Kishkumen wrote: ↑Thu May 06, 2021 8:26 pm
Yeah, sorry, Shulem, but you are just plain wrong on this one. Everyone knows that angels help find the location of the temple, assist in its construction, and then serve as guardians and witnesses when the building is complete and dedicated. You can't expect Nephi to mention every last detail in his account. He provides enough clues to let the discerning reader know that angels were involved in the building of the temple. What Nephi is talking about his his "tongue of angels" is angelomorphy wherein people become like angels. They don't have to be angels to work with angels or have angels work with them.
Brother Kishkumen,
Have you forgotten when Jacob was old, he was confronted with the first antiChrist of the Book of Mormon, a man who challenged everything being taught? Indeed, you will recall Sherem,
he was learned, that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people. You will recall that
he labored diligently that he might lead away the hearts of the people, insomuch that he did lead away many hearts. How could Sherem lead many of the people away from believing the teachings of Nephi & Jacob? How could he have such success in doing that if angels had previously manifested themselves before the people in helping them build the temple?
Do ye not recall the words of Jacob who refused to be shaken by Sherem’s flattering words of denial? Do ye not recall that Jacob claimed to have had been ministered to by angels and therefore could not be persuaded to deny the gospel? Sherem was unsuccessful in persuading Jacob because he had actually seen angels:
Jacob 7 wrote:5 And he had hope to shake me from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which I had seen concerning these things; for I truly had seen angels, and they had ministered unto me. And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time; wherefore, I could not be shaken.
You’ll note that it was Jacob that had
“seen angels” and that angels
“ministered unto” Jacob and NOT to the people in general such as Sherem. How else could Sherem have had such great success if everyone had seen angels build the temple and proclaim that Nephi & Jacob were inspired spiritual leaders? Sherem approached Jacob saying,
“Show me a sign by this power of the Holy Ghost, in the which ye know so much.” Why say that if he had already seen angels through Jacob’s ministry? It’s apparent that Sherem was challenging Jacob’s claims of angelic visitation.
Further, how is it that a man (Sherem) living in Jacob’s time was not aware of angels ministering to the people while building the temple? Where was Sherem when the temple was being built? According to the story, Sherem began to relent and confessed the Christ, and the power of the Holy Ghost, and the ministering of angels. Sherem feared that he had committed the unpardonable sin which is indicative of him being a baptized member of the community. So, Sherem would have seen angels if there were any angels to be seen and he wouldn’t have had such great success in turning the people away had they seen angels too.
According to the story, the exclusive ministering of angels was given to Nephi & Jacob. Everyone else was just hoping they too could share in the process through baptism and the Holy Ghost.