The Redeemer Shall Come to Zion

Remember the Sabbath Day

D. Kelly Ogden

Ensign 24, no. 4 (Apr. 1994)

Observance of the Sabbath is not a restriction but a source of strength and protection.

Great Are the Words of Isaiah

Hugh W. Nibley

Sperry Symposium Classics: The Old Testament (2005)

“The quickest way to get an overview of the immense book of Isaiah is simply to read the first chapter.” Isaiah says that the worst vices are pride, selfishness, and grinding the faces of the poor. A happy world to come is described in chapters 11 and 12.

How the Wise Men Became Kings

Eric D. Huntsman

Good Tidings of Great Joy: An Advent Celebration of the Savior's Birth, excerpted on the BYU New Testament Commentary website (Dec. 2013)

Eric Huntsman discusses the origins of the Magi, traditionally known as wise men or kings, in the biblical account of Matthew, exploring their gifts, possible royal status, and the historical and prophetic contexts that contributed to their depiction in Christian tradition.

Isaiah and the Restoration of Israel

Terry B. Ball

A Witness for the Restoration: Essays in Honor or Robert J. Matthews (2012)

The restoration of Israel is foretold throughout Isaiah, including Isaiah 14, which prophesies that the “strangers,” or Gentiles and the house of Israel will together serve the Lord in the promised lands. Isaiah 29 foretells that the marvelous work and wonder of restoration would happen in a day when many are spiritually asleep.

View of the Hebrews: Substitute for Inspiration?

Spencer J. Palmer, William L. Knecht

BYU Studies 5, no. 2 (1964)

Some critics have tried to explain the Isaiah passages in the Book of Mormon as the result of an idea that Joseph Smith supposedly got from a book written in 1825 called View of the Hebrews. This BYU Studies article from 1964 not only succeeded in putting this dubious notion completely to rest, but it also presents data that still today attests to the importance of certain Isaiah chapters in the Nephite prophetic worldview.

“All Things Denote There is a God”: Seeing Christ in the Creation

Bruce A. Roundy, Robert J. Norman

Religious Educator 6, no. 2 (2005)

A major theme in the history of the covenant people is the spiritual bondage of sin which leads to physical bondage. The authors also dive into a discussion on how all things in the earth and in nature can be seen symbolically in testifying of God.

“More Fully Persuaded”: Isaiah’s Witness of Christ’s Ministry

Jeffrey R. Holland

Isaiah in the Book of Mormon (1998)

Isaiah was prepared to testify of the Messiah and bear such witness of the divinity of Christ’s coming. Elder Holland focuses on Isaiah’s prophecies regarding Christ’s birth, mortal ministry, and Atonement; Christ’s visit to spirits in prison; Christ showing kindness and preserving latter-day Zion; and the millennial Christ. The full book, Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, is available at Book of Mormon Central.

A Precious and Powerful Witness of Jesus Christ

John M. Madsen

Sperry Symposium Classics: The Old Testament (2005)

“The Living Christ” is a powerful summary of the identity and role of Jesus Christ. All scripture and all prophets testify of Christ; salvation comes only through Christ; Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ.

Parable of the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8–10)

S. Kent Brown

The Testimony of Luke, BYU New Testament Commentary, excerpted on the BYU New Testament Commentary website (May. 2019)

Jesus’s story about the lost coin fits within a now-established pattern of emphasizing the rescue, mainly his mission to rescue.

View of the Hebrews: Substitute for Inspiration?

Spencer J. Palmer, William L. Knecht

BYU Studies 5, no. 2 (1964)

Some critics have tried to explain the Isaiah passages in the Book of Mormon as the result of an idea that Joseph Smith supposedly got from a book written in 1825 called View of the Hebrews. This BYU Studies article from 1964 not only succeeded in putting this dubious notion completely to rest, but it also presents data that still today attests to the importance of certain Isaiah chapters in the Nephite prophetic worldview.