Post by Joseph –
By the time many of you read this blog, you will have other prophetic writings available which preach of Christ and His mission. But for us now, we only have the writings of my brothers Nephi and Jacob and our Father Lehi and the writings on the Brass Plates. Therefore we spend considerable time studying the Brass Plates. From them, my brother Jacob has been planning on sharing with you an alegory written about an olive tree. I too have read the alegory but in my opinion it is just not blog material. So after much persuading, Jacob has agreed to let me summarize it for you.
Even to do a proper job of summarizing, I will need to spread this alegory business over several posts. Before doing so however, let me use this post to tell you about its author – a prophet named Zenos. We know enough about Zenos to know he knew Christ. Nephi quoted Zenos’ teaching about the events following the crucifixion of Christ:
“and to be buried in a sepulchre, according to the words of Zenos, which he spake concerning the three days of darkness, which should be a sign given of his death unto those who should inhabit the isles of the sea, more especially given unto those who are of the house of Israel. For thus spake the prophet: The Lord God surely shall visit all the house of Israel at that day, some with his voice, because of their righteousness, unto their great joy and salvation, and others with the thunderings and the lightnings of his power, by tempest, by fire, and by smoke, and vapor of darkness, and by the opening of the earth, and by mountains which shall be carried up.
And all these things must surely come, saith the prophet Zenos. And the rocks of the earth must rend; and because of the groanings of the earth, many of the kings of the isles of the sea shall be wrought upon by the Spirit of God, to exclaim: The God of nature suffers. And as for those who are at Jerusalem, saith the prophet, they shall be scourged by all people, because they crucify the God of Israel, and turn their hearts aside, rejecting signs and wonders, and the power and glory of the God of Israel. And because they turn their hearts aside, saith the prophet, and have despised the Holy One of Israel, they shall wander in the flesh, and perish, and become a hiss and a byword, and be hated among all nations.
Nevertheless, when that day cometh, saith the prophet, that they no more turn aside their hearts against the Holy One of Israel, then will he remember the covenants which he made to their fathers. Yea, then will he remember the isles of the sea; yea, and all the people who are of the house of Israel, will I gather in, saith the Lord, according to the words of the prophet Zenos, from the four quarters of the earth. Yea, and all the earth shall see the salvation of the Lord, saith the prophet; every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall be blessed.”
(Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 19:10 – 17)
Reading through the alegory and this short section of Zenos’ writings quoted by Nephi, it is quite clear that Zenos was shown in vision, the history of the world. He was blessed to see in vision the life of our Savior Jesus Christ as well as the consequences of the inhabitants of the earth in the new world and the old world following the crucifixion.
In a prayer recorded in the brass plates Zenos clearly shows he understands the atonement of of Christ. Zenos says: “redemption cometh through the Son of God.” Zenos understood and taught the redemption of Christ, the destruction at the time of Christ, prayer and worship, the destiny of Israel, and the destruction that will attend the our Savior’s second coming.
Zenos was a great Israelite prophet, possibly second only to Isaiah himself, likely from the tribe of Joseph just as my father Lehi is from the tribe of Joseph. Zenos’ words are plain and profound and his testimony sure and certain. Like many prophets of old which testified of Christ, Zenos was too slain for his testimony. One day in the future, if you are faithfull you may be able to search the brass plates and get to know prophets like Zenos.
(Book of Mormon | Nephi 19:10-17, Helaman 8:19, Alma 33:3-11)
