John saw lots of angels.
The word “angel” appears 86 times in the book of Revelation. Nine of those times, he says that he saw “another angel” (not to be confused with all the previous ones)! One of those unnamed angels has special significance for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Revelation 14:6-7
According to John, this angel had three interrelated purposes:
- To bring the gospel
- To make that gospel available to all nations
- To prepare us for the return of Jesus Christ
Angels are on my mind these days. As we participate in Christmas celebrations, we remember the angel who appeared to Mary (Luke 1:26-38), the angel who appeared to Joseph (Matthew 1:20-23), the heavenly choir who sang to the shepherds (Luke 2:9-15), and the angel who warned the young family to escape from Herod to Egypt (Matthew 2:13, 19).
Angels have also played an important role in God’s work more recently. In the 1820s, Joseph Smith interacted with multiple heavenly visitors as he obtained and translated the Book of Mormon, received priesthood authority, and established The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Among those visitors was John the Revelator himself. (See D&C 128:20). The first of those angels was Moroni, the last author of the Book of Mormon. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:30-33.)
About 400 years after the birth of Jesus, Moroni wrote, “Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing” (Mormon 8:35). When he appeared to Joseph Smith in 1823, he quoted a number of scriptures, saying that some of them had already been fulfilled and others were about to be. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:40-41.)
No wonder Elder Ronald A. Rasband identified the angel from John’s vision as Moroni. “Moroni was that angel,” he said. “He saw our day as recorded in the Book of Mormon. In repeated appearances, he prepared Joseph Smith for his ministry, including the translation of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ” (“Fulfillment of Prophecy,” General Conference, April 2020).
In 1831, Joseph Smith received a revelation in which God affirmed that the angel in John’s vision had already come, but that his second and third purposes were still in progress:
That these things might be known among you, O inhabitants of the earth, I have sent forth mine angel flying through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel, who hath appeared unto some and hath committed it unto man…
And this gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.
And the servants of God shall go forth, saying with a loud voice: Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come.
Doctrine and Covenants 133:36-38, see also Doctrine and Covenants 133:17, Doctrine and Covenants 88:103-104
The angel Moroni started a process that continues today. The gospel has not yet been preached to everyone, and we are not yet prepared for the return of the Savior, but we will be. After quoting John’s prophecy, President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “As certainly as there is an Almighty Father in Heaven, as surely as there is His Son, our Divine Redeemer, so certainly is this work destined to reach out to people everywhere” (“Stay the Course—Keep the Faith,” General Conference, October 1995).
And President Russell M. Nelson said, “I promise that if we will do our best to exercise faith in Jesus Christ and access the power of His Atonement through repentance, we will have the knowledge and power of God to help us take the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord” (“The Future of the Church: Preparing the World for the Savior’s Second Coming,” Ensign, April 2020).
Today, I will contribute to the work inaugurated by the “other angel” from John’s vision. I will do my part to share the “everlasting gospel,” particularly as it is taught in the Book of Mormon, so that I can help prepare people to receive the Savior when He returns.