back at it..
next week 2 Nephi 26-30
19 days until March 31st, General Conference!
this week we delighted in the words of Isaiah....
I talked about the importance of being able to understand Isaiah, quoting Bruce R. McConkie...
Bruce R. McConkie Oct. 1973
To Laman and Lemuel, the words of Isaiah were as a sealed book. There older brothers of young Nephi could read the words and understand the language written by Israel’s great seer, but as for envisioning their true prophetic meaning, it was with them as though they read words written in an unknown tongue.
Laman and Lemuel are but prototypes of most of modern Christendom. They were almost totally unable to understand the difficult doctrines of this ancient prophet, and for their lack of spiritual discernment they found themselves on the downward path leading to everlasting destruction.
Nephi said: “… my soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah. …” (2 Ne. 25:5.) Personally, I feel about Isaiah and his utterances the same way Nephi felt and think that if I expect to go where Nephi and Isaiah have gone, I had better speak their language, think their thoughts, know what they knew, believe and teach what they believed and taught, and live as they lived.
It just may be that my salvation (and yours also!) does in fact depend upon our ability to understand the writings of Isaiah as fully and truly as Nephi understood them.
the links and info for understanding Isaiah are at the end....
the mountain...temples 2 Nephi 12:1–12.
ensign.....church, Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 15:26–29; 21:12
good being called evil and evil being called good....our world is full of it 2 Nephi 15:20
much of his writings were of Christ... 2 Nephi 22
Shawn Stone mentioned that President Eyring spoke in his mission of how if we won't to know Christ better we will study and know the words of Isaiah..(I hope I got that right)
Then ended on the famous scripture 2 Nephi 25:26
26 And we atalk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we bprophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our cchildren may know to what source they may look for a dremission of their sins.
It was incredibly intimidating to teach this lesson. I appreciate the comments and I came away with being able to delight more in the words of Isaiah!
Here's a link to his 10 keys to understanding Isaiah
Here's a link to this month's New Era's article on Isaiah....
Here's the manual's keys..
Key 1: “Liken all scriptures unto us” (1 Nephi 19:23; see also 2 Nephi 11:2, 8). Many of Isaiah’s prophecies deal with events in the latter days. As we watch these prophecies unfold and as we participate in their fulfillment, we can better understand Isaiah’s teachings and apply them in our lives. For example, 2 Nephi 15 contains Isaiah’s prophecy that the Lord will “lift up an ensign to the nations” to gather Israel (2 Nephi 15:26). This prophecy can help us better understand the importance of sharing the restored gospel—the ensign, or standard, to guide all nations to the Lord.
Key 2: “Know … concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews” (2 Nephi 25:1). Isaiah’s prophecies are written in a style that the Jews were accustomed to reading and hearing. We can better understand Isaiah’s writings if we remember that he used imagery and symbolism that would have been familiar to Jewish people in his time. For example, in 2 Nephi 12:1–3, Isaiah uses the word mountain to symbolize a high spiritual place, a place for revelation and closeness with God, such as the temple.
Key 3: “Know the judgments of God” (2 Nephi 25:3; see also verse 2 Nephi 25:6). Isaiah foresaw how the kingdoms of Israel and Judah would suffer because of their wickedness, but he also prophesied that their blessings would be restored when they repented and followed Jesus Christ. From Isaiah’s accounts of what happened to Israel and Judah, and from his prophecies of the future restoration of the house of Israel, we can better understand how God works in our lives and how He blesses nations according to their righteousness.
Key 4: “Know concerning the regions round about [Jerusalem]” (2 Nephi 25:6). Knowing the geography and place-names in Israel helps us better understand Isaiah’s prophecies concerning the kingdoms of Israel and Judah and the nations that threatened them. For example, in 2 Nephi 20:28–34, Isaiah named the cities the Assyrian army would pass through and how it would be stopped just as it reached Jerusalem. The events happened exactly as he prophesied.
Key 5: Be “filled with the spirit of prophecy” (2 Nephi 25:4).
- • What is the spirit of prophecy? (See Revelation 19:10.) How can we obtain it? How can the spirit of prophecy help us understand Isaiah’s teachings about the Savior?
