Have you ever had a dream that you knew was significant, but when you tried to tell someone else or, worse, write it down, it came out as confusing? Whenever I read the Apostle John's remarkable Apocalyptic Revelation, I think about that. Just as Jesus taught in parables while He was alive, so He - as Jehovah - taught with symbolic visions.
By stark comparison, the Book of Mormon has got to be one of the most plain and precious books ever written. I love the Book of Revelation and have done the spiritual work of seeking an understanding, but even the uninitiated can see the future played out before their eyes in the Book of Mormon. The Jaredites and the Nephites are types and shadows of our nation - indeed the world - today. This artist's rendition of the last battle of Cumorah shows me he, too, made the comparison.
Studying the Book of Mormon has been difficult for me in many ways. Each chapter I read was as relevant as the latest political post on social media or on the morning news. I feel the depth of Mormon's sorrow as he said, "Oh, ye fair ones . . .;" just as Jesus once said, "Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. . .." My heart often aches as I think, "Oh, America, America . . .!"
The Lord of the Vineyard lamented, "What more could I have done. . .?" What more could He have done for this nation? There are only two nations in the history of the world that were founded on the principles of the Lord and with His power: Ancient Israel and America. Israel failed Him and paid a terrible price at Samaria, Jerusalem, and Cumorah. Will we also fail Him? I pray with Paul, "God, forbid."
© Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson November 2020
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