Episode 122: Connections between the Book of Revelation and The Book of Mormon (Nick Frederick)

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BYU Religious Education

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4.8 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 15 February 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

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Summary

In this episode, Dr. Nicholas J. Frederick discusses his article "It’s Not the End of the World; It’s Just the Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation in the Book of Mormon" co-authored with Dr. Joseph M. Spencer. Professor Frederick examines the intricate relationship between the Book of Mormon and the New Testament, particularly focusing on the Book of Revelation, by highlighting key textual allusions, type scenes, and quotations between the two. For example, he compares Nephi’s vision as a variant of the visions recorded in Revelation, reinterpreting and recontextualizing its imagery and language. He details how it stretches the language and imagery of Revelation across a broader historical framework. Further, Dr. Frederick identifies three key revisions that expand our understanding: the reapplication of New Jerusalem imagery to describe Christ’s terrestrial visits, the use of apocalyptic language to depict Christ’s Crucifixion, and the equating of the great and abominable church with the great harlot of Revelation 17—18. These revisions emphasize the significance of Christ’s earthly ministry and death, presenting a typological view of sacred history with pivotal moments of Christ’s sojourn.

Publications:

“It’s Not the End of the World; It’s Just the Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation in the Book of Mormon” (BYU Studies Quarterly, 63.2, 2024)

“Section 77 and Book of Revelation Scholarship” (Religious Educator, 22.2, 2021)

“The Book of Mormon and the Academy” (Religious Educator, 21.2, 2020)

“The Use of the Old Testament in the New Testament Gospels” (in Prophets and Prophecies of the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center, 2017)

Click here to learn more about Nicholas J. Frederick.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello by religion friends. John Hilton here. If I were to tell you that I knew when the
0:05.9	second coming would be, would you believe me? Of course not. But people have been making and
0:11.7	believing predictions about Christ's second coming for a long time. Hippolytus of Rome predicted
0:17.6	that the second coming would be in the year 500 AD. That turned out to be incorrect.
0:23.2	Pope Sylvester II predicted 1,000 AD, which seems like a good round number, but it was also wrong.
0:29.1	Then some scholars said, well, if it's not 1,000 years from the birth of Christ, it must be 1,000
0:33.7	years from the death of Christ and predicted Christ's second coming at the year 133.
0:39.5	That also didn't happen. More recently, William Miller, a Christian minister, predicted that
0:45.1	Christ would return between 1843 and 1844. Again, the prediction did not come to pass.
0:52.0	Even in recent memory, a popular Christian radio speaker put up billboards saying that the second coming would be May 21st, 2011.
1:01.0	The billboard said, the Bible guarantees it. But that also was incorrect.
1:07.0	Many of the predictions about the second coming and the events surrounding it are drawn at least in part from the Book of Revelation.
1:15.3	I think it's fair to say that the Book of Revelation is one of Scripture's least well-understood texts.
1:21.5	One key, though, to better understanding the Book of Revelation is found in seeing its connections to the Book of Mormon.
1:29.6	Perhaps surprisingly, the Book of Revelation is found in seeing its connections to the Book of Mormon. Perhaps surprisingly,
1:35.0	the Book of Revelation is specifically referenced in the Book of Mormon, not once, but twice.
1:41.0	What could the Book of Mormon teach us about the Book of Revelation? It's almost as if the Book of Mormon wants to say, look, while we're acknowledging that there
1:44.5	is going to be stuff that happens in the future, while we're acknowledging that there's stuff
1:48.6	that's going to surround the events of Jesus' second coming, we can't lose sight of the importance
1:54.4	of that first condescension of Jesus Christ. That's when the battle was won. That's when Satan
2:00.5	lost. That's when we were saved.
2:03.0	The Book of Revelation has been fascinating readers for centuries. In this episode, we'll explore
	...

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