SEVENTY-TWO by Doctor Jerry L. Ainsworth

[Hemidakota]

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In the Book of Mormon

Last month I shared an article about the significance of the number twenty-four in the Book of Mormon. This article is an extension of that concept, as the number seventy-two appears in the Book of Mormon, both directly and indirectly – and it is related to the number twenty-four. Seventy-two is a multiple of twenty-four.

After the Savior appeared to and instructed the Nephites, he chose twelve disciples. These twelve men were involved in the teaching of the people and performing ordinances, such as baptism. Toward the end of this initial Nephite ministry of Jesus, he turned to his twelve disciples and asked, “What is it that ye desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father?”

All but three of the twelve then requested that upon their death, they would “speedily come unto thee in thy kingdom.” The Savior’s response to this request was, “…after that ye are seventy and two years old ye shall come unto me in my kingdom;…”

One might wonder, “Why would the Savior select this number? Why not just seventy, or seventy five, etc? Why Seventy-two?” As I implied in my article last month, the Maya, and therefore the Nephites used numbers to convey special meaning and insight. It appears the Savior may have used the same process, selecting a number that when understood, would convey a very special meaning.

As indicated in last month’s article, I believe that twenty-four, as used in the Book of Mormon, implies completeness, or wholeness. The twenty four plates of Ether, represented a whole time period of a nation. This is another way of saying that twenty-four would essentially be a perfect number, in that it was perfectly whole, lacking nothing.

Given such a use of numbers, the meaning of seventy-two would be clear. It represents three whole, complete, or perfect numbers, fused together into one. This is simply another way of saying three perfect people that are fused into one, the Godhead. Seventy-two is essentially a way of representing three perfect people, The Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost. I believe this is why the Savior selected this number.

As a student of the Maya, I know the meaning of such a number would be inescapable. I assume the same was true with the Nephites, as I consider these two groups of people, (the Maya and the Nephites), to be one in the same.

As I explain in my book, The Lives and Travels of Mormon and Moroni, it appears that the abridgement of Mormon was written on twenty-four plates. The three witnesses indicate that this Nephite abridgement was about one third of the plates that Joseph Smith had received from Moroni.

We know that the plates of Ether, from which Moroni writes the Book of Ether, were themselves twenty-four in number. I always wondered why the Lord would have Moroni re-write what Ether had already written. The answer to that question is found in Ether 4:5, where Moroni states that not only did he write what the brother of Jared saw, but also the interpretation of what he saw.

I assume therefore that Moroni also took twenty-four plates to write what the Brother of Jared saw, (excluding the Pre-Babel accounts), and he also took twenty-four plates to write the interpretation. This totals forty eight plates.

The record that Joseph received would therefore have had twenty-four plates representing the whole time period of the Nephite nation. There were an additional twenty four plates representing the whole time period of the Jaredite nation, and then twenty-four plates giving the interpretation of those writings about the Jaredites. Once again we find the number seventy two.

What the three witnesses described, was therefore accurate. Mormon’s abridgment was one third of the plates Joseph Smith received, while the record of the Jaredites and the interpretation contained the remaining two thirds. This would once again total seventy-two plates. I impose this numerical template on the number of these plates, as I know it is precisely something that a Maya historian would have done. I therefore assume it is what Mormon and Moroni did.

As an aside, I have always assumed that Moroni was born in AD 350. His last entry on the plates, containing his personal book, was written in AD 421. Assuming he was killed at the end of that 421st year, he would have been seventy-two years old when he died.

Such a fete would mean little to us, in our culture, but to a Maya, it represents beautiful irony.

[mikbone]

Didn't Jerry already argue that the Adamic language was a dense language. Such that it would take much more space to write it in Reformed Egyptian?

Do you think that Joseph Smith peaked into the sealed potion of the plates? If he didn't, he didn't see the adamic language.

[TheAngelPalmoni]

Wow, hey that is awesome! I agree it feels right to me, and numerology is Huge in the scriptures! Good job keep it up I would like to know more!!

[Hemidakota]

Didn't Jerry already argue that the Adamic language was a dense language. Such that it would take much more space to write it in Reformed Egyptian?

Do you think that Joseph Smith peaked into the sealed potion of the plates? If he didn't, he didn't see the Adamic language.

He believes much as I do that an original Adamic hieroglyphic image may contain a book or an event of time. Same principle of storing a page of memory into a crystal cube with 6-prism laser; the object is no bigger than this ' . ‘and may contain over 1GBytes[+] of info.

No. Joseph was warned not too. I do believe the seal portion was mean't for another seer before or perhaps, after the return of the Savior to complete the work. Though, I guess I would be tempted but having the Seer stones, is the best approach with seeing the past. I am sure he and President Young [who had two stones] may have asked more than a share full of interesting questions.

[Hemidakota]

Wow, hey that is awesome! I agree it feels right to me, and numerology is Huge in the scriptures! Good job keep it up I would like to know more!!

This I believe has a greater purpose with numerology as I stated, there is '15' mega-galaxies that float around the center of the universe. The number 15 represents the First Presidency and the Council of Twelve.