A Letter to My Granddaughter, JoJo

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

****

A SPECIAL EASTER SEASON POST

Dear Blog Readers, I'm writing this post as a blog post letter to a dear twelve year old granddaughter of mine.

Dear JoJo,

You had told me in an e-mail several weeks ago that you were studying ancient Israel and similar matters in your social studies class at school. I wrote telling you that I'd like to tell you a special story about Israel. But then as you may recall, I wrote suggesting that you may not be interested in what I was planning to write. But then, when you e-mailed me telling me you really wanted me to write it, I decided to write it. Here it is:
_____________

There is Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Jacob's other name is Israel, a Hebrew language word which means: "One who prevails with God." You may know the meaning of the word, prevail. In case you don't, it means, in this case, Israel is a person (or a people) who please God.

Actually, my story begins with Jacob's grandfather, Abraham who is called, as we learn in the Old Testament: Father of the Faithful. Abraham's father, Terah was not a very righteous man, but Abraham believed strongly in God and learned to serve Him. He became the very first leader and father of the Nation of Israel.

Abraham's wife, Sarah didn't have a baby until they were both very old. She was so old (about 100) that when Abraham told her that God had told him she was going to have a baby she laughed. She had a very hard time believing that!

The baby boy was born and Sarah and Abraham were both very glad.

Their son, Isaac, became very righteous as he grew up, as was Isaac's son, Jacob - called also, Israel. He had twelve sons. Jacob's one son that we all perhaps remember the most is Joseph Who was sold into Egypt. You may have seen the musical that tells about him and his family: "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."

Joseph, son of Jacob, is my very favorite person from the Old Testament. Here is a picture showing his jealous brothers selling him as a slave into Egypt when he was a teenager. I think you know his story.

Painting: Ted Henninger

JOSEPH IS SOLD INTO EGYPT BY HIS BROTHERS

Here is a second picture of Joseph, son of Jacob (Israel). After Joseph, as a grown man, had saved his father and all of his family from starvation as the second in command in Egypt just under Pharaoh, King of Egypt, Jacob gave him a father's blessing.

Painting: Harry Anderson

JACOB (ISRAEL) BLESSING JOSEPH

Now that you have been given an overview of the family of Israel, I will tell you of something exceedingly difficult that Father Abraham was asked to do by Heavenly Father that Abraham consented to do. Abraham's showing that he would actually do this terribly difficult thing, caused Heavenly Father to love him very much. I'll give you the details of that a little later.

In the meantime, JoJo, I need to prepare you by explaining something that Abraham and his people did that is not done in our day, at least, not in the USA, that I know of.

Ever Since Adam and Eve's time, Heavenly Father had commanded His children here on earth to make animal sacrifices that were very symbolic of something important that was to happen in the future.

Do you know what the word, symbolic means? You could look it up in your dictionary, but let me just say that the ordinance of animal sacrifice about which I'll be telling you, was somewhat similar to, or can remind us of, something exceedingly important which would happen in the middle of the world's history, which would tremendously effect all people who would ever live on the earth: the sacrifice of the Son of God.

So, the practice of animal sacrifice was given by God through His prophets to prepare the minds and hearts of people who believed in him, like Abraham, Isaac and Joseph, for the coming of the day, in the distant future, when God's perfectly righteous Only Son, who would be named, Jesus Christ, would give up his life voluntarily to pay the price for our sins so we wouldn't have to suffer for them ourselves if we fully accept His sacrifice for us by living the way He and His prophets teach us to live.

His sacrifice would also bring about the eventual resurrection of everyone who has ever lived on the earth!

This next picture is a drawing showing an Israelite priest, (maybe during the prophet, Moses' time), offering an animal (usually it was a lamb) sacrifice to remind his people of the sacrifice of the Son of God which was to be a very great blessing to all of us, especially as we live according to God's commandments!

Painting: Unknown Artist

JoJo, in case you can't read the small writing at the bottom of the sacrificial alter picture, it says: Altar of Burnt Offerings.

Abraham had offered burnt animal offerings throughout his life, but on one very challenging occasion, God told Abraham, by the means of His Holy Spirit or by an angel, the following:

Genesis 22: 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

JoJo, I want you to notice in that scripture the words, "thine only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest." Those words of Heavenly Father to Abraham, just now made me weep silently for Abraham. What was asked of Abraham would be so very difficult, even for obedient Abraham, Father of the Faithful. Abraham was to: offer him (Isaac, Abraham and Sarah's only son) in Moriah as a burnt offering !

We should remember that both Abraham and Sarah were close to one hundred years of age when Isaac was born. How could they both allow him to be killed like a sacrificial lamb after waiting so long for him to be born?

And how could Father Abraham be the one to offer such a sacrifice? Let's remember, Abraham was the Father of the Faithful. Faithful to whom? To God our Heavenly Father!

Father Abraham obeyed. He loved God. He took his son, Isaac with him to the exact place where God had commanded him to go to sacrifice him. Abraham trusted in God but oh how difficult it must have been for The Father of the Faithful that day. He so loved God, but he so much loved his and Sarah's only son too!

Painting: Del Parson

Abraham and Isaac With a Load of Wood for the Sacrifice

Here is what is written in Genesis 22: 5 -13

5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram (a male sheep) caught in a thicket (a thickly branched bunch of small trees) by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. (emphasis and clarification added)

Now please read and feel glad for these words of the Lord found in Genesis 22: 15-18

15 ¶ And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 

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.

So, Abraham the Father of the Faithful who was the leader of the ancient nation of Israel, remained faithful. He passed the test the Lord gave him and was promised great blessings, which we learn from the holy scriptures, were given him!

JoJo, you might ask, why would Heavenly Father want to have Abraham go through such a great test? I suggest that one reason why, is that He wanted Abraham to fully understand how difficult it would be for Himself, Heavenly Father, when He would be going through a similar trial, the future sacrifice of His Only Mortal Son.

We humans are all sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, but He is the father of our spirit bodies in our previous life and He gave us the great privilege of coming in our spirit bodies prepared by Him and our Heavenly mother, into mortal bodies prepared for us by our parents here on earth. However, in the case of Jesus, Heavenly Father was not only the father of Jesus' spirit, but also was the father of Jesus' mortal body.

Jesus was Heavenly Father's only mortal son. This is how Jesus' apostle, John referred to this great truth:

John 3:16 ¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (emphasis added.)

Here is the meaning of the word, begotten, JoJo, according to the dictionary: "generated by procreation" (came by birth as all babies come); "naturally begotten child";  and in Jesus' case, God, (Our Heavenly Father) is His father.)

Now in this post, we will shift from Abraham's Isaac to that other Only Son whose actual Father, our Heavenly Father, knew was to be sacrificed to pay for the sins of all people who have ever lived on the earth. As you will soon see from several of the pictures in this next section, Heavenly Father was not, as was Abraham, to be spared from allowing His Only Son, Jesus Christ to be sacrificed.

A Prayer: Our Dear Heavenly Father, I, J. Neil Birch, and whomsoever of the readers of this blog post desire to join with me in this prayer (hopefully this will include my dear granddaughter, JoJo), we thank Thee from the bottoms of our hearts for the supreme sacrifice You allowed to be made, of your only mortal son, Jesus Christ, so that He could fully be our Savior and Redeemer.

We are grateful for that which He (your Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ) did to allow us to be forgiven of all our sins (inasmuch as we truly believe in You and in Your son, Jesus and strive with all our hearts to keep all of Your commandments), that we will be blessed in this life and eventually be blessed with Eternal Life.

We pray for all of this in the Sacred and Holy Name of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. AMEN!

Abraham, you were a great man. You were willing to do that which Heavenly Father asked you to do! We love and honor you for the great example of faithfulness you set for us! We have our own trials to pass through, but are glad they are not as difficult to face as your great trial.

JoJo, as you know, at this Easter Season the Christian World celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Only actual mortal Son of Heavenly Father to ever live on the earth. You may not have known this, but Jesus, through His mortal mother, Mary, is descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). Jesus, therefore, is an Israelite.

One other thing that might be interesting to you. It appears that the place, Mount Moriah, where Abraham was told by God to go to sacrifice his son, Isaac, is in the same area, where is located: Gethsemane, where the Son of God, Jesus Christ, suffered for our sins and Golgotha, where He died on the cross. These were in the Land (or District) of Moriah. Also, Mount Moriah is where Solomon's Temple (God's House) was located.
______________

Dear JoJo, in this second part of this post I'm going to give you and all of the other viewers of this special Easter version of my blog which is my letter to you, by the use of some special pictures, an Overview of the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ including some in which His great sacrifice and resurrection are shown.

I'm so grateful for these particularly great events which took place in the history of this world! (I'm also grateful for the wonderful artists that created these paintings and for their having been made available to us through lds.org.) I'll also use four more pictures in a final section of this blog which will follow this one I'm now starting.

Painting: Carl Heinrich Bloch

The Birth of Jesus

Painting: Greg K. Olsen

Simeon Reverencing the Christ Child

Painting: Simon Dewey

Jesus Prays With His Mother

Painting: Heinrich Hofmann

Twelve Year Old Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem

Painting: Harry AndersonJohn Baptizes Jesus

Painting: Carl Heinrich Bloch

The Sermon on the Mount

Painting: Carl Heinrich BlochChrist Raising the Daughter of Jairus

Painting: Carl Heinrich Bloch

Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda

Painting: Gary Kapp

Jesus Walking on Water

Painting: Carl Heinrich Bloch

The Raising of Lazarus From the Dead

Painting: Harry Anderson

Christ in Gethsemane

Painting: Harry Anderson

The Sacrifice of the Son of God

Painting: Carl Heinrich Bloch

The Burial of Jesus

At this very point in the depiction of the greatest of all epics in the history of this world, I give you, my Dear JoJo, and all others who may be viewing this special Easter Season Blog, 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. (The apostle is Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

Painting: Author Unknown

The Resurrected Lord Jesus

Painting: Simon Dewey

Why Weepest Thou?

Painting: Harry Anderson

Jesus Shows His Wounds

Painting: Harry Anderson Go Ye Therefore Into All the World

Painting: Harry Anderson

The Ascension of Jesus Into Heaven

Painting: Harry Anderson

The (Future) Second Coming of Our Savior, Jesus Christ

_______________

JoJo, I hope you enjoyed those pictures and the message they give us. Here is Part 3 of this letter to you.

After the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ according to His and Heavenly Father's divine plan, He visited for a number of days in Ancient Central America where an Israelitish people had been living since coming there under the guidance of Heavenly Father about 600 years before Jesus' birth in Jerusalem.

They were in large measure, descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through Jacob's son, Joseph. Joseph had been promised by the Lord, possibly in the blessing given him by his father Jacob in the picture shown in the first portion of this letter to you, that there would be members of his posterity (his descendants, if that is a better word for you) on the earth all the way to the Second Coming of Messiah (Jesus Christ).

Much of the Nephite Nation had been destroyed by a great cataclysm of nature that occured just before the resurrected Jesus visited them. The more righteous of that nation had been saved from that tremendous destruction, which had come by earthquakes, whirlwinds, floods and fire.

After having become aware of all the destruction which killed many relatives of theirs, these Israelites were emotionally and spiritually ready (without fully realizing it) for the great spiritual experiences they were soon to have with their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The righteous prophets among this Israelitish people had kept good records which eventually were edited to provide what is in the Book of Mormon, which stands right alongside the New Testament as Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

There is an entire, large sub-book in the Book of Mormon entitled Third Nephi which describes the experiences of these Nephites at the time of His several visits to them. I have chosen just four pictures of events that took place then to help you understand something of what Jesus Christ did there in ancient Central America not long after His resurrection. Jesus told the people there, after He began visiting with them, that they had much more faith than the people He grew up and taught among (in Palestine).

Painting: John Scott

Jesus Teaches the Nephites

When Jesus first began His visit to these descendants of Joseph (who was sold into Egypt) He allowed each one of the about 2,000 people gathered there to touch the wounds that were still in His hands, side and feet. That allowed them to know that He had been crucified (Sacrificed) as all of their prophets had been telling them and their ancestors for 600 years that he would be, in order to pay for their and all mankind's sins.

These Nephites learned first hand about His having a resurrected body, realizing that He had come to America both from Jerusalem and at another time, from Heaven where He had visited with His Father, in a resurrected body that helped Him do miraculous things. (Jesus didn't need an airplane to get there.) They had witnessed Him descending out of the sky when they first saw Him.

Painting: Gary Kapp Jesus Heals the Sick

Painting: Del ParsonAngels Join Jesus and Nephite Children

Jesus had a number of special meetings in Ancient Central America where he blessed the children. One miracle that happened several times during His visits there, was that even little babies who hadn't yet learned to talk were able to speak marvelous things under the influence of their Savior, Jesus Christ.

Painting: Robert T. Barrett

Jesus Asks For Records

Jesus asked the Nephites for some of their own records which He knew they had temporarily misplaced. They then found them for Him and then included them with their other records.

Jesus also shared with them some records of a prophet named Malachi which are in our Old Testament, but hadn't been included with the records which their ancestors, 600 years earlier had brought with them from Jerusalem to America. (because Malachi's record had been written after their departure.) Jesus knew they needed the teachings found in that book.

In just a few short words, JoJo I want you to know that this Grandpa of yours really knows that Jesus is your and my Savior and the Savior of all of our loved-ones and everyone else who has lived on this earth or will have lived on it, who will live the way He teaches us all to live.

I'm grateful to Him for all the wonderful people that are in my family. That includes your Mom and Sister. I'm glad you have such a good Dad too. Also, I especially appreciate the special blessing I have of being a member of Jesus's church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

__________________

HAPPY EASTER, To my dear Granddaughter, JoJo and also to all of you others who may have viewed this post!

Grandpa Birch (J. Neil Birch) 

If you have just viewed this post, "A Letter to My Granddaughter, JoJo, in connection with having originally logged into my (Neil Birch's) Post 42d, a Spiritual Bridge Between Christmas (2010) and Easter (2011), Please enjoy the Video featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah!

When you are back in my original post, 42d You will find the Tabernacle Choir video link right under a larger version of this painting of Jesus. Scroll down to the picture of our Savior, Jesus Christ which is somewhat larger than this one: 

Jesus Christ - Painting: Hofmann

____________



DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.


____________


TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: JoJo a Granddaughter of Neil Birch Received an Easter Post From Him That Draws on Many Sacred Testimonies of Christ, Including a Video Including a Testimony of Christ by a Latter-day Apostle. No Post Number! When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).
______________

"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
_____________

To my Blog readers: 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

35i - The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The Strong Testimony of Enos, Grandson or Great grandson of Lehi.

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

****

TODAY'S THEME

  Enos Prays -by Robert T. Barrett

Have you or anyone you have ever known or heard of, ever offered a prayer that lasted all day long? Whatever answer you just gave, you can now say, at least that: "I have read in the Book of Enos, one of the books within the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, that Enos, the son or grandson of the prophet Jacob, son of Father Lehi, did that very thing. Enos' prayer lasted all day long! All - day - long!!

Enos 1: 1 BEHOLD, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it—

2 And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before
God, before I received a remission of my sins.

3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.

4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.

6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.

7 And I said: Lord, how is it done?

8 And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.

You have read all the verses above so you should know that the end result of Enos' prayer more than justified the time and effort that went into it, isn't that so? To help each of you, and me too, to learn to pray as devotedly as Brother Enos, I suggest that we come to understand better the various elements of his prayer.

With your patience, I'm going to ask you a number of specific questions in order to assist you to really learn from the Book of Mormon, special and very helpful passages that make up TODAY'S THEME. You can obtain each answer to my questions listed below by re-reading the scripture used in that Theme above as I guide you through it. Please find a pen or pencil and a 8 1/2 by 11 inch piece of paper to use, and something to lay it on. It won't take long and may really help you. The specific instructions I give you will ease your answering. Do it!

1. The memory of whose words? (in verse 3) caused that Enos' "soul hungered" so much so that he knelt down before his maker (God) thus giving up the hunting he obviously had planned for at least part of the day, to pray all day long? Just write your answer to this question down on your piece of paper. Your notes will be just for your own use.
2. What was the subject of the words Enos had heard his father speak; words so powerful that they "sunk deep into my heart?" Please write on your note paper the exact eight words Enos mentioned. The answer is found in verse 3 of the scripture. They follow the word, "concerning".
3. Please also read verse 5 of the scripture above to learn what the outcome of Enos' day-long prayer was. Please write that down on your note paper you have been using. There are eleven words, the first of which is: Enos,
4. In the Lord's words to Enos, what was it that brought about the answer He gave to Enos' prayer? A clue: this answer can be found at the beginning of verse 8. There are four words, with the first of them being: thy. Again, please write that down on your piece of paper.
5. You have just learned about the result of Enos' faith. Look at your answer just above in paragraph#4 to review that. What two reasons did the Lord give Enos for that belief being a challenging act of faith? There are 21 words in verse 8 telling us that, beginning with the word, whom and ending with the word flesh; Please write out on your paper this very important answer to that question.
6. What action word does Enos use to describe his prayer? This action noun starts with a,"w". It is the eighth word in verse 2. Again, please write down your answer on your paper!
7. What is your opinion as to why Enos used that word that began with a "w" to describe his prayer? First, think that question through. Please then, write down your answer!
8. Have you ever prayed in a way so that word that begins with a "w" would apply to your prayer? It should be easy for you to answer this question because you know how you pray. Please write your answer on your paper.
9. One final question for you to answer on your piece of paper. Consider listing, for your own use only, the changes you now plan to make in your personal style of praying. I wouldn't expect you to list - "Day-long" or even - "long" prayers." I think that the length of Enos's prayer came from the intensity of the deep-set feelings he was experiencing.

I hope that this set of questions I just assigned you to answer in the first part of this blog post, proves to be a help and a blessing to you. You can thank the Prophet Enos for that and also our Lord Jesus Christ for providing, through His prophets, the The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, for us to use in learning to live in His ways.

The remaining eighteen verses of this account written by the Prophet, Enos, are very significant and so I will comment briefly on each of the points that he makes in that portion of his book. You will see strong evidence that Enos was functioning with the Gift of Prophecy and Revelation.

It is my opinion that it was only after the forgiveness of Enos' sins that he possessed the Spirit of God sufficiently to possess and use the Gift of Prophecy and Revelation as do all prophets and worthy members of Jesus' Church who have the necessary confidence and faith.

Before I help you analyze the last 18 verses of the Book of Enos, please read and listen to all 27 verses of this very short book all together in one reading. Enos 1:1-27


Now, please read through my following outline of what you just read and listened to in the final 18 verses of this short book.

1. After Enos' sins had been forgiven and he felt an imcomparable love for his (and our) Savior Jesus Christ, he plead to Him for the welfare of his brethren, the Nephites. (in verse 9)
2. Then, beginning in verse 11 he plead for the welfare of the Lamanites, his unbelieving relatives.
3. In verse 13 Enos makes an inspired special request of the Lord: "if it should so be, that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means be destroyed, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God would would preserve a record of my people, (The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ These highlighted words are my words of clarification.) which would perhaps bring the Lamanites unto salvation." Please note Enos' word, perhaps. You blog readers who are already members of His church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, may have had, already, along with me, opportunities to reach out to the Lamanites of our day. I suggest that the word, perhaps, would be the best word to use. After all, it is a matter of free-agency for someone to believe in and accept the Lord's truth when it is presented to them. However, here is a very favorite quote of mine from the Doctrine and Covenants.

   D. and C.49:24 But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose.

   In verse 18 the Lord tells Enos that his request (regarding the Book of Mormon being brought to the Lamanites in the Latter-days) was something Enos' fathers "also have required of me." Prophetic inspiration for sure on Enos' part!
4. Enos summarized all of the difficulties he and his people experienced for the rest of his life with their relatives, the Lamanites.

In the last verse of his book, Enos rejoices "in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality," (through the resurrection brought about for all of us by Jesus Christ)

". . .and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me; Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen."



Jesus Christ the Son of God -by Heinrich Hoffman



Now, after having studied all of this wonderful scripture from the Book of Enos, I feel the strong impulse to allow you to read once again the cockeyed opinion of Professor Alex Caldiero of Utah Valley University regarding the source of the Book of Mormon. I use the words, "cockeyed opinion" because that is what it is to claim that which he claims in the quote below. As I have written before, I derived the title of this blog (Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?) from that incorrect opinion of that poet and scholar from right here in Utah. It is quoted from a PBS Video, "The Mormons" shown in May of 2007 on prime-time television. I have quoted it a number of times in this blog, the last time being in my post 35f.

Professor Alex Caldiero

"I hear Joseph Smith's voice every time I read it (The Book of Mormon). He was a farmer. He was young. He was unlettered and he put this all together. So you have this rough hewn kind of text ..." Alex Caldiero, poet and scholar, Utah Valley University. (clarification added)

The Book of Enos is an example of a spiritual historic account of a true experience of an ancient Hebrew transplant in Ancient America, who truly testified of Jesus Christ!

____________

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 OPEN 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 Open), When You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Click on Either One of the Following: Enos, The Grandson of Father Lehi Testifies of Jesus Christ; - Post 35b; Post 35i; 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 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: http://varsinaisella.blogspot.com/ Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

35h - The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The Strong Testimony of Jacob, Fifth Son of Father Lehi.

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

****

TODAY'S THEME

Jacob 1:7 Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest, lest by any means he should swear in his wrath they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness. *

8 Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men not to rebel against God, to provoke him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world; wherefore, I, Jacob, take it upon me to fulfil the commandment of my brother Nephi. (emphasis added)



Moses Ask the Children of Israel to Gaze at the Brazen Serpent -by Judith Mehr



You may remember my using the picture above at the beginning of post 35e. I would like you to focus specifically on something in it that I didn't point out in that post.

Please notice that just beyond Moses there are members of the House of Israel who have turned and are walking away from him and the others who have fixed their eyes upon the brazen serpent toward which Moses is raising his right arm.

We must remember that those who were following Moses' instructions by staring at the brazen serpent which represented the sacrifice of Jesus Christ the Son of God, were healed from the effects of the bites of the poisonous serpents while those who refused to follow Moses' instructions were walking away only to soon die from the poisonous bites they had suffered.

Here is an important question I would like each of us, you and me, to ask ourselves: By what we have now been doing regarding keeping the commandments of our Savior, Jesus Christ, to which of the two groups of people depicted in the picture above do we belong? We owe it to ourselves and to our family members who love us, to be completely honest. Then we each need to live as we know we should live, without hesitating!

The following is additional testimony regarding Jesus Christ along with teachings about His gospel, by Jacob, the fifth son of Lehi and younger brother to Nephi. He certainly was one of Lehi's righteous and believing sons:

II Nephi 9:40 O, my beloved brethren, give ear to my words. Remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel. Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will revile against the truth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken.

41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.

43 But the things of the wise and the prudent shall be hid from them forever—yea, that happiness which is prepared for the saints.

There again was Jacob's strong witness of the Son of God, Jesus Christ and of the importance of following Him. Now here is the last quote of Jacob's testifying I will give you in this post. Please feel the power and truthfulness of his testimony. Please also note the accuracy of his prophecy.

II Nephi 10:1 AND now I, Jacob, speak unto you again, my beloved brethren, concerning this righteous branch of which I have spoken.

2 For behold, the promises which we have obtained are promises unto us according to the flesh; wherefore, as it has been shown unto me that many of our children shall perish in the flesh because of unbelief, nevertheless, God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be restored, that they may come to that which will give them the true knowledge of their Redeemer.

3 Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ—for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be his name—should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him—for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God.

4 For should the mighty miracles be wrought among other nations they would repent, and know that he be their God.

5 But because of priestcrafts and iniquities, they at Jerusalem will stiffen their necks against him, that he be crucified.

Thank you Jacob! Thank you dear readers for trusting me to review correctly, important teachings of a prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ which will benefit both you and me.

Here is the Mormon Messages Gallery from which you can select a video which appears to meet your particular needs.

 Following the asterisk * I inserted in TODAY'S THEME down to the asterisk you have just seen in this sentence, you will learn some additional key information if you have time now or perhaps you might return later.

I inserted the asterisk in TODAY'S THEME where Jacob had referred to: "as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness." Now if you were wondering how Father Lehi's family could know about such Old Testament information, long before the Old Testament had been put together as a book, I would like you to know that Jacob and all of his father, Lehi's family possessed many of the same books which are in our Old Testament along with a significant number of additional books we know not of. These scriptures had a significant influence on Lehi, his believing children and on their posterity.

Lehi and his family were able to bring that set of scriptures with them to their promised land in Ancient America only by the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord. They were even assisted by a holy angel. The key to their eventual success was the faith and determination of Nephi, Lehi's fourth son along with the support of his brother, just older than him, Sam. The four brothers endured incredible difficulties by going back to Jerusalem where they finally, through much tribulation, were able to obtain the Plates of Brass on which the inspired records where engraven.

You may want to come back to these scriptural links later. You may already be familiar with them, but if not, here are the three scriptures to read I Nephi, chapters 3, 4 and 5. If you haven't read them before you will be surprised how fascinating is Nephi's account of this challenging task he and his brother, Sam faced bravely.

I Nephi 3:1-31

I Nephi 4:1-37

I Nephi 5:1-22

____________



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: Jacob, Brother of Nephi and Son of Lehi, Testified Powerfully of Christ. Post 35h. 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 Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)

____________

"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
_____________

I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.
I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

35g - In The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, The Prophet Nephi Teaches Us About the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation!

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

****

TODAY'S THEME

II Nephi 33: 1 AND now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.

2 But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught.

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.

8 I have charity for the Jew—I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came.

9 I also have charity for the Gentiles. But behold, for
none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation.

10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words (words given to the Prophet Nephi through the Power of the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation) and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.

11 And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness.

12 And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day.

13 And now, my beloved brethren, all those who are of the house of Israel, and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust: Farewell until that great day shall come.

14 And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day.

15 For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen. (explanation and emphasis added)

Those are the last recorded words in the Book of Mormon of the Prophet, Nephi, fourth son of Lehi; the one after whom the Nephite nation was named. His words are very meaningful as you can easily see. Along with the words of testimony pronounced by his father, Lehi, they set the stage for a long list of testimonies of Jesus Christ of prophets who are descended from them which we will consider one or two at a time in future posts.

However, before finishing this post I would like you to read an earlier admonition of Nephi's that may be one that some of you may possibly want to consider:



John Baptizing Jesus -By Harry Anderson

II Nephi 31: 5 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!

6 And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?

7 Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.

8 Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove.

9 And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.

10 And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

11 And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.

12 And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.

13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel. (emphasis added)

Now, hold on just a minute! I anticipate that some of you will question how Nephi, who lived six centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, could speak of things that we learned from the New Testament written not long after Jesus' resurrection.

If you did question that, please be patient with me while I help you understand how Nephi could do that. Understanding that comes right back to a very key principal of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Gift of the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation. Now I quote the Apostle, John (The Beloved):

Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (emphasis added)

There are many scriptural examples where the followers of Jesus Christ, both in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon and also in additional modern-day scriptures, brought about through the instrumentality of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have identified future important events by this spiritual gift. Here is one example that comes to mind. It comes from the Old Testament book of Isaiah.



Isaiah Writes of Christ's Birth -by Harry Anderson

In Isaiah CHAPTER 5, Isaiah speaks Messianically—Messiah's humiliation and sufferings set forth—He makes his soul an offering for sin and makes intercession for transgressors—Compare with (in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ) Mosiah 14.

Isaiah 5:1 WHO hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 ¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 ¶ Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Now we go back to another portion of the second quote from the Prophet Nephi above:

II Nephi 31: 10 And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

11 And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.

12 And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, (Which conveys into our hearts and minds The Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation) like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.

13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel. (emphasis added)

Baptism (a young man and a young lady)

Receiving the Gift

of the Holy Ghost

In the next post, 35h, we will review the words of testimony of Jesus Christ written by Jacob, fourth son of Father Lehi.

_______________

Before ending this post I give you the opportunity of experiencing a YouTube Video, "Why Mormons Build Temples" which was the Tenth most viewed YouTube Video shown the day it was first shown. It is very well done. I agree 100% with everything in it. I particularly appreciate what was said in it about the importance of revelation which is a key subject discussed in this post.

Along with excellent comments of LDS General Authorities, I also enjoyed the positive comments of a non LDS professor from Harvard University and a Protestant minister from Sweden. Please view it. Please consider e-mailing me to let me know how you felt about your experience in viewing it. Also, feel free to respond to the You Tube request for your reactions to it. (When the video has ended, please return to this post. Thank you.) Please click now on the following:

“Why Mormons Build Temples”

My e-mail address is found below if you want to contact me. I will keep your e-mail address private if you choose to e-mail me.
____________



DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.


___________


TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Decide To Access): After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up and Click on this: Nephi, The Son of Lehi, Testified of the Baptism of Christ. . .Post -35g When the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

____________


"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.

_____________


I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.

I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish:  Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch