To help class members understand the warnings and counsel given by Mormon and Moroni to people living in the latter days.
Reading:
Ether 7–15
Additional reading:
The Guide to the Scriptures - Faith
Overview:
a. Ether 7–11 records the succession of righteous and wicked kings, the rise of secret combinations among the people, and the teachings of prophets who were called to preach repentance to the Jaredites.
Ether 12 begins the account of the teachings of Ether, who was one of those prophets.
Ether 12:1–22. Moroni explains the importance of faith and gives examples of the power of faith.
b. Ether 12:23–41. The Lord teaches Moroni that He gives us weakness that we may be humble. Moroni commends us to “seek this Jesus, of whom the prophets and apostles have written.”
c. Ether 13:1–12. Moroni records Ether’s prophecies concerning the promised land.
d. Ether 13:13–15:34. Moroni records Ether’s account of the destruction of the Jaredite civilization.
Questions to Ponder:
a. As we discussed in last weeks lesson, after arriving in the promised land, the Jaredites began to “multiply … and wax strong in the land” (Ether 6:18). When Jared and his brother died, a king was appointed to lead the people (Ether 6:21–30). Ether 7–11 records the succession of righteous and wicked kings, the rise of secret combinations among the people, and the teachings of prophets who were called to preach repentance to the Jaredites. Ether 12 begins the account of the teachings of Ether, who was one of those prophets.
Review the prophesies of Ether found in Ether 12:1–22.
- Ether exhorted the people to believe in God, saying that “by faith all things are fulfilled” (Ether 12:3.)
- How did Ether describe those who believe in God? (See Ether 12:4.)
- How can faith and hope be an anchor for us?
- What are some examples of how faith leads to good works that glorify God?
- Ether prophesied “great and marvelous things” to the people, but they did not believe him. (See Ether 12:5.)
- Why?
- How have you or other people have been blessed for following prophetic counsel even when they could not “see” or understand the reasons for the counsel.
- Moroni recorded that the people would not believe the prophecies of Ether because they could not see them. Moroni then defined faith and gave examples of it.
- How did he define faith? (See Ether 12:6; see also Hebrews 11:1; Alma 32:21.)
- What do you think it means that we “receive no witness until after the trial of [our] faith”? (Ether 12:6; see also Ether 12:29–31; D&C 58:2–4.)
- In what ways have trials strengthened and confirmed your faith?
- Moroni listed several events that occurred as a result of faith.
- What events did he list? (See Ether 12:7–22).
- What other examples from the scriptures have shown you the power of faith?
- The Prophet Joseph Smith taught,
- “We receive by faith all temporal blessings that we do receive, [and] we in like manner receive by faith all spiritual blessings that we do receive” (Lectures on Faith [1985], 3).
- What are some blessings you have received because of your faith?
- What was Moroni’s concern about how the Gentiles would receive his record? (See Ether 12:23–25.)
- What was the Lord’s response? (See Ether 12:26.)
- Why is it important to read Moroni’s words—and all scriptures—with meekness?
- Read Ether 12:27, what does the Lord’s promise to those who humble themselves and have faith in Him?
- How have you seen this promise being fulfilled in the scriptures, your life, or the life of others?
- Moroni wrote of the importance of faith, hope, and charity (Ether 12:28–34).
- How do these qualities bring us unto Christ?
- Moroni exhorted us to “seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written” (Ether 12:41).
- In what ways can we “seek Jesus” today?
- What does the Lord promise those who do this? (See Ether 12:41.)
- Why do we need the grace of God and His Son?
- What did Ether prophesy about the New Jerusalem and the Old Jerusalem?
b. Before the Second Coming, “a new Jerusalem should be built up upon this land [the Americas]” (Ether 13:6). The New Jerusalem will be a holy city built by a remnant of the house of Joseph (Ether 13:8).
c. The City of Enoch will come down out of heaven and become part of the New Jerusalem (Ether 13:3, 10; see also Revelation 21:2, 10). This will occur after the Second Coming.
- How did Moroni describe those who would be worthy to live in these holy cities?(See Ether 13:10–11.)
- What does it mean to be “washed in the blood of the Lamb”? (To be cleansed from sin through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.)
- The people cast Ether out, and he made the remainder of his record while hiding in the cavity of a rock (Ether 13:13–14). The people soon became engulfed in wars and secret combinations.
- During the second year that Ether dwelled in the cavity of a rock, the word of the Lord came to him.
- What did the Lord instruct him to do? (See Ether 13:20–21.)
- How did Coriantumr respond to Ether’s prophecies? (See Ether 13:22.)
- Ether 13:23–15:28 describes continual bloodshed as different groups sought to obtain power. Millions of Jaredites were killed in the battles. Although Coriantumr lost many battles and was wounded several times, he did not die. Near the end of the record, Coriantumr and Shiz gathered all the people together for a final battle. After several days of fighting, only Coriantumr and Shiz remained alive.
- How did the battle finally end? (See Ether 15:29–32.)
- How was this a fulfillment of Ether’s prophecy? (See Ether 13:20–21.)
- What can we learn from the Jaredite record about the importance of repenting before we become deeply involved in sin? (See Ether 15:1–5, 18–19; see also Helaman 13:32–33, 38.)
- How does sinning limit our agency?
- What are some similarities between the history of the Nephites and the history of the Jaredites?
- What can we learn from the accounts of these civilizations?
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