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Annotations |
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Chapter 13
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1 And now I, Moroni, proceed to finish my record
concerning the destruction of the people of whom I have been writing.
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2 For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he
truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the
waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land
above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would
have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof;
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This verse tells us the Noachian flood really happened and
that it covered the Americas. The Church teaches that this was no earlier
than 2400 BCE, but the first Americans came to the Americas at least 13,000
year ago. DNA and archaeological evidence shows they didn’t die out. How does
the scientific evidence reconcile with what the Church tells us about the
flood?
(See the Church’s Old Testament Chronology and D&C 77:6)
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3 And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which
should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord.
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Ether 13:3-4
This explains that the Americas referred to in verst 2 is “the place of the
New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven.”
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4 Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake
concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land.
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Annotation for Ether 13:3-4 above
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5 And he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and
the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come—after it should be destroyed it
should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord; wherefore, it could not
be a new Jerusalem for it had been in a time of old; but it should be built
up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the
house of Israel—
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Ether 13:5-6
Jerusalem didn’t seem to be significant to God’s people until, “According to
the Bible, the Israelite history of the city began in c. 1000 BCE, with King
David’s sack of Jerusalem, following which Jerusalem became the City of David
and capital of the United Kingdom of Israel” (Ancient History Encyclopedia).
Why is Ether telling his people about a city that meant nothing to God’s
people until after Ether’s people left the Old World?
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6 And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this
land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been
a type.
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Annotation for Ether 13:5-6 above
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7 For as Joseph brought his father down into the land of
Egypt, even so he died there; wherefore, the Lord brought a remnant of the
seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto
the seed of Joseph that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto
the father of Joseph that he should perish not.
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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.
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9 And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and
they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things
have become new.
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10 And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they
who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood
of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed
of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel.
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11 And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the
inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood
of the Lamb; and they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the
four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers
of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father, Abraham.
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12 And when these things come, bringeth to pass the
scripture which saith, there are they who were first, who shall be last; and
there are they who were last, who shall be first.
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13 And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; but
great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as
naught, and cast him out; and he 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.
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14 And as he dwelt in the cavity of a rock he made the
remainder of this record, viewing the destructions which came upon the people,
by night.
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15 And it came to pass that in that same year in which he
was cast out from among the people there began to be a great war among the
people, for there were many who rose up, who were mighty men, and sought to
destroy Coriantumr by their secret plans of wickedness, of which hath been
spoken.
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16 And now Coriantumr, having studied, himself, in all the
arts of war and all the cunning of the world, wherefore he gave battle unto
them who sought to destroy him.
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17 But he repented not, neither his fair sons nor
daughters; neither the fair sons and daughters of Cohor; neither the fair
sons and daughters of Corihor; and in fine, there were none of the fair sons
and daughters upon the face of the whole earth who repented of their sins.
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18 Wherefore, it came to pass that in the first year that
Ether dwelt in the cavity of a rock, there were many people who were slain by
the sword of those secret combinations, fighting against Coriantumr
that they might obtain the kingdom.
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The only pre-Columbian weapon I can find that was similar
to a sword was the macuahuitl which was made with a plank of wood similar in
shape to a cricket bat with obsidian blades mounted on the edges. It is
similar enough to a sword that it is often referred to as the Aztec sword.
However, the macuahuitl does not seem to fit the Book of
Mormon time frame. “Some groups of Central Mexico, principally in the
transition between the Early and the Late Post-Classic, probably
developed this weapon” (emphasis added, Dr. Marco Antonio Cervera Obregón, “The
macuahuitl: an innovative weapon of the Late Post-Classic in Mesoamerica”,
Arms & Armour, Vol.3, Nov. 2, 2006, p. 146, article from a research journal).
The Post-Classic period is between 900 CE and the Spanish conquest.
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19 And it came to pass that the sons of Coriantumr fought
much and bled much.
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20 And in the second year the word of the Lord came to
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—
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21 Otherwise they should be destroyed, and all his
household save it were himself. And he should only live to see the fulfilling
of the prophecies which had been spoken concerning another people receiving
the land for their inheritance; and Coriantumr should receive a burial by
them; and every soul should be destroyed save it were Coriantumr.
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22 And it came to pass that Coriantumr repented not,
neither his household, neither the people; and the wars ceased not; and they
sought to kill Ether, but he fled from before them and hid again in the
cavity of the rock.
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23 And it came to pass that there arose up Shared, and he
also gave battle unto Coriantumr; and he did beat him, insomuch that in the
third year he did bring him into captivity.
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24 And the sons of Coriantumr, in the fourth year, did
beat Shared, and did obtain the kingdom again unto their father.
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25 Now there began to be a war upon all the face of the
land, every man with his band fighting for that which he desired.
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26 And there were robbers, and in fine, all manner of
wickedness upon all the face of the land.
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27 And it came to pass that Coriantumr was exceedingly
angry with Shared, and he went against him with his armies to battle; and
they did meet in great anger, and they did meet in the valley of Gilgal; and
the battle became exceedingly sore.
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28 And it came to pass that Shared fought against him for
the space of three days. And it came to pass that Coriantumr beat him, and
did pursue him until he came to the plains of Heshlon.
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29 And it came to pass that Shared gave him battle again
upon the plains; and behold, he did beat Coriantumr, and drove him back again
to the valley of Gilgal.
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30 And Coriantumr gave Shared battle again in the valley
of Gilgal, in which he beat Shared and slew him.
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31 And Shared wounded Coriantumr in his thigh, that he did
not go to battle again for the space of two years, in which time all the
people upon the face of the land were shedding blood, and there was none to
restrain them.
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