I like to teach Exodus 25-31 by first starting out talking about why the Lord wanted them to have a tabernacle in the first place, and then liken this to our day to show why the Lord has us build temples today. Exodus 29:42-45 and D&C 97:15-17 are excellent versesContinue Reading

The longest allegory in scripture is Zenos’ allegory of the olive, which is found in Jacob 5. In Jacob 5:3, Zenos explains to his hearers that the tame olive tree represents the house of Israel. From this interpretation, we can draw some conclusions about the other symbols in Zenos’ allegory.Continue Reading

I love the allegory of the Olive Tree in Jacob 5. It can be read so many ways. I will be posting a podcast to this text that will hopefully be helpful to all of us in the next few days. Zeno’s Allegory of the Tame and Wild Olive Trees,Continue Reading

Joseph served as a type for Christ in the following ways: Both were granted a new name: Joseph was denominated Zaphnath-paaneah by Pharaoh (Gen. 41:45) Jesus’ divine name was Christ. Both were good shepherds. Both were known as the most loved of their father. Both were clothed in authority andContinue Reading

I believe that as we read the Old Testament, looking for ways that the events and stories therein show a similarity to the Savior Jesus Christ, that we are reading the text as Nephi directs when he said,  “Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth ofContinue Reading

Hosea’s name means “deliverance” or “salvation” and is connected on a basic level with the names Joshua and Jesus.  Hosea was a prophet at the time of King Jeroboam II, who died in 746 BC. His ministry may well have continued until the loss of the Northern Kingdom in 721Continue Reading

Jonah as a type: Jesus Christ The book of Jonah serves as a type for several ideas taught in scripture.  A type is a symbol that looks forward towards a future fulfillment.  It can be defined as a “preordained representative relationship with certain persons, events, and institutions bear to correspondingContinue Reading

Ezekiel’s vision of the Lord is not unlike the vision John has in Revelation 4.  Both men see God on his throne, surrounded by heavenly attendants.  Both men describe lightning, brilliant light, creatures unknown to man, and a brilliant rainbow in the midst of the heavenly vision. We spent timeContinue Reading

Jeremiah’s Symbolic Acts Many important judgments are recorded in unforgettable imagery throughout the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah gave several prophecies that were accompanied by symbolic acts or allegories. The symbolic act, a staging of a prophetic message, is an interesting phenomenon associated with prophets, as, for example, the prophet Zedekiah’sContinue Reading

The story in 2 Samuel 6 of Uzzah steadying the ark, although well known amongst adults in the church, is not known by our youth.  When asked if they had ever heard of Uzzah steadying the ark, my students responded that they had never heard the story before. To understandContinue Reading