Rhonda Pickering – Part 2 – Mormon’s Secret Combination Sandwich
Mormon strategically places an amazing literary bracket structure (a “sandwich”) in the Book of Mormon just before the first coming of Jesus Christ in 3rd Nephi to give us a parallel to the latter-day restoration of the house of Israel just before the second coming of Jesus Christ in our day! In-between the parallel “secret combination” chapters of Helaman 6 and 3 Nephi 6 we find three stories of five chapters each, telling us through types and shadows about the mission and empowerment of the latter-day servant (Nephi, son of Helaman); prophecies of the 2nd Coming of Christ (Samuel the Lamanite); and the Redemption of Zion (Lachoneus & Gidgiddoni). Highlights include: Chiastic structures and parallelisms between Helaman 6 and 3 Nephi 6; other literary devices used by Mormon throughout these chapters; insightful parallels from the book of Isaiah; Ezra’s Eagle (2 Esdras 11–12), Daniel’s 4th beast (Dan. 7) and the two beasts of John the Revelator (Rev.13) described in interconnected, chiastic panels; Lachoneus’ “places of security” in southern Illinois; a “lion” among the flocks of sheep (3 Ne. 21); and the “change of branches” in Jacob 5.
