Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
Some Book of Mormon Scriptures on the Relevance and Applicability of Isaiah
It was the 1950s, and a high-rise office building in Manhattan had a problem. The tenants complained of an excessively long wait for the elevator when people arrived in the morning, took their lunch break, and left at night. Engineers examined the building and determined that nothing could be done to speed up the service.
Desperate to keep his tenants, the building manager turned to his staff for suggestions. One employee noted that people were probably just bored and recommended installing floor-to-ceiling mirrors near the elevators, so people could look at themselves and each other while waiting. This was done, and complaints dropped to nearly zero. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/11/27/what-you-hate-about-waiting-in-line-isnt-the-wait-at-all/)
“… can have but little idea how sweet the voice of a friend is; one token of friendship from any source whatever awakens and calls into action every sympathetic feeling; it brings up in an instant everything that is passed; it seizes the present with the avidity of lightning; it grasps after the future with the fierceness of a tiger; it moves the mind backward and forward, from one thing to another, until finally all enmity, malice and hatred, and past differences, misunderstandings and mismanagements are slain victorious at the feet of hope; and when the heart is sufficiently contrite, then the voice of inspiration steals along and whispers …” (https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-c-1-2-november-1838-31-july-1842/84)
- 1 Nephi 19:23-24 - Persuade to believe in Christ, hope.
- 2 Nephi 11:8 - Lift up your hearts, rejoice, liken.
- 2 Nephi 25:7–8 - Great worth, understand, for our day.
- 3 Nephi 20:11–12 Words fulfilled then covenant fulfilled.
- 3 Ne. 23:1 - Search diligently, great are the words of Isaiah
It was the 1950s, and a high-rise office building in Manhattan had a problem. The tenants complained of an excessively long wait for the elevator when people arrived in the morning, took their lunch break, and left at night. Engineers examined the building and determined that nothing could be done to speed up the service.
Desperate to keep his tenants, the building manager turned to his staff for suggestions. One employee noted that people were probably just bored and recommended installing floor-to-ceiling mirrors near the elevators, so people could look at themselves and each other while waiting. This was done, and complaints dropped to nearly zero. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/11/27/what-you-hate-about-waiting-in-line-isnt-the-wait-at-all/)
“… can have but little idea how sweet the voice of a friend is; one token of friendship from any source whatever awakens and calls into action every sympathetic feeling; it brings up in an instant everything that is passed; it seizes the present with the avidity of lightning; it grasps after the future with the fierceness of a tiger; it moves the mind backward and forward, from one thing to another, until finally all enmity, malice and hatred, and past differences, misunderstandings and mismanagements are slain victorious at the feet of hope; and when the heart is sufficiently contrite, then the voice of inspiration steals along and whispers …” (https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-c-1-2-november-1838-31-july-1842/84)
Symbols in Isaiah 6: |
Symbolic of: |
How it can be applied to us: |
•Throne |
God is a King and Judge |
We will stand before God to be judged. |
•Train/Smoke |
Glory of God |
We can and will behold his glory. |
•Seraphim |
Heavenly beings assist |
Heavenly beings will assist us and bring us to God. |
•Posts of Temple |
God provides stability |
God gives us stability in our lives. |
•Unclean lips |
Personal unworthiness |
We too have personal sins. |
•Live coal |
Process of purification |
We can be purified through the atonement of Christ. |
•Isaiah |
He is a type of a servant |
We can go where God wants us to go and say “Here am I, send me.” |
King Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria (reigned 745-727 BCE): “I flayed as many nobles as had rebelled against me and draped their skins over the pile of corpses; some I spread out within the pile, some I erected on stakes upon the pile...I flayed many right through my land and draped their skins over the walls.”
"With their blood I dyed the mountain red like red wool, and the rest of them the ravines and torrents of the mountain swallowed. I carried off captives and possessions from them. I cut off the heads of their fighters and built with the heads a tower before their city. I burnt their adolescent boys and girls."
The early stages of the war are described in 2 Chronicles 28 and “indicate that God gave Ahaz into the hand of Syria … thereby allowing them to defeat Judah's army in battle and take prisoners (2 Chr 28:5). Israel's army also inflicted heavy casualties on Judah, killing 120,000 troops, the king's son, and the person who was second in command to the king (2 Chr 28:6-8). Nevertheless, the two armies of Syria and Israel were never able to defeat the city of Jerusalem” (Smith, The American New Commentary, Volume 15A Isaiah 40-66, p. 206).
“The upper pool is located today about 700 yards from the Jaffa Gate and is on the highway leading to the fullers' field. It was in a position near water for washing of the cloth previous to drying and bleaching and was probably alongside the aqueduct. These are two interesting images in this verse: fuller “to make white” and the spring. The fuller makes the ordinary cloth white (pure) and the spring provides water essential for life in Jerusalem. In other words, there is a source that can purify us and lead us to life eternal” (Miller, Isaiah: A Prophet’s Prophet).
“If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” NIV Bible translation - Isaiah 7:9
When difficult times arise, God encourages:
But if you reject God and His word:
"Have the moral courage to stand firm in obeying God's will, even if you have to stand alone." Ulisses Soares.
“In 734 B.C. Tiglath-pileser marched through Israel and Philistia to the Egyptian border and cut off any potential aid from the Egyptians. The next year (733 B.C.) Israel lost the Galilee and the Trans-Jordan Area (see 2 Kings 15:29). Damascus falls to Assyria the next year in 732 B.C. and Isaiah’s prophecy will be fulfilled” (Miller, A Prophet’s Prophet, p. 79).
The army of Assyria is compared to “…the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all his glory; and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks. And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land” (Isaiah 8:7-8).
This type of punishment was “viewed as the rightful chastisement of a rebellious subject … and was practiced specifically to dissuade opposition to Assyrian rule by setting an example form which other potential rebels should draw the appropriate conclusions” (Healy, The Ancient Assyrians, p. 8).
“Thus, the purpose of this policy was psychological, its principal object being to engender terror so as to convey a sense of powerlessness in the face of Assyrian arms” (Healy, The Ancient Assyrians, p. 9).
“We chose between the soft peaceful waters of Shiloah, and the flood waters of sin. We should not walk the walk of the unfaithful but have hope. Those who are on the Lord’s errand look for opportunities to build faith in Jesus Christ and deepen the conversion of His disciples. Our ministry is to ‘attest to’ or become a witness to the Law of the Gospel. Testimonies of Christ and the gospel lead us to a sanctuary where we can draw closer to God and deepen our relationship with Him.” (Miller, A Prophet’s Prophet, p. 113).
Sanctuary (Heb. miqdâsh) is a consecrated thing or place not necessarily an asylum. A place where God dwells. The ‘he’ in Isaiah 8:14 should be capitalized since it is referring to the Lord. He is consecrated to be a spiritual refuge for the faithful, and he will be a “stone of stumbling” and a “rock of offence” to the rest. (Miller, Isaiah: A Prophet’s Prophet, p. 81-82)
C.S Lewis: “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to?
The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” ( C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, pp 175-176)
A “gin” denotes the use of a noose or snare. A “snare” is designed for the victim to ensnare himself. Israel will ensnare themselves in their disobedience of the Lord Jesus Christ. By seeking support from Assyria, against the prophet’s direction to the contrary, they were caught in the snare of their own making. (Miller, Isaiah: A Prophet’s Prophet, p. 82)
Using five verbs in this verse [Isaiah 8:15] there develops a "downward" pattern. Isaiah describes the downward results befalling those who reject the Lord. They stumble (they falter in their faith); they fall (they commit sins); they are broken (they suffer consequences for their transgressions); they are snared (they are enticed by Satan's temptations); they are taken (they are captured). This is a promise to both of the divided tribes of Israel, Ephraim and Judah. They stumbled on the teachings of the Lord and His prophets and were offended by the calls to repent. It is the same principle for Israel today: those who choose to ensnare themselves with wickedness will stumble, fall and be broken.” (Miller, Isaiah: A Prophet’s Prophet, p. 82)
"This verse [Isaiah 9:2] surprisingly predicts that the least likely area of Israel, the far northern section that was the most militarily oppressed and most influenced by pagans, will in some way be honored by God when he sends a new "light" in the future” (Smith, The American New Commentary, Volume 15A Isaiah 40-66, p. 238).
“‘Harvest’ and ‘spoil’ express the idea of two different types of joy, and joy in its completeness. Joy in the harvest is a divine gift given by God through nature. Joy in the spoil is a divine gift allowed by winning a contest of some sort. Divine gifts are given fully when the Messiah comes and delivers all from adversity (including sin and death) and gives a fullness of joy” (Miller, Isaiah – A Prophet’s Prophet, p. 87).
Isaiah testifies there is peace in Christ.
How do you reject Christ’s peace? Why would you do that?
How can I increase peace in my life today?
Two hundred years after its capture, Xenophon's Ten Thousand marched over the mounds that had been Nineveh, and never suspected that these were the site of the ancient metropolis that had ruled half the world. Not a stone remained visible of all the temples with which Assyria's pious warriors had sought to beautify their greatest capital. Even Ashur, the everlasting god, was dead." (Will Durant, Our Oriental Heritage, pgs. 283, 284).
"In Sennacherib's day the wall around Nineveh was 40 to 50 feet high. It extended for 4 kilometers along the Tigris River and for 13 kilometers around the inner city. The city wall had 15 main gates, 5 of which have been excavated. Each of the gates was guarded by stone bull statues. Both inside and outside the walls, Sennacherib created parks, a botanical garden, and a zoo. He built a water-system containing the oldest aqueduct in history at Jerwan, across the Gomel River." (Nelson's Bible Dictionary, pg. 760).
A famous oracle had been given that "Nineveh should never be taken until the river became its enemy." After a three-month siege, "rain fell in such abundance that the waters of the Tigris inundated part of the city and overturned one of its walls for a distance of twenty stades. Then the King, convinced that the oracle was accomplished and despairing of any means of escape, to avoid falling alive into the enemy's hands constructed in his palace an immense funeral pyre, placed on it his gold and silver and his royal robes, and then, shutting himself up with his wives and eunuchs in a chamber formed in the midst of the pile, disappeared in the flames. Nineveh opened its gates to the besiegers, but this tardy submission did not save the proud city. It was pillaged and burned, and then razed to the ground so completely as to evidence the implacable hatred enkindled in the minds of subject nations by the fierce and cruel Assyrian government." (Lenormant and E. Chevallier, The Rise and Fall of Assyria).
Destruction of Assyria and Parallels to 2nd Coming of Christ
Isaiah’s Promise of Hope in Isaiah 10
What did you learn today from Isaiah that was relevant and applicable to you?
"With their blood I dyed the mountain red like red wool, and the rest of them the ravines and torrents of the mountain swallowed. I carried off captives and possessions from them. I cut off the heads of their fighters and built with the heads a tower before their city. I burnt their adolescent boys and girls."
The early stages of the war are described in 2 Chronicles 28 and “indicate that God gave Ahaz into the hand of Syria … thereby allowing them to defeat Judah's army in battle and take prisoners (2 Chr 28:5). Israel's army also inflicted heavy casualties on Judah, killing 120,000 troops, the king's son, and the person who was second in command to the king (2 Chr 28:6-8). Nevertheless, the two armies of Syria and Israel were never able to defeat the city of Jerusalem” (Smith, The American New Commentary, Volume 15A Isaiah 40-66, p. 206).
“The upper pool is located today about 700 yards from the Jaffa Gate and is on the highway leading to the fullers' field. It was in a position near water for washing of the cloth previous to drying and bleaching and was probably alongside the aqueduct. These are two interesting images in this verse: fuller “to make white” and the spring. The fuller makes the ordinary cloth white (pure) and the spring provides water essential for life in Jerusalem. In other words, there is a source that can purify us and lead us to life eternal” (Miller, Isaiah: A Prophet’s Prophet).
“If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” NIV Bible translation - Isaiah 7:9
When difficult times arise, God encourages:
- To stand firm in the faith or “you will not stand at all.”
- Be careful.
- Keep calm.
- Don’t be afraid.
- Don’t lose heart.
- God is the source of hope and life.
But if you reject God and His word:
- You will lose God’s protection.
- With arrows and with bows shall men come (Isaiah 7:14).
- All the land shall become briers and thorns (Isaiah 7:14).
"Have the moral courage to stand firm in obeying God's will, even if you have to stand alone." Ulisses Soares.
“In 734 B.C. Tiglath-pileser marched through Israel and Philistia to the Egyptian border and cut off any potential aid from the Egyptians. The next year (733 B.C.) Israel lost the Galilee and the Trans-Jordan Area (see 2 Kings 15:29). Damascus falls to Assyria the next year in 732 B.C. and Isaiah’s prophecy will be fulfilled” (Miller, A Prophet’s Prophet, p. 79).
The army of Assyria is compared to “…the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all his glory; and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks. And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land” (Isaiah 8:7-8).
This type of punishment was “viewed as the rightful chastisement of a rebellious subject … and was practiced specifically to dissuade opposition to Assyrian rule by setting an example form which other potential rebels should draw the appropriate conclusions” (Healy, The Ancient Assyrians, p. 8).
“Thus, the purpose of this policy was psychological, its principal object being to engender terror so as to convey a sense of powerlessness in the face of Assyrian arms” (Healy, The Ancient Assyrians, p. 9).
“We chose between the soft peaceful waters of Shiloah, and the flood waters of sin. We should not walk the walk of the unfaithful but have hope. Those who are on the Lord’s errand look for opportunities to build faith in Jesus Christ and deepen the conversion of His disciples. Our ministry is to ‘attest to’ or become a witness to the Law of the Gospel. Testimonies of Christ and the gospel lead us to a sanctuary where we can draw closer to God and deepen our relationship with Him.” (Miller, A Prophet’s Prophet, p. 113).
Sanctuary (Heb. miqdâsh) is a consecrated thing or place not necessarily an asylum. A place where God dwells. The ‘he’ in Isaiah 8:14 should be capitalized since it is referring to the Lord. He is consecrated to be a spiritual refuge for the faithful, and he will be a “stone of stumbling” and a “rock of offence” to the rest. (Miller, Isaiah: A Prophet’s Prophet, p. 81-82)
C.S Lewis: “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to?
The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” ( C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, pp 175-176)
A “gin” denotes the use of a noose or snare. A “snare” is designed for the victim to ensnare himself. Israel will ensnare themselves in their disobedience of the Lord Jesus Christ. By seeking support from Assyria, against the prophet’s direction to the contrary, they were caught in the snare of their own making. (Miller, Isaiah: A Prophet’s Prophet, p. 82)
Using five verbs in this verse [Isaiah 8:15] there develops a "downward" pattern. Isaiah describes the downward results befalling those who reject the Lord. They stumble (they falter in their faith); they fall (they commit sins); they are broken (they suffer consequences for their transgressions); they are snared (they are enticed by Satan's temptations); they are taken (they are captured). This is a promise to both of the divided tribes of Israel, Ephraim and Judah. They stumbled on the teachings of the Lord and His prophets and were offended by the calls to repent. It is the same principle for Israel today: those who choose to ensnare themselves with wickedness will stumble, fall and be broken.” (Miller, Isaiah: A Prophet’s Prophet, p. 82)
"This verse [Isaiah 9:2] surprisingly predicts that the least likely area of Israel, the far northern section that was the most militarily oppressed and most influenced by pagans, will in some way be honored by God when he sends a new "light" in the future” (Smith, The American New Commentary, Volume 15A Isaiah 40-66, p. 238).
“‘Harvest’ and ‘spoil’ express the idea of two different types of joy, and joy in its completeness. Joy in the harvest is a divine gift given by God through nature. Joy in the spoil is a divine gift allowed by winning a contest of some sort. Divine gifts are given fully when the Messiah comes and delivers all from adversity (including sin and death) and gives a fullness of joy” (Miller, Isaiah – A Prophet’s Prophet, p. 87).
Isaiah testifies there is peace in Christ.
- 9:6 Christ is the “Prince of Peace”
- 9:7 …the increase of his … peace there shall be no end.”
- 26:3 “perfect peace”
- 26:12 He will “ordain peace for us”
- 32:17 …the work of righteousness shall be peace…”
- 48:18 The peace of the righteous is compared to a river.
- 48:22 No peace for the wicked. See also 57:21, 59:8
- 52:7 “Publish peace”
- 54:10 “The covenant of my peace”
- 54:13 “…and great shall be the peace of thy children.”
- 55:12 “For ye shall go out with joy and led forth with peace…”
- 57:2 When the righteous die, they “enter into peace…”
How do you reject Christ’s peace? Why would you do that?
- Pride or stoutness heart (9-10).
- Turn not to, nor seek the Lord (13).
- Leadership cause people to err (16).
- Be a hypocrite, an evildoer, and speak folly (17).
- Disunity, civil unrest and strife (20-21).
How can I increase peace in my life today?
- Humility (9-10).
- Turn to, seek the Lord (13).
- Leadership leading others towards God (16).
- Personal righteousness (17).
- Unity (20-21).
- God’s hand is stretched out still… (12, 17, 21).
Two hundred years after its capture, Xenophon's Ten Thousand marched over the mounds that had been Nineveh, and never suspected that these were the site of the ancient metropolis that had ruled half the world. Not a stone remained visible of all the temples with which Assyria's pious warriors had sought to beautify their greatest capital. Even Ashur, the everlasting god, was dead." (Will Durant, Our Oriental Heritage, pgs. 283, 284).
"In Sennacherib's day the wall around Nineveh was 40 to 50 feet high. It extended for 4 kilometers along the Tigris River and for 13 kilometers around the inner city. The city wall had 15 main gates, 5 of which have been excavated. Each of the gates was guarded by stone bull statues. Both inside and outside the walls, Sennacherib created parks, a botanical garden, and a zoo. He built a water-system containing the oldest aqueduct in history at Jerwan, across the Gomel River." (Nelson's Bible Dictionary, pg. 760).
A famous oracle had been given that "Nineveh should never be taken until the river became its enemy." After a three-month siege, "rain fell in such abundance that the waters of the Tigris inundated part of the city and overturned one of its walls for a distance of twenty stades. Then the King, convinced that the oracle was accomplished and despairing of any means of escape, to avoid falling alive into the enemy's hands constructed in his palace an immense funeral pyre, placed on it his gold and silver and his royal robes, and then, shutting himself up with his wives and eunuchs in a chamber formed in the midst of the pile, disappeared in the flames. Nineveh opened its gates to the besiegers, but this tardy submission did not save the proud city. It was pillaged and burned, and then razed to the ground so completely as to evidence the implacable hatred enkindled in the minds of subject nations by the fierce and cruel Assyrian government." (Lenormant and E. Chevallier, The Rise and Fall of Assyria).
Destruction of Assyria and Parallels to 2nd Coming of Christ
- Internal conflicts / civil wars (D&C 45:26, 68; 63:32-33).
- Destruction of the wicked will be relatively rapid.
- War between nations (Isa 10:5-6, Mormon 4:5).
- Wicked will be prideful and have a “stout heart” (Isa 10:12).
- Treasures/riches of wicked taken away (Isa 10:13-14, Rev 18:11-13).
- An "overflowing flood" will bring an end to the wicked (Nah. 1:8, Moses 7:62).
- Inebriated with wickedness, they will "drunken like drunkards" (Nah. 1:10).
- Satan will leave the wicked unprotected, and work to burn thier defenses (Nah. 3:13).
- Unless they turn to Christ, the wicked will never recover, for their "injury has no healing" (Nah. 3:19).
- The downfall of the wicked will come with remarkable ease (Nah. 3:12).
- Wicked burned by fire (Isa 10:16-17, D&C 101:23-24).
Isaiah’s Promise of Hope in Isaiah 10
- Israel will return to and rely on God (Isa 10:20-21).
- God’s people will dwell in Zion (Isa 10:24, D&C 45:66-71).
- A future day of redemption will come for God’s people (Isa 10:25).
- Burdens and oppression will be removed because of ‘the anointing.” (Isa 10:27)
- You might think that there is no hope for you (see Isa 10:28-34) but your delivery is planned (2 Chron 32, 2 Kings 18:13-19:37).
- God’s hand “is stretched out still!” (Isa 10:4).
What did you learn today from Isaiah that was relevant and applicable to you?