Question: In Mosiah 12–15, Abinadi is confronted and challenged by the priests of King Noah to interpret Isaiah 52:7–10. In Mosiah 15:10–15, Abinadi explains that the feet of the messengers on the mountains declaring good tidings refers to God’s servants the prophets. In Mosiah 15:18-20, however, he quotes the exact phraseology of the Isaiah verses and says they refer to Jesus Christ—that he is the one who brings good tidings and is the founder of peace. Yet, in your interpretation of Isaiah 52 you claim these verses are prophesying about the Lord’s end-time servant. These two examples concern me because it seems that the many allusions you make to prophesies being about the end-time servant may actually be leading people astray and some may actually be about Christ. That is very serious to me.
Answer: The passage in question states in full: “[Then shall they say,] How comely upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger announcing peace, who brings tidings of good, who heralds salvation, saying to Zion, Your God reigns! Hark! Your watchmen lift up their voice; as one they cry out for joy: for they shall see eye to eye when Jehovah reestablishes Zion. Break out all together into song, you ruined places of Jerusalem: Jehovah has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem Jehovah has bared his holy arm in the eyes of all nations, that all ends of the earth may see our God’s salvation” (Isaiah 52:7–10).
When interpreting the words of Isaiah, confusion arises when it is overlooked that they depict an end-time scenario—besides whatever other applications his words may have. That basic premise is supported by Jesus’ own words and the words of Nephi and his brother Jacob, plus the multi-layered structures and literary devices Isaiah uses to convey his message which are the key to interpreting it. Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 52:7–10 are themselves a case in point. Besides referring to God’s servants the prophets, they may thus also refer to Jesus Christ, who embodies the good news of the gospel in his person as Abinadi says.
Abinadi, however, further explains, “And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace! And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace, yea, from this time henceforth and forever!” (Mosiah 15:16–17). This third interpretation is supported by Nephi’s reference to the gospel’s restoration through the prophet Joseph Smith and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon to the Gentiles at that time: “And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be” (1 Nephi 13:37).
What Nephi was “forbidden” to add, and could not explain, on the other hand (1 Nephi 14:28)—but which can be determined by anyone who searches Isaiah’s words and starts putting the pieces together—is that God’s end-time servant is “hidden” from the world until his mission begins (Isaiah 49:2). For that reason, Nephi evidently quotes Isaiah 48–49 to say some of what he could not say but that might get those who search Isaiah’s words started to figuring things out for themselves. It is not for nothing the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, contain so many adjurations to search the words of Isaiah and to believe it.
Jesus himself, who was not under the constraint Nephi was, thus quotes Isaiah 29:14; 52:7, 12–15; 57:18–19 to speak of his end-time servant within the twin chiastic chapters of 3 Nephi 20–21: “And then shall they say: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings unto them, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings unto them of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion: Thy God reigneth! And then shall a cry go forth: Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch not that which is unclean; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.
“For ye shall not go out with haste nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel shall be your rearward. Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. As many were astonished at thee—his visage was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men—So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider” (3 Nephi 20:40–45). What do we suppose we “haven’t been told” from the pulpit but these very things?
“And when that day shall come, it shall come to pass that kings shall shut their mouths; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them. But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.
“Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant. And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver” (3 Nephi 21:8–12).
Is it any wonder that in his final words Nephi, who saw our day, exclaims, “And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be” (2 Nephi 32:7).
