"One of the most touching and impressive revelations of the Savior is provided in the Book of Ether, where the appearance of the Lord to the brother of Jared is recorded," said Elder Mark E. Petersen of the Council of the Twelve in his April 1983 general conference address.

"I quote briefly from it. Said the Savior to the brother of Jared:" `Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. . . .

" `Never have I shown myself unto man whom I created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image. . . .

" `This body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh.' (Eth. 3:14-16.)

"There we have it in His own words," Elder Petersen continued. "The glorious, irrefutable truth! Christ is the Creator! Shall we not accept His word in preference to uninspired theories of men?

"Probably the greatest challenge to belief in Christ today is the fast-spreading denial that He is the Creator, coming from men who would supplant the revealed truth with the very tenuous and fragile theory that the universe and all life came about in some mysterious, spontaneous, accidental manner.

"To deny that He is the Creator is to deny also that He is the Christ.

"To deny that He is the Creator is to deny that He can save us from our sins.

"To deny that He is the Creator is to deny that He broke the bands of death. It is to reject the fact of the Resurrection.

"To deny that He is the Creator is to deny that He wrought out an atonement on the cross at Calvary. . . .

"But He is the Creator! He is the Redeemer! He is the Savior of the world! He did accomplish His atonement on Calvary, and He did bring about the Resurrection. This we know by the revelation of God. His gospel is true and we love it, and we love Him and deem it a privilege to serve Him.

"Can anyone ask for a plainer definition of creation and the purpose of life than is given in our scriptures?"

Elder Petersen further said:

"When He was born the angels sang.

"When He died the heavens wept.

"When He broke the bands of death, angels were there to greet Him, and so was Mary. She knew Him and recognized Him as the Christ.

"But some doubted.

"Shall we be like Mary and believe and accept Him? Or shall we join the doubters and shroud ourselves in the darkness of unbelief?

"Jesus is a God of light and life, not a symbol of death and doubt. He lives, and will save everyone who is willing to serve Him. He is our divine Redeemer and our eternal Creator. He is the resurrection and the life. This is our testimony to the world."

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(Additional information)

Brother of Jared had active role in solving problem

In the book of Ether is an account of the appearance of the pre-earthly Savior to the brother of Jared. Of significant interest regarding that appearance is that the Savior invited the brother of Jared to have an active role in the solution to the problems at hand.

The Lord instructed the brother of Jared pertaining to the building of barges. When the brother of Jared asked if the Lord would "suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness" (Ether 2:22), the Lord asked what he would have Him do.

The brother of Jared "did molten out of rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass; . . . " (Ether 3:1.) He then said, ". . . Touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea." (Ether 3:4.)

After the brother of Jared spoke these words, " . . . the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared; and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear." (Ether 3:6.)

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(Additional information)

Book of Ether contains abridgement of Jaredite record onto plates of Mormon\ Moroni lived a number of years after the final battle between the Nephites and Lamanites. While the Book of Mormon gives little information pertaining to details of what he did during those years, it is known that he abridged the account of the Jaredites onto the plates of Mormon. That abridged record is part of the book of Ether, named after the last Jaredite prophet who wrote on the 24 plates.

Ether "came forth in the days of Coriantumr." (Ether 12:2; also see Omni 1:21.) After his "great and marvelous prophecies were rejected and he was cast out from his people, Ether "hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people." (Ether 13:13.)

During the same year in which Ether was exiled, "there began a great war among the people," (Ether 13:15) and many people were slain.

The Lord commanded Ether "that he should go and prophesy unto Coriantumr that, if he would repent, and all his household, the Lord would give unto him his kingdom, and spare the people - Otherwise they would be destroyed, and all his household save it were himself.' (Ether 13:20-21.) Coriantumr and his people did not repent, and they were destroyed.

The wars continued, and the people "sought to kill Ether." (Ether 13:22.) Ether finished his record.

Years later, the Nephite king Limhi sent an expedition of explorers to find the city of Zarahemla from which their ancestors had come. Instead of finding Zarahemla, the explorers found the ruins of an ancient civilization and brought back a record written on 24 plates of pure gold. (Mosiah 8:9.)

Articles on this page may be used in conjunction with the Gospel Doctrine course of study.

Information compiled by Gerry Avant

Source: April 1983 general conference report.