“Prophesying of Things to Come, and Testifying of the Things Which I Had Heard and Seen.”

Denver C. Snuffer, Jr.

Enos resumes his teaching. He “went about among the people of Nephi.” He did not set himself apart. He did not ask people to come to him. He went among them. He was not distant or aloof. His ministry was close and personal; “among” the people he was asked to teach.

Teachers cannot really teach from a distance. They can evoke acclaim, respect and acquire notoriety from a distance. They can even become celebrities. But to be an effective teacher Enos had to go meet face to face. Even the Lord does this. To Moses, the Lord explained how He would minister to His followers: “With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold[.]” (Num. 12: 8.) Moroni also wrote: “And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things[.]” (Ether 12: 39.) With respect to the Brother of Jared it is recorded: “Wherefore,…he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him.” (Ether 3: 20.) At the dedication of the Kirtland Temple the Lord declared: “Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my commandments, and do not pollute this holy house.” (D&C 110: 8.) In His mortal ministry, Christ ministered directly to the crowds who would hear Him. There are many other examples, but these are enough to show how the Lord continues to minister personally to His followers. Enos is imitating the Lord when he ministered “among the people,” rather than from a distance. The Lord was not and is not aloof. Neither was Enos. To effectively minister, the personal presence of the one ministering is essential. It will never be otherwise. Enos was not interested in being admired from a distance. Rather he was interested in teaching in person. This is one of the great and relevant points of Enos’ record. Those who choose to distance themselves from the Lord’s sheep will never be known by the sheep as anything other than an icon.

His ministry consisted of what knew. He could “testify” as a witness of things to come. His prophecy was personal. He knew the truth of his message. Such a personal message required a personal delivery by Enos for it to be effective.

As we have previously pointed out, Enos’ experience was not limited to hearing a voice. He saw the Lord. He reconfirms that in this verse. He testified “of the things which I had heard and seen.” He could not have included things which he had “seen” unless the Lord showed something to him. Enos, in his meekness, does not force the conclusion upon us, but he does embed it in his message. If we carefully consider his words, we are forced to conclude that Enos’ testimony includes a witness of having seen Christ.

Next, Enos gives us a glimpse into the early Lamanite religious practices. These early deviations at the beginning (second generation) would later mutate into the varying faiths on display during the Alma the Younger/Sons of Mosiah missionary era. His record tells us:

Beloved Enos

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