Why Imagery?

After teaching for the church for 36 years, I have learned that the Lord loves to use imagery. In Hosea 12:10 he states that he uses similitude's by the ministry of the prophets. I believe that when there is a event about a prophet recorded in scriptures, we can then look to see that the story may be talking about the life and mission of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 8:18 talks about how he and his family are for signs and wonders. Moses 6:63 states that all things bear witness of Him, and I hope to show some of these examples. This blog is designed to share some of my discoveries and those of many of my students who helped me learn so much in seeing Christ throughout all scripture. I was blessed to have these students from Northern Arizona, Texas and the Seattle area. I also thank all the CES teachers who have shared their thoughts and ideas. I will also include some posts giving helps to understand the book of Revelation and a few other books and chapters. Also included is an imagery sheet of notes taken at an in service meeting given by Gerald Lund back in the 80's that helped get me started with symbolism or imagery. I believe that the Lord uses both sides of your brain to teach about him. The logical side will just tell you the doctrine put straight forward and the creative side of your brain to see the imagery and symbolism, giving you two witnesses in your own body. These thoughts do not reflect any official position of any church but may be of help to some who want to learn more about their Savior.
I will try and not post more than one a week, so I don't overwhelm you.
Suggested reading order: 1. Scriptural Symbols 2. Imagery that got me started
Other blogs available. - Christ as the husband of Church part 1 of 2. It shows how family is central to God's plan,-Our marriage imagery part 2 of 2 -Jonah as a similitude of Christ - Jaredite Barge story - Nephi Building a boat - Joseph in Egypt or Temple experiences - Ammon in B of M Cutting Off Arms - The war chapters in the Book of Alma - Book of Revelation Helps-Understanding Adam and Eve-The Good Samaritan a plan of happiness story-The earth teaches the Plan of Happiness- Moses as a type of the Savior-The following posts are the chapters of Isaiah as found in the Book of Mormon.
The next series of posts will be the chapters of the book of Revelation,-A little paper on some Christmas imagery-


Friday, October 4, 2019

Isaiah in the Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 12 Isaiah 2


Isaiah 2 or 2 Nephi 12
By Jeffrey Bushman August 2017
The next three chapters 2-4 of Isaiah kind of work together, the first two will tell you the bad conditions that will exist in the last days and the third chapter will tell you of the glorious conditions of that time.
Chapter Heading
Isaiah sees the latter-day temple, gathering of Israel, and millennial judgment and peace—The proud and wicked will be brought low at the Second Coming—Compare Isaiah 2. About 559–545 B.C.
 1 The word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw(b Heb. khazah meaning invisioned, it means that Isaiah received his message through a vision from the Lord)concerning Judah and Jerusalem:  In 3 Nephi 23: 2,  Jesus teaches that Isaiah spake  concerning all things that pertain to the House of Israel, so this can relate to the other tribes of Israel. See Nephi’s use in 2 Ne.  11:2,8
Mountains=temples and being closer to God unspoiled by the world, the negative use of mountains can be wicked people lifted up in their pride.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountainb (Zion) of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. KJV2 And it shall come to pass in the alast days, that the bmountain of the Lord’s chouse shall be destablished in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all enations shall flow unto it.  Here the Lord’s house is referred to as a mountain, Utah is a Ute word that means the tops of the mountains.  The whole world will pay attention to what is going on there.    The mountain of the Lord’s house or the Lord’s house being made of mountain. All temples including Kirtland were the mountains of the Lord that when used can take us to a higher spiritual level up the mountain.  They are all a place that connects us here with heaven.  When the Temple in Jackson Co. is completed or the New Jerusalem a point will come when all the righteous will go to this holy mountain.  When the Salt Lake and Idaho temple were dedicated the brethren stated that this prophecy has been fulfilled.
 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up (a. Millennium, preparing  people for) to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his pathsd( walking with God) for out of Zion shall go forth the law(f.HEB. teaching or doctrine), and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. We need to realize that the law and the word can come from both places. Joseph Smith, in TofPJS p 362 taught that all of North and South America is Zion.  Pres. Hinkley on the Saturday session of October 2000 general conference stated that the conference Center was one fulfillment of this verse. Several latter day prophets have stated that the law that will go forth will be a  desire for many other nations to establish their countries governments after what the inspired founding fathers did here in America.    The law of the Lord and the law the Lord established in our constitution was to be a law for all the world to learn and do.  Also after the 2nd coming the Lord will rule the nations from Zion, it being the center of his political kingdom.  So you have many ways this verse has been used by God’s chosen prophets. The word of the Lord from Jerusalem may be later when the Lord visits Israel.  You need to see how Isaiah’s prophecies can relate to you, Nephi taught this in 2 Ne. 11:2,8  he did liken this to his people for they were of the house of Israel.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks—nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.  This verse has reference to the events and judgments poured out prior to, and during the millennial reign of the Lord
Feet and legs= the chosen path of righteousness or wickedness a person chooses.  Light of the Lord=gospel plan
Here Isaiah shifts back to his own people at the time and their apostasy.  Pride cycle!
 5 O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord; yea, come, for ye have all gone astray, every one to his wicked ways. KJV 5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us awalk (walking with God) in the blight of the Lord. The way this verse is recorded in the Book of Mormon shows that there was a complete apostasy from his church, and an invitation to return to him.
 6 Therefore, O Lord, thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob, because they be replenished ( supplied or filled with false teachings) from the east, and hearken unto soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.  They have rejected the word of the Lord, and refuse to get their direction from God’s temples, and listen (replenished) and follow influences that come from the east or worldly paganism.  The New American Standard translation also states, they hearken unto soothsayers like the Philistines, And they strike bargains or covenants with the children of foreigners.  Instead of Israel going out to help other people with the true doctrine the world is coming to them and corrupting them.  Same for verses 7-9.
Horses= war, Chariots=armies and weapons
 7 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots. The people’s desire has been to gain world wealth and worship it, also the horses and chariots seem to mean that they trust that their military is so great that it can save them and their wealth, that they have forgotten the Lord.
Idols=anything placed in your life before the Lord and his gospel
 8 Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.  Again, they love material things and put a higher priority on things instead of the Lord, they have committed apostasy or idolatry. In verse 5 they were to be the light of the world, but in verses 5-8 Israel has become darkened with idolatry and worldliness.
Now he talks about the Lord’s impending judgment and the people’s humility and fear.
 9 And the mean man boweth not down, and the great man humbleth himself not, therefore, forgive him not.  KJV 9 And the amean(ordinary) man bboweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.  Here the Lord cannot forgive because they have rejected him and chosen to follow after their own desires.
 10 O ye wicked ones, enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the fear of the Lord and the glory of his majesty shall smite thee.  KJV10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty.  The Book of Mormon, matches Paul in 2 Thess. 1:7-9, and John in Revelation 6:15-16.  The wicked who would to hide from the Lord when he comes. The underlined phrase is in verses 19, 21
 11 And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.  At the 2nd coming  all will realize that Christ is the savior and he alone can save them.
Verses 12-16 Tell us what will happen to those that are high and lifted up in their own eyes.  It shows us the different status symbols during Isaiah’s time.
 12 For the day of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one; yea, upon the proud and lofty, and upon every one who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low.  KJV 12 For the aday of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is bproud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought clow:  The Lords day of judgment will come on all the wicked at the 2nd coming.
Oaks and Cedars=wickedness among the people and their leaders cedars are symbols of strength, splendor, and glory, sweet smell, temple built out of this.  Oaks are a rare hardwood an important local source of hardwood
 13 Yea, and the day of the Lord shall come upon all the cedars of Lebanon, for they are high and lifted up; and upon all the oaks of Bashan; KJV13 And upon all the acedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,  Here the Lord is referring to those who have been lifted up in pride as being trees, and in the next verse mountains also refer to those who like to look down on others.
See mountains in above verse 2
 14 And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills, and upon all the nations which are lifted up, and upon every people; KJV14 And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up,  Notice what has been taken out of this verse in the bible.
 15 And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall; Nothing can protect the wicked from the Lord’s judgments at his coming.
 16 And upon all the ships of the sea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.  KJV16 a(The greeek Sepuagint version has one phrase that the Hebrew does not, and the Hebrew has one phrase that the Greek does not; but the BofM has both) And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.  Look at footnote A in the bible version, verse 16.   The word “ship” seems to relate to the people’s ability to do commerce, the pleasant pictures seems to refer to the pleasure crafts of the wealthy, again look at the footnotes.
 17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.  Repetition of earlier verses.  At the second coming all who were lifted up in pride will be brought down and only the Lord (at the 2nd coming) will be lifted up by his righteousness and his ability to judge.
 18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish.  Those items that man deems of more value than the Lord in their lives will he destroy.  Idols are anything they worship instead of the Lord.
 19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them and the glory of his majesty shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.  KJV19 And they shall go into the aholes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for bfear (fearfulness) of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. The wicked would like to hide themselves from the Lord when he comes.  They will go where there is less light, symbolic of what they did during their life time
 20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which he hath made for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; KJV20 In that day a man shall acast (HEB cast away) his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;  The moles and bats seem to show that the wicked have been blinded by the things they have chosen to worship and have forsaken the light of Israel, or the light of Christ and his gospel.
 21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them and the majesty of his glory shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.  KJV21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.  Referring again to how the wicked want to hide from the Lord when he comes.  The righteous will go to the top of the Lord’s mountain, and the wicked wicked have climbed the mountain of their pompus nature and find no place to hide.  Both positive and negative symbols of mountains is shown here.
 22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils (mortals); for wherein is he to be accounted of?  Don’t worship people and follow them, in comparison to the Lord they can do nothing and they cannot save you at his coming. Moses 1:10 Where Moses after meeting with the Lord said now I know that man is nothing.  Comparison to God

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