The Man in The White Robe

For discussing the Church, Gospel of Jesus Christ, Mormonism, etc.
User avatar
clarkkent14
LBFOJ
Posts: 1973
Location: Southern Utah
Contact:

Re: The Man in The White Robe

Post by clarkkent14 »

Moss Man wrote:
Was Nephi skeptical? Yes!!
1 Nephi 11:5
And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father.
I think Nephi simply wanted experience what his father did.
Another great observation MM. Think about this though...

Once a "man" receives "the testimony of Jesus," then do his words change? Whose words are they? Are Lehi's words Lehi's? Do we read Nephi's words as Nephi's? What about Joseph? What about Denver?

"And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness."

So for Nephi to say, "Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father" only shows that Nephi understood that his fathers "words" didn't really belong to Lehi.

"And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will."

When I first heard Denver speak I didn't hear "Denver" speaking. It was a panel discussion, and he was one of four men on the stand answering questions about the constitution. His answers were elevated, different, clear, and full of the spirit. I told BrentL that I kept thinking of Joseph Smith and the "voice" I hear when I read his words. He is acquainted with higher things, and I could discern it in that open forum. The discussions were about civil matters, yet I couldn't help but hear His voice when Denver spoke.

EDIT: words are "of great worth," men are just men, they cannot save. Think about it, Denver's experience does nothing for you. Nephi's, Lehi's, Joseph's Moses etc etc etc. Their words however...

User avatar
Craig Johnson
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1991
Location: Washington State.

Re: The Man in The White Robe

Post by Craig Johnson »

I would like to see more on this post. I found an interesting statement by President Ezra Taft Benson, in his Teachings book, page 312 "We would hope that you teachers would be as men in white robes, leading our youth safely through the temptations of the world so that they too may partake of the tree of life and have exceeding great joy."
Anyway, I would really like to know who this angel was that talked to Lehi, but so far I have been unable to find out who it was.

User avatar
AI2.0
captain of 1,000
Posts: 3917

Re: The Man in The White Robe

Post by AI2.0 »

Craig Johnson wrote: February 1st, 2018, 11:31 am I would like to see more on this post. I found an interesting statement by President Ezra Taft Benson, in his Teachings book, page 312 "We would hope that you teachers would be as men in white robes, leading our youth safely through the temptations of the world so that they too may partake of the tree of life and have exceeding great joy."
Anyway, I would really like to know who this angel was that talked to Lehi, but so far I have been unable to find out who it was.
It's interesting to see how much has changed in the last five years since this thread was created.

If you want to know, read the first two 'untainted' responses on page one of this thread, from Thomas and Inwarrior. They have good suggestions to ponder on. But, we must remember at this time, that many of the posters here were enamored with a writer/lecturer named Denver Snuffer and he'd been 'opening' their minds to new thoughts and new ideas. So, we see the poster 'A Random Phrase' interject into the thread, what she'd learned from Snuffer. Denver Snuffer's (a man who was later excommunicated and drew a following to himself) 'reinterpretation of these scriptures, are seen through the rest of the thread as his admirers show how he's infected them with his false beliefs. The reinterpretation shows Denver's thought processes, which had come to perceive LDS Prophets and Apostles as the 'arm of flesh', leading people into darkness.

User avatar
Craig Johnson
captain of 1,000
Posts: 1991
Location: Washington State.

Re: The Man in The White Robe

Post by Craig Johnson »

It's sad when a person who has obvious social skills puts them to use in this way, I wonder how many people he could have helped into the church with those skills. Thank you for the info. I just want to know if I have missed any "real" authority who has stated who the angel is. I have a lot of informational access but so far I have not found where anyone has stated who this angel is, and I am just curious, I know it's not really important or it would have been mentioned by Nephi. Thanks!

User avatar
oneClimbs
captain of 1,000
Posts: 3187
Location: Earth
Contact:

Re: The Man in The White Robe

Post by oneClimbs »

The man in the white robe is as much a part of the vision as the tree, rod, building and other elements. One thing I have learned from studying symbolism is that the attempt to try and concretely nail down a symbol to the point where it can mean only one thing violates the purpose of using symbolism in the first place. The man in the white robe could be an angel, a servant of the Lord, an evil spirit or many other things, maybe an ancestor. There is something to be learned by examining the vision in light of each of these interpretations. When God leaves things vague, I suggest that it is for a wise purpose.

I think it is natural to want to force a single interpretation so we can fit everything into our own little boxes. I think this is part of what makes the natural man an enemy to God.

Post Reply