Question
What is meant in 3 Nephi 25:2 when it says Christ will heal us with his wings of healing? Did Christ have wings?
Rick
Answer
Dear Rick,
When the Savior visited the Nephites, He wanted them to have the significant prophecies of Malachi. The Old Testament text that we have today has one small difference: it speaks of the “Sun of righteousness” (not “Son”). This creates the image of the sun flying across the sky in a fixed course healing everything its light touches (compare this with the earth’s “wings” in modern revelation). The Nephite version of this verse takes a more literal rendering so hearers know that the Son of God will be the one travelling across the world to heal the nations. Modern scripture (D&C 77:4) also explicitly describes the purpose of the wing symbol, “wings are a representation of power, to move, to act, etc.” So in this specific case, the Son of righteousness has the power to heal, and is free to move across the earth to act in the favor of those that fear his name.