Blessed Even as They

As Lehi spoke some of his final words to his son Jacob, he said this: “And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free” (2 Nephi 2:4). We know that eventually Jacob actually beheld the Savior, for Nephi told us many years later: “I will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him. And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him” (2 Nephi 11:2-3). But though Jacob did eventually see the Savior in person, I’d like to think that this had not happened yet when Lehi spoke to him. If we assume that, then I think what Lehi was saying to Jacob was that even though he wasn’t going to live at the time when Jesus would be on the earth and minister to him in person, he could have the same experience as them. In other words, because “the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever” we can have just as powerful a conviction of the Savior as if He ministered to us personally. No matter what period in the history of the world we have lived, the Spirit can bear witness to us of the reality of Jesus Christ and His great mission. We are in no way disadvantaged just because we did not live in the same time and location as Him—all are alike unto Him and the Spirit will testify of Him in all places and all ages.  

This reminds me of the powerful testimony of Elder Bruce R. McConkie shortly before he died. In his final conference message he declared, “And now, as pertaining to this perfect atonement, wrought by the shedding of the blood of God—I testify that it took place in Gethsemane and at Golgotha, and as pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God and was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself independent of any other person. I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears. But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way.” He, like Jacob, knew the Savior the same as if he had seen Him in person and touched the marks on His hands and feet. And this was because the Spirit had born witness to him that the words of the prophets in the scriptures concerning Jesus Christ are true. As a preface to what he said in his talk he said this: “In speaking of these wondrous things I shall use my own words, though you may think they are the words of scripture, words spoken by other Apostles and prophets. True it is they were first proclaimed by others, but they are now mine, for the Holy Spirit of God has borne witness to me that they are true, and it is now as though the Lord had revealed them to me in the first instance. I have thereby heard his voice and know his word.” I love that idea—the words of the prophets in the scriptures, even those who have seen Jesus face to face, can become our own words not because we said them first but because we are just as sure of their truthfulness as their original authors. Like Jacob, we can be just as blessed with a surety as those who have seen Jesus in the flesh and to whom He physically ministered. Even though we do not live in the meridian of time, His promise in our day to us is just as powerful: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88). Though we may not see Him with our natural eyes, we should look with our spiritual eyes each day to see Him on our right hand and on our left.