Category: Book of Mormon Page 9 of 20

“Witnesses” Excerpt from josephsmith.net

John A. Widtsoe, Apostle, 1921–1952 

“The first visitation of Moroni came in answer to prayer. So came the First Vision. The Lord is ready to give, but he requires that his children ask. It would not be natural or wise to force blessings on anyone. The power of prayer is inestimable. One prays for little; usually much comes in answer. . . . The most marvelous part of the message to the young man, lying upon his wakeful pillow, was that he, Joseph Smith, was the chosen instrument in the hands of the Lord to inaugurate the great work planned for the last days of the world. It was astonishing! It was wonderful!”

Joseph Smith: Seeker after Truth, Prophet of God (1951), 32–33; paragraph divisions altered.

 

William W. Phelps, Early Member of the Church 

By that book I found a key to the holy prophets; and by that book began to unfold the mysteries of God, and I was made glad. Who can . . . estimate the worth of such a book?

Letter from William W. Phelps to Oliver Cowdery, “Letter No. 10,” Messenger and Advocate, Sept. 1835, 178.

Thomas S. Monson, Apostle, 1963–present 

What a privilege to be here at the Hill Cumorah and to reflect on the momentous events that unfolded on September 22, 1827, when a plowboy prophet took a horse and wagon and, in the dark of night, rode to this hill, where he received an ancient record from the angel Moroni. In a remarkably short time, this untutored young man translated a record detailing 1,000 years of history and then prepared the Book of Mormon for public distribution. . . .

. . . The visitor often comes with an attitude of curiosity. He or she departs with a soul touched by the Spirit of the Lord. . . .

. . . I bear an apostolic witness that Jesus is the Savior of the world and that He and His Father appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith to usher in this dispensation of the fulness of times.

“Special Witnesses of Christ,” Ensign, Apr. 2001, 19–20.

 

Lucy Mack Smith, Mother of the Prophet Joseph Smith 

That night of September 22, 1827, Lucy Smith observed the Prophet and Emma leave to obtain the plates. “Joseph’s wife passed through the room with her bonnet and riding dress; and in a few minutes they left together, taking Mr. Knight’s horse and wagon. I spent the night in prayer and supplication to God.”

Lucy Smith, History of the Prophet Joseph, rev. George A. Smith and Elias Smith (1902), 100.

 

Joseph Knight, Early Member of the Church 

[In] the forepart of September [1827], I went to Rochester on business and returned by Palmyra to be there by the 22nd of September. . . . That night we went to bed and in the morning I got up and my horse and carriage were gone. . . . After a while he [Joseph Smith] came home [with] the horse. All came into the house to breakfast but nothing [was] said about where they had been. After breakfast Joseph called me into the other room. . . . He set his foot on the bed, leaned his head on his hand and said, . . . “It is ten times better than I expected.” Then he went on to tell length and width and thickness of the plates; and said he, “They appear to be gold.”

Reminiscenses of Joseph Knight, Church Archives. This manuscript written between 1833 and 1847 has been published in Dean Jessee, “Joseph Knight’s Recollection of Early Mormon History,” Brigham Young University Studies, fall 1976, 30–39.

 

Ezra Taft Benson, 13th President of the Church, 1985–1994 

The Book of Mormon is the keystone in our witness of Jesus Christ, who is Himself the cornerstone of everything we do. . . . Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the Church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. . . . If the Book of Mormon be true?and millions have now testified that they have the witness of the Spirit that it is indeed true?then one must accept the claims of the Restoration and all that accompanies it.

A Witness and a Warning: A Modern-day Prophet Testifies of the Book of Mormon (1988), 18–19.

Oliver Cowdery, Witness to the Book of Mormon 

I wrote with my own pen the entire book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet as he translated it by the gift and power of God by means of the Urim and Thummim or as it is called by the book holy Interpreters. I beheld with my eye and handled with my hands the gold plates from which it was translated. I also beheld the Interpreters. That book is true. . . . It contains the everlasting gospel and came in fulfillment of the revelations of John where he says [that] he saw an angel come with the everlasting gospel to preach to every nation, tongue and people.

Journal of Reuben Miller, 1848, or Millennial Star, Aug. 20, 1859, 544.

 

Oliver Cowdery, Witness to the Book of Mormon 

I wrote with my own pen . . . as [Joseph] translated [the Book of Mormon] by the gift and power of God, by means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as it is called by the book, “holy interpreters.” I beheld with my eyes, and handled with my hands, the gold plates from which it was translated. I also saw with my eyes and handled with my hands the “holy interpreters.” The book is true. . . . It contains principles of salvation; and if you, my hearers, will walk by its light and obey its precepts, you will be saved with an everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God on high.

in Joseph Fielding Smith, The Restoration of All Things (1964), 113–14.

 

Emma Smith, Wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith 

The plates lay in a box under our bed for months and on the [table in our home] without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen table cloth, which I had given him to fold them in. I once felt . . . the plates as they thus lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metallic sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book.

“Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” The Saints’ Herald, Oct. 1, 1879, 290.

(This post was written for the Book of Mormon symposium held at the “Straight and Narrow” Blog. I just thought I should post something here but was too lazy to write a whole new post. Suckers…)
It’s a familiar refrain; “out of the mouths of two or three witnesses.” And who would object? One witness can easily be challenged. Two witnesses (especially independent ones) provide more credibility. And, in my opinion, each additional witness increases credibility exponentially. Knowing and remembering that the Lord uses the law of witnesses as a modus operandi for establishing His word can be especially helpful as we study the scriptures – particularly the Book of Mormon. It seems to me that no other canon is so surrounded by witnesses. They are like sentinels at the gate of truth for “the most correct book on earth.” Let’s look at a few of these, starting with some that my favorite apostle, Jeffrey R. Holland, gives us in Christ and The New Covenant:

In keeping with this same covenantal principle, it is interesting to note that there were three earlier witnesses, ”special witnesses” not only of the divine origins of the Book of Mormon but also of Divinity himself. These early witnesses were Nephi, Jacob, and Isaiah, and it is not by coincidence that their testimonies appear so conspicuously at the beginning of this ancient record . . .

. . . What is known is that most of the “greater views” of the gospel found in the teachings of the small plates of Nephi come from the personal declarations of these three great prophetic witnesses of the premortal Jesus Christ: ”Nephi, Jacob, and Isaiah. These three doctrinal and visionary voices make clear at the very outset of the Book of Mormon why it is “another testament of Jesus Christ.”

In declaring the special preparation these three had for receiving and teaching such “greater views” of the gospel, Nephi revealed the most persuasive qualification of all: They had seen the premortal Jesus Christ.

And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words. For I will liken his words unto my people, and I will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him.

And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him . . . ; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God has said, I will establish my word.

Nephi concluded, “My soul [and he could have said the souls of all three] delighteth in proving unto [our] people the truth of the coming of Christ, . . . that save Christ should come all men must perish.”

One could argue convincingly that the primary purpose for recording, preserving, and then translating the small plates of Nephi was to bring forth to the dispensation of the fulness of times the testimony of these three witnesses. Their writings constitute a full 135 of the 145 pages from the small plates. By the time one has read Nephi, Jacob, and Isaiah in these first pages, a strong foundation has been laid for what Nephi called “the doctrine of Christ.” It is a foundation conforming perfectly to the title page of the Book of Mormon. After reading these three witnesses from the small plates of Nephi, the reader knows two things in bold relief: that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that God will keep his covenants and promises with the remnants of the house of Israel. Those two themes constitute the two principal purposes of the Book of Mormon, and they are precisely the introductory themes addressed by Nephi, Jacob, and Isaiah.”

And in addition to providing a witness of Christ, these three witnesses fall into another pattern set by the Lord time and time again; that of a type and shadow. These three witnesses of Christ and of the divinity of the Book of Mormon have, by virtue of their testimonies, lent weight to Joseph Smith and the procedure he followed of choosing three special witnesses (Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer). These three men experienced a combination of physical (touching and turning the plates) and supernatural (angelic visitation) manifestations that could, with validity, put to rest any claim that they were victims of an elaborate hoax. They would railroad detractors into the unenviable position of combating the gravity of fervent eyewitness testimonies.
The Book of Mormon is surrounded by men who boldly stood to say “We have seen these things.” These include Jacob, Nephi, Isaiah, Martin, David, Oliver, Joseph and the testimonies of the additional eight witnesses.

Why is this all so important? We know that we can ultimately know the truth of all things by the power of the Holy Ghost right? So why would/does the Lord bother to use such an archaic method to establish His word? Holy Ghost vs. farmers and nomads seems akin to using an abacus to prove an equation instead of using a graphing calculator.

Sadly, it’s because all we understand is the abacus. How glorious it would be if all people were so spiritually inclined that when a missionary (or Bookslinger) eventually arrived with the gospel in his hands, the Holy Ghost could immediately “witness” to the truth of the message. Wouldn’t it be nice if we, as members, could be converted to each of the lessons that come from General Conference the first time? Instead, we have to hear at least three apostles reinforce the message of the dangers of Internet pornography, et.al. before we start to get the hint!

Until then, we can certainly be grateful for the law of witnesses. We can thank the authors of the Book of Mormon and others for helping us understand the great lengths to which the Lord will go to bring us back to Him. Even if it means breaking out His dusty old abacus and teaching us slide by slide, witness by witness.

John A Widtsoe, “Did Joseph Smith Write the Book of Mormon” Excerpt from ida.net

John A. Widtsoe

To ask if Joseph Smith produced the Book of Mormon seems unnecessary. Of course, he was the translator unaided by mortal man. Yet, it may be worth while to examine into the widespread theory of anti-Mormon writers that Joseph wrote the book and that he stole his ideas from others.

When the Book of Mormon was first published, no question was raised about its authorship or authenticity. Over several years Joseph Smith had told the story of the visitation of Moroni, the promise of the golden plates, when he received them, and how he devoted time to their translation.

The earliest writers in opposition to the Church accepted Joseph Smith as the author of the book; for example, Alexander Campbell, the leader of the Church of Disciples, who had lost to Joseph Smith some capable followers, wrote in 1831 that Joseph Smith was the author and that the Book of Mormon contained only the gossip of the neighborhood, in which every religious problem of the day was discussed in crude language.

However, after people had had time to give the book more careful examination, and thousands had joined the Church, doubts began to arise in the minds of many as to whether Joseph Smith, the plowboy, was indeed the author of the book. Its language was found not to be crude but generally beautiful and inspiring. The book was found to present religious ideas in full harmony with the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ. Important religious problems were given a simple, understandable explanation. It was, in its own words, a witness for Christ. The book seemed to be beyond the power of Joseph Smith to produce.

So the theory was advanced that Joseph must have had help to produce the book. Some enemies went so far as to suggest that it was wholly written by someone else! This was just what the unbelievers wanted, apparently without recognizing that such a theory would, without supporting facts, be a powerful evidence of the truth of Joseph’s story. He acknowledged that he had received help from divine sources! Careless writers in their enmity of Joseph Smith have said for a century or more that Joseph Smith was helped in the writing of the book by mortal men.

From the book Mormonism Unvailed, published in 1834, nearly all anti-Mormon books have drawn their material. The theory was there advanced that Joseph Smith had had a silent partner in his work. It was implied that this person was Sidney Rigdon, a close friend of Alexander Campbell, and an associate founder and preacher of the Campbellite Church.

After a careful and searching inquiry into the truth of Mormonism, Rigdon joined the Church in November, 1831, more than a year after the Church was organized. He was an eloquent preacher of some learning and an outstanding man wherever he went.

It was suggested in the Howe book that Rigdon had written the theological or religious portions of the Book of Mormon, and that the historical setting of the book was also furnished by him by plagiarizing an unpublished novel written nearly twenty years earlier by one Solomon Spaulding, declared atheist, about the ancient peoples of America. Rigdon was supposed to, have purloined the manuscript from the printer with whom it had been deposited.

The Book of Mormon, according to this theory, was nothing more than this Spaulding story, ornamented with Rigdon’s religious emanations. This theory was as a raft at sea for the helpless enemies of Joseph Smith, and it has been peddled industriously by antiMormon writers for the delectation of unwary readers.

The Spaulding tale is a story of a party of Romans who came to America and an account of their life there. The story was read by Mr. Spaulding to his family and some friends. Several persons who had heard the story read fifteen or twenty years earlier were induced to sign a statement that the languages and the characters in the story fitted in with the contents of the Book of Mormon. This was enough to set up and circulate the theory that the Book of Mormon was based upon the manuscript story of Solomon Spaulding.

Unfortunately for the Rigdon-Spaulding theory, the manuscript of the Spaulding story was discovered in 1884 among the possessions of Mr. L. L. Rice of Honolulu, who had secured Spaulding’s literary remains,’ when he purchased the printing effects of E. D. Howe. The discovered Spaulding story has since been published in two editions. It bears no resemblance in language, style, names, or subject matter to the Book of Mormon.

In utter despair, the enemies of the Church fled for cover. A few proceeded to set up another theory, that Spaulding had written more than one story and that the one found was not the one that resembled the Book of Mormon.’

However, the discovered Spaulding manuscript was identified with the one set up in the book Mormonism Unvailed. The names of the people who thought that the Spaulding story as read by them many years before and the Book of Mormon story were similar, were found endorsed on the discovered manuscript as those who knew it in Spaulding’s day. This was destructive of the theory that the Howe book had used another manuscript than that found in Honolulu.

The Spaulding theory of the origin of the Book of Mormon has been thoroughly demolished. Anyone who teaches this theory today betrays deliberate dishonesty or pitiful lack of knowledge concerning the whole matter.

That Sidney Rigdon ever saw the Prophet Joseph Smith before the Book of Mormon was published has been disproved. His activities and whereabouts are pretty wellknown from November 2, 1826, to November 14, 1830 , the years during which the Book of Mormon was being translated and printed. 3 His first visit to Palmyra was nine months after the organization of the Church and after the Book of Mormon was given to the world. At that time he had his first meeting with the Prophet Joseph Smith. Printed nonMormon contemporaneous reports of Rigdon’s acceptance of the gospel do not mention or hint of any previous meeting of Joseph Smith and Rigdon. Historical evidence fails to prove any earlier connection between Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith.

Die-hard anti-Mormon writers have suggested that to help produce the Book of Mormon Sidney Rigdon traveled incognito over long distances and as a mysterious stranger unknown to the community met Joseph Smith. That theory is not only unlikely, and unproved, but absurd, lodged only in the minds of those who refuse any evidence that Joseph Smith told the truth.

Sidney Rigdon himself testified time and again that the first time he saw the Book of Mormon was in Mentor, Ohio, near Kirtland, after the Book of Mormon was published and the Church organized. Then, Parley P. Pratt, a former colleague in the Disciples Church gave him a copy. Elder Pratt was one of four Mormon elders traveling through the Kirtland territory to do missionary work among the Indians.

The missionaries stopped for some time in and near Kirtland to preach and to bear witness of the restored gospel. They held long conferences with Sidney Rigdon who declared this to be the first time that he had ever seen the Book of Mormon or known of its contents. His son, John W. Rigdon, who joined the Church long after Joseph’s death, testified that when his father, Sidney Rigdon, lay upon his deathbed, he, John W. Rigdon, put the question of the origin of the Book of Mormon to his father. The result is best told in his own words:

You have been charged with writing that Book of Mormon and giving it to Joseph Smith to introduce to the world. You have always told me one story, that you never saw the book until it was presented to you by Parley P. Pratt and Oliver Cowdery. That all you ever knew of the origin of that book was what they told you, and what Joseph Smith and the witnesses who have claimed to have seen the plates have told you.

Is this true? If so, all right. If it is not, you owe it to me and to your family to tell it. You are an old man, and you will soon pass away, and I wish to know if Joseph Smith in your intimacy with him for fourteen years has not said something to you that led you to believe he obtained that book in some other way than that which he has told you. Give me all you know about it that I may know the truth,

My father looked at me a moment and raised his hand above his head and slowly said with tears glistening in his eyes, “My son, I can swear before high heaven that what I have told you about the origin of that book is true. Your mother and sister, Mrs. Obega Robinson, were present when that book was handed to me in Mentor, Ohio, and all I ever knew about the origin of that book was what Parley P. Pratt, Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith, and the witnesses who claimed they saw the plates have told me.

And with all my intimacy with Joseph Smith he never told me but one story, and that was that he found it engraved on gold plates in a hill near Palmyra, New York, and that an angel had appeared to him and had directed him where to find it and I have never to you nor to anyone else told but the one story and that I now repeat to you.” I believe him and now believe he told me the truth. He also said to me after that, “Mormonism is true, that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, and this world would find it out some day.”!’

The Rigdon-Spaulding explanation of the Book of Mormon, now thoroughly disproved, has no historical foundation but was clearly manufactured by a dishonest writer in hate of Joseph Smith. It remains an evidence of the ugly dishonesty that may enter the mind of hate.’ In the face of intense, long continued research, the theory has been thoroughly discredited by competent historians. It is now used only by those who love their prejudices more than truth, but often enough to disturb the uninformed.

After a century of fruitless hunting, Sidney Rigdon is really the only person who has been charged with being a helper to Joseph Smith in the writing of the Book of Mormon. In view of the proof that Rigdon did not help him, Joseph Smith remains the sole producer of the book, unaided by any mortal person, except the scribes who wrote after his dictation.

Those who cannot or will not believe that Joseph Smith produced the Book of Mormon have then had only one other theory to fall back upon. 1. W. Riley in his book, The Founder of Mormonism, psychological” study of Joseph Smith, accepts the Book of Mormon as a product of Joseph Smith’s mind but believes that it was written by him while he was in an epileptic state.

If that be accepted, Joseph Smith must have been seized by such fits, regularly, forenoon and afternoon, possibly during meals, during the ninety days in which the Book of Mormon was translated and then was free from such fits the remainder of his life. That theory, smacking of Arabian Nights fables, is so strained as to be an insult to the credulity of intelligent people.

It is merely an admission that students of Joseph Smith stand helpless before the interpretation of the work he did, unless they accept the statements of Joseph Smith himself. His own frank admission is that the Book of Mormon was produced by the “gift and power of God.”

A variation of these theories has recently appeared. Gasping for breath, the opponents of Joseph Smith now assert that he possessed tremendous mental power which enabled him to write the Book of Mormon but also that he was so deficient in moral sense as to palm off his work as coming from God. That is old stuff! Joseph’s life of rectitude is a sufficient answer. The theory is probably the death rattle of the defeated critics of Joseph Smith.

That Joseph Smith had the Book of Mormon plates, and translated from them the Book of Mormon is confirmed by Oliver Cowdery, who acted as Josephs scribe while the Prophet dictated. At one time, after Cowdery had been severed from the Church, he was contemptuously charged by an attorney that he claimed to have seen the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. Oliver Cowdery answered:

May it please the court and gentlemen of the jury: my brother attorney on the other side has charged me with connection with Joseph Smith and the golden Bible. The responsibility has been placed upon me, and I cannot escape reply.

Before God and man I dare not deny what I have said, and what my testimony contains as written and printed on the front page of the Book of Mormon. May it please your honor and gentlemen of the jury, this I say: I saw the angel and heard his voicehow can I deny it? It happened in the daytime when the sun was shining brightly in the firmament; not at night when I was asleep. The glorious messenger from heaven, dressed in white, standing above the ground, in a glory I have never seen anything to compare with-the sun insignificant in comparison-told us if we denied that testimony there is no forgiveness in this life or in the world to come.

Now how can I deny it-I dare not; I will not.

Later, when Oliver Cowdery asked to be rebaptized, he spoke to the people as follows:

I wrote with my own pen, the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as he translated it by the gift and power of God, by the means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as it is called by that book, “Holy Interpreters.”

I beheld with my eyes and handled with my hands the gold plates from which it was translated. I also saw with my eyes and handled with my hands the “Holy Interpreters.”

That book is true! Sidney Rigdon did not write it; Mr. Spaulding did not write it; I wrote it myself as it fell from the lips of the Prophet. It contains the everlasting Gospel, and came forth to the children of men in fulfillment of the revelations of John, where he says he saw an angel come with the Everlasting Gospel to preach to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. It contains the principles of salvation; and if you, my hearers, will walk by its light and obey its precepts, you will be saved with an everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God on high.7

What more can honest men ask?

After examining the long shelves of books on Mormonism, a wearisome and thankless task, there is but one conclusion: Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon unaided by mortal man. That is also the verdict of history.

 

Endnotes

 

1 Francis W. Kirkham, A New Witness for Christ in America pp. 344-845.
2 Whales A. Shook, The True Origin of the Book of Mormon p. 71.
3 Fawn A Brodie, No Man Knows My History, pp. 413-432.
4 Mrs. John W. Rigdon, Life of Sidney Rigdon; History of the Church, vol. 1,123; Kirkham, op. cit., pp. 327-329
5 Daryl Chase, Sidney Rigdon, Early Mormon, unpublished thesis, University of Chicago.
6 Liahona vol. 8, p. 163.
7 Millenial Star, vol. 27, p. 57.

Scott Dimmick, “A Witness and a Warning – Ezra Taft Benson” Excerpt from scottdimmick.com

I read some additional information related to Ezra Taft Benson’s speech that I wrote about a few days ago that I want to share. Thanks to Rob Watson at “American Testament: The Book of Mormon” for sharing this talk and info on that blog.

My previous post is “A Prophet of God Warning Us About Socialism.” What does this have to do with the Book of Mormon? Just about everything.

 

You see, if President Benson could be remembered for anything, it was his denouncement of Communism and his love of the Book of Mormon. Undoubtedly, his strong views on the Book of Mormon fueled his strong passion for promoting liberty over tyranny.

From his 1979 Conference talk entitled “A Witness and a Warning“, here are a few verses from the Book of Mormon that bear out his teachings.

Ether 2:10,12
10 For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be ^aswept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the ^bfulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are ^cswept off.
12 Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be ^afree from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but ^bserve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.

Ether 13:1-3
1 And now I, Moroni, proceed to finish my record concerning the destruction of the people of whom I have been writing.
2 For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had areceded from off the face of this bland it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should cserve him who dwell upon the face thereof;
3 And that it was the place of the aNew Jerusalem, which should bcome down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord.

2 Nephi 10:10-12
1 And now I, Moroni, proceed to finish my record concerning the destruction of the people of whom I have been writing.
2 For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had areceded from off the face of this bland it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should cserve him who dwell upon the face thereof;
3 And that it was the place of the aNew Jerusalem, which should bcome down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord.

President Benson also taught us that there are three things that we must do to avoid destruction in this land ordained for freedom (links added for additional study):

First: We must return to worship the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ. He has promised that the righteous will be preserved by His power (see 1 Ne. 22:17). But we must keep the commandments of God. We must pay our tithes and offerings, keep the Sabbath day a holy day, stay morally clean, be honest in all our dealings, and have our family and personal prayers. We must live the gospel.

Second: We must awaken to “a sense of [our] awful situation, because of this secret combination which [is] among [us]” (Ether 8:24). We must not tolerate accommodation with or appeasement toward the false system of Communism. We must demand of our elected officials that we not only resist Communism, but that we will take every measure to prevent its intrusion into this hemisphere. It is vital that we invoke the Monroe Doctrine.

Then we must put our trust in Him who has promised us His protection—and pray that He will intervene to preserve our freedom just as He intervened in our obtaining it in the first place.

Third: We must do as the Lord commanded us by revelation in 1833: “Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil” (D&C 98:10).

Men who are wise, good, and honest, who will uphold the Constitution of the United States in the tradition of the Founding Fathers, must be sought for diligently. This is our hope to restore government to its rightful role.

Last: We must study the inspired Constitution and become involved in the political process ourselves. I quote the First Presidency statement that was read in sacrament meetings on Sunday, 1 July 1979: “We encourage all members, as citizens of the nation, to be actively involved in the political process, and to support those measures which will strengthen the community, state, and nation—morally, economically, and culturally” (Letter from the First Presidency, 29 June 1979).

November 4th is our opportunity to assist in God’s will for this land: that it remain free and prosperous based on sound Gospel principles. We will do this by voting in what we hope to be a fair and free election. If it is not free and fair, we must make sure that this and future elections are to the best of our ability. Whether Democrat or Republican, we each have the duty and responsibility to exercise that right to elect our electors and representatives and to maintain the course that God has already expressed for us if we are to remain free.

Allen Leigh,“The Book of Mormon” Excerpt from mormonsite.org (no longer active)

After receiving his vision in 1820, Joseph Smith realized that he should join none of the existing churches but should continue his daily activities until he received further direction from the Lord.

On the evening of September 21, 1823, he knelt in prayer to God to ask of his status before him. He described the event as follows:

While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor.

He had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen; nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant. His hands were naked, and his arms also, a little above the wrist; so, also, were his feet naked, as were his legs, a little above the ankles. His head and neck were also bare. I could discover that he had no other clothing on but this robe, as it was open, so that I could see into his bosom.

Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him, I was afraid; but the fear soon left me.

He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.

He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants; (Joseph Smith–History 1:30-34)

That message was of great importance, because Moroni delivered it four times, thus firmly fixing it in Joseph’s mind: Moroni appeared to Joseph two more times that night and once the next morning and repeated his message. While Moroni talked with Joseph, Joseph saw in vision the location of the plates, which were buried in a nearby hill. After Moroni’s fourth visit, Joseph went to the hill, pried up a large rock, and saw the plates in a hole lined with rocks. Moroni appeared and forbade Joseph to take the plates. He told Joseph that for the next four years, he must come to that spot once a year and be instructed by Moroni about the ancient people. Joseph complied with Moroni’s instructions and visited the hill each year to be taught.

Accordingly, as I had been commanded, I went at the end of each year, and at each time I found the same messenger there, and received instruction and intelligence from him at each of our interviews, respecting what the Lord was going to do, and how and in what manner his kingdom was to be conducted in the last days. (Joseph Smith–History 1:54)

Finally, with the visit for the fourth year, the time came for Joseph to receive the plates.

At length the time arrived for obtaining the plates….On the twenty-second day of September, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven, having gone as usual at the end of another year to the place where they were deposited, the same heavenly messenger delivered them up to me with this charge: that I should be responsible for them; that if I should let them go carelessly, or through any neglect of mine, I should be cut off; but that if I would use all my endeavors to preserve them, until he, the messenger, should call for them, they should be protected. (Joseph Smith–History 1:59)

I give you my witness that Joseph Smith did receive the plates from the angel Moroni, and that the book which resulted from the translation of those plates is new scripture!

Another Testament of Jesus Christ

In order to understand about the Book of Mormon, let us draw a comparison between it and the Bible. The Bible was written by men who lived anciently in the Palestinian area. These men were prophets and received revelations from God. They recorded their visions and teachings on scrolls or other materials. These writings were translated and are available today as the Holy Bible. I accept the Bible as being the word of God and look to it for knowledge and testimonies of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon was written by men who lived anciently in the American continents. These men were also prophets and received revelation from God. They recorded their visions and teachings on metal plates. The plates were condensed by a prophet named Mormon into a single set of plates. The plates and were given by Mormon’s son Moroni, as a resurrected person, to Joseph Smith. They were translated and are available today as the Book of Mormon. I accept the Book of Mormon as the word of God, and I look to it for knowledge and testimonies of Jesus Christ. To me, it is another testament of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Mormon begins in Jerusalem in the year 600 B.C. A prophet named Lehi was warned by God that Jerusalem was about to be destroyed and that he should take his family and flee the city. Lehi obeyed God, and his family traveled to the Red sea. Under guidance from the Lord, they constructed a ship and came to the American continents. Upon their arrival, they began to till the ground and build their homes. Not all of Lehi’s family were righteous. The two older sons, Laman and Lemuel, rebelled against their father and caused many conflicts in their family. Eventually, the righteous members of the family separated themselves from the rebellious ones, and two groups sprang up in the land. The righteous people were known as Nephites, being named after Nephi, a younger son of Lehi. The unrighteous people were known as Lamanites, being named after Laman.

The Nephites had prophets, and these men prophesied of Jesus Christ. They testified to the need for a Messiah, and they explained the atonement. They told the people to repent, and they gave them signs by which they would know of the birth and later of the death of Jesus. For 600 years, the Nephites and Lamanites coexisted in the land, sometimes at peace but usually at war.

The spiritual high-point of the Book of Mormon is the visit to the Nephites by the resurrected Jesus Christ. This occurred after his ascension to heaven as described in the Bible in the first chapter of Acts. The Savior taught and ministered to the people, and he chose 12 disciples to lead the people.

For almost 200 years after the Savior’s visit, the Nephites and Lamanites were one people and lived in righteousness. However, the people began to pursue the riches of the world, and they let jealousies and envy take hold in their hearts. They again separated into two groups, and for the next 200 years great wickedness and wars covered the land. Finally the last great war occurred, and the Nephite nation was destroyed. Only stragglers remained and they were hunted by the Lamanites and killed. One of the few remaining Nephites was the prophet of the people, a man named Moroni. His father, Mormon, had been the prophet before him but had been killed in battle. Prior to his death, Mormon had given Moroni the metal plates upon which he had condensed the history and religious life of the people. Moroni named that record the Book of Mormon after his father. Moroni closed the book with his testimony of Christ.

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. (Moroni 10:32-33)

Jesus Christ Appeared in Ancient America

Four hundred years before the time of Moroni, as the time for Christ’s crucifixion approached, great wickedness covered the Nephite land, infecting both the Nephites and the Lamanites. The chief judge of the Nephite government was slain, and the government was overthrown. The few people who remembered the signs of Christ’s death that had been given by the prophets looked forward to the appearance of the signs, knowing that the Son of God would be slain for the sins of the world. A great storm arose. Thunder! Lightnings! Cities burned! Other cities sank into the sea! Earthquakes! For the space of three hours, great destruction occurred. Then darkness covered the land, a darkness so thick that no light of any kind could be seen. As the people mourned for their loved ones who had been killed, a voice was heard from the heavens.

Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen.

And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because of their wickedness and their abominations.

O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name. (3 Nephi 9:2,12-13,15)

The people were so astonished at hearing the voice that they ceased to mourn, and there was silence in the land. Later, the people discussed the wondrous thing that had happened. While they were talking, they again heard a voice from heaven, but they could not understand it. They heard the voice again and understood it not. The third time the voice came, however, they understood what was being said.

And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them:

Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name–hear ye him.

And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them. (3 Nephi 11:6-8)

I bear my witness that the resurrected Jesus Christ appeared to the Nephites!

Behold I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.

And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.

And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying:

Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.

And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.

And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying: Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him. (3 Nephi 11:10-17)

Why Another Book of Scripture?

It is a teaching of “orthodox” Christianity that the Bible is the only book of Scripture. We are often asked, “Why do you have your own Bible?” Our answer is, “We don’t; we have the same Bible as you”. What the people are really asking is, “Why do you have another book of Scripture?” Through revelation from God, Nephi received the answer to that question. The Lord explained to the Nephites that he is the God of all people, and that he has prophets and scripture among all righteous people.

But behold, there shall be many–at that day when I shall proceed to do a marvelous work among them, that I may remember my covenants which I have made unto the children of men, that I may set my hand again the second time to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel;

And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel;

And because my words shall hiss forth–many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.

But thus saith the Lord God; O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?

O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people.

Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?

Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all nations of the earth?

Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I can not speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.

For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.

For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.

And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.

And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever. (2 Nephi 29:1-14)

Prophecies of the Book of Mormon

The Bible prophesies of the Book of Mormon. Let us study those scriptures. Jesus taught the Jews that he would visit other people of the House of Israel.

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:14-16)

This prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus visited the Nephites, as explained previously. In speaking to the Nephites, he said.

And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (3 Nephi 15:21)

People who oppose the LDS Church say the “other sheep” were the Gentile nations and that Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled when Paul and the other missionaries took the Gospel to those nations. However, Jesus explained to the Nephites that when he said the other sheep would hear his voice, he meant literally hear his voice.

And they [the Jews] understood me not, for they supposed it had been the Gentiles; for they understood not that the Gentiles should be converted through their preaching.

And they understood me not that I said they shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice–that I should not manifest myself unto them save it were by the Holy Ghost.

But behold, ye have both heard my voice, and seen me; and ye are my sheep, and ye are numbered among those whom the Father hath given me. (3 Nephi 15:22-24)

From the ancient prophet Ezekiel, we have a prophecy of two written records that would become one in “Ezekiel’s” hand.

The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. (Ezekiel 37:15-17)

The Bible is the Stick of Judah because it is the religious history of the Jews. I witness that the Book of Mormon is the Stick of Joseph, the record of the tribe of Joseph. Today, we have them in one hand as testaments of Jesus Christ!

In giving his last blessing to his twelve sons, Jacob prophesied that his son Joseph would have descendants that would go over a “wall”.

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall; (Genesis 49:22)

Lehi was a descendant of Joseph, and when he brought his family across the ocean, he fulfilled the prophecy that Joseph’s branches would run over the wall, for at that time the oceans were truly walls that restricted the people to their known world.

Isaiah prophesied that Jerusalem would speak out of the ground with a voice that was familiar to the people and that its speech would whisper out of the dust.

Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city [where] David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.

Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.

And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.

And thou shalt be brought down, [and] shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. (Isaiah 29:1-4, emphasis added)

Lehi’s migration to the American continent, as described in the Book of Mormon, began at Jerusalem; his posterity thus represents that city. Moroni, the last Book of Mormon prophet, buried the plates in the ground. Joseph Smith removed the plates from the ground, translated them, and published the Book of Mormon as a new witness of the familiar story of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

We have discussed four scriptures that prophesy of the Book of Mormon. People who oppose the church, however, refer to chapter 22 of the Book of Revelation and claim that it forbids other books of Scripture besides the Bible. Let us look at the verses they use.

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book;

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19, emphasis added)

In those verses, John said that no one should add to or take away from “the prophecy of this book”. It is clear that John was referring to his book of Revelation and not the Bible itself, for the following reasons:

The Book of Revelation is a book of prophecy or revelation while the Bible is a book of testimony. In Revelation 1:1 we read, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John”. That verse is a clear indication that the book of Revelation is a book of prophecy. The Bible, on the other hand, is a book of testimony of Jesus, containing two testaments of him.

When John wrote the verses quoted above, the Bible did not exist as a book. The various manuscripts were canonized into the Bible at a later date as manuscripts were collected by the Catholic church.

From another viewpoint, John said that no man should add to or take from the book of prophecy. He did not say that God could not add to the prophecy. If the Book of Mormon is true, then it was added by God not by man.

In Deuteronomy there is a verse that is similar to the verses from the book of Revelation that we just discussed .

Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. (Deuteronomy 4:2)

If that verse were interpreted in the way that some people interpret Revelation 22:18-19, most of the Bible would have to be discarded since it came after Deuteronomy was given. I think that in both Deuteronomy and Revelation, the Lord was not talking about the media used to record his revelations. I think he was talking about us being obedient to all his commandments rather than our picking and choosing the ones we would obey.

Shortly before closing the Book of Mormon, Moroni explained how those who read that book can know if the book is of God.

And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (Moroni 10:4-5)

Moroni’s challenge to us is to sincerely read the Book of Mormon and to ask God in the name of Jesus Christ if the Book of Mormon is true. Moroni promises that if we do these things, God will reveal to us by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true! I give you my testimony that I know by that power that the Book of Mormon is true.

Book of Mormon Testifies of Jesus Christ

The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. Let us read verses from the Book of Mormon that teach of Jesus. Nephi, who left Jerusalem with his father Lehi in 600 B.C., saw in vision the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.

And it came to pass that he [the Spirit of the Lord who came to Nephi in vision] said unto me: Look! And I looked as if to look upon him, and I saw him not; for he had gone from before my presence.

And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. and I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.

And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou?

And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.

And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God?

And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.

And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.

And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!

And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.

And the angel said unto me; Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!… (1 Nephi 11:12-21)

Lehi taught his son Jacob about the Redemption.

Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.

Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. Wherefore, I know that thou are redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men.

And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou are blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free.

And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever.

Wherefore, redemption cometh in and though the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.

Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

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, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved.

And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement– (2 Nephi 2:2-10)

After his father Lehi’s death, Jacob, taught the people about the grace of Christ.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.

Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen. (2 Nephi 10:24-25)

Nephi, Jacob, and another brother named Joseph taught of Christ.

Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest, lest by any means he should swear in his wrath [due to their wickedness] they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness.

Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men not to rebel against God, to provoke him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world;… (Jacob 1:7-8)

A righteous Nephite King named Benjamin taught his people of Jesus Christ.

For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.

And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.

And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.

And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.

And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.

For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned.

But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. (Mosiah 3:5-12)

King Benjamin’s discourse had such a great effect on the people that they were converted to Christ.

And now, it came to pass that when King Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them.

And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.

And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which King Benjamin had spoken unto them. (Mosiah 4:1-3)

A Nephite prophet named Alma taught of the change that comes to those who accept Christ.

And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body? (Alma 5:14-15)

Book of Mormon Changes Lives

A Nephite missionary named Amulek held a debate with a corrupt lawyer named Zeezrom. During the encounter, Amulek taught the redemption of Christ.

And he [Christ] shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else.

Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works.

Now there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.

The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt. (Alma 11:40-43)

The subsequent story (given in an earlier chapter on Faith) of Zeezrom’s conversion to Jesus Christ and activity as a missionary is one of the great stories of the Book of Mormon.

Nephite missionaries had great success in teaching the Gospel to the Lamanites. The Lamanites were converted to Jesus Christ, and they looked forward to his coming as the Messiah.

And they [the Lamanites] did also bury their weapons of war, according as their brethren had, and they began to be a righteous people; and they did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe to keep his commandments and his statutes.

Yea, and they did keep the law of Moses; for it was expedient that they should keep the law of Moses as yet, for it was not all fulfilled. But notwithstanding the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming, and believing that they must keep those outward performances until the time that he should be revealed unto them.

Now they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ; and thus they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation, relying upon the spirit of prophecy, which spake of those things to come. (Alma 25:14-16)

Ammon, one of the Nephite missionaries that taught the Lamanites, praised God for his opportunity to serve the Lord as a missionary.

And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason we have to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?

And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?

Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.

Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God.

Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted.

Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them.

But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day.

Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever.

For if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla, these our dearly beloved brethren, who have so dearly beloved us, would still have been racked with hatred against us, yea, and they would also have been strangers to God. (Alma 26:1-9)

During the era that Ammon and the other missionaries taught the Lamonites, the Nephite prophet was a man named Alma. Alma had grown up as the son of the prophet, but he had not been converted to the Lord. Instead, he went about trying to destroy the church. He was converted through the appearance to him of an angel.

For I went about with the sons of Mosiah, seeking to destroy the church of God; but behold, God sent his holy angel to stop us by the way.

And behold, he spake unto us, as it were the voice of thunder, and the whole earth did tremble beneath our feet; and we all fell to the earth, for the fear of the Lord came upon us.v

But behold, the voice said unto me: Arise. And I arose and stood up, and beheld the angel.

And he said unto me: If thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God.

And it came to pass that I fell to the earth; and it was for the space of three days and three nights that I could not open my mouth, neither had I the use of my limbs.

And the angel spake more things unto me, which were heard by my brethren, but I did not hear them; for when I heard the words–If thou wilt be destroyed of thyself, seek no more to destroy the church of God–I was struck with such great fear and amazement lest perhaps I should be destroyed, that I fell to the earth and I did hear no more.

But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins.

Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments.v

Yea, and I had murdered many of his children, or rather led them away unto destruction; yea, and in fine so great had been my iniquities, that the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror.

Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God to be judged of my deeds.

And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.

And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.

Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.

And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.

And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy. (Alma 36:6-21)

There are many other wonderful stories in the Book of Mormon about conversions to Jesus Christ, stories that teach that lives are changed when people accept Christ and follow him.