Wow. So, where do I even begin. I absolutely love this class! I am so glad that I have this opportunity to be a student at BYU-I. I have learned so much already. This is such a blessing in my life.
So, here is what I've learned about this week. Isaiah is hard but he rocks!!! (So does Jon Bytheway! Check out his book "Isaiah for Airheads" to better understand it) Ok, so technically I am no expert on Isaiah and I still don't understand everything in 2 Nephi but I can understand some of it and that is a Big change!
In my Book of Mormon class we studied 2 Nephi chapters 9-16 this week. Can I just say that I am very luck because of the professor that I was assigned to. He is awesome. If any of you know who Brother Mike Beckstrand is, please tell him he is an awesome instructor!!! He sent us this awesome slide show and a video to watch starring (non other then) Jon Bytheway! It was a crack up to watch. Jon Bytheway states that Isaiah is like a great national forest. To start understanding it you need to first remember the 4 C's. Coventants, Christ, Current Events and Coming Events. The Covenants are pretty much telling the House of Israel to "get their act together." Isaiah tries to persuade the House of Israel to believe in Christ our Redeemer. In the Current Events Isaiah warns us about making alliances with kings, or not to make ally with some kings, during the time of Isaiah. Then the Coming Events are about things that are prophesied to come in the future, or our time now. So the 4 C's are a good way to start understanding the words of Isaiah.
Now, I'm not saying that once you figure out the 4 C's you'll totally understand Isaiah. So our best friend (Jon Bytheway) has given us even more things to look at. So I would recommend when re-reading the scriptures try different ways of studying it.
What different ways are there you ask? Well! I'll tell you! There are also 4 keys to understanding Isaiah.
1.) Understand the manner of prophesying among the Jews.
2.) Have the spirit of prophecy
3.) Know the geography
and 4.) Live in the last days
Or you could look at the "guides" talked about during 2 Nephi: Nephi, Jacob, Abinadi and Jesus Christ.
Elder Russell M. Nelson said "to gain salvation means to be 'saved' from physical and spiritual death. Through the atonement all will be saved from physical death but by having faith we will be saved from spiritual death." If we have unbalanced goals in our lives, more towards physical things, then that would lead us to spiritual death. "The Savior can not save us from our sins, we need to repent."
He also states that "Zion is wherever righteous Saints are. Spiritual security depends on How one lives." President Thomas S. Monson says that in order to gain exaltation, we must use our agency. President Boyd K. Packer said "Opposition is in all things...testing is the source of our strength." We will all make choices and have to go through the consequences, whether they be good or bad, it is our agency to choose, and it will be a test to strengthen us and help us become closer to God. My favorite saying throughout this whole lesson (I wrote it three different times in my notes!) is from Elder James E. Faust. He says, "Tomorrow's blessings and opportunities depend on the choices we make today."
Nephi tries to help us understand Isaiah by giving us a few "keys" to look for. A few of them that I have found are: manner of prophesying among the Jews, Knowing the judgments of God, that no man can err and men shall know of a surety at the times that shall come to pass.
Isaiah also mentions signs and events about the second coming. Some that I have found are: Temple to be built in the mountains (Salt Lake Temple anyone?), idol worshiping, people hiding for fear of the world, sins as even as Sodom, and corrupt leaders.
How scary these are knowing that a lot of these are true in our world today. So, how can we prepare ourselves to live with our Heavenly Father again? Well, we have our Latter Day Prophets that have given us advice on how and what we can do. Some things I try to do are: tend a garden, stock up on food storage, be the learned man (or woman), and of course temple attendance. I'd like to leave with a quote from our beloved President Joseph Smith, Jr. "If you wish to go where God is, you must be like God, or possess the principles which God possesses." (Teaching of Prophets, Joseph Smith, Jr.)
