Avraham’s Mailbox

Question: The general consensus among Bible scholars is that the Book of Isaiah was written by two or more authors, but the scriptures say otherwise. How should one respond to that? Answer: Liberal scholars’ main arguments for assigning several authors to the Book of Isaiah are (1) that its three different historical settings—Israel before its […]

Question: Jeremiah 23:5–6 says that the “righteous Branch” the Lord raises up to David is called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Doesn’t that prove this verse is referring to Jesus Christ? Answer: First, a correct translation of Hebrew yhvh tzidqeinu in Jeremiah 23:6 is “Jehovah is our righteousness.” As the Hebrew language possesses no capital letters,

Question: I’m having difficulty sorting out which laws or terms of God’s covenants apply on different spiritual levels and how these covenants connect to one another. That includes the Ten Commandments, baptism, and temple covenants. Can you clarify? Answer: Of three major covenants God made with his people and with individuals—the Sinai, Davidic, and Abrahamic

Question: In what ways is the fulness of gospel different from the basic principles of the gospel? Answer: After we define the gospel’s basic principles as faith in Jesus Christ, repentance of transgressions, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost—the latter

Question: Does Isaiah say anything about the return from exile of Israel’s Ten Lost Tribes who were taken captive into Assyria? Answer: The short answer to the Ten Tribes’ return from exile is that just as they went captive into ancient Assyria in Isaiah’s day (circa 722 B.C.), so they will return from exile out

Question: If the prophecies of Isaiah are about the end of the world, where does he speak about America, and what does he predict for this nation? Answer: To answer that question, a quick review of exactly how Isaiah prophesies the end of the world is warranted, followed by what he prophesies of end-time America.

Question: What is so important about understanding the words of Isaiah that the Savior makes it a commandment to search them diligently (3 Nephi 23:1)? Also, why does he call them “great”? Aren’t the words of other prophets great also, including the words of modern prophets? Answer: The fact that only one prophet appears in

Question: In a class discussion, the question arose as to when Gentiles become numbered among those of the house of Israel. Many have the belief that when they are baptized and make a covenant with the Lord they are adopted into the house of Israel. And yet the scriptures indicate that collectively we are a

Question: If we are living in the last days, how should we account for the apparent discrepancy between how Isaiah severely censures God’s people and today’s faithful members of the church? Answer: By the “last days,” do you mean (1) since the time the gospel was restored; (2) the present time; or (3) the time

Question: Will members of the church be saved from major calamities and caught up in the air to meet the Savior? Answer: Isaiah predicts that the Lord comes as Savior only to those who repent of worldliness and idolatry. To the remainder of humanity, he comes “as a thief in the night” (cf. 2 Peter

Question: Would not the spiritual kings and queens of the Gentiles who gather God’s “sons” and “daughters” of the house of Israel (Isaiah 49:22–23) be themselves of the house of Israel? Answer: Hosea’s prophecy that “Ephraim has assimilated among the nations (hitboleil ba’amim); Ephraim is an unturned pancake” (Hosea 7:8) affirms Jacob’s birthright blessing on

Question: What does Isaiah teach about how to live through the time when his prophecies are starting to be fulfilled, especially as it concerns members of the church? Answer: While the words of Isaiah spell out ahead of time how the end of the world is going to unfold, they indeed also reveal what pulls