Sidenote

After completing yesterdays post I thought of another point I find interesting. I am always impressed when I see evidence that supports the fact that history repeats itself. I believe the Savior alludes to this when He says to the Nephites: "And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that yea search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah. For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles. And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake. (3 Nephi 23:1-3)

It seems to me the only way the words of Isaiah "have been and shall be" is if the historical account in his record repeats itself in the future. Based on the writings we have found in Deuteronomy, Jeremiah and other places there appears to be similar threads that run through the fabric of the scriptures repeatedly, suggesting more fully considering the implications of history repeating itself. This further implies that in addition to clearly articulating doctrine through discourse and testimony, there remains a reservoir of truth largely untapped in the form of "types" and "shadows." The events that occurred in the past are reflections of our future.

If we truly seek to understand prophecy and our future, we can do so by looking back and searching for ancient people who had similar circumstances. The key to doing so is found in our ability to identify examples in history of people who share our circumstances and then study their example, reacting differently if their outcome was negative. This will only be effective if we can clearly understand who we are and what are prophetic role is in the last days. Otherwise, types and shadows remain hidden from our view in plain sight.