jehovah presides and the Prophet Joseph speaks, by assignment, and describes how, under Joseph’s administration, the Lord’s purposes will ultimately triumph in this physical world.

.   Events in this world

3. 1 Nephi 20:18 – 21:1a — There is an abrupt change in the scene as Isaiah describes the apostate state of this world when the restoration is about to begin. It demonstrates the need for Joseph to fulfill his assignment .

4. 1 Nephi 21:1b – 6 — The missions of those who were assigned to help him are explained. Here no distinction is drawn between those who are to be his contemporaries and those, like Luther and Wycliffe , who come before him to set the stage for the restoration, or of those who follow Joseph in time but continue the work he began. Some read these verses as being about the Prophet Joseph. I read them differently because they describe a reluctance that is completely contrary to Joseph’s commitment and personality .

5. 1 Nephi 21:7-8 – Isaiah then describes, in the necessarily correct sequence, Joseph’s mission, his death, and the fruits of his work. Joseph is positively identified in footnote 8-a which refers us to 1 Nephi 21:7-8.

6. 1 Nephi 21:9-11 — The first fruit of Joseph’s mission is the restoration of the temple ordinances for both the living and the dead. All this is written in a beautiful code language that was preserved as faithfully as possible by the translators of the King James Bible. It is much the same code language that Isaiah uses in his description of the ordinances of salvation for the dead in Isaiah 61.

7. 1 Nephi 21:12-26 – The ultimate fruits of Joseph’ work is the gathering of Israel. This is shown as following the restoration of the temple ordinances because there would be no point in gathering Israel if there were no temples to which they could be gathered. The Book of Mormon follows the King James translation rather closely but, because the brass plates from which Nephi copied is a pristine version of the original text, the Book of Mormon makes changes which speak with more clarity and accuracy.

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1 Nephi 21:1-6 & Isaiah 49 — LeGrand Baker — Those who will help the Prophet Joseph

1 And again: Hearken, O ye house of Israel, all ye that are broken off and are driven out because of the wickedness of the pastors of my people; yea, all ye that are broken off, that are scattered abroad, who are of my people, O house of Israel. Listen, O isles, unto me, and hearken ye people from far; the Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name 1 Nephi 21:1).{1}

1 And again: Hearken, O ye house of Israel

Inasmuch as this follows immediately after Isaiah’s account of a conference attended by premortal “Israel” (1 Nephi 20:12-17), it is reasonable to suppose that he is now addressing some of those same people who have come to fulfill their assignments on earth. That is, the beginning of this chapter is addressed to that “Israel” who had covenanted to assist the Prophet Joseph in his mission. The rest of this verse and continuing through verse 6 is written as a conversation between God and “Israel.”

It begins by describing the problem. The people are floundering because of the wickedness of their leaders.

Whoever took it upon themselves to change Isaiah’s text so they could get Cyrus into Isaiah’s prophecy, not only took out the references to the meeting and the prophet Joseph, but they also took out the indictment against themselves. Isaiah had issued an invitation to:

all ye that are broken off and are driven out because of the wickedness of the pastors of my people;

Those words were edited out of the Hebrew Bible, and it is little wonder. Isaiah blames the people’s apostasy on “the wickedness of the pastors of the people.” Since the editors knew what they were doing, and what the probable consequences would be, it is understandable that they determined that part of the verse had to be omitted from the text.

Jeremiah prophesied the same thing, but his prophecy did not get removed.

1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord.
2 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord.
3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord (Jeremiah 23:1-4).

yea, all ye that are broken off, that are scattered abroad, who are of my people, O house of Israel. Listen, O isles, unto me, and hearken ye people from far;

It is reasonable to suppose that his reference to “isles” might be about the people of the Book of Mormon. Isaiah was fully aware of the significant role the Book of Mormon would play in the restoration of the gospel. Isaiah 29:9-14 is an explicit prophecy about it, and that prophecy was fulfilled to the letter by Martin Harris and Professor Charles Anthon (JS-hist 1:64-65).

the Lord hath called me from the womb;

This is not about the Prophet Joseph, but is addressed to the “house of Israel.” That is, to those who had covenanted to come to the earth in a time and place that would enable them to facilitate the work of the Prophet in the restoration of the gospel and the gathering of Israel. The next few verses identify that person, not as an individual, but as individuals within the group. These assignments, like the others, were based on premortal covenants. The fact of the covenant is reaffirmed in the next phrase. We can identify the group more closely as we review the conversation that ensues between them and the Lord.

from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

As already observed, “name” is frequently code for “covenant” because there is always a new name associated with a new covenant. The names of these persons were given before they were born. That is, the covenants were made before we were born and we came to this world bearing the burden of those covenants. Because we do not remember what they were, a major function of the Holy Ghost is to teach us the covenants and how and when we are to fulfill them.{2}

2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me (1 Nephi 21:2).

And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword;

The words one speaks by the authority of the priesthood and the power of the Holy Ghost are often compared to a sword. The idea that a tongue can cut more deeply than a knife is part of everyone’s experience, as the boy in Shakespeare’s King Henry V observed about one who had “a killing tongue and a quiet sword.”{3}

Paul described God’s words in a phrase that is quoted several times in the Doctrine and Covenants. He wrote,

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

But in the context of Isaiah’s statement, there is another interpretation that is more likely. Priesthood power is always exercised by the authoritative spoken word.

In the context of putting on “the whole armor of God,” Paul includes a weapon which is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:13-17). The story of creation is about the power of God’s word. The brother of Jared moved a mountain when he spoke, and all priesthood ordinances are accomplished by the spoken word. Nevertheless, for most Latter-day Saints the power of the word is in its ability to illuminate one’s own soul. Whether through the words of the missionaries or the prophets, words can condemn or exalt, just as a sword can attack or defend.

in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me,

Isaiah combined those ideas again when he wrote:

16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people (Isaiah 51:16).

Jacob quoted those words (2 Nephi 8:16), then explained that they were “spoken unto the Jews, by the mouth of his holy prophets, even from the beginning down, from generation to generation, until the time comes that they shall be restored to the true church and fold of God” (2 Nephi 9:2). The Savior quotes that same section of Isaiah in 3 Nephi 20. All of the contexts are the same. That is, they all talk about the restoration of Israel in the context of the restoration of the temple.

It is reasonable, then, to read “in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me” as being about a priesthood ordination.

and made me a polished shaft;

The symbolic shaft in question is an arrow; that is apparent from the fact that he is hidden in a quiver. The arrow is the instrument by which the Lord accomplishes his purposes. But a thin, straight stick is subject to twisting and warping if it gets wet. A crooked arrow isn’t worth much. So the ancients protected the arrow by anointing it with either olive oil or animal fat. The polishing is to make it straight without bumps so that it will fly true, but the polishing process is only half finished until it has been properly anointed with oil. So the Israel who is speaking in first person has been given the words to speak, has been ordained and anointed, but now, rather than becoming an obvious mark to the world:

in his quiver hath he hid me;

That obscurity is just one reason to believe this is not about the Prophet Joseph. For the most part, individual Latter-day Saints are unknown in their communities. The bishop is the local shopkeeper and the Relief Society president is a housewife down the street. We do missionary work, but do not boast about who we are or who we think we are going to be. In the apocryphal Gospel of Philip, the Savior is reported to have taught, “The perfect man not only cannot be restrained, but also cannot be seen. For if he is seen he will be put under restraint.”{4} Personal anonymity gives us great, but quiet, power, and shields us within God’s promise that he will help us keep our covenants.

3 And said unto me: Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

When we considers the priesthood authority given to his servants in the previous verse, and put that authority in context with the assignment they will receive in the next few verses, it becomes apparent that this “servant” included some of the people who were at the premortal meeting described in the previous chapter. As is true with all such universal assignments as the one described here, they are equally applicable to the entire group as they are to each member in the group. Therefore “Israel” might be the entire body of the Church who were assigned to come to the earth in the last days to assist the Prophet Joseph fulfill his promises, or “Israel” might also be each individual in that group whose assignment is similar to, but uniquely different from ,the responsibilities of the entire group. I understand this “servant” is both singular and personal, as well as multiple and universal in the way that the ancient temple drama was delivered to an entire audience. That is, the somewhat generic covenants were made with everyone present, but individual because each participant acted in his own behalf. So that the covenants made by each individual were applicable only to himself. In other words, Israel is us—you and I—individually and collectively it is those of us whose responsibility it is to preach the gospel, enlarge the Kingdom, and serve in our respective callings, and to just be good and productive people, wherever we are.

In the short statement that Isaiah attributes to the Lord, “Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified,” we find the only antidote to the condemning tendency described by the prophets. Holders of the Priesthood have the responsibility to do good as God defines that good, but not “good” as people look to its uses for self aggrandizement. When priesthood holders follow the instructions of the Holy Ghost, then they are indeed one “in whom God will be glorified.”

The servant’s reluctant response and God’s reply is what convinces me that this is more likely to be about you and I than it is to be about the Prophet Joseph Smith.

4 Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain; surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.

The wording of the servant’s response, and his reluctance to come into this world suggests that the conversation we are reading took place before we got here. In tone, it is not the same as the feeling of inadequacy expressed by Jeremiah and Enoch (Jeremiah 1:6, Moses 6:31), but is more like the way Isaiah describes his own sode experience when he returned to the Council and renewed his covenants there. After he volunteered to do the assignment, and the Lord gave him more details, Isaiah asked “Lord, how long?” and the Lord replied, “Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate” (Isaiah 6:11).

Isaiah’s response, “Lord, how long?” suggests he understands the weight of his assignment, but not a reluctance to fulfill it. During his sode experience, Isaiah was told more than he reports to us here. He knew that the religious reforms that he and King Hezekiah had sponsored would be overturned by Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son and successor. In The Martyrdom of Isaiah he prophesies, “I shall depart mid the torture of my body…. and by his hands I shall be sawn asunder.” In fulfillment of that prophecy, the account concludes, “And when Isaiah was being sawn in sunder, he neither cried aloud nor wept, but his lips spake with the Holy Spirit until he was sawn in twain.”{5}

There were others, great men and women whose names we know, and many others we do not know, who faced just as seemingly impossible task. Isaiah echoes their concern as they approached their assignments:

Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain; surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God (1 Nephi 21).

When and under what circumstances did this part of the conversation take place, we do not have enough information to know. But it is likely that Isaiah is recalling the premortal time when others like himself, were concerned about the enormity of the task before them. In the next verses Isaiah gives the Lord’s response.

5 And now, saith the Lord—that formed me from the womb that I should be his servant,{6}
to bring Jacob again to him—though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.

6 And he said: It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.

These verses are about as close as one can hope to get to an actual date in a prophecy to be fulfilled 2,700 years in the future. The time is when those foreordained to assist in the restoration of the gospel would be born in this world. Israel will gather Israel, but Israel is not yet gathered; and they will also be a light to the gentiles, “that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.”

It is about the restoration of the gospel and the power of missionary work. But it is also the Lord’s response to those of us who were concerned about the assignment and our ability to perform it successfully. The verses contain not only the essence of the assignment but also the absolute assurance that the Lord will assist his servants that each one may fulfill his mission.

An ancient Israelite poem looks forward to this time. It reads:

I took courage and became strong and captured the world,
And it became mine for the glory of the Most High
and of God my Father.
And the gentiles who had been scattered
were gathered together,
But I was not defiled by my love for them,
Because they had praised me in high places.
And the traces of light were set upon their hearts,
And they walked according to my life and were saved,
And they became my people for ever and ever.{7}

———————————–
FOOTNOTES

{1} The following verses make little sense if they are not read as a conversation. To facilitate that, they are written here without the verse breaks.
The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
And [the Lord ] said unto me:
Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain; surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.
And now, saith the Lord —that formed me from the womb that I should be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him—though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. And he said: It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.

{2} See Jeremiah 1:5 as an example of such a premortal covenant.

{3} William Shakespeare, King Henry V, Act 3, Scene 2.

{4} Gospel of Philip in New Testament Apocrypha, ed. Wilhelm Schneemelcher, 2:201 # 106.

{5} The Martyrdom of Isaiah, in R.H. Charles, ed., The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913), 159-62.

{6} See Jeremiah 1:5 as an example of such a premortal covenant.

{6} Odes of Solomon, Number 10, in James H. Charlesworth, ed, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, 2 vols., New York, 1985, 2: 744)

<><><><><><><><><><

In this discussion I have divided First Nephi 20 and 21 into the following subsections:

1. The premortal apostasy, 1 Nephi 20:1-11  

2. Joseph Smith in the Council in Heaven, 1 Nephi 20:12-17

3. Apostasy preceding the Restoration, 1 Nephi 20:18 to 21:1

4. Those who will help the Prophet Joseph, 1 Nephi 21:1-6

5. Joseph Smith restores the Temple services, 1 Nephi 21:7-11

6. The Gathering of Israel, 1 Nephi 21: 12-26

———————————-

1 Nephi  20:18 to 21:1 & Isaiah 48 — LeGrand Baker — Apostasy preceding the Restoration

18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments—then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.

Here we have an abrupt change of scenery. We have passed from a heavenly Council conducted by Jehovah to a lament, decrying an apostasy that denies the covenants made by Jehovah. McKenzie rightly calls this transition “a violent change of tone.” In the Anchor Bible translation and commentary on “Second Isaiah,” he writes,

The poem [Isaiah 48] concludes with a violent change of tone. From rebuke and grief the prophet, speaking in his own name, turns to exultation. The hour of liberation has arrived, and he summons Israel to depart. The summons is couched in terms of a call to a new exodus and a passage through the desert, a theme used in the preceding poems. This is the glory of Yahweh which should be announced to the whole world. A similar call is repeated in 52:11-12; each call marks a division in the series of discourses. With less than complete assurance vs. 22 is judged to have wandered here by scribal work from lvii 21; it is not related to the context here, and seems rather to sound a discordant note at the end of an appeal which shows progressive emotional intensity.{1}

The reason that McKenzie observed such a sudden change of time and voice is because the change is really there. The chapter break in the Book of Mormon is in the same place as in the Bible, but if we were to read it without that break (the way it was in the first edition of the Book of Mormon), we would see that this verse is not only a tone change but also a change in time and place. The verses before this one are about the war in heaven and more especially about the Prophet Joseph’s pivotal role in that struggle, including his address to the Council and the Savior’s testimony of its validity.

One of the greatest advantages of having printed scriptures (as opposed to having them rolled up in a scroll) is that the printed ones are divided into chapters and verses that facilitate easy references. However, one of the greatest disadvantages of printed scriptures is that those divisions are actually editorial insertions that may change how we connect and understand the ideas we read. Sometimes a single sentence is divided into several verses, and sometimes the chapter divisions are in the wrong places. Here is just one example of a chapter break that may change the meaning:

37 Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
38 Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice (John 13:37-38).

CHAPTER 14
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you (John 14:1-2).

Now read it this way:

Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

1 Nephi 20:18 is like that. The unaccountability of this sudden shift in mood becomes accountable when we read the explanation that was removed by the ancient Jewish editors. It is on the brass plates in the first verse of the next chapter: “Hearken, O ye house of Israel, all ye that are broken off and are driven out because of the wickedness of the pastors of my people” (1 Nephi 21:1).

Isaiah has moved his readers from describing the situation that resulted in the Council meeting at which Joseph spoke—from that to the mortal world to describe the apostate conditions in which Joseph must come and keep his promises. It is this movement in time and place that accounts for the “violent change of tone” in verse 18. The last three verses in chapter 20 set the stage for the first verse in chapter 21 and so belong in that chapter rather than chapter 20.

We now jump from the events of that premortal Council to Isaiah’s prophecies about the fulfillment of Joseph’s promises. The remainder of this chapter and all the next one appear to be either a synopsis of the Joseph’s speech and a report of how and when he will fulfill his covenants, or else it is Isaiah’s prophecy of Joseph’s mission. In the end, it really doesn’t matter which because the three options would look the same. The lament begins:

O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments— then had thy peace been as a river,

Scholars have long observed that the last half of Isaiah is heavily dependent on the psalms.{2} While we cannot be certain which of the psalms this refers to, we can be sure of the intended symbolism. It is the same as

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper (Psalms 1:3).

In the arid agrarian world of the Old Testament a source of water is a virtual promise of stability and peace. Examples are the Jordan River and the constant flow of the Spring of Gihon that provided water for Jerusalem. Isaiah’s imagery is like the “still waters” in the 23rd Psalm. Its echo is found in the last chapter of Isaiah where the Lord establishes a new heavens and the new earth (Isaiah 66:22). The Lord’s promise to Jerusalem is, “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream” (Isaiah 66:12). It is echoed again in Lehi’s wish for Laman: “O that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of all righteousness!” (1 Nephi 2:9) In Ezekiel it is the waters of life that flow from beneath the throne of God. These waters sustain the trees of life and heal the Dead Sea.

and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.

Righteousness is zedek—correctness in priesthood and temple ordinances and covenants. Unlike the “still waters,” Isaiah chose the roaring “waves of the sea”—with their ceaseless, rhythmic, thundering power to represent the power of the ordinances. In another place, Isaiah also spoke of the waves’ thunderous power:

1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: …
15 But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The Lord of hosts is his name.
16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people (Isaiah 51:1, 15-16, and 2 Nephi 8).

Similarly, the Lord spoke to Joseph of “the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds” (D&C 88:89-90).

Isaiah’s lament is that both are lost—both the peace and the power—because the people had not hearkened to the Lord’s commandments.

19 Thy seed [descendants] also had been as the sand; the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.

Thy seed also had been as the sand; the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof.

Even though this statement is abbreviated it is, in fact, a full reference to the Abrahamic covenant and all of the promises of the ancient temple. The underpinning of every other covenant is that our Father’s children can return to him and be like him. Eternal family and friendship are the ultimate fulfillment of that covenant. The Lord tied the promise of family to the promise of invulnerability when he told Abraham:

17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:17-18, see Abraham 3:14).

There is a more complete account in Abraham 2 where the Lord equates eternal family with eternal priesthood:

8 My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee.
9 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations;
10 And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father;
11 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy seed (that is, thy Priesthood), for I give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal (Abraham 2:8-11, emphasis added).

Those blessings had been Abraham’s desire from his earliest time. He begins his autobiography with a chiastic poem in which the prophet tells of his faithfulness that qualified him to be a member of the Council in heaven. (It is written in the pattern of the cosmic myth and thus begins with the statement that it was necessary for him to leave home. It concludes with his receiving blessings at the Council: “It was conferred upon me… before the foundation of the earth.”)

1 In the land of the Chaldeans, at the residence of my fathers, I, Abraham, saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence;
2 And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.
3 It was conferred upon me from the fathers; it came down from the fathers, from the beginning of time, yea, even from the beginning, or before the foundation of the earth, down to the present time, even the right of the firstborn, or the first man, who is Adam, or first father, through the fathers unto me.
4 I sought for mine appointment unto the Priesthood according to the appointment of God unto the fathers concerning the seed (Abraham 1:1-4).

The Lord also renewed and extended that promise to the Prophet Joseph, and through him to all the Saints who keep their eternal covenants:

30 Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins—from whose loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph—which were to continue so long as they were in the world; and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue; both in the world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as the stars; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them.
31 This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham, and the promise was made unto Abraham; and by this law is the continuation of the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself (D&C 132:30-31).

19. Thy seed also had been as the sand; the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.

This verse contains two separate ideas that focus on quite different covenants, but each identifies aspects of the same apostasy. The first was the loss of the birthright blessings of Abraham. The second was the loss of the memory of the covenant that a prophet named Joseph would restore the gospel.{3}

When the ancient prophet Joseph took his father’s family into Egypt he had two concerns: (1) that his family would come out of Egypt and (2) that they would again have the birthright blessings of the priesthood. In response to those concerns, the Lord promised Joseph he would send two servants to accomplish those purposes. As a token of those covenants, the Lord gave Joseph the names of those two prophets. He promised a “Moses” who would bring his people out of Egypt and a “Joseph” who would restore their birthright blessings. Israel has, of course, remembered the name and the fulfillment of the covenant of Moses, but because of iniquity they lost the name of the prophet Joseph,{4} as they also lost the memory of the covenant which that name symbolized. Lehi explained:

8 And I will give unto him [Joseph Smith] a commandment that he shall do none other work, save the work which I shall command him. And I will make him great in mine eyes; for he shall do my work.
9 And he shall be great like unto Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel. …
15 And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation.
16 Yea, thus prophesied Joseph: I am sure of this thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses; for the Lord hath said unto me, I will preserve thy seed forever (2 Nephi 3:8-9, 15-16).

Victor Ludlow shows other evidence that Isaiah was aware of Joseph Smith’s divine calling. He wrote:

The eleventh chapter of Isaiah contains some marvelous prophecies of the last days. It enlightens modern Israelites about the roles of at least two great leaders who will prepare the way for the coming of Christ in power and glory. They may possibly be the two “saviors” or “messiahs” known in Jewish tradition as “Messiah ben David” (a redeemer descended from David) and “Messiah ben Joseph” (a redeemer descended from Joseph).{5}

The Lord alluded to Joseph Smith’s covenant name when he reminded the Prophet’s friends:

8 And now, marvel not that I have called him unto mine own purpose, which purpose is known in me; wherefore, if he shall be diligent in keeping my commandments he shall be blessed unto eternal life; and his name is Joseph (D&C 18:8).

The next two verses in 1 Nephi 20 serve to re-enforce the idea that it was Joseph Smith’s name and covenant that were lost. Isaiah does this by drawing a comparison of the missions of the ancient Moses and the modern Joseph. While his prophecy sounds strikingly similar to the story of Moses in the wilderness, almost none of the details are the same. It is apparent that Isaiah is using the Moses story to remind us of something else. The fact that Isaiah actually had the Lord’s covenants with our Joseph in mind is suggested by the second of these verses where Isaiah draws a parallel between Moses’s striking a rock to bring out water to provide drink for his thirsty people and the mission of the prophet whom Isaiah describes as providing waters for a people who do not thirst. Here the Lord invites the people to flee the world—Babylon—as ancient Israel had once fled the land of Egypt.

20 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter to the end of the earth; say ye: The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.

20. Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans,{6}

The instructions here are not to go from Egypt as Moses did, but to go from Babylon. It is the same command as was given in a revelation to “the people of my church” through the Prophet Joseph about a year and a half after the Church was organized:

14 Go ye out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon (D&C 133:14).

The charge in both cases is to gather to Zion. The symbolism of the wickedness of Babylon rather than of Egypt from which Moses led the Children of Israel is emphasized by the attitude and the consequences of their travel.

with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter to the end of the earth; say ye: The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.

In temple settings, especially in the Book of Mormon, to redeem means to be brought into the presence of the Lord. So it is here. They sing in unison, as in 3 Nephi 20, which is also a paraphrase of Isaiah:

31 And they shall believe in me, that I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and shall pray unto the Father in my name.
32 Then shall their watchmen lift up their voice, and with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye.
33 Then will the Father gather them together again, and give unto them Jerusalem for the land of their inheritance.
34 Then shall they break forth into joy—Sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Father hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem (3 Nephi 20:31-34).

21 And they thirsted not; he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; he clave the rock also and the waters gushed out.

The King James Version reads:

21 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out. (Isaiah 48:21)

This symbolism is more recognizable when one recalls that the Lord described Joseph Smith as “another like unto thee” when he told Moses about the mission of the future Prophet.

And now, Moses, my son, I will speak unto thee concerning this earth upon which thou standest; and thou shalt write the things which I shall speak. And in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as naught and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write, behold, I will raise up another like unto thee; and they shall be had again among the children of men–among as many as shall believe (Moses 1:40-41).

These people in the latter days “thirsted not,” but in Exodus 17:3-6 “the people thirsted.”

The reason the people who follow the Prophet Joseph do not thirst is because the waters he provides for them are the waters of life, and the Savior himself is the source of it:

Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life (John 4:13-14).

22 And notwithstanding he hath done all this, and greater also, there is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.

The King James Version simply reads:

22 There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked (Isaiah 48:22)

This is the same lament for peace as is in v. 18.

The wicked are identified in the next verse, which is 1 Nephi 21:1 in the Book of Mormon

 1 And again: Hearken, O ye house of Israel, all ye that are broken off and are driven out because of the wickedness of the pastors of my people; yea, all ye that are broken off, that are scattered abroad, who are of my people. (1 Nephi 21:1).

For reasons that take no imagination to fathom, those words were deleted from the section that was edited by the apostate Jews when they took Joseph Smith out of the text and put Cyrus in his place.

———————————–
FOOTNOTES

{1} John L. McKenzie, The Anchor Bible, Second Isaiah, Introduction, Translation, and Notes (Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc.,1981), 99-100.

{2} John Thompson gives a good background of the scholars’ work:
“Isaiah 40-55, from which Jacob quotes his Isaiah passages, have often been analyzed with form-critical methods; but because many units or forms within the text have little or no comparative material (for instance, the Servant Songs), solid conclusions have been difficult to achieve. However, J. H. Eaton feels that there is enough evidence ‘to guide us to the decisive factors of tradition behind Isa. 40-55.’ J. Begrich points out as early as 1938 that many of the forms in this section resemble materials from earlier services in the temple, such as hymns, laments, and prophetic oracles of assurance. Mowinckel took this connection a step further, noting that there seems to be an association between the second division of Isaiah and the preexilic autumn festivals—namely the Feast of Tabernacles. However, Mowinckel, who does not understand how the Servant Songs fit into the picture, stopped short of completely relating chapters 40-55 to Sukkot. It was I. Engnell and Eaton who completed the correspondence between the second division of Isaiah, including the Servant Songs, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Engnell concluded that Isaiah 40-55 ‘is a prophetic collection of traditions’ that may be called ‘liturgy, …not a cult liturgy but a prophetic imitation thereof.’

“The conclusions of these scholars are significant in light of the possible setting of Jacob’s sermon, for if the second division of Isaiah, from which Jacob obtained his quotes, is a prophetic imitation of Sukkot liturgy, then it is possible that Nephi instructed Jacob to use Isaiah not only for the prophetic teachings and elevated language, but because Isaiah’s words reflect the very festival in which they, the Nephites, were participating” (Thompson, “Isaiah 50-51, the Israelite Autumn Festivals, and the Covenant Speech of Jacob in 2 Nephi 6-10,” 137-38).

{3} For a discussion of the prophecies about the Messiah ben Joseph, see Joseph F. McConkie, “Joseph Smith as Found in Ancient Manuscripts,” Isaiah and the Prophets: Inspired Voices from the Old Testament, ed. Monte S. Nyman, (Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1984), 11-32. For a non-LDS scholar’s attempt to make some sense out of the ancient traditions that there will be a “messiah” from the family of Joseph, see Israel Knohl, “The Messiah Son of Joseph,” Biblical Archaeological Review, 34, 9 (September/October): 58-64.

{4} The name “Joseph” means “Let him add.” It is the future form of a verb which means to add or augment. It is a rich word which carries, among other connotations, the idea of to “gather together.” (Strong, Hebrew numbers 3130 and 3254.)

{5} Victor L. Ludlow, Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982), 177.

{6} Skinner believes that 1 Nephi 20 is about Cyrus, but v. 20 has a double meaning that includes a prophecy about the restoration of the gospel. Andrew C. Skinner, “Isaiah 48-49 in 1 Nephi 19-22,” Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, Donald W. Parry and John W. Welch, eds., (Provo, Utah, FARMS, 1998), 95-122.

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1 Nephi 20:12-17 

In this discussion I have divided First Nephi 20 and 21 into the following subsections:

1. The premortal apostasy, 1 Nephi 20:1-11

2. Joseph Smith’s role in a Heavenly Council.1 Nephi 20:12-17

3. Apostasy preceding the Restoration, 1 Nephi 20:18 to 21:1a

4. Those who will help the Prophet Joseph, 1 Nephi 21:1-6

5. Joseph Smith restores the Temple services, 1 Nephi 21:7-11

6. The Gathering of Israel, 1 Nephi 21: 12-26

———————————-

12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Israel my called, for I am he; I am the first, and I am also the last.

This verse is the same in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

“Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Israel my called.” Isaiah is a name/title that denotes the covenants and covenant names found in the first verses of this chapter. However, he extends that by quoting the Lord in declaring his name/titles that denote the eternal validity of the covenant: “for I am he; I am the first, and I am also the last.”

Jehovah is the first in birth, in rank, and in glory. His Father presided at the Council in Heaven, but he, Jehovah, conducted the affairs of the Council and made the assignments. {1} He was before the very beginning, as the Lord told Enoch:

And I bowed down to the Lord, and the Lord spoke to me: Enoch, beloved, all that you see, all things that are standing finished I tell to you even before the very beginning, all that I created from non-being, and visible things from invisible. {2}

Similarly, we read in Proverbs:

22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old (Proverbs 8:22).

The Lord is very explicit about his role before the foundation of the world and beyond. In the words, “I am the first, and I am also the last,” “last” does not mean until the conclusion of things, it means the uttermost. For example, he explained in the Doctrine and Covenants.

1 Thus saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, the Great I AM, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the same which looked upon the wide expanse of eternity, and all the seraphic hosts of heaven, before the world was made;
2 The same which knoweth all things, for all things are present before mine eyes;
3 I am the same which spake, and the world was made, and all things came by me (D&C 38:1-3).

13 Mine hand hath also laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens. I call unto them and they stand up together.

The King James Version reads:

13 Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together (Isaiah 48:1-22).

The Book of Mormon’s “and” ties his calling to their standing together, and thus describes an event. We will soon discover that event was a meeting of the Council. The Bible’s “when” is imprecise and denotes no specific event. We will soon discover the meeting of the Council has been completely removed from the Bible’s version.

In verses 12 and 13, with the words, “I am the first, and I am also the last. Mine hand hath also laid the foundation of the earth” the Lord identifies himself as the God of Creation. {3} In the New Year Festival drama it was necessary that he be defined that way because in the ancient Near East, the Creator God was also the God who controlled the weather. Thus, in the Elijah story, the ultimate test of strength between Jehovah and Baal is that Jehovah can stop the rain but Baal cannot start it again. So it is expected that Jehovah should begin this one verse self-definition by saying he is the God of Creation.{4}

“Hand”{5} is used twice in these verses, and with two different meanings. The first is a symbol of the authority and power by which he created earth. Just as “word” is a name-description of the Savior in the Gospel of John, so “hand” is a similar name-description in the apocryphal The Book of the Secrets of Enoch. This book is the most detailed ancient description of a sode experience. It records that after Enoch had been dressed in sacred robes, the Lord said to him, “Enoch, beloved, all thou seest, all things that are standing finished I tell to thee even before the very beginning,” Enoch then saw the origin of all things. Then he showed him Adoil (translated “hand of God”) and the creation of all things.{6}

The second use of “hand” in this verse is “and my right hand hath spanned the heavens.” It declares Jehovah’s role in the Council in Heaven. In the scriptures, the members of the Council are often called “stars” or “the heavens.”{7} An example is the Lord’s question to Job:

4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the cornerstone thereof;
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:1-7).

The phrase, “my right hand hath spanned the heavens” tells a remarkable story when each word is understood in the fulness of its context. The writer is Isaiah, but the speaker is Jehovah who presided at the Council and gave assignments there. After defining himself as the Creator God, Jehovah describes his relationship with members of the Council in Heaven when he says: “and my right hand hath spanned the heavens.”

The right hand is symbolically and ceremonially significant. For example, when Joseph took his two sons to his father, Jacob, to receive their patriarchal blessings, Jacob crossed his hands and placed the right hand on Ephraim and the left hand on Manasseh. Joseph corrected him, saying that Manasseh was the oldest. Jacob said he knew that and continued to give the blessing. In that story, the right hand conveyed the birthright blessing to Ephraim (Genesis 48:13-19). That same idea is expressed in Psalm 48 where “righteousness” is zedek—absolute correctness in priesthood and temple things.

9 We have thought of thy lovingkindness [hesed or chesed], O God, in the midst of thy temple.
10 According to thy name [covenant], O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness [zedek] (Psalms 48:9-10).

Barton writes, “This term “fill the hand” is the term employed in the Book of Judges for the consecration of a priest (Judges 17:5-12).”{8} Those ideas are also beautifully expressed in these two other passages from the Psalms:

Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great (Psalms 18:35).

Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth (Psalms 31:5, Luke 23:46).

“Sacred space” is a place designated (either by men or by God) as being set apart from the rest of the world – a place where man can go to meet God. Eden, Sinai, Solomon’s Temple—it is any place where God is but where the “world” cannot come.

The process of defining sacred space in this world begins when God gives the plan and the measurements to the prophet. The first step in creating sacred space (like a temple) is measuring where its foundations will be. To measure its limits is also to establish the limitations of the mundane space that surrounds it. When completed, its walls delineate what is sacred from that what is not.

When prophets create sacred space, the first step is that God (through the prophet) defines what its measurements are to be. Thus, Jehovah gave Noah the measurements for his ark; gave Moses the measurements for the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant; gave Joseph Smith the measurements for the Kirtland Temple; and when President Hinkley first received the revelation about building many smaller temples, he sat in his car and wrote down the dimensions. The reason measurements are necessary is that they denote where the walls will be, since the space within the walls is sacred. Thus, identifying through measurement is the first step in designating “sacred space.{9}

People are defined as sacred in the same way that temples are.{10}

Similarly, in Isaiah chapter 40, in the context of discussing the foreordained responsibilities of John the Baptist, the Savior, and others, the Lord asks this question: “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span?” (Isaiah 40:12). This is not a rhetorical question, for a few verses later he reminds his readers, “Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?”(Isaiah 40:21).

In our premortal existence, by at least one of those priesthood ordinances, we were measured and thereby designated as sacred space. “Span” is important in both Isaiah 40 and in 1 Nephi 20:13.

In the statement, “My right hand hath spanned the heavens,” a span is the measurement. In the Oxford English Dictionary, a “span,” as a noun, is:

1. a. The distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger, or sometimes to the tip of the forefinger, when the “hand is fully extended; the space equivalent to this taken as a “measure of length, averaging nine inches.
2. “The “hand with the thumb and fingers extended esp. as a means of measuring.”

As a verb it is:

1. “To measure by means of the outstretched hand; to cover with the hand in this way.”{11}

The right hand is the hand of covenant and blessing. The Lord “spanned” the members of the Council in Heaven—measuring them to define them as sacred space—with his right hand—the hand of blessings, ordinances, ordinations, or covenants, or more probably of all four.{12} By placing his hand upon their heads, God measured, and thereby defined each of his children as sacred space—as “temples.” In this world, we do the same kind of thing when we place our hands upon someone’s head to give the gift of the Holy Ghost, ordain him to the priesthood, or give a blessing.{13}

In 1 Nephi 20:13, the “heavens” are measured and called to a great meeting (the meeting is described more fully in the next few verses) where they make covenants. The verse does not mention the covenants, except to say that “they stand up together,” but that phrase almost certainly has to do with covenant making. Congregations stood to make covenants, as when “the king stood by a pillar [of the temple], and made a covenant before the Lord…. And all the people stood to the covenant” (2 Kings 23: 1-3).{14}

Initially, when we think of a meeting in the premortal spirit world, we think of the Council in Heaven recorded in Abraham chapter 3, but this clearly is not that. As we read this account, it becomes apparent that this was not a time when people were presented two possible plans and asked to vote, as Abraham 3 is often described. At this meeting, the Savior was not the main speaker, and the fall and Atonement were not questions under consideration. The Lord’s servant who delivered the message was one who had been chosen before, probably in the earlier Grand Council. He had, and would again have, great responsibility and power. All the internal evidence supports the idea that the speaker at this council was the Prophet Joseph Smith. The following is a review of that evidence. Following that review we will carefully examine the rest of the material Nephi quoted.

Two things are necessary to understand 1 Nephi 20 and 21. The first is that the chapter break is artificial and not a part of the text on the brass plates. Nephi saw this material as a single unit and not as two separate chapters. The second is that footnote 21:8a is correct, and provides a key to understanding the entire block of material Nephi quoted. 1 Nephi21:8 reads: ..and I will preserve thee, and give thee [Footnote a.] my servant for a covenant of the people.” The first reference of the footnote is: 2 Nephi 3:11 (6-15) that reads, “Joseph truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up..and his name shall be called after me.”

All of that simply means that this entire block of material Nephi quoted—both chapters 20 and 21—is talking about the Prophet Joseph Smith and his assignment, and about those who either oppose or assist him in fulfilling that assignment. If that is true, then the following is one way the Isaiah chapters can be understood:

The setting is established in the fore part of the chapter. It is “in the beginning.” Satan’s challenge has been met and bested (v.11), Israel has been “called” (v. 12), the earth has been created (v.13) A great meeting has been assembled (v. 13), and the speaker (whom “the Lord hath loved” v. 14) has testified that he will fulfill his mission to overcome “Babylon” and the “Chaldeans” (standard Biblical code names for the evils of this world. v. 14).

The next verse begins the account of the meeting held in the premortal spirit world. The meeting—but more especially its speaker—is lost from the Old Testament. The brass plates version in the Book of Mormon reads:

14 All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; who among them hath declared these things unto them? The Lord hath loved him; yea, and he will fulfil his word which he hath declared by them; and he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall come upon the Chaldeans.

The King James Version reads:

14 All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The Lord hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans (Isaiah 48:14).

Assemble yourselves and hear

It is the account of this assembly, which has been removed from our Bible’s Cyrus version of Isaiah 48, that now becomes the focus of our attention.

Because of the introduction that the Lord ordained (spanned) the “heavens,” it is reasonable to suppose that this was at the least a meeting of the members of the Council in Heaven. However, because the context is to thwart a general discontent and apostasy, it is more reasonable to suppose that this was a conference attended by all who are concerned.

All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; who among them hath declared these things unto them?

and hear

The command to hear is a directive to be cognizant of the words and to understand their meaning. Implicit also is a command to obey the instructions one hears.

Who among them hath declared?

who [the speaker].

among them [The members of the Council].

hath declared [Given the speech at the meeting].

That question is not a rhetorical one: Who, among those who are assembled, has spoken? As if to say, When you consider who the messenger is, how can you doubt the truthfulness of the message? This speech was not a soft and fuzzy sermon. It was a solemn declaration.

these things

Because the speaker was the premortal Prophet Joseph Smith, it is likely that we have the essence of the speech in the next two chapters where Isaiah describes the Prophet’s mission, the restoration of the temple, and the gathering of Israel. Since the credibility of the speaker is emphasized here, it is likely that the issue before the Council meeting was the ultimate success of the proposed plan. Paul described the full sweep of the plan when he explained:

8 Wherein he [Heavenly Father] hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will (Ephesians 1:8-11).

How “in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ” appears to have been the issue in the meeting described in 1 Nephi 20. The answer lay in the assignment given to the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Savior’s guarantee that through the integrity of the Prophet the Father’s will would be accomplished.

About “these things” which were the subject of the Prophet’s discourse, Isaiah gives no details at this point, except by inference. But he soon will.

unto them? [Those who are at the meeting.]

The Lord hath loved him;

It is clearly not Jehovah who is giving this speech. We learn in verse 17 that “the Lord” is “thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” As is clearly indicated in the next chapter, the person whom the Lord loves and who is giving the speech is the Prophet Joseph.

The declaration, “the Lord hath loved him,” is the key to these two chapters. Not only does it describe the relationship between the Savior and this servant, it also teaches us about the reason for the message and the motive of both the Savior and his messenger. It says the same thing as Ephesians 1:4; The Father “hath chosen us in him [the Savior] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” Whose love? Both ours and his. This helps us understand why the Savior could give assurance that the honesty of the message was attested by the integrity of the messenger. It also gives us insight into the power of the word “friend” as it was used by the Savior in this mortal world when he spoke to Joseph Smith and some of the other young leaders of the church.{15}

63 Ye are they whom my Father hath given me; ye are my friends (D&C 84:63 and 88:2-3).

When we read that, we might reflect upon the depth of the feelings of John the Beloved when he refereed to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

yea, and he [The speaker.] will fulfill his word

He will have both the power and the integrity to do what he says he will do. The verse might be paraphrased as follows:

Be assured, when Joseph goes to the earth, he will have the power, authority and integrity to fulfill the promises he has made at this assembly. He will overcome, then supplant, the kingdoms of that future world, characterized as Babylon and the Chaldeans.

which he hath declared by them

By them seems to appear out of nowhere, and with no apparent referent. If it had said, “declared to them,” then it would be easy to understand; but it does not say “to,” it says “by.” It is no good going to the Bible for help, because that phrase is one that was removed from the Bible’s Isaiah. So the question remains, who or what is the “them”? There seems to be two possible answers. We like them both, but favor the second.

1) The “them” may be the ordinances and covenants mentioned in the beginning of the chapter. That would be consistent with Alma 12:30 which says people were instructed “according to their faith and repentance and their holy works.”

2) The “them” may refer to helpers in the pre-earth life spirit world who assisted Joseph in proselyting this most important message. Because much of what follows in the next chapter can be read as a long and rather detailed discussion of “Israel” who were foreordained to assist Joseph in this mortal world, we are inclined to believe that this “them” and that “Israel” may represent the same people. In other words, what this is saying is that the people (which includes us) who accepted the assignment to assist in Joseph’s mission here also assisted him there.

and he [the speaker] will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall come upon the Chaldeans.

will do his pleasure: His pleasure is to convert, not to destroy.

on Babylon:

The Assyrians at Nineveh, not Babylon, were the threat to the world in the time of Isaiah and Hezekiah. In this chapter, even Babylon is not the place, but rather it is a symbol, as it has always been, of the evils of this world. For example, the Lord uses Isaiah to describe the evils of our time:

5 Go ye out from Babylon. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.
6 Call your solemn assemblies, and speak often one to another. And let every man call upon the name of the Lord.
7 Yea, verily I say unto you again, the time has come when the voice of the Lord is unto you: Go ye out of Babylon; gather ye out from among the nations, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (D&C 133:5-7).

and his arm shall come upon the Chaldeans. (Chaldea and Babylon were essentially the same place.)

The arm that “comes upon the Chaldeans” is clearly a symbol of power. The purposes of that power were described by Daniel when he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream:

44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure (Daniel 2:44-45).

As the hand can be symbolic of both majesty and love, so the arm is symbolic of both judgment and mercy. The promise that “he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall come upon the Chaldeans” assures the destruction of the kingdoms of this world, but his “pleasure” is to bring salvation, not vendetta; and his arm brings judgment so there may be mercy.

The “arm” of the Lord connotes his integrity in keeping his covenants. Whether expressed as the power to destroy or as the power to save, it is the same. The Psalmist rejoicing, “Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm” (Psalms 89:10), acknowledges the Lord’s power to interced that he might do “according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.”

Ultimately his purpose is to bless, however severe the intercession may appear at the time. The Lord explained that the severity of the language was so people would understand the seriousness of the sins. He said:

6 Nevertheless, it is not written that there shall be no end to this torment, but it is written endless torment.
7 Again, it is written eternal damnation; wherefore it is more express than other scriptures, that it might work upon the hearts of the children of men, altogether for my name’s glory (D&C 19:6-7, emphasis changed).

I believe that it is true that our loving Heavenly Father has never punished anyone. If he had, then part of his personality would include a vendetta, and that cannot be. Rather, he warns us of the consequence of sin, teaches us to repent, and provides an Atonement to enable us to be forgiven. Nevertheless, as Alma explained, it is “the law” not God which inflicts the punishment when the law is broken (Alma 42:22-23).

15 Also, saith the Lord; I the Lord, yea, I have spoken; yea, I have called him to declare, I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.

The King James Version reads:

15 I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. (Isaiah 48:1-22)

Also, saith the Lord; I the Lord, yea, I have spoken; yea, I have called him to declare,

Jehovah’s declaration, “Yea, I have spoken,” conveys the message that he is the beginning—the moving power of all creation. Even though the whole burden of his message is an invitation to us to come to him, the immutable law remains: he works through his servants, and those who will not follow his servants cannot come to where he is. The law in the premortal spirit world was the same as the law now:

4 And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days.
5 And they shall go forth and none shall stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them.
6 Behold, this is mine authority, and the authority of my servants….

38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.
39 For behold, and lo, the Lord is God, and the Spirit beareth record, and the record is true, and the truth abideth forever and ever. Amen (D&C 1:1-6, 38-39).

and he [Joseph] shall make his [own] way prosperous.

Jehovah testifies of the Prophet Joseph’s integrity as well as of his power: the Savior called him, and with the Savior’s help Joseph cannot fail. This poses another question: Who is this Joseph Smith, that his integrity is so great that the Savior can promise, “and he shall make his way prosperous?” We know, at least, that he was “among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God” (D&C 138:53-56).

The mission which Joseph would accomplish was eternal in its burden. Benjamin F. Johnson tells a story that shows how completely Joseph understood his own mission. About a year before Joseph was killed, he was in the Johnson home when, with a deep-drawn breath, Joseph said, “Oh! I am so tired—so tired that I often feel to long for my day of rest.” Johnson wrote:

His words to me were ominous, and they brought a shadow as of death over my spirit, and I said, “Oh, Joseph! how could you think of leaving us? How as a people could we do without you?” He saw my feelings were sorrowful and said kindly, “Bennie, if I was on the other side of the veil I could do many times more for my friends than I can do while I am with them here.”{16}

Orson Pratt testified:

The Lord did not raise up this boy, Joseph, for nothing, or merely to reveal a few of the first principles of the Gospel of Christ; but he raised him up to reveal the hidden mysterious things, the wonders of the eternal worlds, the wonders of the dispensation of the fullness of times, those wonders that took place before the foundation of the world; and all things, so far as it was wisdom in God, were unfolded by this personage….{17}

Wilford Woodruff assures us:

The Prophet Joseph Smith held the keys of this dispensation on this side of the vail, and he will hold them throughout the countless ages of eternity.{18} The brass plates contain a reference to the commission to speak.

16 Come ye near unto me; I have not spoken in secret; from the beginning, from the time that it was declared have I spoken; and the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.

The Old Testament is about something different from that.

16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me (Isaiah 48:1-22)

Come ye near unto me;

This verse must be understood in the context of the previous one. The “Lord” in verse 15 is Jehovah, so the “Lord God” in verse 16 must be Elohim. If read that way, then verse 16 is the Savior testifying of Joseph’s calling.

I have not spoken in secret; from the beginning, from the time that it was declared have I spoken;

“The beginning” may be a reference to the Council in Heaven described in Abraham 3, but seems in this context to be to the time before that, in “the first place,” as described in Alma 13.

There never was a time when we were not wholly dependent upon the Savior. His invitation, “come unto me,” was the first heard by us as cognizant intelligences.{19} It has been repeated in each step in our progression, as often as we have forgotten. Like a clarion call in the night, it leads the one first to the way then to the summit. And the way is always the same: Faith unto repentance and the remission of sins, and reception of the Holy Ghost; holding to the rod while moving to partake of the fruit of the Tree. He is and has always been the Way, the Rod, and the Fruit of the Tree at the summit of salvation.

and the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.

That relationship has never changed. The Savior is the “me” and is is identified in the next verse as “the Lord, thy Redeemer.” So we must conclude that “the Lord God” is his Father, and “his Spirit” is the Holy Ghost. It has always been important that we understand that relationship. The events of Jesus’s baptism were an affirmation of their oneness. That oneness is the key to our own. If we are to be one with the Father, we must first be one with the Son, obeying the Father as he does. He instructed his American disciples:

13 Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. …
18 And this is the word … no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom ….
20 Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me…
21… this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do (3 Nephi 27:13-21).

Again, the brass plates emphasize the importance of the relationship between the Savior and the speaker, while the Old Testament version removes the speaker altogether:

17 And thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I have sent him, the Lord thy God who teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee by the way thou shouldst go, hath done it.

The King James Version reads:

17 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. (Isaiah 48:1-22)

And thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel;

Isaiah leaves no doubt about who is speaking these words about the one who is giving the lecture. It is Jehovah—the Lord, Redeemer, Holy One of Israel. The word “Redeemer” includes the idea of kinsman, and suggests that he will bring us from where we are to where he is.

I [Jehovah] have sent him [Joseph Smith],

The Prophet, having been “called” and “brought” (v. 15), now may be “sent.” We understand from church history and from these scriptures that it was/is Joseph Smith’s burden to overthrow the kingdoms of the world, both in this physical world and in the post-earth-life spirit world where people reside who have died without receiving the gospel. His assignment was/is to establish, in the place of those worldly kingdoms, the kingdom of God. To do that he must teach the way whereby every individual may come to Christ.

But what were Joseph’s responsibilities in the world before this one? Was the purpose of that meeting only to promise things to come in our present world? Or is this world patterned like the last one in more than form and features? Are Joseph’s responsibilities here a continuation of his responsibilities there?

Another way of asking that question is this: Joseph is the head of this last dispensation. That included both administrative and judicial (kingly and priestly) responsibilities to establish the Church and Kingdom of God and to oversee its progression even after he died and went into the post-earth-life spirit world. The Prophet Joseph taught,

The head God called together the Gods and sat in grand council to bring forth the world. The grand councilors sat at the head in yonder heavens and contemplated the creation of the worlds which were created at the time.”{20}

The question is: Did he, in the pre-earth-life spirit world, also have similar responsibilities during the planning and developing stages preparatory to the establishment of this last dispensation? President J. Reuben Clark explained,

The priesthood is an everlasting endowment. Some, at least, who have come to the earth had it before they came here.”{21}

On another occasion he elaborated more fully:

I would like to read what the Prophet Joseph has said, some of the things he has said, about the Priesthood:

“The Priesthood,” said the Prophet “is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years.” Adam (I am taking isolated sentences and passages) . . . Adam stands next to Christ, who is the great High Priest. Adam obtained his Priesthood “in the Creation, before the world was formed.”

And the following statement of the Prophet is, to me, most significant:

Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world”—note that—“Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. I suppose (said the Prophet) that I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council.{22}

I like to think that not alone did such men as Adam and the Prophet Joseph receive the Priesthood before they came here. I like to think, I can give you no scripture for it, I like to think that those of us who are set apart, chosen and set apart, to come forth in this the last dispensation of time, which is to draw together all other dispensations, had a like conferring of Priesthood though not perhaps a like setting apart. The Prophet continues,

If a man gets a fullness of the priesthood of God, he has to get it in the same way that Jesus Christ obtained it, and that was by keeping all the commandments and obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord. ….

It (the Priesthood) is the channel through which the Almighty commenced revealing His glory at the beginning of the creation of this earth, and through which He has continued to reveal Himself to the children of men to the present time, and through which He will make known His purposes to the end of time.”{23}

President Wilford Woodruff was equally explicit:

Here is a kingdom of Priests raised up by the power of God to take hold and build up the kingdom of God. The same Priesthood exists on the other side of the veil. Every man who is faithful in his quorum here will join his quorum there. When a man dies and his body is laid in the tomb, he does not lose his position. The Prophet Joseph Smith held the keys of this dispensation on this side of the veil, and he will hold them throughout the countless ages of eternity. He went into the spirit world to unlock the prison doors and to preach the Gospel to the millions of spirits who are in darkness, and every Apostle, every Seventy, every Elder, etc., who has died in the faith as soon as he passes to the other side of the veil, enters into the work of the ministry, and there is a thousand times more to preach there than there is here.{24}

President John Taylor explained the same doctrine:

Now then come the twelve and all the other authorities. We believe that they [Joseph, the Twelve, and others] are ordained of God, that they are part of his economy and government, all these various quorums as they exist on the earth, and that, by and by, when we get through in this world, we shall all assume our proper position and proper Priesthood, with Joseph Smith at the head of this dispensation, and that we shall be associated there with that Priesthood that we have been connected with here.{25}

Erastus Snow gave it an even wider application:

Paul tells us concerning the Melchizedek Priesthood, that it is after the order of an endless life, without beginning of days or end of years; or, in other words, that it is eternal; that it ministers in time and also in eternity. Peter, James and John and their fellow-laborers still minister in their Priesthood on the other side of the veil; and Joseph Smith and his fellow-brethren still minister in their office and calling under the counsel and direction of the same Peter, James and John who ministered on earth, and who conferred upon Joseph the keys of their Priesthood; and all the Elders of this dispensation who prove faithful and magnify their calling in the flesh will, when they pass hence, continue their labors in the spirit world, retaining the same holy character and high responsibility that they assume here.{26}

Alma taught the same doctrine. He took us back to the earliest time. Rather than projecting priesthood callings from the present into the future, he projected them from the eternal past into the earthly present, then beyond..

6 And thus being called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest—
7 This high priesthood being after the order of his Son, which order was from the foundation of the world; or in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity, according to his foreknowledge of all things—
8 Now they were ordained after this manner—being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the high priesthood of the holy order, which calling, and ordinance, and high priesthood, is without beginning or end—
9 Thus they become high priests forever, after the order of the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, who is without beginning of days or end of years, who is full of grace, equity, and truth. And thus it is. Amen (Alma 13:6-9).

If Joseph was ordained to his mission in the Grand Council, did he also function in that calling and priesthood between the time of his ordination and the time he came to this world? Or did he actually begin before that, as B.H Roberts’s musings imply?

Do these higher intelligences of the stellar universe and planetary systems have so developed in themselves the quality of love that makes it possible to think of them as being willing to sacrifice themselves–to empty themselves in sacrifice to bring to pass the welfare of others whom they may esteem to be the undeveloped intelligences of the universe and may they not be capable of giving the last full measure of sacrifice to bring to pass the higher development of the “lowly” when no other means of uplift can be serviceable? Is the great truth operative among these untold millions of intelligences that greater love hath no intelligence for another than this, that he would give his life in the service of kindred intelligences when no other means of helpfulness is possible?{27}

the Lord thy God who teacheth thee to profit,

How profit? For Isaiah, as for Nephi and others, the Lord’s promise of the riches of the earth is symbolic of the promise of eternal life. Three examples are:

1)The Savior’s saying that the meek will inherit the earth, in the 3 Nephi 12:5, Psalm 25:9-14, Psalm 37:11, and Doctrine and Covenants 88:17-18.

2) The symbolism in the Book of Mormon which equates being in the “promised land” with being in the presence of God. See 1 Nephi 2:19-22 for example.

3) The symbolism which equates the fruit of the vine and the richness of the earth with the waters and the fruit of life, which he uses, in turn, to represent the saving ordinances of the temple.

who leadeth thee by the way thou shouldst go, hath done it.

“Way” and “path” often refer to the series of ordinances by which one ascends the “mountain.” It probably means that in this case also. The Savior is the Way and the Word.

In the Savior’s declaration, “I have sent him,” he places Joseph’s mission squarely in the context of the temple. If one is ever to understand the Prophet Joseph Smith, one must understand him in the light of the temple.

The phrase “leadeth thee by the way thou should go” suggests all the things Lehi’s vision teaches us that Christ is the word on which we may hold to lead us through the darkness, through the ordinances and the veil of Solomon’s Temple, until we reach the tree. It seems that he is saying no less about this world than he might say about that one.

———————————–
FOOTNOTES

{1} For a discussion of the Council in Heaven see above, Lehi’s sode experience in 1 Nephi 1:8-15.

{2} Secrets of Enoch 24:2.

{3} God does things in a perfectly natural way. The things he tells us in the scriptures are who he is and how to return to him, and those are the most important things of all. Prophets live in real worlds with real academic and cultural environments, and they speak to the people of their own time. All of their accounts of the creation were written to audiences who had none of the scientific questions we have—and, for that matter, none of the scientific answers. The prophets taught what was important: that God is the God of Creation. That the heavens and the earth were made and are controlled by him, and that his purpose was to bring about the exaltation of his children. That is what mattered to them, and that is the way they told the story. If we read what they wrote in that light, then their message is absolutely true.
If we try to superimpose modern scientific theory onto their stories, it doesn’t work. So our response is very simple: Accept each for what it is.

{4} A mirror image of this verse is Isaiah 40:12. There the chronology is different so the creation comes second.

{5} For a discussion of the ceremonial significance of the hand see Lynn M. Hilton, The Hand as a Cup in Ancient Temple worship. A paper presented at the Thirtieth Annual Symposium on the Archaeology of the Scriptures, held at BYU on 26 September 1981.

The power of the symbolism of the hand became evident to Baker soon after he came to BYU, he had the privilege of spending an afternoon alone in the study of the late Bible scholar and translator, Dr. George M. Lamsa. He sat at his desk, reading some of his unpublished manuscripts, taking some notes as he read. The following is from those notes:
“On page 34 of his unpublished work, ‘Origin of the Alphabet,’ Dr. Lamsa wrote about the significance of the letter ‘Y,’ which, he said, was the stylized drawing of an outstretched hand–fingers on one side, thumb on the other. Dr. Lamsa says that to the Biblical people, except for the eye, the hand is the most important member of the body. It is the hand which is most often exposed to danger; when any other part of the body is threatened, especially the eye or head, the hand rushes to protect it, without having any thought of its own safety. The hand feeds and washes the body; and, when necessary, tries to comfort and heal it. Thus, symbolically, the hand represents sensitive protection and love, but it also represents militant protection, power and domination. In a man’s relationship with other people, it is the hand that usually serves as the connecting point. It signifies friendship, and is used to ‘transfer a blessing.’ In our relationships with others it symbolizes both authority and reverent submission.”

{6}  Secrets of Enoch 25:1-2. For the quote in context see, R.H. Charles, The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Vol. II, .443-445. See also John 1:1-4, Revelation 12:1-9, 1 Nephi 1:9-10, Moses 2:1-8, D&C 93:1-13.

{7} Stars and heavens are frequently used to represent the members of Council in Heaven. In some scriptures the word “heavens” refers to the place where God and the Council reside. Examples are: Genesis 2:1, 22:17; Exodus 32:11-15; Job 38:1-14; Psalms 8:1-3, 19:1-4, 33:6-9, 50:1-8, 57:2-11, 89:1-6, 96:1-13, 103:2-22, 104:1-35, 115:1-7; Isaiah 1:1-2, 14:1-16 (compare Jude 1:12-13), 40:20-25, 44:21-25, 45:11-19, 48:11-15, 49:13; Mark 1:10-11; Acts 7:54-60; 2 Peter 3:1-18; Revelation 1:1-20, 12:1-14.
1 Nephi 1:9-10, 20:13-17 (different from Bible’s Isaiah), 21:13 (not in Bible’s Isaiah); 2 Nephi 2:14, 24:12-17, 29:5-7; Alma 18:26-30; 3 Nephi 9:15; Ether 3:1-2, 4:7-9; Moroni 7:27-28, 9:25-26.
D&C 14:9, 45:1, 49:5-7, 60:4, 67:2, 76:1, 84:42, 104:14, 107:17-19, 110:10-12,128:23; 132:29-33, 137:1-4.
Moses 1:36-39, 6:41-45, 7:1-4; Abraham 3:21, 4:1-6, 5:1-4.

{8} George A. Barton, The Religion of Ancient Israel (New York: 1961), 159. See Ezekiel 10:1-7.

{9} Two other examples are Ezekiel, who carefully gives the measurements of the temple he saw in vision; and John, in the last chapters of Revelation, who gives the measurements of the city where celestial people will live.

{10} See J. Lyman Redd, “Aaron’s Consecration: Its Nature, Purpose, and Meaning,” Thy People Shall Be My People and Thy God My God: The 22d Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994), 120 – 121.

{11} The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press), 1988, 2:2938.

{12} For examples in both ancient and modern scripture of the significance of the Lord’s right hand, see: Psalms 20:6, 63:7-8, 73:23-24; -28; Isaiah 41:10-13 -29; Acts; Revelation 1:13-18; D&C 109:71. Donald W. Parry, ed., Temples of the Ancient World: Ritual and Symbolism (Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1994). The book contains several papers written by Parry that discuss sacred space. They are: “Introduction: The Meaning of the Temple,” xiii; “Garden of Eden: Prototype Sanctuary,” 126; “The Temple according to Judaism,” 414; “Temple Imagery in the Epistles of Peter,” 492.

{13} The idea of delineating by covering is also important in the definition of sacred space. When the Lord gave the revelations telling the prophets the dimensions of the ark of the covenant, the tabernacle, or a temple, he did not just give the floor plan. He also instructed the prophets how sacred space was to be covered. Covering defines and protects sacred space just as the smoke covered and defined Mt. Sinai when the Lord was there, protecting it and keeping away the gaze of unsanctified eyes. When the Lord told Moses how to build the tabernacle, he instructed Moses to laterally clothe it in a garment of skins.

{14} “Stand” is sometimes read as code for making a covenant, as in Psalm 8:1,8 and Abraham 3:23.

{15} As in D&C 84:63 and 88:2-3, and
in John the Beloved’s describing himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

{16} Benjamin F. Johnson, My Life’s Review (Independence, Mo.: Zion’s Printing & Publishing Co., 1947), 97-98.

{17} Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. (London: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1854-1886), 17: 187.

{18} Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, 22: 334.

{19} For a discussion of intelligences see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 801-64; Second edition, p. 564-86.

{20} Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 348, King Follett discourse.

{21} President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Conference Report, October 1948, 178-79.

{22} Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 305.

{23} President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Conference Report, April 1953, General Priesthood Meeting, 53-54.

{24} Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, 22: 334.

{25} John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, 18: 81.

{26} Erastus Snow, Journal of Discourses, 23:188.

{27} B. H. Roberts, The Truth, The Way, The Life (Provo, Utah, BYU Studies, 1994), 98.

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Nephi 20:1-11 & Isaiah 48  

In this discussion I have divided First Nephi 20 and 21 into the following subsections:

1. The premortal apostasy, 1 Nephi 20:1-11

2. Joseph Smith in the Council in Heaven, 1 Nephi 20:12-17

3. Apostasy preceding the Restoration, 1 Nephi 20:18 to 21:1a

4. Those who will help the Prophet Joseph, 1 Nephi 21:1-6

5. Joseph Smith restores the Temple services, 1 Nephi 21:7-11

6. The Gathering of Israel, 1 Nephi 21: 12-26

———————————-

 1 Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, or out of the waters of baptism, who swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, yet they swear not in truth nor in righteousness.

 The King James Version reads:

1 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. (Isaiah 48:1-22)

The speaker in this chapter is Jehovah himself. That is made clear by a number of passages.

Examples are: “Behold, I have declared the former things from the beginning” (v. 3) ; “For mine own sake, yea, for mine own sake will I do this, for I will not suffer my name to be polluted, and I will not give my glory unto another” (v. 11) ; “And thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I have sent him” (v. 17). Thus, it is Jehovah who commands, “Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel.”

“Called” denotes a new covenant name.{1} There is always a new name with a new covenant. Moses explained that the covenant name of Israel was first established in the Council in Heaven.

7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.
8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 32:7-8).

The name and the covenant associated with it are an eternal identity of those who serve the Lord. The covenants are eternal and apparently so are the ordinances associated with them. Nephi used the phrase “one eternal round” to explain the consistency in the way God teaches us. He wrote,

19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times [Nephi’s present] as in times of old [at the Council], and as well in times of old as in times to come [from the beginning to the end]; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round (1 Nephi 10:19).

Nibley understood that “one eternal round” is “typified by the Sun in its course. But instead of an eternal return to the starting point, the course is depicted as an ever-mounting spiral—eternal progression.”{2}

Another way of visualizing it is as a series of ever-expanding concentric circles with oneself at the center, and where the ordinances and covenants are not repeated but made again and again—each the same yet different, because each time they are specifically relevant to the circumstances in which we then find ourselves. In this world, for example, we are inclosed in a veil of forgetfulness. Our memories are obscured but not obliterated. In the ordinances and covenants we make anew with God, we re-commit to keeping the commandments that have brought us this far so that we may progress yet further. Imbedded deeply at the root of all those covenants, ordinances, and commandments is the understanding that eternal growth comes from the giving and receiving the triad of truth, light, and love. That is, as we attain more truth, we exude more light, and the light we exude is love. If this ever ceases to be so, then we cease to grow. Eternal progression is an eternal assimilation of more and more truth that thereby we may be more and more “a light to this people.” But that light is not and can never be a self-aggrandizing symbol of self. Rather it must be a union with others, an acceleration of light with light, an embrace of love. A function of the commandments, ordinances, and covenants is to help us to be empowered to do that.

The dominant theme of 1 Nephi 20 is the covenants we made with God and he made with us while we were in the spirit world, while we could still remember and in preparation to our coming to this physical earth. Interwoven into that theme are some important details about the “war in heaven”{3} and more specifically about the part the Prophet Joseph Smith played in that struggle. Then, as now, the contest between good and evil was not so much a battle of power and will as it was of faithfulness, integrity, and testimonies of those who kept their covenants.{4}

Every child in Seminary knows the basic details of the story of the war in heaven, and as adults, we still know little more than those basic details. The scriptures tell that there was a war, who the main players were, what principles were at stake, and what the outcome was, but other than that, they say very little.

God explained to Moses that there were two major principles. One was the agency of man and the other was who would get the glory.

1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.
2 But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.
3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
4 And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice (Moses 4:1-4).

To Abraham, the Lord explained that Satan tried to negate the efficacy of the Atonement:

27 And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.
28 And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him (Abraham 3:27-28).

In Doctrine and Covenants 76, the Prophet Joseph wrote that the ultimate principle was who should rule. It says Satan “rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our God and his Christ.”

25 And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,
26 And was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son of the morning.{5}
27 And we beheld, and lo, he is fallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning!
28 And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision; for we beheld Satan, that old serpent, even the devil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our God and his Christ—
29 Wherefore, he maketh war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about (D&C 76:25-48).

In his poem, A Vision, the Prophet Joseph said it a little differently:

And I saw and bear record of warfare in heaven;
For an angel of light, in authority great,
Rebcll’d against Jesus and sought for his power,
But was thrust down to woe from his godified state.
And the heavens all wept, and the tears dropp’d like dew,
That Lucifer, son of the morning, had fell!
Yea, is fallen! is fallen and become, oh, alas!
The son of perdition, the devil of hell!{6}

John describes Satan as a great red dragon,{7} and gives us much information about the conflict.

3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth….
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death (Revelation 12:1-17, emphasis added).

When the seventy returned from their mission,

18 And he [the Savior] said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven (Luke 10:18).

From Jude we learn:

6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day (Jude 1:1-25).

The Lord described the sons of perdition at the time of judgment as those who will suffer the same fate. He said:

27 And the righteous shall be gathered on my right hand unto eternal life; and the wicked on my left hand will I be ashamed to own before the Father;
28 Wherefore I will say unto them—Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
29 And now, behold, I say unto you, never at any time have I declared from mine own mouth that they should return, for where I am they cannot come, for they have no power (D& C 29:27-29).

Isaiah described Satan’s final fate as that of a total failure:

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and shall consider thee, and shall say: Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms?
17 And made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof, and opened not the house of his prisoners?
18 All the kings of the nations, yea, all of them, lie in glory, every one of them in his own house.
19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and the remnant of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet.
20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land and slain thy people; the seed of evil-doers shall never be renowned (Isaiah 14:12-20 as recorded in 2 Nephi 24:12-20).

The description of the principles behind the war in heaven that is described in 1 Nephi 20 are different from those described elsewhere. In this version the confrontation is not directly between God and Satan; rather, it is between the premortal prophets and Satan’s followers. The major issue is that they do not keep their covenants they have made with God, but that they do keep the covenants the rebellious have made with Satan in the name of God!{8}

That theme in 1 Nephi 20 begins with the question of the validity of covenant names. There it is apparent, as it is in other places, that Isaiah is making an important distinction between the name designations “Jacob” and “Israel.” The key to understanding that distinction seems to be this: Jacob’s name was Jacob before he covenanted to be the servant of the Lord; then, as an evidence of the covenant, the Lord changed his name to Israel.

Even though the context of Isaiah’s words in this chapter is our premortal world, it is useful, in order to learn what Isaiah is talking about, to read how Jacob’s name was changed in this world. There are two accounts in the Old Testament. The first is a story filled with symbolism. It begins,

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day (Genesis 32:24).

But it concludes by identifying the “man” as God.

And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved (Genesis 32:30).

The story that is bracketed by those two verses is about names and covenants.

27 And he [God] said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved Genesis 32:27-30).

Those verses do not say that covenant names were exchanged, only that Jacob told God his name. However, when it happened a second time, Jacob’s name was changed and he was also told God’s name-title: “God Almighty.” Along with his new name, Jacob was also given the priesthood birthright blessings of Abraham.

9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram, and blessed him.
10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land (Genesis 35:8-12).

Psalm 105 makes an interesting distinction between the blessings given to “Jacob” and those given to “Israel.” The implication seems to be that to Jacob he gave a law which needed to be followed, then to Israel was given a covenant of its fulfillment. However, this may only be an example of synonymus parallism.

6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
7 He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.
9 Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac;
10 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant (Psalm 105:6-10).

Psalm 135 suggests the same thing.

4 For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.
5 For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods (Psalm 135:4-5).

Isaiah explains the symbolism of that relationship.

He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit (Isaiah 27:6).

That symbolism is further explained by Isaiah in his magnificent Messianic prophecy.

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel (Isaiah 9:6-8).

The meaning of the word “Israel” is best understood from Genesis 32 where it says, “For as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” But probably the full meaning would include all the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant in chapter 35.

In addition to covenants in the premortal world, we know that there were ordinances performed: foreordinations (Alma 13), and the Savior was anointed (D&C 138:42). President Joseph Fielding Smith quoted Paul to show that there was also a church there, with all the implications that “church” implies. Of the premortal church, President Smith wrote,

It is reasonable to believe that there was a Church organization there. The heavenly beings were living in a perfectly arranged society. Every person knew his place. Priesthood, without any question, had been conferred and the leaders were chosen to officiate. Ordinances pertaining to that pre-existence were required and the love of God prevailed. Under such conditions it was natural for our Father to discern and choose those who were most worthy and evaluate the talents of each individual. He knew not only what each of us could do, but also what each of us would do when put to the test and when responsibility was given us. Then, when the time came for our habitation on mortal earth, all things were prepared and the servants of the Lord chosen and ordained to their respective missions. Paul said to the Ephesian Saints:

Blessed be the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. –Eph. 1:3-4.{9}

We probably learn the name of that church from Paul, who wrote,

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect (Hebrews 12:22-23).

The Prophet Joseph, in his description of the three degrees of glory, also wrote of the church of the firstborn. And, like Paul, his description is a projection into the future eternities. However, he describes it in much the same way Paul describes the premortal ordinances of the church. Paul wrote,

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).”

D&C 76 reads,

54 They are they who are the church of the Firstborn.
55 They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things … all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s (D&C 76: 54-59).

Paul wrote, “ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,” and explains that the sealing was an “earnest of our inheritance (Ephesians 113-14).” An earnest is a conditional contract. But the D&C says they have “overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise (v 53)” .

The D&C goes on to explain,

94 They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace;
95 And he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion (D&C 76:94-95).

In the context of John’s testimony which is about the premortal Savior (John 1:1-13 and D&C 93:1-18), the Lord promised,

3 Wherefore, I now send upon you another Comforter, even upon you my friends, that it may abide in your hearts, even the Holy Spirit of promise; which other Comforter is the same that I promised unto my disciples, as is recorded in the testimony of John.
4 This Comforter is the promise which I give unto you of eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom;
5 Which glory is that of the church of the Firstborn, even of God, the holiest of all, through Jesus Christ his Son (D&C 88:3-5).

Further confirmation of that is found in Section 78, which reads,

2 And listen to the counsel of him who has ordained you from on high, [then instructions are given and the Savior concludes,]
….
20 Wherefore, do the things which I have commanded you, saith your Redeemer, even the Son Ahman, who prepareth all things before he taketh you;
21 For ye are the church of the Firstborn, and he will take you up in a cloud, and appoint every man his portion.
22 And he that is a faithful and wise steward shall inherit all things. Amen (D&C 78:2, 20-22 ).

Thus it appears that “they who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn (D&C 76:94), whether they are there before or after this earth life—or both. The conformation of that is found in Doctrine and Covenants 93 which reads,

21 And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn;
22 And all those who are begotten through me are partakers of the glory of the same, and are the church of the Firstborn.
23 Ye were also in the beginning with the Father; that which is Spirit, even the Spirit of truth (D&C 93:21-23).

As Alma 13 makes it clear that the foreordinations included the High Priesthood, we can know that the members of the premortal church had the Melchizedek Priesthood. That fact also makes this statement in Section 107 relevant to church members in all stages of our existence.

18 The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church—
19 To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant (D&C 107:1-37).{10}

Knowing that there was a fully organized church in the spirit world, it now becomes very reasonable to believe that spirit people living on a premortal spirit earth should make covenants in order to avail themselves of the blessings of the Atonement. Therefore, the next statement in 1 Nephi 20 is more understandable:

and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, or out of the waters of baptism, who swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, yet they swear not in truth nor in righteousness (1 Nephi 20:1).

The words “or out of the waters of baptism” seem not to have been written by Isaiah and, accordingly, were probably not on the Brass Plates. They did not appear in the first (1830), second (1837), or the first European (1841) editions of the Book of Mormon. (The 1841 European edition was based on the 1837 rather than on the 1840 American edition.) However, in 1840, when the third American edition was published, and more than two years after the Saints in Nauvoo had been doing vicarious baptisms for their dead, Joseph added these words, “or out of the waters of baptism,” in parenthesis.{11} Thereby making it clear that these people about whom Isaiah was speaking had actually been baptized. That phrase, “or out of the waters of baptism,” remain in the present edition of the Book of Mormon, but the parenthesis which were around it have been removed.

The idea of pre-earth spirit people being baptized in the waters of their “pre-existence” spirit world might cause some eyebrows to be lifted. “Can spirit people be baptized in spirit water?” is the question. The answer in the first instance is “yes,” but in the second instance is “no.” The problem is that the question itself is muddled by a correct understanding of the need for proxy baptism being performed on this physical earth for those who have died and are now in a post-mortal world of spirits. We understand that even though a person dies and leaves this mortal life, if he was “accountable” here, his physical body must still be baptized by proxy in the physical waters of this world, and there can be no “acceptable” baptism in lieu of that. The “dead” spirit person cannot be baptized in the waters of the spirit world to which he goes when he lives on this mortal earth. The principle, as far as we understand it, is this: If in this life we are “accountable,” then before our physical bodies can be raised to eternal glory, they must first have been baptized (either in fact or by proxy) in the physical waters of this world upon which they were born. As far as we can tell, the revelations from the Lord leave no question about that point.

The question of baptism in the premortal spirit world is different from that. The premortal spirit world was like this one. “For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. [Moses 3:5]” It seems reasonable that people who lived on that spirit world should be baptized in the water of that spirit world. Our verse, 1 Nephi 20:1, as the Prophet Joseph modified it, seems to insist that is so.

President Joseph Fielding Smith apparently concurred. He wrote that ordinances in the premortal existence were important, just as they are here.

During the ages in which we dwelt in the premortal state we not only developed our various characteristics and showed our worthiness and ability, or the lack of it, but we were also where such progress could be observed. It is reasonable to believe that there was a Church organization there….Priesthood, without any question, had been conferred and the leaders were chosen to officiate. Ordinances pertaining to that pre-existence were required and the love of God prevailed.{12}

Does “baptism” actually mean “baptism”? We suspect so. Joseph Smith said the ordinances of the priesthood are as unchanging as the priesthood itself.

Ordinances instituted in the heavens before the foundation of the world, in the priesthood, for the salvation of men, are not to be altered or changed. All must be saved on the same principles.

It is for the same purpose that God gathers together His people in the last days, to build unto the Lord a house to prepare them for the ordinances and endowments, washings and anointings, etc. One of the ordinances of the house of the Lord is baptism for the dead. God decreed before the foundation of the world that the ordinances should be administered in a font prepared for the purpose in the house of the Lord….

If a man gets a fullness of the priesthood of God he has to get it in the same way that Jesus Christ obtained it, and that was by keeping all the commandments and obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord.

Where there is no change of priesthood, there is no change of ordinances, says Paul.{13}

Isaiah understood that the spirit bodies we had before we came to this physical earth also had to be “redeemed” through appropriate ordinances. And that one of those ordinances was baptism in the waters of the spiritual earth on which it was created. That idea seems to be perfectly consistent with other scriptures which refer to ordinances and ordinations during our pre-earth life. In the scriptures we not only find mention of a premortal church (D&C 93:21-25), but also of ordination to the priesthood (Alma 13:1-3), anointing (Isaiah 61:1-3, with Luke 4:16-30 and D&C 138:42), gatherings or meetings, some with singing (Isaiah 6, 1 Nephi 1:8), receiving a calling and being “sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians chapter 1) and temples (Isaiah 6:1; Alma 13:1 with Alma 12:29-35; see also Hebrews 8:2; 9:11-12, 24; Revelation 7:15. These latter references to temples are not necessarily premortal, but they do suggest the temples are a permanent fixture of the heavens.). All this suggests that when we were in that premortal spirit world, and before we could be born into this present world as clean and innocent babies, free from any past sin or transgression, we had to “trust in Christ,” and formally accept the blessings of the Atonement{14} through covenants and ordinances, just as we do here.

Then, as now, the ordinances were both an evidence of the covenants and a method of instruction. The Prophet Joseph explained:

The organization of the spiritual and heavenly worlds, and of spiritual and heavenly beings, was agreeable to the most perfect order and harmony: their limits and bounds were fixed irrevocably, and voluntarily subscribed to in their heavenly estate by themselves, and were by our first parents subscribed to upon the earth. Hence the importance of embracing and subscribing to principles of eternal truth by all men upon the earth that expect eternal life.
.        I assure the Saints that truth, in reference to these matters, can and may be known through the revelations of God in the way of His ordinances, and in answer to prayer.{15}

To “swear” means to take an oath, or to participate in making a covenant. To swear by the name of the Lord is to make a sacred oath. Isaiah accuses these people of mentioning “the God of Israel” (a very important name-title here) yet the oath they take is neither an act of truth nor of righteousness (zedek)—they are not only being deceitful about it, but they are not even doing it in the right way or with the right authority.

2 Nevertheless, they call themselves of the holy city, but they do not stay themselves upon the God of Israel, who is the Lord of Hosts; yea, the Lord of Hosts is his name.

The King James Version reads:

2 For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is his name. (Isaiah 48:1-22)

 The holy city is Zion. Notwithstanding the apostasy described in verse one, these people are still claiming to be Zion. That is typical. Apostate people usually claim it is not themselves, but the church leaders who have strayed from the truth.

Even though they wish to identify themselves as those who made and honored their covenants, these people do not stay/anchor/secure themselves upon the God with whom they have made their covenants.

The ancient Jewish editors removed the words “do not” from the text—and that tells us a good deal about the spiritual condition of the editors.

The words “do not” in the second verse indicates that these same people had already broken the covenants they had made, but were still using their sacred oaths as a mask behind which they hoped to hide their deception.

The name, knowing the name, living true to the name, are all code for keeping the covenants that are represented by the name. Alma explained to the people of Zarahemla,

38 Behold, I say unto you, that the good shepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ; and if ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd, to the name by which ye are called, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd.
39 And now if ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye? Behold, I say unto you, that the devil is your shepherd, and ye are of his fold; and now, who can deny this? Behold, I say unto you, whosoever denieth this is a liar and a child of the devil.
40 For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil.
41 Therefore, if a man bringeth forth good works he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth follow him; but whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a child of the devil, for he hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow him.
42 And whosoever doeth this must receive his wages of him; therefore, for his wages he receiveth death, as to things pertaining unto righteousness, being dead unto all good works (Alma 5:38-42).

Here, Isaiah makes a double point of saying that Jehovah’s name is “Lord of Hosts.” It is his covenant name and the one most relevant to the context of this story. The covenant names are very significant here. In the name “Lord of Hosts,” “Lord” is Jehovah who was anointed at the Council in Heaven as King of premortal as well as mortal Israel.{16} The word “hosts” is translated from the Hebrew word that means armies, either preparing for or engaging in war. We were told in the previous verse that the people were “called by the name of Israel.” So we know both covenant names and from that we can deduce the terms of the covenant.

The exact meaning of Israel is uncertain. In various sources we find that Israel means “One who prevails with{17} God or God prevails”;{18} “he shall rule as God.{19} The sense of all the definitions is the same, that is, Israel is one who acts in God’s behalf so that God may prevail. Given the other covenant name, Lord of Hosts, it apparently implies that Israel will support God in battle. Another definition of Israel is simply “God fighteth.”{20}

If that is correct, then in these two new names it is easy to identify the nature of the covenant. God is master of the armies, the people will assist him in securing his objective. In this “War in Heaven” setting, God’s covenant name, Lord of Hosts (Commander of the armies) has an obvious relationship with their name, Israel, “God prevails.”

The meanings of these names suggest that the covenant in question has to do with war, specifically, with that war which is a struggle against Satan for the souls of men, which was waged in the spirit world before we came to this earth, and continues here.

3 Behold, I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them. I did show them suddenly.

The King James Version reads:

3 I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass (Isaiah 48:1-22).

Because verse 3 in the Bible is clearly in past tense, it is seen by scholars as a major evidence that “Second Isaiah” was written during or after the Babylonian captivity.

Since verses 1 and 2 deal with ordinances, specifically baptism and covenant names, it seems logical that the “former things” are the ordinances and covenants he has referred to.

These ordinances and covenants were “declared…from the beginning.

The context leaves little question about which “beginning” it is talking about. Except for the actual creation story in Genesis, even the 48th chapter of Isaiah has a greater concentration of phrases like “the beginning” than in almost any other place in the Bible. Examples include: v. 3, 5, 7, 16 “from the beginning;” v. 13 “the foundation of the earth;” v. 8, “a transgressor from the womb;” v. 11, “and I will not give my glory unto another [a clear reference to the same event as Moses 4:1-4];” and in v. 1, 12, 15, and 21:1 “called” meaning fore-ordained.

The phrase “the beginning” has a meaning that is consistent throughout much of the scriptures. For example: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,” Genesis 1:1; “In the beginning was the Word…and without him was not any thing made that was made,” John 1:1-3; “from the beginning…before the world was,” Abraham 3:21-2; and “I saw his glory, that he was in the beginning, before the world was,” in Doctrine and Covenants 93:7. Thus “the beginning” appears to designate a place in time (or if not in time at least in the sequence of events of our “age”) which is clearly defined and consistently used in the scriptures. It means “before the foundation of the earth.” Its foundation was the spirit world which was first created under the direction of Jehovah. This physical earth was created after the pattern of that spirit world. So in this kind of context, “before the foundation” means at the Council held in Kolob.{21} before either the spiritual or physical earth was created. It may go back even further, as in D&C 76: “those things which were from the beginning before the world was, which were ordained of the Father, through his Only Begotten Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, even from the beginning (D&C 76:13 see also 93:7).

Some of the proceedings of that Council are described in Abraham 3:22-28. During those meetings the Plan was finalized and Satan was expelled. Thereafter, “they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth.” (Abraham 4:1).

and they [instructions about the ordinances and covenants] went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them. I did show them suddenly.

The Hebrew translated “suddenly” does not mean quickly, it means without hesitation. The way “these commandments” were “shown” is described in Alma 12:29-35.

4 And I did it [I revealed the ordinances] because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;

The King James Version reads:

4 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; (Isaiah 48:1-22)

The words, “And I did it” are a reference to showing the ordinances and covenants. Those words are removed from the Bible just as “show” is removed from v. 3.

The people about whom Isaiah was complaining are exceedingly proud. He just described them as having a neck which is an iron sinew, and brow of brass. That is, they will neither bow the head nor be delighted with the truth.

5 And I have even from the beginning declared to thee; before it came to pass I showed them thee; and I showed them for fear lest thou shouldst say—Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image hath commanded them.{26}

The King James Version reads:

5 I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. (Isaiah 48:1-22)

The referent for “them” is the true ordinances and covenants from which they have apostatized.{22} Our knowing that puts this and the next verses in their proper context and makes them much easier to understand.

“Even from the beginning” the plan was “declared.” Here, as elsewhere, “the beginning” refers to the beginning of this system’s creation by the Savior and the Council held in Kolob,{23} as detailed in the Book of Abraham 3:22-5:7. “Declared” is a stronger word than “taught.” It suggests both teaching and bearing testimony. This message was also “showed.” There are several examples in the Book of Mormon of how the principles of the gospel might be both taught and shown. One is in Alma where he reminds Zeezrom of the covenants he had made (Alma 12:1-35). Another is when the Savior appeared in 3 Nephi. A third is in Moroni 10:28-31.

Isaiah writes that this instruction was declared and shown “from the beginning,” so those who refused to obey would be without excuse. They could not attribute either the Plan or the ordinances and covenants associated with it to the false god whom they had chosen to worship. Isaiah continues to quote God,

and I showed them for fear lest thou shouldst say–mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image hath commanded them.

The idea that these people in the premortal world worshiped a false god is an amazing one, yet it must be true, for “his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth” (Revelation 12:4). The struggle continues even now. As Paul wrote, “the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

The extended power of that false god is known by Jude who says that some of his followers were “ordained” to come to this earth to become part of the true church with the object of trying to destroy it from the inside (Jude 1:1-6, John 8:43-45, Moses 5:22-24).

6 Thou hast seen and heard all this; and will ye not declare them? And that I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things,{24} and thou didst not know them.

The King James Version reads:

6 Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them. (Isaiah 48:1-22)

The “hidden things” are, of course, the ordinances and covenants associated with the premortal temple services. There is ample evidence that before we came here we not only were foreordained to the priesthood and to fulfill certain responsibilities while in this world, but we also made covenants and ordinances relating to the enabling powers of the Atonement. Examples are:

The Savior was anointed at the Council in Heaven. Psalm 45:7-8,{25} Isaiah 61:1, D&C 138:42.
Baptism in the premortal spirit world: 1 Nephi 20:1.
King and queen foreordained at the Council: Psalm 45:3-5, 10-12.{26}
The covenant of the law of consecration at the Council: Psalm 82.{27}
Isaiah receives an assignment at the Council: Isaiah 6:8-12 and 2 Nephi 16:8-12.{28}
Premortal priesthood in Alma 13.{29}
The meek are those who keep their premortal covenants in Psalm 25.{30}
Premortal temple services in Psalm 23:3.{31}

“And that I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things.” In this context it appears that the hidden things have to do with the ordinances he has been discussion. These are things that have been hidden from the foundation of the world. They were hidden then, they are hidden now, and will always be—but they are only hidden from those who do not obey God’s commandments. Then he adds that he has “shown you” the mysteries of godliness, which are the key to understanding all else, and you have chosen not to understand—“and thou didst not know them.” After one is shown hidden things, to choose not to know them is very dangerous, as Alma warned Zeezrom, “Now this [choosing to not know the mysteries] is what is meant by the chains of hell (Alma 12:10-13).

6. Thou hast seen and heard all this [all the things that had been taught from the beginning] ; and will ye not declare them?{32}

The Lord’s accusation against these people is severe: You have seen and heard all these magnificent things from the beginning, even hidden things; you have covenants regarding your deportment toward them, yet you will not acknowledge/testify/teach/declare them, even though you have covenanted to do so.

7 They are created now, and not from the beginning, even before the day when thou heardest them not they were declared unto thee, lest thou shouldst say— Behold I knew them.

The King James Version reads:

7 They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them. (Isaiah 48:7)

Since “they” were not created from the beginning, the referent must be to the false ordinances of the false god. In the next phrase, “even before the day when thou heardest them not they were declared unto thee,” the referent to “them” returns to the true ordinances. So the verse reads:

7 They [the counterfeit ordinances and covenants] are created now, and not from the beginning, even before the day when thou heardest them [the true ordinances and covenants] not they were declared unto thee, lest thou shouldst say—Behold I knew them.

This depicts a situation that is not at all unlike those in this world. The Lord knows how people will respond to his teachings, but his knowing that does not preclude his giving them a full opportunity to make that decision in their own time and own environment. Here he tells them, “I told you the true ordinances and covenants before you even heard about the false ones.”They were declared unto thee, lest thou shouldst say— Behold I knew them.”

8 Yea, and thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time thine ear was not opened; for I knew that thou wouldst deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.

The King James Version reads the same way.

“I knew (past tense) that thou wouldst (future tense) deal very treacherously, and wast (past tense) called a transgressor from the womb.” The Lord knew what they would do because of what they had done before they were born. Which born? is a very interesting question. Given the context in which this statement is made and the fact that their birth onto our physical earth had not happened yet, the conclusion must be that they were “called a transgressor” from before their birth as spirits—that is, they were rebellious even as intelligences.{33}

The Lord’s accusation to those rebellious men and women in the premortal spirit world, “for I knew that thou wouldst deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb,” was based on his knowledge of their past as well as his foreknowledge of their attitudes in their own futures. But God never stops anyone from progressing. The decision to follow his commandments or not follow them must be their own. Even though he knows the outcome, he always gives each of us the absolute opportunity to choose.

9 Nevertheless, for my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain from thee, that I cut thee not off.{41}

The King James Version Reads:

9 For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. (Isaiah 48:1-22).

The conjunction “nevertheless” in the Book of Mormon continues the chain of ideas that is not found in the Old Testament.

“Nevertheless, for my name’s sake”: There is always a new name associated with a new covenant or a change in status. As at the beginning of this chapter, Jehovah identified himself as “Lord of Hosts” and those with whom he made the covenant as “Israel.”

“For my name’s sake” means for the sake of the covenant with which the name is associated. It is almost always true that when one finds the word “name” used like this in a temple setting, one can substitute the word “covenant” for the word “name” without changing the meaning of the sentence. Thus, it could read “for my covenant’s sake will I defer mine anger.”

“And for my praise will I refrain from thee, that I cut thee not off.” The Hebrew word translated “praise” means to give praise or adoration,{34} and in the psalms is often used in conjunction with music and singing.{35}

In 1 Nephi 20, even though the word hesed may also be written as chesed) is not used there, it is evident from the context that we are still in the chapter’s covenant/temple context. Therefore, the Lord said: “for my praise will I refrain from thee, that I cut thee not off.”

10 For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.{44}

The King James Version reads:

10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction (Isaiah 48:1-22).

Once again, the “for” in the Book of Mormon continues the chain of ideas. In the Old Testament, the “not with silver” pulls our minds away from the Atonement and makes it be our refining with physical burdens.

From the Bible version in the Cyrus context, we get the clear message that the refining is our earthly problems that will ultimately be good for us. That is a good interpretation because what it asserts is often true. In the version that was on the brass plates, this was about the issues of the people in the premortal spirit world. Nevertheless, ultimately it is the furnace of Christ’s affliction, not of our own, in which we are refined. The Atonement happened in sacred and in linear time. In sacred time because it is infinite and eternal; in linear time because the event happened on this earth, in Gethsemane and on the cross. We get glimpses of the fire of that furnace in the scriptures:

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me (Matthew 26:38-39).

35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt (Mark 14:35-36).

44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:42-44)

18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men (D&C 19:18-19).

11 For mine own sake, yea, for mine own sake will I do this, for I will not suffer my name to be polluted, and I will not give my glory unto another.{45}

The King James Version reads:

11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another. (Isaiah 48:1-22)

Here again, the word “name” can be read “covenant” without changing the meaning. It would read: “I will not suffer my covenant to be polluted.”

Even though this chapter is virtually peppered with phrases like “in the beginning,” it is this verse and the declaration, “I will not give my glory unto another” that most firmly plants the chapter’s context in the war in the heaven. It speaks to the same event as the book of Moses.

1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor (Moses 4:1).

The rebelliousness that was characteristic of some people in the premortal world continued into this world. In the time of Lehi, Jeremiah quoted the Lord, expressing his sorrow that his people had turned their backs on their own spiritual potential. He wrote,

For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear (Jeremiah 13:9-11).

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FOOTNOTES

{1} Examples are 3 Nephi 12:9 and Isaiah 61:3. For a discussion of the importance of new covenant names, and that a new name changes a person by giving him a new identity, see Bruce H. Porter, and Stephen D. Ricks. “Names in Antiquity: Old. New, and Hidden.” In By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W Nibley on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday, 2 vols., edited by John M. Lundquist and Stephen D. Ricks. 1 :501-22. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book & FARMS, 1990.

{2} Hugh Nibley, The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri: An Egyptian Endowment (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1975), 184.

{3} For a discussion of the pre-mortal war in heaven, see Neil Forsyth, The Old Enemy, Satan and the Combat Myth (Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1987).

{4} That is shown by John the Beloved:
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death (Revelation 12:10-11).

{5} In both verses 26 and 27, Lucifer is called “a son of the morning.” In Isaiah 14:12 and 2 Nephi 24:12, he is called simply “son of the morning.” But nowhere in the scriptures is he called “the son of the morning.”

{6} Joseph Smith, A Vision, published in Times and Seasons, February 1, 1843.

{7} Enoch also describes him as “very red.” Secrets of Enoch 26:2.

{8} We are told they “swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, yet they swear not in truth nor in righteousness” (1 Nephi 20:1).
It is a time-honored tactic of Satan to represent himself as an emissary from God. He teaches men that it is God’s will that they should do evil. An example is: “And Cain loved Satan more than God. And Satan commanded him, saying: Make an offering unto the Lord” (Moses 5:18). In that example, Satan did not deny God or ask Cain to do so; rather, he simply told Cain there was an alternative way of keeping God’s commandments. We see that tactic used with great success all around us. Indeed, we see it used all over the world among many religions and in many nations.

{9} Joseph Fielding Smith, Way to Perfection, 50-51.

{10} For additional information about the Church of the Firstborn, see:
Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds., Alma, the Testimony of the Word (Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1992), 74.
James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1981), 83.
Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 8:154. “The ordinances of the house of God are expressly for the Church of the Firstborn.”
Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976), 237. “….so on to the highest order of the Melchizedek Priesthood, setting forth the order pertaining to the Ancient of Days, and all those plans and principles by which any one is enabled to secure the fullness of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the Firstborn, and come up and abide in the presence of the Eloheim in the eternal worlds.”

{11} The phrase “or the waters of baptism” was first added to the text in the Nauvoo 1840 edition (Royal Skousen, ed., The Book of Mormon, The Earliest Text [New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 2009], 752.)
Nibley says that it is reported that Parley P. Pratt made the suggestion to add the phrase. Since Cumorah, 133.

{12} Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1963, 50-51.

{13} Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 308

{14} The Lord told the Prophet Joseph:
38 Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God (Doctrine and Covenants 93:38).

{15} Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith 325. Italics added.

{16} The name-titles Messiah and Jesus both mean “The Anointed One.” The Savior’s premortal anointing as King is is acknowledge in Psalm 45, where the earthly king does obeisance to Jehovah and says his garments are still fragrant with the perfumes of the anointing oil. Isaiah 61:1 mentions the anointing and D&C 138:42 quotes that verse and clarifies that it was Jehovah who was anointed.

{17} The “with” is ambiguous. It could mean “against God” or “beside God in God’s behalf.” The Strongest Strong suggests the same ambiguity “he struggles with God.”

{18} Dictionary in 1983 LDS Bible.

{19} Strong # 3478.

{20} Dictionary in 1953 LDS Bible. Neither the Anchor Bible Dictionary nor the Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible suggest a meaning for the word.

{21} D&C 76:5-7 reads,

5 For thus saith the Lord—I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.
6 Great shall be their reward and eternal shall be their glory.
7 And to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom.
When the Prophet Joseph wrote that vision in poetic form, he rendered verses 6 and 7 as follows:

That serve me in righteousness true to the end;
Eternal’s their glory and great their reward.
I’ll surely reveal all my myst’ries to them —
The great hidden myst’ries in my kingdom stor’d;
From the council in Kolob, to time on the earth,

And for ages to come unto them I will show
My pleasure and will, what the kingdom will do
Eternity’s wonders they truly shall know.

(The poem is called “A Vision” and was published in the Times and Seasons, February 1, 1843).
For additional insights on the events in the premortal world see Abraham 3:22-4:1, Alma 13:1-9, and John Taylor’s editorial called “Origin, Object, and Destiny of Women” in The Mormon, New York, August 29, 1857.

{22} “Them” is repeated twice in this verse, in sharp contrast to “it” in the Old Testament which is a reference to their pride in verse 4. Even though one could not discover the ordinances and covenants in the Old Testament wording, they were clearly shown on the brass plates.

{23} See above, quotes from D&C 76:5-7 and Joseph Smith poem, “A Vision” for evidence that the Council was held in Kolob.

{24} The “hidden things” in verses 6 and 7 are of the utmost importance to scholars who believe that this was written by “Second Isaiah.” In his Article on “Isaiah” in The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (2:738-39), C. R. North explains why these verses from Isaiah 48 are the key to the scholars’ belief that the chapter was written in the sixth century B.C, that is, during the Babylonian captivity. He reasons,

A prophecy of sixteen consecutive chapters, giving a detailed account of what was to happen two centuries after it was written, would be unique in the prophetical writings, and it is difficult to see what purpose it could serve for Isaiah’s contemporaries. Scholars who conclude that it dates from the sixth century B.C. are as devout and conscientious as those who believe it was written in the eighth, and they are equally persuaded that it is the “word of God.” Their case rests finally upon 48:6-7:

From this time forth I make you hear new things,hidden things which you have not known.
They are created now, not long ago; before today you have never heard of them.

If the passage was written by the eighth-century Isaiah, and if the “new things” relate to the time of Cyrus, it could not be said: “You have never heard of them,” unless, of course, chs. 40-55 were “hidden” in the sense that they were not put into circulation but went “underground” for nearly two centuries, to be brought to light during the Exile. But the conception of “hidden things” as “sealed apocrypha” (cf. Dan. 8:26; 12:4,9; Rev. 10:4; 22:10) is, so far as we have any evidence, considerably later than the time of the pre-exilic Isaiah (Isa. 8: 16 does not refer to a sealed “book” but to oral “teaching”).

{25} For a discussion of the Savior’s anointing in Council in Heaven in Psalm 45:7-8, see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 291-93; Second edition, p. 207-08.

{26} For a discussion of the king and queen’s foreordination at the Council: Psalm 45.3-5, 10-12 see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 259-305; Second edition, p. 185-217.

{27} For a discussion of the covenant of the law of consecration at the Council in Psalm 82. see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 227-55; Second edition, p. 162-74.

{29} The one in 2 Nephi clarifies the one in Isaiah. For a discussion of sode experiences see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 195-208; Second edition, p. 139-48.

{29} For a discussion of the premortal priesthood in Alma 13 see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 815-25; Second edition, p. 573-82.

{30} For a discussion of the meek as those who keep their premortal covenants in Psalm 25 see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 525-43; Second edition, p. 378-90.

{31} For a discussion of premortal temple services in Psalm 23:3 see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 618-24; Second edition, p. 443-45.

{32} That is, will you not acknowledge, confess, teach, proclaim them? (Strong # 5046)

{33} For a discussion of the nature of intelligences and their ability to choose right from wrong see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 801-64; Second edition, p. 564-607

{34} Strong # 8416.

{35} Examples are Psalms 66:1-4, Isaiah 63:7-9, Psalms 48:9-10, Isaiah 61:1-11.

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1 Nephi 20 & Isaiah 48 

After this introduction, I have divided First Nephi 20 and 21 into the following subsections:

1. The premortal apostasy, 1 Nephi 20:1-11

2. Joseph Smith in the Council in Heaven, 1 Nephi 20:12-17

3. Apostasy preceding the Restoration, 1 Nephi 20:18 to 21:1a

4. Those who will help the Prophet Joseph, 1 Nephi 21:1-6

5. Joseph Smith restores the Temple services, 1 Nephi 21:7-11

6. The Gathering of Israel, 1 Nephi 21: 12-26

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Notwithstanding the eternal nature of the covenant that God made with the house of David, Isaiah is reported to have prophesied that God would break that covenant and give the kingship to a non-Israelite. This is the story behind Isaiah’s purported prophecy:

It is almost universally accepted by Biblical scholars that the second half of Isaiah, beginning with chapter 40, was written by a different author from the first half. There are two major reasons for this belief. The first reason is that the second half, called by them “Second Isaiah,” is different in its subject and approach. While the first half deals with nations that are contemporary with Isaiah, “Second Isaiah” is heavily dependent of the Psalms and follows a pattern that begins with the events in the Council in Heaven and continues to the Millennial reign.

The second reason is that most scholars believe that “Second Isaiah” was written during the Babylonian captivity. This is evinced by that fact that the part which deals with Cyrus the Persian was written with past tense verbs, indicating that the prophesied events had already happened.

Cyrus is mentioned by name twice in Isaiah, in the last verse of chapter 44 and the first verse of chapter 45. In these passages God is reported to be using the same kind of covenantal phrases to describe his relationship with Cyrus as he once used to describe his covenant with the House of David, thereby passing the kingship of Judah from the House of David to the non-Israelite Cyrus and negating God’s own covenant with David. Isaiah 48 is the conclusion of that section that clearly deals with Cyrus.

However, we have a version of Isaiah 48 that was on the brass plates and therefore predates the Babylonian version. That pre-Babylonian version is 1 Nephi 20 and is substantially different from the one in the Bible. It does not support the idea that what Isaiah wrote was originally even about the Persian king. We find these differences between the two versions to be compelling evidence that the name of Cyrus and references to his kingship over Israel were secondary insertions by the later Jews, and that it was not Isaiah who wrote that Jehovah intended to break his covenant with the House of David.

First Nephi 20 appears at first glance to be only slightly different from Isaiah 48 in the King James Version, but upon close examination it becomes evident that the two chapters are about entirely different subjects. To understand the differences, it is helpful to place the Bible version in its historical context.

In 588 B.C., not long after Lehi and his family left Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army invaded Judah. The following year they defeated the Jews; destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple; executed many of the political, military, and religious leaders; and deported others to Babylon, leaving only the poorest people behind. The political and religious elite of the Jews were now captive slaves in or near Babylon. The period of their exile was rather humane. They were permitted to live as families, farm and engage in other business pursuits. Some even became wealthy and had political influence at court.

From Jerusalem, Jeremiah sent a letter to them urging that they take full advantage of their opportunities (Jeremiah 29:4-7).

Because Babylonian policy permitted the Jews to retain a coherent community life, they were able to preserve some of their culture. But the ease with which they were permitted to assimilate into Babylonian society threatened the integrity of their religion. The leaders sought to preserve their Law by modifying it and rewriting their history to conform with their new views of religion and kingship. They kept the Sabbath and continued circumcision, but they had lost their temple and could no longer practice their most important ordinances—especially those connected with the Feast of Tabernacles temple drama. It was probably during that time that the books of Moses were severely edited and the historical books in the Old Testament were written.{1}

Nebuchadnezzar’s son and grandson were not competent political or military leaders. The Persians defeated a Babylonian army in a battle on the Tigris River, and then, a few weeks later, they simply walked into the city of Babylon without a fight. The Persian king, Cyrus, was a Zoroastrian and one of the most enlightened monarchs of the ancient world. He commanded his army to respect the city’s inhabitants and their property, and was greeted by the people as a deliverer rather than as a conqueror. Cyrus soon began to free captives and to send the people whom the Babylonians had displaced back to their original homelands, along with their looted temple treasures. A condition of their being permitted to return home was that they acknowledge Cyrus as king and remain subservient to the their Persian rulers.

The Jews wanted to return to Jerusalem, but their covenants with Jehovah virtually precluded it. Their religion insisted that Jehovah had made an eternal covenant that David and his descendants would remain on the Jewish throne “forever.”

Psalm 89 celebrates and gives the conditions of the covenant between Jehovah and the house of David. It reads in part:

34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
36 His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.
37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven.

Isaiah understood that covenant would never be broken, but would remain valid until the end of time. He wrote:

3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people (Isaiah 55:3-4).

Notwithstanding the eternal nature of the covenant that God made with the house of David, Isaiah is reported to have prophesied that God would break that covenant and give the kingship to a non-Israelite. This is the story behind Isaiah’s purported prophecy:

It is almost universally accepted by Biblical scholars that the second half of Isaiah, beginning with chapter 40, was written by a different author from the first half. There are two major reasons for this belief. The first reason is that the second half, called by them “Second Isaiah,” is different in its subject and approach. While the first half deals with nations that are contemporary with Isaiah, “Second Isaiah” is heavily dependent of the Psalms and follows a pattern that begins with the events in the Council in Heaven and continues to the Millennial reign.

The second reason is that most scholars believe that “Second Isaiah” was written during the Babylonian captivity. This is evinced by that fact that the part which deals with Cyrus the Persian was written with past tense verbs, indicating that the prophesied events had already happened.

Cyrus is mentioned by name twice in Isaiah, in the last verse of chapter 44 and the first verse of chapter 45. In these passages God is reported to be using the same kind of covenantal phrases to describe his relationship with Cyrus as he once used to describe his covenant with the House of David, thereby passing the kingship of Judah from the House of David to the non-Israelite Cyrus and negating God’s own covenant with David. Isaiah 48 is the conclusion of that section that clearly deals with Cyrus.

However, we have a version of Isaiah 48 that was on the brass plates and therefore predates the Babylonian version. That pre-Babylonian version is 1 Nephi 20 and is substantially different from the one in the Bible. It does not support the idea that what Isaiah wrote was originally even about the Persian king. We find these differences between the two versions to be compelling evidence that the name of Cyrus and references to his kingship over Israel were secondary insertions by the later Jews, and that it was not Isaiah who wrote that Jehovah intended to break his covenant with the House of David.

Because the covenant was so much a part of Jewish theology, it could not easily be swept away. However, political necessity required that the terms of that covenant had to be modified just enough for the Jews to acknowledge that Cyrus, who was not an Israelite, could now be their king. Fortunately for them, just when it was most needed, the Jewish leaders in Babiylon “discovered” a document that said everything they needed it to say. It was claimed to have been written almost 200 years earlier by Isaiah, one of the most renowned prophets. There is no surviving explanation about how the document remained unknown to the Jews during all the time they were at Jerusalem and then turned up two centuries later in faraway Babylon. In the document was a “secret vision.” Isaiah was said to have prophesied that God would transfer the terms of the Davidic covenant of kingship from the house of David to a non-Israelite king. It even named Cyrus by name and said he had been chosen by Jehovah in the Council in Heaven to be king and liberator of the Jews.

The “secret vision” was of the utmost importance, because such an acknowledgment of Cyrus on the part of the Jews and their prophet was a necessary pre-condition for their return to Jerusalem. It also meant that there could never be another Jewish king and consequently that there could be no celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles temple coronation drama.

Josephus tells how the Jews used their newly discovered manuscript to convince Cyrus to send them and their temple treasures back to Jerusalem:

This [claim that Cyrus was chosen by Jehovah] was known to Cyrus by his reading the book which Isaiah left behind him of his prophecies; for this prophet said that God had spoken thus to him in a secret vision: “My will is, that Cyrus, whom I have appointed to be king over many and great nations, send back my people to their own land, and build my temple.” This was foretold by Isaiah one hundred and forty years before the temple was demolished. Accordingly, when Cyrus read this, and admired the Divine power, an earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfill what was so written; so he called for the most eminent Jews that were in Babylon, and said to them, that he gave them leave to go back to their own country, and to rebuild their city Jerusalem, and the temple of God, for that he would be their assistant, and that he would write to the rulers and governors that were in the neighborhood of their country of Judea, that they should contribute to them gold and silver for the building of the temple, and besides that, beasts for their sacrifices.{2}

The verse in the King James Version that introduces the Cyrus chapters reads:

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid (Isaiah 44:28).

About that verse, McKenzie observes,

This is the first time Cyrus is named in the prophecy. He is called “my shepherd”; shepherd is a common title of kings in the OT and in other ancient Near Eastern literature; it is also a title of Yahweh. Cyrus is thus given the title of an Israelite king.{3}

The next verse reads,

Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut (Isaiah 45:1).

About that verse, McKenzie observes,

“The anointed of Yahweh” is the title given the Israelite king from Saul and David onward, and in particular to kings of the dynasty of David. The ceremony of anointing consecrated an object or a person. The title “anointed” passes into English as Messiah, and through the Greek as Christ. Cyrus is given the place in the history of salvation which in pre-exilic Israel was given to the king.{4}

Thus, the secret prophecy of Isaiah was claimed to have transferred the kingship of Israel from David and the seed of Abraham to a gentile king. This transfer presents a glaring problem, for it violates the Lord’s covenants with David and all of his successor kings and makes God’s “eternal covenants” only as tentative as it proves to be expedient.

After they had lost their right to have a king, and the Jewish kingship was transferred to a non-Israelite monarch, the Jewish High Priests assumed the religious and ceremonial roles that had once been an integral part of Israelite kingship. Mowinckel explains,

In the post-exilic age the High-priests became in many respects the heirs of the kings. … In the post-exilic age it was established that the cult was the exclusive privilege of the priesthood; and the High-priest claimed kingly status through his anointing and the wearing of the diadem.{5}

While Cyrus accepted the manuscript as the legitimate writings of the Prophet Isaiah, modern scholars do not. The Cyrus passages, more than anything else, are the bases for the scholars’ dividing the book of Isaiah into at least two, and often four, separate parts, each with their own author, and only the first part being written by the original Isaiah.

Because the Book of Mormon quotes from the second half of Isaiah as it was written on the brass plates, we can be sure that those parts really were written by the prophet Isaiah. However, because of differences between the biblical version and the Book of Mormon version, we can be equally sure that part of that second half was written after Lehi left Jerusalem and was subsequently added to the original text.

Most Bible scholars believe that the dividing line between First and Second Isaiah is chapters 36-39 that deal with Hezekiah. That seems reasonable because the subject matter, and in places the writing style, of the second half is different from the first. In the view of these scholars, an “anonymous author” called Second Isaiah, is credited with writing chapters 40-55, and is believed to have written his work sometime after the fall of Jerusalem, that is, during the Babylonian captivity.{6} Some scholars attribute the remaining chapters, 56-66, to a third and even a fourth Isaiah. Even though scholars insist such authors lived and wrote, they acknowledge that they know nothing about them, as North wrote:

Nothing is known of the author, who is generally referred to as Second Isaiah, or Deutero-Isaiah, occasionally the “Babylonian Isaiah.” It is probable that he lived in Babylonia, though Palestine, and even Lebanon or Egypt, have been suggested.{7}

A quick review of the last half of Isaiah shows how it was so easy to insert the Cyrus chapters. Isaiah 40 clearly takes place in the premortal Council in Heaven. Its first two verses are instructions by Elohim to the members of the Council, and that is immediately followed by the assignment given to John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord. With that context already established, the Cyrus chapters seem to fit very nicely.

In the Bible, Isaiah 44:28 through chapter 48 deals with the foreordination of Cyrus, king of Persia, identifying him by name and outlining his mission to free the Jews from Babylon and permit them to return to Jerusalem to build the temple. But in the Book of Mormon, where Nephi quotes the Brass Plates version of Isaiah 48, that chapter is not about Cyrus but is about something else altogether.

For example, in addition to the transfer of kingship to a non-Israelite king, there are some other very troubling aspects to the Bible’s Cyrus chapters. One of the most obvious is in chapter 48 which reads:

I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly [“Suddenly” means without hesitation, rather than quickly], and they came to pass (Isaiah 48:3).

This verse is one of the many passages that is used to support the proposition that there was a “Second Isaiah” who wrote the latter half of the book of Isaiah sometime during the Babylonian captivity. In this and similar passages, the action is described in the past tense, meaning that it had already been accomplished before or during the lifetime of the author. The implication is that the author had already watched it happen and that it is a report of a past event rather than a prophecy of the future. The Book of Mormon rendition of that verse does not present that problem. It reads,

Behold, I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them. I did show them suddenly (1 Nephi 20:3).

This rendition really is a prophecy. It says that an event was foretold—declared and shown in “the beginning.” There is no indication that the action had already been accomplished.

The fact that Isaiah 48 was on the brass plates and quoted by Nephi is sufficient evidence that at least that portion of the Cyrus chapters was not written during the Babylonian captivity. However, the differences between the two posit that after Lehi and the brass plates left Jerusalem that chapter was altered just enough to make it be about Cyrus.{8} Still, LDS scholars have treated 1 Nephi 20 as though it were about Cyrus.

Our approach will be to make a careful comparison between Isaiah 48 and 1 Nephi 20 to show how different they are, but also to demonstrate that version in the in the Book of Mormon is not the foreordination of Cyrus but rather the premortal role of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

In the following analysis we will examine 1 Nephi 20 as it is. However, in the footnotes we will compare the wording of the Book of Mormon with translations of the Hebrew version in the Bible.{9}
———————————–
FOOTNOTES

{1} For a discussion of that Jewish apostasy see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 45-74; Second edition, p. 47-65.

{2} Flavious Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XI, Chapter 1.

{3} John L. McKenzie, The Anchor Bible, Second Isaiah (Garden City, New York, Doubleday, 1968), 72.

{4} McKenzie, Second Isaiah, 76.

{5} Sigmund Mowinckel, He that Cometh, 5.

{6} McKenzie, Second Isaiah, xxiv-xxv.

{7} C. R. North, “Isaiah” in The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (2:738-39).

{8} The fact that L.D.S. Bible scholars recognize that the Bible’s Cyrus chapters are continued into Isaiah 48 is evidenced by footnote 14a in the L.D.S. Bible which explains, “Cyrus will do his desire, or wish.”
Some LDS scholars who have addressed the question of Second Isaiah are:
John Bytheway, Isaiah for Airheads (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006); Kent P. Jackson, ed., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 4, 1 Kings to Malachi (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1993), 80-85; Victor L. Ludlow, Isaiah, Prophet, Seer, and Poet (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982), 97, 375-389, 541-548; Hugh Nibley, Since Cumorah, 2nd ed. (Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah: Deseret Book, FARMS, 1988), 121-125, 198-201; Glenn L. Pearson and Reid E. Bankhead, Building Faith with the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City, Bookcraft, 1986), 41; Mark E. Petersen, Isaiah for Today (Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 1981), 140-42; Sidney B. Sperry, Book of Mormon Compendium (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1968), 493-512; James E. Talmage, Conference Report, April 1929, Afternoon Meeting 45-47; Monte S. Nyman, Great are the Words of Isaiah (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1980), 253-57; Brigham H. Roberts, “Higher Criticism and the Book of Mormon,” Improvement Era, 1911, Vol. XIV. June, 1911. No. 8; Andrew C. Skinner, “Nephi’s Lessons to His People, The Messiah, the Land, and Isaiah 48-49 in 1 Nephi 19-22″ in Donald W. Parry and John W. Welch, eds., Isaiah in the Book of Mormon (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1998), 95-122.

{9} In the following footnotes, the words in bold italics are different in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon. To show that the differences are between the brass plates and the work of the ancient editors, rather than just between the brass plates and the King James translators, we will sometimes also include translations from the Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures (Philadelphia and Jerusalem: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985); and from John L. McKenzie, The Anchor Bible, Second Isaiah, Introduction, Translation, and Notes (Garden City, New York: Doubleday,1981), 99-100.
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