Sunday, January 3, 2016

2 Nephi 16 - Jehovah, Seraphs and the Temple

In Isaiah 6/2Nephi 16, Isaiah recounts a vision in which he sees Jehovah in the temple. In Revelations 4, John’s revelation changes tone from being one of counsel to the seven churches in Asia Minor to an apocalyptic recitation of what he sees. While Isaiah sees inside a temple, a place where God lives or visits, John sees into Heaven where God resides.

In both places, there are “winged” creatures. Isaiah calls them Seraphim, John says they are “beasts.” They have common qualities in that both have six veils or wings and that they both sing praises to God. Did both men see the same thing? It’s interesting to contemplate, especially when you realize they are separated by nine hundred years. Word meanings can change a lot in that time.

What I found most interesting in this is in Isaiah and the purification he goes through. Isaiah cries he is unworthy to behold the vision. In response an angel comes (one of the Seraphim??) holding a hot coal in tongs and purifies him by touching it to his lips.

This is a ritual purification: touching your tongue with a glowing coal will not purify your soul but destroy your tongue. So, where on earth do we have a place where we can be in God’s presence and be purified through a ritual? Yep, the Temple.

I don’t know why it is, but God uses actions to teach abstract principles. We eat a piece of bread and drink a small cup of water to help us remember the Savior. Likewise, we do things in the temple to help us learn eternal truths and make covenants with God. There’s a lot more to these actions and accounts than meets the eye. It’s the Holy Ghost that explains it all.

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