What Does The Book Of Mormon Teach?

What Does The Book Of Mormon Teach?      

When you have a baby it's hard to find one hour a week to write a blog. I didn't have time to write a full post this week but I'm going to post two videos that I want you to watch. 

     The videos are documentaries put together by BYU scholars of all different fields. The videos present evidence of Book of Mormon people in the old world and in the new world based on the text. 

     The first one is called "Journey Of Faith" and is focused on the Exodus of Lehi's family from Jerusalem and their voyage across the sea to the promised land. The second one is called "The New World" and focuses on evidences of Book of Mormon people in Central America. I have heard lots of evidence that The Book Of Mormon took place in Central America and lots of evidence that The Book Of Mormon took place in North America. I don't personally have an opinion on which one is true.

     Although these videos are primarily a scholarly study of facts, they also discuss quite a bit about what The Book Of Mormon teaches.

     These are two of the most interesting videos I have ever watched.

     They are kind of long so they might be good to watch for family home evening tonight or something.

Journey Of Faith

The New World

False and Vain and Foolish Doctrines

    False and Vain and Foolish Doctrines

 I was going to write about something else but tonight I felt prompted strongly to write about this.  

     As discussed in earlier posts Nephi is the first record keeper and really the first main character in The Book of Mormon. After Nephi's family separates into the "Nephites" and the "Lamanites" Nephi becomes the primary ruler and teacher of his people. In one of the last recorded sermons that Nephi gives to his people he prophecies about "the last days". The "Mormon" church is really called "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" meaning that it is the church that Christ's saints, or followers, will belong to in the last days before his second coming. It also means that it is the church that Christ himself will establish to usher in the last dispensation (the last time that his truths will be dispensed to the world) before his second coming. In relation to this time (the time that we are now living in). Nephi said this:

     "For it shall come to pass in that day...they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost...and they deny the power of God,the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today...Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us. And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God - He will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the Kingdom of God. Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark.

     "For behold, at that day shall he [Satan] rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.

     "And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion...and thus the devil cheateth their souls.

     "For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have." (2 Nep 28:3-30)

     It's crazy how Nephi knew this nearly 2600 years ago. I guess that's what made him a prophet. 

     We live in a time of ideas. Because of modern technology and communication the spread and transfer of ideas is greater now that in any other period of earths history. Because of the abundance of the wealthy, people have more time to think about ideas than in any previous era. Universities and secular academia are drenched in the influence of the philosophies of men. Today's modern society scoffs at the idea of God and the ideas of right and wrong are next to go. As Nephi said we live in a time when people are angry about "that which is good".  We live in a time where good is considered evil and evil considered good.

     I am grateful for scripture like The Holy Bible and The Book of Mormon that teach undiluted true doctrine. I am grateful for a God who communicates with his children through prayer and personal revelation; who can direct our paths. I am grateful for a God who speaks to his children through prophets who protect and preserve precious truths that can help my family be safe from the evil influences of the world.

     Thanks Nephi.

O Be Wise

O Be Wise

I'm busy so I'll have to do a short one this week but one of my favorite verses in The Book Of Mormon is Jacob chapter six verse twelve:

"O be wise; what can I say more?" (Jacob 6:12)

Jacob, one of the most effective gospel teachers in The Book Of Mormon, is characterized by his love of his people, and his faithfulness in fulfilling his calling to teach them. Jacob inherited that "anxiety" of his father Lehi. The anxiety for the eternal welfare of the souls of his family. He repeatedly expresses that he feels responsible to warn and teach his people so that their sins might not come upon his head at the last day.

I feel that as a parent I am responsible in that same way. If I do not teach my children the gospel of Jesus Christ I am the one who will be held responsible on judgment day.

I am grateful for God's reminder through the scriptures to "be wise". It's so obvious that it seems like it may not even be worth saying; but I think we can all agree that it is worth saying (or hearing) once in a while.

These were Jacob's last words before he bid us farewell. As a man who saw God and heard his voice, I think he is someone worth listening to.

I love the simplicity of this verse. It reminds me of one of the psalms and the proverbs. An expounded version of Jacob's counsel might be found in Proverbs chapter two:

 1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

 6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

 10 ¶When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

 11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

 12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;

 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;

 15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereh with her words;

 17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

 18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

 19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

 20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

 21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Despise Not the Revelations of God

     Despise Not the Revelations of God

As discussed in earlier posts, The Book Of Mormon is the story of a family who travels from Jerusalem to ancient America and eventually divides into two nations, the Nephites and the Lamanites. About 12 years into this family's story (roughly 588 BC), Lehi, the father, dies. The siblings of the family don't get along and Nephi, Sam, Jacob, Joseph, some of the sisters, and their families separate themselves from the rest of the family (older brothers Laman and Lemuel and their families). Laman and Lemuel were planing to kill Nephi so the Lord warned Nephi to flee into a different land.

Wherefore, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did take my family, and also Zoram and his family, and Sam, mine elder brother and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, myyounger brethren, and also my sisters, and all those who would go with me. And all those who would go with mewere those who believed in the warnings and therevelations of God
(2 Nephi 5:6)

     Notice here that the main difference between the Nephites and the Lamanites is that the Nephites believed in the "warnings and the revelations of God".

     After the family separates, Nephi and his people travel for many days until they settle in a land they call Nephi and they make Nephi their ruler. Nephi appoints his younger brothers Jacob and Joseph as teachers over the people. After Nephi dies he passes the records to his younger brother Jacob and asks him to write on them "a few of the things which I considered to be most precious... and if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates (records made from thin sheets of metal), and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ's sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:2-4).
     In one of the Jacob's recorded sermons to his people he counsels them to:
"despise not the revelations of God."
(Jacob 4:8)

     As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the 
Kingdom of God."
(Articles of Faith 1:9)

      I believe that God revealed truths to his prophets in the old testament like when God told Noah that the earth would be flooded. I believe that Jesus Christ restored many important truths to the earth when he established his church in the meridian of time. The prophets in The Book of Mormon like Jacob also received revelations from God. I believe that we have a living prophet on the earth today that receives revelation from God for the people of the earth.
     

     We may not always like what the prophets have to say. When Noah told people to prepare for a flood only a handful of people would listen. The revelations of God are not always popular but they are always right. In the second book of Chronicles in the Old Testament we read of king Ahab who wanted to seek the Lord's council during a time of war. The problem is that he didn't always want to listen to what the Lord had to say. When looking for someone who could give such a revelation "the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may 
inquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but 
always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla" (2 Chronicles 18:7).   In the old testament the word "evil" is often synonymous with "bad". So in other words the king didn't want to listen to the revelations of the prophet because sometimes the truth hurts. 

     I am grateful that we have a living prophet on the earth today. He is the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His name is Thomas Monson. He has spent the majority of his life in the service of his fellow men and in the service of God. I have listened to his words and I know he receives revelation from God. What he teaches may not always be popular but it is always right. 
     

     Jacob in The Book Of Mormon knew that because of the wickedness of human kind people would struggle to believe the revelations of God. I am grateful for his counsel to "despise not the revelations of God".