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).
Showing posts with label Book of Mormon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book of Mormon. Show all posts
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, November 26, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
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.
"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.
Friday, February 5, 2010
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.
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.
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