Watch the full video presentation on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/4AvKJ4jmgDQ
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ICEBREAKER
Q: What is the purpose of an anchor?
A: In nautical terms, an anchor is a large solid hunk of metal that holds a ship steady in shifting waters. When stability is needed, an anchor can be dropped into the unseen realm below the surface of the water to secure the ship to a fixed point. And even though you can’t see what the anchor is connecting to, it has a very visible and real effect on the vessel floating above it. An anchor is absolute critical to the safety of those on board, especially in rough waters.
Now to someone who enjoys rock climbing, rappelling and canyoneering, like myself, the word anchor brings up a quite different connotation. An anchor is what secures you to the rock. It’s what you connect your ropes to and place all your weight on as you climb or rappel. Your life literally depends on the quality and stability of the anchor and your connection to it.
Now for the metaphor.
Q: If your life was likened to a boat on the water or a climber on her rope, what’s your anchor?
That question is deliberately open-ended. There are many different facets of the gospel that could be compared to an anchor. Allow your class to share examples of their anchors.
TRANSITION
However they decide to apply that metaphor, you can transition to the scriptures by saying something like the following:
The prophet Ether drew on the image of an anchor to teach us something about navigating the stormy waters or the cliffs of life. Can you find the word anchor in Ether chapter 12? And it shouldn’t take them too long to locate it in verse 4. There Ether introduces us to what he considered to be an anchor to our souls. The importance of this anchor becomes even more pronounced when you consider the setting of the chapter. Actually, the double setting. You have the Jaredite setting, and you have the Nephite setting as Moroni translates and comments on the Jaredite record. Both Ether and Moroni’s societies are on the brink of total collapse. Both prophets have been compelled to witness the absolute worst of humanity.
A few weeks ago, I told you that the two themes that seem to dominate the final three books of the Book of Mormon are “The fullness of iniquity", and "living righteously in a wicked world”. Ether 12-15 fits nicely into that framework. Shining out of this bleak setting comes the ray of light that is Ether chapter 12. These two prophets are going to teach us how to get through turbulent and wicked times.
So, what was this anchor Ether talks about in verse 4? I’m going to label it with two words. Two words, or ideas, that really dominate the chapter. See if you can find them. The first word is going to be the most obvious. It shows up 35 times in the chapter. You’ll see it in the following verses:
3,4,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,27,28,29,30,31,37
And the word is faith.
And then we have word #2. Can you find it in these verses?
4, 6, 8, 9, 32
That word is hope.
Faith and hope are the backbone of this chapter. For the purposes of this lesson, I’m going to basically use these two terms interchangeably as I believe that they are basically synonymous. I’m sure that somebody much smarter than I am could probably really parse out and separate the two definitions well. But certainly the two are deeply connected. Faith is almost always defined in terms of hope. In fact, here in Ether 12:6, Moroni gives his definition of faith
6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.
There is more to faith than just belief. It’s also hope. There’s a chronological aspect to it. It’s hope in future things. Future blessings, future promises, future prophecies. And in the scriptural sense, hope is more than just wishful thinking or desire. Real hope is something that drives you and motivates you to action. We act on that hope. I hope and expect things in my future if I maintain my current course of righteousness.
THE THREE HOPES
With that in mind, I like to read Ether 12 looking for what I call “The Three Hopes”. And you could just as easily call them “The Three Faiths” if you’d like. These three hopes together constitute the anchor of the soul. Each hope will help us to remain fixed and steady in the turbulent waters of the last days. Or if you prefer the climbing anchor metaphor, the three things that will hold you fast and safe to the rock of our Redeemer. Over the years I’ve taken many youth groups rappelling and the church’s standard of safety requires a three-point anchor when I normally would only use two. The church wants us to be extra safe. These hopes will keep our souls extra safe as well. They got Moroni and Ether through their stormy and dangerous era, and they can do the same for us as well. You can see the three hopes interwoven, overlapped and linked together throughout the entire chapter. As you study imagine that each hope is like a pair of glasses or lenses through which you study the chapter. Each pair of lenses will bring a slightly different message into focus. Let’s begin with lens or Hope #1.
HOPE #1-HOPE FOR A BETTER ETERNAL WORLD
I’d like to introduce the first hope in verse 4. What hope do you see there?
4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a
better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which
hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which
would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good
works, being led to glorify God.
The first hope is hope for a better world. The world being referred to here is the Celestial world. “Even a place at the right hand of God”. One of the things that will help us most to remain steadfast through difficult and turbulent times is the assurance that they won’t last. There is a better world waiting for us out there in the future. This fallen world has an expiration date. At one point it will undergo a glorious transformation. Article of Fatih #10 says we believe that one day “the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory”. That hope for a better world in the next life can pull us through the most difficult of experiences. Something that helps us get through a really tough week of work is the knowledge of an approaching weekend. Something that helps us to get through a demanding semester of school is the knowledge that summer vacation awaits just around the corner. We can stand the pain and discomfort of the dentist’s chair because eventually the appointment will end—and our teeth will feel better because of it. Something that helps us to get through the challenges of life is a belief in a spirit paradise, a future millennial reign of Christ, and hopefully, Celestial glory. Those future realms are things that we can’t see. We can’t behold those worlds yet with our natural eyes. We have to have faith in it. We have to have hope for a better world.
In that light, now read Ether 12:6
6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.
In this sense, the trial of faith is life. It’s mortality. The witness of a better world will come after that trial. Therefore, we should not dispute the existence of a spirit paradise, a millennial reign, or a Celestial glory because we can’t see it. If we have hope for those worlds that aren't seen, one day the witness of them will come after our trial.
Now skip ahead to verses 32-38. Where do you see the hope for a better world in these verses?
In 32: thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared.
There is a phrase in there that I deeply love. The prophet speaks of a more excellent hope. This hope for a better world isn’t just a good hope, it’s not just an inspiring hope, it’s not just an excellent hope, it’s a more excellent hope. As far as HOPES go, this one takes top priority. We MUST have that hope if we wish to weather the storm. God has prepared a place for us that is better than this one.
Verses 33-35 speak of Christ’s role in preparing that place. He laid down his life to make it possible. He did that because he had charity. We're going to speak much more deeply about the role of charity in all of this when we get to Moroni 7. There, Moroni is going to return to that idea and really flesh it out. So I’m going to wait until then to dig deeper into that incredibly critical topic.
Now you have 36-38. These three verses are going to have great significance in Church History. This is the Lord’s response to Moroni’s pleas that the Gentiles would have charity. God’s comfort to him is that it wouldn’t matter as long as HE was faithful. His garments would be made clean and he would one day sit down in that glorious PLACE that had been prepared. These same three verses will provide somebody else with comfort hundreds of years later in 1844 when two brothers sit in a jail cell in Carthage Illinois awaiting, what they know to be, their impending death. Those two brothers? Joseph and Hyrum Smith. In that very dark and discouraging moment, where did Hyrum turn to find solace and comfort? Ether 12:36-38. Doctrine and Covenants 135:4-5 tells us that Hyrum read these three verses and turned down the leaf of the page. You might remember Elder Holland’s dramatic use of that moment in his talk defending the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon as he held that very copy of Hyrum's in his hands. You could say that part of the comfort of that verse comes in the knowledge that his garments were clean from the blood of his generation, but another part of that comfort could come from the promise of being able to sit down in the place prepared for him in the mansions of the Father. Hyrum found hope in the promise of a better world than this one. That promise comforted him in his darkest hour.
Now for all of us, this hope for a better future world can help to keep us afloat in the choppy seas of life. Whenever you find yourself tempted to give up or sink into despair, may this promise of future glory and rest make your vessel sure and steadfast.
HOPE #2-HOPE FOR A BETTER TERRESTRIAL WORLD
Now as wonderful and comforting as that hope is, there is another, related one. And we mustn’t cling to one at the expense of the other. What happens if all I do is hope for a better world in the next life? Does this life just become pointless drudgery? A thing to be endured? Do we walk pessimistically through mortality just getting by, hoping and dreaming for another world in the next life? To my understanding, that was the mentality of the dark ages of western civilization. Nobody was living for this world, or hoping for this world, or trying to make this world any better. It was all about looking forward to the heaven of the next life—some future bliss and blessing—or avoiding hell. Earth was fallen, miserable, and beyond repair. There was no vision, no optimism. It wasn’t until the Renaissance that mankind decided to begin trying to make THIS life better— to make THIS world meaningful and worth living in.
Hope #2 then is hope for a better world, here, a better terrestrial world.
In Ether 12:4, those that hope for a better world in the next life and in this life will live a certain way. It makes them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God. That hope for a better world HERE will lead us to good works HERE. And starting in verse 7 and proceeding until verse 31 we have a really fun section. We’re given a myriad of examples of people who demonstrated that faith and hope for a better world. You’ve heard of the Hall of Fame, right? Well here we have what I call the Hall of Faith. Example after example of individuals who had the faith to act on their hope of something better and the miracles, they experienced because of it.
In 12:7-22 find all the examples of the miraculous things people were able to do and experience in THIS life because of their faith and hope for a better world here. In 7, the faith and hope of the Nephites made it possible for them to receive the visit of the Savior, allowing them to experience that amazing 4th Nephi type world of great happiness in THIS LIFE. In 10, faith brings the priesthood into our lives, making THIS world a better place. Alma and Amulek, Nephi and Lehi, Ammon all believed in making THIS world better through the teaching of the gospel and made a better world for thousands in the Book of Mormon. They had the, some would say foolhardy notion that even the hardened Lamanites could be changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they found success in it! In 17, the three disciples believe so much in the positive destiny of this world that they wished to live forever on it until its miraculous future change. In 20-21 we see that the brother of Jared was able to see Christ in THIS life as a mortal. In v. 22 we see that the very Book of Mormon itself was brought forth in the latter-days as a result of the collective faith of many Nephites prophets believing that it could make this world better for future generations.
And then, the portion of Ether that really got me thinking about this second kind of hope for a better world actually comes in chapter 13. I always thought these first 12 verses seemed a little out of place, a little tangential. But in light of this second hope, it makes perfect sense. Moroni starts commenting on Ether’s prophecies of the New Jerusalem. The holy city of the Lord that would be built up in the last days. Article of Faith #10 again. We believe that “Zion, the New Jerusalem will be built upon the American Continent”. Now both hopes are expressed in these prophecies. The New Jerusalem will not be perfected until the millennium when (verse 3) it “should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord”. But there is work to do before that perfecting and finishing act. Verse 6:
6 And that a New Jerusalem should be built upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type.
And even more particularly in verse 8
8 Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.
So, there is building to be done before the end cometh and the earth shall pass away.
This idea of building Zion, or the New Jerusalem, or an ideal society is going to inspire Joseph Smith and the early Saints and motivate much of their sacrifices and work. They saw themselves as the builders of Zion. Once Joseph received the revelations we find in Moses 6-7 that describe the city of Enoch, the church became intently focused on doing the same in their time. The Enoch story looms large for Joseph. This is where we see the establishment of the United Order as an attempt to implement the law of consecration. This is where we see the purchase of lands in Jackson County Missouri and the plans drawn up for a city of God. They called it Zion. We, as modern members of the church still believe that Jackson County Missouri holds an important future for the building up of a literal Zion. However, we also see the fulfillment of those prophecies in the building up of Zion worldwide through the stakes of Zion. The missionary work we do, the chapels and temples we build, the activities we plan, and the example we set are all done in the spirit of making this world a better place. In one sense, we are building the New Jerusalem.
This hope for a better world seems to be almost inherent in the souls of all men and women. Even in the worst of situations, there is something in the human soul and heart that hopes for and believes in the possibility of something better. It’s part of who we are. You would think after thousands of years of war, and violence, and crime, and abuse, and holocausts, and slaughters, and wickedness that we would have this idealism beaten out of us, and we would all become pessimistic skeptics that just accepted the reality of a miserable world. But we just can’t seem to collectively shed this belief in, and hope for a better world. There’s ample evidence of that spirit all throughout history. Sir Thomas More even gave that idea of creating an ideal society a name. Utopia. Many groups, religious and secular, have aimed to create such a place, the Shakers and the Amish for example. Out of English literature you have the myth of King Arthur and the founding of Camelot. This idea will inspire the Kennedy administration as they saw themselves as the creators of a new Camelot in American Society. In fact, politicians have often drawn on this spirit of idealism to boost their campaigns. The New Deal, the Great Society, even Make America Great Again are all examples of politicians attempting to tap into that spirit. And then, think of popular culture. What are some of the biggest and most popular movie franchises of the last 30 years? Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Lord of the Rings. What is the major iconic theme behind all of them? They are all set in a dark and forbidding time when the forces of evil are dominating and winning. But then, a small group of determined and good people that are dedicated to each other and their cause, band together to fight it. Through great sacrifice and against all odds, they triumph in the end, overcoming evil, and establish an idealistic time period. The Defeat of Sauron and the Return of the King. The vanquishing of Voldemort in Harry Potter, and (even though it ends like 6 different times), the overthrow of the Emperor in Star Wars. In fact, the name of the very first Star Wars movie is “Star Wars: A New Hope”. It’s evident that humanity believes in and connects deeply with this idea.
For members of the Church of Jesus Christ, our manifestation of that belief isn’t fiction and it isn’t out of reach. We believe in the reality of the creation of that kind of society. We strive to build it now, and we look forward to its completion, in the millennium, and the transformation of this earth into the future Celestial Kingdom. This desire acts as an anchor to our souls—keeps us sure and steadfast and always abounding in good works. We need that spirit of progress and idealism. Both societies and individuals. Heaven help us if we ever lose that hope of creating a better world.
HOPE #3 HOPE FOR A BETTER YOU
Hope #3. So far we’ve talked about hope in collective terms. Societies, nations, the church. But what about you as an individual? You could read this chapter through the lens of your own personal life. What can YOU hope for?
For this section, I’ll give you a number of verses to examine. And you could approach this with a handout as well. I’ll make it available for download. Your students will read the following verses looking for things that they as individuals can hope for and exercise faith in. Each verse holds a key to that hope. Each is a part of the anchor.
Ether 12:4 You can find hope for a better world for yourself in the next life and in this one. If you can connect yourself with that anchor of faith and hope then it will make you sure, and steadfast, and always abounding in good works, and will lead you to glorify God.
Ether 12:6 You can find hope in receiving a witness, as an individual after the trial of your faith. Rest assured that if you are seeking an answer to a prayer, a witness of a gospel truth, or heavenly guidance, at some point, according to God’s wisdom, it will come. They who ask, receive, they who seek, find, and they who knock, have the door of God’s witness opened to them.
Ether 12:8-9 You can find hope in the heavenly gift. What’s the heavenly gift? Take a look in verse 11. The gift of his Son. How do we partake of that gift? That’s a worthwhile question to ponder. Is it by emulating Christ? Is it by applying the atonement in our lives? Is it by living his teachings? Any way you see it, we would do well to ask ourselves if we’ve PARTAKEN if that gift. It will certainly yield great blessings.
Ether 12:11 And speaking of verse 11. You can find hope in the more excellent way. Do you remember how earlier we talked about a more excellent hope in verse 32? Pair that idea with verse 11. What brings us a more excellent hope? Following a more excellent way. It’s more excellent than the law of Moses. The higher law. The way of Christ. Jesus once said, "I am the way". Christ’s way is the more excellent way. His way provides us with a more excellent hope. And traveling his excellent way with that more excellent hope, I’m certain will lead us to a more excellent place. A place on the right hand of God.
Ether 12:18 You can find hope in miracles. We, as a church, do believe in miracles. God manifests his power in special ways to those who exercise hope and faith in him. I've seen miracles before. Things that cannot be explained away as coincidences. If what you desire seems impossible, you are still allowed to have hope in it, because miracles can happen.
Ether 12:19 You can find hope in one day actually beholding the things that now you only see with the eyes of your faith. Isn’t that a beautiful promise? There are things you can’t see with your natural eyes. They exist only in the realm of our anticipation and eyes of our spirit. But one day we will see those things in reality. We will actually see Christ standing in front of us inviting us to touch the tokens of his sacrifice. One day we will actually see the loved ones we have lost and hold them in our arms once again. One day we will actually be clasped in the arms of our heavenly parents. One day we will have all that we have believed in gloriously confirmed with our actual eyes. And we will be glad. We can find hope in that future happiness.
Ether 12:27 You can find hope in overcoming your weaknesses. We all have areas where we wish we could be better in. There are talents and gifts we desire to have that seem to come so easily to others. There are temptations that we wish we were stronger in denying. We have imperfections that seem to continually nag at us no matter how hard we try. We can have hope in the fact through our humility and faith in God that those weaknesses will eventually not only be eliminated, but actually made into our strengths. We can find hope in that future better version of ourselves.
Ether 12:30 You can find hope in your ability to move mountains. Here is a literal fulfillment of Christ’s teaching that man can move mountains with faith the size of a mustard seed. Now, if you take that teaching literally, it really won’t do you much good. How many people in this world are going to find themselves in situations where they are going to actually need to move a mountain. But if you interpret it symbolically, which is how I believe he intended us to interpret it, we all have mountains in our lives. Mountains of responsibility, challenge, doubt, work, and hardship. But with our anchor of faith and hope, we can move those mountains. We can overcome that massive trial, we can climb over that challenge, we can dig down that doubt, we can accomplish that colossal task.
Ether 12:37 You can find hope in Christ’s power to make you clean. It mattereth not what other people think, or say, or do. Christ’s atonement, and mercy, and love, can make you clean. God promises that he will remember our sins no more if we repent. It will be as if we never did them. If we are willing to turn fully to Christ, we can and will stand before God pure and perfected.
Just look at that list! We have a lot to hope for, don’t we? We need not despair nor become discouraged with ourselves. This life is a journey, a process, a progression, a learning experience. We are not meant to have it all, and be all, and attain all right now. Please be patient with yourselves, and with life, and with God. We must do as Nephi taught back in 2 Nephi 31:20. We must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope. I believe with all my heart that if we do this, all that hope we for, all that we desire, all that we believe in, will be brought to fruition.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
A few questions to consider asking:
What aspect of spirit paradise, the millennium, or Celestial glory gives you the most hope?
What are you doing now to make this world a better place?
What more could you do?
Which of the personal hopes inspires you most? How?
CONCLUSION
So yes my friends. We live in dark, stormy and perilous times. But we need not be overcome by them. This 3-pointed anchor can hold us firm—can keep us from being swept away or capsized. It can allow us to navigate and progress through the canyons of life with confidence and safety. May we never despair. There is no need to. We have so much to hope for. There will be a better world than this one in the future. A world without pain, or death, or sorrow, or wickedness. There will be a better world in this life as we build Zion and separate ourselves more and more from the wicked. There will be a better you in the future. If you maintain your hope, you will be filled with good works, with a strong testimony, having experienced many miracles, with weaknesses that have become strengths, with an unspotted soul. And though it’s strange to say it, in the end, the Saurons, the Voldemorts, the Emperor Palpitines, the Satans will all be defeated, their dark kingdoms destroyed, and those dedicated, faithful, hopeful few that were willing to fight for goodness and light will enjoy their Utopia, their Camelot, their Millennium. And it won’t be fiction anymore.
A DIVIDED SOCIETY
Ether 12 is definitely where I would spend the majority of my time in this block of scripture. However, there is was one brief insight I might point out from the remainder of the Book.
ICEBREAKER
My icebreaker would be quick and simple. I’d ask this question. In chess, what ends the game?
Answer: When you capture your opponent’s king. Once you have the king, it doesn’t matter how many other pieces are on the board. It’s over. On the other hand, a game between two very evenly matched players will often come down to just the two kings and a few pawns left on the board. The challenge is to see who can get one of their pawns to the other side of the board to be promoted first. This is a very common situation in chess and is called the endgame. But the point is this. You fight until you take the king.
TRANSITION
What we find in the final chapters of Ether is the endgame for the Jaredites. As a teacher you may want to explain what happens to the Jaredites by summarizing these final chapters. The rival kingdoms of Coriantumr and Shiz fight until there are only the two kings left, and in quite dramatic fashion, Coriantumr ends up slaying Shiz. For some reason, the story of Shiz’s demise is a favorite among my male teenage seminary students. Go figure. But I often get the asked why they would fight all the way down to just two people left. You would think that before that happened, they would come to the realization how pointless their war was becoming. Fighting until victory of what? There was nothing left to win. No society to fight for. You kind of wonder what Coriantumr was thinking when he finally killed Shiz. Was it, Yay, We won the war. Um, wait, I won the war? Well, now what.
But maybe it makes more sense in terms of chess. You don’t win until you take the king. That was their philosophy of victory. So they fight all the way until only the kings are left. On the other hand, that may make sense in chess, but in real life, it certainly was pointless. They weren’t thinking and they weren’t feeling at that point. And maybe that’s the lesson. Something shut down their minds and their hearts. What is it that has the power to do that to people?
SEARCH
I invite you to examine the following verses to discover what caused this total waste of human life and the effect that it had. What can motivate a people to continue fighting when it is obvious that they are completely destroying their world?
The Cause: 13:27/15:6/15:22
The Effect: 15:19
The answer is anger. Anger and the emotion that so often accompanies it, hatred.
What effect does anger and hatred have on the human soul?
The Spirit of the Lord ceases to strive with you, you give Satan power, it hardens your heart, and blinds your minds. Nothing shuts down the heart from feeling and the mind from thinking quite as effectively as anger.
It can lead to Ether 15 type situations, where the only thing that matters is revenge and destroying the other side. Who cares if it ruins lives, who cares if it destroys your peace and happiness, who cares if it leads to the complete destruction of everything you know and love, at least you stuck it to the other side. I’ve seen and heard of this kind of thing destroy nations, workplaces, organizations, friendships, families, and marriages. Hopefully we can learn from the Jaredites mistake.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
When have you seen anger and hatred cause problems in your world?
What helps you to hold back anger and hatred?
CONCLUSION
The Jaredites lived in a deeply divided society. If you live in a deeply divided society, or you find yourself in disagreement with somebody in your world, don’t let anger and hatred enter the equation. We must not let these things dominate or control our actions when we are divided. Instead, we can try compromise, we can try reaching across the aisle, we can try examining things from the other persons point of view, or at the very least, we can learn to disagree without being disagreeable. I’m afraid that once we let hatred and anger into our lives or society, we are setting ourselves up for a pointless and tragic end.
