Ether 12

Ether Prophesies to the People

Ether lived during the reign of King Coriantumr, who ruled over all the land.

Ether was a prophet of the Lord. In Coriantumr’s time, Ether stepped forward and began prophesying to the people. The Spirit of the Lord was so strong in him that nothing could hold him back. From sunrise to sunset he urged the people to believe in God and turn back to him, warning them that destruction was coming. He taught them that faith is what makes all things possible. Anyone who believes in God can confidently hope for something better—a place at God’s right hand. This hope comes from faith. It anchors people’s souls, making them steady and sure, always overflowing with good works and bringing glory to God.

Ether prophesied incredible things to the people, but they didn’t believe him because they couldn’t see what he described.

Moroni on Faith

Now I, Moroni, want to say something about this. I want the world to understand that faith means hoping for things you haven’t seen yet. Don’t argue just because you can’t see something. You won’t get proof until after you’ve put your faith on the line.

It was through faith that Christ revealed himself to our ancestors after he rose from the dead. He didn’t show himself to them until after they had faith in him. That’s why some people had to believe in him first—he didn’t appear to just anyone. But because some people had faith, he revealed himself to the world. He brought glory to the name of God the Father and opened a path so others could receive this heavenly gift—so they could hope for things they haven’t yet seen. You can have that same hope and receive that gift too, if you’ll just have faith.

It was through faith that the ancients were called to God’s holy order. Faith is what brought the law of Moses into being. But when God gave his Son, he prepared an even better way. And faith is what makes that way work. If people have no faith, God can’t perform miracles among them. That’s why he didn’t reveal himself until after they had faith.

Examples of Faith

It was Alma and Amulek’s faith that brought the prison walls crashing down. It was Nephi and Lehi’s faith that transformed the Lamanites and baptized them with fire and the Holy Spirit. It was Ammon and his brothers' faith that worked such an incredible miracle among the Lamanites. Everyone who’s ever performed a miracle did it through faith—those who lived before Christ and those who came after. It was through faith that the three disciples received the promise that they wouldn’t die. They didn’t receive that promise until after they had faith. No one has ever performed a miracle before having faith. They believed in the Son of God first.

Many people had such powerful faith even before Christ came that they couldn’t be kept outside the veil. They actually saw with their physical eyes what they had first seen through the eyes of faith. And they were overjoyed. In this record we’ve seen that the brother of Jared was one of those people. His faith in God was so extraordinary that when God extended his finger, he couldn’t hide it from the brother of Jared’s sight—because of the promise the brother of Jared had received through faith. After the brother of Jared saw the Lord’s finger—because of the promise he’d received through faith—the Lord couldn’t hold anything back from him. So he showed him everything. He could no longer be kept outside the veil.

Through faith my ancestors received the promise that these things would reach their brothers through the Gentiles. That’s why the Lord commanded me—Jesus Christ himself.

Moroni’s Weakness in Writing

I said to him, 'Lord, the Gentiles will mock these things because we’re such weak writers. Lord, you’ve made us powerful speakers through faith, but you haven’t made us powerful writers. You’ve given all these people the ability to speak eloquently because of the Holy Spirit you’ve given them.' 'But we can barely write because our hands are so clumsy. You didn’t make us mighty writers like the brother of Jared. What he wrote was as powerful as you are—so overwhelming that people could barely read it.' 'You’ve also made our spoken words powerful and magnificent—so much so that we can’t capture them in writing. When we try to write, we see how weak we are. We stumble over how to arrange our words. I’m afraid the Gentiles will mock what we’ve written.'

When I said this, the Lord spoke to me: 'Fools mock, but they’ll regret it. My grace is enough for the humble. They won’t use your weakness against you.' 'When people come to me, I show them their weaknesses. I give people weaknesses so they’ll stay humble. My grace is enough for everyone who humbles themselves before me. If they humble themselves and have faith in me, I’ll turn their weak things into strong things.' 'I’ll show the Gentiles their weaknesses too. And I’ll show them that faith, hope, and charity lead them to me—the source of all righteousness.'

The Lord’s Comfort

When I heard these words, I felt comforted. I said, 'Lord, your righteous will be done. I know you work with people according to their faith.' 'The brother of Jared told the mountain Zerin to move, and it moved. If he hadn’t had faith, it wouldn’t have budged. You respond after people show their faith.' 'That’s how you revealed yourself to your disciples. After they had faith and spoke in your name, you showed yourself to them in tremendous power.' 'I also remember you said you’ve prepared a home for us—right there among the mansions in your Father’s house. That’s where we can have an even greater hope. People must have hope, or they can’t receive an inheritance in the place you’ve prepared.' 'And I remember you said you loved the world so much that you laid down your life for it, then took it up again to prepare a place for all of us.' 'Now I understand that this love you have for all people—that’s charity. Unless people have charity, they can’t inherit the place you’ve prepared in your Father’s mansions.' 'Based on what you’ve said, I know that if the Gentiles lack charity—because of our weakness in writing—you’ll test them. You’ll take away what they’ve been given and hand it to those who have more.'

So I prayed to the Lord, asking him to give the Gentiles grace so they might have charity. The Lord said to me, 'If they don’t have charity, that’s not your concern. You’ve been faithful. Your garments will be made clean. Because you’ve recognized your weakness, you’ll be made strong—strong enough to sit in the place I’ve prepared for you in my Father’s mansions.'

Moroni’s Farewell

Now I, Moroni, say goodbye to the Gentiles and to my brothers whom I love, until we meet before Christ’s judgment seat. There everyone will see that my garments aren’t stained with your blood.

Then you’ll know that I’ve seen Jesus, that he’s talked with me face to face, and that he spoke to me plainly and humbly—the way one person talks to another in everyday language—about these things. I’ve only written a little, because I’m such a weak writer. I encourage you to seek this Jesus that the prophets and apostles have written about. May the grace of God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit—who testifies of them—be with you and remain in you forever. Amen.