Hundreds of years before Jesus' mortal birth, a prophet in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, testified of Jesus Christ, The Messiah, "who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit," (2 Nephi 2:8, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ). 

Jesus Christ will come again. He will rule as King of kings and reign as Lord of lords. Let us prepare.

"He becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings."

The statement above about seers comes from a discussion between a king and an emissary in Mosiah 8 of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The king wants to have an ancient record translated. The emissary cannot read it, but he knows someone who can: a seer.

A seer can see things both past, present, and future. And thus, "he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings." This phrase strikes me. A seer is a great benefit to his fellow beings. A seer can see things both past, present, and future. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there are fifteen men whom we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. In the words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "It is no trivial matter for this Church to declare to the world prophecy, seership, and revelation, but we do declare it." that we are the Lord's Church and that living prophets stand at its head! By sustaining fifteen men as prophets, seers, and revelators, we are saying that we believe that they can see things that we, as mere mortals, cannot see. We are acknowledging that they, as special witnesses of Jesus Christ in all the world, know things that we do not know. This is a very humbling proposition.

An interesting article discussing “Gazelem”. https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/gazelem-jaredite

The Lamb of God

In The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Jesus is often referred to as "The Lamb of God."

In The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Jesus is often referred to as "The Lamb of God." Today, I've been pondering what this name means.

In the beginning, before the earth was formed and before mankind was placed on the face thereof, Jesus Christ was chosen. God, our Ethernal Father--our Father--knew that we all would sin. And yet, He loved us! (see John 3:16) 

His purpose is for us to return to Him, clean and pure. In and through the atonement of Christ the Lord, our return to God is possible! Simply put, Jesus is the Lamb without blemish, the pure and spotless sacrifice offered by God for us--in our behalf. The Law of Moses and the Law of Sacrifice instituted from the beginning looked forward to the offering of Jesus Christ--His blood, shed in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His body offered on the cross of Golgotha. 

Revelation 7:14

John 1:36

Nephi's numerous references to "the Lamb of God."

"Forty-four references to 'the Lamb' appear in Nephi's vision in 1 Nephi 11-14 alone," (https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/node/243, accessed on 27 June 2020).

I know that my Redeemer lives!

I know that my Redeemer lives! He is all that the Book of Mormon testifies that He is! He was bruised for our iniquities and, He knows our pain! (what makes Jesus Christ so important?) Jesus is the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He came to Earth to take upon Him the sins, shortcomings, and frailties of all humankind. He is the King Immanuel--God with us. I know that He will come again, and at this very moment, this sphere is being prepared! To Joseph Smith Jesus said, "I, God, knowing the calamities which should come upon the children of men called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jr., and gave him commandments . . . that faith might increase in the earth,"

calamity (is this a single event? Is this, or could this be the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet? {referenced by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in the talk about the sister missionaries who got spat upon.} What is the abomination of desolation? Is it not the natural consequences of sin setting in or taking their disastrous effect? Obedience to God's commandments assures us of Divine Favor--through righteousness, we are naturally qualified for protection. I could site many examples. He that is tithed shall not be burned at the last day. That is significant doctrine! If I am willing to put my money where my mouth is, figuratively speaking, I am assured of preservation, because where a man's treasure is, there will his heart be also. I know that Jesus is laboring to preserve scattered Israel in our time! The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is very bold and very clear on that point.

Book of Mormon Daily: Coming to know the Creator; 1 Nephi 2:12-17

"And [Laman and Lemuel] did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them," (1 Nephi 2:12, Book of Mormon).

Judging from the evidence in the text, we learn a few things about Lehi:

1. Because of the words of the prophets of his time Lehi cried to God for his people (see 1 Nephi 1:4-5). 
2. The result of Lehi's pleading to God was his reception of a vision, where, the record indicates, "he saw and heard much," (1 Nephi 1:6). 
3. Lehi learned how to communicate with God. He learned and felt compelled to share important truths that God taught him!
4. Lehi often taught these truths to his children.
5. Lehi possessed the spirit of prophecy.

Laman and Lemuel's younger brother, Nephi, observed that the reason his older brothers complained was because, "they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them,"  (1 Nephi 2:12, Book of Mormon). So, the question, why didn't they know the dealings of the God who had created them? In the text, it is clear that Nephi does know the dealings of the Creator. And, the text also gives us clues about how Nephi came to know the Creator:

1. As far as I can tell, the two major differences between Nephi and Laman and Lemuel are that Nephi desired to know God's mysteries, and, motivated by this desire, he "did cry unto the Lord," in sincere, heartfelt prayer, while Laman and Lemuel did not. Could it really be that simple? In 1 Nephi 2:16, Nephi states, 
1. "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father;
2. Because Nephi had a deep desire to know God's mysteries, and because Nephi expressed this sincere desire in faith through prayer, God visited him and softened his heart! The text indicates that this softening is the reason that Nephi believed the words of his father. 

How do we come to know the "dealings of that God who created [us]"? What did Lehi and Nephi do?

1. Lehi acted on the words of the prophets of is day. The text says, "there came many prophets prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed. Wherefore . . ." (1 Nephi 1:4-5, emphasis added). To me, this word, "wherefore," indicates that because of the words of the prophets, Lehi did what he did in verse 5 (that is, "he . . . prayed unto the Lord, yea even with all his heart, in behalf of his people"). Because of what the prophets did and said, Lehi acted.
2. Lehi was motivated by the testimony of prophets. As he acted on the prophets' words, he himself had his own miraculous visionary experience. He saw a pillar of fire (incidentally very consistent with other visions and manifestations of God; when the Israelites were freed from Bondage in Egypt, God went before them in a cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night; Joseph Smith begins his 1838 description of his vision of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ with the words, "I saw a pillar of light. . ." (Joseph Smith history 1:17, emphasis added); in the Book of Ether in the Book of Mormon, Jehovah went before the Jaredites in a cloud in a similar manner as he did the Israelites who were being freed from Egypt).  

Begrudging Obedience

Begrudging Obedience (1 Nephi 2:11, Book of Mormon)

The Book of Mormon recounts the journey of a man named Lehi who left Jerusalem in 600 B.C. and came to the Americas by ship. Lehi had six sons. The oldest two sons, Laman and Lemuel, felt enough cultural or religious obligation to honor their father, that they followed him into the Arabian wilderness. But the pair complained almost incessantly. It's as if they are saying, "O.K. The 10 Commandments say we're supposed to honor our father that our days may be long upon the land (Exodus 20:12), but this guy is crazy!" Lehi was a visionary man. Laman and Lemuel's younger brother Nephi, who wrote the record, writes that Lehi, "hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children," (1 Nephi 1:16). So, the older, rebellious sons follow their father into the wilderness, begrudgingly.

The question for me is, how often do I go through the motions in response to my cultural and religious traditions while harboring resentment towards God, Church leaders or family members? 
#tradition #obedience #prophets #BookofMormon

A conversation with a Friend about Book of Mormon personages Laman, Lemuel and Nephi

I had a good conversation with a friend recently about the difference between the Book of Mormon prophet Nephi, and his rebellious brothers Laman and Lemuel. I was about to shoot off this email about our conversation when I realized this would make a very nice blog post. I have removed the friend's name to protect his identity. Enjoy!

Hello [friend],

I was looking at my notes from our conversation the other morning. At a regional conference (a meeting of multiple stakes) recently, one might say that Elder Jeffery R. Holland laid into us as church members for coming to conferences or church meetings, and going home and doing nothing about what we heard. He admonished us to become, "doers of the word and not hearers only" (see James 1:22). I've been trying to be better about doing that. I was impressed as I read over my notes of our conversation of how much of it I forgot already!

Here's a brief summary:

Bryce: "What do you think made the difference between Laman and Lemuel and Nephi (see the book of 1 Nephi  in the Book of Mormon)?"

[friend]: "The way they turned out?"

Bryce: "Yeah."

. . .

I read starting in 1 Ne. 15:7: Nephi's brethren are arguing about what the things their father taught mean. They couldn't understand the analogy mentioned in verse 7. In verse 8, Nephi asks, "Have ye inquired of the Lord?" Their response, "We have not, for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us." Nephi's response, "How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord?"

I didn't realize it, but my recounting of our conversation is not that dissimilar to Nephi's recounting of his conversation with his brethren!

Is Nephi saying that if we are not asking God questions that we are not keeping the commandments? (see v. 9-10) 

Bryce: "Basically, it looks like he's saying if you: (Verse 11): a) don't harden your heart, b) ask in faith, c) believe you will receive, d) and diligently keep the commandments,  d) God will answer our questions and teach us--he will speak to us and communicate with us."

[friend]: "Sounds easy enough."

Bryce: chuckles. "Sounds easy enough."

Bryce: "So, it looks like prayer and keeping the commandments made the difference [between Nephi and his brethren]. 

Why does prayer and keeping the commandments make the difference? Prayer attunes our hearts to God. Our obedience allows God's spirit to work on us and in lives. [My thought this morning as I reviewed this: God is very respectful of our agency. He will not meddle in our lives uninvited. Prayer and obedient striving are how we invite God into our lives. Through prayer, we can explicitly ask God to help us. I, and I think you, know that God is intimately aware of us. The scriptures say that his arms are stretched out to us. Prayer is how we reach out to him and take his hand. God's greatest desire is for us to take his hand and become like him. But, God will not intrude upon our agency. If we do not ask, he cannot assist. If he violated our agency, he would cease to be God. So, in short, God's greatest desire is to help us. His arm is stretched out still. But for him to tamper with the agency we fought for in the war in heaven would be contrary to to his eternal plan. God longs to help us, but eternal law requires that we ask. Does that make sense?]

I think I'll leave off there for now. I would like to report that my prayers have changed since our conversation. I have been blessed to take time to pray and my prayers have been sincere. I know that God knows everything. He knows my struggles in all aspects of my life. He knows and loves me and my family. I know that if I will seek him in prayer, he will guide me in the best ways to overcome and face the challenges I have in my life. I want to be increasingly grateful for God's attentive care. But, as I've stated above, it takes effort to reach through the veil and take God's hand. I pray that you and I can be faithful. I pray that we can and will seek God in prayer. God's promise is that if we seek him diligently, we will find him. I invite you to join me in seeking God in prayer (also see this talk, "Draw Near unto Me," from a General Conference of days gone by).

Bryce

The "Mormon Moment"

16 January 2012

I read this article from the Washington Post the other day by Mormon Kathryn Skaggs. As often happens, within a few days comments both pro- and anti-Mormon began to cascade below the article. I weighed in with a few simple statements and suggestions. I'm new in the internet world, but what happened here looks to be a common phenomenon, at least when dealing with Mormonism.

The article touched off something of a firestorm of comments and counter-comments. I want to comment on how Mormons react to criticism.

Typically, faithful Mormons come to the defense of their religion, either in response to an article's content, or in response to another reader's comment.

What I find disappointing is that as often as not, Mormons respond to criticism in a tone that is less than civil. I think that is less that what Christ expects of us (see Matthew 5:43-47, for example). I think, if Mormons were kinder in their responses, much of the contention in these post-article discussions would dissipate. It takes two to tango. If we were content to civilly and respectfully defend our faith and then lay down our "weapons of war," I think we would find, like the anti-Nephi-Lehies of the Book of Mormon that some of those who are stirred up against us would be inclined to wonder what motivates us to be kind.