Ether 12:1-5

Chapter 12

The prophet Ether exhorts the people to believe in God—Moroni recounts the wonders and marvels done by faith—Faith enabled the brother of Jared to see Christ—The Lord gives men weakness that they may be humble—The brother of Jared moved Mount Zerin by faith—Faith, hope, and charity are essential to salvation—Moroni saw Jesus face to face.

At the end of Chapter 11, Moroni noted the birth of the prophet, Ether. Ether was born when Coriantumr was king over the land.

Ether was a prophet. He went forth and called the people to repentance. “[H]e he could not be restrained because of the Spirit of the Lord which was in him” (Ether 12:2).

We have other examples of those called to preach to the people. “And [Enos] saw that [he] must soon go down to my grave, having been wrought upon by the power of God that [he] must preach and prophesy unto this people, and declare the word according to the truth which is in Christ. And [he] declared it in all [his] days, and have rejoiced in it above that of the world” (Enos 1:26).

“And now it came to pass that the sons of Alma did go forth among the people, to declare the word unto them. And Alma, also, himself, could not rest, and he also went forth” (Alma 43:1).

He constantly preached and called the Jaredites to repent. His message was the same as all the other prophets – repent or they would be destroyed. “And it came to pass that in the days of Ethem there came many prophets, and prophesied again unto the people; yea, they did prophesy that the Lord would utterly destroy them from off the face of the earth except they repented of their iniquities” (Ether 11:12).

Ether also taught it is through faith all things are done. “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear [GR being cautious, reverent], prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Hebrews 11:7).

“Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity” (Moroni 10:20).

Whoever believes in God must have faith with surety and hope for a better world. “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament” (Hebrews 7:22).

“But Aaron said unto [Lamoni’s father]: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest” (Alma 22:16).

“Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven” (Moroni 7:3).

“All [the righteous] had departed the mortal life, firm in the hope of a glorious resurrection, through the grace of God the Father and his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ” (D&C 138:14).

Now faith is the substance [GR assurance, basis, foundation] of things hoped for, the evidence [GR proof] of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Through this comes faith which becomes an anchor for our souls. “And he said to the woman,[1] Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace” (Luke 7:50).

“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil” (Hebrews 6:19).

Through this, we will overflow in good works. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

“I have observed in the lives and examples of others that exercising strong and abiding faith in Jesus Christ and His promises provides the sure hope of better things to come. This sure hope steadies us, bringing the strength and power we need in order to endure. When we can link our suffering to an assurance of purpose in our mortality and more specifically to the reward awaiting us in heavenly places, our faith in Christ increases and we receive comfort to our souls.”[2]

If we do this, we will overflow in good works. This will lead us to glorify God. “When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby” (John 11:4).

Ether prophesied many other things, but the people rejected his message “because they saw them not” (Ether 12:5). “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3).

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[1] This reference is to the woman who anointed Christ’s feet.

[2] God Shall Wipe Away All Tears, Elder Evan A. Schmutz, October 2016 General Conference.