Let there be light

The symbolism of light permeates Christianity. The Lord Jesus Christ refers to Himself as the Light of the world (see, for example, John 8:12; John 9:5; and John 12:46). His followers, reflecting that divine Light, are expected in turn to be lights to the world (as in Matthew 5:14; Luke 16:8; and Philippians 2:15).

In our culture we equate God and heaven and salvation with light. Even in our common language, quite aside from considerations of religion or theology, we associate light with such concepts as glory, truth, goodness, and openness. On the other hand, we associate darkness, or the absence of light, with such concepts as falsehood, evil, or the occult.

Some form of the word light appears in 273 separate chapters in the scriptures—in 128 chapters in the Old Testament, in 54 chapters in the New Testament, in 54 chapters in the Book of Mormon, in 32 sections in the Doctrine and Covenants, and in 5 chapters in the Pearl of Great Price.

The Doctrine and Covenants, a collection of divine revelations and inspired declarations given through the Prophet Joseph Smith and some of his successors in the presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, contain some of the more intriguing and mind-stretching scriptural passages concerning light.

In a revelation Joseph Smith received on September 22-23, 1832, for example, the Lord equates truth and light and spirit: "For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

"And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world" (D&C 84:45-46).

In a subsequent revelation that Joseph received on December 27, 1832, we read: "He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;

"Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.

"As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;

"As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made; . . .

"And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand.

"And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;

"Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—

"The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things" (D&C 88:6-9, 11-13).

Perhaps more on these and similar passages in some later post.

The first Christmas in the New World

And this is the rest of the story: the prophetic account of the first Christmas Day in the New World among the ancient inhabitants of the land:


19 And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given.

20 And it had come to pass, yea, all things, every whit, according to the words of the prophets.

21 And it came to pass also that a new star did appear, according to the word.

22 And it came to pass that from this time forth there began to be lyings sent forth among the people, by Satan, to harden their hearts, to the intent that they might not believe in those signs and wonders which they had seen; but notwithstanding these lyings and deceivings the more part of the people did believe, and were converted unto the Lord.

23 And it came to pass that Nephi went forth among the people, and also many others, baptizing unto repentance, in the which there was a great remission of sins. And thus the people began again to have peace in the land.

24 And there were no contentions, save it were a few that began to preach, endeavoring to prove by the scriptures that it was no more expedient to observe the law of Moses. Now in this thing they did err, having not understood the scriptures.

25 But it came to pass that they soon became converted, and were convinced of the error which they were in, for it was made known unto them that the law was not yet fulfilled, and that it must be fulfilled in every whit; yea, the word came unto them that it must be fulfilled; yea, that one jot or tittle should not pass away till it should all be fulfilled; therefore in this same year were they brought to a knowledge of their error and did confess their faults.

26 And thus the ninety and second year did pass away, bringing glad tidings unto the people because of the signs which did come to pass, according to the words of the prophecy of all the holy prophets (3 Nephi 1:19-26).

The first Christmas in the New World

The following 15 verses represent the scriptural account by ancient prophets on the American continent concerning what was happening among the people of the New World on the eve before the Savior was born in the Old World. The prophecies of true prophets (which, by definition, are those sent by the Lord and inspired by His Holy Spirit) always come to pass.

4 And it came to pass that in the commencement of the ninety and second year, behold, the prophecies of the prophets began to be fulfilled more fully; for there began to be greater signs and greater miracles wrought among the people.

5 But there were some who began to say that the time was past for the words to be fulfilled, which were spoken by Samuel, the Lamanite.

6 And they began to rejoice over their brethren, saying: Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been vain.

7 And it came to pass that they did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass.

8 But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain.

9 Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.

10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.

11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.

12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:

13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.

14 Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfil all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.

15 And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.

16 And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand.

17 And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth.

18 For they knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which had been given was already at hand; and they began to fear because of their iniquity and their unbelief (3 Nephi 1:4-18).

Interesting how committed disbelievers are not content to ignore or even simply mock those who believe. They seek to take affirmative action to stop such belief, even to the point of getting rid of [that is to say, putting to death] any who presume to believe. It is not mere separation of church and state they want so much as absence of church from state.

Stay tuned next week for the conclusion of the first Christmas story.

Live in thanksgiving daily

"Live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you" (Alma 34:38).

Numerous passages throughout the scriptures tell us to be thankful for our blessings and to express gratitude to God for His abundant mercies. We need to be thankful every day, not just at Thanksgiving time.

The work of the Father has commenced

"When ye shall receive this record [the Book of Mormon] ye may know that the work of the Father has commenced upon all the face of the land.

"Therefore, repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and believe in my gospel, and be baptized in my name; for he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned; and signs shall follow them that believe in my name.

"And blessed is he that is found faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. And behold it is I that hath spoken it. Amen" (Ether 4: 17-19).

The prophet Moroni recorded these words of the Savior sometime between A.D. 400 and 421.

The biblical record abundantly teaches that after the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus there would come a great falling away or apostasy from the simple truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This falling away would require God to commence His work anew in the last days (the time in which we now live) to bring His gospel to the gentile nations and to gather in scattered Israel. That latter-day work, the restoration of the original Christianity, is also abundantly forecast in the Bible. A tangible evidence that the work was beginning again was the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon, which occurred in 1829 and 1830, a sign to all men everywhere that God was beginning his latter-day work, a marvelous work and a wonder, to prepare the earth for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

And in context of that declaration—that the Book of Mormon record would signal that the work of the Father had commenced anew—the Savior defines again, as He does in numerous places throughout the scriptures, what it means to come unto Jesus. It involves repentance, a change of heart and mind, a turning away from sin and evil. It involves believing in Him and His gospel. It involves being baptized in the manner and by the authority that He has prescribed.

A person who thus comes unto Jesus—by repenting, believing, being baptized, and being faithful unto the end—will be saved. A person who do not do these things will be damned. That is the straightforward declaration of Jesus.

He hath created all things

"I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are" (2 Nephi 2:14).

God is the creator of all things. That knowledge is a critical starting point in understanding God's purposes for His children. It is for them that He created the heavens and the earth and all things that are in them.

From my perspective, it takes a far greater leap of faith to believe in the various man-made theories of how the earth and all that is on it sprang into being than the straightforward affirmation of the holy scriptures that God created or organized all things. It matters from what perspective a person begins. If he accepts that evolutionary processes are a given fact, he will be able to find sufficient evidence to sustain that view. If he accepts that God created the earth, and that He had purpose and design in doing so, he will be able to find sufficient evidence to sustain that view. Both perspectives require faith, though of different types.

If any man will do his will

“If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17).

Action—an exercise of agency to choose to follow Christ—is what builds faith and leads to spiritual knowledge. Actually doing God's will is the only way we can obtain a witness, an assurance, a testimony, a knowledge of spiritual truths.

Spiritual experiences and miracles strengthen faith in those who already have faith, and sometimes invite actions in those with little or no faith that will lead them to belief and faith, but in the long run miraculous experiences do not have the staying power that simple obedience to covenants (or to the commitments that will lead to covenants) has.

That is one reason, among others, that missionaries (who are out there inviting people to come unto Christ) and priesthood leaders (who are ministering to the spiritual needs of those who have already come unto Christ through faith, repentance, and baptism) are always inviting people to do things. Our responding to such invitations is what gives us spiritual insight, knowledge, and power.

Trust in the Lord

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5–6).

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God

"These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have faith through his name" (John 20:31).

This verse relates closely to the one we posted last week. In this brief passage the apostle John gives the reason for his writing what we today refer to as the gospel or book of John. By extension, it could be considered the purpose for virtually every book of holy scripture.

God so loved the world

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

Probably the most quoted scripture in all of Christendom, these 25 simple words from the apostle John allude to a number of fundamental truths:

1. God is a Father.
2. The Father and His only begotten Son are separate entities, else the One could not have sent the Other.
3. Jesus is the only person who has lived on the earth whose actual father was God, which is why He is called the only begotten Son.
4. The Father loves all the rest of His children.
5. The greatest evidence of that love is that the Father sent His Son into the world to redeem His children and to save those who believe in His Son.
6. Those who do not believe in Jesus at some point and on some level perish.
7. Those who do believe do not perish but enjoy eternal life with the Father and the Son.

Other scriptures make clear that real belief in Jesus involves active discipleship that includes having faith in Christ, repenting of sin, making and keeping sacred covenants, and enduring in faith to the end of mortal life. Simple confession or passive assent is hardly sufficient to merit an exquisite gift so precious as eternal life.