A Self Fulfilling Prophecy

Today I read Ether 5, what I like to call a self fulfilling prophecy. A self fulfilling prophecy is one that most likely would never have come to pass if it hadn't been made. Having hind sight of all events involved in this particular prophecy, I have to wonder if it would have happened if it had not been recorded by Moroni?

For those of you who might not be familiar with the story, when Joseph Smith was translating the plates, he and his scribe at the time, Oliver Cowdery, translated this chapter and learned that the golden plates were going to be shown to 3 witnesses. Oliver ask Joseph to supplicate the Lord that he may be one of those 3, thus setting into motion the events that fulfilled this prophecy. So again, one has to wonder, if Moroni had not recorded this prophecy, would it have happened at all? Of course, one could also argue that all prophecies the Lord gives are self fulfilling.

However, I am not trying to make light of so important an event. We have discussed in the past the sheer absurdity of the fact that there have been more than enough witnesses to the truth that any court of law would have to declare the truthfulness of whatever the event was, and yet still people doubt it. But there is another reason why the Lord wanted to have 3 witnesses to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. It's the same reason that we send missionaries out in pairs or sometimes in three's but no more.

2 Corinthians 13 tells us that out of the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses shall every word be established. This is God's established pattern and He will not deviate from it. This is important for several reasons, but perhaps the most important being because God does not change. As Moroni in Mormon 9 has taught us that there is not even a shadow of changing in the Lord and so it must needs be that He will not change in this regard either, and He has not. The Lord still uses 2 or 3 people to be His witness, this is why we send missionaries out in pairs, and sometimes threes. Yes, it is a nice way to keep safe and not be lonely, but the bigger picture is because it is the Lord's established pattern.

So, knowing this, it should be no surprise that the Lord established the truthfulness of the golden plates, and by extension, the Book of Mormon in the same manner that He has all His other scriptures. And yet people doubt. They cannot see the truth when it is before them and are blinded by the craftiness of the devil who whispers in their ears and twists holy scripture in their minds to deceive them. But those with eyes to see will see the truth. Those with hearts to feel will be touched by the Spirit and will know the truth of Moroni's words, and all the prophets. That has been God's pattern in the past, and it will continue in the future. Until tomorrow.