32b - Jesus Christ is The Savior, Redeemer, Judge and God of All Mankind!

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TODAY'S THEME



Nephi Trekking Across the Desert Somewhere in the Arabian Peninsula -by Scott Snow

 Nephi, the fourth son of Father Lehi, is shown here as he along with the rest of his father's family and relatives and even a conscripted loyal friend, crossed the Arabian Peninsula about 600 B.C. on their way to their promised land, which we now know as Central America.

After Lehi's family and their relatives and friend had been in the Americas and had been through many difficulties, but nonetheless were well established in their promised land to which the Lord had led them; the prophet, Nephi, son of Lehi who had become the leader of the nation upon the death of Father Lehi, wrote this very significant statement:

II Nephi 33:3 But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry.

4 And I know that the Lord God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my people. And the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto them; for it persuadeth them to do good; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal.

5 And it speaketh harshly against sin, according to the plainness of the truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written save he shall be of the spirit of the devil.

6 I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell.

7 I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ that I shall meet many souls spotless at his judgment-seat. (emphasis added)

Now I ask you to read this next scriptural reference. In it Nephi bares his soul to us, making it clear that what the Lord Jesus wants of us, is that we live righteously and that we do so with humble hearts as he, Nephi did. (Listening to the second half of a chapter requires you listen to the first half of the chapter also. You may want to just read without listening.)

II Nephi 4:14-35

Surely Nephi's faith that the Lord would hear his cry regarding the salvation of his people, the Nephites, would be fulfilled. I'm sure Nephi did not expect all of his people to be saved because he had seen in his lifetime that it was a great struggle for his people, and even for himself (See the previous scripture I referred you to), at times, to remain righteous.

Now in the first chapter from the Book of Mormon I refer you to below you will find out what happened to Nephi's descendants. Not all of those living in the Americas at the time of the resurrection of Jesus Christ were his and his father's descendants as the Book of Mormon elsewhere makes clear, but Nephi's posterity are among those discussed in this chapter.

Please read the following scripture: (I suggest that you consider listening along with reading this scripture.

III Nephi 8:1-25

I have read that chapter many times in my Seventy six years of life, but this time, after having been very emotionally involved in writing this series of posts, my grief for the disaster described in this chapter was much greater than I expected. That was decreed by Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus, (who are totally in agreement with one another in whatever they decree), because of the wickedness of many in the Nephite Nation at the time of the Savior's crucifixion.

My emotions, and perhaps yours too, were not only involved in the Savior's ministry and in His having accomplished the great atonement and resurrection for all mankind, including all of us, but also, you, like me, have been rooting for a good number of Father Lehi's posterity to succeed in living faithfully and enduring persecutions, and in fine, following the example of their present prophet, Nephi, so that when Christ appears to them they will be alive and faithful to all that their prophets had taught them. The righteous among them were saved!

After I had just read and listened to all of Chapter 8 of 3 Nephi, I involuntarily uttered the word, WOW! Then I felt great sorrow for those who were destroyed who were not only descendants of Lehi and many of the other great prophets whose life stories are told in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, but also of Joseph, who was sold into Egypt (one of the greatest prophets of all time in my opinion) who knew, according to Father Lehi, by the spirit of Prophecy and Revelation, that he would have posterity on this earth until the end of time.

What happened in Central America soon after the crucifixion of our Savior, did not invalidate the promise the Lord made to Joseph who was sold into Egypt. Some of his and Lehi's and Nephi's descendants were still living after that great cataclysm brought about by a exceedingly huge seismic event.* I was so emotionally involved in reading and listening to Chapter 8 that I momentarily neglected to read and listen, to Chapter 9 to better understand what happened to those Nephites who had remained faithful to Christ. I have now done so and suggest that you do so also.

Listening would be a good option if I may so suggest: III Nephi 9:1-22

In summary, you just read that the Nephites who survived the great destruction, heard the voice of Christ proclaim the destruction of many people because of their wickedness and proclaiming His divinity. You then read that He announced that the Law of Moses was fulfilled and that He invites men to come unto Him and be saved.

To bring you further along in your understanding of what happened to the Nephites who survived the great earthquakes. I invite you to also read and listen to III Nephi Chapter 10. In it Mormon, the compiler of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, tells them that the people heard the voice of Christ speak to them from heaven so as to prepare them for His imminent visit. Because this scripture begins with verse 1 I suggest you consider using the Listen feature.
III Nephi 10:1-19

In a few days I'll publish another blogpost in which you will read of Jesus descending from heaven and teaching those of the Nephites who remained after the great destruction who were able to be there that day. I'll look forward to publishing that post for your benefit and enjoyment.

* Regarding the seismic event which was reported to have occurred in Central America which caused so much destruction, about which you just read, Dan L. Peterson of the Neal Maxwell Institute for Scholarly Education at BYU talks about this in a YouTube video, which can be viewed and listened to, by going to either my #4 or #8 posts and clicking on the arrow which appears on Brother Peterson's image. To sum up what Dan Peterson said, modern scientists who have studied firsthand the damage caused by huge seismic earthquakes, and the way that damage came about, after having studied the description given in III Nephi of the kinds of damage that was reported and the way in which it all happened, is just what these knowledgeable scientists reported that they would expect from a very huge seismic event. They don't happen all the time, but have occurred and have been studied in the recent past by the experts . This is strong evidence that neither Joseph Smith nor any other man in 1830 could have made up the Book of Mormon. In that time they couldn't have come up with such accurate details of the damage caused by a seismic catastrophy and the accurate description of what was actually happening to bring it about.

When one really reads the Book of Mormon, the evidences of its truthfulness appear in great abundance, as hopefully you personally have been finding out, along with the sure witness of the Spirit that can come to you heart, that it is God's true word. Please read all of this chapter I'm referring you to, but I suggest you consider especially focusing on the three verses specified below!

Moroni 10: 4-6

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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.




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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 BlogPost You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on The Following: Jesus Christ is The Savior, Redeemer, Judge and God of All Mankind. Post 32b. 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 the 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

32a Jesus Christ is The Savior, Redeemer, Judge and God of All Mankind!

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

In this post the long awaited events prophesied for ages regarding the mission of the Holy Messiah are described. Jesus Christ fulfilled His crucial, all important mission. He opened the door to forgiveness, resurrection and to Eternal Life to each of us.

In recent posts I have quoted prophecies from the Book of Mormon regarding these sacred events: Nephi (between 600 and 592 B.C.), Enos (between 544 and 421 B.C, Omni (between 279 and 130 B.C.), Abinadi (148 B.C.), Benjamin (about 124 B.C.). I also have referred to the testimonies of Father Lehi, Nephi's father, and Nephi's brother, Jacob, and Alma who was converted through the bold teachings of the martyr, Abinadi, and Alma the younger and the four sons of Mosiah. Mosiah testified of Him too. There were others.

The events described in this post show that the above listed, were all true prophets! The Book of Mormon is indeed, Another Testament of Jesus Christ!

Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane -by Harry Anderson

Please read Luke's account of the Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Luke 22:40-46



The Betrayal of Jesus -by Ted Henninger

Please read now Mark's account of The Betrayal of Jesus.

Mark 14:42-46




Jesus' Crucifixion -by Harry Anderson

Please read Matthew's account of Jesus' Crucifixion.

Matthew 27:33-50

Jesus' Tomb -Photograph by Intellectual Reserve

Please read Mark's description of Jesus' burial.

Mark: 15: 43-47

Mary and the Resurrected Lord -by Harry Anderson

Please read about Mary and the Resurrected Lord.
John 20:1-18

Jesus Telling His Apostles, "Go Ye Therefore" -by Harry Anderson

Please read Mathew's account of Jesus telling His apostles: "Go Ye Therefore."
Matthew 28: 16-20

Jesus' Ascension -by Harry Anderson

Please read about Jesus' Ascension: Acts 1:3-11

Sometime after His resurrection and appearance to His flock in Jerusalem, Jesus left that continent to tend to a part of his flock which was in Central America. In the next post we will learn about a cataclysmic event that occurred there just prior to His visit to His followers in Central America.

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.

18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. (emphasis added)

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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.



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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: Jesus Christ is the Savior, redeemer, Judge and God of All Mankind - Post 32a. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, 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. 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

31f - Preparations For The Resurrected Jesus Christ's Visit To The Descendants of Lehi

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TODAY'S THEME

Once again, before we check on the state of affairs of the Nephite faithful who are waiting for the visit of their Resurrected Redeemer, Jesus Christ, we will review the progress He is making in his Palestine ministry. Again I'll use paintings from lds.org and link you to matching New Testament scriptures which these paintings illustrate.

This post will cover Jesus' ministry up to near the time of His atonement and crucifixion. Reporting on all of these very important matters is very challenging to me. I do not want to treat it lightly nor do I want to guess about unclear details when dealing with such sacred matters.

We may never fully know all of the things that our Savior was involved in during His earthly ministry in Palestine. I mention such a possible matter which is reported on in a Book of Mormon scriptural passage in the paragraph of this post that comes just before my typical ending which is headed by a straight line that runs about half way across the published post's column.

It is my hope that the paintings, along with the scriptures that explain what is depicted in the paintings, will help you renew your understanding of our Savior's very crucial ministry in His home nation, Israel, and the role the specifics of His ministry played in His sacred development as the Savior and Redeemer of mankind. I hope this post will adequately prepare our minds and hearts for the next post in which we will discuss our Savior's atonement, crucifixion and resurrection.

Mary and Martha With Jesus -by Del Parson

Please read this scripture to access Jesus' comments to Mary and Martha.

Luke 10:38-42

Painting: Del Parson

Jesus Washing His Apostles Feet -by Del Parson

Please read this scripture regarding the Savior washing the Apostles' feet.

John 13:4-15

Painting: Harry Anderson









Please read this scripture regarding Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.
John 12: 12-15

With your having just read of Jesus' celebrated entry into Jerusalem the time is very close when that which He knew would and should happen did happen. We will review these events in the next post.

Now it is our opportunity to shift to events in another continent to the descendants of Father Lehi, in Central America. Those who were faithful and looking forward to Jesus' visit with them in the not so distant future had many difficulties to deal with.

Lehi's descendants who were not faithful and who had allowed themselves to be led by Satan, appear to be going downhill fast!

Please read these verses from III Nephi. You may want to Listen to this one.

III Nephi 7:1-26
After having read and listened to Chapter 7 I would like you to review one verse of that chapter which shows that although the righteous Nephites were facing very difficult circumstances the Lord Jesus Christ, was, in effect, already right there with them.

III Nephi 7:15 And it came to pass that Nephi—having been visited by angels and also the voice of the Lord, therefore having seen angels, and being eye-witness, and having had power given unto him that he might know concerning the ministry of Christ, and also being eye-witness to their quick return from righteousness unto their wickedness and abominations; (emphasis added)

You will notice that Nephi heard the voice of the Lord who was actually in Palestine many thousands of miles away. But actually the Lord himself in Palestine told his followers such would be the case as you will see in these words of Jesus which the Apostle John in Palestine wrote:

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. (emphasis added)

Nephi, who was the prophet-leader of one flock of Jesus' "other sheep" was already being spoken to by the voice of the Lord Jesus who was still in mortality in Palestine. He perhaps anticipated even then that the time would come when he and His and our Savior, Jesus Christ would be speaking face to face in Central America!

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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.



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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 BlogPost You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on The Following: Preparations For The Resurrected Jesus Christ's Visit To Ancient America -Post 31f. 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. 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

31e - Preparations For The Resurrected Jesus Christ's Visit To The Descendants of Lehi

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

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 by serving others. Here is a brief overview of His earlier labors.

Jesus Delivering His Sermon on the Mount -by Harry Anderson

Please read and listen to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:1-48

Jesus With Children -by Harry Anderson

Read about Jesus and Children: Mark 10:13-16



The Good Samaritan -by Walter Rane

 Read Jesus' Account of the Good Samaritan -by Walter Rane Luke 10:25-37



The Prodigal Son -by Clark Kelley Price

To read about the Prodigal Son please read Luke 15:10-32

Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler -by Heinrich Hoffman

Please read about Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler: Matthew 19:16-24

Jesus Healing a Blind Man -by Del Parson

             Please read Listen to and Read About Jesus Healing a Blind Man: John 9: 1-17

Jesus Walking on Water -by Robert Barrett

Please read Mark's account of Jesus Walking on Water: Mark 6:45-51




Jesus Stilling the Storm -by Arnold Friberg

Please read about Jesus stilling the storm: Luke 8:22-25

Jesus Healing Jairus's Daughter -by Greg K. Olson

Read of Jesus healing Jairus's daughter  Mark 5:22-25


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. Nephi was the prophet at this time in their history.

You may now read what the Prophet Nephi has written about their trials and tribulations and progress forward in preparing for the visit of their and our Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ after He will be resurrected. The Listen function can be conveniently used because this scripture begins with verse 1.  3Nephi 6: 1-30

After having establishing peace in their land, we would have hoped that the Nephites would 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 having remained strengthened in their resolve, as a people, to live righteously after even 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: Please read:

III Nephi 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. (Dear Readers does that sound like your land right now. To me it sounds like that's the way it is here in our land right now!)

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. (Sound familiar to you?)

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. (We need to be grateful for the righteous who live among us especially if we are listed among the righteous!)

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. (That appears to be a significant role reversal in their nation).

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) (Did you notice the similarities between the way many of the Nephites were living and how many of the citizens of our modern day countries are living?

Will the Nephites be ready soon after Jesus' resurrection for His visit? (Will we be ready for His Second Coming?)

Will they succeed in thwarting Satan's mighty efforts?
Their 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 just read. Jesus, according to John 10:16 knows he will be visiting His other sheep, some of which are the Nephites. That is a sure thing, but who and how many will be prepared to meet their resurrected Lord? Who will survive His coming?


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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.


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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: Preparations For The Resurrected Jesus Christ's Visit To Ancient America - Post 31e. 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. 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

Jesus Casts Out Satan -by Carl Heinrich Bloch

(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 He didn't give in even one centimeter (or an inch.)

31d - Preparations For The Resurrected Jesus Christ's Visit To The Descendants of Lehi

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 Calling Peter and Andrew -by 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.

Christ Ordaining the Twelve Apostles -by 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 want to 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 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 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.

The Crucifixion -by Harry Anderson

Christ in Gethsemane -by Harry Anderson

Which by the way, we learn from the Latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith, that Gethsemane, the place of Our Savior's atonement was in the same area 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 He, Our Heavenly Father and Jesus' actual father, He, 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.

We read this which God told Abraham:

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.

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 His first born in the Spirit world.

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.

Now I skip ahead to give you the opportunity of reading some of the Savior's words regarding His Other Sheep about which He spoke among the Nephite people in Central America after His resurrection and ascension into heaven which were, of course, recorded in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ: This occurred in A.D. 34 

3 Nephi 16:1 AND verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister.

2 For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them.

3 But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them.

Just where were or still are His other sheep which Jesus was to visit in about 34 A.D. mentioned by Him to the Nephites as quoted above? I believe the consensus of opinion among Latter-day Saints I know is that they are somewhere on this earth, not in outer space! We don't know where they are or were.

To my knowledge no one of those who have served as His apostles and prophets have ever said that they know. I'm sure those who remain faithful members of His Restored Church will eventually know, whether that knowing will be during this life or in the next in your or my case! I would relish reading those Other Sheep's records of Jesus' visits and His teachings they received from Him. I'm positive there would be many similarities.

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:



Jesus Telling the Three Nephite Apostles They Will Live and Serve Him Until He Comes Again -by Gary Kapp

Blogger, Neil Birch's note. I do not have a painting showing the Nephite Twelve Apostles so I used this one instead. Perhaps the artist intended that others standing by Jesus and the Three are also of his Nephite Twelve. Perhaps the bearded man behind and to the right of the Savior was Nephi who heard His voice the day before Jesus was born into the world.

III Nephi 15: 10: Behold, I have given unto you the commandments; therefore keep my commandments. And this is the law and the prophets, for they truly testified of me.

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.

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. (emphasis along with two parenthesized phrases were added)

Now as you read through that marvelous statement of our Resurrected Savior to His Church members in Central America you now 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 He and His Father. Jesus also made it very clear to the Nephites that there yet other sheep of His somewhere in this world. Knowledge about them is something we can hope will be brought about through the Lord's power during our lifetimes! The Lord's timing for that knowledge will be right!

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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.

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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 BlogPost You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on The Following: Preparations For The Resurrected Jesus Christ's Visit To Ancient America - Post 31c. 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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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

31c - Preparations For The Resurrected Jesus Christ's Visit To The Descendants of Lehi

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



John the Baptist -Painting: 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, Elizabeth was a close relative to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Now Jesus Was Ready to Take His Next Big Step Forward Into His Calling.

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.

 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.

John Baptizing Jesus -by Harry Anderson

12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

Please read these verses for the account of Jesus' forty days of fasting in the wilderness. (Listening to this scripture would be a good option!)

Matt 4:1-11

Now please read and listen to this portion of King Benjamin's speech:

Mosiah 3:1-27

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

Mosiah 4:1-3

Before we return to the record given in III Nephi of the preparations of the Nephite-Lamanite Nation I am reviewing that which King Benjamin taught 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 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 the record of this very touching historical experience of King Benjamin and his people in about 124 B.C. was surely passed, at least to some extent, on down through the 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. (The Lamanites had become a part of that nation and most likely  physically 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 since Father Lehi left Jerusalem with his family and relatives to be led to their promised land which we know now as Central America.

Please read (and listen to if you so desire) to the words written by the Prophet Nephi.

III Nephi 4:1-33

I suggest you do the following. Compare the the last verse of what you just read (III Nephi 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.

III Nephi 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 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)

 You must agree with me that the Nephites who were living just before the coming of the resurrected Lord, had been brought, by their very difficult challenges, to a deep humility very similar to that of their ancestors who were King Benjamin's people. Shouldn't that be evidence that they were successfully preparing for the Lord's visit? 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: In III Nephi 4:28-29 This description of Zemnariah's hanging may sound to us like a strange way to hang someone. The following explains it was a Jewish custom.

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.

Personnel of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship of 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 solid outer 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.

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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 BlogPost You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on The Following: Preparations For The Resurrected Jesus Christ's Visit To Ancient America - Post 31c. 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. 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