Thursday, December 16, 2010

Ether 13 and 14

Ether's words are rejected by all of the people and he is forced to flee out of the land and hide in a cave. Moroni says that the prophecies of Ether are great and marvelous and he was going to write more about them but was forbidden. Moroni, knowing that the Book of Mormon is the instrument of the Lord's work in the last days, must have been impressed by much of what Ether said and chooses to write about his prophecies of the establishment of the two Jerusalems in the last days. One will be the new Jerusalem on this continent and the other will be the re-establishment of the old Jerusalem. Both will be governed by the house of Israel and the Lord. The New Jerusalem will also be joined by the City of Enoch which was taken from the earth and will be returned and united with the earthly city at that time.

There are some who think with the Jews gathering to Israel now, this is the gathering of Israel. But what is happening there now is only preliminary. The actual gathering will be not only by the Jews, but the other tribes of Israel as well. And while there will be a certain amount of physical gathering by descendants of the tribes of Israel, the actual gathering is the coming to a true understanding and knowledge of the Savior.

From this point on, the land is enveloped in war and bloodshed. Ether finally comes back and goes to Coriantumr, who is king, and tells him that everyone will be destroyed if they do not change from their wickedness. Ether promises him that the Lord will spare them and bless them if they will return to righteousness. Then Ether prophecies a very interesting prophecy. He tells Coriantumr that if he and his people do not change, Coriantumr will live to see the complete destruction of his people, that he will be the lone survivor and see all of the prophecies concerning his people fulfilled, and he will live long enough to see the prophecies fulfilled concerning other Israelites inhabiting the land (Nephites) and he will actually be buried by them.

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