Pages

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Did King Limhi not understand what a seer/prophet is? Mosiah 8:15

Did King Limhi not understand what a seer/prophet is? Mosiah 8:15

King Limhi is talking to Ammon, the descendant of Zarahemla. King Limhi is really anxious because he had previously found a "land covered with bones of men, and of beasts, and was also covered with ruins of buildings of every kind...[and] twenty-four plates which are filled with engravings" (see Mosiah 8:8-9). King Limhi had assumed this to be the land of Zarahemla, but he was wrong. He was really anxious to know what the plates said about those people who had lived there. He asked Ammon if he knew a guy who could translate.

Ammon promises him that there is a person (King Mosiah, son of King Benjamin, son of King Mosiah) living in Zarahemla who could translate the plates by the power of God. He then explains to King Limhi the definition of a seer.

A seer includes these qualifications: (see Mosiah 8:13-18)

  • has "the wherewith that he can look" <-- maybe it is a tool, maybe it just raw power?
  • has the ability to translate all records of ancient date
  • has a high gift of God
  • has a device called "interpreters"
  • is commanded to use the device 
  • is a prophet
  • is greater than a prophet
  • possesses the power of God because God gives it to him
  • can know of things that happened in the past
  • can know of things that will happen in the future
  • can reveal secret things
  • can make hidden things come to light
  • can make things known which are not known
  • can make things known which could otherwise not be known
  • has faith
  • has power to work mighty miracles
  • can be a great benefit to his fellow beings.

Answer:
It's possible that King Limhi had a knowledge of Jesus Christ but he did not have a perfect understanding of prophets and seers. It seems logical that King Limhi would not have had first-hand understanding of a seer because there does not seem to have been one in the land of Lehi-Nephi where he was living.

There is a seer alive on earth today. Through him we can know the will of God for us today. He reveals truth to the whole world, not just to members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ. Listen to what he has to say and judge for yourself.


No comments:

Post a Comment