Post 44m: Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is Easily Accessed by Us By Reading Several Accounts of it Provided by His Apostles in Palestine in the Holy Bible. However, the Same Basic Sermon Was Also Delivered By Him to Other Saints of His After His Resurrection Whose Righteous Ancestors Had Migrated 600 Years Earlier to the Americas. In Their Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, We Are Blessed to Access this Same Basic "Sermon On the Mount" Delivered to Other Saints of His. There Are Many Similarities, but Also There Are Significant Changes In His Second Version. Actually Reflected in This Second Version are the Significant Changes Which Had Taken Place in Him, Jesus, as a Result of His Atonement, Crucifixion and Resurrection Through Which He Had Become a Fully Qualified Member of the Godhead!

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!

Dear Readers of this Blog, please note that Google advertisements will appear throughout this blog post. They were not solicited by me and I do not profit from any of them. I did request particularly that Google not place their ads within scriptures which I often use in my blog posts. It appears they have honored that request of mine. Thank you Google!

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TODAY'S THEME:

MY (J. Neil Birch's) TALK (Given January 1, 2012 In the Murray Third Ward of the Murray, Utah (U.S.A.) Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sacrament Meeting.)

A book written by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve very


Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

capably covers the subject which I covered in this talk. I did not quote from his book as I was informed in a letter received from the Deseret Book Company of Salt Lake City, Utah (U.S.A.) in answer to a letter I had sent them, that they were unable to give me permission at that time to quote from his book.

I had already written the material I used in this Sacrament Meeting talk before  reading any of Elder Holland's well written book. I prefer his writing style to mine and felt he had shown special apostolic insight in that which he wrote that I do not possess and felt my blog readers would appreciate and benefit from that.

However, that was not to be so I have done my best in handling this so very special subject in this sacrament meeting talk and then subsequently, right now, in this blog post of mine:

I will now compare that which was spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ in Palestine before his Atonement, Crucifixion and Resurrection in that same basic discourse which he, the Savior of this World, after His resurrection, delivered to His Nephite Followers in the Western Hemisphere as recorded in the Book of 3 Nephi of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

My hoped for objective for this talk is that each of us will become even more appreciative of the Key Role the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, plays in helping each of us to understand and more fully appreciate that which He, Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, had become after His experiencing His atonement, Crucifixion, resurrection and His reunion with His and Our Father in Heaven.

It was only then that He, Our Savior, Jesus Christ had become fully equal with, His and our Father in Heaven, as expressed in John 10:30 "I and my Father are one."

The comparative explanations I'll make each time I quote a set of two scriptures, one from the Book of Mathew from the New Testament and the other from Third Nephi from the Book of Mormon, will hopefully help each of us increase our appreciation of each of these marvelous scriptures and perhaps most importantly develop new insights regarding these scriptural truths as I compare verses from the New Testament with comparable verses from the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

I suggest you now prepare yourself to focus, to the best of your ability, on the sacred passages of scripture I will soon begin to present.
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However, I must mention before beginning to make those comparisons, that there have been many critics of the Book of Mormon who stubbornly insist that the passages of scripture from the Book of Third Nephi, which I only have a few moments to compare, are just an example of plagiarism, or, using a different word, thievery on the part of Joseph Smith from words found in the New Testament, specifically in Luke, the Apostle's book.

Of course those critics, follow the pattern of most critics of the Book of Mormon inasmuch as they usually have never really read that book of books,
The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ and therefore, do not realize that Joseph Smith was just the inspired translator of ancient Nephite records instead of being one who wrote the Book of Mormon on his own.

Jesus' own words He spoke as a resurrected human being were recorded by His Nephite apostles in Ancient America  and were finally engraved on plates of gold (so as to preserve them for many centuries) by the Prophet Mormon who was born about three centuries after the Resurrected Jesus Christ's appearance to the Nephites in 34 A.D. It would be the Prophet Mormon's own son, Moroni who as a resurrected human being appeared to Joseph Smith not long before his eighteenth birthday, informing him for the first time about the plates of gold upon which were engraved the word our Heavenly Father wanted to make available to each of us.


The Angel Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith -by Tom Lovell

 The actual writing of that book (the Book of Mormon) is something that would have been an impossibility for Joseph Smith or anyone else in our day and time on earth, to have done. That will be very adequately demonstrated in comparing very similar yet differing in some respects, scriptures from the New Testament with scriptures from the Book of Third Nephi in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ!

As most of you already know, in Chapters Twelve through Fourteen of Third Nephi in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, is recorded a sermon given by the Resurrected Jesus Christ to the Nephites of Ancient Central America who were the remaining more righteous citizens of the Nephite Nation after a great disaster brought about personally by our Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. A much larger and much more wicked portion of that people was destroyed leaving only the righteous alive which he was to teach and to abundently bless.

That sermon given by our Savior Jesus Christ to the Nephites is very similar to the one recorded in the New Testament, Matthew Chapters Five through Seven, which is commonly referred to as The Sermon on the Mount. Of course those two discourses are very similar inasmuch as each of them were given on the same basic subject by our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We should expect that which Our Savior would be teaching, in each of his two sermons, the one in Palestine during his mortality and the one in the Americas after having become immortal, basic principles of his unchanging gospel.

I will only compare just parts of Chapter Twelve of 3 Nephi to Chapter Five of Matthew. There appear to be, besides many key similarities, a few insignificant differences between the two sermons. and also some very significant differences! There is a good reason that is so, and you'll soon understand why  if you don't already know.

I will begin by quoting just a portion of our Lord's Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew, Chapter 5 allowing us to compare that which was said by Him in those passages there in Palestine with that which He taught near the temple in the Land Bountiful (in Ancient America)


Jesus Christ Visits the Americas -by John Scott

for the purpose of identifying significant differences that exist between these two very similar sermons which were both given by Jesus Christ, during His mortality in Palestine and then in the Ancient Americas by Him as an immortal and resurrected being.

The first two verses of Chapter 5 of Matthew and Chapter 12 of Third Nephi are basically introductory and therefore I won't compare them. Please note also that I skip over verses four and five in both Third Nephi Chapter 12 and in Matthew 5 because they are word for word identical!

Now please focus on these two following scriptures and try to recognize the reasons for there being key differences between them.

Please Note: It appears that Jesus in his mortal ministry did not yet use the words, "who come unto me," because he had not yet experienced His Atonement, Death, and Resurrection, which brought on his glorified state, which is surely the reason that would cause mortals to seek to come unto him, He who had become fully their God!)

Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.


3 Nephi 12: 3 Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5: 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

3 Nephi 12: 6 And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Please Note: Jesus did not include in this comparable New Testament scripture the words, "they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost," which were used in Third Nephi 12:6, because His apostles in Palestine had not yet received the Gift of the Holy Ghost at the time of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

They received that sacred gift, The Holy Ghost, only after His Resurrection. That is described in Acts 2: (you can read and listen at the same time to this account of the first reception of the Holy Ghost by the Resurrected Jesus's twelve apostles: (When you have clicked on the following link please then click on the word, Listen, in order to listen to this scripture being read by a very capable reader! If you prefer you may find your own language available at the upper right of the screen after you have clicked on the following:

 The New Testament, Acts: Chapter 2

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I will now continue systematically comparing New Testament and Third Nephi verses which are very similar, yet not fully indentical to one another.

Matthew: 5:18 for verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

3 Nephi 12:18 For verily I say unto you, one jot nor one tittle hath not passed away from the law, but in me it hath all been fulfilled. (emphasis added)

Please take note: As you may have already determined, in the Matthew version of this verse it is written in the future tense. However, in the Third Nephi version you will have noted it is written in the past tense because by then, Jesus personally had fulfilled the Law (of Moses) by His Atonement, Death and Resurrection! Let's go on to comparing additional scriptures:

Matthew 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

3 Nephi 12:19 And behold, I have given you the law and the commandments of my Father, that ye shall believe in me, and that ye shall repent of your sins, and come unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Behold, ye have the commandments before you, and the law (of Moses) is fulfilled.

Our Savior, Jesus Christ did in actual fact completely fulfill the law of Moses!

I humbly suggest that only then, after his atonement, crucifixion and resurrection, was Jesus actually able to fully know personally the true full meaning of: a broken heart and a contrite spirit, because of what He had personally experienced in bringing about the atonement which so fully affects each one of us!

The Savior just before descending from the heavens to be with the Nephites near His Temple in the Land Bountiful had emphasized that phrase:  Again, those words were spoken by the Resurrected Jesus Christ from the heavens in the darkness that covered those particular Nephites and probably other Nephites and Lamanites who had survived the terrible holocaust which the Lord had put into action Himself. While repeating that sacred phrase of His, Our Resurrected Savior continued:

3 Nephi 9:20 And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit, And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.

(3 Nephi 9: 12) And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because of their wickedness and their abominations.

Now I will return to comparing the words the Savior spoke in Palestine to those he spoke in the city, Bountiful (possibly located in Ancient Baja California -(please see my just previous blog post, "44l) after his Resurrection.

Matthew 5: 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

3 Nephi 12:20 Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

In that scripture the Resurrected and Glorified Savior of Mankind doesn't refer to just righteousness as was the case in Matthew 5:20, but to "my commandments," in speaking to the Nephites after His resurrection. That is one of the significant differences between the two versions of his basic sermon.

Once again I will present a scriptural verse that comes from the time when the resurrected Redeemer of the World, Jesus Christ spoke from the Heavens in the darkness caused by the aftermath of the great destruction which He had caused to take place just before descending from the sky above to speak with the Nephites: (we again go back to Chapter 9 of Third Nephi:)
Please Note: One difference between those last two verses I compared is that while in Third Nephi 12:20 the Savior says, "come unto me and be ye saved," he also mentions keeping His commandments. He doesn't say that in Matthew 5:20. (He perhaps would have rather said at that earlier time in Palestine "My Father's Commandments."

3 Nephi 9:18 I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

19 And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.

20 And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Then too, the very last verse of the chapter we are considering from each book of scripture should be compared:

Matthew 5: 48: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

3Nephi 12: 48 Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.

Now wait a second!, after meditating a little bit on that last very important verse, just for a quick second stop and realize what your and my Savior said about each of us (I repeat that statement:)

"Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect."

What a Promise! He opened the way for great Eternal blessings for each of us! What a marvelous goal for us to work toward. We thank thee our Dear Lord and Savior!

One thing you may have noticed but I mention it just to emphasize the great humility of our dear Savior, Jesus Christ during His mortal life as shown in His words to His followers in Palestine during His Sermon on the Mount, He never once during that sermon said things like He did after His resurrection when speaking to the Nephites of the Americas. He was truly humble of heart like He asks us to be!

He surely knew He had much to accomplish, i.e. the atonement, crucifixion and resurrection, before becoming the equal to His and our Father in Heaven!

In ending this blog post I must quote here Our Savior's words revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith (From the Pearl of Great Price) in Moses 1:39 because they too apply to each of us, to you and to me. I dearly love and treasure these words of our Savior and I hope that each of you treasure them also:


Jesus the Christ  -by Del Parson

Moses 1:39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (that includes you and me. clarification added!).

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DISCLAIMER
This Blog is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.


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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: Jesus' Sermon on the Mount Given Also by Him in America -Post 44m. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

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"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

Post 44l: Just Where in this World of Ours is the Landing Place Where Father Lehi and His People (Whose History is Recorded in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ), After an Exceedingly Long Journey which Began in Jerusalem by Their Traveling Both by Land and Then by Sea, Finally Came to Shore?

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!


Dear Readers of this Blog, please note that Google advertisements will appear throughout this blog post. They were not solicited by me and I do not profit from any of them. I did request particularly that Google not place their ads within scriptures which I often use within each of my blog posts. Hopefully they have honored that request of mine.

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TODAY'S THEME:



Lehi and His People Arrive in the Promised Land -by Arnold Friberg


In this painting (used often by me in many of my previous blog posts) by famous artist, Arnold Friberg who created many artistic depictions of scenes used for the famous Cecil B. DeMill movie, The Ten Commandments, we view Father Lehi, his wife Sariah along with son, Nephi to their right and his just younger brother, Jacob, along with others.

They had been guided by the Lord on a long oceanic voyage from the East coast of Arabia and then most likely along the same tidal currents used by ocean voyagers for centuries afterward such as the Portuguese and Spaniards, closer to our time on earth, by sailing, most likely, in a Northeasterly direction and then eventually being propelled forward by those same prevailing currents in a Southerly direction, thus reaching their Promised Land to which the Lord their God had guided them.

In the above scene depicted by Arnold Friberg, Father Lehi and other members of his family along with some members of another family whose father was a relative of Lehi's  are viewing their promised land to which the Lord God had just guided them:  Just exactly where in the Americas was that land to which they had been guided?

Later on this is what Father Lehi told his family about their promised land to which they had been guided by the power of the Holy Ghost:

2 Nephi 1: 3 And he (father Lehi) also spake unto them concerning the land of promise, which they had obtained—how merciful the Lord had been in warning us that we should flee out of the land of Jerusalem.

4 For, behold, said he, I have seen a vision, in which I know that Jerusalem is destroyed; and had we remained in Jerusalem we should also have perished.

5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord.

6 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land (which I personally believe along with many other Latter-day Saints (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) has been extended by Latter-day prophets to refer to all of the Americas) save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.

7 Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.

8 And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.

9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever. (between 588 and 570 B.C. emphasis and clarification added by Neil  Birch)

Now, just exactly where was this specific promised land located in the Americas to which Lehi was guided by the Lord God? Many of you who already are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which publishes the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, will say that Lehi and those with him arrived somewhere in the Americas in about 589 B.C.

But where exactly in the Americas did that ship built by Nephi with the guidance of the Lord God and through the labors of Nephi and his brothers, end up after their long oceanic voyage?

This has been at times perhaps a somewhat contentious question and many Latter-day Saints have offered their differing scholarly opinions as to exactly where they landed. Those opinions actually differ widely!

Through the much appreciated guidance of my oldest of nine children, Jane Birch, I attended with her a meeting this past Friday night where a father who is a professional, University trained geographer along with his son where both of them participated in presenting on the same subject, at a meeting located in a Mexican-Mormon Museum located not far from the Provo (Utah) Temple of their and my and my daughter, Jane's church, spoke. The professional geographer father provided the main, very interesting and in my view, very beneficial presentation.

I have read a number of articles written by various other members of that church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in which their individual opinions of the actual landing sites of Lehi's ship have been expressed. I was impressed with some of their lines of reasoning, but was not compelled to fully accept any one of their opinions on the subject.

As you may have guessed by now I have become convinced that although this is still a disputed subject among some members of the Lord's restored church, the evidence is quite overwhelming, in my personal opinion now, as to where Lehi, his family, and some relatives and at least one unrelated friend landed in the Americas. I'm now convinced it was actually located in the Southern end of what is now Baja-California, which is part of the present-day nation of Mexico.

Although having viewed their videos many times in the past, after attending that meeting I mentioned above last Friday night, I became even more impressed with the great work done by the afore-mentioned father (a professional geographer) and his son along with others who worked with them.

I soon will invite each of you to involve yourselves in viewing an electronic presentation produced by them by which you will have the opportunity of trying to decide for yourselves, whether or not I,  J. Neil Birch am wise in supporting that which is presented in this presentation which makes up the bulk of this post.

Now before inviting you to view that electronic presentation, I ask a very pertinent (but out of necessity, a very long) question:

Inasmuch as some individuals in this world of ours feel that the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, was merely made up by Joseph Smith (and they most likely would list others who worked closely with him in supposedly, in their opinions, writing it all on their own or borrowing some of it from some unknown author or authors), would it not be a helpful if additional proof of that book's solid truthfulness, (along side the spiritual witness that is promised each of us within the pages of that sacred book) that the Prophets Mormon and Moroni's alleged facts stated within the Book of Mormon have been substantiated as actual geographical truths, such as the electronic presentation you will soon experience purports to do?

After viewing the video presented below you will have to ask yourselves the question, how did Joseph Smith get all of that geography so accurately placed unless, as he told us, it was revealed to him by the God of Heaven as he translated that which was inscribed on plates of Gold by the Prophet Mormon along with other prophets who lived in the Ancient Americas.

I believe that with all of that precise geography being right on target (as I very firmly believe), we have solid evidence that the Book of Mormon was not made up by Joseph Smith or anyone else.

You are hereby invited to make comments regarding your stand on what you have learned in this blog post, in the Comments section which you will find at the very end of this blog post. There is quite a bit of information for you to consider but I feel you will find that it has been provided in a very interesting and informative manner.

Please remember that there are given limits set by Google as to how long your Comments can be. I will look forward to reading what some of you may write. Be sure to not overlook each of the sections of this following electronic section to which I've guided you. The videos will take some time to view and listen to, but they are very much worth the time it will take.

After attending the meeting this just past Friday night in Provo, Utah I was very impressed with how the geographer father I mentioned above who presented Friday night appears to be very qualified in dealing with this very interesting and challenging subject because of his geographical skills.

There was no contention present during that meeting. I was very impressed with all those I spoke with as to both of their characters and perhaps more especially with the father who is such an accomplished professional geographer. After having read his conclusions regarding the actual whereabouts of the Book of Mormon lands, as I read the Book of Mormon now I have a mental map of those lands which makes a lot of sense and even helps me to more fully enjoy reading that Book of Books!

Please don't overlook any of the sections of that which is provided below (Under the title of: "A Choice Land" (the videos will take quite a bit of time to view fully but they are very worth the time it will take you.). You will be guided by the authors of this presentation you will be viewing as to the order in which you may view each of the sections of their presentation. You most likely will first choose to view their geography photos of portions of Baja California. Please do not overlook the videos. I found them very informative. However, it will take quite a bit of time to watch all of those videos, but you can come back later to view those you didn't have time for at first.

A Choice Land!

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DISCLAIMER
This Blog is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.


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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: Geographical Location of the Book of Mormon Lands, A Strong Possibility -Post 44l. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

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"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

Post 44k: Jesus Entered this Life as the Literal Son of God! His Earthly Mission: Fulfill the Law of Moses! After His Atonement, Crucifixion and Resurrection The Law Given Moses Had Been Completely Fulfilled. With That Key Step Taken, He Commissioned His Twelve Apostles to Teach His Gospel to the House of Israel, (and later on, teach the Gentiles too). Jesus also Personally Taught the Samaritans. He Then Taught Personally His Nephite-Lamanite People Who Lived Many Continents Away from Palestine, and Even After He Had Left Them, He Continued Teaching Them Through His Twelve Disciples He Had Chosen From Among Them, Preparing His People There to More Fully Live His Gospel. All of This Began Several Centuries of Perfect Righteousness for Themselves and Their Descendants.

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!

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TODAY'S THEME:



Christ's Image -by Heinrich Hofmann

JESUS' CENTRAL ROLE IN THE PLAN OF SALVATION

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Jesus, while still in his mortality knew very clearly the great work that was to be done in his name among people that he considered a part of his sheep. We are instructed in a very touching manner by this Mormon Messages video, how Jesus very effectively prepared the way for the work his apostles were to do after his resurrection and ascension into Heaven among the Samaritans who were partially Israelite and partially Gentile (see Bible Dictionary, Samaritans)

Jesus Teaches a Samaritan Woman: 

I quote from the video you have just experienced: Jesus speaking to the Samaritan Woman then said, "He to Whom You are Speaking  is He", (the Messiah.)

The Apostle John tells us:

John 4:28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

John 4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he (Jesus) abode there two days.

41 And many more believed because of his own word;

42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. (clarification and emphasis added by Neil Birch)

We also can learn that after our Savior's resurrection his apostles were instructed by him that they could be successful in teaching the Samaritans:

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (emphasis added by Neil Birch)



Christ Ordaining His Twelve Apostles -by Harry Anderson

And a very successful work was done in Samaria by Philip. See Acts 8: 4-25.

Also, as has been pointed out from time to time in this blog's posts Jesus Christ, our Savior, mentioned to his apostles his intention to personally going sometime after his resurrection to teach "other sheep."

John 10:16 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.

Sometime after Jesus' ascension into the sky from the presence of his apostles and other followers in Palestine, he appeared among the Nephites whose ancestors, at the instruction of Heavenly Father had been led through an arduous journey from Jerusalem to the ancient Americas in about 600 B.C. finally establishing themselves somewhere near our present day Central America and Mexico.

 Before He descended from the sky to begin His ministry among His Other Sheep, he spoke from the sky telling them of a very important part of his divine mission in their land:

The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 3Nephi Chapter 9

Please feel free to listen to this entire chapter by clicking as you will be invited to do just below this paragraph. Although the deaths of many Nephites and Lamanites are announced by him as something he had chosen to cause to come about, you will soon realize that their having been destroyed was a key part of his divine mission among these, some of His Other Sheep. 

Please focus on our Savior's emphasis in verse 20 that the Nephites (and each of us too, I'm sure He would add) are to offer to him, our Redeemer and Savior, the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit!

3Nephi, Chapter 9

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Jesus Christ Visits the Americas in A.D. 34 -by John Scott

While visiting the Nephite-Lamanites in the Ancient Americas who had been spared the awful destruction that many of their friends and relatives had just suffered, Jesus referred, while speaking to his newly called apostles there in that land, to that which he had told His apostles in Palestine about his intentions to visit "other sheep" which were not of "his fold there."

3 Nephi 15:12 Ye are my disciples; and ye are a light unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph.

13 And behold, this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you.

14 And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell it unto your brethren at Jerusalem.

15 Neither at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell unto them concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, whom the Father hath led away out of the land.

16 This much did the Father command me, that I should tell unto them:

17 That 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.

18 And now, because of stiffneckedness and unbelief they understood not my word; therefore I was commanded to say no more of the Father concerning this thing unto them.

19 But, verily, I say unto you that the Father hath commanded me, and I tell it unto you, that ye were separated from among them because of their iniquity; therefore it is because of their iniquity that they know not of you.

20 And verily, I say unto you again that the other tribes hath the Father separated from them; and it is because of their iniquity that they know not of them.

21 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.

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

23 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.

And He Healed Them All Every One -by Gary Kapp

24 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. (emphasis added by Neil Birch)



Christ and the Book of Mormon Children -by Del Parson



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DISCLAIMER
This Blog is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.


____________


TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: Jesus the Christ, After His Atonement, Crucifixion and Resurrection, Led His apostles in Palestine to Continue His Work of Salvation in That Part of the World, While He Led in Doing His Work Among Some of His Other Sheep in Another Part of the World. -Post 44k. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

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"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch 

Post 44j: Service to Our Fellow Man is Emphasized in Both the Bible and in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO VIEWERS OF THIS BLOG: Adds have been inserted by Google without permission from me in this blog post. They appear in the middle of sacred scriptures where they don't belong at all. They actually don't belong anywhere in this post. I advise you to ignore them. I'm doing all that I can to eliminate them, but haven't yet succeeded! If any of you know how I can arrange to have these adds eliminated please use the Comments section of this post to let me know. Thanks for your patience with this matter.

P.S. I'm not against advertising  in blogs generally. I'm certain that is an important source of income for Google. However, as you have read above I believe permission from the Blogger must be given for such to be allowed in his or her blog. (I have to tell you that just after I added this PS onto this statement of mine I noticed an add had just been added to it. At least its not right in the middle of a sacred scripture!)

J. Neil Birch

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TODAY'S THEME:

SERVING OTHERS IS EMPHASIZED BY THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND HIS PROPHETS.

King (and Prophet) Benjamin Preaches to the Nephites, -by Gary Kapp

In a Part of Mosiah, Chapter 2 . . The Prophet and King Benjamin defines and clarifies TODAY'S THEME:

Mosiah, Chapter 2:10 I have not commanded you to come up hither that ye should fear me, or that ye should think that I of myself am more than a mortal man.

11 But I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; yet I have been chosen by this people, and consecrated by my father, and was suffered by the hand of the Lord that I should be a ruler and a king over this people; and have been kept and preserved by his matchless power, to serve you with all the might, mind and strength which the Lord hath granted unto me.

12 I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you;

13 Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you—

14 And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day.

15 Yet, my brethren (and sisters), I have not done these things that I might boast, neither do I tell these things that thereby I might accuse you; but I tell you these things that ye may know that I can answer a clear conscience before God this day.

16 Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God.

17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

18 Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?

19 And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!

20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—

21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants. (clarification and emphasis added by Neil Birch)

Now as I did in my just previous blog post (44i) I once again emphasize that our Savior Jesus Christ's teachings are found in both the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ and in the Holy Bible.


The Bible and the Book of Mormon -by Greg K. Olsen

The subject we are dealing with in this post is that of Serving Others as King Benjamin taught in the Book of Mormon scripture above.

I now invite you to learn about true service from the teachings of our Savior, Jesus Christ in what has been labled as the Parable of the Good Samaritan as found in the Book of Luke in the New Testament. That parable is portrayed in a very touching and instructive Mormon Messages video entitled: The Good Samaritan.

However, first I invite you to read the words of our Savior Jesus Christ as he tells the Parable of The Good Samaritan as recorded in the New Testament:
(When you are ready to read this scripture I advise you to skip from verse 1 down to verse 25 to begin your reading and you probably will want to end with verse 37.)

Luke: 10:25-37

Now you are more prepared to view this touching video portrayal of the Our Savior's Parable of the Good Samaritan.

The Mormon Messages Video: The Good Samaritan

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DISCLAIMER
This Blog is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.


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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: Service Rendered to Your Fellow Man is Urged Upon You by the Lord Jesus Christ and His Prophets. -Post 44j. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

___________

"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

____________

I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

Post 44i: Only After You Have Become a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Through Baptism Which was Authorized by that Church, Only Then Will You be Able to State: "I am a True Follower of the Lord Jesus Christ."

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!

Important Notice to Viewers of this Blog: Adds have been inserted by Google without permission from me in this blog post. They actually appear in the middle of sacred scriptures where they don't belong at all. They actually don't belong anywhere in this post. I advise you to ignore them. I'm doing all that I can in elimnating them, but have been unable to stop them thus far! If any of you know how I can arrange to have these adds eliminated please comment in the Comments section of this post. Thanks for you patience with this matter.

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TODAY'S THEME:



The True Teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ's Everlasting Gospel are Found in Both the Bible and in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. -Painting by Greg K. Olsen



King Benjamin Preaches to the Nephites -by Gary Kapp



THE BOOK OF MORMON, MOSIAH, CHAPTER 5 The saints become the sons and daughters of Christ through faith—They are then called by the name of Christ—King Benjamin exhorts them to be steadfast and immovable in good works. About 124 B.C.

1 AND now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent among them, desiring to know of his people if they believed the words which he had spoken unto them.

2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

3 And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things.

4 And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy.

5 And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God.

6 And now, these are the words which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them: Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made is a righteous covenant.

7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.

8 And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.

9 And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ.

10 And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called by some other name; therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God.

11 And I would that ye should remember also, that this is the name that I said I should give unto you that never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression; therefore, take heed that ye do not transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts.

12 I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.

13 For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?

14 And again, doth a man take an ass which belongeth to his neighbor, and keep him? I say unto you, Nay; he will not even suffer that he shall feed among his flocks, but will drive him away, and cast him out. I say unto you, that even so shall it be among you if ye know not the name by which ye are called.

15 Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.

CHAPTER 6

King Benjamin records the names of the people and appoints priests to teach them—Mosiah reigns as a righteous king. About 124–121 B.C.

1 AND now, king Benjamin thought it was expedient, after having finished speaking to the people, that he should take the names of all those who had entered into a covenant with God to keep his commandments.

2 And it came to pass that there was not one soul, except it were little children, but who had entered into the covenant and had taken upon them the name of Christ.

3 And again, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of all these things, and had consecrated his son Mosiah to be a ruler and a king over his people, and had given him all the charges concerning the kingdom, and also had appointed priests to teach the people, that thereby they might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance of the oath which they had made, he dismissed the multitude, and they returned, every one, according to their families, to their own houses. (emphasis added by Neil Birch)

King Benjamin's people had great faith. By the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation possessed by their great King Benjamin they had each come to know so clearly and surely and rejoice greatly about the eventual birth and perfect life and atoning sacrifice of their Savior Jesus Christ who was to be born in about 124 years from their time on earth.


That being so, I am positive that they would have also rejoiced had they been told through that same Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation by their King or an angel from Heaven or through some other like means, that a very wicked man,  Saul of Tarsus who sought so dilligently to persuade the Jewish people in Palestine (the nation from which King Mosiah and his people's common ancestor, Lehi was led, to a land located not far from today's nations of Mexico and Central America.) not to believe in Jesus Christ; but then he (Saul) became converted to our Lord and Savior by being spoken to directly by the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ and would subsequently become one of His apostles and one of His greatest advocates ever.

Saul's Conversion -as Depicted by an Unidentified Artist

A video account of the conversion of Saul by the voice of the Resurrected Jesus Christ speaking to him while he along with others was on the road to Damascus where they planned to further thwart the efforts of believers in Christ, which event brought about Saul's conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ, is presented by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

President Uchtdorf also explains how knowing about this very important event may eventually help each of us in our individual journeys "to Damascus" (or out of our unbelief) in this Mormon Messages video entitled:

Waiting on Our Road to Damascus by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

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DISCLAIMER
This Blog is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.

____________


TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: Conversion to the the Teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with your subsequent willingness to have become baptized members of that church; will allow you to have become a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. -Post 44i. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

___________

"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
____________

I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.


If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.


I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

Post 44h: The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ is a Great Gift to Each of Us From from Our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. We Can Show Our Appreciation for this Great Treasure by Reading From it Frequently and Letting it Be Our Guide as the Prophet Moroni, the Son of Mormon, Invites Us To Do!

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post!

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TODAY'S THEME:



The Angel Moroni Delivers the Plates of Gold, On Which Were Inscribed the Book of Mormon, to Joseph Smith, on the Hill Cumorah Located in the State of New York, in the United States of America in about 1830. -by Kenneth Riley

When still a mortal, before his death and then his subsequent resurrection, Moroni wrote a very personal message to each of us mortals whom he hoped would eventually read that sacred book, the greater portion of which was written by his father, Mormon.

Moroni knew very surely that which was written in that book, the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, would bring each of its many readers, including each of us, very special blessings which would make our lives more truly successful than any of us could ever imagine!

The following is the final chapter of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ!  Please read every word of this very carefully and prayerfully:

Remember, these words are spoken personally to each of us (at first he mentions specifically the Lamanites of our day, descendants of those Nephite-Lamanites whom the Resurrected Jesus Christ taught during His visits with them after He had ascended into Heaven from Palestine and also who were those with whom he (Moroni) lived, and fought, for and against, but his words to them clearly apply to the rest of us too who are readers of the Book of Mormon, and then beginning in verse 24  Moroni addresses "all the ends of the earth" meaning, the rest of us who will eventually read his father's book, the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ :

THE BOOK OF MORONI

CHAPTER 10

A testimony of the Book of Mormon comes by the power of the Holy Ghost—The gifts of the Spirit are dispensed to the faithful—Spiritual gifts always accompany faith—Moroni’s words speak from the dust—Come unto Christ, be perfected in him, and sanctify your souls. About A.D. 421

1 Now I, Moroni, write somewhat as seemeth me good; and I write unto my brethren, the Lamanites; and I would that they should know that *more than four hundred and twenty years have passed away since the sign was given of the coming of Christ.

2 And I seal up these records, after I have spoken a few words by way of exhortation unto you.

3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 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.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

6 And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.

7 And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.

8 And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them.

9 For behold, to one is given by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom;

10 And to another, that he may teach the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

11 And to another, exceedingly great faith; and to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

12 And again, to another, that he may work mighty miracles;

13 And again, to another, that he may prophesy concerning all things;

14 And again, to another, the beholding of angels and ministering spirits;

15 And again, to another, all kinds of tongues;

16 And again, to another, the interpretation of languages and of divers kinds of tongues.

17 And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will.

18 And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ.

19 And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men.

20 Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity.

21 And except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God; neither can ye be saved in the kingdom of God if ye have not faith; neither can ye if ye have no hope.

22 And if ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity.

23 And Christ truly said unto our fathers: If ye have faith ye can do all things which are expedient unto me.

24 And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth—that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief.

25 And wo be unto the children of men if this be the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God.

26 And wo unto them who shall do these things away and die, for they die in their sins, and they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God; and I speak it according to the words of Christ; and I lie not.

27 And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?

28 I declare these things unto the fulfilling of the prophecies. And behold, they shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the everlasting God; and his word shall hiss forth from generation to generation.

29 And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true.

30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.

31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.

32 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.

33 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.

34 And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen. (emphasis added by Neil Birch)

THE END

The promises made in that final chapter of the Book of Mormon by the prophet Moroni are sure and certain. Each word of that chapter was spoken to each of you individually and even to me and to my nine children and their mother and to others very close and important to me!

Now you will be provided with the opportunity to hear the actual words of youth from Eastern Europe in our day. They will demonstrate for you the great personal meaning the Book of Mormon provides each of them!

Messages From Heaven to Eastern European Youth

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DISCLAIMER
This Blog is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.


____________

TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: The Book of Mormon Was Written to Each and Every One of Us. A Mormon Messages Video, "Messages From Heaven to Eastern European Youth" is Included. -Post 44h. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).
___________

"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch