The Christ-Centered Brass Plates

I heard the comment made that the writers of the plates of brass were very Christ-centered.  In our current Old Testament the messages about Christ are much less direct than what we see from the words of the prophets on the plates of brass that we have in the Book of Mormon.  The writers of the Book of Mormon quoted the authors of the plates of brass and in most cases the reason for quoting them was to show the prophecies and teachings about Christ.  We have these references to the Christ-centered words of both otherwise unknown prophets as well as several of those familiar to us in our Old Testament. 

                The most commonly quoted unknown prophet from the plates of brass was Zenos.  And clearly Zenos wrote much about the Savior.  He prophesied  of “the three days of darkness, which should be a sign given of [the Messiah’s] death.”  At this time, according to Zenos, “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” (1 Nephi 19:10, 12).  He also prophesied that Christ would be “buried in a sepulchre” (1 Nephi 19:10).  Zenos told us about the mercy God that comes through Christ in his recorded prayer to God: “And thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity; and it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, because of thy Son.” (Alma 33:11).  Zenos likewise testified “that redemption cometh through the Son of God” (Alma 34:7).  We also learn that Zenos was killed for his testimony of Christ, for he “did testify boldly” about the coming of Christ “for the which he was slain” (Helaman 8:19).  Zenos taught of and gave his life for Christ.

                Other prophets from the plates of brass who are not in our Bible likewise testified of the Savior.  The plates of brass prophesied that Christ would be “crucified, according to the words of Neum” and that He would be “be lifted up, according to the words of Zenock” (1 Nephi 19:10).  Zenock also spoke of the mercy that comes through Christ when he prayed these words: “Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son” (Alma 33:15-16).  Nephi  the son of Helaman also told us that Zenock and another prophet named Ezias similarly spoke of the coming of Christ (Helaman 8:20).  The prophets of the plates of brass were clearly focused on the Savior.   

                There are also several known prophets who are quoted from the plates of brass because of their testimony of the Savior.  Nephi the son of Helaman spoke of how Moses did “bear record that the Son of God should come?” and that the fact that he “lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness” was a sign of how Christ would “be lifted up who should come” (Helaman 8:14).  Nephi also told us that Abraham saw of his coming, and was filled with gladness and did rejoice” (Helaman 8:17).  This reminds us of the Savior’s words as he spoke against the hypocritical Jewish leaders: “Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad” (John 8:56).  And of course the most important Old Testament prophet whom the Book of Mormon writers quoted for his testimony of Christ was Isaiah.  Nephi told us that he did read to his brethren “that which was written by the prophet Isaiah” so that he “might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer (1 Nephi 19:23).  Nephi confessed that he liked Isaiah’s words so much because “He verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him” (2 Nephi 11:2).  The Book of Mormon is full of Isaiah’s prophecies of the Savior. 

                James Ferrell wrote a book about the Old Testament entitled “The Hidden Christ.”  It apparently explores how Christ really is present in the stories and prophecies of our oldest book of scripture.  And surely the message of the Old Testament is about Christ if we look close enough: we can see Him in the Creation, the story of Abraham and Isaac, the symbolism of the sacrifices of the Law of Moses, the prophecies of prophets like Isaiah and Zechariah, and through all of His words as Jehovah.  But for the plates of brass as far as we can see from the Book of Mormon quotations, Christ was not hidden at all: He was at the center of all the prophets’ words.