Ether 4
Ether 4:1
1 And the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord, and write the things which he had seen; and they were forbidden to come unto the children of men until after that he should be lifted up upon the cross; and for this cause did king Mosiah keep them, that they should not come unto the world until after Christ should show himself unto his people.
Comments
Moses descended from the mountain with scripture. The brother of Jared descended the mountain with the command to write scripture. A major difference was that Moses’s scriptures were to be given immediately. Those that the brother of Jared were to write “were forbidden to come unto the children of men until after that he should be lifted up upon the cross; and for this cause did King Mosiah2 keep them, that they should not come into the word until after Christ should show himself unto his people.”
Moroni was writing after Christ had shown himself unto his people. The command that this part of the record should be kept until after Christ had arisen explains why the description of what Mosiah2 read to his people covered only the beginning and did not even allude to the appearance of the Savior to the brother of Jared (see Mosiah 28:17–18).
Ether 4:2–4
2 And after Christ truly had showed himself unto his people he commanded that they should be made manifest.
3 And now, after that, they have all dwindled in unbelief; and there is none save it be the Lamanites, and they have rejected the gospel of Christ; therefore I am commanded that I should hide them up again in the earth.
4 Behold, I have written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw; and there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared.
Comments
These verses suggest that the reason that the brother of Jared’s account should not be written until after Christ had shown himself referred to Christ’s appearance in Bountiful, and not to his mortal mission in the Old World. The separation of the hemispheres would have kept the New World writings from those in the Old World whether they were commanded to be written, or only revealed at a certain time.
Verse 3 flows from that meaning. The experience of the brother of Jared seeing the pre-mortal Messiah was written after Christ appeared in Bountiful, and eventually, that people to which he had revealed himself “all dwindled in unbelief; and there is none save it be the Lamanites.”
Keeping the record from the Nephites made their experience with the resurrected Christ a marvelous, and somewhat unexpected event. Knowing the experience of the brother of Jared would not add to that majesty. However, now that the record was being prepared for a future readership, it could serve as another testament to the God who condescended to earth to become the Messiah.
Ether 4:5–7
5 Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I should seal up the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the interpreters, according to the commandment of the Lord.
6 For the Lord said unto me: They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.
7 And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.
Comments
Although it had been commanded that this part of the record of Ether should not be written before Christ’s appearance in Bountiful, that had happened, and therefore Moroni could receive the commandment to write them.
The next statement appears to refer to a future event, but it is related in past tense. Moroni says that he was commanded to write, and he did. He was also commanded to seal up “the interpretation thereof” and to include the interpreters so that they could be made known. This conforms with the command to Ether to write, but that his writing would be sealed up (Ether 3:27). However, in that verse, the sealing appears to be related to the vision of the future.
A possible reading is that there were two parts of Ether’s story that were sealed. The first was his experience with the premortal Yahweh. The second was the revelation of the future. Perhaps Moroni was permitted to only write the first part. The second part remained sealed and has yet been allowed to come forth.
The part that Moroni included was to come forth to the Gentiles at a future date, and if those Gentiles were faithful to God’s commandments, then they could have the same blessings as the brother of Jared.
Ether 4:8–10
8 And he that will contend against the word of the Lord, let him be accursed; and he that shall deny these things, let him be accursed; for unto them will I show no greater things, saith Jesus Christ; for I am he who speaketh.
9 And at my command the heavens are opened and are shut; and at my word the earth shall shake; and at my command the inhabitants thereof shall pass away, even so as by fire.
10 And he that believeth not my words believeth not my disciples; and if it so be that I do not speak, judge ye; for ye shall know that it is I that speaketh, at the last day.
Comments
These verses continue Moroni’s comments that were triggered by the text in Ether, but they are not directly related to it. The suggestion that when the Book of Mormon comes forth that there might be those who “contend against the word,” is a theme that both his father and he have previously discussed. Moroni’s focus is on the people who will receive this text, and this experience is the real spiritual message, it is the only place where there is a strong testimony of the Christ, in which is the message that most interested both his father, Mormon, and himself.
Thus, these statements about what will happen to the unbelievers refer to those who will not believe in Christ, not those who won’t accept the book of Ether as ancient.
Ether 4:11–12
11 But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good.
12 And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world.
Comments
Verse 11 is the contrast to the previous verses addressed to those who would not believe in Christ. This verse addresses “he that believeth these things which I have spoken.” Those things concern the person and power of the Messiah, the God who condescended to come to earth.
The next question is how one might know that something is true. The answer is a reformulation of “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20 KJV). This formulation is not as succinct, but it connects Good with God. “Whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me.” This good is not only associated with the gospel, but also with all good things humankind may do, even if they may not have the gospel to understand deeper reasons for their actions. There are so many who have lived on earth without the possibility of having known the gospel, and there are many whose good is, and has been, done through a spiritual influence that they perhaps cannot name.
Nevertheless, for those who have the gospel, we understand that our good comes because of the resurrected Christ, who declared “I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world.”
Ether 4:13–17
13 Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.
14 Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief.
15 Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you—yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel.
16 And then shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people. Remember, when ye see these things, ye shall know that the time is at hand that they shall be made manifest in very deed.
17 Therefore, when ye shall receive this record ye may know that the work of the Father has commenced upon all the face of the land.
Comments
These five verses are written directly to the future Gentile readership of the Book of Mormon. The promise is that if they believe in the Book of Mormon, that God “will show unto [them] the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.” That statement appears to refer to the sealing of the record of the brother of Jared’s vision of the future of the world.
That assumption appears to be confirmed when verse 16 links those things to be revealed with those things “written by [Christ’s] servant John.” The coming forth of the Book of Mormon, therefore, becomes a sign that the events of the ending of days are being put into motion (verse 17).
Ether 4:18–19
18 Therefore, repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and believe in my gospel, and be baptized in my name; for he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned; and signs shall follow them that believe in my name.
19 And blessed is he that is found faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. And behold it is I that hath spoken it. Amen.
Comments
The closing admonition is the same as both Mormon and Moroni have previously declared: “Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto [Christ], and believe in [his] gospel, and be baptized in [his] name.” That is the gospel. That is the fundamental message of the entire Book of Mormon.
The closing amen finalizes what was originally only the first chapter of the book of Ether, now comprising our chapters 1–4.
