Lifted Up Upon the Cross

As a part of his grand vision, the Lord showed the brother of Jared “all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth” (Ether 3:25). After it was over, Moroni told us that “the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord, and write the things which he had seen; and they were forbidden to come unto the children of men until after that he should be lifted up upon the cross” (Ether 4:1). I realized as I read that this morning that the Lord could reference this future event to the brother of Jared because he had just seen in vision the day when the Savior would be lifted up upon the cross. Having seen all things which would come upon the children of men, he surely saw that most pivotal day when the Savior was lifted up and therefore the Lord could refer to that future day to him. This highlights how central to the Father’s plan that was: from the foundation of the world it was determined that the Son of God would be lifted up upon the cross where He would die. This account shows that the Savior knew this thousands of years before He would ever come to earth. Elder John C. Pingree Jr. highlighted in his most recent general conference talk that “truth is absolute, fixed, and immutable” and emphasized the Lord’s teaching that “truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come” (Doctrine and Covenants 93:24). Clearly this truth that the Savior would come to earth and be lifted up on the cross in His death was known from the beginning and was absolute, fixed, and immutable in the plan of salvation.    

                The Book of Mormon in particular highlights how prophets before the coming of the Savior knew specifically that He would hang on a cross and be crucified. Nephi recorded from his vision, “And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record. And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world” (1 Nephi 11:32-33). Nephi also quoted Zenos, a prophet before him, who taught about the crucifixion as well: “And as for those who are at Jerusalem, saith the prophet, they shall be scourged by all people, because they crucify the God of Israel” (1 Nephi 19:13). Nephi mentioned the Savior’s crucifixion again in some of his final writings: “When the day cometh that the Only Begotten of the Father, yea, even the Father of heaven and of earth, shall manifest himself unto them in the flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks. Behold, they will crucify him” (2 Nephi 25:12-13). Nephi’s brother Jacob likewise taught about the crucifixion that would take place about 600 years after their time: “And he also has shown unto me that the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, should manifest himself unto them in the flesh; and after he should manifest himself they should scourge him and crucify him, according to the words of the angel who spake it unto me” (2 Nephi 6:9). He commented on it further in these words, “Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ—for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be his name—should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him—for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God” (2 Nephi 10:3). King Benjamin learned this from the angel: “And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him” (Mosiah 3:9). Jesus was to be crucified and that knowledge was just as clear to prophets before He came to earth as to those who came after. Abinadi likewise testified of the Savior’s crucifixion which would come: “Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father” (Mosiah 15:7). The brother of Jared, Zenos, Nephi, Jacob, King Benjamin, Abinadi, and surely many other prophets who lived before the Savior came to earth all knew and testified that the Savior would be lifted up upon the cross and be crucified for us.

                Elder Pingree also testified of the Savior in these words: “As part of that plan, [Heavenly Father] sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to help us. Jesus taught us to do the Father’s will and to love one another. He atoned for our sins and gave up His life on the cross. He arose from the dead after three days. Through Christ and His grace, we will be resurrected, we can be forgiven, and we can find strength in affliction.” That is an eternal truth that we each need to come to know, and the Lord will reveal it to all, no matter when they have lived, through the power of the Holy Ghost.