Sunday, November 29, 2009

39e - In the Spirit of His Divine Calling Jesus Ministers in Palestine. Except for Converted Lamanites, Lehi's Descendant Were Not Living Righteously.

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TODAY'S THEME

Christ Ordaining the Twelve Apostles in Palestine -by Harry Anderson
Jesus, after having called twelve disciples (apostles) in Palestine to serve with him, went about teaching people and doing much good. His power as the actual Son of God was evident by the miracles he performed along the way. He was doing His Father's will as He fully prepared Himself as the Savior of mankind. Here is a brief pictorial overview of His labors.

The Sermon on the Mount -by Harry Anderson
The Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5: 1-48



Jesus and Little Children

Jesus and Little Children. Mark 10:13-16


The Good Samaritan -by Walte Rane
Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37



The Prodigal Son by-Clark Kelley Price
The Prodigal Son. Luke 15:10-32


The Rich Young Ruler -by Heinrich Hoffman

Rich Young Ruler. Matthew 19:16-24

Healing the Blind Man -by Del Parson
Healing the Blind Man. John 9: 1-17




Lord, Save Me -by Gary Kapp
Jesus Walking on Water  Mark 6:45-51


Jesus Stilling the Storm -by Gary Kapp
Jesus stilling the storm. Luke 8:22-25 



Painting: Greg K. Olson
Jesus Healing Jairus' Daughter -by Greg K. Olson
Healing Jairus's daughter. Mark 5:22-23


Now we will take a look at the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ and the prophet Mormon's report on how well the Nephites, (Father Lehi's descendants and Mormon's ancestors) are doing in becoming prepared for Jesus' visit to them after his resurrection. Remember that Mormon wrote the Book of Mormon by editing the records of previous Nephite prophets.

3Nephi 6: 1-30

After having establishing peace in their land, we would have hoped that the Nephites, ideally, should have settled into a time of peaceful waiting for the prophecy to be fulfilled of the coming of the resurrected Jesus Christ to their land.

Instead of living righteously after having been successful in defeating the Gadianton Robbers, it appears that many, but not all, began to slip back into their wicked ways of doing things according to the following six of the thirty verses you just read: They are:
3Nephi 6: 10 But it came to pass in the twenty and ninth year there began to be some disputings among the people; and some were lifted up unto pride and boastings because of their exceedingly great riches, yea, even unto great persecutions;
11 For there were many merchants in the land, and also many lawyers, and many officers.
12 And the people began to be distinguished by ranks, according to their riches and their chances for learning; yea, some were ignorant because of their poverty, and others did receive great learning because of their riches.
13 Some were lifted up in pride, and others were exceedingly humble; some did return railing for railing, while others would receive railing and persecution and all manner of afflictions, and would not turn and revile again, but were humble and penitent before God.
14 And thus there became a great inequality in all the land,
insomuch that the church began to be broken up; yea,
insomuch that in the thirtieth year the church was broken up in all the land save it were among a few of the Lamanites who were converted unto the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord.
15 Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this—Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world.
16 And thus Satan did lead away the hearts of the people to do all manner of iniquity; therefore they had enjoyed peace but a few years. (emphasis added)
Will the Nephites be ready soon after Jesus' resurrection for His visit?

Will they succeed in thwarting Satan's mighty efforts? (Satan is a reality! You would have only had to ask Jesus after His 40 day fast if Satan is real. He was severely tempted by him, but didn't give an inch.) Our Savior is shown in this painting as he commands Satan to depart.


Get Thee Hence Satan

The Nephite-Lamanite Nation prophets, with Nephi taking a leading role, are working hard to prepare their people for that blessed time when Jesus will visit them, but things look pretty rough from what we have just read. Jesus, according to John 10:16, knows he will be visiting His other sheep, some of which are the Nephite-Lamanite Nation. That is a sure thing, but who and how many will be prepared to meet their resurrected Lord?

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DISCLAIMER
This website 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 An Item Which Refers To Any Other Blog Post You May Desire To Access): After Reading All of This Paragraph Please Click on the Following: Jesus Christ ministers in Palestine - Post 39e. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, Please, Scroll Down To Your Target Item (Or Use The Alphabetic 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.

_____________


I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you will find 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 an additional blog. It is in Spanish:  Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

Thursday, November 26, 2009

39d -After Calling and Ordaining Twelve Apostles, Jesus Began His Ministry. He Taught That There Are Other Sheep Not of That Fold Which He Must Bring.

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TODAY'S THEME

Painting: Harry Anderson

Matthew 4: 18 ¶ And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
Painting: Harry Anderson

Luke 6: 13 ¶ And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphæus, and Simon called Zelotes,
16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
Now you have read that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ progressed perfectly into the time of His ministry. He was baptized by an authorized person, John the Baptist. He then perfectly passed the test of fasting in the wilderness for forty days. While there He did not succumb to Satan's temptations. He then afterwards proceeded by His divine power of discernment to choose those who would serve as His disciples. He also called them, apostles.

You will have noticed that the last apostle listed in the scripture above was Judas Iscariot and that Luke, the author of the Gospel according to St. Luke, noted that he, Judas, was the traitor.
I assure you that our Savior made each of these choices of those who would be serving at His side, by the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation. Such has been the case with all of his prophets and others who sought to do his will throughout the centuries before and afterwards too, even down to our time and will continue on to his Second Coming and beyond. In many of my past blog posts the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation has been emphasized.

Well then, do you think that Jesus erred in choosing Judas as one of His special witnesses? I hope you agree with me that He did not err. He fully realized what Judas would do. He also knew by the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation that it was necessary that He be betrayed so that He could be crucified and then resurrected. He also knew that He would suffer for the sins of all men, including yours and mine, and most likely knew it would be in the Garden of Gethsemane. (which is depicted in the painting by Harry Anderson in the painting on the right. The depiction of Jesus's crucification is the picture on the left by the same artist.)












Which by the way, we learn from the Latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith, happened to be the same location where Father Abraham, at the command of God, was prepared to offer up his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God. As you may recall, at the last moment, God stopped Abraham from doing what He had commanded him to do. A ram had caught itself in a nearby thicket and instead of sacrificing his son, Isaac, Abraham sacrificed the ram at God's command. God praised Abraham for being willing to do that which God would eventually do Himself, that is; allow His only begotten divine Son, Jesus Christ, to be sacrificed (crucified) after having suffered for the sins of all mankind, including yours and mine.

In Genesis we read this which God told Abraham:
As you may know, Jesus is known as the Only Begotten Son of His Father. Of all of Heavenly father's spirit children who have come and will come to this earth with mortal bodies, only one, Jesus Christ's body, was fathered by our Heavenly Father, who is the father of all our spirit bodies, including Jesus' spirit body. The scriptures tell us Jesus was Heavenly Father's first born in the Spirit world.
Genesis 22: 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Jesus' future death by crucifixion was not a secret. Jesus knew it would and should occur and he told His apostles. It seemed like they didn't fully understand that it really would happen. Here is one thing that Jesus told His apostles sometime before His life was taken. The Savior was referring to something He would do away from the Land of Israel after His resurrection.

John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
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.
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Some others not believing in and therefore not using, the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation, insist that Jesus was referring to the Gentiles who would later be taught His Gospel by His apostles after His ascension into Heaven, but as Jesus, later, after His resurrection, taught the Nephites in Central America:

Painting: Gary L. Kapp
Only three Nephite disciples are shown in this painting, but in this scripture He was addressing twelve disciples.


3 Nephi 15: 11 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he said unto those twelve whom he had chosen: (from among the Nephites in Central America)

12 Ye are my disciples; and ye are a light unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph.
Now as you read through that marvelous statement of our Resurrected Savior to the 12 Nephite disciples, you understand that He made it very clear that Lehi and his family and friends were led out of Jerusalem by them (The Father, who is our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus) and that the land where He was visiting them (the Nephites) was given to them, by Them.

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:
(See John 10:16)
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. (parenthesized phrase was added)
Instead of reporting on the state of affairs among the Nephites in about 32 A.D. , in this post, it seemed best that you be informed first about what Jesus told His twelve disciples about their and their people they would be leading, being some of the "Lost Sheep" he would visit that He had told His apostles about in Jerusalem, which I did above.

In the next post I will link you to a chapter or two from III Nephi of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, so you will be updated on the challenges the Nephite people were facing not too long before the Resurrected Christ would appear to them.

____________________



DISCLAIMER
This website 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 An Item Which Refers To Any Other Blog Post You May Desire To Access): After Reading All of This Paragraph Please Click on the Following:  The Nephites were taught by the Resurrected Savior That they were the Other Sheep He had told His Twelve in Jerusalem about. - Post 39d. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, Please, Scroll Down To Your Target Item (Or Use The Alphabetic 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 will find 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 an additional blog. It is in Spanish:  The content of it is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

Monday, November 23, 2009

39c - Jesus Receives Help in Preparing for His Ministry. The Nephites Make Progress Preparing for the Resurrected Jesus' Visit.

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TODAY'S THEME
John the Baptist Teaching -by Del Parson
John the Baptist, son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, had a very key role in preparing the way for Jesus Christ's ministry. His mother, Elisabeth was a close relative to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Jesus was ready to take the next important step of his ministry:
Mark 1: 2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judæa, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
6 And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.



John Baptizing Jesus -by Harry Anderson

Mark 1: 9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 
10 And straight- way coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. (emphasis added)
Painting: Ron Di Cianni
Jesus Meditating in the Wilderness -by Ron Di Cianni
Jesus Casts Out Satan -by Carl Heinrich Bloch
Angels Ministering to Jesus Afterwards -by Thomas Cole
Before we return to the record given in 3 Nephi of the preparations of the Nephite-Lamanite Nation, I want to review that which the Nephite King Benjamin [124 B.C.] taught his people in the Americas about the coming of Christ and his people's reaction to that. I do this because this is such a great example of how effectively the coming of Christ was taught by the inspired King Benjamin and how his message was received so wholeheartedly by his people.

Mosiah 3:1-27

What I have copied next is the very touching reaction of King Benjamin's people to that which he had just taught them which was a part of that which you have just read and listened to.
 

King Benjamin Preaches to the Nephites -by Gary Kapp
Mosiah 4:1 AND now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them.
2 And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.
3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them. (emphasis added)
Now this was a recording of Real History! not something that was made up by a uneducated farm boy in the early part of the Nineteenth Century. This very touching historical experience of King Benjamin and his people [in about 124 B.C. ] was passed on down through many generations of Nephites and I'm sure was still having some impact on their descendants who were living at the time when Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, would soon appear.

Now, let's return to check up on those descendants of King Benjamin's people, the Nephite Nation. (Lamanites had become a part of that nation and even physically they appeared to be Nephites.) Let's see what challenges they are involved in which will help prepare them for the visit of the Son of God that they, as a people had been looking forward to ever since Father Lehi left Jerusalem with his family and relatives to be led to their promised land which we know now as Central America.

3 Nephi 4:1-33

There is one more thing I suggest you do. Compare the last verse of what you just read (3Nephi 4:33, to Mosiah 4:3 which you read above in this post. Here they both are:

Here is what the Nephite-Lamanites felt after they had been saved from their enemies.
3Nephi 4:33 And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction. (Emphasis added)
And here described is what their ancestors felt after hearing King Benjamin's inspired words:
Mosiah 4:3 3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.
You must agree with me that these Nephites who were living just before the coming of the resurrected Lord, had been brought, by their very difficult challenges, to a deep humility similar to that of their ancestors who were King Benjamin's people. Shouldn't that prepare them for the Lord's visit just after his resurrection? Let's wait and see if they remain at that level of humility!

Oh, one further matter concerning the scripture you just read and listened to, a little above: It is found in


3Nephi 4: 28 And their leader, Zemnarihah, was taken and hanged upon a Tree, yea, even upon the top thereof until he was dead. And when they had hanged him until he was dead they did fell the tree to the earth, and did cry with a loud voice, saying:
29 May the Lord preserve his people in righteousness and in holiness of heart, that they may cause to be felled to the earth all who shall seek to slay them because of power and secret combinations, even as this man hath been felled to the earth.
This description of Zemnariah's hanging may sound to us like a strange way to hang someone. The following tells us it was an ancient Jewish custom.

Personnel of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at the Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah have found in an ancient Jewish document, instructions for doing just what the Nephites did in this case. The Nephites were of Jewish descent as the Book of Mormon tells us, and it would be natural for them to follow the customs of the people from which they were descended. Please consider this another internal evidence of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

This shows that Nephites did things in a Jewish sort of way. They did come originally from Jerusalem as Lehi told us. Nobody, including Joseph Smith, could have guessed at such a correct ancient Jewish procedure, especially when this particular procedure was not known in Joseph Smith's day and only in a very recent year was it incidentally found while using modern research methods in studying ancient Jewish documents.

____________


 
DISCLAIMER
This website 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 Nephites are Progressing in Their Preparation for the Visit of the Resurrected Jesus Christ -Post 39cWhen 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 will find 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 an additional blog. It is in Spanish:  Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

Thursday, November 19, 2009

39b - While Jesus was Growing up Perfectly, the Nephites of Ancient America were Struggling to be Prepared for the Resurrected Jesus' Visit.

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 Bible and the Book of Mormon Stand Side by Side -by Greg K. Olsen
BOTH THE HOLY BIBLE AND THE BOOK OF MORMON, TESTIFY OF JESUS CHRIST

Later in this post, we will begin examining the preparatory challenges faced by the descendants of Father Lehi. These challenges which, if handled well, would have them fully ready for the visit to be made by Jesus Christ in their promised land (in the Americas) soon after his resurrection .

The believing portion of the Nephite-Lamanite nation had been greatly encouraged by the appearance of the signs at the time of the birth of the Savior of the World which had been foretold by their prophets. They were very grateful to have been saved from being executed by the unbelievers for their having expressed their belief that the signs of His birth would soon be seen.

However, it seems that a larger portion of the believers than we'd like to think was the case, needed to face constant adversity in order to keep progressing actively toward the needed level of preparation to be sufficiently ready for the visit of the resurrected Jesus Christ which also had been foretold by all of their prophets.

In earlier posts when telling of preparations among Lehi's people for the First Christmas, I overlooked telling you of one short verse of scripture which, in my view, is very significant. I'm sure that the sentence I highlighted in red below accurately describes why many descendants of Father Lehi were able to remain faithful over the many centuries.
Jarom, 1: 11, Wherefore, the prophets, and the priests, and the teachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was. And after this manner did they teach them. (emphasis added)
In my mind that scripture elevates the worth of the law of Moses and all the practices that came with it, many notches. It helps me to see more clearly that those practices played an important, and might we say, effective, role in bringing many who were of the House of Israel to Christ.

I will first use in this post, verses from the New Testament, along with matching paintings, first by a world renown artist, of Jesus Christ, as a twelve year old in the temple in Jerusalem. Then secondly, a painting by a very good LDS painter of Jesus as a teenager, showing Jesus learning the trade taught him by his step-father, Joseph.

To me this demonstrates how the young, Jesus of Nazareth, under the over-all guidance of his actual father, (our Heavenly Father), was being guided and prepared to perfectly and lovingly fulfill his eternal role as the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind (which includes both you and me). He especially was being prepared by his supremely wise actual father to become the perfect sacrifice which would be required of him in Gethsemane and on Calvary Hill.


Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem -by Heinrich Hofmann
We should also say that after all of that, he would ready to visit, after his resurrection, the Nephite-Lamanites in the Western Hemisphere and the other lost tribes of Israel wherever they may have been scattered throughout the world as was promised in John 10:16.
The scriptures make it clear that Jesus was successful in living without sinning. He was preparing, with our Heavenly Father's (his both heavenly and actual father's) guidance to be fully qualified for His ultimate eternal "job",

I feel that Jesus' eternal "job description" is marvelously described by him in the following scripture: It appears to me that twelve year old Jesus knew very well who his actual father was and and that he had been directed by him when teaching those "doctors" in the temple.

As was done in that land then, Jesus followed in the footsteps of Joseph who was surely considered by all others except for Mary and Jesus himself, and Joseph, as his actual father and had begun learning a trade, in this case, Joseph's carpentry trade. I'm personally sure that if young Jesus had accidentally hurt himself using the tools they used, he would have never used foul language. He was continuing toward his hugely unique destiny perfectly.

Moses 1:39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
Luke 2: 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

Painting: Del Parson
Jesus Working with Joseph in the Carpentry Shop

In a smaller, yet different painting below of Jesus as he sat teaching and learning in the Temple, he was twelve years of age.

In that same year the Nephite-Lamanites were having great difficulties and were not doing well in becoming prepared for Jesus' visit just twenty-two years away.

Jesus' growth and development was coming along just as it was to be expected from the Son of God. Nonetheless His mother, Mary, was mortal and so then was He. Therefore, like all of us, he had much adversity to go through then and throughout His life, but he surely at some point in time, had made his calling and election sure.
He would visit the Nephites-Lamanites in His resurrected body, and would be fully prepared. By the way, I have a particular fondness for this last painting I used in this post because I believe you can see Mary and Joseph in it. How special they both were and still are to Jesus the Christ.

Jesus Teaching in the Temple -by Grant Romney Clawson
Please click on the link below to read about the Nephite-Lamanite peoples' progress. You'll also become aware of great tribulations and back-sliding among them. Don't give up on them! A good number of them will be there when he, the Savior of Mankind, comes to visit them after his resurrection.


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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. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish:  Its content of each is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch
Dear Blog Readers: Please continuing reading. The following is a special comment I have composed that I'd like you to read after having read the Post you have just read.
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SPECIAL COMMENT
I attempted to do this using the Google Comment section of this post. However, Google let me know that that which I had written was too long for the space they allow.
The ideas I have used in this Special Comment came to me while still lying in bed awake this Friday morning.

I'm now quoting from an e-mail I wrote Monday to a Deseret News columnist, Erin Stewart: Monday, Nov 16, 2009 at 9:45 AM
Subject: Thank You for Your Column this morning in the Deseret News.
"Forgive me, but I can't remember ever having read your column before. I hope that's not a masculine thing. As I read it I laughed out loud in a very appreciative way of laughing. That got my wife's attention (she then read your column also).

It takes the keen sensitivities of a mother to get the responses you got from your baby daughter. I am as sure as anything, after reading your column today, that babes bring memories with them from the Spirit World. Those memories probably help shape their spiritual attitudes. Of course the things like your daughter told you don't linger long in their minds! however, I'd expect that daughter to be on the more spiritual side of things than many other children!

I have nine children, five daughters and four sons and two step-sons. I retired from LDS Social Services where I did counseling, adoption and birth mother work and Indian Placement work.

On page 24 of the October 2009 Ensign I'm mentioned as one of the bloggers who followed Elder M. Russell Ballard's counsel that Church members blog about the Gospel. I invite you to check in on my blog by clicking on: http://varsinainen.blogspot.com/
Thanks again for your column today. I'll have to check in on it again!
Neil Birch


This is the e-mail Erin Stewart replied with:

Neil,

Thanks for your note! Children are amazing, aren't they? I'll check out your blog! Thanks for reading, Erin

At this point I want to comment on the subject of Erin's Monday DesNews article. I urge you readers of this Comment to check in on the Deseret News of Monday, Nov. 16 (2009) (deseretnews.com) to read what she said.

I believe, like Erin, that we each lived in the Spirit World with our Heavenly parents before coming here into life by being born to our dear mothers and fathers.

As Erin indicates in her column she believes very young children may have some lingering memories of that place from which they come. I'm sure they don't generally last very long.

Now I assert my personal conviction that we each come from a previous loving environment with a Heavenly Father and Mother. I will apply that to what I've been writing in this my most recent post, 39b regarding the truth that Jesus Christ's actual father of his earthly body is our Heavenly Father, the father of our spirit bodies and of Jesus' spirit body also.

As I wrote Post 39b I found myself struggling hard to get everything just right. I asked myself why was I trying so hard. Then, I realized that I know all births are very important, but the birth and life of Jesus Christ is hugely significant for all of us!

Of course, there is much that believers can say about that subject, but I will focus on one part of the history of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ which involves a Book of Mormon prophet, by the name of Nephi. This event occurred in the year A.D. 1, most likely on the night of April 5 of that year (by our calendars).

Those of the Nephites who did not believe in the coming of the Savior Jesus Christ into the world had set a day on which they would kill all of the believers in that event.
I now quote from the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ Now, you may ask, how does this tie into Erin Stewart's Monday Column?

I want to show that the Savior of the World went, #1, through the same birth process each of us did and #2 His life mission was so crucial to each of us and our eternal destinies.

3Nephi 1:12 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.

Simeon Reverencing The Christ Child -by Greg K. Olsen

As I wrote this most recent post of mine, 39b I thought to myself, what would it have been like to be one of Mary and Joseph's children who grew up with Jesus. I wonder if any of them noticed his special spirit and had any idea of what he would eventually do for each of them and for us by bringing about the atonement and sacrifice that is so essential to our true success in life and in eternity.

In Favor With God -by Simon Dewey
I suspect that Jesus' mother, Mary saw his uniqueness often. Perhaps, at times she might have overlooked it, but as we are told in Luke 2:51 after Joseph and Mary who had inadvertently overlooked that Jesus was not with them, they had traveled for one day toward their home in Nazareth, they retrieved 12 year old Jesus from the temple in Jerusalem where they, after three days searching, found him teaching and being taught by wise men there,
..."but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart."
Most of us know babies are precious, especially mothers like Erin Stewart know that, but Mary, Mother of Jesus for sure knew that he was extra special, but then again, I'm sure she loved all of her children equally!

Brother Joseph (Smith) -by David Lindsley

This is longer than I intended it to be, but there is just one more thing I want to add. If Joseph Smith, or someone else he knew, actually "made up" the Book of Mormon how could he, or they, have possibly made up such an experience that was had by Nephi, as quoted above, in being told by the Lord's Spirit, just before he was to be born:
3Nephi 1:13 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.
I certify that is true scripture. It was not made up by any man!

One more thing. As Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were in the Carthage jail in June of 1844, both of them knowing that the end of their lives was near, why did they bear such strong testimonies of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon to the jailers there.

They knew they would be killed. The mob had been gathering outside the jail where they were being held (allegedly for their protection by the directions of the Governor of Illinois, Thomas Ford.)
How could Joseph and Hyrum Smith blaspheme before God just before dying, testifying of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon if it had just been "made up" by them or someone else they knew?

Just like Nephi's experience with hearing the Lord tell him that ..."on the morrow I come into the world." things like that just couldn't be made up!

Each of our babies are little miracles too. I'm so grateful that I am the parent of nine dear children and step-parent of two. I'm also glad that many of you readers are parents too!

I hope each of you will continue to read my blog posts in this present series as I continue tell how Jesus prepared to fulfill his earthly mission and how the Nephites in Ancient America were preparing for his visits with them after his resurrection.
Erin Stewart, I hope you were able to read this comment. Thanks again for being the kind of mother you are and also the kind of columnist and Latter-Day Saint you are!
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DISCLAIMER
This website 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 Nephites in Ancient America Were Struggling to be Prepared for the Resurrected Savior's Visit. Post 39b. 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.

_____________

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

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

39a - The Nephites of Ancient America Were Being Prepared for The Birth of Jesus and His Subsequent Visit to Them After His Resurrection.

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

Please note, this post is the first in a series of posts which I began running in November 2008. Because we are presently (November 2009) rapidly approaching the Christmas Season once again, I feel it appropriate to view this series of blog posts again. I will be modifying them some.

One clarification: It was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the early 1830s that Christ was born on April 6, A.D. 1, instead of on December 25, A.D.1. Latter-day Saints throughout the world still celebrate Christmas on December 25th of each year along with others who believe in Christ.

Because of the above I have not attempted to synchronize this series of posts with the commonly accepted date for Christmas. However, I'm running this series of posts about Christmas events now to help prepare you for the Christmas season as it is known in our day.

(A child's pencil drawing of the new star that appeared at the birth of Jesus.)Many Nephites and Lamanite believers (as recorded in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ) were looking forward to seeing the signs that Samuel, the Lamanite prophet had fortold that they would soon see.

The prophet Nephi's day-long fervent prayer in which he plead for his people to be saved from the planned massacre, was answered in these words by Christ's spirit, which was very soon to be clothed upon with a mortal body (as happens to each mortal at birth):

III Nephi 1:13 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.

The Birth of Jesus Christ in Bethelem -by Carl Heinrich Bloch
This happened in Central America among the Nephites:
III Nephi 1:19 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.
With the appearance of those signs, Nephi and his people were snatched from an imminent massacre at the hands of the unbelievers, many of whom appeared to have gone into a state of shock:
III Nephi 1:16 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.
With that rescue could we expect all to become easy for the believing descendants of Lehi, of the Nephite-Lamanite nation? We should expect that for them to be fully prepared for the visit of their Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ in about 34 years, much more preparation was necessary.

How does the Lord prepare His people? Looking back on the history of the Nephite people it appears that challenges and tribulations are the way the Lord had prepared them in the past. Here is an example:

Alma the Elder Baptizing in the Waters of Mormon -by Arnold Friberg
   Mormon Messages

Mosiah 18:30 And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever.
31 And these things were done in the borders of the land, that they might not come to the knowledge of the king.
32 But behold, it came to pass that the king, having discovered a movement among the people, sent his servants to watch them. Therefore on the day that they were assembling themselves together to hear the word of the Lord they were discovered unto the king.
33 And now the king said that Alma was stirring up the people to rebellion against him; therefore he sent his army to destroy them.
34 And it came to pass that Alma and the people of the Lord were apprised of the coming of the king's army; therefore they took their tents and their families and departed into the wilderness.
35 And they were in number about four hundred and fifty souls. (emphasis added)
Alma and his people, as you readers of the Book of Mormon may remember, went through much tribulation for a number of years, but eventually, through the spiritual strength obtained by remaining very faithful through that tribulation, they became the foundation for Jesus Christ's Church in the large land of Zarahemla where the Prophet-King Mosiah reigned. That tribulation helped prepare them (or rather, their believing descendants) for the coming of Christ to America after his resurrection from the dead.
In the next several blogs of this series we will see how the Lord continued to prepare His people for His visit to them just after His resurrection.
You may want to ask yourselves: Have I been prepared for spiritual advancement by difficulties in my life? It could be! It happened to me.

Mormon Message


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DISCLAIMER
This website 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 An Item Which Refers To Any Other Blog Post You May Desire To Access): After Reading All of This Paragraph Please Click on the Following: The Nephites in Ancient America Were Being Prepared for the Birth of the Savior and His Subsequent Visit After His Resurrection - Post39a. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, Please, Scroll Down To Your Target Item (Or Use The Alphabetic 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. 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