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3 Nephi 11:28-41 – LeGrand Baker – doctrines of the Kingdom

These verses are the only place in 3 Nephi where the Savior actually says “this is my doctrine,” and then spells out what his doctrines are.

Elsewhere (3 Nephi 27:13-21), the Savior defines the “gospel” as being about the Atonement, faith, repentance, baptism, keeping our covenants, and enduring to the end. but this has a somewhat different flavor from that.

It is significant that the “doctrine,” as he defines it here, was for the ears of the Twelve and was not spoken to the entire congregation. At the beginning on the next chapter, he teaches all the people the Beatitudes and the sermon at the temple, but this definition of “doctrine” is only for the Twelve. That being so, it is reasonable to see this statement of doctrine as the principles that undergird all the others. Then, what he taught to the congregation as an elaboration on those principles.

It is also significant that Mormon entrusted us with the instruction the Savior gave to the twelve disciples. That fact alone suggests we ought to take these “doctrines” seriously as the foundation of our own understanding as well.

Before the Savior expounded the particulars of the doctrine, he made two important points. First, he introduces his discussion with the injunction (v. 25), “there shall be no disputations among you … concerning the points of my doctrine.” I suppose that is another way of saying it is as it is and there is no room for changes or compromises.

The second point, after making it clear that his “doctrine” is not to be tampered with, he expanded that principle even further by saying the first doctrine he defines is that “anger… should be done away (v. 30).” Later on, when he addresses the entire congregation he explains that angry and contentious people cannot be where he is (12:21-26).

After those preliminaries (immutability of the doctrine and unacceptability of anger) he says: “Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me” (v. 31-32).

and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me (v. 32).

For the men to whom Jesus was speaking, this reference is to an event of earlier that very day, when they heard the voice of the father declare, “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him” (3 Nephi 11:7)

As for us, we have the testimony of all those witnesses who heard the testimony of the Father as recorded in 3 Nephi and in the New Testament (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35, John 1:32). In addition, we have John’s testimony that the Savior versified his Father’s testimony (John 5:36-38, John 8:17-19). We also have the more immediate testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith (JS -History 1:17).

Whether you and I have actually heard that voice is beside the point. For, as the Savior said, “the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me” (v. 32). The testimonies of multiple witnesses leaves us without excuse. As we contemplate the gravity of that, we remember Moroni’s warning:

27 And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust? (Moroni 10:27).

As we consider what the Savior next said to the twelve Nephite disciples, we should also remember the covenantal relationship between the Savior, his Father, and ourselves as it was explained to us by Moroni:

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God [the Father] with all your might, mind and strength, then is his [the Father’s] grace sufficient for you, that by his [the Father’s] grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God [the Father] ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God [the Father].
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God [the Father] are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God [the Father], through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot (Moroni 10:32-33).

That phrase, “which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins,” teaches us that the Savior is the personification, the evidence, and the fulfillment of the Father’s covenant that we may “become holy, without spot.” With that understanding, we can more clearly understand the Savior’s words:

32 …and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.
33 And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.
34 And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.
35 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he [the Father] will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost.[Later, when the Savior speaks to the entire congregation, he will elaborate on that principle.]
36 And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one (3 Nephi 11:32-36).

The Savior’s charge to the Twelve that they must repent pushes the concept to its furthest limit. He said,

37 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, [that baptism would occur on the following day (3 Nephi 19:11-12)] or ye can in nowise receive these things [“these things” are the testimonies he has just promised them].

In this verse the sequence is: (1) repent, (2) become as a little child, and (3) be baptized (4) in order to “receive these things.” The next verse is quite different:

38 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

That sequence is: (1) repent, (2) be baptized in my name, and (3) become as a little child, (4) in order to “inherit the kingdom of God.” After giving these instructions to the Twelve, the Savior explained both baptisms to the entire congregation. He said:

1 …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; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost…(3 Nephi 12:1).

His instruction that one must “become as a little child” precedes the first baptism but follows the second one. The classic scriptural definition of what that means is from King Benjamin when he said:

19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father (Mosiah 3:19).

I believe there is an additional (not a different) way to understand it as well. I have told this story before, but for me, the subject matter virtually requires that I tell it again.

One day, more than 20 years ago, I dropped in on my daughter Dawn and her family. Little two-year-old Chelsea was in the tub having a bath. She heard my voice and came running into the living room to meet me. “Grandpa,” she shouted, all dripping wet, holding out her arms, wanting to be picked up and hugged. As I held her, wetness and all, I understood what it means to be like a little child in the Kingdom of God. The little girl in my arms was completely, simply, Chelsea. She needed no clothing to define who she was. At that moment she was only herself; trusting, but not noticing she trusted; vulnerable, but unaware of her vulnerability because it did not concern her; loving and finding fulfillment and identity in the moment of her giving her love. In her unabashed dripping-wetness Chelsea was wholly free to be herself–to express her love–to BE the expression of her love.

I suppose we are all like that. When we are stripped of all the masks and facades of the artificial needs and fears by which we define our Selves, then we may kneel naked, vulnerable, and unashamed before our loving Heavenly Father. When one is childlike in that nakedness, he is free. He knows and loves the voice of Him by whom he walks. Nothing can bribe him because in his Saviour all of his needs are satisfied. Nothing can threaten him because in the arms of his Saviour he can find no fear. He may not have all the information he needs all the time, but his Friend has, and one can always ask when one does not know. When one is naked in that way, one may begin to know as he is known and see as he is seen. Only when one is comfortable with that kind of nakedness may he be clothed in a “robe of righteousness” and become one who may “inherit the kingdom of God.”

I suspect when that happens, the question of one’s obedience will become moot because the question of his motive will have no practical meaning. Obedience will simply be one of the fruits of love, and his absolute obedience the simple expression of his absolute freedom.

The Savior concluded his instructions to the Twelve with these words:

39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.
40 And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them(3 Nephi 11:39-40).

The Savior himself is that Rock, as Helaman explained to his sons:

12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall (Helaman 5:12).

Having enumerated these doctrines to the Twelve, the Savior then gave them this charge:

41 Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth (3 Nephi 11:41).

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3 Nephi 11:13-15 — LeGrand Baker — His hands and his feet

13 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying:
14 Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.
15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.
16 And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying:
17 Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him.
18 And it came to pass that he spake unto Nephi (for Nephi was among the multitude) and he commanded him that he should come forth.
19 And Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord and did kiss his feet.
20 And the Lord commanded him that he should arise. And he arose and stood before him.

An intriguing question is: What is the meaning behind the importance of touching the prints of the nails on the Savior’s hands and feet? The authors of the gospels did not mention the nails when they told us of his crucifixion, rather, they only say “they crucified him” (Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24-25, Luke 23:33, John 19:18).

The most vivid description of his agony on the cross is found in the prophecy that is the 25th Psalm. He quoted it before he died. The psalm begins, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” and includes the words, “they pierced my hands and my feet (Psalms 22:1, 16). Even though the gospels do not describe the way the Savior was crucified, both Luke and John cite the nail prints as confirming evidence of the resurrection.

There are several accounts that show that those who truly knew that Jesus is the resurrected Christ not only saw with their eyes, felt his love in the depths of their souls, but also touched the identifying marks on his feet and/or his hands. The first to do so were “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” who had come to the sepulcher early.

9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him (Matthew 28:1-9).

Luke’s account of the Apostles seeing Jesus contains the same elements.

38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet (Luke 24:32-44).

From a brilliant paper by Stephen D. Ricks, and RoseAnn Benson, {1} we learn that those experiences were an integral part of a covenant-defining relationship between the Savior and the persons who saw, felt, and knew. In the paper, they report that Herbert Huffmon “demonstrated that the Hebrew word yada, ‘to know,’ bore an additional meaning—‘to enter into a binding agreement’—a meaning that has parallels in Old Testament covenant language and ancient Near Eastern treaty terminology.”{2}

Their paper shows that an intimate knowledge of God presupposes a covenant. An example is when the Lord reminded Jeremiah of their premortal covenant:

4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
(Jeremiah 1:4-5).

The story of the brother of Jared is another example. Note the covenantal relationship established through questions and answers and then it is confirmed when the brother of Jared sees Jehovah. Then the Savior extends an invitation to the covenants to others as well:

10 And he answered: Nay; Lord, show thyself unto me.
11 And the Lord said unto him: Believest thou the words which I shall speak?
12 And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie.
13 And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.
14 Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters (Ether 3:10-14).

Just as “to know” the Savior presupposes a saving covenant, so to-not-know precludes the blessings of that covenant. It was true even in Jesus’s lifetime that one could know about Jesus and not know him in the sense of covenant. John explained that if someone was simply curious about the miracles Jesus performed but did not seek to know that Jesus is divine, then they got their curiosity satisfied but nothing more. He wrote:

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man (John 2:23-25).

The LDS Bible footnote at “commit” says, Jesus did not “entrust” himself to them. That is, he did not let them know who he really was. There is not even an implied covenant associated with their simply being curios. Neither can there be an assumed covenant by those who only claim to know. One cannot presume the rights and powers of the covenant without having met its requirements. The Savior is very explicit about that. He said,

22 Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them: I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity (3 Nephi 14:22-23).

Ricks and Benson point out that covenant requires that both parties know each other. They write:

Mutual recognition of an exclusive relationship. The Book of Mormon emphasizes the importance of mutual knowing, clearly linking eternal blessings or cursings to recognizing God as one’s exclusive Lord.{3}

For the apostles in Jerusalem, mutual recognition meant seeing, and feeling. John’s accounts of the Apostles’ first seeing the resurrected Christ emphasizes the importance of that tangible testimony. He reports that in the first instance only ten of the apostles were present.

19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord (John 20:19-20).

The marks of the Savior’s crucifixion were the ultimate testimony that he is the resurrected Christ. The importance of that is found in the story of Thomas that follows in the next verses—but not in the story as it is usually told. The fact is, “Doubting Thomas” never doubted and John never intended to say that he did. Earlier, John reported that when Jesus said he was going to return to Jerusalem, and the others urged him not to go, it was Thomas who said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him (John 11:16).” Because such devotion calls into question the very notion that Thomas was so faithless that he refused to believe the testimony of his fellow apostles, it requires a new look at the story of “Doubting Thomas.”

That Thomas’s experience was a necessary part of his covenant with the Savior is shown by the words spoken by the resurrected Christ. The story as told in the King James Bible is this:

26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God (John 20:26-28).

It is my opinion that this is one of the most ill-understood stories in the scriptures. History is written and interpreted by people who have access to only the evidence that happened to survive. In the case of this story of Thomas, John the Beloved was present, and was an eye witness to the events, so his testimony is valid. However, what has not survived for the general reader is the meaning of the words that the Savior used. Let me explain:

As Stephen Ricks and I discussed in Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, the Greek word pistis, which is translated as “faith,” was not a religious term in New Testament times, but was a commercial and diplomatic term that denoted making and keeping contracts, covenants, and treaties. In about the second century, apostate Christians lost the covenants along with their terms and the ordinances by which they were administered. Thereafter, pistis or “faith” came to mean belief without the validation of a covenant, or put more simply, the word “faith” came to mean a belief without any substantiating evidence, just as it does in most of Christianity today.

In the story of Thomas, the Savior uses two words that are derived from pistis:

Apistos, translated “faithless” in John 20:27, does not mean one who does not believe, but it means one who has not entered into the covenant.

Pistos is translated as “believing” in John 20:27 and as “faithful” in Ephesians 1:1. It means one who keeps the terms of his covenants. So in both John and Ephesians it refers to covenant keepers, rather than simply believers.

Given those definitions, we might loosely translate John 20:27 like this:

27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not without the covenant of knowing, but being faithful to the covenant.

(I am very grateful to Stephen Ricks for helping me understand that.)

If that is what the Savior really said, the next question has to be “What did he mean?”

For Latter-day Saints, that answer is not hard to find. An apostle is one who bears a special witness of the Savior. When Christ appeared to the other Apostles, Thomas was not present. Therefore, Thomas did not have the evidence, and could not keep the apostolic covenant to bear that special and sure witness. This conversation that John records between the Savior and Thomas is simply correcting that problem.

When the Savior came to the Nephite in Bountiful, there were 2,500 people present at the temple that day—men, women, and children (3 Nephi 17:25). That is important for the perpetuation of the witnesses of the covenant. The mature men and women who were present would grow old and die. Eventually, so would the young men and the teenagers. And finally the little children would grow old. Their lifetimes would span three or four generations of people who had seen with their eyes, felt with their hands, rejoiced with their souls, and bore testimony that they knew and had experienced the reality of the resurrected Savior. Their first-hand testimonies helped sustain a righteous Nephite culture for many, many years. Of those people, the Savior himself testified:

30 And now, behold, my joy is great, even unto fulness, because of you, and also this generation; yea, and even the Father rejoiceth, and also all the holy angels, because of you and this generation; for none of them are lost.
31 Behold, I would that ye should understand; for I mean them who are now alive of this generation; and none of them are lost; and in them I have fulness of joy (3 Nephi 27:30-31).

For those who were at the temple, their knowing Christ as he knew them set them apart in something like same unique way (but not with the same authority) as the eleven apostles at Jerusalem who also saw, and felt, and knew, and testified. {4}

On his first day at the Bountiful Temple, the Savior established a new government and his experience there can be recognized as the ancient Israelite coronation ceremony. This seems to be the conclusion of their covenant of mutual recognition when the Savior is enthroned as king and the people “did cry out with one accord, saying: Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him (3 Nephi 11:16-15).”

What follows next is an even more intimate covenant of mutual recognition between just the Savior and one of the Twelve. The Savior commanded Nephi to come to him.

19 And Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord and did kiss his feet.
20 And the Lord commanded him that he should arise. And he arose and stood before him.

The Savior, who had just been enthroned as king, then gave Nephi priesthood authority to act in his behalf. The record does not say so, but in the context of subsequent events it is apparent that this authority was equivalent to making Nephi president of the church and of the theocratic government that the Savior was in process of establishing.

In Doctrine and Covenants section 76 there are two separate passages that describe the Celestial glory. The first (v.50-70) tells about the quality of the persons who inherit the Celestial kingdon. The second (v. 92-97) describes “the glory of the celestial, which excels in all things—where God, even the Father, reigns upon his throne forever and ever.” There we find the ultimate expression of the covenant of knowing — of “mutual recognition.” It says:

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.

That phrase, “they see as they are seen, and know as they are known,” describes a more intimate relationship than anything we can experience in this life.

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The Savior’s Nephite coronation ceremony is described in our book, Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord: {5}

The scene that followed might most easily be visualized as it would have occurred at the conclusion of the drama’s coronation ceremony: as follows during the festival ceremony, the great doors of the temple were swung open, the veil before the Holy of Holies was pulled back, and the king was brought into the sacred chamber. The king—the adopted son and legal heir of Jehovah—sat upon the golden throne with his feet “established” in the Ark as his footstool. {5a} While sitting there, he gave a lecture in which he taught his people the meaning of the Law.
The Savior’s real coronation was probably like that. The Nephite Temples were built after the pattern of Solomon’s Temple, {5b} so, as in Jerusalem, its Holy of Holies contained Jehovah’s throne, for “the throne in the sanctuary is considered as the image of the divine throne.” {5c}
In Mormon’s account, this was not the dress rehearsal as it had been during the festival temple drama. The King was really Jehovah, the Eternal Priest and King of Israel. He had come to his temple. The Holy of Holies was his throne room. In it was his own throne. It is likely that the people who were present would have understood that what they were witnessing was the true enthronement—the reality for which the conclusion of the New Year’s festival drama was only a preparatory enactment.
When the Savior came to the Temple at Bountiful, we may suppose that he would have done precisely what the people would have expected him to do, that is, the veil before the Holy of Holies would have been pulled back, and their King—Jehovah-Messiah-the resurrected Savior—would have gone into the Holy of Holies and sat upon his own throne. If the room were arranged like the one in Solomon’s Temple, the throne would have been elevated above the floor, and there would have been a footstool there, a sacred box akin to the Ark of the Covenant, containing emblems of priesthood and kingship—perhaps the sword of Laban, the Liahona, the small plates, and other sacred symbols of divine authority. When the Savior sat upon his throne, his feet would have been “established” upon that footstool and his priesthood and kingship would have been acknowledged.
It was probably perfectly silent in the temple, but running through the minds of some may have been the words appropriate to this time during the temple drama:

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises:
sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth:
sing ye praises with understanding.
8 God reigneth over the heathen:
God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.
9 The princes of the people are gathered together, even
the people of the God of Abraham:
for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is
greatly exalted (Psalm 47:6-9).

There the people came. One by one they came before the Savior, knelt before him, embraced by the overwhelming power of his love; they would have looked up through the brilliant light that is an expression of his love and that defines him as God—and into his smiling eyes. Each one touching his hands and his side.
Looking upon him, they saw a man—real and tangible as themselves—yet his person was wholly different from their own. He was white beyond anything they could imagine or describe. The whiteness was not a quality of his exterior, but of himself. He was pure light, there was no darkness in him, therefore, he was not full of light, but he was light. He was not full of truth, but rather the personification of truth. He was not the expression of love; he was the fulfillment of love, which is truth and light. For that reason, darkness could not be where he was but by definition must have fled from his presence. Therefore all that were within his presence must have become pure as he was pure.
They were clean—not because they were innately clean—but because he had forgiven them of all their past sins and had accepted only their present repentant, humble Selves into his presence. Therefore, they understood that they were clean. In that came the greater understanding that if they were to remain clean they must forgive as they had been forgiven. They must acknowledge that which was good in others and permit them to leave behind their sins, as each one of them had been permitted to leave behind his own sins when he came into the presence of the Savior.
As they knelt before him and held his hands in theirs, they realized that they could not comprehend such unbounded magnificence. They looked down at his hands and sought to comprehend him; they realized that he is the pure embodiment of truth and light and love. They were filled to overflowing with his love, and they were not afraid.
As they knelt before him, perhaps each one, like Nephi, “bowed himself before the Lord and did kiss his feet.” As they held his feet in their hands—washing them with their tears, then caressing his feet with their fingers—their fingertips would have reached back to the place where the nail had been driven through his heels and into the wood of the cross. {5d} As each individual knelt there, within the unspeakable power of his love, their joy and their tears bore testimony to their souls that he is real—their fingers which touched the wounds testified that he is the resurrected God. Before leaving, some might tenderly wipe his feet with their own hair—feeling that to use anything else would be inappropriate.
Later, the memory of it would fill their souls with wonderment, for their finite minds could comprehend neither his glory nor the joy they felt in his presence. And their greatest desire was to be forever where he is.
Isaiah’s words, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (Isaiah 52:7) call to mind that scene.
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ENDNOTES

{1} Stephen D. Ricks, and RoseAnn Benson — “Treaties and Covenants: Ancient Near Eastern Legal Terminology in the Book of Mormon,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 2005), Volume – 14, Issue – 1, Pages: 48-61, 128–29.

( To find the article, Google: “ricks benson covenant book of mormon” )

{2} They cite Herbert B. Huffmon, “The Treaty Background of Hebrew YADA,” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 181 (February 1966): 31.

{3} Sorry I can’t give you a page number. I took the article off of the internet and it doesn’t give hard copy publication page numbers.

{4} Ricks and Benson show that mutual recognition is an essential part of “knowing” as it relates to covenant and treaty making the ancient Near East and the Book of Mormon.

{5} Baker and Ricks, Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, 2nd edition, 635-38.

{5a} For a discussion of the Ark of the Covenant as a footstool, see Sarna, Exploring Exodus, 210-11.

{5b} 2 Nephi 5:16, Alma 16:13.

{5c} Wensinck, Ideas of the Western, 55.
{5d} “In 1968, the bones of a crucified man were found at Giv’at ha-Mivtar just north of Jerusalem. These belonged to a man about 26 years old and 167 cm (5′ 5 ½”) tall. The heel bones (calcanea) were still fixed together by a nail. An examination showed that the nail had first been hammered through a piece of Pistacia or Acacia wood and then through both heel bones before entering the cross made of olive wood. The lower leg bones were broken. There was the mark of a nail on one of the lower right arm bones (radius.)
“The nails were probably put through a plaque of wood to stop them tearing through the flesh. The weight of the body would have pulled the arm nails up the forearm to the wrist. The legs were broken against the side of the cross. All the weight of the victim’s body would be on the arms causing death by suffocation.” Peter Connolly, A History of the Jewish People in the Times of Jesus from Herod the Great to Masada (New York: Peter Bedrick, 1983), 51.

See also illustration on page 48 of: Jodi Magness, “What did Jesus’ Tomb Look Like?” Biblical Archaeology Review 32, 1 (January/February, 2006): 38-49, 70.

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3 Nephi 11:11 – LeGrand Baker – relationship of the Father and the Son

3 Nephi 11:10-11
10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.
11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.

Here the Savior places the atonement in the context of his being the ‘light and life of the world.’

Last week we read scriptures that showed that the Savior is the personification of light, life, truth, and love. In these verses, it is in that context that he places his atonement. Sometimes we oversimplify the Savior’s greatness by saying that he was kind enough that he volenteered to perform the Atonement. What I believe he is saying here is that because he created all things and gave life to all things, only he could recreate (resurrect) and give new life (redeem) to all things.

In describing the Atonement, the resurrected Christ also teaches us about he relationship with his Heavenly Father. He says:

11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world;
and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me,
and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world,
in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things
from the beginning.

In his conclusion of the Book of Mormon, Moroni emphasizes the role of the Father in the Saviors Atonement. He writes:

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot (Moroni 10:32-33).

The Savior is the substance, the evidence, the validity, and the fulfillment of the Father’s covenant, and, according to the Savior’s own words, has been such “in all things from the beginning.”

Paul reached back to the beginning when he reminded us:

11 In whom [the Father] also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated [foreordained] according to the purpose of him [the Father] who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his [the Father’s] glory, who [the Father] first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom [the Savior] ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom [the Savior] also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his [the Father’s] glory (Ephesians 1:11-14).

If we can use modern technology to discover the meaning of the scriptures, then powerful telescopes are only beginning to teach us the meaning of this one:

31 And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me.
32 And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.
33 And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten (Moses 1:31-33).

Of all the worlds in the universe, this little earth on which we live was chosen to be the altar on which the sacrifice of the Savior’s Atonement was performed. But the Father’s trust in his Only Begotten Son extended far beyond the limits of this earth and its population. The power of the Savior’s Atonement was not limited to the inhabitants of this world. Just as it could reach back in time to save Adam and Abraham in our world, so did it reach back in the eons of time to save the inhabitants of other worlds. The Prophet Joseph taught that in poem called The Vision:

Hosanna, for ever! They open’d anon,
And the glory of God shone around where I was;
And there was the Son at the Father’s right hand,
In a fulness of glory and holy applause.

I beheld round the throne holy angels and hosts,
And sanctified beings from worlds that have been,
In holiness worshipping God and the Lamb,
For ever and ever. Amen and amen.

And now after all of the proofs made of him,
By witnesses truly, by whom he was known,
This is mine, last of all, that he lives; yea, he lives!
And sits at the right hand of God on his throne.

And I heard a great voice bearing record from heav’n,
He’s the Saviour and only begotten of God;
By him, of him, and through him, the worlds were all made,
Even all that careen in the heavens so broad.

Whose inhabitants, too, from the first to the last,
Are sav’d by the very same Saviour of ours;
And, of course, are begotten God’s daughters and sons
By the very same truths and the very same powers.
The Prophet Joseph Smith, “A Vision,”Times and Seasons, February 1, 1843. Italics added.)

Apostle John Taylor was then in New York assisting immigrant Mormons get off the ships and on to trains that would take them part way to Utah. While there, he published a newspaper, called The Mormon. This is one of his last editorials in the newspaper.

Lady-whence comest thou? Thine origin? What art thou doing here? Whither art thou going, and what is thy destiny? Declare unto me if thou hast understanding? Knowest thou not, that thou art a spark of Deity, struck from the fire of his eternal blaze, and brought forth in the midst of eternal burning?
Knowest thou not that eternities ago, thy spirit, pure and holy, dwelt in thy Heavenly Father’s bosom, and in his presence, and with thy mother, one of the Queens of heaven, surrounded by thy brother and sister spirts in the spirit world, among the Gods. That as thy spirit beheld the scenes transpiring there, and thou growing in intelligence, thou sawest worlds upon worlds organized and peopled with thy kindred spirits, took upon them tabernacles, died, were resurrected, and received their exaltation on the redeemed worlds they once dwelt upon. (John Taylor, “Origin, Object, and Destiny of Women,” an editorial published in The Mormon, New York, New York, August 29, 1857. The full editorial can be found on my website under “favorite quotes.”)

Alma explained that the Savior’s Atonement is “infinite and eternal”(Alma 34:10). The Savior’s Atonement that was performed on this little earth reached back through the eons of time to exalt other peoples on other worlds. This gives a whole new meaning to other statements in the Doctrine and Covenants:

1 Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, and rejoice ye inhabitants thereof, for the Lord is God, and beside him there is no Savior.
2 Great is his wisdom, marvelous are his ways, and the extent of his doings none can find out.
3 His purposes fail not, neither are there any who can stay his hand.
4 From eternity to eternity he is the same, and his years never fail.
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 en (D&C 76:1-5) d.

17 By these things we know that there is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them (D&C 20:17).

The relationship between the Savior and his Father is a theme that runs throughout the scriptures. The conversation between the Savior, his Father, and Nephi is a splendid example. Here is just a bit of that conversation:

10 And he [Jesus] said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?
11 And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.
12 And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do (2 Nephi 31:10-12).

During Jesus life on earth he repeatedly gave credit to his Father. He taught what his Father told him to teach (John 15:14-17).

He gave credit for the success of the Atonement to his Father’s support. He said: \

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).

We learn more details about from Luke. In the Garden Jesus prayed,

42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
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).

If the Atonement were for this earth only, then I suppose that angel might have been Adam or one of the Prophets. But, given the infinite and eternal reach of what the Savior was suffering, it is my considered opinion that the “angel” could have been none other than his Father to whom he was praying for sustenance.

The Savior’s prayer in our behalf also focuses on the final authority of his Father. He says:

3 Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—
4 Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;
5 Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life (D&C 45:3-5).

The relationship of the Savior and his Father is so intimate that he frequently said he and his Father are One. That oneness is complicated in our minds because one of the name-titles of Jehovah is “the Father (as in Mosiah 15:1-7. see analysis in Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, first edition, 708-09; second edition, 500-01.)

In D&C 93:2-5 there is a clear differentiation between “the Father” (Jehovah) and “my Father” (Elohim), but after that the distinction has to be understood by the context.

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord:…
3 And that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one—
4 The Father because he gave me of his fulness, and the Son because I was in the world and made flesh my tabernacle, and dwelt among the sons of men.
5 I was in the world and received of my Father, and the works of him were plainly manifest. …

11 And I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us. …
16 And I, John, bear record that he received a fulness of the glory of the Father;
17 And he received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him.
18 And it shall come to pass, that if you are faithful you shall receive the fulness of the record of John.
19 I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.
20 For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace.
21 And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn (D&C 93:1-21).

That oneness might best be understood as hased (unfailing love based on a prior covenant). The reason I suggest that is because the Savior invites us to join them in that same covenant based love/friendship. He said:

2 I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am one in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one (D&C 35:2).

He says it more explicitly in the magnificent prayer in John 17:

1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. …

10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. …

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one (John 17:1-22).

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3 Nephi 11:11– LeGrand Baker — Light and Life

3 Nephi 11:11
10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.
11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world;

Sometimes I wonder, when I hear someone describe the Savior as “our Elder Brother” if they think of Christ as simply “like us only better.” It may be significant that the Savior never describes himself that way.

Sometimes we overlook some of the most profound and significant ideas in the scriptures because they are presented to us so frequently that they don’t seem unique, and other times because the words seem simple and we don’t stop to ask what they mean. Human language can be an intangible prison. It is a prison if we let it confine our thinking to what we already know. The phrase, “I am the light and the life of the world” may be overlooked because we have read it so many times or because our definition of those words restricts their meanings and we never ask what the Savior intended when he used those two words together.

That is the phrase with which the Savior most frequently introduces himself, so it would probably be a good for us to try to get some sense of what he meant. Examples are: 3 Nephi 9:15-21; Ether 4:8-19; D&C 10:64-70, 11:28-30, 12:7-9,34:1-4, 39:1-4, 45:7-9.

The more closely one reads the scriptures, the more it is apparent that “light” and “life” are not metaphors. Rather, they are nouns that name absolute reality.

It appears that love, light, and truth are equivalents—they come from God and are expressions of his glory. The conclusion that they are actually the same thing is easy to come by. Truth is knowledge of eternal reality—“of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.” That is, truth is knowledge of all reality in sacred time and space. The Savior is the Spirit of Truth, and “he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth; Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ …which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space” (D&C 88:7-12, 93:24-26). Thus, both truth and light permeate and sustain everything in the universe. The fact that God’s love is also everywhere is a given that needs no proof. Since his light, truth, and love are everywhere and in every individual, they either occupy the same space at the same time, or else they are the same thing. If the latter is correct, then the differences we perceive are simply ways we have of describing the multiple effects of the power of his godliness. Joy is the product of truth/light/love. It is most meaningful when it is shared. The more we recognize and assimilate the truth/light/love of others, the greater the joy we and they experience (Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, 2nd edition, 565).

When we recognize that light, love, and truth are equivalents, then other scriptures take on much greater meaning.

In section 88 the Savior defines his light. That definition includes, but is not limited to, the photons our eyes can detect, the spectrums of light our eyes cannot detect, the heat and life giving energy that comes from the sun, and much more. Speaking of the Savior the revelation says:

D&C 88:1-17
6 He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;
7 Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.
8 As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;
9 As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made;
10 And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand.

In addition to being both the light and power of our visible world, the revelation also says it is the light that gives us the capacity to learn and understand what we learn:

11 And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;

Now we are told that the Savior’s light is both the source of life and “the law by which all things are governed.”

12 Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God [shechinah] to fill the immensity of space—
13 The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.

There we have three concepts coming together to create a unity that we can sort of understand. However, no mere human can wrap his mind around its infinite enormity. The concepts are:
“to fill the immensity of space,” “all things,” and “in the bosom of eternity.”

That definition of light is the introduction to the next part of the revelation which begins:

14 Now, verily I say unto you, that through the redemption which is made for you is brought to pass the resurrection from the dead (D&C 88:14)

That same relationship (light, life, resurrection) was taught to Alma by Abinadi, who explained:

7 And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection.
8 But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.
9 He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.
10 Even this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to stand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works whether they be good or whether they be evil—
11 If they be good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of endless damnation, being delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them, which is damnation (Mosiah 16:7-11).

John literally uses light and life interchangeably. In one place he equates life with light. He writes, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men [John 1:4]; and in another place he reverses that when he quotes the Savior as saying that the light is life:

12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).

In the Book of Mormon, Mormon explains to us what Ammon was teaching the Lamanite king. In doing so he ties those ideas nicely together showing that their product is joy.

6 Now, this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness—yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God (Alma 19:6).

A few chapters later Mormon again shows the relationship of the light, life, and joy, when he writes:

14 And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life (Alma 28:14).

Now the formula becomes more complicated as Alma equates light and life, with “the word of truth.”

9 And now, my son, I have told you this that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn of me that there is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold, he is the life and the light of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness (Alma 38:9) .

The Savior said the same thing, only more explicitly. He described himself as the law (which can be understood as an fusion of priesthood power, truth and gospel) and the source of eternal life:

9 Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life (3 Nephi 15:9).

The Lord defines truth as the “knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.” That is, truth is knowledge of reality in sacred time. He then tells that he is the very personification of truth, that he has “all truth.” The revelation reads

26 The Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore record of me, saying: He received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth (D&C 93:24-26).

That he received “a fullness of truth” is expressed in the New Testament as he is “full of grace and truth (John 1:14).”

Truth can either be described as what God knows or what God speaks. The implications of that are described in Moses where the Father is quoted as saying:

32 And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.
33 And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten (Moses 1:31-33).

There, the word of God’s power is personified as the “Only Begotten Son.” Doctrine and Covenants 84 gathers these ideas into equivalents, so that it is impossible to understand one outside the context of the others.

45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
46 And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.(D&C 84:1-60.)

If we are to even begin to understand what the Savior means when he identifies himself as “the light and the life of the world,” we must take literally John’s testimony as it is given us in the Prophet Joseph’s inspired version of the Bible:

1 In the beginning was the gospel [word of truth = light = life = love] preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made which was made.
4 In him was the gospel [truth], and the gospel was the life, and the life was the light of men;
5 And the light shineth in the world, and the world perceiveth it not (JST John 1:1-5).

From our perspective, there are some beautiful words in the psalms that seem to says it all:

9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
10 O continue thy lovingkindness [hesed] unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart (Psalms 36:9-10).

The Savior is the universal, and for us, the eternal source of truth, light, life, and love. His gospel (including the ordinances and covenants associated with its teachings) is the way we may fully appreciate and participate in the blessings of truth, light, and eternal life and love. But, as Alma points out, because he is the source of life, if we seek to find it any other place we find only death and darkness.

25 And then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of God.
26 But behold, an awful death cometh upon the wicked; for they die as to things pertaining to things of righteousness; for they are unclean, and no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God; but they are cast out, and consigned to partake of the fruits of their labors or their works, which have been evil; and they drink the dregs of a bitter cup (Alma 40:25-26).

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3 Nephi 11:8-10 — The Savior introduces himself to the Nephites

8 And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.
9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:
10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

Before Jesus’s birth, when the angel spoke to Mary, he instructed her, “thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus (Luke 1:32).”

“Jesus” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew “Joshua,” which means “Jehovah is salvation” or “Jehovah saves.” Our LDS Bible dictionary adds “Savior” to the meanings. The name was carefully chosen. It was both a given name and a name-title. This was made clear by the angel who spoke to Joseph. He said, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

When Jesus introduced himself to the Nephites gathered at the temple, they probably did not register the name Jesus as a given name, but rather heard it as a title: “I am the Joshua Messiah — I am the Savior Anointed.” That is who they were looking for, and that is what they would have understood him to say.

“Christ” is the Greek form of the Hebrew “Messiah.” It means “The Anointed One.” Israelite kings and priests were anointed, and the Savior’s name-title “Messiah” is at least an acknowledgment of Jehovah’s kingship and priesthood as ruler of the Israelite people. But it is much more than that.

The word “Messiah” is only found twice in the Old Testament (Daniel 9:25-26), but the Hebrew word that is translated “Messiah” is found many times. Except in all the other instances it is translated as “anointed” and almost all of those references are about “the Lord’s anointed,” that is the king of Israel (as in Psalm 18:50).

There are two places in the Old Testament that speak of Jehovah’s premortal anointing.

One is Isaiah 61which reads:

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound?
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn (Isaiah 61:1-2).

The Savior cited those verses in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:4, 3 Nephi 12:4), and again at Nazareth, where he said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:17-21).

President Joseph F. Smith, in D&C 138, by quoting the passage differently, makes it clear that the Isaiah reference is to Jehovah and not to Isaiah.

42 And 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&C 138:42).

In the gospel of John, Jesus identifies himself to the woman at the well as the promised Messiah (John 4:25). The frequent references to “Jesus Christ” in the Book of Mormon also assert that the Nephites understood that he is the “Anointed One” (Mosiah 3:8, 12 are examples).

The Lord also identified himself as the “Anointed One” (Messiah) to Enoch. He said,

53 And the Lord said: Blessed is he through whose seed Messiah shall come; for he saith—I am Messiah, the King of Zion, the Rock of Heaven, which is broad as eternity; whoso cometh in at the gate and climbeth up by me shall never fall; wherefore, blessed are they of whom I have spoken, for they shall come forth with songs of everlasting joy (Moses 7:53).

It is likely that Jehovah’s anointing was portrayed in the ancient Israelite Feast of Tabernacles temple drama. But the psalm that depicted his anointing is no longer in the collection, or if it is, I cannot identify it. However, there is a psalm that takes place in the Council in Heaven immediately after Jehovah was anointed. I say immediately after because the perfumed anointing oil with which he was anointed is described in that psalm. The following is our discussion of that aromatic anointing oil: Paul quoted verse 7 as a testimony of the Savior’s kingship (Hebrews 1:9).

Then, in the [temple drama], the prince does exactly what protocol would require him to do next. He turns to Jehovah, his most immediate superior, and does obeisance to him.

The prince does obeisance to Jehovah:

7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness:
therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee
with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia,
out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad
(Psalm 45:7-8).

The chain of command was Elohim at the top, then Jehovah, then the king. So our prince (who on the earth will be king) first paid homage to Elohim, then to Jehovah. It is apparent from the words that in an earlier part of this scene, the Father had already anointed Jehovah to be the Eternal King and Protector of Israel. Even though the psalm that tells that story is no longer in the canon (or if it is, it cannot be identified), we can know that Jehovah had just been anointed because his garments were still fragrant with sacred scented anointing oil. We know the king was addressing Jehovah in these verses because of the words, “thy God [Elohim], hath anointed thee [Jehovah].”

The reference to his fragrant smell is very important. Even though the Old Testament editors and writers do not describe the oil with which the kings of Israel were anointed, the record does show an explicit recipe for perfuming the oil with which the High Priests were anointed. The formula is given along with the command that this sacred oil may be used for no other purpose (Exodus ch. 30 & 40).
We see a similar situation in verse 8 of Psalm 45, for the prince acknowledges that Jehovah’s garments still smell of the fragrant perfumes of the anointing oil. In doing so, he also gives us the formula by which the sacred oil was perfumed: “All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia.” This was a very meaningful formula. The oil was, of course, olive oil, the product of the fruit of the olive tree, which in ancient Israel represented the Tree of Life. Myrrh is a perfume made from the sap of a bush or small tree. Aloes is a perfume made from the heartwood of another tree, and cassia is a perfume made from the bark of still a different tree. So on the stage, one representing Jehovah had just been anointed with a sacred oil whose fragrance were a composite of all the parts of a tree—either an acknowledgment or a declaration that Jehovah is the Tree of Life (Baker and Ricks, Who shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, 2nd edition, 207-208).

We are taught that ordinances that pertain to this world must be performed in this world. Peter tells us that Jesus was also anointed while he was in a mortal body. His testimony is:

37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree (Acts 10:37-39).

We also have the testimony in Doctrine and Covenants 132:

7 And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead (D&C 132:7).

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3 Nephi 11:1-7 — LeGrand Baker — The Father introduces His Son

3 And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.
4 And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not.
5 And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came.
6 And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them:
7 Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.

It was probably important that they did not understand the words the first and second time. The first time they were surprised by it. What they needed — and what they received was the sure witness of the Holy Ghost that the sound they heard was of God, that it was truth, and that it had great value.
The second time they were not surprised but listened in anticipation. Then, the third time, they were ready to understand the words.

The scriptures rarely quote the words of the Father except when he testifies that Jesus in his Beloved Son. Examples are:

Jesus’s baptism: Matthew 3:16-17, Mark 1:10-12, Luke 3:21-22, D&C 93:14-16.
The accounts differ slightly. Matthew quotes the Father as saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Mark and Luke read that the Father’s words were addressed to Jesus personally: “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

On the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father’s voice was heard “out of the cloud” (veil, shechinah) saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:6-8, Luke 9:34-36)

The apostle Peter, who was present, gives a personal account. It contains interesting elements of priesthood, kingship, and coronation.

16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount (2 Peter 1:16-18).

And Joseph Smith’s First Vision is the most recent example:

17 … When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him! (JS-History: 17)

The one in 3 Nephi is unique because it introduces the resurrected Christ as having already achieved the Father’s purposes:

7 Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him (3 Nephi 11:6-8).

However, there are some notable examples where the Father himself speaks to the prophets. One is when God explained to Moses:

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 (Moses 4:2-3) .

Another is this where Nephi quotes both Jehovah and his Father in what appears to be a three-way conversation.

11 And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.
12 And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do….
14 But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me.
15 And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. …
20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen (2 Nephi 31:11-21).

In the name-title “My Beloved Son,” “beloved” may be read as an adjective, but it is probably not meant to be. Rather the phrase “Beloved Son” is probably a name-title that denotes nobility and birthright. If that is correct, “Beloved” distinguishes him from others and defines him as the Father’s heir.

Psalm 2 is widely acknowledged as the psalm sung by the congregation at the time the king of Israel was anointed as king. There the lines “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee” are seen as a conformation of the adoption of the king by Jehovah, and the name title “son” as the royal king-name. If that is correct then we may surmise that “Beloved Son” is also a king-name; but denoting true legitimacy rather than sonship by adoption. (See Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, the chapter called “Psalm 2, The Ancient Israelite Royal King-name.”

3 Nephi 9:15-18 — LeGrand Baker — The Savior’s eternal biography

I spoke in Sacrament Meeting today. The assigned subject was the Savior’s life, teachings, Atonement, and resurrection. And I had 15 minutes to do it. I chose to quote scriptures that focused on the Savior’s eternal priesthood and his eternal kingship. Several people asked me for a copy, so I thought some of you might like one too.
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(3 Nephi 9:15-18)

The Savior introduced himself to Nephi by saying:

15 Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name.
16 I came unto my own, and my own received me not. And the scriptures concerning my coming are fulfilled.
17 And as many as have received me, to them have I given to become the sons of God; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me redemption cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled.
18 I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

In those few verses the Savior gives us a snapshot view of his entire eternal autobiography. I would like to review that biography with you. The Prophet Joseph Smith, in the Inspired Version of the Bible, wrote:

1 In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made which was made.
4 In him was the gospel, and the gospel was the life, and the life was the light of men (JST John 1:1-4).

We learn that at the Council in Heaven, in the beginning,

24… there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell.
25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. (Abraham 3:24-25);

1 And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth (Abraham 4:1).

Speaking about the creation, the psalmist sang:

1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! ….
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the gods, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! (Psalms 8:1-9)

Thus Adam and Eve were placed upon the earth and the first thing they were taught after they left the Garden was to understand the Savior’s Atonement. In the book of Moses we read that:

6 …after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.
7 And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.
8 Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore (Moses 5:4-8).

That scripture is familiar to most of us, but in a somewhat different context. Thereafter, Adam and Eve taught the gospel to their children, and Jehovah himself taught his prophets. He showed himself to the brother of Jared and said:

14 Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters (Ether 3:11-14).

Many hundreds of years later the Lord comforted Nephi with these words:

13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets (3 Nephi 1:13).

30 [several months before that] the angel [came to Mary and ] said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:26-39).

51 And …his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man (Luke 2:51-52).

Later, John the Baptist testified,

11 …. I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us (D&C 93:11).

15 And I, John, bear record, and lo, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove, and sat upon him, and there came a voice out of heaven saying: This is my beloved Son.
16 And I, John, bear record that he received a fulness of the glory of the Father;
17 And he received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, (D&C 93:15-17).

After Jesus organized his church and called the 12 apostles,

1 Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light…
5 … a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him (Matthew 17:1-5).

Peter who was present with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, bore this testimony of the event:

16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount (2 Peter 1:16-18).

Nevertheless, as Isaiah testified:

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed…
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no evil, neither was any deceit in his mouth (Mosiah 14:1-12) .

32 [At the conclusion of his ministry, the Savior and the Twelve] came to a place which was named Gethsemane:(Mark 14:22-46).
41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
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 22:28-49).

Of that agony, Jesus himself testified: that the

18 … 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 19:16-19).

The prayer he spoke at that time is found in section 145 of the D&C:

3 Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—
4 Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;
5 Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life (D&C 45:1-5).

After his death on the cross, he visited the spirit world of the dead:

18 While this vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful;
19 And there he preached to them the everlasting gospel, the doctrine of the resurrection and the redemption of mankind from the fall, and from individual sins on conditions of repentance (D&C 138:18-19).

After 3 days,

11 …Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: —-she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master (John 20:1-17) .

He spent 40 days teaching the apostles and others. Then, “while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9-11).

Paul testified that after that the Savior was crowned king and priest over everything. Paul wrote,

20 [The Father] raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all (Ephesians 1:20-23.).

The Prophet Joseph Smith testified:
And now after all of the proofs made of him,
By witnesses truly, by whom he was known,
This is mine, last of all, that he lives; yea, he lives!
And sits at the right hand of God on his throne.
And I heard a great voice bearing record from heav’n,
He’s the Saviour and only begotten of God;
By him, of him, and through him, the worlds were all made,
Even all that careen in the heavens so broad.
Whose inhabitants, too, from the first to the last,
Are sav’d by the very same Saviour of ours;
And, of course, are begotten God’s daughters and sons
By the very same truths and the very same powers.
(“The Vision,” Times and Seasons, Feb. 1, 1843)

That is my testimony also.

3 Nephi 11:1– LeGrand Baker — ‘changes’ at the temple

1 And now it came to pass that there were a great multitude gathered together, of the people of Nephi, round about the temple which was in the land Bountiful; and they were marveling and wondering one with another, and were showing one to another the great and marvelous change which had taken place.

Earlier, when the Savior spoke out of the darkness of the storm, he gave this command to the Nephites:

19 And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.
20 And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 9:19-20)

.Sacrifice does not mean to give something up, it means to make something sacred. Lundquist observed that, “the purpose of the sacrifice is to seal and to sanctify the covenant. ( Lundquist, “Temple, Covenant, and Law,” 300) The Savior’s atoning sacrifice had sealed and sanctified the covenant of his Father (Moroni 10:32-33).

What remained–indeed, what always remains–were the sealing and sanctifying of the covenant on the part of the people. The sacrificing of animals had symbolized the Savior’s act of ratification. Now that act was accomplished, no such symbolism was required. However, the act of ratification on the part of the people remained. That ratification, too, had to be sealed and sanctified by sacrifice–in a manner similar to the way the Savior’s was–with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

For the Saints in the New World, if sacrifices and burnt offerings were to be done away, then that would require that they make significant changes in their temple and the temple grounds. The great sacrificial altar that no doubt dominated the courtyard of the temple had to be dismantled and removed. The temple would have to be cleaned because blood would no longer be sprinkled in the temple and the Holy of Holies, and incense would no longer be burned since those practices were a part of the sacrificial ceremonies. The barns to hold the sacrificial animals would have to be removed, and many of the tools and implements that had been used in the services would have to be put away. If those Saints were like modern-day Saints, they would not have just torn down the old structures, and left the empty places. Rather, they might plant flowers in their place, refurbish the temple, and beautify its grounds.

The second instruction the Savior gave when he spoke in the darkness had to do with making changes in the temple drama. The Feast of Tabernacles temple drama took eight days to complete. Those days were filled with ceremonies and sacrifices. With the animal sacrifices eliminated, it would have required revelation from the Lord for the people to know what changes were to be made and how the ceremonies were to be performed. Then, like now, the temple would have been closed while these changes were made.

In all, it took a full year to make the preparations to open the temple again. Mormon is careful to tell us that. He reports, “in the thirty and fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land” (3 Nephi 8:5). Later, Mormon is just as specific when he tells us that the people gathered at the temple “in the ending of the thirty and fourth year”(3 Nephi 10:18). H writes:

1 And now it came to pass that there were a great multitude gathered together, of the people of Nephi, round about the temple which was in the land Bountiful; and they were marveling and wondering one with another, and were showing one to another the great and marvelous change which had taken place” (3 Nephi 10:18, 11:1).

The remodeling of the temple and temple grounds in Bountiful would have required a rededication. If such were to occur it should have happened at the juncture of the end of one year and the beginning of the next, because that is when temples were dedicated. It would have been during the next New Year’s festival because that was the occasion of the dedication of Solomon’s temple. (2 Chronicles 7:8-10) About that, Snaith claims that “Solomon would have no choice as to the date when the Temple should be dedicated. He was bound to wait until the next annual feast after the completion of the building operations. It was in the proper month and at the proper full moon that the people would appear with their gifts.” (Norman H. Snaith, The Jewish New Year Festival, 53). An important part of the temple drama of the new year festival was to reestablish the legitimacy of the reign of the king, so that would also have been the appropriate time for the Savior to establish the theocracy of 4 Nephi.

When Mormon reports the gathering of the people at the temple, he does not tell us whether the “changes” had to do with the adaptations in the temple drama, or the refurbishing of the building and grounds. Dil Rust wrote an excellent essay a few weeks ago saying he believes it was the former. I think Dil is correct, but I also think that it would probably be safe to believe that both kinds of changes were made.
(Much of the above was quoted or paraphrased from Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord)

3 Nephi 10:3-6 — LeGrand Baker — under the cherubim wings

3 And it came to pass that there came a voice again unto the people, and all the people did hear, and did witness of it, saying:
4 O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you.
5 And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not.
6 O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.

I grew up on a farm where we had chickens and all sorts of other animals. The hens had an interesting relationship with their little ones. When the chicks were old enough to learn to scratch, he would take them to likely place, cluck and then start to scratch the dirt. They would come and pick in the freshly overturned dirt for what bugs and worms they could find there. Those who got behind her at the wrong angle were scooped off the ground by her fast moving feet and tossed head over heels like a little fuzzy ball. It didn’t hurt them and they were soon up and at it again, but they had learned something important about those feet.

One day I heard her squawk loudly, this was not a loving clucking sound. She squatted down, lifted her wings. The chicks, almost as one, fled to the cover of her wings. She settled down protectively over their little bodies and raised all her feathers giving her the appearance of being twice as big as she really was. She was looking toward the sky and my eyes followed hers. There was a hawk making a wide circle around the farm yard. We both watched, the hen and I, until the hawk flew away. Then she made a gentle cluck and the little ones came out from under her wings, scattering themselves about to find whatever bugs looked good to eat.

I was out in the yard one cloudy day when I heard her squawk again. This one was different. It seemed to lack the sense of panic but it was severe and not to be misunderstood. Again the chicks ran to their squatting mother and tucked themselves under her outstretched wings. This time when she settled herself over them, she folded here feathers down flat against her body like a shield and ducked her head under a wing. I was surprised when the hail began to fall all around me. Some hit the chicken and bounced off of her tightened wings. I wasn’t so interested that I wanted to wait and see what happened next, but made a dash to the house to get out of the storm. I did not know that the hail was coming, but that wise mother hen knew just what to expect.

For many years after that, when I read what the Savior said about being invited under the wings, I remembered those scenes and thought that was what he was referring to. Perhaps he was, but now I think that was not the only thing he was trying to say, and it probably was not even the thing the Nephits were thinking about when they heard his words.

In the Holy of Holies of Solomon’s Temple — and since the Nephite temples were patterned after Solomon’s, this would have been true of Nephite temples also — the throne representing the throne of God sat against the back wall. It was overshadowed by the wings of two large cherubim. I think that when he spoke to the Nephites, the Savior was inviting them, as sacral kings and priests, to sit upon that throne under the security of those wings. Stephen and I discussed that in Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord. This is what we wrote:

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At the conclusion of the coronation ceremony of the ancient Israelite Feast of Tabernacles temple drama, the veil of the temple was parted the king entered the Holy of Holies, the most sacred of all earthly sacred space. It, like its predecessor in the Tabernacle, was a perfect cube. It contained no furniture except a throne on the back wall.
In the Tabernacle, Moses had built a small prototype of God’s throne on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, with two Cherubim whose wings stretched over the invisible throne, called the Mercy Seat. Below the lid, in the Ark itself, he placed the stone tablets on which the Lord had written the Ten Commandments, the staff of Aaron which was a symbol of his priesthood, and a jar of manna which represented the bread of life—the law (kingship), the staff (priesthood), and the bread of life (power of salvation).
Solomon’s Temple throne was like that, but much larger. In the Temple’s Holy of Holies, on either side of the throne were two great golden cherubim. Their wings touched the sides of the walls and made a kind of canopy that stretched over the throne; over whoever sat upon that throne; and over the Ark of the Covenant which now sat in front of the throne as its footstool (1 Kings 6:24, 8:6-7). The phrases that God “dwellest between the cherubims (Psalm 80:1 and Isaiah 37:16), and “sitteth between the cherubims” (Psalm 99:1), are references to God sitting on his throne, either in his heavenly or in his earthly temple.
The throne was patterned after a chariot (1 Chronicles 28:1-21), representing God’s ability to move among the clouds, and the symbolism of cherubim’s overshadowing wings represented the powerful wings of the celestial cherubim, upon whose majesty God himself is also said to have ridden. For, “he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind” (Psalm 18:10 and 2 Samuel 22:11). And upon whose wings he invites his children to ride also. “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
Josephus’s description of the interior of the Temple is the most complete. He writes:

“Now when the king had divided the temple into two parts, he made the inner house of twenty cubits every way, to be the most secret chamber, but he appointed that of forty cubits to be the sanctuary; and when he had cut a door-place out of the wall, he put therein doors of Cedar, and overlaid them with a great deal of gold, that had sculptures upon it. He also had veils of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and the brightest and softest linen, with the most curious flowers wrought upon them, which were to be drawn before those doors. He also dedicated for the most secret place, whose breadth was twenty cubits, and length the same, two cherubim of solid gold; the height of each of them was five cubits they had each of them two wings stretched out as far as five cubits; wherefore Solomon set them up not far from each other, that with one wing they might touch the southern wall of the secret place [the Holy of Holies], and with another the northern: their other wings, which joined to each other, were a covering to the ark, which was set between them; but nobody can tell, or even conjecture, what was the shape of these cherubim. He also laid the floor of the temple with plates of gold; and he added doors to the gate of the temple, agreeable to the measure of the height of the wall, but in breadth twenty cubits, and on them he glued gold plates. And, to say all in one word, he left no part of the temple, neither internal nor external, but what was covered with gold. He also had curtains drawn over these doors in like manner as they were drawn over the inner doors of the most holy place; but the porch of the temple had nothing of that sort” (History of the Jews 8:3).

It was there, in the Holy of Holies, at the throne of God, that the final scenes of the festive drama were conducted.

The cherubim who surround the celestial throne of God are represented as having wings, by Isaiah (6:2), Ezekiel (1:6-11), Daniel (7:4-6), and John (Revelation 4). But we were told by the Prophet Joseph that “wings are a representation of power, to move, to act, etc.” (D&C 77:4). That is also probably a way of describing their priesthood power.
Because the throne and its overshadowing wings were symbolic of the reality and power of priesthood and kingship, they were also symbolic of the invitation to receive the gift of eternal life. The Savior used that symbolism repeatedly, as a lament addressed to those who would not accept the invitation. He said:

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
(Matthew 23:37, see Luke 13:34, 3 Nephi 10:4-6, D&C 43:24).

And also as a promise to those who would:

2 [The Savior] will gather his people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble themselves before me, and call upon me in mighty prayer (D&C 29:2, see 10:65).

Nephi’s statement, resounding as it does with the clarity of the ancient enthronement ordinances, is a testimony of the validity of those ordinances, and an example of their fulfilment:

25 And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them (2 Nephi 4:25).

The wings have a further and expected symbolism. It is the association of the ideas of enthronement with the promise of security and peace, as Nephi prophesied

Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name (2 Nephi 25:13).

After his ordination and anointing, the king was a living messiah—not the “Messiah,” but rather a “messiah,” meaning an anointed one, a king of righteousness, and the legitimate “son” and heir of God. He had been crowned with a “crown of pure gold” and accepted God’s invitation to sit upon his own throne in the earthly Temple. Mowinckel observes,

We know that Solomon had furnished the Temple with an (empty) cherub’s throne, which was certainly understood to be the throne of Yahweh. In the very old Psalm 110 Yahweh is the king, sitting on his throne and offering to his ‘son’, the earthly king, the seat of honor at his right side. In the likewise very old Psalm 68 the worshiper calls Yahweh ‘his king and his god.’ ( Psalms in Israel’s Worship, 1:125)