I’m not saying that often the correct meanings are metaphorical, but items like this are clearly literal as well. My interest here was directed because of recent events, specifically, that divers have found freshwater vents (sustaining life) in the Dead Sea. Pump in enough freshwater, and both the volume of the water persists and the salinity drops. This discovery tells me that the literal meaning of Ez 47 is not so far-fetched after all. We are free to speculate, as Rich does above, about other man-made events helping to fulfill the literal cleansing of the waters, and indeed, all these things work together as “small things” by which God does “great things.” Still, water from the temple this isn’t quite. But the potential is certainly there.

An example, Jesus speaks of the Temple at Jerusalem being rebuilt. He also compared it’s destruction to his own death and predicted that he would rebuild in three days what the enemy had thrown down. The literal resurrection of Christ is at the root of all that we believe in the Church.
But there are types and shadows of our own death and resurrection, the scattering and gathering of Israel, both literally and figuratively. And the promised building and rebuilding of temples. Think of the reconstructed Nauvoo Temple. It is as apt a type and shadow of resurrection as I can think of. The temple died when the spirit left with the church. It was burned, toppled by a tornado and taken apart stone by stone and used in other construction, just as a dead body decomposes. Then the spirit entered into the Church and the temple was once again raised up, the new building resembles the old in many a particular, but contains features that would have been undreamed of in Joseph and Brigham’s days. Air conditioning, central heating, audio/visual systems, reinforced steel construction, etc. One could say truthfully that it is a glorified and perfected temple, in the likeness of the old.

Was Jesus (the Messiah) born only symbolically in Bethlehem? Did only spiritual waters drown the people at the time of Noah? Was the ‘Tower of Babel’ only an intellectual construct? Did Lehi and his family only leave Jerusalem figuratively? Did Joseph Smith see the Father and the Son in the grove only symbolically? Jesus’ Second Coming, will there only be figurative fire to burn and kill all of the wicked remaining on the earth?

Sure, there is much that is symbollic and figurative in the scriptures. Was Adam made of the “dust of the ground”? Kinduv. Just like every baby that is born is made of the “elements of the earth”. Was Eve made from his rib? She was meant, as his wife, to be at his side (and not of his head, to rule over him, nor of his feet, to be walked on him). But the creation of Adam as given in the scriptures is largely euphemistic or symbollic, and not literal.

Is Jesus the Father of mankind? Yes and no. Spiritually speaking, he is. He accomplished the atonement whereby we can be brought back (alive) into the presence of the Father. He was self-resurrected, making our resurrection sure, again, being our ‘Father’ in bringing us to life, even if it is ‘back to life (reuniting the spirit and the body). He even created (under the command and direction of the Father) the earth, and all that is in it, which sustains us. He (Jesus) is the Father also, as the BoM explains, in that his will was swallowed in the will of the Father, making him (Jesus) BOTH the Father and the Son.

But is Jesus the Father of our spirits? No. He is our brother, though I oldest brother.

Many things in the scriptures are to be understood literally and others figuratively. And many things are to be understood, or give us understanding, in both ways!

“…he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken”
(New Testament | Luke 24:25)

From several accounts given in the gospels, it seems that many of Christ’s disciples, even his own apostles, did not believe things literally enough (and some, perhaps not at all)!

Is there great and rich symbolism to be taken from the scriptures? Absolutely! Does that mean that that which is symbolic is not literal! Occasionally. But, for the most part, that is what divides true disciples of Christ from ‘traditional believers’. Euphemistic fulfillment seems so poetic, and often less threatening.

However, if the scriptures teach one thing at all—it is that the Lord says what he means and means what he says—mostly, quite literally! (And literal fulfillment in no way steals away any of the rich symbolic and figurative meaning. It rather makes it that much greater and fuller).

Your example of Isaiah 29 is well taken; however Genesis 41 just proves my point. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream symbolically, not literally. The fat and lean cows were symbols of productive and lean years. Joseph would have been in big trouble if he hadn’t had the ability to interpret things figuratively.

Thanks for the heads up. It may be due to site maintenance. I was able to open with Firefox, though slow, and IE wouldn’t open at all when I clicked a heading.

I’ll check it out. When it has done this before it usually corrected within an hour. Thanks again for your help.

Hey, I went to your blog to check it out but none of the articles come up. Just an FYI since I am interested in your posts.

I have assumed that the understanding about the Temple and the healing of the Dead Sea will be made clear when those days arrive and the prophecy is being fulfilled. I tend to take these things literally based on the way other Old Testament prophecies have been fulfilled. Take Isaiah 29 as an example, it tells in some detail about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and is literally fulfilled. I wish I had the time this morning to review other O.T. prophecies and how they were fulfilled; figuratively or literally. Another one came to mind as I was writing, the 7 years of fat and lean found in Genesis 41, where Joseph interpreted pharaoh dream.