The Book Of Mormon Teaches About The Second Coming Of Christ.

The Book Of Mormon Teaches About The Second Coming Of Christ.

Towards the end of the Savior's visit to the American continent he requested that the people bring their records to him so that he could look at them. After commanding the people to study the words of the prophet Isiah and reprimanding them for not writing the prophecies of Samuel The Lamanite, Jesus commanded them to write the words of the Old Testament prophet Malachi. As Lehi's family left the middle east around the time of Jeremiah and Isaiah they of course did not have the writings of Malachi.

 1 And it came to pass that he commanded them that they should write the words which the Father had given unto Malachi, which he should tell unto them. And it came to pass that after they were written he expounded them. And these are the words which he did tell unto them, saying: Thus said the Father unto Malachi—Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.

I believe the Lord will come again, that he will gloriously appear for all to see, that he will reign one thousand years during the millennium as the King of the earth, that through his power we will all eventually be resurrected, that he will Judge us according to what we have done in this life, and that he will invite us into the kingdom that he has prepared for us.

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Here's my second post for the week since I missed last week. This is from Jesus' visit to the Nephites. In 3rd Nephi chapter 22. Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah from the Old Testament concerning Zion and the gathering of Israel. This is probably the shortest verse in the chapter but it is my favorite.

"And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children."    -3 Nephi 22:13

I believe The Saviors words, that if we teach our children his gospel they will have more peace in their lives. Not only is it a good idea but it is the responsibility of every parent. I hope I do a good job.

Consider The Lilies Of The Field

Consider The Lilies Of The Field

I've been doing the blog for 18 weeks. Last week was the first week I missed and today my father in law says "I haven't seen anything from your blog lately". I guess I can't afford to miss. So to make it up, this week I'll do two posts.

In my personal study and in our family scripture study we have been reading in 3rd Nephi. As discussed in my last post, Christ's birth and death were prophesied of by Samuel the Lamanite. When the Nephites saw the sign of Christ's birth (the new star) many of them repented of their sins and believed in Christ's coming even though he was to be born in a land far away (Jerusalem). Unfortunately over the next 33 years many of the Nephites forgot about the sign or told themselves it was just a coincidence. As a result, many of the people lost their faith in Christ and slipped back into wickedness.  The sign that was to accompany Christ's death was a great calamity that included thunderings, lightnings, earthquakes, whirlwinds, fires, upheavals, and three days of darkness (the days that Christ's body laid in the tomb). When Jesus died many of the wicked Nephite cities in America were destroyed in these calamities.

In the darkness those who survived hear the voice of Jesus Christ. He announces the fulfillment of The Law of Moses and invites men to come unto him and be saved. In 3rd Nephi Chapter 11 Jesus descends from heaven and appears to the people. In the following chapters he teaches the Nephites many of the things that he taught his followers in the middle east.

One of my favorites is from 3rd Nephi Chapter 13; the same sermon he gave in Matthew Chapter 6 (his sermon on the mount). Here is a part of it:

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;

 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 22 The light of the body is the eye; if, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

 24 No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.

 25 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked upon the twelve whom he had chosen, and said unto them: Remember the words which I have spoken. For behold, ye are they whom I have chosen to minister unto this people. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

 26 Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin;

 29 And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.

 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith.

 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

 32 For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof.

I love the simple teachings of Jesus. I know that if we first seek to build the kingdom of God that He will take care of us when it comes to temporal things. I know that Jesus appeared to the people in ancient America and taught them the doctrines of his gospel.

My Soul Hungered

My Soul Hungered

One important truth that the BOM teaches is that we can be forgiven of our sins through Jesus Christ if we believe in his ability to do so. The story of Enos is one of the shortest yet one of the most powerful stories in The Book Of Mormon. Enos was the son of Jacob, who was the brother of Nephi, the son of Lehi who traveled to America from Jerusalem. As discussed in early posts on this blog, Jacob was a mighty teacher and leader among the Nephites. His son Enos... well here's the story. He tells it better in his own words:

1 Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it—

 2 And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.

 3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.

 4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

 5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.

 6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.

 7 And I said: Lord, how is it done?

 8 And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.

I know that we all sin. That's why Jesus died for us. I know that through his mercy we can be clean if we repent and come to him. I know that God hears our prayers.

No Respecter of Persons: What Does The Book Of Mormon Teach About Race?

No Respecter of Persons: What Does The Book Of Mormon Teach About Race?

I was reading today in the 15th chapter of Helaman in The Book Of Mormon when I realized that one of the main themes of the book is that God loves EVERYONE.

This chapter takes place in the year 6 BC. A prophet called Samuel The Lamanite is standing on the city wall in the Nephite capital city of Zarahemla. Samuel was called of God to preach repentance to the Nephites and to declare the message of Christ's birth across the sea. He predicted the appearance of a new star in the heavens and even told the people exactly when Christ would be born.

"Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name" (Helaman 14:2). 

At this time in The Book Of Mormon it seems like the Lamanites have begun to surpass the Nephites in their righteousness and willingness to follow God. What stood out to me is that God didn't care if they were Lamanites, he wanted them to believe in Him and follow Him. On the other hand, God didn't care that the Nephites were traditionally His followers. Through Samuel God declared that the Nephite nation would be destroyed unless they repent.

"And now, my beloved brethren, behold, I declare unto you that except ye shall repent your houses shall be left unto you desolate... Yea, wo unto this people who are called the people of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord...Yea, I say unto you, that in the latter times the promises of the Lord have been extended to our brethren, the Lamanites; and notwithstanding the many afflictions which they shall have, and notwithstanding they shall be driven to and fro upon the face of the earth, and be hunted, and shall be smitten and scattered abroad, having no place for refuge, the Lord shall be merciful unto them... Therefore I say unto you, it shall be better for them than for you except ye repent...And now behold, saith the Lord, concerning the people of the Nephites: If they will not repent, and observe to do my will, I will utterly destroy them, saith the Lord, because of their unbelief notwithstanding the many mighty works which I have done among them; and as surely as the Lord liveth shall these things be, saith the Lord" (Helaman 15:1,3,12,14,17).

After pondering these verses I considered the irony that although the Nephites had been considered "a chosen people of the Lord", the Lamanites in the end became the more righteous people. Then I realized that this theme can be seen throughout all the scriptures. In the Old Testament the Jews, or The House of Israel, were considered God's chosen people. We can see clearly from the Old Testament that God did not prosper The House of Israel when they worshiped other God's. In the New Testament the pharisees saw their familial link to Abraham as their their ticket into heaven. The irony of the New Testament is that those who professed to believe in the coming of the Messiah were the very ones who crucified him. After Christ's ascension into heaven His disciples, although previously commanded to preach the word only to the Jews, began to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. "So the last shall be first, and the first last" (Matthew 20:16). 

And thus we see (as The Book Of Mormon would say) that just because you belong to God's "chosen people" doesn't mean you are saved. And just because you may not belong to a certain group of people doesn't mean there is no hope for you. God loves all of his children equally. God blesses those who believe in Him, and repent, and come unto Him. All those who are baptized into the fold can become part of "the gathering of Israel" whether they are direct descendants of Abraham or not.

 "¶Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him" (Acts 10:34-35).

I believe that we can all receive of Christ's grace and mercy and be forgiven of our sins if we have faith in Jesus, repent, are baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. We are all created in the image of God. He is our father. We can all return to live with Him. Let it be known that The Book Of Mormon teaches this. We learn early in the book that: 

"he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile" (2 Nephi 26:33).

Missionaries and Kings in The Book Of Mormon

Missionaries and Kings in The Book Of Mormon

In my last post I briefly mentioned how some brave Nephites had gone into the lands of the Lamanites and attempted missionary efforts there. I mentioned the end result that thousands of Lamanites were converted and how they eventually separated themselves from the Lamanites. The stories that go into how this all came about are pretty amazing.

Today I just want to focus on one of those great stories. A missionary named Aaron, the oldest son of King Mosiah, a man who had given up his rightful heir to the throne to be a missionary, had an opportunity to teach a Lamanite king.

This king's curiosity had been sparked. And although the Lamanites believed that, "whatsoever thing they did was right" the king began to suspect that he may have need to repent.

Like most good missionaries Aaron began to teach the king from the scriptures and explain to him the history of the world, the purpose of life, and God's plan for us. The king expressed a desire to be forgiven of his sins and Aaron taught that this was only possible through Jesus Christ. Aaron told the king he needed to pray. Through a simple, beautiful prayer the king received an assurance that he could be forgiven of his sins and that he could have eternal life.

12 And it came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he began from the creation of Adam, reading the scriptures unto the king—how God created man after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of transgression, man had fallen.

 13 And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him,and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption,which was prepared from the foundation of the world,through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name.

 14 And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king.

 15 And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea,what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.

 16 But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.

 17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth,and cried mightily, saying:

 18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day.

I know that God lives. I know that he has a plan for us. I know that he hears our prayers. I know that it is worth it to give away all our sins to know him. 

This king had a mighty change of heart. He was converted and truly gave away all his sins to know God.