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Who Shall Ascend Into the Hill of the Lord? An Old Testament Framework for Understanding the Exclusive Nature of the Temple

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Question

Why are LDS temples not open to everyone?

Short Answer

Latter-day Saint temples are not open to everyone because they are considered sacred spaces. There, individuals prepare to make covenants with God. Access is based on spiritual readiness and worthiness, similar to how sacred space was approached in the Old Testament. While this can feel exclusive, the invitation is open to all who are willing to prepare.

Key Takeaways

LDS temples are viewed as literal dwelling places of God
Limited access is about preparation, not exclusion
Old Testament temples also had strict access requirements
Worthiness replaces ancient ritual purity laws
Anyone can enter the temple by choosing to prepare and live the standards

Summary

Tyler Golightly explains that many misunderstandings about Latter-day Saint temples stem from a modern lack of understanding about sacred space. By examining Old Testament teachings—particularly from Exodus, Leviticus, and Psalms—he shows that ancient Israelites also maintained strict boundaries around holy places, not to exclude people arbitrarily, but to protect both individuals and the community from the consequences of unprepared encounters with the divine.

The talk then connects these ancient principles to modern LDS temple practices. While Latter-day Saints no longer follow ritual purity laws, they maintain standards of worthiness and preparation to enter the temple. Golightly emphasizes that temple “exclusivity” is not about exclusion, but about preparation. Ultimately, the temple is open to all who are willing to enter into covenants and live accordingly, reinforcing that holiness is an invitation—not a barrier.

TL;DR

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)

Latter-day Saint temples are considered sacred spaces where individuals prepare to encounter God, which is why access is limited to those who meet certain spiritual standards. This practice isn’t unique—it reflects ancient patterns of holiness found in the Old Testament, where sacred spaces required preparation and purity. The goal isn’t to exclude people, but to invite everyone to become ready to enter and participate.

Who Shall Ascend Into the Hill of the Lord? :An Old Testament Framework for Understanding the Exclusive Nature of the Temple

Introduction: The Church and Perception

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints occupies an awkward place in the religious world. To the casual observer, we may appear to be like any other church. We worship on Sundays in normal-looking chapels, and we have a liturgy—namely the sacrament—that anyone can participate in.

This is a practice that we are comfortable talking about because it is something that we do regularly. It’s also the part of our worship that our friends can see.

LDS Temples and Exclusivity

In contrast to our chapels, there are temples—ornate, beautiful edifices. Only those who hold a current temple recommend can enter. Here, sacred ceremonies are performed. Only the initiated can participate in these ceremonies. Details are not freely discussed outside the building premises.

This part of our worship is something that many Latter-day Saints, myself included, struggle to talk about. We want to communicate the unique nature of the temple. But we want to avoid making it sound like we’re hiding something nefarious.

This difficulty is compounded by the temple’s seemingly exclusive nature.

Questions About Exclusivity

To some, that nature must mean that we have something to hide—such as concealing nefarious, even satanic rituals. On a more personal and serious level, the exclusivity of the temple and its ceremonies can feel isolating to those not of our faith.

Many Latter-day Saint weddings have family members and friends of the new couple waiting outside the temple. Because they are not members of the Church or do not hold a current temple recommend.

Both of these situations lead many to ask the same questions: Why exclusivity? Why not open the temple up to everyone? Why keep people out?

Misconceptions About the Temple

The exclusive nature of the temple—and many saints’ struggle to answer questions about it—has led some people to many erroneous and also entertaining conclusions:

The Church is hiding nefarious satanic practices, or kidnap people or sacrifice to the devil.
The Church intentionally excludes people because they hate sinners, the LGBT community, and/or anyone who isn’t a perfect Latter-day Saint.
The Church does not want the public to witness their pagan, occultic, and masonic ceremonies, which prove they are most certainly not Christian.
The exclusive nature of the temple is just fuel for a cultural superiority complex.
The temple’s secret because it’s just downright crazy.

All these are based on real things that I saw on the wonderful wide internet.

The Problem: Lack of Framework

I feel that many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints struggle to answer these questions in an informed and sensitive way because we lack the proper framework to think and talk about the concept of sacred space.

After all, we live in a world today where information is readily available and nothing is hidden. In such a world, religious spaces and ceremonies closed to the public are naturally seen as weird or cultish.

A Framework For Talking About the Temple

Turning to the Old Testament

Finding ourselves in a society that has no concept of the sacred, how do we as Latter-day Saints talk about this place that not everyone can enter—where we do things that not everyone can participate in? This is a difficult and unique predicament to be in. But fortunately, there is an answer.

That answer can be found in a beloved volume of scripture, the Old Testament—more specifically, the books of Exodus and Leviticus with their ritual purity laws. The texts of the Old Testament have unconsciously informed the way we view sacred space, which in turn informs the way we restrict access to the temple.

Purpose of the Talk

My purpose here is to build an initial framework for understanding exclusivity and sacred space based on the writings of the Old Testament.

I will begin by exploring Israelite and ancient Near Eastern thought on the temple as a dwelling place of a deity.
Then I will explore the Israelite concept of holiness and how that informed access to sacred space.
Finally, I will relate these concepts to the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today.

The Old Testament and Sacred Space

Understanding Israelite Thought

Before similarities can be fleshed out between Israelite sacred space theology and Latter-day Saint temple theology, this fundamental question must be answered: How did the ancient Israelites think about sacred space?

The Israelites existed in an ancient Near Eastern context, and naturally they borrowed many ideas from their neighbors. This was especially true for ideas about sacred space.

For example, in many ancient Near East societies, a temple was viewed as the dwelling place of whatever deity whose temple it was.

God’s Dwelling Place

A major part of the Babylonian creation myth, the Enuma Elish, is when the gods create a temple in Babylon as a place where they could dwell and rest. The Anunnaki speaking to Marduk says:

Now Lord, seeing you have established our freedom, what favor can we do for you? Let us make a shrine of great renown. Your chamber will be our resting place wherein we may repose. Let us erect a shrine to house a pedestal wherein we may repose when we finish the work.

The Tabernacle and Temple in Israelite Thought

The Israelites thought of the tabernacle—and later the temple—as literal dwelling places of the Lord. In Exodus 25, Jehovah commands Moses to:

. . . tell the Israelites to take for me an offering; from all whose hearts prompt them to give you shall receive the offering for me. … And have them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. In accordance with all that I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle and of all its furniture, so you shall make it (Exodus 25:2, 8–9, NRSV).

The Lord Dwelling Among His People

In 1 Kings 6, Solomon is in the process of building the temple, and he receives a revelation from the Lord. The Lord says to him:

Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, obey my ordinances and keep all my commandments by walking in them, then I will establish my promise with you, which I made to your father David. I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people, Israel.

A Place for God to Dwell

Later, in his dedicatory prayer for the newly constructed temple in Jerusalem, Solomon said:

“I have built you… an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.”

The Meaning of “Dwell”

The Hebrew for the word “dwell,” used in these verses, is šākan. In this context, it involves a proper dwelling—a lasting stay, not a passing transition.

Thus, when the Lord is said to dwell somewhere, it means that He literally dwells there. The Israelites considered the tabernacle and the later temple as places where the Lord literally dwelt and lived among His people.

Holiness and Consecration

Because both the tabernacle and the temple were seen as the literal dwelling places of Jehovah, they were considered holy. In Exodus 29:43–44, it reads:

I will meet with the Israelites there (meaning the tabernacle), and it shall be sanctified by my glory. I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. I will dwell among the Israelites and I will be their God.

Holiness

It is the Lord’s glory—or more precisely His divine presence or kabod—that makes the tabernacle holy. But what is the meaning of the word “holy”? Despite being a near universal idea, it is actually quite a bit difficult to precisely define.

The Hebrew root for holy, qodeš, denotes something as being set apart from the world. Kurt Goldammer describes “the holy” as “the entirely different.” He writes that “the holy is not just different from all things human. It is also different from the normal world and the temporal [or profane]. If something is holy, it is sometimes literally set apart entirely from the rest of the world and it must be kept that way.

According to the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, “What is holy and what is profane are to be strictly distinguished, with the latter not allowed to come into contact with the former.”

Holiness and Sacred Space

This concept of holiness was central to how the Israelites thought about and dealt with sacred space. It is also the most important concept for Latter-day Saints to understand as we interact with the relevant Old Testament texts dealing with sacred space.

In the minds of the Israelites and other ancient Near Eastern peoples, the primary way that the outside—or profane—world interacted or came into contact with the holy was through impurity.

Impurity as the Foe of Holiness

Jacob Milgrom writes, “Impurity is the implacable foe of holiness wherever it exists. It assaults the sacred realm even from afar.” If the profane were to come into contact with the holy, whether indirectly or directly, the consequences would be catastrophic for the offender and the community.

So what exactly were those consequences?

Examples of Impurity in the Old Testament

Preparation at Mount Sinai

Three episodes in the Old Testament shed light on the subject. In Exodus 19, the Israelites are far beyond the Red Sea and have reached Sinai. The Lord reveals to Moses that He wants to make Israel a kingdom of priests and a holy nation by covenanting with them and giving them a law.

Not only would He be giving Israel a law, but the Lord would also come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all people. This was a momentous occasion, which is why the children of Israel had to prepare for it by washing their clothes and abstaining from sexual contact for three days.

Physical Impurity

There was also one very important commandment which they had to keep while they were at the mountain:

Be careful not to go up to the mountain or to touch the edge of it. Any who touch the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch them, but they shall be stoned or shot with arrows; whether animal or human being, they shall not live.

The Lord would eventually invite the Israelites to join Moses on the mountain. But any uninvited crossing of the threshold between sacred and profane warranted immediate execution at the hands of the people.

For God to come down to Sinai and converse with Moses, no one could contaminate the mountain—and the people were to be the enforcers of this prohibition.

Nadab and Abihu

Jumping ahead a little bit in Leviticus 10, the tabernacle has just been dedicated, and as signified by the appearance of the glory—or the kavod—of the Lord in the sight of all Israel, it was now considered holy.

For the Israelites, this theophany surely must have been a wonderful and awesome—in the literal sense—experience. One which surely no one would forget.

Except two rather important individuals seem to have forgotten—Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron and members of the priestly caste.

In their enthusiasm to officiate in their priestly office, they seemingly forgot the now holy nature of the sanctuary and the need to keep the profane out. They took their censers and offered unholy fire before the Lord such as He had not commanded them.

Nadab and Abihu brought coals from an outside—or profane—source into the tabernacle tent itself, thereby contaminating it. The universal order had just been violated.

Consequences of Profaning the Holy

And the consequence for such a crime? We read:

“And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.”

For the individual offender—or offenders in this case—the consequence of profaning the holy sanctuary could be immediate death by the hand of God.

Spiritual Impurity

However, the Israelites did not believe that the impure had to physically violate the bounds of the sacred in order for contamination to occur. The sins of the people could also indirectly contaminate the sanctuary, and thus the sanctuary itself had to be purified.

This belief was the motivation behind the various purification or sin offerings as prescribed by the Torah.

The Need for Purification

Why did the sanctuary itself have to be purified? Jacob Milgrom writes:

“God will not abide in a polluted sanctuary. To be sure, the merciful one would tolerate a modicum of pollution, but there is a point of no return. If the pollution levels continue to rise, the end is inexorable; God abandons the sanctuary and leaves the people to their doom.”

God’s Justice and Mercy

It should be noted that in the view of the Israelites, Jehovah was not a strict God who arbitrarily and capriciously smote the people for the smallest of inadvertent ethical or ritual wrongs.

The contamination brought upon the sanctuary by such wrongs was cleansed through regular sin offerings described in Leviticus 4.

The well-being and prosperity of the entire community and civilization was at risk if the sanctuary was not purified quickly—or was profaned repeatedly. Continual profanation of the sanctuary through intentional wrongdoing would bring the judgment of God on the people.

Ezekiel and the Departure of God’s Presence

Now we come to Ezekiel. In Ezekiel, the prophet is shown in vision the idolatrous practices and worship of foreign deities—abominations, as the prophet refers to them—taking place within the temple complex at Jerusalem.

The children of Israel had violated the sanctity of the temple by building and worshiping idols, as well as worshiping deities or objects that were certainly not related to Jehovah.

The Lord says to Ezekiel:

“Mortal, do you see what they are doing? The great abominations the house of Israel are committing here to drive me far from my sanctuary?”

Ultimately, God’s presence leaves the temple, and the people are delivered to destruction as a result of their continual sin.

The people have polluted the sanctuary with their ethical—and more importantly, their ritual—sins to the point that it was impossible for the presence of the Lord to remain there.

The Stakes of Holiness

It is hopefully obvious that—at least in the Israelite worldview—people’s lives were at stake when it came to holiness.

Contact between the holy and the profane or impure meant, at best, almost certain death to the offending party—and at worst, contact between the two would lead to the divine presence of Jehovah being driven from sacred space.

Such an action would bring cataclysmic levels of death and destruction to the community, as illustrated by the eventual carrying away of the people to Babylon.

Transition to Application

And for those of you wondering how this could all possibly relate to us as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—don’t worry.

Everything should start to make a little bit more sense from here on out.

Controlled Temple Access Anciently

Improper interaction with the holy would bring death—either by the hand of God or man. Thus, access to the holy was strictly controlled and limited.

In some ancient Near Eastern cultures, one would have to pass by a set of guardian statues in order to enter the temple complex. These guardians were thought to ward off demons and protect the sanctuary from being defiled.

Ensuring Purity of Temple Attendees

The tabernacle and later the temple at Jerusalem did not have such measures. But there were other means of protecting the sanctuary. To illustrate this, we’re going to step away from the dizzying rules and regulations of the priestly text for a moment. Instead, let’s turn to the warm, soothing embrace of the Psalms.

Psalms 15 and 24 are thought to be part of a gate liturgy. A festival procession would make its way to the gates of the temple complex. There, a priest would ask the leader of the procession if the members of that company met the ritual and ethical requirements to enter the temple complex.

The leader of the procession would then affirm that they did indeed meet the requirements. This liturgy served as a way to both:

admit the prepared to receive their blessings and
prevent those who were impure from being cursed at the hand of God.

Psalm 24

The 24th Psalm reads:

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul into vanity (or what is “vaults” in the NRSV) nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob (or as NRSV translates it, or that seek the face of the God of Jacob).

Psalm 15

In a similar vein, Psalm 15 reads:

Oh Lord, who may abide in thy tabernacle, who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart; he that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.

Moral and Ritual Requirements

As stated in these passages, only those who met certain conditions—that is, moral and ritual purity—could pass through the gates and be admitted into the sacred space.

These psalms illustrate that the conditions involve not just ritual purity, but the correct treatment of others. As Othmar Keel put it,

The chief wall which separates God and man is ethical misconduct toward one’s co-religionists.”

Additional Layers of Access

Additional Purity of the Priests

However, being able to enter the complex did not guarantee access to the sanctuary or its rituals. Only the priests could perform sacrifices on the altar in the courtyard or access the sanctuary itself. This regulation was enforced under penalty of death.

Common lay persons had access to the courtyard. But there were still restrictions on

where they could go and
what they could do

in that space.

For instance, they could not approach the altar and offer sacrifices there. Even if the Israelite were a male descendant of Aaron. There were further rituals and requirements that had to be met in order to officiate.

Potential officiants needed to be

washed,
anointed, and
clothed in priestly garments

before they could begin to offer sacrifices or enter the sanctuary. In addition, they had to live by additional requirements not imposed upon the lay people.

Higher Requirements of the High Priest

But even being a priest did not automatically grant one access to all areas of the temple. The Holy of Holies was limited to the high priest alone—and it was only accessed once a year.

If the high priest were to either:

enter more often,
access a space improperly clothed, or
without incense,

he would die, since that was where the Lord’s presence resided.

The high priest was also required to wear additional clothing. He had to follow stricter purity laws than those of the normal priestly class. All of this was to avoid the high priest both defiling himself and the sanctuary.

Degrees of Holiness

Ritual and ethical preparation was necessary to approach or encounter sacred space. Encountering the holy was serious business to ancient Israel.

Even within the sanctuary complex itself, there were grades of holiness, with additional requirements and preparation necessary. Only if one was prepared to enter sacred space and met the necessary requirements would they participate in what Keel calls the “holy other energy” active within the temple.

Application to Latter-day Saints

Temples as the Dwelling Place of God

So then what does all this mean for Latter-day Saints? As mentioned in the beginning, Latter-day Saints will find they have a great deal in common with Old Testament Israelites when it comes to the ways in which we view sacred space.

As signified by the engraving on nearly every temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we view temples as literal dwelling places of God—where one can go to encounter Him.

Modern Revelation

The Lord even says as much in modern revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 97. He states:

And in as much as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it. Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God. But if it be defiled, I will not come into it, and my glory shall not be there, for I will not come into unholy temples.

The Nature of the Temple

Elder James E. Talmage writes:

A temple is more than a chapel or church, more than a synagogue or cathedral. It is a structure erected as a house of the Lord, sacred to the closest communion between the Lord himself and the holy priesthood and devoted to the highest and most sacred ordinances characteristic of the age or dispensation to which the particular temple belongs.

Worthiness and Preparation

The Lord wants His covenant people to think about the temple in the same way the Old Testament Israelites did. Access to a place imbued with holiness must be limited to those who have prepared themselves for such an occasion.

For a lack of preparation—or more precisely, worthiness—on the part of an individual brings spiritual danger.

Latter Day Access to Temples

It is interesting to note that—similar to the Israelite tabernacle and temple—access to holier areas of a Latter-day Saint temple requires that one be initiated into a priestly class of sorts by being washed, anointed, and clothed in priestly garments.

However, in contrast with the Old Testament priestly class, the initiatory rite in Latter-day Saint temples today is not limited to those of a specific lineage. Rather, all members of the Church who have the requisite capacity and worthiness are able to be initiated into this priestly class and participate in rituals in the holier spaces of the temple.

While initiation into a priestly class is still required to ascend to the temple, this initiatory ordinance is available to every member of God’s covenant people that are willing to live the additional requirements that come with it.

Worthiness vs. Ritual Purity

Latter-day Saints also do not have a concept of ritual purity in the same way as the ancient Israelites did—and this is a very important difference to keep in mind when drawing parallels between modern revealed beliefs and practices and those of the Old Testament.

Latter-day Saints do not need to cleanse themselves after bodily emissions, avoid pork and shellfish—thank heavens—or avoid those with skin diseases in order to be able to enter the house of the Lord.

In contrast, access to the temple is determined by a willingness to demonstrate worthiness, which is a comparatively abstract concept signified by worthily holding a current temple recommend.

This worthiness entails not just moral righteousness and obedience to revealed laws, but also a belief in the foundational claims of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Lord’s House

In his book The Holy Temple, the late President Boyd K. Packer writes:

“After a temple is dedicated, we do not feel we own it. It is the Lord’s house. He directs the conditions under which it may be used. He has revealed the ordinances that should be performed therein and has established the standards and conditions under which we may participate in them. It should not be surprising that there should be limitations as to those who may receive these ordinances and those who may witness them. It should not, therefore, seem strange that the temples are held sacred, for all who will prepare themselves by repentance, by baptism, by preparation and worthiness to meet the qualifications may enter therein to participate in the ordinances offered in the house of the Lord.”

Inclusivity and Modern LDS Temples

Who Can Enter the Temple

Every person who is willing to join the Lord’s covenant people and live by the requisite worthiness standards is able to enter and participate in the ordinances of the temple.

The Lord will deny entry to no one that comes to His house with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

“Holiness to the Lord”

“Holiness to the Lord,” “The House of the Lord”—these two pronouncements are engraved on nearly every temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we take them literally.

The Lord has told His saints that—like the tabernacle and temple of the Old Testament—the latter-day temple is His dwelling place that contains His actual divine presence, or His glory. It is this fact that makes these edifices holy.

The holiness of the temple requires us to maintain a distinction and separation between the holy and unholy just as in times of old.

Explaining Temple Exclusivity

As Latter-day Saints, we do not need to struggle to explain the limited access to our temples. Our beliefs about sacred space have been shaped and informed by the Old Testament, and we can—and should—turn there to explain the holy nature of our temples.

Holiness is certainly not about keeping people out. It is about ensuring that they are prepared to encounter God in His house. The Lord wants all of His children to choose holiness.

Handbook Statement

The General Handbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints puts it this way:

The temple is the house of the Lord. Entering the temple and participating in ordinances there is a sacred privilege. This privilege is reserved for those who are spiritually prepared and striving to live the Lord’s standards as determined by authorized priesthood leaders.

Closing Testimony

Let us all strive to have clean hands and a pure heart—and invite others to do the same—so that we may all be made holy by encountering the Lord in His house, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Search topics

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August 2026 FAIR Conference

FAIR Conference 2026

August 5–7, 2026
Thanksgiving Point Showbarn | Lehi, Utah

Join leading voices in Latter-day Saint apologetics for three days of faith-building answers, thoughtful scholarship, and meaningful connection.

What is the FAIR Conference 2026?

The FAIR Conference is an annual gathering focused on answering questions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Attendees hear from scholars, educators, and faithful voices addressing topics like Church history, doctrine, and common criticisms.

Who should attend?

This event is designed for Latter-day Saints, family members, educators, and anyone seeking faithful, well-researched answers to questions about the Church.

Why Attend?

August 2026 FAIR Conference Schedule

Day 1 – Wednesday, August 5, 2026

7:10 PM – Scott Gordon: “The Church Has No Borders”

This presentation explores the global growth of the Church and what it means to belong to a worldwide faith community. It highlights how the restored gospel transcends cultural and geographic boundaries.

Scott Gordon has served as President of FAIR since 2001 and teaches business at Shasta College and BYU Pathway. He has served in many Church callings, including bishop and seminary teacher.

7:40 PM – Anthony Sweat: The Need for a Restoration

This keynote addresses why a restoration of the gospel was necessary and how it fits within God’s ongoing work. It provides doctrinal context for understanding the Restoration in today’s world.

Anthony Sweat is a professor of Church History and Doctrine at BYU and department chair. He is a widely published author and artist focused on Latter-day Saint history and theology.

Day 2 – Thursday, August 6, 2026

9:10 AM – Mark Ashurst-McGee: Joseph Smith and Treasure Digging

This presentation examines historical questions surrounding Joseph Smith and treasure digging, providing context and faithful responses to common criticisms.

Mark Ashurst-McGee is a senior historian in the Church History Department and a leading contributor to the Joseph Smith Papers Project.

9:40 AM – Brian Hales: Joseph Smith: A Reluctant Polygamist

This talk explores the difficult topic of plural marriage, drawing on primary sources to better understand Joseph Smith’s experience and motivations.

Brian Hales is a retired physician and leading scholar on Joseph Smith and plural marriage, with multiple publications on the subject.

10:10 AM – Brett Dowdle: “Here is Brigham”: The Private Character of Brigham Young

This presentation offers a deeper look at Brigham Young’s personal life through his correspondence, revealing insights into his character and leadership.

Brett Dowdle is a historian in the Church History Department and has worked extensively on the Joseph Smith Papers.

10:45 AM – Gerrit Dirkmatt: Joseph Smith’s Miraculous Translation of the Book of Mormon

This session explores the translation of the Book of Mormon and addresses questions about how the process occurred.

Gerrit Dirkmatt is a researcher and speaker on Latter-day Saint scripture and translation.

11:15 AM – John Thompson: Framing the Facsimiles: The Book of Abraham’s Relationship to the Egyptian Vignettes

This presentation examines how Joseph Smith interpreted Egyptian facsimiles and what that reveals about his prophetic role.

John Thompson holds a PhD in Egyptology and researches ancient scripture and temple symbolism.

11:45 AM – John Gee: Book of Abraham Research Since the Pandemic

This talk surveys recent scholarship on the Book of Abraham and addresses ongoing questions surrounding the text.

John Gee is a professor at BYU specializing in Egyptology and ancient scripture, with extensive publications in the field.

1:15 PM – Casey Griffiths: Approaching Hard Questions in Church History and Doctrine

This presentation provides tools for understanding and addressing challenging questions using principles of epistemology and historical method.

Casey Griffiths is a BYU professor and co-host of the Church History Matters podcast.

1:45 PM – Thomas Alexander: The 1844–1847 Succession Crisis

This session explores how Church leadership transitioned after Joseph Smith’s death and the role of the Twelve Apostles.

Thomas Alexander is a renowned historian and professor emeritus of Western American history at BYU.

2:15 PM – Josh Coates: Black Saints and the Priesthood and Temple Restriction

This presentation examines historical context and frameworks for understanding the priesthood restriction.

Josh Coates is Executive Director of the B. H. Roberts Foundation and a former tech CEO.

2:45 PM – Janiece Johnson: Unravelling the Story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre

This session analyzes the complex history of the massacre and how narratives about it have been shaped over time.

Janiece Johnson is a historian specializing in Latter-day Saint history and the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

3:25 PM – Jasmin Rappleye: Sacred, Secret, or “Cultish”? Demystifying the Latter-day Saint Temple

This presentation addresses criticisms of temple worship by placing it in ancient and biblical context.

Jasmin Rappleye is a content creator and scholar focused on explaining Latter-day Saint beliefs and history.

3:55 PM – Keith Erekson: Which Sources Should I Trust?

This session teaches practical strategies for evaluating information and navigating misinformation.

Keith Erekson directs historical research and outreach for the Church History Department.

4:25 PM – Ron Rhodes: Understanding the Faith Crisis Industry

This presentation examines organizations critical of the Church and how their messaging shapes faith crises.

Ron Rhodes is the creator of Answering LDS Critics and a contributor to FAIR and Interpreter.

4:55 PM – Robert Stephenson: Representations of the Church in Media

This talk explores how the Church is portrayed in modern media and what trends are emerging.

Robert Stephenson works in the Church Communication Department coordinating with external faith-based organizations.

Day 3 – Friday, August 7, 2026

9:10 AM – Meagan Kohler: Joy in Discipleship vs. Happiness in the Church

This presentation explores the difference between happiness and true discipleship, helping attendees navigate disappointment while remaining rooted in faith.

Meagan Kohler is a writer for Deseret News who focuses on faith and modern culture. She is a convert to the Church and lives in Utah County with her family.

9:40 AM – Walker Wright: Nourishing the Roots: How Temple Recommend Questions Can Reground Faith

This session examines how focusing on core beliefs can strengthen faith and provide stability amid doubt and complexity.

Walker Wright works in academic program leadership and teaches as an adjunct at BYU-Idaho. He writes on economics, religion, and public policy for both academic and popular audiences.

10:10 AM – Wendy Ulrich: When Loved Ones Leave: Maintaining Faith and Relationships

This talk offers compassionate guidance for maintaining both faith and relationships when loved ones step away from the Church.

Wendy Ulrich is a licensed psychologist, former member of the Relief Society General Council, and author of several books on faith and personal growth.

10:45 AM – Matt Roper: Accidental Evidence for the Book of Mormon

This presentation explores how past criticisms of the Book of Mormon can, over time, become evidence supporting its authenticity.

Matt Roper is a researcher and writer for Scripture Central with extensive publications on Latter-day Saint scripture and history.

Paul Fields: Authorship Attribute Analysis of D&C 132

This session uses statistical analysis to examine authorship claims about Doctrine and Covenants 132 and addresses questions about its origin.

Paul Fields is a statistics professor with decades of experience in data analysis and authorship attribution studies.

11:45 AM – Michael R. Ash: Shaken Faith Syndrome

This presentation provides practical tools for navigating faith challenges and responding to criticism with confidence.

Michael R. Ash is a longtime FAIR contributor and author of multiple books addressing faith, doubt, and apologetics.

1:15 PM – Matt Grow: “A Record Shall Be Kept”: The Mission of the Church History Department

This talk explores the role of the Church History Department in preserving and sharing the history of the Church.

Matt Grow is Managing Director of the Church History Department and a general editor of the Joseph Smith Papers and Saints.

1:45 PM – Jennifer Roach Lees: Doctrinal Differences and “Heretical” Teachings

This presentation examines differences between Latter-day Saint beliefs and other Christian traditions and offers strategies for better dialogue.

Jennifer Roach Lees is a licensed therapist with expertise in religious dynamics and interfaith understanding.

2:15 PM – Kendall Buchmiller: What is (and is not) Doctrine

This session explores how doctrine is defined in the Church and how understanding those distinctions can strengthen faith.

Kendall Buchmiller is a religious educator and researcher whose work focuses on theology, psychology, and faith development.

2:45 PM – Jeffrey Thayne: By What Measure? Why the Same Doctrine Looks Different to Different Saints

This presentation teaches how to recognize faulty reasoning and cognitive bias, especially in discussions about faith.

Jeffrey Thayne holds a doctorate in instructional technology and studies the intersection of the gospel and culture.

3:25 PM – Brant Gardner: Can I Trust the Book of Mormon? My Half-Century Quest to Answer that Question

This session reflects on decades of scholarship and research supporting the Book of Mormon as a foundation for faith.

Brant Gardner is an anthropologist and author specializing in Mesoamerican context and Book of Mormon studies.

3:55 PM – Neal Rappleye: A Beginner’s Guide to Book of Mormon Apologetics

This presentation provides a structured introduction to defending the Book of Mormon using modern scholarship and resources.

Neal Rappleye is a researcher and co-host of the Informed Saints podcast, with extensive publications on Book of Mormon studies.

4:25 PM – James Perry: Historical and Contemporary Patterns: European Latter-day Saints, 1837–Present

This talk examines patterns of Church growth in Europe and offers insights into how faith is measured beyond numbers.

James Perry is a Church History Area Manager for Europe North and holds a PhD from Lancaster University.

4:55 PM – Daniel C. Peterson: Why Apologetics? The Case for Defending the Faith

This keynote presentation explores the importance of apologetics and why defending faith remains vital today.

Daniel C. Peterson is president of the Interpreter Foundation and a former BYU professor of Islamic studies and Arabic.

Hold to the…Serpent Wand

Summary

The presentation establishes that in ancient Egypt, serpents held in the hand symbolized divine words and authority, often connected with protective rituals and spoken incantations. These serpent symbols parallel rods and scepters in scripture, representing both protection and judgment.

Through comparisons with biblical and Book of Mormon narratives—such as Moses’ rod, the brazen serpent, Lehi’s rod of iron, and Revelation’s imagery—the speaker argues that serpent symbolism consistently reflects a duality: divine authority versus chaotic opposition. Ultimately, these symbols point to the Messiah, whose authority brings healing, guidance, and victory over evil.

TL;DR

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)

Ancient Egyptian serpent imagery shows that serpents held in the hand symbolized divine words and authority—helping explain scriptural symbols like Moses’ rod, the brazen serpent, and the rod of iron as representations of God’s power overcoming evil.

Introduction

Speaker Introduction

John S. Thompson obtained his BA in ancient eastern studies from BYU and his MA from UC Berkeley and completed a PhD in Egyptology at the University of Pennsylvania, with a dissertation emphasis on the ancient priesthood. He was an employee of the Seminaries and Institutes of Religion for 28 years, most recently as a coordinator and the institute director in the Cambridge, Massachusetts area. John is now very happy to research and write full-time for Scripture Central, a nonprofit organization that focuses on ancient and modern historical and cultural context of the Bible, Book of Mormon, and other Latter-day Saints scripture. He is married to the former Stacy Keller from Orem, Utah, and they have nine children and six grandchildren.

Introduction and Background

In 2010, I gave a presentation at BYU entitled Tree Goddesses and Serpent Wands: Exploring Scriptural Symbols in their ancient Neareastern context. The purpose was to illuminate the trees of life and rod of iron motifs in scripture. Two further presentations and publications have grown out of that initial effort.

Egyptian Tree Goddesses and the Tree of Life

First, building on Dan Peterson and others’ great works on tree goddess motifs in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, I presented and published a paper detailing some iconographic specifics of Egyptian tree goddesses and what we learn from them that help us see finer details in our ancient scriptural stories regarding trees of life.

Serpent as Symbol

And second is this presentation and paper which delves a little deeper into Egyptian artifacts and images where serpents are being grasped and utilized as symbols of divine protection and power. I view this work as complimentary to the excellent work that Andrew Skinner and Neil Rappley have done looking at the ancient neareastern background of serpent imagery to help us understand their symbolic duality representing both good and evil and the fiery and flying nature of serpents depicted in the story of Moses.

Exploring the Connection Between Serpents and Rods

This paper will focus on the deep connection of serpents to rods and divine words in ancient Egypt that will hopefully illuminate some passages of scripture a little more.

Egyptian Language and the “Word of God”

When the ancient Egyptians refer to their own hieroglyphics writing system, they call it zšn mdw nṯr, “the writing of the word of God.” And they call their documents, written in hieroglyphics mḏꜣwt nt mdw nṯr, “the scrolls of the word of God.”

The term mdw nṯr, “the word of God”, is attested from the earliest ages of ancient Egypt. For example, a title appearing in non-royal tombs as early as 2400 BC is ḥr(y)-sštꜣ n mdw-nṯr, “overseer of the secrets of the words of God.”

Rods, Words, and Authority

The term medu, word or utterance, is represented in hieroglyphics by a simple rod or staff. So the equation of word with rod goes way back well before Nephi, Moses, and even Abraham.

The relationship of God’s word to a rod is probably best understood through the symbolism of royal scepters or maces and swords and similar items. Such objects held in the hand were often used in texts and imagery to represent divine or royal authority in words that provide protection or guidance for their subjects and judgment against enemies.

Scriptural Connections

In fact, scriptures explicitly equate rods with scepters or the act of ruling. For example, Isaiah says, “The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers.” (NIV Isaiah 14:5) And Ezekiel likens Israel to a mother tree, saying, “She had strong rods for the scepters of them that bear rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches.” (Ezekiel 19:11)

In the New Testament, God declares in John’s revelation that: “to him who overcomes the world will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron.” (Rev. 2:26-27)

Rods as Standards and Measures

Rods were also used as a standard of measurement, the rule. For example, John uses a rod to measure the temple in Revelation 11. As such, rods were natural symbols for the words of a deity or king, the ruler, because their words were the law, constitution, or standard by which people or nations were measured.

Physical royal cubit rods survive from Egypt’s new kingdom. This one depicted here was given as a gift from King Amenhotep II to a man named Ka, the architect and overseer of works at Deir el-Medina in the 18th dynasty.

Royal Symbolism and Propaganda

The inscription on it includes some royal propaganda celebrating the king as “the perfect god, … the lord of strength … strong and heroic … ruler of Heliopolis … strong bull in every foreign country … who plunders in every foreign county.”

These words connect the king’s ability to rule with a measuring rod.

Prophetic Imagery of Rod and Word

The deep relationship between rods or scepters and royal or divine words can be seen in these old and new testament passages.

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse. He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth. Again, suggesting the “rod” is “words” – as recorded in Isaiah 11.

Micah chapter 6 indicates, “The Lord’s voice crieth unto the city, hear ye the rod.”

And the book of Revelation mentions, “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations. He shall rule them with a rod of iron.” So again, coming out of the mouth.

Serpent Wands as the Word of God

Everything mentioned up to this point merely serves as a background to the main purpose of this presentation, which is to explore serpent-shaped objects from the ancient world that are also held in the hand and also appear to symbolize royal or divine words of authority as protection or judgment.

Not only the counterfeit words and authority of false gods, but the word and authority of God. It is hoped that this will provide deeper insight into the serpent imagery found in the Old Testament, New Testament, and Book of Mormon.

Serpent Artifacts and Ritual Use

Artifacts in the shape of serpents are attested from the Middle Kingdom to the late period of ancient Egypt in the archeological record. They vary in style and material, and some of the objects are likely just decorative. But others, such as these from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, were most likely held in the hand and used as ritual wands.

Robert Rittner studied these objects and noted that although serpent wand artifacts are rare, corresponding depictions of clutched serpents are common and perhaps serve as artistic prototypes for the actual ritual implement.

For example, this upper left scene in the tomb of Tomb of Bebi at El Kab depicts females raising serpent stabs and curved amuletic knives towards a seated couple. One is labeled as ḫnmt.t, meaning nursemaid.

Protective Knives and Spoken Words

Curved amuletic knives like those depicted are attested in the archeological record. They are carved from the tusks of hippopotami. And frequently, having images of serpent-wielding deity – primarily the dwarf god Bes, or Beset (the feminine version) – among others upon them.

Some also have texts written on them that reveal the purpose of these curved knives and their associated serpent wands. They were used to provide protection for a child. One states:

“Words spoken by many protective deities. We have come that we may extend our protection around the healthy child, Minhotep, living, prospering, and healthy. Born of the Lady Sitsobek, prospering, and healthy.”

Serpents, Deities, and Healing Implements

A Middle Kingdom tomb excavated at the Ramesseum in Thebes, contained a box of papyri that included some healing incantations. On the lid of the box is a figure of a jackal reclining on a chest, a graphic substitution for the title r(y)-sšt, “overseer of secrets,” recalling the title “overseer of secrets of the word of God” mentioned earlier.

Along with the box were some curved amuletic knives depicting the god Bes and goddess Beset grasping serpents, and the detail of that is on the left in this image. Also there was a bronze statueette of the goddess Beset holding serpents in each hand, shown in the center here, and a bronze object of a serpent, shown on the right, among other objects.

Scholars who have analyzed this collection have suggested that the healing incantations in the box and the depictions of the serpent grasping deities on the left and the middle, help clarify the use of the artifact on the right. It is a wand held in the hand and used for apotropaic purposes, likely when the protective spells were being spoken.

Horus, Magic, and Spoken Protection

Horus on the crocodile cippi, attested from the new kingdom to later periods, depict the god Horus as a child brandishing serpents while standing on crocodiles. These objects are accompanied with hieroglyphics framed as speeches and spells by Isis and Thoth to ward off evil and to heal the child Horus, the divine counterpart of the king himself.

The work of these gods protecting the child king on a cosmic/mythological level provides impetus for the layman to drink the waters that were poured over these objects and receive similar protection and healing in their personal lives.

This is similar to what we saw earlier where the spells associated with the curved amuletic knives and the serpent wands contain the words of a god for protecting a child. And again we have Horus as a child depicted here.

Isis, Speech, and Power Over Serpents

A further connection is that the objects mentioned earlier preserve images of Bess or Bessette wielding snakes. And these objects here—the cippi—depict Bess’s face directly above Horus at the top as you see there—as Horus wields serpents in his hand.

One of the texts reads, quote, “Words spoken by Isis, the great mother of God, mistress of magic. She seals the mouth of all reptiles which bite with their mouths and sting with their tails.” End quote.

So, the words from the goddess’s mouth stops the mouths of the serpents and other dangerous animals. In the same corpus, Isis describes her efficacy as quote powerful speech and chosen words end quote when countering the venom and disease that the serpents embody.

Divine Power Over Chaos

The child king treading on dangerous animals provides a cultural context for the psalmist and Jesus who stated, “Thou shalt tread upon the lion and add the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.” That’s from Psalms 91.

And then Jesus speaking to his disciples or to the seventy said, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Jesus’s words are similar to the coffin text 85, which states, “The snake is in my hand and cannot bite me or nothing shiny any means hurt you.” Right?

It appears that when dangerous animals are beneath the feet, they are symbolic declarations of divine rule or power over forces of chaos and danger as the psalmist and Jesus’s text seems to imply. However, I think there is an ancient cultural distinction between those dangerous animals under the feet versus those that are held in the hand—as will be clarified momentarily.

Words of Power and the Image of Bess

Two common features of the handheld serpents mentioned previously are one, they are accompanied by words of power spoken by deity, and two, Bess or Besset is often presented in some way.

A classic iconographic feature of Bess that you can see on the left here is that he is often depicted with his tongue sticking out of his mouth as depicted here. While such action is usually interpreted by scholars as an apotropeic grimace—in other words, driving away evil by distorting the face and sticking out the tongue—no text actually states that this is the reason.

The ancient Egyptians understood the tongue to be the organ of speech. So it is just as valid to interpret the tongue sticking out as representing words of power coming out of the mouth of the god for repelling evil.

And by the way, he—Bess here in this depiction—is holding this, the child Horus, in his hands. So he’s again protecting Horus like we had in the cippi earlier.

Protective Serpents and the Mouth

In later years, artifacts of the dwarf Paychus (which is the image on the right) stands on crocodiles at the bottom, with serpents in his hands and also serpents coming out of his mouth, replacing the horse on the crocodile image that we saw earlier. And these are also protective.

That serpents, not a tongue, comes out of the mouth, heightens the association of serpents with words, akin to rods or swords coming out of the mouth for smiting the earth.

As mentioned earlier, it is also possible that Pataikos isn’t hosting benevolent serpents in his mouth, but is biting or swallowing malevolent serpents with his mouth. But this interpretation would also relate to divine words or authority as discussed later.

Weret Heeka and the Serpent as Spell Power

The relationship of words of power to serpents is probably illustrated best by the iconography of the goddess Weret-hekau who was often depicted as a cobra and whose name means literally great of magic or great of spells.

Weret-hekau is linked to the serpentine Uraeus in coronation regalia that you see on the left. The snake objects held in the hand reviewed so far likely represent her.

In other words, the royal serpent emblem is the symbolic embodiment of spell power or in other words, words. Indeed, the personification of Hekah, “magic itself”, is a god typically holding two or four serpents across the chest as seen on the right.

Grasping Serpents as Divine Authority

While it is a little easier to understand why a rod, a mace, or a sword can be used as a symbol of royal or divine justice or authority—thus God’s word—it is a little more difficult to understand why holding a snake could also be representative of divine words of power and authority.

Britner suggests based on Coffin text spell 885, which we mentioned earlier, that by grasping a serpent or other threatening animal, “the deity or his priestly representative exerts mastery over the animals and the power they embody rendering them harmless to the holder but dangerous weapons against enimical forces”.

In other words, grasping serpents is not just demonstrating divine power and authority over dangerous beings. It suggests that the dangerous beasts can be used in the service of the divine to overthrow forces of chaos or evil.

In other words, grasping them makes them benevolent and then they could be used against malevolent serpents or other kinds of symbols of chaos.

**The Was-Scepter and the Benevolent Serpent**

One of the most formal icons representing divine authority in ancient Egypt is the was-scepter. Sometimes the was-scepter can be depicted serpentine-shaped like the one on the left or wrapped with a serpent as appears on the right.

The fork at the bottom of the scepter has the functional purpose of pinning a malevolent serpent’s head in order to kill it as depicted in the Egyptian book of gates and noted by scholars.

Hence, the serpent around the scepter held in the hand is the god’s word or authority as benevolent serpent.

It is used to attack the malevolent serpent underfoot on the ground representing chaos or evil or death and attacked again by that forked part of the bottom of the scepter.

Moses, Serpents, and Divine Authority

With all that as a background then, the scriptures are full of God’s word or authority as benevolent serpent fighting against a false word or authority as malevolent serpent.

The very first sign God gives to Moses of his authority is to cause his rod to turn into a serpent and then back into a rod again when Moses grasps the serpent’s tail.

This, of course, was provided to Moses as a foreshadow and a preparation for the classic duel between Moses and the Egyptian priests later, each with rods turning into serpents as depicted in Exodus chapter 7.

Moses’s serpent however swallows the serpents of the Egyptian priests and then becomes a rod again. So again the mouth becomes central to the story—swallowing—and we’ll come back to that in the context of the ancient culture just outlined.

This story becomes a perfect symbol of God’s word or authority bettering the false words or authority of the priest.

If Pataikos is swallowing a malevolent serpent in the earlier image, he may represent the supreme power of the mouth or words of God over serpents of chaos. So if the serpent coming out of his mouth is representing the divine word, then it’s a benevolent serpent.

But if you want to interpret him as biting or killing or swallowing a serpent, that also works in the symbolism of the cultures. So, it just depends on how you want to interpret that.

Modern Echoes and Symbolic Parallels

I guess a modern fictional echo of Moses and the magicians is when Draco Malfoy, right, from House Slytherin, duels with Harry Potter, the boy who speaks snake or parcel tongue, and they duel with their wands.

And Draco’s wand produces a serpent from its tip.

Also you can think of Harry dueling with his wand against Voldemort, the snake-like enemy, with his wand.

Likewise, the brazen serpent held in the hand on a staff overcomes the venom of the fiery flying serpents on the ground underfoot.

Nephi, Moroni, and the Serpent Symbolism

Nephi in the Book of Mormon understands the cultural context of serpents and declares that the fiery serpents were God’s effort to “straighten the children of Israel in the wilderness with his rod”.

Note the benevolence of the serpent held up versus the malevolent serpents on the ground.

Similar cultural distinctions may inform Captain Moroni’s distinction of placing a piece of his coat up on a pole versus the remainder of their coats which were cast down and trodden underfoot.

In other words, which remnant will they be? Which will they be the coat on the pole or will they be the coat on the ground?

Echoing Moses’s serpent on the pole versus the serpents on the ground.

Divine Authority vs. False Authority

Both of the Mosaic stories just mentioned are symbolic depictions of the authority or word of God as benevolent serpents versus the counterfeit forces of chaos as malevolent serpents.

The message is clear.

God’s divine authority which heals and gives life is greater than the false authority of the world which leads to sickness and death.

God’s serpent wand of Moses swallowing the Egyptians serpent wands prefigures Revelation 12’s depiction of the great serpent who seeks to swallow the child—and interestingly the child is holding a rod in his hand.

Revelation and the Child with the Rod

That detail doesn’t make it into a lot of the art as even the art we see here.

But the rod in the hand of the child is important because it is opposing the serpent who is trying to devour the child.

That the object of the serpent’s intended harm is a child holding a rod echoes the need for protecting the royal child Horus holding serpents in the cippi shown earlier.

The serpent in Revelation persecutes the child’s mother, the woman with 12 stars on her head, and she flees into the wilderness.

Words from the Mouth: Flood and Counter-Flood

The serpent sends a flood of water out of its mouth, suggesting a flood of false words to prevent the woman from ever coming back.

But interestingly, John records that the earth opened her mouth and swallows the dragon’s flood that came out of its mouth to help the woman return.

The Book of Mormon, I believe, fulfills the imagery of this revelation perfectly.

For it is God’s word, that literally came from a hole in the ground, the mouth of the earth, the voice from the dust, and it was prepared for the purpose of swallowing the false words of the dragon that flooded the earth.

As the church was in the wilderness, the serpent in the Garden of Eden speaks words that tempt Adam and Eve towards the tree of death.

Eden, Lehi’s Vision, and the Rod of Iron

This serpent and its words are in symbolic opposition to the flaming sword which is God’s word and which keeps the way to the tree of life.

The parallel in Lehi’s vision are the mist of darkness which is the temptations and they are in symbolic opposition to the rod of iron which is God’s word which may also be flaming depending on how you read First Nephi 15.

That Lehi and Nephi speak of mist of darkness in opposition to the rod of iron when we would expect a false rod or a false serpent based on the cultural context we’ve been exploring—I think is interesting though because in the ancient world, mists of darkness are often associated with the great cosmic serpent of chaos.

Apep and the Serpent of Chaos

For example, Apep or Apophis in the Egyptian tradition is a serpent of chaos and he tries to devour the sun god Ra each night in the underworld.

He is often depicted emerging from darkness or from storm clouds attempting to plunge the cosmos into eternal night.

Texts speak of “the storm of Apep or the demon of darkness”.

Another mentions “Apep, the foe of Ra, is felled in storm by the shining of Ra. Apep is felled in very truth.”

Ritual Destruction of Chaos

And then it kind of seems to imply some kind of a execration ritual – they’re taking some image of Apep and they’re going to destroy it in some way.

It mentions he is to be burned in a fire and his remains placed in a pot of urine and pounded up into one mass.

Thou shalt place Apep on the fire, spitting on him and trampling on him with thy left foot.

So again the serpent under the foot it’s being tread upon – like Horus upon the crocodiles.

Apep, Storms, and Ritual Power

So Apep is being underfoot.

Thou shalt do accordingly when storm brews in the east of the sky and when Ra sets in the west in order to prevent the storm red from growing in the east of the sky. Thou shalt do accordingly very often in order to prevent thunderstorms from growing in the sky.

Thou shalt do this very often against storm, so that the sun may shine, and Apep be felled in very truth.

It will be well with who so does it upon earth, and it will be well with him in the realm of the dead.

Strength shall be given to that man to attain the office of his superior, and it will be his salvation from all evil and harmful things in very truth.”

So these texts in essence describe Apep again in connection with storm clouds and mist of darkness.

As a matter of fact, Wallace Budge, an Egyptologist many decades ago in England spoke of Apep as “the serpent devil of mist, darkness, storm, and night”.

Serpent of Darkness and False Authority

In light of the cultural context outlined herein, the serpent in the Garden of Eden and the cosmic serpent’s mist of darkness in Lehi and Nephi’s visions are symbols of the counterfeit words, the false authority or rods like those of the magicians that tempt and blind people leading them astray.

They are in opposition to the flaming sword and rod of iron representing the true word and authority of God that guides us to life and salvation at the tree.

Crushing the Serpent

One last point, the serpent in the garden of Eden is cursed to crawl upon his belly and eat dust and to have his head crushed.

But the tool for crushing the head is not mentioned.

However, smiting scenes in ancient Egypt portray the king using a rod or a mace to crush the head of the enemy who is interestingly depicted in a gesture of crawling like a serpent, one knee back, the other forward.

This image occurs from the earliest days of Egyptian history such as on this pre-dynastic pallet of Narmer.

Crawling, Dust, and Curse Imagery

The tomb of Menkheperreseneb at Thebes depicts foreign nations appearing before the king.

The first nation on the left is depicted crawling upon his belly. Note the crawling position of the legs—one forward tucked under the body, the other one extended back like we saw in the previous depiction.

With his face to the ground towards the dust before the pharaoh.

While it may appear that the nation is merely paying respect to the king, crawling and licking or eating dust has curse imagery linked to it as seen in scriptural passages such as Isaiah 49:23 wherein the foreign nations or kings and queens lick the dust of Israel’s feet.

That they are to be seen as a cursed people who go upon their bellies and ultimately will be crushed notwithstanding their furthering the work as nursing mothers etc. is clarified in the Book of Mormon wherein Jacob interprets this very chapter and verse of Isaiah and tells us that “they (the Gentiles) that fight against Zion and the covenant people of the Lord shall lick up the dust of their feet unto their destruction.”

Of course, any of these gentile helpers who repent and make the covenant will be saved, being made into Israel.

Serpents, Dust, and Symbolism

As an aside, snakes literally do lick or eat dust as they crawl as a form of perceiving their environment. So the curse of God, as written in the scriptures, is poetically framed within the observable behavior of serpents.

From a New Kingdom temple – the king’s rod is poised to crush the heads of foreign enemies whose legs again are in a crawling posture.

Final Synthesis: Rod, Serpent, and Messiah

The point of these examples is to demonstrate once again the king’s rod held in the hand is in opposition to the serpent-like figure crawling at the foot and echoes the crawling serpent whose head is to be crushed in the opening chapters of the Bible.

God’s word and authority prevails over that of Lucifer’s false word and authorities in the world.

I hope it is clear that the use of serpents in the hand to represent divine authority and words in the ancient world parallels the long tradition of rods, maces, and swords being utilized as divine authority and words—objects again held in the hand.

Rods and swords in the hand can smite an enemy and protect or guide a friend.

So likewise, a venomous serpent in the hand, controlled by and thus representative of divine power, can oppose the forces of chaos, also represented by a serpent or dragon.

Or these venomous serpents can protect, heal and guide as a symbol of the royal or divine word.

Conclusion and Testimony

Consequently, all these symbols ultimately become emblematic of the anointed king or messiah in scripture sent to deliver his people.

It is his scepter, whether sword, rod, or serpent, that can fully protect, heal, guide, and vanquish every foe.

By extension, he is the serpent scepter held in the hand of his father and lifted up, that he might draw all men unto him to be healed.

And because of his virtue and his charity, his dominion flows unto him without compulsory means forever and ever.

And that is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Search topics

ancient Egyptian serpent symbolism; serpent wands; was scepter; medu neter word of God; Egyptian magic heka; Bess and Beset iconography; Horus cippi; apotropaic rituals; coffin texts serpents; Weret Heka cobra symbolism; rods and scepters symbolism; Moses rod serpent Exodus 7; brazen serpent Numbers 21; rod of iron 1 Nephi 8; Revelation 12 child rod serpent; Apep chaos serpent Egyptian; smiting scenes Egypt rod mace; serpent underfoot symbolism; divine speech ancient Egypt CES Letter serpent symbolism; Mormon symbolism criticism; Book of Mormon symbolism debate; LDS scripture symbolism questions; biblical symbolism interpretation critiques; Egyptian parallels criticism LDS; rod of iron interpretation debates; brazen serpent meaning controversy; Revelation 12 interpretation LDS; apologetics serpent imagery

Tad Callister Interview – A Case For The Book of Mormon

June 7, 2019 by NickGalieti

Podcast: Download (22.4MB)

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[A review of the book can be found here.]

Tad R. Callister is author of the book “A Case For The Book of Mormon. Tad Callister received a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Brigham Young University, a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California–Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in tax law from New York University Law School. He spent most of his professional career practicing tax law. He and his wife Kathryn Saporiti are the parents of six children.

Brother Callister was serving in the Presidency of the Seventy and as a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy when he was called as the 21st Sunday School general president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has served in a number of Church callings including full-time missionary in the Eastern Atlantic States Mission, bishop, stake president, regional representative, mission president, and Area Seventy.

Brother Callister was released as Sunday School General President in the April 2019 General Conference where he gave his 6th and possibly last General Conference talk. 1/3 of his General Conference talks were about our subject on this podcast episode, The Book of Mormon. He is the author of the book “A Case For The Book of Mormon”, published by Deseret Book. He is scheduled to speak at the 2019 FairMormon Conference in August. This Podcast Episode is published from the Latter-day Saint MissionCast podcast with Nick Galieti.

The Book of Mormon as a Second Witness to the Divinity of Jesus Christ

December 11, 2016 by FAIR Staff

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“To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins”. Acts 10:43 King James Version (KJV)

In this FairMormon Christmas Podcast, Neal Rappleye discusses the Book of Mormon as a second witness to the birth, atonement, and death of Jesus Christ –with an emphasis on the Christmas story. We begin with the Biblical witness of Christ, and then discuss prophets in the Book of Mormon who testify further of Christ’s mission: Nephi, King Benjamin, Alma, Samuel the Lamanite, and Nephi: descendant of Alma.

Music by Paul Cardall

Neal Rappleye has been doing ongoing research on the Book of Mormon for several years. His work has been published by Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture, FairMormon, the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum, LDS.net, and Meridian Magazine. He presented at the 2014 and 2016 Book of Mormon Lands Conferences, and is the co-recipient of the 2013 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award from FairMormon. As a Research Project Manager for Book of Mormon Central, Neal selects, writes, and reviews content for KnoWhys, and oversees the production of the accompanying social media products. As Operations Manager, Neal oversees the daily tasks and operations of the Book of Mormon Central staff. Neal maintains a personal blog, Studio et Quoque Fide (By Study and Also By Faith), http://www.studioetquoquefide.com/.

Julianne Dehlin Hatton has worked as a News Director at an NPR affiliate, Broadcast News Anchor and Airborne Traffic Reporter. She graduated with a Master’s degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in 2008. Julianne and her husband Thomas are the parents of four children.

“Bring Forth Fruit with Patience”: Lessons on Faith and Patience from the Book of Mormon Archaeology

April 30, 2016 by Neal Rappleye

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:3).

“But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).

We don’t typically think of patience as a gospel principle, even though it is mentioned 66 times in the Standard Works. Patience is a virtue, yes, but you are more likely to hear that old adage than a scripture reference when being told you’ll just have to wait for something you want right now. Yet, despite this, the fact is patience is a necessary component to faith.

The relationship of patience and faith can be illustrated well with the Book of Mormon and archaeology. Critics love to claim that there is no archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon, and produce lists of plants, animals, and material culture items which are thought to be absent from ancient America to make their point. The pitfalls of negative evidence, however, are quickly apparent if we are we willing to step back and look at some examples.

Let’s start with barley. Barley is mentioned several times in the Book of Mormon, and was long considered an anachronism in the text. In 1983, however, domesticated barely was found in Arizona dating back to AD 900. When apologists first pointed this out, critics were slow to cede ground and nit-picked that this still was not old enough for Book of Mormon times.

Subsequent evidence has demonstrated that in native American “little barley” was cultivated as early as 800 BC, and in widespread use from 200 BC through AD 1000. Geographically, it is known in predominantly in the eastern United States, but archaeological findings also show it was cultivated in the southwest and Mexico. As Book of Mormon Central recently pointed out:

Over time, more and more evidence for domestication of little barley in the Americas has emerged over an increasingly wider span of both time and geography. Little barley may have diffused to other regions of the Americas which were known to trade with the southwest and eastern United States, including the exchange of crops. In any case, evidence demonstrates that in at least some parts of the Americas, a type of barley was a highly important crop during Book of Mormon times.

Some will still nit-pick and claim that the Book of Mormon requires old world barley, but unless one insists on a narrow interpretation of the text, that simply is not true. Barley no longer poses serious problems for the Book of Mormon, and that’s the weakness of negative evidence: a single discovery can change the picture. Book of Mormon Central gets it exactly right when they say “discoveries like little barley illustrate the wisdom in keeping an open mind and avoiding hasty judgments while considering and exploring what the Book of Mormon says about Nephite life.”

1983 was 153 years after the Book of Mormon was published, and all that time critics took advantage of the absence of barley; and right up until 1982, the absence of barely might have seemed pretty damning for the Book of Mormon. The value of patience here is clear.

The lesson learned from barely can be extended to other examples of common and long thought anachronisms. Consider wine, for instance. It is important to note that even in today’s vernacular, wine can refer to more than just fermented grape juice. Just google “apple wine,” “banana wine,” “pineapple wine,” and even “dandelion wine” to see my point. These kinds of “wines” were certainly known in pre-Columbian America. Book of Mormon Central explained: “Alcoholic beverages were made from a variety of fruits in the Americas before Columbus. These include bananas, pineapple, and agave, among others.” There were also native grapes, with some indication that it was used for wine-making.

Yet for the purposes of this post in illustrating the value of patience, I would like to highlight something else Book of Mormon Central mentioned: “There is also some evidence that the Old World grape was known and used for winemaking at one site in Chiapas, Mexico dating to between the first centuries BC and AD.” The evidence cited comes from a master’s thesis on an archaeological site in Chiapas (the region some geographers consider the land of Zarahemla) from 1978. It is less abundant, less widespread, and less well known than that of barley, but it is interesting nonetheless, and it follows the Book of Mormon by 148 years. Score one more for patience.

These kinds of examples are important to be aware of and keep in mind when dealing with some puzzles which are not so easily solved, like the horse. As Book of Mormon Central points out, there are certainly different possibilities, like loan-shifting and translator anachronisms that we ought to be open-minded about, but they are also keen to point out patience here as well. They note that there is some promising, yet inconclusive, evidence for horses in the Americas during Book of Mormon times. They then note, “it is best to be patient with the archaeological record. There is still much work to be done, and lots to be learned about life in pre-Columbian America.” Continuing on, they stress:

The vast majority of Mesoamerican ruins remain untouched underneath thick jungle growth, and other areas in the Americas have received even less attention. Also, the preservation of animal bones is very poor in the humid jungles of Mesoamerica. … Still, several items mentioned in the Book of Mormon once considered anachronistic have since been verified. This is why John E. Clark, a Latter-day Saint and prominent Mesoamerican archaeologist, declared: “the Book of Mormon looks better with age.” Such findings should urge caution against making final judgments based on absence of evidence.

Barley, and perhaps even wine, (to say nothing of Old World examples like Egyptian writing in Palestine, once thought to be an anachronism) illustrate this very point.

Other lines of evidence further encourage patience among believers. Little, if anything, was known about the ancient Mesoamerican practice of carving the history and achievements of kings on “large stones” in 1830, but now the scholarly understandings of such things converge nicely with the description in Omni 1:20–22. Or the way social stratification and polygamy functioned together in the middle pre-Classic (ca. 800–400 BC), providing a fitting context for Jacob’s sermon in Jacob 2–3. Or the lineage histories of various Mesoamerican cultures, which fit the Book of Mormon in both form and function. Or tumbaga and how the “golden” plates are consistent with this alloy. Or the way the conceptual purposes of Mesoamerican bloodletting are tied into the “atoning blood of Christ” and blended well with ancient Israelite understandings of blood sacrifice.

All of this does not even touch the Old World connections, generally seen as more abundant and persuasive. Things like the detailed understanding of ancient olive cultivation found in Jacob 5; the ancient legal practice of duplicating or abridging documents and then sealing a portion, just as the Book of Mormon plates were abridged and sealed; ancient Israelite festival and coronation tie-ins to Benjamin’s speech; the extensive use of poetic parallelisms common to Hebrew writing; the practice of subscriptio, which appears twice in the Book of Mormon; Sherem’s and Abinadi’s trials in light of ancient Israelite law; and on and on I could go. I’ve yet to mention the Nahom altars, which some critics act like is the only thing Mormon apologists ever talk about.

While there are certainly still lists of puzzling features that invite further thought and research, many things now known about both the ancient Near East and pre-Columbian Mesoamerica shed light and insight on the Book of Mormon. Why not focus on what evidence we do have rather than pine for the evidence that is missing? Few who jump on the Internet today are aware that the list of anachronisms is getting shorter. As John Clark said, the Book of Mormon truly does look better with age. This trend certainly endorses patience while grappling with persistent puzzles. Such patience has yielded abundant fruit over the last 186 years, and will likely to continue to yield even more.

Neal Rappleye is a Research Project Manager for Book of Mormon Central. He blogs on Latter-day Saint topics at http://www.studioetquoquefide.com/

“I Glory in my Jesus”: How Nephi Helps Us Grow Closer to the Savior

March 27, 2016 by Neal Rappleye

Today, Christians around the world celebrate the single greatest event in world history. The Son of God, the Great Creator of Heaven and Earth, condescended below all things, suffered for our sins, died on our behalf, and then three days later, He rose from the grave, giving life and hope to us all: He lives, and because of Him, we all shall live. Nothing can be said to inspire greater hope than those immortal words: “He is not here: for he is risen” (Matthew 28:6).

Like many others, I fear my own words are woefully inadequate to articulate my deepest feelings toward my Savior and Redeemer. Nephi, too, felt that his words were inadequate (2 Nephi 33:1), and yet few testimonies stir my soul greater than his powerful declaration toward the close of his record: “I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell” (2 Nephi 33:6).

Book of Mormon Central recently highlighted Nephi’s farewell testimony of Christ.

“Nephi’s account is brimming with the significance of Jesus Christ and his mission, affirmed through prophetic testimony, parental teaching, scriptural witnesses, and profound spiritual experiences.” Accordingly, Nephi “gives sincere followers of Christ everywhere a model of spiritual behavior to follow in seeking to gain, build, or strengthen their own relationships with Jesus Christ.”

Nephi’s knowledge of the Savior came in at least four different ways:

(1) Prophetic testimony;

(2) Parental teaching;

(3) Scriptural witnesses; and

(4) Personal spiritual experiences.

Let’s explore each of these in Nephi’s record and consider what we learn about the Savior in each instance.

Prophetic Testimony

The life and mission of Christ was understood by many prophets, many hundreds of years before His coming. While some scholarship is just starting to recognize an awareness of a divine Son-Redeemer figure in ancient Israelite theology, the Book of Mormon has long affirmed that pre-Christian prophets bore witness of the Savior.

Nephi records both Lehi and Jacob bearing prophetic witness of the Messiah. To the people of Jerusalem, Lehi had prophesied “plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world” (1 Nephi 1:19). As a prophet, Lehi had witnessed in vivid detail several events in the Savior’s life (see 1 Nephi 10:4–12). To the people of Nephi, Jacob taught the plan of salvation and the central role of the Atonement in that plan. He revealed the name of Christ to the people, and taught by revelation about the Savior’s mission.

Just as God had prophets teaching of Christ in the ancient cities of Nephi and Jerusalem, so there are prophets today who bear witness of Jesus Christ. Next week, we will gather together as Latter-day Saints throughout the world to hear them bear their special witness. Let’s follow the example of Nephi and cherish and learn from their testimonies.

Parental Teaching

Lehi, of course, was not only the prophet at the time, but he was Nephi’s father. He was acting in his paternal role when he gather this family together and taught them about how, due to the effects of the Fall, all must come unto the Messiah with a broken heart and contrite spirit. In the wake of his father’s passing, Nephi lamented over his personal shortcomings, but also affirmed his dependence of the Savior: “O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever” (2 Nephi 4:34). Lehi and Sariah, faithfully taking their family in the wilderness upon the Lord’s command, are the ones who modeled that trust in the Lord for Nephi to learn.

Just like Lehi and Sariah, parents today have a personal responsibility to teach their children about Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Less often talked about, but equally important, children today have the responsibility to learn from their parents. May we all, in our roles either as parents or children (or, for many, both) teach and learn and better come to know the Savior within the family setting.

Scriptural Witnesses

There can be little question that Nephi was a diligent student of the scriptures. He risked life and limb to recover a copy of scriptural works from Laban in Jerusalem, and his entire record is laced with quotations of scripture. He draws on the writings of several prophets to describe Christ’s atoning death (1 Nephi 19:10–12). Nephi used Psalm 24 to teach about what must be done to come into the presence of Christ and to recognize Him as the Messiah.

Of course, everyone is familiar with Nephi’s extensive use of Isaiah. Nephi explicitly used Isaiah as a witness of Christ. In Isaiah’s writings, Nephi could discern prophetic descriptions of the Savior’s birth, divine titles, and ministry, and rejection by the people. A sweeping vision of the Redeemer’s mortal life and ultimate redeeming work guided Nephi’s selection and interpretation of Isaiah.

Just as Nephi and Isaiah’s words work together to bear witness of the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ, so do the entire Bible and Book of Mormon work together. Latter-day Saints are blessed today with the testimony of two nations that Jesus is the Christ, rather than just one. Like Nephi did with the brass plates, we can draw closer to the Lord and Savior as we read and ponder the teachings of Christ found in the scriptures we have.

Personal Spiritual Experiences

Nephi had his own sacred experiences that taught him about the importance of the Savior. While pondering on Lehi’s vision of a tree, Nephi received his own revelation wherein he learned the meaning of the tree and its connection to the birth of Jesus Christ. The vision also taught Nephi firsthand about the life, baptism, and death of the Son of God (see 1 Nephi 11). Later in life, as Nephi reflected on the Savior’s baptism, he came a greater understanding of why Jesus was baptized, and conversed with the Father and the Son about the doctrine of Christ.

Such personal spiritual experiences, which all of God’s children are entitled to, are more important than the witness of parents and prophets. But as Nephi’s experience teaches us, it is the teachings of prophets, parents, and scripture that serve as the springboard to personal testimony. Diligent study and application of the scriptures, teachings of modern prophets, and parental council often will generate spiritual experiences to cherish and use as building blocks to personal testimony.

The temple also plays an important role in providing a sacred space where these kinds of experiences can be had. The high mountain Nephi is carried to in 1 Nephi 11 is representative of the temple. After arriving in the New World, Nephi has his people build a temple shortly before he begins writing his account.

Coming into the Presence of the Lord

Although we are using Nephi as an example, we should keep in mind that ultimately, this is not about Nephi. It is about Jesus Christ and coming closer to Him. Nephi’s entire account is ultimately about guiding the reader into the presence of Christ. When Nephi talks about “speak[ing] with the tongue of angels,” Book of Mormon Central has proposed that, “Ultimately Nephi [is] invit[ing] all his readers to find the way to enter into the presence of the Lord and to participate in the divine council as one of the ‘angels.’”

Nephi drew on all the variety of sources—his father’s prophetic call, Isaiah’s scriptural writings, and his own personal revelation on a high mountain top—in order to ultimately drive this point home; and the way to get there is through the temple.

This Easter, as you reflect on what the Savior has done for you and consider how you can draw closer to Him, remember the example set by Nephi, and join with him. Just as he does, glory in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, who has saved your soul from death and hell!

Neal Rappleye is a Research Project Manager for Book of Mormon Central. He blogs on Latter-day Saint topics at http://www.studioetquoquefide.com/

Nephi and Isaiah: Some Suggestions for Study

March 13, 2016 by Neal Rappleye

We have all experienced it. Newly committed to the read through the Book of Mormon, we eagerly start with the familiar words, “I, Nephi, having been born …,” and the reading seems to be going well. And then they come. The dreaded “Isaiah chapters.” These chapters are dense, difficult, and demanding.

You are tempted to just skip over them, but they wouldn’t be there if they weren’t important, right? Nephi “delights” in Isaiah’s words (2 Nephi 11:2), and the Savior himself declares them “great” (3 Nephi 23:1), but for you they are more like “great and dreadful.” How can you get more out of the Isaiah chapters?

Book of Mormon Central has been churning out KnoWhys—short insights into some detail in the Book of Mormon—at an astonishingly rapid rate, and the for the last few weeks they have zeroed in on the Isaiah chapters. With more than a dozen KnoWhys on Nephi and Isaiah, these provide a diverse set of tools to aid in your personal study. The Isaiah KnoWhys from Book of Mormon Central generally take four different approaches to the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi, each of which can provide a framework for further individual study of Isaiah.

Likening Isaiah

One approach Nephi uses is likening. Book of Mormon Central offers several insights into what Nephi might have meant by this. For example, when Nephi first quotes from Isaiah in 1 Nephi 20–21, he says that he “did liken all scriptures unto” his family (1 Nephi 19:23). But have you ever thought about how he likened them? What connections did he see between Isaiah 48–49 and his family’s experience? Book of Mormon Central suggests several possibilities, but they are far from exhaustive. Perhaps the next time you study these chapters you could ponder how Nephi saw his own experiences within those chapters.

Nephi also promised to “liken” Isaiah 2–14 Isaiah to his people (2 Nephi 11:2). So how did Nephi apply these parts of Isaiah to his followers and their situation? Book of Mormon Central offers a couple of examples. Perhaps he understood the temple they had just built to be “the house of the Lord,” prophesied of in Isaiah 2, just as modern prophets apply it to the Salt Lake temple today. Likewise, Nephi could have easily seen native peoples that the Lehites had interacted with as fulfilling several of the Gentiles’ roles in Isaiah’s writings. What are some other ways these chapters in Isaiah could be applied to Nephi’s people in the New World?

The Nephite Prophetic View

To get ready for studying Isaiah 2–14 in 2 Nephi 12–24, Book of Mormon Central introduced a 4-stage framework based on Nephi’s vision in 1 Nephi 11–14:

Stage 1: Christ’s coming (1 Nephi 11);
Stage 2: his rejection and the scattering of the Jews (1 Nephi 12);
Stage 3: the day of the Gentiles (1 Nephi 13); and
Stage 4: the restoration of Israel and the ultimate victory of good over evil (1 Nephi 14).

This same framework can be applied to other places where Nephi uses Isaiah, like 1 Nephi 19–22, 2 Nephi 6–10, and Nephi’s interpretations in 2 Nephi 25–30. This can prove a useful lens through which to read these Isaiah chapters, looking for each of these stages in Isaiah 2–14.

To make it more interesting, though, you can not only look for these themes, but also compare Isaiah’s words with Nephi’s in 1 Nephi 11–14. Book of Mormon Central, for example, compares Nephi’s vision in 1 Nephi 11 with Isaiah’s prophecies quoted in 2 Nephi 12–24, and get illuminating results. They also explored ways each of the other three stages are manifest in Isaiah’s writings and how they compare with Nephi’s own prophetic visions.

In each instance, Book of Mormon Central is only just scratching the surface. There is a lot more to explore for each of these stages. The “Nephite Prophetic View” can thus be employed productively by anybody seeking to get more out of these Isaiah chapters. And with each one, it starts to become clear that Nephi deeply identified with Isaiah. No wonder Nephi went to pains to include Isaiah as one of his three witnesses of the Messiah. In marvelous poetic fashion, Isaiah described many of the same things Nephi had witnessed in vision. How could Isaiah not resonate with Nephi?

Nephi’s Keys

Another approach to these chapters is to consider the “keys” Nephi offers in 2 Nephi 25. Once again, Book of Mormon Central helpfully outlines this lens of study:

Understand the “manner of prophesying among the Jews” (v. 1)
Do not do “works of darkness” or “doings of abominations” (v. 2)
Be filled with the spirit of prophecy (v. 4)
Be familiar with the regions around Jerusalem (v. 6)
Live during the days that the prophecies of Isaiah are fulfilled (v. 7)

As an example of how this can enhance our study of Isaiah, Book of Mormon Central applies key 1 to a phrase found through Isaiah 2–14—“for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still”—to show how understanding ancient Israelite thought changes how we read this passage. What other insights await us if apply Nephi’s keys while reading Isaiah?

Latter-day Application

Finally, Nephi invites his latter-day readers to “liken” the scriptures themselves as well (2 Nephi 11:8). Nephi himself provides some Latter-day applications. He likens Isaiah 49 to the latter-day (1 Nephi 22:6–14), for instance, and Book of Mormon Central argues that given such an application, Joseph Smith could be understood as the “servant” in Isaiah 49:1–6. How can the rest of the chapter be applied to the latter-day Restoration?

Isaiah 11 also seems to be applied to Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, if not by Nephi, at least by Moroni. Nephi’s most extensive application to the Latter-days, however, is his appropriation of Isaiah 29. Book of Mormon Central proposes that 2 Nephi 27 should not be read as Nephi quoting Isaiah 29, something Nephi never claims to be doing throughout 2 Nephi 25–30. Instead, he is applying and adapting the Isaiah’s words to his own vision of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

Nephi had seen the Restoration and coming forth the Book of Mormon in vision (1 Nephi 13:32–42). When Nephi read about “a book that is sealed,” taken by men to “one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee,” and then subsequently taken to “him that is not learned” (Isaiah 29:11–12), he found apt words to adopt in describing certain events which would unfold in the life of Joseph Smith (2 Nephi 27:15–19).

While this is not only one way to approach the relationship between Isaiah 29 and 2 Nephi 26–27, it opens up interesting ways to study how Nephi is personally interacting with Isaiah. Have you tried reading the two prophecies side by side to see what Nephi is doing?

Conclusion: Delighting in the Great Words of Isaiah

Today there is a rich array of tools for Latter-day Saints to use in better understanding Isaiah, and what his writings are doing in the Book of Mormon. The recent slew of KnoWhys from Book of Mormon Central provides us with a number of different paths to follow for enriching study of Isaiah’s “great” words (3 Nephi 23:1). The application of several approaches to Isaiah derived from Nephi’s own words illuminates Isaiah’s writings in wonderful ways and begins to shed light on why Nephi “delighted” (2 Nephi 11:2) in the words of this great Israelite poet and prophet.

Neal Rappleye is a Research Project Manager for Book of Mormon Central. He blogs on Latter-day Saint topics at http://www.studioetquoquefide.com/

Lehi’s Lasting Legacy

February 29, 2016 by Neal Rappleye

Nephi tells us that his father, Lehi, kept a record (1 Nephi 1:17). That record is lost to history, but nonetheless his legacy lives on. His son recorded a number of his most profound prophecies and visions. These include his prophetic call vision, powerful poetic declarations to his two oldest sons while encamped in an Arabian wadi, his moving dream about the tree of life, and his prophecies about the Messiah.

Lehi’s legacy was solidified by the testament he left behind. While nearing his death, Lehi called together his posterity, warned them of temptations, taught them to live righteously, blessed them, and related prophecies (2 Nephi 1–4). Book of Mormon Central has dubbed this the “Testament of Lehi” because it has all the characteristics found in the Jewish testamentary literature. Book of Mormon Central also comments on the legacy this creates for Lehi:

It provides an example for fathers and patriarchs today. The tradition, initially but briefly present in Genesis 49, was not maintained and developed only by the Jews after their return to Jerusalem in the Second Temple period but was called upon extensively and effectively by Lehi in the sixth century BC. Building from there, later prophets in the Book of Mormon followed Lehi’s example, as Alma does in Alma 36–42 and Helaman does in Helaman 5:5–13. Latter-day Saint fathers today also follow these patriarchal examples as they bless, instruct, exhort, and testify to their children and grandchildren.

Some of Lehi’s most influential teachings were given as part of his testament. For instance, drawing on the imagery of the Psalms, Lehi taught about the importance of offering the Lord your broken heart and contrite spirit. Of this teaching, Book of Mormon Central pointed out, “This presents an important lesson for modern Book of Mormon readers. No matter what sacrifice we offer to the Lord—be it our time, our talents, etc.—if this is not done with the true sacrifice of our hearts and spirits, then it cannot be fully acceptable to the Lord.”

It is also as part of his testament that Lehi gave his epic discourse on the Fall. Drawing from the hints found in the Old Testament and Israelite temple traditions, Lehi provided the most complete teaching on the Fall presently on record. According to Book of Mormon Central,

Lehi’s teaching was the foundation for several other important sermons in the Book of Mormon by Alma, Amulek, and others, and continues to be the foundation upon which we build when we teach the Fall today.

Nephi’s love for Isaiah may have come from Lehi, since Lehi appears to be drawing on Isaiah 14:12 when he describes Satan. Isaiah 14 is drawing on a rich ancient Near Eastern mythos of a fallen deity, and like he does with the Fall, Lehi expands on Isaiah’s use to provide a fuller view of the Adversary. Indeed, Lehi seems well versed in the great literature of his day and time, as he poetically describes death in a way the resonates not only with the much later Shakespeare, but also with ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Canaanite, and Israelite motifs.

Drawing on both the literary form and the language of the Psalms, Nephi lamented after his father passed away. Nephi, however, was not the only one of Lehi’s sons who was profoundly impacted by their father’s influence. In his first sermon recorded in the Book of Mormon, Jacob taught many of the same doctrines Lehi had taught to him. As Book of Mormon Central puts it,

Tracing Jacob’s understanding of the plan back one generation earlier, it appears that his inspired summation carried forth the influence of his father’s instructions to him in 2 Nephi 2. Although Lehi never called it a “plan,” he taught these same doctrines in his final blessing to Jacob.

Comparing the two also illuminates which doctrines both Lehi and Jacob most related to:

Though they taught the same doctrines, Lehi’s emphasis was focused more on the fall, opposition, and the agency afforded to all to choose between good and evil. Jacob, meanwhile, put more emphasis on the atonement, resurrection, and the eternal outcome from choosing either righteousness or filthiness.

Jacob also shows an awareness of Israelite and ancient Near Eastern conceptions of death. Given that Jacob was born in the wilderness and was still very young when the family arrived in the promised land, this knowledge surely came to him through his father’s teachings.

Given the reverence both Nephi and Jacob had for Lehi, it may seem odd that Nephi summoned Isaiah to act as a third witness of the Redeemer alongside Nephi and Jacob. Lehi had already born witness of Christ, multiple times (1 Nephi 1:19; 1 Nephi 10; 2 Nephi 2). Yet, this may actually be one of the most powerful reflections of Nephi’s love for his father.

Lehi was believed to be a false prophet by both the Jews at Jerusalem and also his two oldest sons, Laman and Lemuel. The penalty for false prophecy was death, and Laman and Lemuel try to kill him multiple times. Biblical law required two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15) to testify in a trail. As such, coming on the heels of Lehi’s passing, and the division of Nephi from his brothers, 2 Nephi 6–30, recording the testimonies of Nephi’s three witnesses—Jacob, Isaiah, and Nephi—could be read as the Apology of Lehi.

That is, it is Nephi’s defense of Lehi as a true prophet, marshalling the biblically required three witnesses to verify Lehi’s own prophecies about the Messiah. This would explain why Lehi himself was not considered one of the witnesses—he was the defendant. If this is correct, then it would speak powerfully to the legacy of Lehi, as nearly all of 2 Nephi would be dedicated to him in some capacity.

In either case, there is no denying the abundant legacy of Lehi left behind by his sons.

Neal Rappleye is a Research Project Manager for Book of Mormon Central. He blogs on Latter-day Saint topics at http://www.studioetquoquefide.com/

Fair Issues 78: What is the correct Book of Mormon geography?

January 18, 2015 by Ned Scarisbrick

Podcast: Download (11.1MB)

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In this episode brother Ash investigates real world distances in determining the proper Book of Mormon geographic models.

The full text of this article can be found at Deseret News online.

Brother Ash is author of the book Shaken Faith Syndrome: Strengthening One’s Testimony in the Face of Criticism and Doubt, as well as the book, of Faith and Reason: 80 Evidences Supporting the Prophet Joseph Smith. Both books are available for purchase online through the FairMormon Bookstore. Tell your friends about the Mormon Fair-Cast. Share a link on your Facebook page and help increase the popularity of the Mormon Fair-Cast by subscribing to this podcast in iTunes, and by rating it and writing a review.

The views and opinions expressed in the podcast may not reflect those of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or that of FairMormon

Book of Mormon

Start Here

Question

Why are LDS temples not open to everyone?

Short Answer

Key Takeaways

LDS temples are viewed as literal dwelling places of God

Limited access is about preparation, not exclusion

Old Testament temples also had strict access requirements

Worthiness replaces ancient ritual purity laws

Anyone can enter the temple by choosing to prepare and live the standards

Summary

Summary

TL;DR

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)

Who Shall Ascend Into the Hill of the Lord? :An Old Testament Framework for Understanding the Exclusive Nature of the Temple

Introduction: The Church and Perception

LDS Temples and Exclusivity

Questions About Exclusivity

Misconceptions About the Temple

The Problem: Lack of Framework

A Framework For Talking About the Temple

Turning to the Old Testament

Purpose of the Talk

The Old Testament and Sacred Space

Understanding Israelite Thought

God’s Dwelling Place

The Tabernacle and Temple in Israelite Thought

The Lord Dwelling Among His People

A Place for God to Dwell

The Meaning of “Dwell”

Holiness and Consecration

Holiness

Holiness and Sacred Space

Impurity as the Foe of Holiness

Examples of Impurity in the Old Testament

Preparation at Mount Sinai

Physical Impurity

Nadab and Abihu

Consequences of Profaning the Holy

Spiritual Impurity

The Need for Purification

God’s Justice and Mercy

Ezekiel and the Departure of God’s Presence

The Stakes of Holiness

Transition to Application

Controlled Temple Access Anciently

Ensuring Purity of Temple Attendees

Psalm 24

Psalm 15

Moral and Ritual Requirements

Additional Layers of Access

Additional Purity of the Priests

Higher Requirements of the High Priest

Degrees of Holiness

Application to Latter-day Saints

Temples as the Dwelling Place of God

Modern Revelation

The Nature of the Temple

Worthiness and Preparation

Latter Day Access to Temples

Worthiness vs. Ritual Purity

The Lord’s House

Inclusivity and Modern LDS Temples

Who Can Enter the Temple

“Holiness to the Lord”

Explaining Temple Exclusivity

Handbook Statement

Closing Testimony

FAIR Conference 2026

What is the FAIR Conference 2026?

Who should attend?

Why Attend?

August 2026 FAIR Conference Schedule

Day 1 – Wednesday, August 5, 2026

7:10 PM – Scott Gordon: “The Church Has No Borders”

7:40 PM – Anthony Sweat: The Need for a Restoration

Day 2 – Thursday, August 6, 2026

9:10 AM – Mark Ashurst-McGee: Joseph Smith and Treasure Digging

9:40 AM – Brian Hales: Joseph Smith: A Reluctant Polygamist

**The Was-Scepter and the Benevolent Serpent**