"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

Questions from My "Daughter"

I wrote the following letter for an assignment a BYU-Pathway Worldwide PathwayConnect course I am taking.

Dear Jane,

I am so very, very glad, and grateful, that you have come to me! You may not know until you are a parent how much it means that you have come to me with your questions and concerns. If I understand your concerns, your question, in essence, is why does God give us commandments? Is that right? Do God’s commandments take away our agency? If He loves us so much, why do we have to be baptized to return to Him? If God gave us agency--freedom of choice--why does He then ask us not to do certain things? To answer your questions, let’s go to the scriptures. Providentially, the prophets of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ have answered these questions. Heavenly Father knew you were going to ask. That is why He gave you this book!

In His instructions to His followers in the Americas, our resurrected Lord said: 

the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me. And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned (3 Nephi 11:32-34).

Jesus is love personified. He teaches us here in humility. This is not a threat, but rather, a very direct statement. If you follow Him and receive baptism, you will be saved. If you do not follow and you are not baptized, you will be halted in your progress (this is the definition of “damned”). When He was suffering the agony of His atonement and eternity weighed upon Him, Isaiah says:

when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. . . . he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors (Mosiah 14:10-12, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ). 

Later, about this scripture the prophet Abinadi explained:

And who shall be his seed? Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God. For these are they whose sins he has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed?

Because God’s laws are immutable, only the righteous will be saved. 

Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah (2 Nephi 2:8, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ).

This is why we preach repentance. In his final sermon to a group of inhabitants in the Americas, righteous King Benjamin declared:

And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent (Mosiah 3:17, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ).

There is no other way. Jesus really is the only way (see also 2 Nephi 9:41; 2 Nephi 25:20; 2 Nephi 31:21; Acts 4:12).

God loves us. He loves us deeply, and because He loves us deeply, He gives commandments. He knows it is only in and through the commandments—in and through Christ—that we may become like Him. This is the sublime opportunity He gave us when He awarded us our agency in the our life before life on earth (see Moses 4:3; The Pearl of Great Price of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

Satan will tell you, “I am no devil, for there is none,” (2 Nephi 28:22). He is a master deceiver. His servants and those who are without God in the world will tell you that the commandments are foolishness. This simply is not true. Satan and the world will say, “if you always keep the commandments, then you have no choices!” This is a blatant and boldface lie. Obedience to God’s laws is a choice. The Restored Church of Jesus Christ is different from the world by design. Satan is very good at making sin look appealing. Dig beyond the surface of sin and you find all of the consequences! Smoking leads to bad health, addiction, and a number of other negative physical and spiritual consequences. Drinking alcohol exposes you to a litany of ills, liabilities and risks—not the least of which is alcoholism. Drugs are a similar story as is the use of sexual passions outside of marriage. The truth is, you can always make choices. What Satan leaves out are the consequences(see 2 Nephi 2:17-19). From the beginning, his song has been, “have what you want now and you shall have no consequences.” This is simply and thoroughly false.  

Do we have to go through certain steps in order to return to God? Yes. The truth is, if taken deep into our souls, the commandments change us. Obedience is not hoop-jumping. It is practice! Repentance is not hoop-jumping. It is practice. Christ’s gospel is the way. Following Christ is the way. If we follow, we become more like Him. This is the beautiful truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Would it be more loving if God simply let everyone come back to Him? No. If we have not repented of our sins, we will not want to live with Him! The fact is, if we don’t follow Jesus, we are filthy! Moroni talks about this in Mormon 9:3-4 in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. 

Do ye suppose that [after death] ye shall dwell with [Jesus Christ] under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws? Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell. 

Think about it this way. If you were smoking and drinking, doing drugs, or breaking the law of chastity, would you feel comfortable in the Holy Temple, the House of the Lord? No. This is why we have the Holy Temple—so that on earth we may qualify for and literally prepare to enter into God’s presence. 

God’s commandments, especially those mentioned in the interview for your temple recommendation, prepare you to enter His presence and feel worthy. They are the way! After our resurrection, all of us will be brought back into the presence of Jesus Christ (at least temporarily) to be judged of Him. To the His Nephite disciples He Said:

And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works. And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world. (3 Nephi 27: 14-15, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ). 

In his July 2011 BYU Devotional talk Brother Brad Wilcox taught that after Jesus Christ offers His grace to us—that power of deliverance which He was granted through His immeasurable atonement and suffering,  “what is left to be determined by our obedience is what kind of body we plan on being resurrected with [telestial, terrestrial, or Celestial—see 1 Corinthians 15:40-41, The Holy Bible] and how comfortable we plan to be in God’s presence and how long we plan to stay there”. By the choices we make, we decide what we become, by believing in or not believing in and following Jesus Christ. If we believe and sincerely repent, we will be comfortable in God’s presence. What a blessing! God always loves us! Always. That is His nature. Through our faith in Christ and our humble repentance, we demonstrate how much we love Him! (And I do love Him! I want to obey Him with all my heart!) Obedience to His laws and ordinances brings us back into His presence. Jesus Christ is the way. He showed us the way! If we become pure through Him and learn to love as He loves, when we see Him, we shall be like Him! (See Moroni 7:48.)

We choose to obey or not obey and by doing so, we choose our desired eternal rewards. Satan advertises, “get thrills now,” and leaves out the eternal consequences you will pay later. Satan says, as an obedient member of the Church, “you cannot sin. Restricted by the commandments, no earthly pleasure is yours!” This is not true! What is true is that we cannot sin and still get a good reward! It simply doesn’t work like that! “Wickedness never was happiness,” (see Alma 41:10)! When we make a choice, we get both ends of the stick—our choice, and the consequence. Satan’s lie is get what you want now, for this life. There is no afterlife. He is a liar from the beginning (see Doctrine and Covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 93:25). 

O, daughter. I know that God loves us. Because He loves us, He gives us commandments not a few. If we follow His commandments with faith in Jesus Christ, we will be blessed—eternally. The commandment of the Father is to repent and believe in His Son. If we do this, we will be blessed. Of this I testify.

The Most Correct Book on Earth

Precepts from The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 1 Nephi

“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than any other book,” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 4:461;)

So, there it is. The Prophet whom God chose to show the world His truth, Joseph Smith, is saying that if we live according to the principles in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, we will get nearer to God than through any other book.

This morning, I asked myself what precepts the Book of Mormon teaches. As I considered, a few points came to me about the first book of the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi.

1. God can speak to us. There are numerous examples of God speaking to mortals in the first book of the Book of Mormon. The stage is set by a man (Lehi) hearing prophets--men who are delivering prophetic warnings to the people of Jerusalem. Lehi is so affected by their preaching that he seeks seclusion and begins speaking to God in behalf of his people. The result is a vision. He sees many things. Because of the things he sees, he declares, "Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!" (1 Nephi 1:14) 

2. What we believe and what we share with them can affect them--positively--forever. Lehi shares his visions--the things he learns from God--with his family. One of his sons--Nephi--believes his father. Inspired by his father's experiences, he seeks God and begins to have visions and revelations of his own. (1 Nephi 2:16; could a believing parent hope for anything greater for his or her child?!)

3. You might catch some flak for what you believe and how you live your religion. Because of what he sees and knows, Lehi is compelled, if not commanded by God to warn the people of his city. The citizenry, however, does not take it well. God tells Lehi to leave Jerusalem. His life is in danger.

Lehi's son Nephi also suffers some abuse because of his beliefs. Two of Lehi's older sons are unbelieving. They react with complaining and anger to their father and their brother's faith. They would rather be left alone to simply live life in Jerusalem.

For more, dive into The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Or, click here to order a free copy.

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).  

General Conference

Twice a year, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds a World General Conference. Members of the Church gather to hear the words of living prophets and apostles of Jesus Christ.

My wife and I have chosen not to have a television in our home. And, so, at conference time, we actually gather around a radio! Wow. Is that old fashioned, or what? However, my children have come to appreciate this tradition. Our oldest is averse to watching the conference on television or on the internet. She prefers the old family tradition of conference on the radio.