39h - The Promise Made is Fulfilled: Events Occur in Ancient America to Open the Way for Christ's Ministry There! Mormon MessagesVideo at end of Post!

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fourth Paragraph From The End of This Post.

TODAY'S THEME



Nephi Son of Lehi Treking Across the Wilderness -by Scott Snow

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



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

(Nephi is standing to the right of his mother)

After Lehi's family and their relatives and friend had been in the Americas for some time, 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 these words of great significance and feeling:

2 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.

Now I ask you to read this next scripture. In it the same Nephi who wrote the above, of [600 - 515 B.C.], bares his soul, making it clear that what the Lord Jesus wants of his people is that they live righteously and do so with a humble heart as he did.

 (Note: Because you will be starting 14 verses down the page it will be difficult to coordinate the listening function that is available.  II Nephi 4:14-35

Now in the first chapter from the Book of 3 Nephi I provide for you to listen to and to read. In Chapter 8 you will find what happened to many of Nephi's descendants.

Not all of those living in the Americas at the time of the resurrection of Jesus Christ were pure descendants of his father, Lehi, as the Book of Mormon elsewhere makes clear, but Lehi's posterity are the majority among those discussed in this chapter.

He whose record, the Prophet Mormon used to write much of the Book of 3 Nephi, was named Nephi, after his great and righteous ancestor whose writings we have just read. The history recorded here occurred in A.D. 34.

You may want to use the listen function because you will begin with verse 1. 3 Nephi 8:1-25

I have read that chapter many times in my almost seventy eight 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 had a greater emotional impact on me than I had expected. What occurred was decreed by Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus, (who are totally in agreement with one another in whatever they decree), because of the great wickedness of many in the Nephite Nation at the time of the Savior's crucifixion.

My emotions, and perhaps yours too, were very surely deeply involved in the Savior's ministry and in his having accomplished the great atonement and resurrection for all mankind which were reviewed in my recent posts. We were also very deeply inspired and felt well informed when viewing and hearing the witness of one of Jesus' living apostles of our day.

Also, each of us have surely 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 prophet, Nephi, so that when Christ appears to them after his resurrection, they will be alive because they have remained faithful to all that their prophets had taught them. The righteous among them were saved! We are informed of this in the book of 3 Nephi of the Book of Mormon, Another Witness of Jesus Christ.

After I had just read and listened to all of Chapter 8, 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, 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, Joseph, 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. A good number 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 so as 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 right now! Listening will work this time because we start at verse 1.

3 Nephi 9:1-22

In summary; you have just read that the remaining Nephites, heard the Voice of Christ announcing the destruction of many people because of their wickedness and proclaiming His divinity. You then read that He also announced that the Law of Moses was fulfilled and that He invites all mankind 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 now invite you to also read and listen to 3Nephi, Chapter 10. In it Mormon, the compiler of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, tells us that the people heard the voice of Christ speak to them from heaven so as to prepare them for His imminent visit.

3 Nephi 10:1-19

Modern scientists who have studied firsthand the damage caused by huge seismic earthquakes, and the way that damage came about, after having read the description given in 3 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 exactly expect from such a very huge seismic event. They don't happen all the time, but have occurred and have been studied in the recent past by 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 day they couldn't have come up with such accurate details of the damage caused by a seismic catastrophe and the accurate description of what was actually happening to bring it about.

A perhaps, very similar cataclysm occurred on August 7, 1883, well past Joseph Smith's lifetime. You can read about a book written about that event

Krakatoa, the Day the World Exploded

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 it is God's word.

____________

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' Promise To Visit His Other "Sheep" Is Made Possible by Events . . . Post 39h. 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.)
____________

"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

39g - Jesus Accomplishes All That His Prophets Prophesied He Would. He Brings About The Atonement And The Resurrection Which Will Impact All Mankind!

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

****

TODAY'S THEME



The Lord Jesus Christ -by Heinrich Hofmann



In this post the long awaited key events prophesied for ages regarding the Mortal 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 all of us.



The Prophet Isaiah Foretells Christ's Birth -by Harry Anderson

Isaiah 7: 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God with us). (The definition of the word, Immanuel, was added)

In previous 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 many 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!



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



Jesus Praying in the Garden of Gethsemane -by Harry Anderson

This is the Apostle Luke's account of the Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Luke 22: 39 ¶ And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.

40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,

46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

Jesus is Brought into the High Priest's House -by Ted Henninger

The Betrayal of Jesus.

Mark 42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.

43 ¶ And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.

44 And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely.

45 And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him.

46 ¶ And they laid their hands on him, and took him.

The Crucifixion of Jesus -by Harry Anderson

 Matthew 27: 33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

34 ¶ They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

36 And sitting down they watched him there;

37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.

39 ¶ And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,

42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.

48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.

50 ¶ Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 

The Burial of Christ -by Carl Heinrich Bloch

Mark: 15: 43 Joseph of Arimathæa, and honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.

44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.

45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.

46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.

47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.

Jesus Sealed Tomb

At this very point in the depiction of the greatest of all epics in the history of this world, I give you, my dear followers and all other readers who may be viewing this post, the opportunity of hearing the witness of one of the living apostles of our day regarding the greatness and neccessity of the atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (He is Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

None Were With Him

The Resurrected Lord Jesus -artist unknown



Mary and the Resurrected Lord Jesus -by Simon Dewey



John 20: 1-18



Behold My Hands and Feet -by Harry Anderson

John 20:19 ¶ Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

Go Ye Therefore And Teach all Nations -by Harry Anderson

Matthew 28:16 ¶ Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 ¶ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.



The Ascension -by Harry Anderson

Acts 1: 3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.



Jesus the Christ -by Del Parson

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.

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.

____________

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 BlogPost, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other BlogPost You Decide To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Click on the Following: Jesus Offered Living Waters to the Jews and Would Later Offer That to the Nephites after His Resurrection. Part 2. -Post 39g.  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 Automatic Alphabetical Finding 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

39f - Jesus Offers Living Waters to the Jews: He will provide that for the Nephites through Their Prophets and Personally After His Resurrection.

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

****

TODAY'S THEME



Living Water -by Simon Dewey

Isaiah 12: 3 and 2 Nephi 22: 3 Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

Please now read an account written by the Apostle John where our Savior tells of these living waters:

John 4: 5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Those words of Jesus quoted by one of his twelve apostles, John, sums up what Jesus had to offer the people he taught among in Palestine during his mortal ministry and that he would soon be offering to the Nephites in Central America after his resurrection. They also apply to each of us as we drink deeply from the wells of Living Water contained in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon as well as in other Latter-day Scriptures the Savior has revealed to us in our day and time.

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 Jesus was making in the final portion of his mortal 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 this 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.

Jesus in the Home of Mary and Martha -by Del Parson

Luke 10:38 ¶ Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.



The Ten Virgins - "Five of them were wise." -by Walter Rane

We should understand that our Savior knew exactly what the immediate future of his mortal life held for him. He knew that he would be experiencing the atonement, the crucifixion and resurrection, and that he would eventually return to the earth in what the scriptures refer to as: The Second Coming.



The Second Coming -by Harry Anderson

Although his disciples and all the others who followed Jesus at the time of his mortal ministry in Palestine and all those who would come to believe in their teachings there after his earthly ministry was over, would not be living at the time of his actual Second Coming, he knew they must prepare for such as if it were occuring in their lifetime.

Jesus wanted all of those who believe in him, including you and me in our day and time on earth to prepare now as if he were returning very soon. I wouldn't be surprised if some of us are still living when that occurs. Please connect with this next scripture.

I now invite you to listen and read the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

Matt 25:1-13



Jesus Washing the Feet of the Apostles -by Del Parson

Please click on this link to read about the Savior washing the Apostles' feet.

John 13:4-15

Christ's Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem -by Harry Anderson

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 to 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!

3 Nephi 7:1-26

After you have read and listened to Chapter 7 I would like you to review the following set of verses of that chapter which really sum up the very difficult situation that the righteous among the Nephites were facing.

3 Nephi 7:9 Now this secret combination, which had brought so great iniquity upon the people, did gather themselves together, and did place at their head a man whom they did call Jacob;

10 And they did call him their king; therefore he became a king over this wicked band; and he was one of the chiefest who had given his voice against the prophets who testified of Jesus.

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;

16 Therefore, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds—went forth among them in that same year, and began to testify, boldly, repentance and remission of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.

17 And he did minister many things unto them; and all of them cannot be written, and a part of them would not suffice, therefore they are not written in this book. And Nephi did minister with power and with great authority.

18 And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they, for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily.

19 And in the name of Jesus did he cast out devils and unclean spirits; and even his brother did he raise from the dead, after he had been stoned and suffered death by the people.

20 And the people saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power; and he did also do many more miracles, in the sight of the people, in the name of Jesus. (emphasis added)

Perhaps you noticed that in verse 15 it was said by the Prophet Mormon, he who was summarizing all of this, that not only did angels minister to Nephi but he also was spoken to by the voice of the Lord, meaning, of course, Jesus' voice. Where was Jesus? He was in Palestine finishing up His ministry. Being the Son of God, although still in mortality, He was able to be involved in some way we perhaps do not fully understand in the work being performed among some of His other sheep at that time.

John 10:16
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. ( highlighting added)

Nephi, who was the prophet-leader of one flock of Jesus' "other sheep" was being spoken to by the voice of the Lord Jesus who was still in mortality in Palestine.

____________

Here for you is this most recent Mormon Messages video. Hopefully you will find it very beneficial in meeting your needs.

Mormon Messages

_____________


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 BlogPost, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other BlogPost You Decide To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Click on the Following link: Jesus Offered Living Waters to the Jews and Would Later Offer That to the Nephites after His Resurrection. Part 1 -Post 39f. 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 Automatic Alphabetical Finding 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

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

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

**** 

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?

____________



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.)

____________


"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

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.

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

****

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.


____________


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