A Prophet of the Lord

Though we know relatively little about his life, what we see in Moroni’s account shows that Ether was a faithful prophet of the Lord. As Moroni highlighted in the genealogy of kings recorded in Ether 1, Ether was supposed to be the king of the people. But his grandfather Moron, who was king, was driven into captivity and Ether’s father Coriantor spent his days in captivity. But instead of being king or raising up an army to take back the kingdom like many of his ancestors had done, Ether chose instead to be “a prophet of the Lord.” Moroni recorded that he “began to prophesy unto the people, for he could not be restrained because of the Spirit of the Lord which was in him.” We know little of the events of his personal life, but this description captures his faithfulness and devotion to the Lord: “For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled—Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God…. And it came to pass that Ether did prophesy great and marvelous things unto the people, which they did not believe, because they saw them not” (Ether 12:2-5). Like Moroni, Ether was a fish out of water among wicked people in the process of self-destruction. Both of these prophets witnessed the complete annihilation of their respective nations and yet remained faithful through it. They both recorded the terrible events for future generations and fulfilled the mission the Lord had given them.

                The first half of Ether 13 gives us an interesting glimpse of what Ether knew and what he taught his people. The Jaredites came across the sea not long after the time of Noah, so they predated the great patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. So these patriarchs had of course not yet settled in the land that would contain the city of Jerusalem, and the House of Israel did not exist when the Jaredites took to their barges because Israel (Jacob) was many generations away from even being born. And yet, despite this, the prophecies of Ether showed that he was aware of Israel, Jerusalem, and prophets like Joseph. Moroni recorded, “[Ether] 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; And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord. Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land. 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—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.” How did Ether know about these prophets and places? Surely he knew them by the same means all prophets learn the things of God: revelation. In a time when all that the people could think about was destroying one another, he was receiving great revelations like the brother of Jared. He saw the Savior in mortality and knew of the Lord’s people in Jerusalem and of the events of the last days. He spoke of our dispensation when the New Jerusalem would be built up (still yet in our future) and learned that it would be the seed of Joseph who would build it up. He even saw the restoring of Jerusalem, the gathering of Israel in our day, and the coming of the lost ten tribes down from the north: “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.” While he mourned the terrible wickedness of his own people, I think the Lord comforted him with knowledge of the righteousness of others in the latter days who would be “washed in the blood of the Lamb.” Moroni summarized Ether’s message this way: “Great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether” (Ether 13:2-13). He stayed true and faithful despite the wickedness around him, and his example should be an inspiration to all of us who seek to stay true amidst the wickedness of our own day.