Ether 12-15

Does Moroni have good reason to be worried that the Gentiles would mock his written words? Where in America will the New Jerusalem be built? If two million Jaredites died in battle at hill Ramah – located in New York State – why hasn’t there been any artifacts like weapons, armor, or skeleton remains found? Once a man’s head is decapitated, can he still breathe?

This lesson will bring us to the conclusion of the book of Ether.  Moroni will now introduce the reader to the prophet Ether. 

Ether 12:1 “AND it came to pass that the days of Ether were in the days of Coriantumr; and Coriantumr was king over all the land.”  We will learn that this Coriantumr will be the last survivor of the Jaredites.  

Ether 12:2 “And Ether was a prophet of the Lord; wherefore Ether came forth in the days of Coriantumr, and began to prophesy unto the people, for he could not be restrained because of the Spirit of the Lord which was in him.” 

Ether 12:3 “For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled –”  ^The words “unto repentance” are in Matthew 3:11.

Ether 12:4 “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.”  The phrase “at the right hand of God” is in Romans 8:34 and “in good works” is in 1 Timothy 6:18.

Ether 12:5 “And it came to pass that Ether did prophesy great and marvelous things unto the people, which they did not believe, because they saw them not.” 

Ether 12:6 For the rest of this chapter, Moroni explains what Ether said in the above verses.  “And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.”  ^The words “unto the world” are in Matthew 18:7.

Ether 12:7 Speaking of the appearance of Christ to the Nephites, “For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him; wherefore, it must needs be that some had faith in him, for he showed himself not unto the world.”  The words “risen from the dead” are in Matthew 28:7 and “it must needs be that” are in Matthew 18:7. 

Ether 12:8 Speaking of Christ’s mortal mission and atonement, “But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those things which they have not seen.”  The phrase “might be partakers of” is in 2 Peter 1:4 and “the heavenly gift” is in Hebrews 6:4.

Ether 12:9 “Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith.” 

Ether 12:10 Moroni, gives examples of faith in action.  “Behold it was by faith that they of old were called after the holy order of God.”

Ether 12:11 “Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given.  But in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled.”  The phrase “a more excellent way” is in 1 Corinthians 12:31. 

Ether 12:12 “For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.”

Ether 12:13 “Behold, it was the faith of Alma and Amulek that caused the prison to tumble to the earth.”

Ether 12:14 “Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost.”  The phrase “they were baptized” is in Acts 8:12 and “with the Holy Ghost” is in Matthew 3:11.

Ether 12:15 “Behold it was the faith of Ammon and his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites.” 

Ether 12:16 “Yea, and even all they who wrought miracles wrought them by faith, even those who were before Christ and also those who were after.”

Ether 12:17 Speaking of the Three Nephites, “And it was by faith that the three disciples obtained a promise that they should not taste death; and they obtained not the promise until after their faith.”  The words “not taste of death” are in Matthew 16:28.

Ether 12:18 “And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.”

Ether 12:19 “And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad.”  

Ether 12:20 Speaking of the Book of Ether, “And behold, we have seen in this record that one of these was the brother of Jared; for so great was his faith in God, that when God put forth his finger he could not hide it from the sight of the brother of Jared, because of his word which he had spoken unto him, which word he had obtained by faith.”  ^The words “faith in God” are in Mark 11:22.

Ether 12:21 We learned from the previous lesson that God could not withhold anything from Jared’s brother. 

Ether 12:22 “And it is by faith that my fathers have obtained the promise that these things should come unto their brethren through the Gentiles; therefore the Lord hath commanded me, yea, even Jesus Christ.”  Moroni was speaking about the Book of Mormon coming to the Lamanites through Joseph Smith and the members of the LDS Church.

Ether 12:23 Next, Moroni describes the concern he expressed to the Savior about what he considered to be a serious weakness in writing on the gold plates.  “And I said unto him: Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing; for thou hast made all this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them;”

Ether 12:24 “And thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands.  Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them.” 

Ether 12:25 “Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words.”  ^The words “I fear lest” are in 2 Corinthians 11:3.

Ether 12:26 And Jesus gives His response to Moroni.  “And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness;”  The phrase “my grace is sufficient” is in 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Ether 12:27 “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness.  I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me, for if they humble themselves before me and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”  The words “weak things” are in 1 Corinthians 1:27.

Ether 12:28 “Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will shown unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me – the fountain of all righteousness.” 

Ether 12:29 Having heard this from the Lord, Moroni was comforted.

Ether 12:30 Then Moroni gives another example of faith.  “For the brother of Jared said unto the mountain Zerin, Remove – and it was removed.  And if he had not had faith it would not have moved; wherefore thou workest after men have faith.”  There is no instance in the Bible – Old or New Testaments – where someone literally moved a mountain.  When Jesus spoke about having the faith to move mountains, He was using it as an illustration.  But, here in the book of Ether, Moroni says that Jared’s brother moved a specifically named mountain.  But, for what purpose?  To demonstrate or show off his faith?  That is not the point Jesus was making during His mortal ministry. 

Ether 12:33 Next, Moroni talks about charity and what it means.  “And again, I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy life for the world, that thou mightiest take it again to prepare a place for the children of men.”  The phrase “loved the world” is in John 3:16.

Ether 12:34 “And now I know that this love which thou has had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father.” 

Ether 12:35-37 Moroni continues teaching about charity.

Ether 12:35 The phrase “have not charity” is in 1 Corinthians 13:3 and “have more abundantly” is in 2 Corinthians 2:4.

Ether 12:36-38 From the Gospel Doctrine Manual on the Book of Mormon page 205 it reads, “As Hyrum Smith prepared to go to Carthage Jail, where he and the Prophet Joseph Smith were murdered, he read Ether 12:36-38 and folded down the page (see D&C 135:4-5).”

Ether 12:38 This is the first of Moroni’s final testimonies.  “And now I, Moroni, bid farewell unto the Gentiles, yea, and also unto my brethren whom I love, until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ, where all men shall know that my garments are not spotted with your blood.”  Moroni had tried his best to bring them to Christ.  The words “whom I love” are in 3 John 1:1.

Ether 12:39 “And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things;”  Like his father, Mormon (see Mormon 1:15), Moroni saw Jesus.  And Jesus spoke to him in his own language.  Would that be Hebrew or reformed Egyptian?

Ether 12:40 “And only a few have I written because of my weakness in writing.” 

Ether 12:41 “And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen.”  The phrase “prophets and apostles” is in Luke 11:49 and “the grace of God” is in Hebrews 12:15 and “abide in you” is in John 15:7.

Ether 13:1 “AND now I, Moroni, proceed to finish my record concerning the destruction of the people of whom I have been writing.”  Meaning the Jaredites.

Ether 13:2 “For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof;” 

Ether 13:3 Referring to America, “And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord.”  This was mentioned in 3 Nephi 20:22; 3 Nephi 21:23-24, and in Revelation 3:12 and 21:2. ^The words “New Jerusalem” are in Revelation 21:2 and “come down out of heaven” are in Revelation 3:12. 

Ether 13:4 “Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land.”  Joseph Smith stated in the 10th Article of Faith “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.”  All of this was to take place during the Millennium according to LDS General Authorities.

Ether 13:5 Moroni explains why Old Jerusalem cannot be the New Jerusalem.  Referring to Ether, “And he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come – after it should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord; wherefore, it could not be a new Jerusalem for it had been in a time of old; but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the house of Israel.” 

Ether 13:6 This verse is referring to the city of New Jerusalem being built in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri (see D&C 42:9 and D&C 57:1-3). “And that a New Jerusalem should be built upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type.”  “a type” meaning symbolic of Christ.

Ether 13:7-8 Joseph of Egypt’s descendants – will build a holy city like the Jerusalem in the Old World. 

Ether 13:8 The phrase “earth shall pass away” is in Matthew 24:35.

Ether 13:9 “And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new.”  The phrase “a new heaven and a new earth” is taken from Revelation 21:1.

Ether 13:10 Moroni describes those who are worthy to live in the New Jerusalem. “And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel.”  The words “then cometh the” are in 1 Corinthians 15:24 and “through the blood of” are in Colossians 1:20.

Ether 13:11 Moroni explains that those who lived in Old Jerusalem during the Millennium – especially the Jews who accepted Mormonism – will be made worthy to live there.  “And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father, Abraham.”  The words “the fulfilling of the” are in Romans 13:10 and “covenant which God made with” are in Acts 3:25.

Ether 13:12 “And when these things come, bringeth to pass the scripture which saith, there are they who were first, who shall be last; and there are they who were last, who shall be first.”  The “scripture” that this verse is referring to is in Luke 13:30 which was not written by Luke for many centuries yet to come.  So, how did Moroni or Ether know to quote it?

Ether 13:13 Next, Moroni says he is forbidden to write more about Ether’s teachings, so he continues with the final destruction of the Jaredites.  “And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; but great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as naught, and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people.”  So, Ether was forced to hide-out in a cave at this point. 

Ether 13:14 “And as he dwelt in the cavity of a rock he made the remainder of this record, viewing the destructions which came upon the people, by night.” 

Ether 13:15-16 A great war broke out, with mighty men trying to kill Coriantumr.  But Coriantumr fought back. 

Ether 13:15 The phrase “he was cast out” is in Acts 7:21.

Ether 13:16 The phrase “sought to destroy him” is in Luke 19:47.

Ether 13:17 Speaking of Coriantumr, “But he repented not, neither his fair sons nor daughters; neither the fair sons and daughters of Cohor; neither the fair sons and daughters of Corihor; and in fine, there were none of the fair sons and daughters upon the face of the whole earth who repented of their sins.” 

Ether 13:18 “Wherefore, it came to pass that in the first year that Ether dwelt in the cavity of a rock, there were many people who were slain by the sword of those secret combinations, fighting against Coriantumr that they might obtain the kingdom.”  The phrase “that they might obtain” is in Hebrews 11:35.  

Ether 13:19 “And it came to pass that the sons of Coriantumr fought much and bled much.”

Ether 13:20 Next, the Lord had Ether give Coriantumr and his people one more chance to repent.  And we will see how they respond to it.  “And in the second year the word of the Lord came to Ether, that he should go and prophecy unto Coriantumr that, if he would repent, and all his household, the Lord would give unto him his kingdom and spare the people –”

Ether 13:21 “Otherwise they should be destroyed, and all his household save it were himself.  And he should only live to see the fulfilling of the prophecies which had been spoken concerning another people receiving the land for their inheritance; and Coriantumr should receive a burial by them; and every soul should be destroyed save it were Coriantumr.”

Ether 13:22 But Coriantumr ignored Ether, and they tried to kill him.  So, Ether went back to his hole in a rock.  ^The words “and they sought to” are in Mark 12:12.

Ether 13:23-26 A man named Shared defeated Coriantumr and brought him into captivity.  But Coriantumr’s sons beat Shared and freed their father.  There were wars going on all over the land and there were robbers and wickedness everywhere.

Ether 13:27-30 Coriantumr’s army fought against Shared’s army in the valley of Gilgal, in which Coriantumr killed Shared.

Ether 13:28 ^The phrase “for the space of three” is in Acts 19:8.

Ether 13:31 “And Shared wounded Coriantumr in his thigh, that he did not go to battle again for the space of two years, in which time all the people upon the face of the land were shedding blood, and there was none to restrain them.”  In the 1830 edition page 568 it read “there was none to constrain them” which was changed in the 1964 edition to read “there was none to restrain them.”

Ether 14 The phrase “and it came to pass” is repeated 16 times in this chapter.

Ether 14:1 There was a great curse upon the, land and everyone had to hold everything they owned in their hands so that no one would steal it.

Ether 14:2 “Wherefore every man did cleave unto that which was his own, with his hands, and would not borrow neither would he lend; and every man kept the hilt of his sword in his right hand, in the defense of his property and his life and of his wives and children.”  Sounds like the Jaredites were polygamists. 

Ether 14:3-4 Two years after Coriantumr killed Shared, the brother of Shared attacked Coriantumr and many thousands fell by the sword.

Ether 14:3 ^The words “behold, there arose” are in Matthew 8:24.

Ether 14:5-6 The brother of Shared attacked Coriantumr’s army while they were drunk.  Then he placed himself upon the throne of Coriantumr.

Ether 14:7-8 For the next two years the armies of both Coriantumr and the brother of Shared – whose name is Gilead – grew in strength. 

Ether 14:9 Then, Gilead’s high priest murdered Gilead while he was upon the throne.

Ether 14:10 “And it came to pass that one of the secret combinations murdered him in a secret pass, and obtained unto himself the kingdom; and his name was Lib; and Lib was a man of great stature, more than any other man among all the people.”  So, this huge man, Lib killed the high priest who killed Gilead. 

Ether 14:11-15 The armies of Lib and Coriantumr fought from one place or another. 

Ether 14:16 Speaking of Coriantumr, “And when he had come to the plains of Agosh he gave battle unto Lib, and he smote upon him until he died; nevertheless, the brother of Lib did come against Coriantumr in the stead thereof, and the battle became exceedingly sore, in the which Coriantumr fled again before the army of the brother of Lib.” 

Ether 14:17 “Now the name of the brother of Lib was called Shiz.  And it came to pass that Shiz pursued after Coriantumr, and he did overthrow many cities, and he did slay both women and children, and he did burn the cities.”

Ether 14:18 “And there went a fear of Shiz throughout all the land; yea, a cry went forth through the land – Who can stand before the army of Shiz?  Behold, he sweepeth the earth before him!”  ^The words “went forth throughout” are in Luke 7:17.

Ether 14:19-20 All the people divided and joined one or the other of the rival armies. 

Ether 14:21 “And so great and lasting had been the war, and so long had been the scene of bloodshed and carnage, that the whole face of the land was covered with the bodies of the dead.”

Ether 14:22 “And so swift and speedy was the war that there was none left to bury the dead, but they did march forth from the shedding of blood to the shedding of blood, leaving the bodies of both men, women, and children strewed upon the face of the land, to become pray to the worms of the flesh.”

Ether 14:23 “And the scent there-of went forth upon the face of the land, even upon all the face of the land; wherefore the people became troubled by day and by night, because of the scent thereof.”  

Ether 14:24 “Nevertheless, Shiz did not cease to pursue Coriantumr; for he had sworn to avenge himself upon Coriantumr of the blood of his brother, who had been slain, and the word of the Lord which came to Ether that Coriantumr should not fall by the sword.”  In other words, Shiz swore to defy Ether’s prophecy that Coriantumr would not be killed.  Shiz was going to prove Ether wrong.  The words “everlasting destruction” are in 2 Thessalonians 1:9.

Ether 14:25 Next, Moroni explains how the Lord dealt with them.  “And thus we see that the Lord did visit them in the fulness of his wrath, and their wickedness and abominations had prepared a way for their everlasting destruction.” 

Ether 14:26-29 Shiz and Coriantumr continued to fight in one place after another in the land.    

Ether 14:28 The words “sound a trumpet” are from Matthew 6:2.

Ether 14:30 “And it came to pass that Shiz smote upon Coriantumr that he gave him many deep wounds; and Coriantumr, having lost his blood, fainted, and was carried away as though he were dead.”  ^The words “he were dead” are in John 11:25.

Ether 14:31 The battles stopped, but only temporarily.  “Now the loss of men, women, and children on both sides was so great that Shiz commanded his people that they should not pursue the armies of Coriantumr; wherefore, they returned to their camp.”

Ether 15 In this final chapter the phrase “and is came to pass” is repeated 23 times.  That might be a record for one chapter in the Book of Mormon.

Ether 15:1 “AND it came to pass when Coriantumr had recovered of his wounds, he began to remember the words which Ether had spoken unto him.” Back in Ether 13:20-21 Coriantumr was told that unless they repent everyone but himself would be killed.

Ether 15:2 “He saw that there had been slain by the sword already nearly two millions of his people, and he began to sorrow in his heart; yea, there had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children.”  So, 2 million men plus all the women and children.  That could have exceeded 5 million in totality.  When compared to the total combined number of casualties from the American Revolutionary War, Civil War, and Vietnam War – there were far more killed in the Jaredite wars.   Does that sound likely? 

Ether 15:3 “He began to repent of the evil which he had done; he began to remember the words which had been spoken by the mouth of all the prophets, and he saw them that they were fulfilled thus far, every whit; and his soul mourned and refused to be comforted.” 

Ether 15:4 Next, Coriantumr tries to make peace with Shiz by oddly exchanging letters.  “And it came to pass that he wrote an epistle unto Shiz, desiring him that he would spare the people, and he would give up the kingdom for the sake of the lives of the people.”

Ether 15:5 “And it came to pass that when Shiz had received his epistle he wrote an epistle unto Coriantumr, that if he would give himself up, that he might slay him with his own sword, that he would spare the lives of the people.”  Remember, Shiz had made an oath to get revenge upon Coriantumr for killing his brother, Lib. 

Ether 15:6-8 Apparently Coriantumr refused Shiz’s kind offer, because the next thing you know, the two armies are fighting again by the waters of Ripliancum. 

Ether 15:8 ^The phrase “which by interpretation is” is from Acts 9:36.

Ether 15:9-10 Coriantumr was wounded again in battle in which he defeated Shiz and his army.  And Shiz fled to a place called Ogath. 

Ether 15:11 “And it came to pass that the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that same hill where my father Mormon did hide up the records unto the Lord, which were sacred.”  “Ramah” was the Jaredite name for Hill Cumorah in the Nephite record.  The hill is in current day – Manchester, New York, coincidently, only a few miles from Joseph Smith’s boyhood family farm.  That made it super convenient for Moroni to hide the abridged gold plates following the last destructive battle and then reveal them centuries later to Joseph Smith.  There are hundreds of statements from LDS General Authorities from the days of Joseph Smith to the present who have supported the view that the Hill Cumorah is in the State of New York.  President Gordon B. Hinckley published a book called “Truth Restored” in 1979.  On page 19 it reads “Moroni, prior to his death, buried the record in the Hill Cumorah, where Joseph Smith received it some fourteen centuries later.”  On page 12 of the same book it shows a photograph of the “Monument to the angel Moroni on the crest of the Hill Cumorah.”  A visitor’s center was constructed here, and the Cumorah Pageant was performed for decades as a reenactment of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith story.

The final battles of both the Jaredite and Nephite civilizations took place on the same hill.  Moroni, the only known survivor of the battle at Cumorah, was the narrator of the account in the book of Ether involving the final Jaredite battle at Ramah.  He must have been impressed by the parallels between the two wars of annihilation.  The remarkable coincidence that the two great wars in the Book of Mormon took place at the exact same place could lead to the conclusion that both stories came from the same person, whose imagination conjured them up.    

Ether 15:12-14 For four years, all the Jaredites in the Western Hemisphere gathered, together one last time to battle it out.  This was a society bent on total, destruction.  Every man, woman, and child chose either to fight for Coriantumr or to fight for Shiz.  Except of Ether, who decided it was safer to hide out in his cave.   

Ether 15:15 “And it came to pass when they were all gathered together, every one to the army which he would, with their wives and their children – both men, women and children being armed with weapons of war, having shield, and breastplates, and head-plates, and being clothed after the manner of war – they did march forth one against another to battle; and the fought all that day, and conquered not.”  Everyone was compelled to fight for his or her very life.

Ether 15:16 At night in their camps the people mourned over their dead.

Ether 15:17 The next day they fought and again they mourned for their dead at night.

Ether 15:18 Coriantumr sent another epistle to Shiz, asking him to stop fighting to spare the people, and Shiz could take the kingdom.  The words “an epistle” are in 1 Corinthians 5:9.

Ether 15:19 “But behold the Spirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them, and Satan had full power over the hearts of the people; for they were given up unto the hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of their minds that they might be destroyed; wherefore they went again to battle.”  The phrase “the hardness of their hearts” is from Mark 3:5 and “the blindness of” is in Ephesians 4:18.

Ether 15:20 “And it came to pass that they fought all day, and when the night came they slept upon their swords.”

Ether 15:21-22 The same thing happened the next day and night.

Ether 15:23 After the third day of fighting, there was only 121 people of the Jaredite nation left – 52 of Coriantumr’s men and 69 of Shiz’s men.

Ether 15:24-25 After the fourth day of fighting, there were 27 of Coriantumr’s men and 32 of Shiz’s men left alive.  Down to 59 total people, not counting Ether.

Ether 15:26-27 On the fifth day, they fought for three hours and everyone fainted with the loss of blood.

Ether 15:28 “And it came to pass that when the men of Coriantumr had received sufficient strength that they could walk, they were about to flee for their lives; but behold, Shiz arose, and also his men, and he swore in his wrath that he would slay Coriantumr or he would perish by the sword.”

Ether 15:29 “Wherefore, he did pursue them, and on the morrow he did overtake them; and they fought again with the sword.  And it came to pass that when they had all fallen by the sword, save it were Coriantumr and Shiz, behold Shiz had fainted with the loss of blood.”

Ether 15:30 “And it came to pass that when Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off the head of Shiz.”  Thus, the Book of Mormon narrative begins with Nephi decapitating Laban and the end of the Book of Mormon with Coriantumr decapitating Shiz.  It seems implausible that there could be such a battle to the death of millions of people as to leave only the two military leaders as the last to fight each other. 

Ether 15:31 “And it came to pass that after he had smitten off the head of Shiz, that Shiz raised up on his hands and fell; and after that he had struggled for breath, he died.”  Shiz’s reflex and death seems to be a figment of dramatic imagination by the writer of the Book of Mormon.  Did his head from the mouth struggle for breath or his body from the neck?  Either situation is impossible.  Once a person is decapitated, they are dead. 

Ether 15:32 “And it came to pass that Coriantumr fell to the earth, and became as if he had no life.”  But he is not dead.  He will survive to fulfill the prophecy of Ether (see Ether 13:21) that Coriantumr will live to be buried by another people, who will have received the land of America for their inheritance.  He will be eventually be found by the people of the of Zarahemla, about 200 BC.  And he will live among the Nephites for “the space of nine moons.” (see Omni 1:21).  9 moons is Native American “Indian” talk from Joseph Smith’s days.  

Ether 15:33 “And the Lord spake unto Ether, and said unto him: Go forth.  And he went forth, and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled; and he finished his record; (and the hundredth part I have not written) and he hid them in a manner that the people of Limhi did find them” (see Mosiah 8:7-11, about 121 BC.)Ether hid the records in a place where Limhi would find them.

Ether 15:34 “Now the last words which are written by Ether are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God.  Amen.”  The phrase “the will of the Lord” is in Acts 21:14 and “the kingdom of God” is in Matthew 6:33.

This concludes our study for today.  Please subscribe, so you will not miss any of the future episodes.  You can also catch us on YouTube, Apple podcast, and Google podcast.  Or you can go to our website at Talking to Mormons.com – where you can download this script and learn much more.

And remember – Jesus is Enough

God Bless!

Leave a Replay

Recent Posts

Podcasts

Come Follow Me

Listen on Google Play Music

Talking to Mormons

Come Follow Me - 2020