40r - This is a Repeat of Post 38x. Elijah the Prophet Returns the Keys For Bringing About Salvation for the Dead.

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TODAY'S THEME



The Resurrected Jesus Christ Teaches Nephites in Ancient Central America -by John Scott

In this scripture you will read one of the great promises the Lord made to the Nephites while He was visiting in Ancient America. You may not yet fully understand what our Resurrected Savior meant by the following statement.

III Nephi 25: 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord;

6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

You will be helped to gain the needed understanding of that later in this post.

First I invite you to read the following scripture in which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ emphasizes something He always expects of His Saints.

III Nephi 24:1-18 (See also Malachi 3:1-18 - Old Testament for the exact same words. Each set was spoken by Our Savior Jesus Christ.)

Quoting the words of Malachi which were recorded in our Old Testament, and then later, at his command, on the Plates of Nephi, the Savior taught the Nephites the necessity of their obeying His law of Tithing. In our day, through his prophet, Joseph Smith, the Lord reiterated his unchanging law of Tithing.

D. and C. 64: 23 Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming.

24 For after today cometh the burning—this is speaking after the manner of the Lord—for verily I say, tomorrow all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, for I am the Lord of Hosts; and I will not spare any that remain in Babylon. (emphasis added)

The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ -by Harry Anderson

In addition, the Lord's first Latter-day Prophet, Joseph Smith, received the following revelation from the Lord on that same subject.

D. and C. 19:4 And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord.

Here is the complete Chapter 25 of III Nephi from which our TODAY'S THEME was taken. (Compare with Malachi 4:1-6)

Elijah Appearing in the Kirtland Temple to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery -by Dan Lewis

Now you will read an account of the fulfillment of the promise made in the final two verses of that prophecy given through His prophet, Malachi, which our resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ, related to His Nephite flock in Ancient America. The Lord's first Latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith, recorded this vision.

D. and C. 110:13 After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said:

14 Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come—

15 To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse—

16 Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors. (emphasis added)

This turning of hearts has already been taking place since soon after that recorded visit from Elijah. The power from Jesus Christ was given to His Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in our day, to seal by the power of the Spirit of the Lord, family members, both the dead (who are now living as spirits in the Spirit World) and the living, one to another for all eternity! This sealing doesn't just automatically happen. Worthy family members who have been baptized as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, must attend to or have attended to, this business for their dead in one of the more than 151 temples that have already been built or scheduled to be built or are already under construction by this Church world-wide.

There certainly will be many others scheduled to be built in the future. After the baptisms and other ordinances and sealings are done by these living members for themselves, they can then, vicariously, do these same ordinances for their ancestors whose records they have diligently and carefully researched (often with assistance from qualified others. Other qualified church members can also perform the temple work in place of us where needed.)

For your information here is evidence that the Apostle, Paul, serving with the other apostles who had been called of the Lord, in the near East after our Savior's resurrection, knew of the ordinance of baptism for the dead: (At least one minister from another church has declared publically on video tape that the Apostle Paul was aware of the practice of baptisms for the dead, and did so in a convincing manner. It actually is a very easy assumption for any readers of that scripture to make.)

I Corinthians 15: 29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

Below is a Latter-day scripture in which the sixth Latter-day Prophet, Joseph F. Smith explains how our Savior, Jesus Christ, between His death by crucifixion and His resurrection, prepared the way that the unrighteous dead could be taught His Gospel by righteous spirits whom He assigned to do that important work. You will also learn from this scripture that the Lord, Jesus Christ, has seen to it that temple work has been set up in our day so that the ordinance of baptism and other necessary ordinances for salvation can be done vicariously here on earth for those among the unrighteous spirits who listened to the message brought them by those appointed by the Lord in His visit between His crucifixion and His resurrection there in the World of Spirits.

President Joseph F. Smith -Photo from LDS Archives

D. and C. 138:25-60  Please note that this scripture begins with verse one therefore you can either also read verses 1 - 24 or scroll down and begin reading at verse 25. If you do this you will not be able to use the "Listen" feature provided you.

I will end this post by showing you pictures of six of these nearly 140 (so far, and many more are coming) very beautiful and very functional temples along with two typical temple baptismal fonts where baptisms can be performed vicariously for your and my beloved deceased ancestors, back as far as their records can be found.

Something you must realize; all of these blessings that can be brought to our deceased ancestors who weren't taught the Savior's Gospel during their lifetimes, can be done for them only by doing this work for them vicariously in Temples of the Lord, according to what the Lord Jesus Christ has instructed His Latter-day Prophets, beginning with the Prophet, Joseph Smith.

There is a great cost involved in providing sufficient temples for the vast amount of work that is yet to be done for our dead ancestors. Because of what you were taught earlier in this post, you can surely guess how the Lord wants these costs to be taken care of and it is being done on an ongoing basis very effectively.

You are right! Through the tithing of His people! His law of Tithing works very well. By personal experience I can tell you that it is easy to be a full tithe-payer. Before retirement my salary was very average. My children's mother and I, raised nine. I know by experience, paying a full (10% gross income) tithing helps you put all of your priorities in the right place! Remember, it is our Savior's law, He who who suffered and died for us!

You and I and surely everyone should be very grateful for the birth of our Savior at Bethlehem and for His successful completion of His life's mission culminating in His atoning sacrifice so that our personal salvation and this great reuniting with loved ones, known, and not yet known, could take place!

One more clarifying thought: I hope that all of of you can see clearly how that the Lord Jesus Christ continues to be very surely and actively involved, most often undetected by most of us, in blessing us that we might achieve His greatest blessings. Remember His, what I call, "sacred job description":



Jesus the Christ -by Del Parson

 Pearl Of Great Price, Moses 1:39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

We are also taught another principle which is such a vital part of our Lord's great plan: This is in the words of His prophet Lehi in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

II Nephi 10:23 Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

These pictures, from top to bottom, are as follows: Mexico City, Mexico Temple; San Diego, California Temple; Hong Kong, China Temple; A baptismal font of an unidentified LDS Temple; Santiago, Chile Temple; The Baptismal font of the Salt Lake City Temple; Washington D.C. Temple; and the Helsinki, Finland Temple.

Something you may want to know: The twelve oxen holding up each of all our temple baptismal fonts, represent the twelve tribes of Israel.






















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The following  is the latest Mormon Messages Video. You will find it very well done and applicable to each of us.

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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 OPEN NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post (or to Any Other BlogPost You May Choose), Please Click on the Following: Baptism For the Dead Began To Be Needed After . . . - Post 40r; When You See The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To The Little Boy, Please Scroll Down To Your Chosen Target Item Or Use the Alphabetic Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).
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"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
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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 

40q - Among the Lamanites Converted By the Sons of King Mosiah Was the Queen. This Changed Her Life and the Lives of Many Other Mothers Significantly!

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

Helaman's 2000 Stripling Warriors -by Arnold Friberg

After the conversion of King Lamoni and his Queen, many of the other (Lamanite) citizens of their land were quickly converted thanks to their conversion. The Prophet Mormon, using the record he accessed from the Large Plates of Nephi,  tells us of the Queen's conversion [which occurred in in about 90 B.C.]

Alma 19:
27 And there were some who said that Ammon was sent by the Great Spirit to afflict them because of their iniquities; and that it was the Great Spirit that had always attended the Nephites, who had ever delivered them out of their hands; and they said that it was this Great Spirit who had destroyed so many of their brethren, the Lamanites.

28 And thus the contention began to be exceedingly sharp among them. And while they were thus contending, the woman servant who had caused the multitude to be gathered together came, and when she saw the contention which was among the multitude she was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto tears.

29 And it came to pass that she went and took the queen by the hand, that perhaps she might raise her from the ground; and as soon as she touched her hand she arose and stood upon her feet, and cried with a loud voice, saying: O blessed Jesus, who has saved me from an awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people! (emphasis edded)

This dramatic conversion of a Lamanite Queen was the first of many other conversions among her Lamanite people who had previously had nothing to do with their close relatives, the Nephites and with their belief in Jesus Christ who was to come! This was true both with Lamanite men and women, fathers and mothers and their children!

One of the most significant outcomes of this great conversion of Lamanite families [which occurred in about 65 B.C.]:  is described by Mormon:

Alma 56: 1 AND now it came to pass in the commencement of the thirtieth year of the reign of the judges, on the second day in the first month, Moroni (A Nephite General) received an epistle from Helaman, (Another Nephite Army Officer) stating the affairs of the people in that quarter of the land.

2 And these are the words which he wrote, saying: My dearly beloved brother, Moroni, as well in the Lord as in the tribulations of our warfare; behold, my beloved brother, I have somewhat to tell you concerning our warfare in this part of the land.

3 Behold, two thousand of the sons of those men whom Ammon brought down out of the land of Nephi—now ye have known that these were descendants of Laman, who was the eldest son of our father Lehi;

4 Now I need not rehearse unto you concerning their traditions or their unbelief, for thou knowest concerning all these things—

5 Therefore it sufficeth me that I tell you that two thousand of these young men have taken their weapons of war, and would that I should be their leader; and we have come forth to defend our country.

6 And now ye also know concerning the covenant which their fathers made, that they would not take up their weapons of war against their brethren to shed blood.

7 But in the twenty and sixth year, when they saw our afflictions and our tribulations for them, they were about to break the covenant which they had made and take up their weapons of war in our defence.

8 But I would not suffer them that they should break this covenant which they had made, supposing that God would strengthen us, insomuch that we should not suffer more because of the fulfilling the oath which they had taken.

9 But behold, here is one thing in which we may have great joy. For behold, in the twenty and sixth year, I, Helaman, did march at the head of these two thousand young men to the city of Judea, to assist Antipus, whom ye had appointed a leader over the people of that part of the land.

10 And I did join my two thousand sons, (for they are worthy to be called sons) to the army of Antipus, in which strength Antipus did rejoice exceedingly; for behold, his army had been reduced by the Lamanites because their forces had slain a vast number of our men, for which cause we have to mourn. (clarification and emphasis added)

These 2060 young Lamanite warriors had been prepared by their mothers (who by the example of their queen, had been converted to Jesus Christ). This is what was written about how well their mothers had prepared their sons:

Alma 56: 47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. (emphasis added)

The following describes how effective the teachings of their (converted to Christ) mothers were in the words of these young warriors:

Alma 57:19 But behold, my little band of two thousand and sixty fought most desperately; yea, they were firm before the Lamanites, and did administer death unto all those who opposed them.

20 And as the remainder of our army were about to give way before the Lamanites, behold, those two thousand and sixty were firm and undaunted.

21 Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them.

22 And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.

23 And we retained our city Cumeni, and were not all destroyed by the sword; nevertheless, we had suffered great loss.

24 And it came to pass that after the Lamanites had fled, I immediately gave orders that my men who had been wounded should be taken from among the dead, and caused that their wounds should be dressed.

25 And it came to pass that there were two hundred, out of my two thousand and sixty, who had fainted because of the loss of blood; nevertheless, according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the joy of our whole army, there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and neither was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds.

26 And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain.

27 Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually. (emphasis added)

I now quote from part of verse 21 above: "and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them."

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On Sunday May 9th of this year Mother's Day was celebrated in this country (U.S.A.). I neglected to mention that in the post that I published about the time of that U.S. national holiday. It can be said that with today's post I helped each of you readers celebrate it. I was somewhat late, but Motherhood is so important, be it the Lamanite Mothers about whom we learned in today's post and in Post 40o, or the wonderful mothers we have or are married to or that you are!

With much Love and Respect to You Wonderful Mothers Who May Be Reading this Post! Please take the time to view this Mormon Message Video.





There is just one other post-script I will add. Today, July 2, 2010 it was announced on the evening Television News that Arnold Friberg, the well-known artist who painted the painting I used at the beginning of this post, died today at age 96. The TV reporter told about how much energy and feeling Brother Friberg, an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put into each of his paintings. I have used six of his Book of Mormon paintings in various posts. He gained much fame by his prize winning paintings used in the award winning Movie, "The Ten Commandments" created by Cecil B. De Mille.

Here is perhaps his most famous painting: Prayer at Valley Forge which Arnold Friberg painted for the celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial on July 4, 1976. For those of you viewing this post who live in other countries I should point out that the general who is praying for God's help in his battle for his country which became the U.S.A. is General George Washington who became its first president!



Thank you for your viewing this blog post! May the Lord bless you! By the way, the day after tomorrow is July 4, American Independence Day, so Happy Fourth of July to all of you Americans! Good wishes to the rest of you when you celebrate the holiday that you might have which is similar to our Independence Day. I wish I knew when those each are celebrated.

Neil Birch

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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 Click on the Following: Mothers, Their Great Role in Our Lives - Post 40q When the Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next to the 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

40p - This Post Is a Repeat of Post 38y. Joseph Smith, the Prophet Who Translated the Book of Mormon by the Power of God, Lived a Christlike Life!

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post! (A Suggestion: If You Have Made Comments On Any Of My Posts, Look For Your Name in the Blog Index To See if it is There!)

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TODAY'S THEME

Painting: Del Parson

Joseph Smith

The First President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Perhaps we can say that Joseph Smith began his training as a Prophet of the Lord as a seventeen year old when he was instructed by the Angel, Moroni during the night of September 21, 1823 while in his upstairs bedroom in his parents' home.

Painting: Tom Lovell

The Prophet Moroni of Ancient America, now an angel of the Lord, Instructs the young Joseph Smith regarding his (Joseph's) soon to come, prophetic responsibilities, especially regarding his, (Joseph's) translating the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ which was written on golden plates by Moroni's father, Mormon and hidden up in the earth by he, Moroni in about A.D. 421.

We will skip ahead many years in the life of the prophet, Joseph Smith to the fall of 1838:

One of the desires of the early Latter-day Saints was simply to be allowed to live their religion in peace. But wherever they moved, peace eluded them. In 1833, just two years after the dedication of a place of gathering in Missouri, mobs forced the Saints to leave Jackson County, Missouri. Church members found temporary refuge in Clay County, Missouri, and then, in 1836, began moving into northern Missouri. Most of them settled in Caldwell County, a new county organized by the state legislature to accommodate the Saints. Far West, which served as the county seat, soon became a thriving Latter-day Saint settlement.

The Prophet Joseph Smith had continued to live in Kirtland, Ohio, but in January 1838, he was forced to leave, fearing for his life. With his family, he traveled the 900 miles to Far West, where he joined the Saints living there.
Later in 1838, most of the Kirtland Saints sold or abandoned their homes and followed the Prophet to Missouri. To accommodate the Church members pouring into the area, the Prophet designated areas near Far West where the Saints could settle.

In July 1838, cornerstones were dedicated for a temple in Far West, Missouri, giving the Saints hope that they could establish a permanent settlement where they could enjoy prosperity and peace.

Unfortunately, tensions similar to those they experienced in Jackson County soon divided them from local settlers, and in the fall of 1838, mobs and militia once again began to harass and attack Latter-day Saints.

One day the Prophet was visiting his parents’ home in Far West, when a group of armed militiamen came in and announced that they had come to kill him for a supposed crime. Lucy Mack Smith, the Prophet’s mother, described his gift for peacemaking: “[Joseph] looked upon them with a very pleasant smile and, stepping up to them, gave each of them his hand in a manner which convinced them that he was neither a guilty criminal nor yet a cowering hypocrite. They stopped and stared as though a spectre had crossed their path.

“Joseph sat down and entered into conversation with them and explained to them the views and feelings of the people called Mormons and what their course had been, as also the treatment which they had met with from their enemies since the first outset of the Church. He told them that malice and detraction had pursued them ever since they entered Missouri, but they were a people who had never broken the laws to his knowledge. But if they had, they stood ready to be tried by the law. …

“After this, he rose and said, ‘Mother, I believe I will go home. Emma will be expecting me.’ Two of the men sprang to their feet, saying, ‘You shall not go alone, for it is not safe. We will go with you and guard you.’ Joseph thanked them, and they went with him.

“The remainder of the officers stood by the door while these were absent, and I overheard the following conversation between them: “First Officer: ‘Did you not feel strangely when Smith took you by the hand? I never felt so in my life.’ “Second Officer: ‘I felt as though I could not move. I would not harm one hair of that man’s head for the whole world.’ “Third Officer: "This is the last time you will ever catch me coming to kill Joe Smith or the Mormons either.’ …

“Those men who went with my son promised to go disband the militia under them and go home, and said that if he had any use for them, they would come back and follow him anywhere.”1 Speaking the truth in a kind, forthright way, Joseph Smith overcame prejudice and hostility and made peace with many of those who had been his enemies. (Quoted from Teachings of Presidents of the Church - Joseph Smith, Chapter 29, pp. 339-341), (an Official Publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

Now I will quote statements made by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and maybe one, who was not) who knew the prophet Joseph Smith well. These statements were made after the prophet and his brother, Hyrum, had been killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois in June 1844.

Parley P. Pratt, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1835 to 1857: “President Joseph Smith was in person tall and well built, strong and active; of a light complexion, light hair, blue eyes, very little beard, and of an expression peculiar to himself. … His countenance was ever mild, affable, beaming with intelligence and benevolence; mingled with a look of interest and an unconscious smile, or cheerfulness, and entirely free from all restraint or affectation of gravity; and there was something connected with the serene and steady penetrating glance of his eye, as if he would penetrate the deepest abyss of the human heart, gaze into eternity, penetrate the heavens, and comprehend all worlds. He possessed a noble boldness and independence of character; his manner was easy and familiar; his rebuke terrible as the lion; his benevolence unbounded as the ocean; his intelligence universal.”

John Needham, an early English convert: “Joseph Smith is a great man, a man of principle, a straight forward man; no saintish long-faced fellow, but quite the reverse. Indeed some stumble because he is such a straight forward, plain spoken, cheerful man, but that makes me love him the more.”

Emmeline B. Wells, the general president of the Relief
Society from 1910 to 1921: “I … testify that he was the greatest man and the greatest prophet and the greatest personage of this generation, the greatest, I feel safe in saying, since the days of the Savior. His majesty in appearance was something wonderful. You would think that he was much taller and much larger even than he was. Perhaps many of you have noticed men who have such a bearing when they rise up and walk. This was the way with the Prophet Joseph. There are no pictures of him extant that I know of, that compare with the beauty and majesty of his presence.”

Mary Alice Cannon Lambert: “The love the saints had for him was inexpressible. They would willingly have laid down their lives for him. If he was to talk, every task would be laid aside that they might listen to his words. He was not an ordinary man. Saints and sinners alike felt and recognized a power and influence which he carried with him. It was impossible to meet him and not be impressed by the strength of his personality and influence.”

John M. Bernhisel, a medical doctor who boarded in Joseph and Emma’s home in Nauvoo for several months during 1843 and 1844: “Joseph Smith is naturally a man of strong mental powers, and is possessed of much energy and decision of character, great penetration, and a profound knowledge of human nature. He is a man of calm judgment, enlarged views, and is eminently distinguished by his love of justice. He is kind and obliging, generous and benevolent, sociable and cheerful, and is possessed of a mind of a contemplative and reflective character. He is honest, frank, fearless and independent, and as free from dissimulation [false appearances] as any man to be found. … As a religious teacher, as well as a man, he is greatly beloved by this people.”

Jesse N. Smith, a cousin of Joseph Smith: “[The Prophet was] incomparably the most God-like man I ever saw. … I know that by nature he was incapable of lying and deceitfulness, possessing the greatest kindness and nobility of character. I felt when in his presence that he could read me through and through. I know he was all that he claimed to be.”

William Clayton, an English convert who served as a clerk to Joseph Smith: “The more I am with him, the more I love him; the more I know of him, the more confidence I have in him.”

Joseph F. Smith, the sixth President of the Church: “He was brimming over with the noblest and purest of human nature, which often gave vent in innocent amusements—in playing ball, in wrestling with his brothers and scuffling with them, and enjoying himself; he was not like a man with a stake run down his back, and with his face cast in a brazen mold that he could not smile, that he had no joy in his heart. Oh, he was full of joy; he was full of gladness; he was full of love, and of every other noble attribute that makes men great and good, and at the same time simple and innocent, so that he could descend to the lowest condition; and he had power, by the grace of God, to comprehend the purposes of the Almighty too. That was the character of the Prophet Joseph Smith.” (Quoted from Teachings of Presidents of the Church - Joseph Smith, Chapter 43, pp 497 - 499 (There were many more I could have quoted if I had the space.)

Below are the words of a hymn found in the current LDS Church Hymn Book. This hymn was written after the death of Joseph Smith. Earlier, Joseph excommunicated the author of this hymn, William Wines Phelps for having seriously betrayed himself, Joseph, and other leaders and members of the Church to their enemies who were attempting to destroy them and their church. In June 1840, Phelps plead for forgiveness in a letter to Joseph Smith. Joseph replied with an offer of full fellowship, and ended with the famous couplet,

"Come on, dear brother, since the war is past, For friends at first are friends again at last."

William W. Phelps

Hymn: Praise to the Man, Words written by William W. Phelps, (1792-1872) Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Verse 1: Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah! Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer, Blessed to open the last dispensation, Kings shall extol him, and nations revere,

Verse 2: Praise to his mem'ry he died as a martyr; Honored and blest be his ever great name! Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins, Plead unto heav'n while the earth lauds his fame.

Verse 3. Great is his glory and endless his priesthood, Ever and ever the keys he will hold. Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom, Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.

Verse 4. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven, Earth must atone for the blood of that man. Wake up the world for the conflict of justice, Millions shall know "Brother Joseph" again.

Chorus: (Sung after each verse) Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven! Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain, Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren; Death cannot conquer the hero again.

On 11-15-2009 I, Neil Birch am inserting something additional about William W. Phelps and the hymn he wrote which you have just read above.

In June of 1952, at the end of my first of two missions to Finland (My wife, Melva was my companion during my second mission there)I traveled through part of Europe by myself. Later, all solo travel by returning missionaries was not not permitted. One Sunday in that month I arrived in Hamburg, Germany by train. By some miracle, not knowing the German language very well (I had been successful in completing German I & II in my year at Placer College in Auburn, California but had not learned to converse well in that language), I was able to arrive at an LDS Sacrament meeting being held in an LDS Chapel in a nice part of Hamburg.

After entering the building and walking toward the door to the chapel I heard those in attendance at that Sacrament meeting singing: Praise to the Man which I quoted for you above. I was deeply touched. I was handed a German Hymn Book and began singing with them. Tears flowed freely. I was especially touched by the spirit with which those German members were singing. The truthfulness of Joseph Smith's mission was reinforced strongly in my heart and soul by their singing that inspired hymn.
That experience also helped me to develop a love and respect for Brother William Wines Phelps.

After finishing my bachelors of science degree at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah in 1960 and my Master of Social Work degree at California State University in San Jose, CA in 1973, I became a social worker. As such I became very interested in helping people overcome particular problems they have somehow developed that hamper their progress. Therefore, I appreciated reading this revelation received by President Joseph Smith August 1, 1831 which, in part, is about William W. Phelps:

D. and C. 58:
40 And also let my servant William W. Phelps stand in the office to which I have appointed him, and receive his inheritance in the land;

41 And also he hath need to repent, for I, the Lord, am not well pleased with him, for he seeketh to excel, and he is not sufficiently meek before me. (emphasis added)

That problem the Lord knew William had, apparently hindered his progress throughout much of his life. I did not mention it above, but Brother Phelps was excommunicated several additional times, each after the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Brother Phelps went to Utah with the Church. One record I recently read on the Internet showed that on a certain day he was excommunicated and then the very next day was rebaptized and welcomed back into full fellowship. I believe he died in full fellowship. He must have eventually overcome the pride the Lord implies in the scripture above he had . I'm quite sure that eventually he had humbled himself sufficiently!

I, and many other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints love you, Brother W.W. Phelps. We hope that we too can overcome our particular weaknesses and enjoy eternal bliss with our families and fellow saints like you.
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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 Click on the Following: Joseph Smith, a True Prophet Post 40p;When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down 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

40o - Evidence that Other Righteous Nephites, Like Abinadi Before, Were Willing to Risk Their Lives to Teach Their Enemies the Gospel of Jesus Christ

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post! (A Suggestion: If You Have Made Comments On Any Of My Posts, Look For Your Name in the Blog Index To See if it is There!)

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Preparation for TODAY'S THEME

You will be viewing my post 35q in this post. I have decided to insert this past post at this point as a follow-up to fairly recent related posts beginning with Post 40i, in which the Prophet, Abinadi allows himself to be killed by King Noah because of his firm commitment to teach of Jesus Christ and to testify boldly and clearly of His birth, life mission, atonement, crucifixion and resurrection.

The second closely related post is Post 40j in which the conversion of Alma the Younger, along with the four sons of King Mosiah, is expounded.

Post 35q which I am repeating today tells the rest of the story that began with the valiant Abinadi and his willingness to do that which the Lord wanted him to do.

This is one of my longer posts, but I hope you will bear with it and go through all of it. It is a very faith promoting account! It will be worth your time!

The events told about in this post are great evidence from the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, that His Gospel changed many lifes of previously wicked individuals because of men and women becoming converted to Christ and then under the Lord's guidance teaching and helping the Lord to convert many others.

As you read in one of the posts mentioned above, I have theorized that all of this success in converting hard-to-convert people to Christ, most likely began with a younger Abinadi being among those who in 124 B.C. was converted to Jesus Christ by by the inspired words of righteous King Benjamin in his final sermon to his people before turning over his kingdom to his son, Mosiah. Here is an artist's depiction of that great historic event in Nephite history:

Painting: Gary Kapp

King Benjamin Speaks to His People From a Tower Built on the Wall of the Temple -by Gary Kapp

Now with that preparation for what follows is my Post 35q which reports the amazing results of the mission of the Four Sons of Mosiah along with the missionary companions they had chosen to take with them. This was a very dangerous mission because there had been much bloodshed over many centuries between the Nephites and their close relatives, the Lamanites. The Lord promised King Mosiah that each of his sons would be protected on their mission and would be saved from death while among their nation's enemies serving the Lord Jesus Christ!

(A Repeat of )Post 35q

Alma Safeguards the Flocks of Lamanite King Lamoni -by Arnold Friberg

Alma 17: (about 90 B.C.) 26 And after he (Ammon) had been in the service of the king three days, as he was with the Lamanitish servants going forth with their flocks to the place of water, which was called the water of Sebus, and all the Lamanites drive their flocks hither, that they may have water—

27 Therefore, as Ammon and the servants of the king were driving forth their flocks to this place of water, behold, a certain number of the Lamanites, who had been with their flocks to water, stood and scattered the flocks of Ammon and the servants of the king, and they scattered them insomuch that they fled many ways.

28 Now the servants of the king began to murmur, saying: Now the king will slay us, as he has our brethren because their flocks were scattered by the wickedness of these men. And they began to weep exceedingly, saying: Behold, our flocks are scattered already.

29 Now they wept because of the fear of being slain. Now when Ammon saw this his heart was swollen within him with joy; for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words.

30 And now, these were the thoughts of Ammon, when he saw the afflictions of those whom he termed to be his brethren.

31 And it came to pass that he flattered them by his words, saying: My brethren, be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks, and we will gather them together and bring them back unto the place of water; and thus we will preserve the flocks unto the king and he will not slay us.

32 And it came to pass that they went in search of the flocks, and they did follow Ammon, and they rushed forth with much swiftness and did head the flocks of the king, and did gather them together again to the place of water.

33 And those men again stood to scatter their flocks; but Ammon said unto his brethren: Encircle the flocks round about that they flee not; and I go and contend with these men who do scatter our flocks.

34 Therefore, they did as Ammon commanded them, and he went forth and stood to contend with those who stood by the waters of Sebus; and they were in number not a few.

35 Therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know anything concerning the Lord; therefore they delighted in the destruction of their brethren; and for cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the king.

36 But Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his sling; yea, with mighty power he did sling stones amongst them; and thus he slew a certain number of them insomuch that they began to be astonished at his power; nevertheless they were angry because of the slain of their brethren, and they were determined that he should fall; therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him. (as in the scene depicted in the painting above illustrates)

37 But behold, every man that lifted his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword; for he did withstand their blows by smiting their arms with the edge of his sword, insomuch that they began to be astonished, and began to flee before him; yea, and they were not few in number; and he caused them to flee by the strength of his arm.

38 Now six of them had fallen by the sling, but he slew none save it were their leader with his sword; and he smote off as many of their arms as were lifted against him, and they were not a few.

39 And when he had driven them afar off, he returned and they watered their flocks and returned them to the pasture of the king, and then went in unto the king, bearing the arms which had been smitten off by the sword of Ammon, of those who sought to slay him; and they were carried in unto the king for a testimony of the things which they had done. (clarification and emphasis added)

Dear Readers, the previous Book of Mormon scripture was given you to prepare you for:

TODAY'S THEME

Please read and listen to Alma, Chapter 18 which contains that which comprises TODAY'S THEME. After you have read and listened to Chapter 18 and then returned to this post, I will explain the key verses of that which you will have read in Chapter 18.

Remember as you read and listen to this account that you look for evidence of Ammon leading King Lamoni to accepting Jesus Christ as his Savior and Redeemer. Also remember that you can also Listen to this chapter.

Alma 18: 1-43

Now I will review with you several portions of Chapter 18 which you have just read and listened to:

3 And they answered the king, and said: Whether he be the Great Spirit or a man, we know not; but this much we do know, that he cannot be slain by the enemies of the king; neither can they scatter the king's flocks when he is with us, because of his expertness and great strength; therefore, we know that he is a friend to the king. And now, O king, we do not believe that a man has such great power, for we know he cannot be slain.

4 And now, when the king heard these words, he said unto them: Now I know that it is the Great Spirit; and he has come down at this time to preserve your lives, that I might not slay you as I did your brethren. Now this is the Great Spirit of whom our fathers have spoken.

5 Now this was the tradition of Lamoni, which he had received from his father, that there was a Great Spirit. Notwithstanding they believed in a Great Spirit they supposed that whatsoever they did was right; nevertheless, Lamoni began to fear exceedingly, with fear lest he had done wrong in slaying his servants;

6 For he had slain many of them because their brethren had scattered their flocks at the place of water; and thus, because they had had their flocks scattered they were slain. (emphasis and clarification added)

Through some special circumstances, the Lord, through his servant, Ammon (a son of the Nephite King, Mosiah) was bringing about the preparation of King Lamoni (without Lamoni realizing it) for a mighty change in heart which would soon lead him to actually become a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. We then read these words of King Lamoni to Ammon.

Alma 18: 21 And now, if thou wilt tell me concerning these things, whatsoever thou desirest I will give unto thee; and if it were needed, I would guard thee with my armies; but I know that thou art more powerful than all they; nevertheless, whatsoever thou desirest of me I will grant it unto thee.

22 Now Ammon being wise, yet harmless, he said unto Lamoni: Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire of thee.

23 And the king answered him, and said: Yea, I will believe all thy words. And thus he was caught with guile.

24 And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God?

25 And he answered, and said unto him: I do not know what that meaneth.

26 And then Ammon said: Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit?

27 And he said, Yea.

28 And Ammon said: This is God. And Ammon said unto him again: Believest thou that this Great Spirit, who is God, created all things which are in heaven and in the earth?

29 And he said: Yea, I believe that he created all things which are in the earth; but I do not know the heavens.

30 And Ammon said unto him: The heavens is a place where God dwells and all his holy angels.

31 And king Lamoni said: Is it above the earth?

32 And Ammon said: Yea, and he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning.

33 And king Lamoni said: I believe all these things which thou hast spoken. Art thou sent from God?

34 Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;

35 And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me (did it ever! - Neil's clarification), which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God. (emphasis and clarification added.)

I realize that you have read and listened to all of this, but I desired that you could really focus on these very inspired, (on the part of Ammon, who possessed the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation), words of this son of a king who, along with his three brothers and with a very close friend, Alma the Younger, had given up their previous terrible mischief of trying to actually destroy the Church of Christ in their father's (King Mosiah's) land.

The picture I am about to show you is an artist's depiction of an experience those five young men had several years before with an Angel of God. This jolting experience actually brought about a mighty change in all five of them.

I showed you this picture to assist you to really begin to appreciate what caused these sons of a king, Ammon and his three brothers, to repent of their previous wickedness and then, of their own free will, to strongly request of their father, the king, a mission to the Lamanites. They knew full well they were getting themselves into an assignment that would be exceedingly difficult! Nonetheless, their conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ because of that experience was such that it made them willing to face any worthy challenge the Lord might allow them to face.

They had truly been converted to the Lord and learned of the power of His atonement in allowing them to change their lives!

After you learned of Lamanite King Lamoni's discussion with Ammon, you can see that the mission that he along with his brothers, had been given, had presented him, Ammon with the kind of teaching opportunities they had expected to get.

I'm sure Ammon viewed this experience with the Lamanite King, Lamoni as a great opportunity to do what he knew the Lord wanted of him. I'm sure Ammon felt great gratitude to the Lord as he went about doing that which could rightly be termed, miraculous!

Each of these four sons of a king knew quite well the kind of challenges they would be getting themselves into. They had to work hard to persuade their father, King Mosiah, to send them on such a mission. Their father, after much deliberation and prayer, relented and allowed them to serve the desired mission to the very dangerous (especially to Nephites) Lamanite people.

I now will quote from the Alma, Chapter 17, verse 35 above, the promise that King Mosiah had received from the Lord regarding their dangerous mission to the Lamanites.

Alma 17:35 Therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know anything concerning the Lord; therefore they delighted in the destruction of their brethren; and for this cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the king. (emphasis and clarification added.)

After thinking the above through and thinking about the experience these four young men and their close friend, Alma, had with the Lord's Angel, I think you will appreciate the great change which had come about in Ammon. He had become an inspired and experienced servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, instead of tearing down the Lord's church as he and his brother's had done along with their friend, Alma, Ammon and his brothers (we will mention the brothers' successes in another post) were actually preparing the way for Christ's Church to be established among the Lamanites (their former enemies who had now become to them, their brethren).

I invite you to read the scripture below in order that you come to understand what Ammon was able to do with the King and his queen, and eventually with their people too, to actually have them come to being witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ and being deeply grateful for that which He (Jesus) has done for them and all of us.

Afterwards when you have returned to this post from that scripture reading and listening, I will help you see the details of the amazing change that was taking place in the king and his queen and in their people too.

Alma 19:1-36

Now I'll explain briefly what happened after that. This Abish, having been converted to the Lord for many years without telling others about it, wanted the people of the kingdom to be just like she secretly had been, knowing about the power of God so she went actively about inviting people to come to the house of the king. In Verse 18 we are told that a multitude arrived and saw their king and queen, and their servants "prostrate on the earth," as though they were dead. Then they saw Ammon laying there also. They quickly realized he was a Nephite. Some of the people blamed all of these apparent deaths on their king for having allowed a Nephite to remain in their land.

2 Now the queen having heard of the fame of Ammon, therefore she sent and desired that he should come in unto her.

3 And it came to pass that Ammon did as he was commanded, and went in unto the queen, and desired to know what she would that he should do.

4 And she said unto him: The servants of my husband have made it known unto me that thou art a prophet of a holy God, and that thou hast power to do many mighty works in his name;

5 Therefore, if this is the case, I would that ye should go in and see my husband, for he has been laid upon his bed for the space of two days and two nights; and some say that he is not dead, but others say that he is dead and that he stinketh, and that he ought to be placed in the sepulchre; but as for myself, to me he doth not stink.

6 Now, this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness—yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God—

7 Therefore, what the queen desired of him was his only desire. Therefore, he went in to see the king according as the queen had desired him; and he saw the king, and he knew that he was not dead.

8 And he said unto the queen: He is not dead, but he sleepeth in God, and on the morrow he shall rise again; therefore bury him not.

9 And Ammon said unto her: Believest thou this? And she said unto him: I have had no witness save thy word, and the word of our servants; nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said.

10 And Ammon said unto her: Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites.

11 And it came to pass that she watched over the bed of her husband, from that time even until that time on the morrow which Ammon had appointed that he should rise.

12 And it came to pass that he arose, according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said: Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou.

13 For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit.

14 Now Ammon seeing the Spirit of the Lord poured out according to his prayers upon the Lamanites, his brethren, who had been the cause of so much mourning among the Nephites, or among all the people of God because of their iniquities and their traditions, he fell upon his knees, and began to pour out his soul in prayer and thanksgiving to God for what he had done for his brethren; and he was also overpowered with joy; and thus they all three had sunk to the earth.

15 Now, when the servants of the king had seen that they had fallen, they also began to cry unto God, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them also, for it was they who had stood before the king and testified unto him concerning the great power of Ammon.

16 And it came to pass that they did call on the name of the Lord, in their might, even until they had all fallen to the earth, save it were one of the Lamanitish women, whose name was Abish, she having been converted unto the Lord for many years, on account of a remarkable vision of her father—(emphasis and clarification added)

How is that for some reverse racial prejudice! I now quote some scriptural verses.

Alma Chapter 19: 22 Now, one of them, whose brother had been slain with the sword of Ammon, being exceedingly angry with Ammon, drew his sword and went forth that he might let it fall upon Ammon, to slay him; and as he lifted the sword to smite him, behold, he fell dead.

23 Now we see that Ammon could not be slain, for the Lord had said unto Mosiah, his father: I will spare him, and it shall be unto him according to thy faith—therefore, Mosiah trusted him unto the Lord.

24 And it came to pass that when the multitude beheld that the man had fallen dead, who lifted the sword to slay Ammon, fear came upon them all, and they durst not put forth their hands to touch him or any of those who had fallen; and they began to marvel again among themselves what could be the cause of this great power, or what all these things could mean. (emphasis added)

Now let me stop right here at this pre-climax point in this deeply touching historical account and suggest that if the "scholar" from the Utah Valley University who was quoted in the May 2007 PBS Prime Time Video, "The Mormons", as saying that every time he reads the Book of Mormon he sees the writings of a young, unschooled 19th Century farm boy; were with us right now reading the thing you and I are now reading, he ought to be ashamed of his ever having intimated that the young man, Joseph Smith, could have ever made up this true and intriguing historical account.

In truth, this and all of the other accounts recorded in the Book of Mormon were either written by, or selected from, the writings of other Nephite prophets, by this great prophet, Mormon. In about 400 A.D. he, through the spiritual guidance he was receiving from the resurrected Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, was selectively including those matters he found in the historical accounts of his Nephite people, in his record which would become, The Book of Mormon, Another testament of Jesus Christ.

Mormon knew full well that these records would be hidden up in the earth in due time by his prophet son, Moroni, and then brought forth for the enlightenment of the Lord's people in our time of the world. I'm sure this Mormon knew that the book, which would bear his name, would be a key factor in the restoration of the Lord's Church in preparation for His Second Coming!

Let me now quote more from Alma Chapter 19 to let us know what happened!

Alma 19:24 And it came to pass that when the multitude beheld that the man had fallen dead, who lifted the sword to slay Ammon, fear came upon them all, and they durst not put forth their hands to touch him or any of those who had fallen; and they began to marvel again among themselves what could be the cause of this great power, or what all these things could mean.

25 And it came to pass that there were many among them who said that Ammon was the Great Spirit, and others said he was sent by the Great Spirit;

26 But others rebuked them all, saying that he was a monster, who had been sent from the Nephites to torment them.

27 And there were some who said that Ammon was sent by the Great Spirit to afflict them because of their iniquities; and that it was the Great Spirit that had always attended the Nephites, who had ever delivered them out of their hands; and they said that it was this Great Spirit who had destroyed so many of their brethren, the Lamanites.

28 And thus the contention began to be exceedingly sharp among them. And while they were thus contending, the woman servant (Abish) who had caused the multitude to be gathered together came, and when she saw the contention which was among the multitude she was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto tears.

29 And it came to pass that she went and took the queen by the hand, that perhaps she might raise her from the ground; and as soon as she touched her (the queen's) hand she arose and stood upon her feet, and cried with a loud voice, saying: O blessed Jesus, who has saved me from an awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people!

30 And when she had said this, she clasped her hands, being filled with joy, speaking many words which were not understood; and when she had done this, she took the king, Lamoni, by the hand, and behold he arose and stood upon his feet. (emphasis and clarification added)

In the previous post I promised that you would learn from the following post (this post) of a Lamanite woman who had become a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. You just read about it! There weren't many words, but the Queen's witness of Him was a sure witness!

The witness of King Lamoni about Jesus Christ being their Savior and Redeemer was equally powerfull:

Alma 19:
12 And it came to pass that he arose, according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said: Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou.

13 For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit. (emphasis and clarification added)

Again, the purpose of this post and the other posts in this series of posts of mine is to vividly demonstrate that the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ is just what its title says it is.

I, J. Neil Birch bear my personal testimony to you that I surely know that Jesus is the Christ and the Redeemer of my soul. Words can't express the depth of my gratitude that I have for Him!

You have been with me for quite a while with this post and I try very hard to keep these posts as short as possible, but I feel it important to give you just a quick glimpse at what great things occurred among these Lamanites because of the mission of Ammon, (one of the sons of King Mosiah), among them.

I'll use another one of the great paintings that are made available to me by lds.org. followed by an explanation:

Lamanite Families Burying Their Swords Deep in the Earth as Hostile Lamanites Advance Toward Them to Kill Them (men, women and their children) -by Del Parson

As a Result of King Lamoni (and his queen's) Conversion to Jesus Christ, families of their kingdom were willing to sacrifice their lives rather than to break the sacred covenant they had made with Christ to never ever shed the blood of their fellow man again.

It surely takes an "eternal perspective" on the part of anyone reading this account from the Book of Mormon, to view these dear Lamanite families giving up their very lives to be faithful to their determination to be killed, along with their families, rather than to arm themselves and kill their attackers!

Alma 24:
5 Now when Ammon and his brethren and all those who had come up with him saw the preparations of the Lamanites to destroy their brethren, they came forth to the land of Midian, and there Ammon met all his brethren; and from thence they came to the land of Ishmael that they might hold a council with Lamoni and also with his brother Anti-Nephi-Lehi, what they should do to defend themselves against the Lamanites.

6 Now there was not one soul among all the people who had been converted unto the Lord that would take up arms against their brethren; nay, they would not even make any preparations for war; yea, and also their king (Lamoni) commanded them that they should not.


7 Now, these are the words which he said unto the people concerning the matter: I thank my God, my beloved people, that our great God has in goodness sent these our brethren, the Nephites, unto us to preach unto us, and to convince us of the traditions of our wicked fathers.

8 And behold, I thank my great God that he has given us a portion of his Spirit to soften our hearts, that we have opened a correspondence with these brethren, the Nephites.

9 And behold, I also thank my God, that by opening this correspondence we have been convinced of our sins, and of the many murders which we have committed.

10 And I also thank my God, yea, my great God, that he hath granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins and murders which we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son. (emphasis added.)

Was Ammon and his brethren's mission to the Lamanites a success? The picture above is a sure witness that it was!

If you are able to agree with what the Lamanite families depicted in the picture above decided to do, you have taken a huge leap forward spiritually! Congratulations!

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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 Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph,Please scroll Back Up and Click on the Following: Joseph Smith, a True Prophet . . . -Post 40o; After You See The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To The Little Boy, Please Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device. (When It Has Been Installed).

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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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"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