Perhaps the most well known Isaiah passage concerning messianic prophecy is found in 2 Nephi 19:6 which is the equivalent of Isaiah 9:6. Let’s set up the passage first. Isaiah is dealing with King Ahaz and in his prophetic utterings Isaiah wants to shock the king with his futuristic insights. “Therefore,” quoting Isaiah, “the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Category: Plan of Happiness
How Nephi understood Isaiah
The third reason the writings of Isaiah provide such difficulty is his education. Isaiah was among the educated elite of his day. He was raised in the big city of Jerusalem and spent his entire life preparing to serve the Lord. He was aggressive in dealing with the skeptics of his day for he was a prophet in his own city and did not use diplomacy with his tongue:
“The Lord…hath made my mouth like a sharp sword…and made me a polished shaft[1]. The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary[2]. “
The Key to understanding Isaiah
“Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God; but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.[1]”
The writings of Nephi become a ‘key’ as it were, to unlocking the mysteries of Isaiah. Full comprehension is therefore relegated to those who accept the Book of Mormon as the word of God. For those whose pride blocks the insights provided by divine intervention, the clarity of Isaiah is looking through a glass darkly[2] and the precepts are coded in a script or tongue undecipherable except to those carrying the blood of Israel.
Did Isaiah have restrictions on him?
Given the heavenly restrictions under which Isaiah operated, his message was deliberately obscure, much like the Savior, Who spoke in parables. Isaiah cloaked his message so only those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, can.
Why does the Lord restrict access to truth and gospel principles to His children? For the same reason disciplinary courts are benevolent acts of charity. Knowledge and priesthood authority without the requisite understanding puts the holder under greater condemnation for misuse.
Who has seen the full History of the World?
Isaiah is not the first person to be given access to the prophetic future of the world. Adam saw the history of the world but we don’t have his record. Enoch saw it too, however, he only described the highlights such as the Great Flood, the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the 2nd coming of Christ[1]. After the Tower of Babel, the Brother of Jared (Mahonri-Moriancumer) saw the history of the world from the creation to the end of the millennium, but that record is sealed along with the remaining part of the Nephite record[2].
Mode of Baptism
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4).
Baptizo is the transliterated word from Greek. The New Greek Lexicon defines baptism as…
- To dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge.
- To wash, to make clean with water.
- To overwhelm.
Power and Authority to Baptize
“And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron” (Hebrews 5:4).
How was Aaron called? By his brother Moses, the prophet, who then laid hands on his head and conferred the priesthood upon Aaron. Where did Moses get the authority? From Jethro, his father-in-law, a Semite, who held the Melchizedec priesthood (D&C 84:6-7).
And where do modern-day Christian ministers and leaders derive their priesthood authority? From schools, universities, and institutes. From a calling they feel deeply and sincerely. I do not question the sincerity of another’s belief, but God explained clearly the process of getting the priesthood, it must come from one who already has it.
Baptism in the Meridian of Time
Paul wrote to the Ephesians that there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesian 4:5). Either sprinkling a child is correct or immersion when 8 is correct, there is no in-between. These represent two different baptisms. Infant baptism isn’t new; it was practiced in the days of Abraham (JST-Genesis 17:4-8, 1), and in the days of Mormon and Moroni (Moroni 8).
The Lord is eloquent in His indignation. First He explains why little children don’t need baptism.
“And…little children need no repentance, neither baptism. Behold baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the remission of sins.”
The Origin of Baptism
Baptism began with Adam, the first man. “He was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was…brought forth out of the water. And thus he was baptized.” (Moses 6:64-65)
This established the pattern. All of the apostles and prophets were baptized and all performed baptisms. Documented records of prophets being baptized include Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses (Moses 6:47-68; 8:19-24; JST-Genesis 17:3-7; 1 Corinthians 10”1-4).
In Isaiah 48:1 we read the “house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel and [had] come forth out of the waters of Judah.” This refers to baptism (1 Nephi 20:1).
The Antiquity of Baptism
Baptism carries an interesting connotation when speaking to people who consider themselves Christian in the Protestant and Catholic fashion.
With few exceptions, the ordinance of baptism has been distorted so dramatically that the only two features of origin still remaining are the presence of the person being baptized and the substance of water. Other concepts such as power and authority, mode, meaning, age, metaphors, similes, and purpose are lost and forgotten.
Three Steps of Repentance
The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel teaches a profound doctrine with respect to repentance. “If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.” (Ezek. 33:15.)
Here we have three steps in repentance:
- Restore the pledge
- Commit to change
- Forsake the sin
Notice the phrase ‘restore the pledge.’ What pledge? Each makes pledges to our Father in heaven. Some have been made here on earth, baptism, confirmation, temple ordinances, and the sacrament. All of us made pledges before we were born.
What is Repentance?
Elder Burton explains repentance by going to the Old Testament. The OT was written in Hebrew and the word for repentance is shube. The meaning of the word is ‘to turn away’ or ‘to change.’
We are commanded to preach repentance. If you consider the meaning of shube, then we are commanded to preach the concept of living differently, to turn away from sin or to change the way we live.
When the Bishop exhorts us to repent, he is suggesting we change or turn away from harmful habits and turn unto the Lord.
What Repentance is Not
Perhaps an understanding of what repentance is not would help us gain clarity on this 1st principle of the gospel.
Repentance is not:
- Suffering
- Punishment
- Confession
- Remorse
- Sorrow
These feelings may accompany repentance, but they are not repentance.
Quoting Elder Burton: “As a General Authority, I have prepared information for the First Presidency to use in considering applications to readmit repentant transgressors into the Church and to restore priesthood and temple blessings. Many times a Bishop will write, I feel he has suffered enough!” Elder Burton continues,
“But suffering is not repentance.”
Why is Repentance so negative?
Why does repentance seem so negative?
According to Elder Theodore M. Burton the most basic principles of the gospel can be those least understood. A basic and fundamental principle of the gospel is repentance (Ensign, August 1988. The Meaning Of Repentance).
In and out of the church repentance carries a negative meaning. When an ecclesiastical leader stands before his congregation and exhorts the members to repent, as a general rule they do not feel comfortable, at peace, or spiritually motivated about his call to repentance.
Why?
Are You Free Now?
Having knowledge is not sufficient for happiness or salvation. In life you are given a puzzle to solve. You have forever to solve it. When you do, you become like God. However, you have a problem—you don’t have the ability to solve the puzzle alone.
Are you free?
Freedom is knowing the truth. The truth will set you free (John 8:32). Free from what? Free from mortality and free to live an exalted life.
What is truth? Truth is knowledge of things as they are, as they were, and as they are to come (D&C 93:24).