This episode is part 12 in a series going through the story of the Book of Mormon. In Jacob chapter 6, Jacob uses the allegory of the vineyard from the prophet Zenos mentioned in the previous chapter to call the people of Nephi to reflect and repent. Of course, I point out where I see statements that are borrowed from the Bible. In Jacob chapter 7, Jacob encounters a heretic named Sherem who teaches that no “Christ” will come. After Jacob rebukes him, God strikes Sherem with a fatal illness. Sherem renounces what he taught before. We are left unclear if this was a deathbed conversion or just a heretic fearing judgment from God. I discuss a little about the
The Book of Mormon: Part 11 (Jacob chapter 5)
This episode is part 11 in a series going through the story of the Book of Mormon. In Jacob chapter 5, Jacob relays the “mystery” he just mentioned. It’s something the Nephites as children of Israel should have read or heard. A prophet named Zenos wrote an allegory of Israel as an olive tree. This allegory clearly borrows from several passages of the Bible, but adds far more detail. Did you know that an ancient prophet in Israel wrote a story depicting how the church would have a lot of denominations bearing wild fruit? Did you know his story also described the origin and fate of the Book of Mormon’s Lamanite and Nephite peoples? Amazing prophecy! Or, perhaps, it was