If you have decided to experience those chapters again (or perhaps you have just found this blog for the first time or have been absent from it for a time), I suggest, as I suggested in the instructions just above the link in the previous post below, that you prepare to click on the word, Next after reading chapter 8 and then chapter 9, but not after reading and listening to chapter 10. After prayerfully, thoughtfully and intently having read those three chapters, please click three consecutive times on the White left arrow with a blue background circle. You then will need to scroll back up to this post (35w) and then up to the end of these instructions you are reading right now, to the next paragraph.
1 AND now it came to pass that there were a great multitude gathered together, of the people of Nephi, round about the temple which was in the land Bountiful; and they were
marveling and wondering one with another, and were showing one to another the great and marvelous change which had taken place.
2 And they were also conversing about this Jesus Christ, of whom the sign had been given concerning his death.
3 And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice,
neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.
4 And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not.
5 And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came.
6 And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them:
7 Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.
8 And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.
9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:
10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.
11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which
the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all
things from the beginning. (Highlighted Italics added for emphasis)
That is the witness our Savior and Redeemer gave of Himself in His initial appearance to the Nephite people. Please read the entire eleventh chapter of Third Nephi by using the link I have provided at the end of this post, just after you have watched the video I have provided you of a living apostle's testimony of Jesus Christ.
There will be yet several more posts that give us the Savior's personal witness through Book of Mormon - Third Nephi scriptural passages.
Now, for a few moments I would like to share with you some of the verses of 3 Nephi, Chapter 9 that caused me to do some personal reflecting. In these verses it was reported that the Savior's voice was heard during the great darkness that was experienced by the more righteous Nephite people. The unrighteous Nephites had already been destroyed. First, please read these quotes from 3 Nephi 9:
3. Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof. (Highlighted Italics added for emphasis)
and then this:
4. And behold, that great city Moroni have I caused to be sunk in the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof to be drowned. (Highlighted Italics added for emphasis)
There were a number of other cities mentioned whose destruction, along with all of the Nephites who lived in them, were reported by the Savior's voice.
I reflected on what the Savior's voice was heard telling the more righteous Nephites who had been spared from destruction and as He told them why He, Jesus Christ had brought about the deaths of thousands upon thousands of Nephites. Here are some examples:
2. ... and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen! (Highlighted Italics added for emphasis)
also
10. And behold, the city of Laman, and the city of Josh, and the city of Gad, and the city of Kishkumen, have I caused to be burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof, because of their wickedness in casting out the prophets, and stoning those whom I did send to declare unto them concerning their wickedness and their abominations. (Highlighted Italics added for emphasis)
Those were just a few reasons the Lord's voice gave for having destroyed the people He had just destroyed. He gave more reasons, all of them having to do with the unrepented wickedness of the people.
I cited those examples so that I could perhaps put in proper perspective why our supremely loving Savior and Redeemer chose to bring about such destruction.
There is, of course, one great precedent for all of this destruction brought about by God, in the past history of this world. We are told in the Old Testament how, because of such all-encompassing wickedness in the world at the time of Noah, our Lord and our Heavenly Father brought about the great flood which killed everyone on the earth except for Noah and his family along with the animals they had been commanded to bring on to their ark (huge boat.)
Remembering the Great Flood should help us all to understand that mankind has been sent to earth for God's purposes, not for mankind's most often, selfish purposes. Our true challenge is to prove that we can become worthy of living with Heavenly Father and Jesus in Eternity and to become like them through their mercy and grace. Actually recalling the great flood of Noah and the destructions brought upon the wickedness of these Nephites is surely a WAKEUP CALL for each of us in our day.
The news of our day, as you know, is filled with the worst kinds of evil taking place throughout the world. That is true even in places like the Salt Lake City area of Utah in the United States of America. In the not too distant past we never heard of all the crime and evil that we do in this area today. How is it in your communities?
However, getting back to the destruction of the more wicked part of the Nephites in Central America in about A.D. 34. There was still something that I had to think and pray about: the deaths of the huge number of innocent Nephite children who must have been killed before reaching the age of accountability brought me and surely you too, a deep grief.
The Lord's first Latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith was told this: in a revelation given him which is now in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants:
D&C 137:
10 And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven. (Highlighted Italics added for emphasis)
We have to realize that if those innocent Nephite children had not been destroyed along with their "ripe in wickedness" parents and older siblings, most of them would have grown up to be as wicked as them. God's word, given above tells us surely that all of the children who were killed in the great destruction in their land who had not reached the age of accountability (eight years of age according to the Lord to His Latter-day prophets.), will be saved in the Celestial Kingdom. There can be no greater honor bestowed on a human as their lives continue on, first as a spirit person again like before their birth and then as a resurrected person because Jesus has brought the resurrection about.
Even their wicked parents and siblings will be resurrected, but will be unable to inherit the Celestial Kingdom of God because of their unrepented sins.
In view of what I have just written I will now, as I have in several earlier blog posts, quote a scripture which accurately describes the Lord Jesus Christ's sacred "job description."
Moses (Pearl of Great Price) 1:
39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Highlighted Italics added for emphasis)
Now at this point I would like you to experience this LDS (YouTube) video that I included in my Easter morning (April 12, 2009) blog post 35m.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
We can learn from this living apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ what Jesus Christ went through as he fully qualified as our Savior and Redeemer. Elder Holland is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That is the church to which I belong and am very active in.
Please click on the following to view this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFhS0dAduc
Here is the scriptural link I would like you to read, listen to, and prayerfully contemplate as the final part of this important post. I think that which you have experienced heretofore in this post, including the powerful, touching witness of a living apostle of Jesus Christ, will more fully prepare you to appreciate the initial appearance of Jesus Christ to the Nephite people.
You have read the first eleven verses of this scriptural link. It is TODAY'S THEME. I may refer to some of these 41 verses in my next post, 35x.
As usual, I suggest that after clicking on this link, and this scripture is on your screen, that you scroll up and click on the word, Listen. You will enjoy and retain that which you read as you listen to it also. After you hear the reader's voice, you can click on the - (minus sign). This will remove the Listen box from the screen so it will not distract you.
When you have finished listening and reading the 41st verse (the last verse) you should click on the white left arrow that is in a blue circle in the upper left hand corner of the screen. That will take you back to the post you've been reading today.
I'll look forward to having you log onto my next post, 35x in about three days.
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. Please be advised that I also have two additional blogs. One is in Spanish: http://varsinaisella.blogspot.com/ and one is in Finnish: http://varsinaisesti.blogspot.com/ The content of each is translated from the English in this blog.
Neil Birch
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