While residing in Kirtland Elder Reynolds Cahoon and

While residing in Kirtland, Elder Reynolds Cahoon and his wife had a son born to them. One day when President Joseph Smith was passing by his door he called the Prophet in and asked him to bless and name their baby. Joseph did so and gave the boy the name of Mahonri Moriancumer. When he had finished the blessing he laid the child on the bed, and turning to Elder Reynolds Cahoon said, “the name I have given your son is the name of the brother of Jared; the Lord has just shown (or revealed) it to me. Elder Williams F. Cahoon, who was standing near heard the Prophet make this statement to his father and it was the first time the name of the brother of Jared was known in this Church, in this dispensation (“The Jaredites, ” Juvenile Instructor, 1 May 1892, 282).

Ether 1 -10 Jared, whose name in Hebrew means “to go down” was one of those sent forth when the tower fell. Like Adam and many before and many after, Jared embarked on a new beginning, . He was not alone in his journey. Although the Prophet Joseph Smith apparently revealed this great prophet’s name to be Mahonri Moriancumer, the text of Ether does not record his name.

Commentators have suggested many possible reasons for this phenomenon, but it just may be that the book of Ether employs the phrase “the brother of Jared” as a type for Jesus Christ. The exclusion of the name draws attention to the fact that Jared was not left alone, but had a very special brother who intervened in his and his family's behalf. All of us have such a brother in Jesus Christ, whose mission is to give us immortality and help us all gain eternal life. It should not be surprising that the brother of Jared could be a type of Jesus Christ, as all of God’s prophets typify Jesus Christ.

Somewhere around 2200 -2100 B. C. and existed for at least some time after the Lehi colony arrived (600 B. C. ) and later. Thus they probably lived there about 1500 years. They carried with them the Adamic language (Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, 69). Ether 1: 5 The Tower of Babel Gen 11: 1 -9 records three reasons the tower of Babel was built: 1) to reach Heaven 2) to make a name for themselves 3) so they would not be scattered

The tower of Babel, described in Genesis 11, is considered by many scholars to be a Babylonian temple (Jacobson 334). This false temple was an attempt by an ambitious and wicked people to imitate true temple worship (Nibley, Lehi in the Desert/The World of the Jaredites, 154). Traditionally sought to be inspired by Nimrod, whose “name is for the Jews the very symbol of rebellion against God and of usurped authority. ”

Ether 1: 43 “This Long Time Ye Have Cried unto Me” President Kimball similarly taught that we must put great effort into our prayers and that we must pray frequently: “Do you get answers to your prayers? If not, perhaps you did not pay the price. Do you offer a few trite words and worn-out phrases, or do you talk intimately to the Lord? Do you pray occasionally when you should be praying regularly, often, constantly? Do you offer pennies to pay heavy debts when you should give dollars to erase that obligation?

“When you pray, do you just speak, or do you also listen? Your Savior said, ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me, ’ (Rev. 3: 20) Should we ever fail to get an answer to our prayers, we must look into our lives for a reason” (“Prayer, ” New Era, Mar. 1978, 17).

Ether 2: 13 -15 evil! Three hour talk, chastening, great “It seems highly unlikely that a man of the spiritual stature of the brother of Jared, one who had received marvelous manifestations and had previously exercised great faith in the Lord-would suddenly cease praying to his Maker. ” “It may be that what this verse is saying to us is that Mahonri Moriancumer was chastened by the Lord because he had not fully followed and implemented the counsels of the Lord previously received. It may be that in the relative comfort of the seashore he had allowed his prayers to become less fervent, more casual and routine. He may have been calling upon the Lord in word, but not in faith and deed” (J. Mc. Conkie, Millet, Top). Ether 2: 16 The Barges There are only a few examples of the Lord’s giving His children intricate instructions for building something, and these are

Ether 2: 16 -25 Barges” “Description of the As soon as the Jaredites were spiritually ready, the Lord commanded them to build barges as they had done before. They immediately “built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord. ” Noah’s ark and Nephi’s ship are illustrations of God’s giving detailed direction for the building of vessels. According to Joseph Smith, “the construction of the first vessel was given to Noah, by revelation. The design of the ark was given by God, ” a pattern of heavenly things” (Teachings, 251).

Physical Description of the Barges: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. They were small Light upon the water They were tight The ends were peaked The length of a tree A door that was tight-like unto a dish

What might the Jaredite barges have been like? In the original Book of Mormon this verse read slightly differently. Hugh Nibley explains: “And the Lord said… thou shalt make a hole in the top thereof, and also in the bottom thereof; and when thou shalt suffer for air, thou shalt unstop the hole thereof, and receive air. And if it so be that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole thereof, that ye may not perish in the flood’ (Book of Mormon, 1 st ed. , 542).

An exacting editor by removing those very significant there-of’s has made it appear that when Jared wanted air he was to open the top window of the boat and admit fresh air from the outside. But that is not what the original edition of the Book of Mormon says. For one thing, the ships had no windows communicating with the outside --- ‘ye cannot have windows’ (Ether 2: 23); each ship had an airtight door (Ether 2: 17), and that was all. Air was received not by opening and closing doors and windows, but by unplugging air holes…

“This can refer only to a reserve supply of air… So the Lord recommended a device for trapping (compressing) air, with a ‘hole in the top thereof and also in the bottom thereof, ’ not referring to the ship but to the air chamber itself” (Hugh B. Nibley, Collected Works, 6: 344). Another author, speaking of a proposed model he built, suggested, “A tube is built from the bottom to the top of the barge… Now we have a funnel right through the boat. Water can come into the tube as high as the water line of the vessel. “The model of the barge we have built has a stop hole both in the front and in the back of the tube… These stop holes can easily be opened or closed as needed… “The purpose of the bottom hole is a least two-fold: First, it acted as a stabilizer to keep the barge at an even keel; second, it could be used to get rid of refuse” (A. L. Zobell, Improvement Era, Apr. 1941, 211, 252, cited in Daniel H. Ludlow Companion,

Ether 2: 19 asked! Three Questions Lessons learned! 1. 2. 3. There is no light Whither shall we steer We cannot breathe - John 8: 12 D&C 78: 18 Job 33: 4 “Then the Lord went away and left him alone. It was as though the Lord were saying to him, ‘Look, I gave you a mind to think with, and I gave you agency to use it. Now you do all you can to help yourself with this problem; and then,

“This is the principle in action. If you want the blessing, don’t just kneel down and pray about it. Prepare yourselves in every conceivable way you can in order to make yourselves worthy to receive the blessing you seek” (“How to receive a Blessings from God, ” Harold B. Lee, Improvement Era, Oct. 1966, 86263, 896). Ether 2: 23, 25 What does the Lord expect us to do for ourselves? “It is contrary to the law of God for the heavens to be opened and messengers to come to do anything for man that man can do for himself” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1: 196).

It has often been said that we should pray as if everything depends on the Lord and work as if everything depends on us. Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that he has often heard President Gordon B. Hinckley say, “I don’t know how to get anything done except getting on my knees and pleading for help and then getting on my feet and going to work” (Conference Report, Oct. 1997, 18).

Elder Bruce R. Mc. Conkie explained that the Lord requires us to use our agency as we seek His help. Regarding the brother of Jared’s experience, Elder Mc. Conkie said: “The Lord talked to him about it a little and then he said this: ‘What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? ’ (Ether 2: 23). In effect, ‘What are you asking me for? This is something you should have solved. ’ And he talked a little more, and he repeated in essence the questions: ‘What will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea? ’ (Ether 2: 25). In other words, ‘Moriancumer, this is your problem. Why are you troubling me? I’ve given your agency; you are endowed with capacity and ability. Get out and solve the problem’” (“Agency or Inspiration? ” New Era, Jan. 1975, 40 -41).

Ether 2: 23; 3: 1 Is there any evidence of the existence of glass in this time period? “I used to be perplexed by the fact that the reference in Ether 2: 33 can only refer to glass windows… Moreover, Moroni, in actually referring to ‘transparent glass’ in Ether 3: 1, is probably following Ether. This would make the invention of glass far older than anyone dreamed it was until the recent finding of such objects as Egyptian glass beads from ‘the end of the third millennium B. C. ’… We need not be surprised if the occurrences of glass objects before the sixteenth century B. C. ‘are few and far between, ’ for glass rots, like wood, and it is a wonder that any of it at all survives from remote antiquity” (Hugh Nibley, Collected Works, 5: 216 -17). Ether 3: 1 “Went Forth unto the

Ether 3: 6 -21 The Lords Appearance unto the Brother of Jared! Since 1981 the word light has been replaced with the word life. The printers manuscript clearly read life, even though every Book of Mormon to that time had light.

Ether 3: 15 “Never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created. ” D&C 107: 54 (Adam), Moses 7: 2 -4, 28 -29 (Enoch). The Savior appeared to prophets before the flood, but did not reveal himself in fullness as he did to the Brother of Jared. We may truly believe that very few of the ancient prophets at any time actually beheld the full person of the Lord (Answer To Gospel Questions, 2: 124 -25). Elder Mc. Conkie suggested that this verse refers to the fact that the Lord had never yet revealed himself to man in such a total and complete manner (Doctrines of Salvation 1: 37).

Could it be that this appearance of the Lord Jehovah was the first occasion (it seems to be the first, at least according to the scriptural records we now possess) when Jehovah manifested himself unto man in the role of Jesus Christ, the Son of God? It appears that every other scriptural account that we have of theophanies before this experience involve such prophetic personalities as Adam, Enoch, and Noah encountering the Lord in the role of Father, wherein the Lord always speaks (by divine investiture of authority) of the coming of his “Only Begotten Son” (Robert L. Millet).

Other possibilities: This is simply a comment made in the context of one dispensation and as such applies only to the people of Jared and the Jaredite prophets. Another suggestion is that the reference to “man” is the key to this passage, suggesting that the Lord had never revealed himself to the unsanctified, to the nonbeliever, to temporal, earthy, natural man. “Never have I showed myself unto man in this manner, without my volition, driven solely by the faith of the beholder. ”

Ether 3: 22 -23, 28 The same Urim and Thummim were in the possession of Mosiah and later given to Joseph Smith (Doctrine and Covenants 17). Ether 4: 1 Moroni is commanded to seal up the writings of the brother of Jared. We don’t have the full account yet.

Ether 4: 11 everyday? Why read the scriptures These things are true and persuadeth me to do good! Ether 4: 16 The sealed portion of the gold plates evidently describes the same general things and thus will help us more fully understand John’s revelation in the Book of Revelation. Ether 5: 2 -6 An address to Joseph Smith sixteen centuries before Joseph Smith would read it.

Almost immediately after we had made this discovery, it occurred to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris that they would have me inquire of the Lord to know if they might not obtain of him the privilege to be those three special witnesses. They urged me so much to inquire that at length I complied. Soon after came Doctrine and Covenants section 17 (History of the Church, 1: 5253).

The Jaredites Exodus: A Type of the Plan! Exodus of the Jaredites Eternal Plan of Redemption The Tower of Babel world, and (Ether 1: 33) Rebellion, A fallen a scattering Jared (to go down) To go down into the lone and dreary world

Seeking and receiving Everlasting A New and Covenant Blessings from God Valley of Nimrod and the Continually tested; land of wilderness rebellion (Ether 2: 1 -5) Directed by God in a Cloud Gift of the Holy Ghost (Ether 2: 4 -5, 14)

Brother of Jared Chastened by the Lord The Lord chastens those He loves Building the Barges (Ether 2: 6, 16) Building a House of God Questions of Air and Light (Ether 2: 19 -23) The shining Stones Christ (Ether 3: 1 -4; 6: 2 -3) Revelation, Agency, and Action The Word and the Light of Experience on Mt. Shelem (Ether 3) Experience in the Temple The Crossing (Ether 6: 4 -10) Natural Man Trails of Life; putting off the The Promised Land (Ether 6: 11 -12; 2: 7 -11) Eternal Promised Land

Ether 6 “Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. ” “Most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. ” “Life is like an old time rail journey-delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. ” “The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride” (Jenkins Lloyd Jones in Gordon B. Hinckley, “Four Imperative for Religious Educators” (address to religious educators, 15 Sept. 1978), 4).

The Jaredite Ocean Voyage: A Parallel To Our Earthly Voyage Jaredites Our lives v. 3 Stones that shined in darkness, giving light to men, women and children v. 4 Prepared all manner of food, got aboard the vessel and went to see v. 5 Furious wind, moved toward the promised land

lives Jaredites v. 6 Mountainous waves, terrible tempests v. 7 Buried in the deep, no water could hurt them, tight vessels, cried to the lord to bring them back to the top of the waters v. 8 Wind never ceased to blow v. 9 Brother of Jared thanked and praised the Lord all day and all night Our

Lives Jaredites v. 10 Whales and monsters of the sea, had light continually, whether in or on top of the water v. 11 344 days upon the water v. 12 Promised land, bowed before the Lord, shed tears of joy because of the Lord’s mercy Our

Ether 6: 22 -30 “We want a King!” They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me. Thus I should not reign over them (rejection of the Savior). Surely this thing leadeth into captivity, v. 23. Ether 8: 26 Secret Combinations again!

Elder Ezra Taft Benson spoke concerning Moroni’s warning: “Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon was the ‘keystone of our religion’ and the ‘most correct’ book on earth. This most correct book on earth states that the downfall of two great American civilizations came as a result of secret conspiracies whose desire was to overthrow the freedom of the ‘And theywe have caused the destruction of the whatpeople. is ahead unless repent, because there people of Nephi’ (Ether 8: 21). “This scripture is not question but that as people of the free should alert us to world, we are increasingly upholding many of the evils of the adversary today. By court edict godless conspirators can run for government office, teach in our schools, hold office in labor unions, work in our defense plants, serve in our merchant marines, etc. As a nation, we are helping to underwrite many evil revolutionaries in our country” (Conference Report, Apr. 1952, 80 & Conference Report, Apr. 1972, 60 -61). Ether 9: 18 -19 “Jaredite