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 26:15 - 27:35 Isaiah 29


Isaiah 29 or 2 Nephi 26:15-2 Nephi 27:35
By Jeffrey Bushman Aug. 2017
Chapter 27
Darkness and apostasy will cover the earth in the last days—The Book of Mormon will come forth—Three witnesses will testify of the book—The learned man will say he cannot read the sealed book—The Lord will do a marvelous work and a wonder—Compare Isaiah 29. About 559–545 B.C.
Isaiah will present 5 major themes in the Bible version.
warning to Ariel (Zion) v 1-4
Judgments upon wicked  v 5-10
words of a sealed book v 11-14
A MARVELOUS WORK TO COME V 13-21
BLESSINGS TO ISRAEL V 22-24
Ariel refers to Jerusalem or altar of God, but more precisely means altar hearth
The total verses in Isaiah 29 consist of 24, but Nephi’s commentary and quotes of Isaiah make up 54 verses covering 2 Nephi 26:15 through 2 Nephi 27:35 and if we use the prophets Joseph Smith’s commentary it will be even longer.  Nephi states in 2 Nephi 11:8 And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men.  Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men.
Isaiah 29:1 aWoe to bAriel, to Ariel, the city cwhere David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.
2 Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and asorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.   These two verses are not in the Book of Mormon account, which starts with verse 3 below in verse 15.
2 Nephi 26:15-33
15 After my seed and the seed of my brethren shall have adwindled in unbelief, and shall have been smitten by the Gentiles; yea, after the Lord God shall have bcamped against them round about, and shall have laid siege against them with a mount, and raised forts against them; and after they shall have been brought down low in the dust, even that they are not, yet the words of the righteous shall be written, and the cprayers of the faithful shall be heard, and all those who have ddwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten.  JST Isaiah 29:3 That I the Lord will camp against her round about, and will lay siege against her with a mount, and I will raise forts against her. Isaiah V3

16 For those who shall be destroyed shall aspeak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit; for the Lord God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust   JST Isaiah 29:4 And she shall be brought  down, and shall speak out of the ground, and her speech shall be low out of the dust; and her voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and her speech shall whisper out of the dust. V4


Verses that are shaded in are Nephi’s additions to Isaiah’s writtings
17 For thus saith the Lord God: They shall awrite the things which shall be done among them, and they shall be written and bsealed up in a book, and those who have dwindled in cunbelief shall not have them, for they dseek to destroy the things of God.
18 Wherefore, as those who have been destroyed have been destroyed speedily; and the multitude of their aterrible ones shall be as bchaff that passeth away—yea, thus saith the Lord God: It shall be at an instant, suddenly—  JST Isaiah 29:5 Moreover the multitude of her strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away; yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. Terrible ones are the wicked V5

19 And it shall come to pass, that those who have dwindled in unbelief shall be asmitten by the hand of the Gentiles.
20 And the Gentiles are lifted up in the apride of their eyes, and have bstumbled, because of the greatness of their cstumbling block, that they have built up many dchurches; nevertheless, they eput down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own flearning, that they may get gain and ggrind upon the face of the poor.
21 And there are many churches built up which cause aenvyings, and bstrifes, and cmalice.
22 And there are also secret acombinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the bdevil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and cworks of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever.
23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in adarkness.
24 He doeth not aanything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he bloveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw call men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.
25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: aCome unto me all ye bends of the earth, cbuy milk and honey, without money and without price.
26 Behold, hath he commanded any that they should adepart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.
27 Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his asalvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath bgiven it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to crepentance.
28 Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but aall men are privileged the one blike unto the other, and none are forbidden.
29 He commandeth that there shall be no apriestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set bthemselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get cgain and dpraise of the world; but they seek not the ewelfare of Zion.
30 Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have acharity, which bcharity is clove. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.
31 But the alaborer in bZion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for cmoney they shall perish.
32 And again, the Lord God hath acommanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that they should not bsteal; that they should not take the name of the Lord their God in cvain; that they should not denvy; that they should not have emalice; that they should not contend one with another; that they should not commit fwhoredoms; and that they should do none of these things; for whoso doeth them shall perish.
33 For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he ainviteth them ball to ccome unto him and partake of his goodness; and he ddenieth none that come unto him, black and white, ebond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the fheathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.


2 Nephi 27
1 But, behold, in the alast days, or in the days of the Gentiles—yea, behold all the nations of the Gentiles and also the Jews, both those who shall come upon this land and those who shall be upon other lands, yea, even upon all the lands of the earth, behold, they will be bdrunken with iniquity and all manner of abominations—
2 And when that day shall come they shall be avisited of the Lord of Hosts, with thunder and with earthquake, and with a great noise, and with storm, and with tempest, and with the bflame of devouring fire Isaiah V6

3 And all the anations that bfight against Zion, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision; yea, it shall be unto them, even as unto a hungry man which dreameth, and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite; yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.  Here Nephi is referring to Ariel as Zion    JST Isaiah 29:7-8 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. 8 Yea, it shall be unto them even as unto a hungry man who dreameth, and behold, he eateth, but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or like unto a thirsty man who dreameth, and behold, he drinketh, but he awaketh, and behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite. Yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against mount Zion. Their expectations of power over Zion will be frustrated, it will be like a dream but they will awaken to reality. V7-8
4 For behold, all ye that doeth iniquity, stay yourselves and wonder, for ye shall cry out, and cry; yea, ye shall be adrunken but not with wine, ye shall stagger but not with strong drink. This starts Isa. 29:9 The wicked will see that their plans will come to naught for they will not have the power to carry out their plans.
5 For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep (Spiritual blindness). For behold, ye have closed your aeyes, and ye have brejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered because of your iniquity. Because they have rejected their prophets and seers and their rulers they will live in a time of spiritual darkness and apostasy. V10
6 And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall bring forth unto ayou the words of a bbook, and they shall be the words of them which have slumbered. Coming forth of the Book of Mormon and maybe the dead sea scrolls and other ancient records may still come forth, especially from other of the lost 10 tribes.
7 And behold the book shall be asealed; and in the book shall be a brevelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the cending thereof.
8 Wherefore, because of the things which are asealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of the people. Wherefore the book shall be kept from them.
9 But the book shall be delivered unto a man, and he shall deliver the words of the book, which are the words of those who have slumbered in the dust, and he shall deliver these words unto aanother;
10 But the words which are asealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book. For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they breveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.
11 And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be arevealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth.
12 Wherefore, at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that athree bwitnesses shall behold it, by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein.
13 And there is anone other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men; for the Lord God hath said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were bfrom the dead.
14 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good will he establish his word; and wo be unto him that arejecteth the word of God!
15 But behold, it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall say unto him to whom he shall deliver the book: Take these words which are not sealed and deliver them to another, that he may show them unto the learned, saying: aRead this, I pray thee. And the learned shall say: Bring hither the book, and I will read them. V11
16 And now, because of the glory of the world and to get again will they say this, and not for the glory of God.
17 And the man shall say: I cannot bring the book, for it is sealed. V 11 also
18 Then shall the learned say: I cannot read it.  V 11 also
19 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will adeliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say: I am not learned. V.12   four verses added here
20 Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am aable to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee.
21 aTouch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work.
22 Wherefore, when thou hast read the words which I have commanded thee, and obtained the awitnesses which I have promised unto thee, then shalt thou seal up the book again, and hide it up unto me, that I may preserve the words which thou hast not read, until I shall see fit in mine own bwisdom to creveal all things unto the children of men.
23 For behold, I am God; and I am a God of amiracles; and I will show unto the bworld that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I cwork not among the children of men save it be daccording to their faith.
24 And again it shall come to pass that the Lord shall say unto him that shall read the words that shall be delivered him: V. 12
25 aForasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do bhonor me, but have removed their chearts far from me, and their fear (or regard, reverence for me) towards me is taught by the dprecepts of men—  V. 13
26 Therefore, I will proceed to do a amarvelous work among this people, yea, a bmarvelous work and a wonder, for the cwisdom of their wise and dlearned shall perish, and the eunderstanding of their fprudent shall be hid. V. 14  Where LeGrande Richards got the name for his book. D&C 4,6,11,12,14 in each chapter verse 1 Starts: a Great and marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.
27 And awo unto them that seek deep to hide their bcounsel from the Lord! And their works are in the cdark; and they say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us? And they also say: Surely, your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the dpotter’s clay. But behold, I will show unto them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that I eknow all their works. For shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, he had no understanding? V.15-16  This verse the Lord warns the earth’s inhabitants against ignoring the omniscience of the creator. Also may have reference to those who stole the 116 pages of manuscript.
28 But behold, saith the Lord of Hosts: I will show unto the children of men that it is yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; and the afruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest. V. 17  Verses 17-19 (29-30) These verse promise the spiritual and physical blessings to those who seek and accept the gospel truths.  Footnote a says TG Earth, Renewal of.Lebabon is part of the land of Canaan given to the house of Israel.
29 aAnd in that day shall the bdeaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. V.18 Those who before could not see or hear what the Lord was doing.
30 And the ameek also shall increase, and their bjoy shall be in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. V. 19 b. D&C 101:36  Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full.
31 For assuredly as the Lord liveth they shall see that the aterrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off; V. 20  talking about the persecuters of those bringing about this marvelous work, or those who are wicked.  The terrible one may refer to Lucifer who will be brought to naught.  Scorners are those who deliberately lie about others.
32 And they that make a man an aoffender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the bgate (IE the place of public transactions), and cturn aside the just for a thing of naught. V. 21 Those wicked who listen to the righteous say and try to make their words say something different than what the person is saying. These who seek to persecute the righteous will be cut off from the Lord.
33 Therefore, thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall anot now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. V. 22 (33-35)  Isaiah’s prophecy concludes with a warm positive note from the Lord, promising an intimate relationship between the Lord and his people.  We can receive these blessings individually as we repent and turn to the Lord.  Jacob shall no longer be ashamed of his descendants nor will his face pale any longer as it did earlier when he observed their offenses.
34 But when he aseeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear (or stand in awe of ) the God of Israel.  V. 23  The purpose of the Book of Mormon is to bring Jacob’s children back to the Lord.   Jacob will see his posterity repenting and coming to the Lord and following him in righteousness and becoming like the Lord. What does Jacob think of you as his descendant?
35 They also that aerred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall blearn doctrine.  V. 24 Many of Jacob’s posterity who rejected the Holy Ghost will repent and learn of God and Christ and come to an understanding of the deeper doctrine through the spirit.

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