First and most obvious is the fact that both Jesus and the Book of Mormon initially had a very controversial message. Some recognized truth immediately, while it took some time for others and yet more, even the vast majority, rejected the message altogether.
That said, there are many interesting similarities between the life of Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon itself particularly surrounding the death and resurrection:
Christ: buried and sealed in a stone sepulcher
BofM: buried and sealed in a stone box
Christ: round stone covered tomb
BofM: round stone covered box
Christ: Angels present when stone was rolled back
BofM: Angel present when stone was rolled back
Christ: Taught the word of God
BofM: Teaches the word of God
Christ: Witness saw him, 12 apostles and hundred of others
BofM: Witnesses saw it 12 official witnesses along with several more
Christ: Ascended to heaven with angels present
BofM: Taken back to heaven by an angel
Christ: Must rely on faith to believe
BofM: Must rely on faith to believe
Christ: Only physical evidence remaining are his words
BofM: Only physical evidence remaining are it’s words
Both Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon were buried in the earth and brought forth with angel(s) present, there were witnesses and they were removed from our presence with only their words for us to examine through the Spirit. So here is the test that we all must face:
Will we exercise our faith or will we simply be dismissive?
In Susan Easton Black’s “Finding Christ in the Book of Mormon” (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1987) she revealed some interesting facts about references to Jesus Christ contained in the Book of Mormon text.
- There are 101 distinct names/titles for Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon (Lamb of God, Messiah, Stone, Great Creator, etc.)
- These names/titles of Christ are collectively presented 3,925 times in 6,607 Book of Mormon verses
- On average, one name or title of Christ appears once every 1.7 verses.
- By far the most significant personality identified in the book is Jesus Christ
To anyone who has ever read the Book of Mormon, these statistics would not be surprising. The witness and teachings of Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon permeate the text and are a treasure to anyone who loves the Savior. It is also not surprising that the Book of Mormon was handled in a way that mirrored the events of Jesus’ atonement, particularly his death, burial and resurrection. This is just one more subtle but powerful way that the Book of Mormon testifies of the Savior and his role as our Messiah.
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Updated: September 2, 2010
1 Comment
Cool insight!