37a - Mormon and Moroni Were Assigned by Jesus Christ to Prepare the Book of Mormon for Future Translation - Moroni's Role #1

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TODAY'S THEME

Moroni's Role in the Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ

The Mortal Moroni Burying the Plates of Gold -by Tom Lovell

After Moroni's father, Mormon had finished his abridgement work with the writings he had etched onto the Golden Plates which he had provided so as to ensure that the precious writings on them would endure the ravages of time and the elements buried underground (from approximately A.D. 421 to A.D. 1823), he, Mormon, then entrusted those the golden plates containing the sacred writings, to his faithful son, Moroni.

Look again at the artist's depiction of Moroni preparing to bury the sacred records from which the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, was recorded in "reformed" Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Notice that Moroni was praying before he buried the plates. That is an illustration of the special devotion Moroni had to this very important project his dear father had entrusted him with. A dedicated man of faith and action - this Moroni, son of Mormon and a prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Both father and son, were prophets of the Resurrected Jesus Christ and testified by the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation of the realities contained in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His being the Son of God, The Savior of Those who believe in and are faithful to Him.

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.

This is something all of the prophets, in all ages of time possessed, including Moroni and his father, Mormon, two very special and significant prophets who wrote to all of those who seek to know Jesus Christ.

I now provide you the very special opportunity of reading the words with which Moroni ends the sub-book named by his father and him, "The Book of Mormon." These are mighty and spiritual words directed to "those who do not believe in Christ" and calls them to repentence.

If you perhaps fit the category of readers mentioned in the highlighted quote, two lines above, please consider saying a silent prayer in your heart asking Your Heavenly Father to open your mind and heart and to forgive you of your sins and allow the Spirit of the Lord to penetrate you to your very soul and assure you that which you will now have the opportunity of reading and listening to, are the inspired words that will assure you with great spiritual impact so you will know that Jesus Christ is your living Savior.

Please read (and listen to) the following chapter:

Mormon 9:1-37

After you prayed as suggested by me above you may have received the special witness you may have asked for. If you did ask for it, but did not receive the the witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, allow yourself to, in time, be humbled until you have "a broken heart and a contrite spirit" which will have prepared you to receive that witness. That may require you to study the entire Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ and even requesting that full-time missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ come to teach you in your home or apartment. If you do not know how to contact them please use my e-mail found in the final section of this post.

Let me know the name of the city in which you live, and the state or region of the country in which it is located. If you request that of me by e-mail, I will send you the phone number and address of the nearest LDS Mission office to where you live. I will e-mail you soon after receiving your e-mail giving you the information you will need to contact the nearest LDS Mission office to you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone including the LDS missionaries. That is my sure word.

I will end this post about Moroni's role in bringing forth the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ by quoting in its entirety the Title page of that Book. It was written by Moroni.

THE
BOOK OF MORMON

AN ACCOUNT WRITTEN BY

THE HAND OF MORMON

UPON PLATES
TAKEN FROM THE PLATES OF NEPHI

Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile—Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof—Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile—The interpretation thereof by the gift of God.

An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether also, which is a record of the people of Jared, who were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, when they were building a tower to get to heaven—Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations—And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.

TRANSLATED BY JOSEPH SMITH, JUN.Published by
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
1988
First English edition published in 1830

Painting: Tom Lovell




The Angel Moroni Visits Young Joseph Smith in his upstairs bedroom -by Tom Lovell



This is another painting done by the same LDS artist who painted the lead painting, depicting this time the resurrected Moroni appearing to the young Joseph Smith in his small upstairs bedroom in the Smith farm home in upstate New York during the night of September 21, 1823.

As shown by Moroni's experience there is actually a resurrection for each of us. Because of his righteousness during his earthly life and his assignment along with his father, Mormon, regarding the Book of Mormon, Moroni is an example of how our existence and even our responsibilities in God's work can continue on after death.

In this series 37, of which this post is the first, I will feature Moroni and some more of his work with the Book of Mormon later after featuring his father, Mormon beginning with my next blog post.

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Mormon Messages

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

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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or An Item Which Refers To Any Other Blog Post You May Desire To Access): After Reading All of This Paragraph Please Click on the Following: Mormon and Moroni were Assigned by Jesus Christ to Prepare . . .  -Post 37a. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To A Little Boy, Please, Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use The Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)

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

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

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

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

Neil Birch

36i - Jesus Christ Teaches the Nephites that Tithing is His Law in All Times - Taught in the Book of Mormon for us in our Day

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TODAY'S THEME

The Lord's Law of the Tithe - Our Obligation Which Brings Manifold Blessings When We Obey it. Our ward bishop is the Lord's steward in this important matter.

Doctrine and Covenants 119:4 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.

Paying a full and honest tithe is a basic requirement in order to be a worthy member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is just one of many obligations the Lord expects of His Saints. By much experience members of this church learn that paying an honest and full tithing brings blessings of all kinds, often way beyond what they ever hoped for.

Tithing is not a requirement of the Lord just for our day and time. It actually has been a basic requirement of God since man's beginning on the Earth.

Genesis 14:
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. (Emphasis Added)

And in addition:

Leviticus 27:30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD. (Emphasis Added)

And again:

2 Chronicles 31: 5 ¶ And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the fields; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.

6 And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the LORD their God, and laid them by heaps.

7 In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month.

8 And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD, and his people Israel.

9 Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.

10 And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings (Tithing) into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store. (emphasis and clarification added)

In the just previous post I promised to have you study 3 Nephi, Chapter 24 which is about tithing, in this post. I have already commenced teaching about tithing using scriptures from the Doctrine and Covenants and the Old Testament.

So now we come to 3 Nephi, Chapter 24: These are the words of Malachi, whose book is found in our Old Testament but was not in the Nephites' Brass Plates (their version of the Old Testament). The Resurrected Jesus Christ quoted the following to the Nephites. As I mentioned earlier, Malachi's book was not in the Nephite's version of the Old Testament because Father Lehi and his family left Jerusalem at the command of the Lord before Malachi's time.

3 Nephi 24:9 Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the fields, saith the Lord of
Hosts.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed, for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of Hosts. (emphasis added)

I want you to know my personal experience with paying tithing. With their mother, I raised a large family of nine children, (five daughters and four sons.)

I was employed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for about 34 years before retiring. I loved the work I did. I didn't expect the salary to to be comparable to that which I could have earned working for a large business or even for the government. Nonetheless, we paid a full tithing. If we ever got behind, we eventually got caught up. I know personally that the blessings that come from paying a full and honest tithing are like we were told above in:

2 Chronicles: 31:10 . . . Since the people began to bring the offerings (Tithing) into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people;

1. Missionaries pay almost all of their own ongoing mission costs (Young male missionaries serve for two years (young female missionaries serve for one and a half years) They pay for their expenses from their own savings and from funds provided them by family and friends. Tithing pays for their travel (this includes the travel of older missionary married couples) to and from their missions and administrative mission costs, etc.







2. The planning, construction of and maintenance of the almost one hundred and forty six temples which are for the most part already built, are paid for by tithing funds. We have seen in a recent blog post of mine what great blessings come to not only Church members from the availability of these temples, but also to their dead ancestors who are "alive" in the World of Spirits.

1. and 2. Washington, D.C. and Buenos Aires, Argentina Temples

3. and 4 Preston, England and Manila, Philippines Temples



If you would like to view pictures of the LDS Church's Temples Built Since the Church Began You can do so here:  Temple Slide Show


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



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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or An Item Which Refers To Any Other Blog Post You May Desire To Access): After Reading All of This Paragraph Please Click on the Following: Tithing is the Lord's Law In All Times. . .- Post 36i. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, Please, Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use The Alphabetic Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)

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

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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

36h - Jesus Christ prophesys that Elijah will Appear to His Church in Our Day - Book of Mormon Prophecies are Fulfilled in Our Day

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TODAY'S THEME



The Prophet Elijah Appearing in the Kirtland, Ohio LDS Temple April 3, 1836 -by Dan Lewis

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)

In the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, we read the following report about something our Resurrected Savior Jesus Christ commanded the Nephites living in Meso-America to write: (AD 34)

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—

3Nephi Chapter 24:1 AND it came to pass that he commanded them that they should write the words which the Father had given unto Malachi, which he should tell unto them. And it came to pass that after they were written he expounded them. . . (emphasis added)

The Nephites, of course, did not have the prophecies of Malachi because he was born and served his ministry after Father Lehi had left Jerusalem in 600 BC. Malachi's prophecies therefore could not have been recorded on the Plates of Brass which their ancestor, Lehi, brought with him when he journeyed to the Western Hemisphere.

In my next post I will deal with some of that which Malachi taught that is recorded in 3 Nephi 24. For now we will deal with what is recorded in the following chapter of 3 Nephi:

Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi Chapter 25 Chapter Heading: At the Second Coming the proud and wicked shall be burned as stubble—Elijah shall return before that great and dreadful day—(Compare Malachi 4. About A.D. 34)

1 FOR behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

2 But unto you that fear my name, shall the Son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves in the stall.

3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of Hosts.

4 Remember ye the law of Moses, my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

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. (emphasis added)

The key words of that scripture above, which from my point of view, fit TODAY'S THEME, I have marked in red.

President Joseph F. Smith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1918 revealed this about what the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished in his spirit body in the world of spirits between His death and resurrection.

You may want to use the Listen feature of this scripture: D. and  C. 138:

There are things I desire to comment on about which you have just read. The prophet Joseph F. Smith who received that revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ, was a nephew to Joseph Smith, Jr. the first prophet of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in what can be referred to as the "Latter-days."

What was taught in that scripture can give all of us bright hope which could remove our concern about family members we feel died without being qualified to be raised in the resurrection of the righteous about which Alma, the Nephite Prophet, taught us in my just previous post. That which you have just read in D. and C. 138 is surely calculated to turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers.

That concern mentioned in the previous paragraph may possibly be extended to yourselves and your living family members. All of you can still be taught the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and become members of His authorized church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and then seek to have the priesthood ordinances (such as baptism and granting the Gift of the Holy Ghost) done for your deceased ancestors.

The following inspired words taken from the scriptural link you have just read, can help you to relieve your concerns about your deceased ancestors not having had the opportunity to be taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and its ordinances during their lifetimes.

As we just learned from this revelation, your deceased family members and all your ancestors can be taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ by His representatives on the other side of the veil.

If you have personally received all the necessary Gospel ordinances (such as baptism by immersion) yourselves, you can do your deceased loved ones' ordinances for them on their behalf, or you can allow Temple worthy LDS members you may or may not know personally, do these ordinances on their behalf. We call these: vicarious temple ordinances.There most likely is an LDS Temple (often referred to as The House of the Lord) available not too far from where you live. There are according to my count, 146 temples throughout the earth, including those presently under construction and those which are in the planning stages. Here is a map which will assist you knowing where in the worlds they are each located: directory map



Oquirrh Mountain Utah LDS Temple - South Jordan, Utah

 The revelation (D. and C. 138) you read today significantly adds directly to the pertinent information given by the Book of Mormon prophet, Alma the Younger regarding the resurrection of the dead which we studied in my just previous post.I will next tell you about an experience related to the above scripture, my wife and I enjoyed the day before this post was published.

My wife and I along with one of my wife's sons and his wife and three school-aged children, attended an open house of the LDS Church's newest temple, which is shown in the official LDS Temple photo above.

Melva and I have attended other temple open houses and have both witnessed something at this Temple Open House that we also had witnessed at each of the other temple open houses we have attended: There were a good number of parents with children of all ages there, some were LDS members but others were not. The guides did not ask for reverence there. It just seemed to come automatically.

Even the youngest children appeared to sense somehow the special spirit in that holy place. There was no acting out, no rudeness to one another, actually, no crying by any of them.

The guides were very kind and very willingly answered our questions and helped us with things we needed, like finding an elevator or a restroom. If you had been there with us I'm certain you would have made the same observations as we did. It wasn't the beautiful new temple or the helpful guides that kept everyone peaceful, including young children and babies, it was the spirit that could be actually felt that is a part of that building in some wonderful way.

I have heard others, including non-LDS friends, say the very same thing about the childrens' demeanor, as well of that of the adults, at these open houses. We were being led through the entire structure which took about an hour and a half. This included viewing a video in which LDS leaders explained temple matters.

This video will expand upon what I have telling you thus far in this post:

36g - Alma the Younger, in the Book of Alma, a Book Found in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Tells Us By the Means of the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation What We Need to Know About the Resurrection From the Dead.

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TODAY'S THEME



Grieving for Lost Loved Ones - A Part of Life -Oil Painting: Robert Reid, 1888



They Who Loved Him Grieved the Death of Jesus -By Carl Heinrich Bloch



Why Weepest Thou -By Simon Dewey



Jesus' Resurrection, the First of all Resurrections, Brought Great Joy Where Once There Was Great Sorrow

The Prophet, Alma the Younger taught the Lord's Word regarding the Resurrection of the Dead:

You will notice in the scripture I have quoted below, that I have highlighted things which I feel are particularly important for you and I to know. I would encourage you to focus on those verses. Please try to identify those things in your life which you need to begin doing or need to stop doing which would help qualify you to be resurrected with the righteous and not with the unrighteous.

Book of Mormon, Alma 40:1 NOW my son, here is somewhat more I would say unto thee; for I perceive that thy mind is worried concerning the resurrection of the dead.

2 Behold, I say unto you, that there is no resurrection—or, I would say, in other words, that this mortal does not put on immortality, this corruption does not put on incorruption—until after the coming of Christ.

3 Behold, he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead. But behold, my son, the resurrection is not yet. Now, I unfold unto you a mystery; nevertheless, there are many mysteries which are kept, that no one knoweth them save God himself. But I show unto you one thing which I have inquired diligently of God that I might know—that is concerning the resurrection.

4 Behold, there is a time appointed that all shall come forth from the dead. Now when this time cometh no one knows; but God knoweth the time which is appointed.

5 Now, whether there shall be one time, or a second time, or a third time, that men shall come forth from the dead, it mattereth not; for God knoweth all these things; and it sufficeth me to know that this is the case—that there is a time appointed that all shall rise from the dead.

6 Now there must needs be a space betwixt the time of death and the time of the resurrection.

7 And now I would inquire what becometh of the souls of men from this time of death to the time appointed for the resurrection?

8 Now whether there is more than one time appointed for men to rise it mattereth not; for all do not die at once, and this mattereth not; all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men.

9 Therefore, there is a time appointed unto men that they shall rise from the dead; and there is a space between the time of death and the resurrection. And now, concerning this space of time, what becometh of the souls of men is the thing which I have inquired diligently of the Lord to know; and this is the thing of which I do know.

10 And when the time cometh when all shall rise, then shall they know that God knoweth all the times which are appointed unto man.

11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

13 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.

14 Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.

15 Now, there are some that have understood that this state of happiness and this state of misery of the soul, before the resurrection, was a first resurrection. Yea, I admit it may be termed a resurrection, the raising of the spirit or the soul and their consignation to happiness or misery, according to the words which have been spoken.

16 And behold, again it hath been spoken, that there is a first resurrection, a resurrection of all those who have been, or who are, or who shall be, down to the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

17 Now, we do not suppose that this first resurrection, which is spoken of in this manner, can be the resurrection of the souls and their consignation to happiness or misery. Ye cannot suppose that this is what it meaneth.

18 Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but it meaneth the reuniting of the soul with the body, of those from the days of Adam down to the resurrection of Christ.

19 Now, whether the souls and the bodies of those of whom has been spoken shall all be reunited at once, the wicked as well as the righteous, I do not say; let it suffice, that I say that they all come forth; or in other words, their resurrection cometh to pass before the resurrection of those who die after the resurrection of Christ. (Please see the FOOTNOTE below!)

20 Now, my son, I do not say that their resurrection cometh at the resurrection of Christ; but behold, I give it as my opinion, that the souls and the bodies are reunited, of the righteous, at the resurrection of Christ, and his ascension into heaven.

21 But whether it be at his resurrection or after, I do not say; but this much I say, that there is a space between death and the resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or in misery until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works.

22 Yea, this bringeth about the restoration of those things of which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets.

23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.

24 And now, my son, this is the restoration of which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets—

25 And then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of God.

26 But behold, an awful death cometh upon the wicked; for they die as to things pertaining to things of righteousness; for they are unclean, and no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God; but they are cast out, and consigned to partake of the fruits of their labors or their works, which have been evil; and they drink the dregs of a bitter cup. (Emphasis and Instruction Added)



Alma the Younger and the Four Sons of King Mosiah are Reprimanded by an Angel of God -by Gary Kapp



Alma the Younger, whose father (who was a prophet) and also named Alma, had earlier in his life felt pain and anguish as extremely as one can possibly feel when he and his closest associates in doing evil were rebuked by an Angel. This was a direct answer to the prayers of Alma, his father.

Here is a part of what Alma the Younger had to say about that phase of his life:

Alma 36: 17 And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.

18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.

19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.

20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

In my opinion, and I'd have to think that you'd agree with me, the words of Alma you have studied (in blue above) are much more believable and credible after learning that such a great change took place in Alma after he had allowed the atonement of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer to take away his great guilt and anguish. We thus know Alma believed in Christ! That kind of a change can take place in each of us too.

Before ending this post I'd like each of you to accept an assignment from me. Please make a private list of all the things you need to change in your life or even just begin such a list. Doing this could help you to become qualified for the resurrection of the righteous about which Alma taught us. Using such a list to help you increase your righteousness will most likely help you live as righteously as possible and know you have been forgiven as Alma did. This assignment is just for your benefit, and of course as you carry through in making those changes, that will eventually benefit those who love you so much, your family.

FOOTNOTE: It is reported in the following scripture that the recently resurrected  Jesus Christ (in A.D.34, (His was the very first of all resurrections as you will remember) asked an extremely important question of His Nephite apostles during a visit with them in Central America near their temple in the Land Bountiful. 

3Nephi 23:9 Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so?

10 And his disciples answered him and said: Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy according to thy words, and they were all fulfilled.

11 And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them?(emphasis added)

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



____________


TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: The Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation Guided the Younger Prophet Alma to Understand and Describe the Resurrection of the Dead -Post 36g. 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 in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog.

Neil Birch

36f - Zenos Saw Far Into the Future, - Part 2 - Book of Mormon Prophecies are Fulfilled in Our Day

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

My Father's House -by Al Rounds

I believe the hill in the foreground of this painting of the temple in Jerusalem as it was at the time our Savior, Jesus Christ was serving His mortal mission, is the Mount of Olives spoken of in the New Testament. This is an illustration of how olive orchards were an important life of the Jewish people for ages.

I chose this painting to begin TODAY'S THEME because I promised at the end of my previous post to show how the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees given by the ancient prophet, Zenos, which is recorded in Chapter Five of the Book of Jacob in the Book of Mormon, applies to each of us today.

If you have not yet read my previous post let me give you the scripture that was covered in that so you can read it in its entirety. Those of you have read it before may choose to read (and listen) to it again, now.
Jacob 5:1-77

Zenos, in his allegory, through the spirit of prophecy and revelation tells us about things that were to happen in the future, but of course, to us they are mostly things of the past. They actually happened or are happening now or will happen in the not too distant future.

I will only touch lightly on most of the things this allegory tells us will take place that have already taken place.

It tells us figuratively that the Gentiles shall be grafted into the House of Israel. That, of course happened beginning with the Apostle Peter as he was given a dream that helped him accept his and the other apostles responsibility of teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. In that case Peter was inspired to teach the Gospel to a righteous Gentile, Cornelius, a Roman Centurion.

The allegory takes us through many twists and turns of history and even of the not so distant future, none of which is yet fully known. I would only be guessing if I tried to relate everything that Zenos included in his allegory to actual historic people and events. However, one part of it is quite clear to those who know the Book of Mormon well.

Jacob 5: 25 And he said unto the servant: Look hither and behold the last. Behold, this have I planted in a good spot of ground; and I have nourished it this long time, and only a part of the tree hath brought forth tame fruit, and the other part of the tree hath brought forth wild fruit; behold, I have nourished this tree like unto the others. (emphasis added)

That is very clearly a reference to the Nephite and Lamanite nations which were led by the Lord (The Master of the Vineyard) to the Western Hemisphere. More is said in later verses of Chapter Five about that particular "Olive tree."

You probably will agree with me that the message of Zenos' allegory is that the Lord loves the House of Israel because it, when it is righteous, brings forth good works which is really pleasing to Him.

The message is also there that He equally loves those Gentiles who are grafted into the House of Israel and bring forth the fruit which is most precious unto Him.

I now quote verses 76 and 77 of Chapter 5 of the Book of Jacob

76 For behold, for a long time will I lay up of the fruit of my vineyard unto mine own self against the season, which speedily cometh; and for the last time have I nourished my vineyard, and pruned it, and dug about it, and dunged it; wherefore I will lay up unto mine own self of the fruit, for a long time, according to that which I have spoken.

77 And when the time cometh that evil fruit shall again come into my vineyard, then will I cause the good and the bad to be gathered; and the good will I preserve unto myself, and the bad will I cast away into its own place. And then cometh the season and the end; and my vineyard will I cause to be burned with fire. (emphasis added)

Now, please read the words of verse 61 - 65 of Chapter 5:

61 Wherefore, go to, and call servants, that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard, that we may prepare the way, that I may bring forth again the natural fruit, which natural fruit is good and the most precious above all other fruit.

62 Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time, for behold the end draweth nigh, and this is for the last time that I shall prune my vineyard.

63 Graft in the branches; begin at the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last, and dig about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last; and the last and the first, that all may be nourished once again for the last time.

64 Wherefore, dig about them, and prune them, and dung them once more, for the last time, for the end draweth nigh. And if it be so that these last grafts shall grow, and bring forth the
natural fruit, then shall ye prepare the way for them, that they may grow.

65 And as they begin to grow ye shall clear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit, according to the strength of the good and the size thereof; and ye shall not clear away the bad thereof all at once, lest the roots thereof should be too strong for the graft, and the graft thereof shall perish, and I lose the trees of my vineyard. (emphasis added)

In our day, the Lord Jesus Christ has re-established His church and has called prophets and apostles to lead it. They are certainly among those "servants" mentioned in verse 61 above. They are doing much to forward the Lord's work in our day.









President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Of The First Presidency and Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

"God Is Love" (inscribed at church) LDS Church News, June 13, 2009
By Elder Darvel Gregory and Sister Kathryn Gregory - Europe East Area senior couple missionaries.

Among the many visits and addresses by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Elder Neil L. Andersen while in Russia and Ukraine in late May and early June was a visit to the Central Baptist Church in Moscow. Here fifty years ago in October 1959, another apostle, Ezra Taft Benson, then serving as Secretary of Agriculture in the U.S. Administration, spoke at a meeting of Christian believers.

On Tuesday, June 2, President Uchtdorf and Elder Andersen were welcomed by Vitaly Vlasenko, the director of external relations for the Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists of Russia, and Pastor Sergey Zolotarovsky.

The guests were given a tour of the 200-year-old building that has been home to the Baptist congregation since 1917. They stood at the pulpit where Elder Benson spoke cast against the backdrop of words "God Is Love," and looked out over the balcony and main hall where nearly 1,000 Christian believers listened to words of encouragement and testimony during Soviet times.

After the tour, guests and hosts held an informal meeting to share experiences and discuss topics of common interest to the members of these two minority religions in Russia. President Uchtdorf asked Pastor Zoloarovsky about his experience as a Christian. Pastor Zolotarovsky said that he was baptized in 1971 when it was difficult to be a believer. He shared how Christians were often denied educational and employment opportunities. President Uchtdeorf commended them for their faith and explained that such has also been the case with Latter-day Saints.

President Uchtdorf shared his feelings about the wars and discord of the past that have brought sorrow and suffering to the people of Russia and Ukraine.

"Fortunately, those times are in the past," he said. "Today, there is greater unity. With Jesus Christ as our Savior we can all be united and serve Him. We have different doctrines, but we all believe in God, and believing in the goodness of the people unites us."

President Uchtdorf introduced Elder Alekandr N. Manzhos and Elder Sergiy N. Mikulin, Area Seventies, and shared their background and Church experience. It was agreed that there are common issues on which the two Christian faiths can work together and that the meeting was the beginning of a longer relationship.

 

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That was just a small sample of the work being done throughout the world by the Lord's Latter-day servants which is in fulfillment of Zenos' prophecy given to us in the Book of Mormon by the prophet Jacob, son of Lehi.

I will now quote for you one of my favorite scriptures. In this verse the Lord is not using the terms used in Zenos' allegory, yet He is telling us basically that which is expressed by Zenos regarding the Lord of the Vineyard's love for the fruit of His olive trees.

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. (emphasis added)

As I have indicated in the just previous post I will be helping you to see how this inspired allegory applies to us now in our day! The last verse of Zenos' allegory tells us that rather directly.



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

Jacob 5:77 And when the time cometh that evil fruit shall again come into my vineyard, then will I cause the good and the bad to be gathered; and the good will I preserve unto myself, and the bad will I cast away into its own place. And then cometh the season and the end; and my vineyard will I cause to be burned with fire. (emphasis added)

Jesus Christ and the Hosts of Heaven descend to greet His Saints Who Have Been Saved from the Great Burning.

 

In preparation for the Lord to return with the angels of Heaven to begin the Great Millennium prophesied of by prophets since Adam's day, God's latter-day prophets and apostles whom He has called, are examples of those mentioned in verse 61 above. All faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can, through worthiness and effort be included as the servants mentioned in the allegory.

A Footnote to the Description of Olive Cultivation Found in Zenos's Allegory of the Tame and Wild Olive Trees:

To those who might claim that Joseph Smith or some other person from Nineteenth Century New England made up everything in the Book of Mormon I relate the following:

About twenty years ago while riding in a car from Salt Lake City to Sacramento, California with several people I knew and several I did not know before, one of the latter told us the following as we happened to be discussing the Book of Mormon: This middle-aged LDS lady told all of us that her husband, who was not with her at the time, was highly educated in matters agricultural. She said that he had specialized for a time on olive cultivation. They were from the Sacramento area of Northern California where there is a good amount of olive cultivation. She had often heard him tell how accurate the description in the Fifth Chapter of Jacob by the ancient prophet, Zenos is of how olive trees should be cultivated and handled from planting to harvesting and even to eventual disposal.

To me this stands as sure evidence that Joseph Smith and others in New England and New York in his time could not have made up that part of the Book of Mormon. The Fifth Chapter of Jacob was always a part of the Book of Mormon. Nothing of the basic account was ever added later.

I believe that the Neal A. Maxwell Institute of Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University at Provo, Utah has accumulated statements from other professional olive cultivators who verify the same thing, often providing verifiable details to back up their findings.

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


____________

TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or An Item Which Refers To Any Other Blog Post You May Desire To Access): After Reading All of This Paragraph Please Click on the Following: (The Ancient Prophet, Zenos' Prophecy Concerning the House of Israel . . .- Post 36f. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, Please, Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use The Alphabetic Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)

_____________

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

_____________

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

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

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

Neil Birch

36e Zenos Saw Far Into the Future - Book of Mormon Prophecies are Fulfilled in Our Day

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

We See the Families of Lehi and Ishmael as Their Ship Nears Land in What is Now Known as Central America -by Arnold Friberg

It is relatively easy for me to identify in this painting four individuals: Father Lehi and Mother Sariah, his wife. Standing to the right of Sariah would be their son, Nephi, the inspired builder of the ship. The young boy leaning on the ship's railings and standing to Nephi's right, in my opinion, would be Jacob, Lehi and Sariah's fifth son who was born on their long journey across the Arabian peninsula. Another son was born on that same journey, only he is younger than Jacob. His name was Joseph. I have mentioned Joseph in several posts, particularly in Post 36a, The Three Josephs.

I have tried to identify Jacob in that Friberg painting because he wrote the Book of Jacob contained in the small plates of Nephi (the first section of the Book of Mormon). In this post you will have the opportunity of reading Chapter 5 of Jacob's book.
This is the Chapter 5 Heading:

Jacob Chapter 5 Jacob quotes Zenos relative to the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees—They are a likeness of Israel and the gentiles—The scattering and gathering of Israel are prefigured—Allusions are made to the Nephites and Lamanites and all the house of Israel—Gentiles shall be grafted into Israel—Eventually the vineyard shall be burned. About 544–421 B.C. (emphasis added)

You will have noticed the name, Zenos which I have put in highlighted italics in the chapter heading above. The only scriptures we hear mentioned in the beginning of the Book of Mormon is the record contained on the Brass Plates of Laban, for which Lehi sent his four sons, Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi back to Jerusalem after they had been camped not far from the Red Sea, to obtain those scriptures from Laban, most likely a distant relative of theirs.

Laban was a descendant of Joseph, Who Was Sold Into Egypt as was Lehi and his family and as was Ishmael, a relative of Lehi's who was persuaded to bring along his family to go with Lehi and family out of troubled Jerusalem to a yet to be identified Promised Land. Lehi's sons married Ishmael's daughters as did Laban's servant who was obliged to come along too, but became very close to Nephi throughout his life.

The Brass plates contained many records which are found in our Old Testament. The Book of Isaiah is one of them. Look now back to the Jacob Chapter Five heading above to the name Zenos which I have highlighted in italics there. He was a prophet in what we would call Old Testament Times.

If you can easily locate your copy of the Old Testament, I suggest you look in its index for the name, Zenos.

You mean to tell me that you couldn't find such a name there? That must mean that there are books in the Brass Plates that Nephi obtained during his and his brothers' trip back to Jerusalem that are not found in our Old Testament. I just now checked in the index of my Finnish Bible, Raamattu, and that name was not found there either.

The fact is that the Lord has not yet given us access to the books in the Brass Plates of Laban so we can't access Zenos's writings anywhere except where it is referred to in the Book of Mormon and in this case, in the Book of Jacob, chapter Five.

To help prepare you for your reading Chapter Five of Jacob here is something I'd like you to read:

I found the following somewhere on the Internet. Particularly from the last paragraph above we learn that before the time of Father Lehi, Olive Cultivation had become a very important part of the culture of the Jews. Surely such was the case in the time of Zenos, the Jewish prophet.

"Beginning in 5000 B.C. And until 1400 B.C., olive cultivation spread from Crete to Syria, Palestine, and Israel; commercial networking and application of new knowledge then brought it to Southern Turkey, Cyprus, and Egypt. Until 1500 B.C., Greece—particularly Mycenae—was the area most heavily cultivated. with the expansion of the Greek colonies, olive culture reached Southern Italy and Northern Africa in the eighth century B.C., then spread into Southern France. Olive trees were planted in the entire Mediterranean basin under Roman rule.

According to the historian Pliny, Italy had "excellent olive oil at reasonable prices" by the first century A.C, "the best in the Mediterranean," he maintained."

"In the land of the Hebrews, King Solomon and King David placed great importance on the cultivation of olive trees; King David even had guards watching over the olive groves and warehouses, ensuring the safety of the trees and their precious oil." (emphasis added)



An Olive Grove -by Vincent Van Gogh

I now invite you to read and listen to Chapter Five of the Book of Jacob. It is an allegory so it is in a style you may not be used to. There are seventy seven verses. If you give it your full attention by both reading and listening at the same time, it will make much sense to you.

Jacob 5:1-77

I have decided to help you interpret Zenos' allegory given in Jacob, Chapter Five in my next post.

However, before doing so for a key purpose I now return to something I have referred to a number of times in this blog, beginning actually with Post 1.

In that post I told how in my viewing the Prime-time Video, "The Mormons" in May of 2007 it came home very forcibly to me that the people who prepared that video did not know as I know that Joseph Smith, under the divine gift of inspiration and guidance, translated an ancient record written in hieroglyphics into the English language.

The following is a quote from the video "The Mormons": It was that which I just quoted Alex Caldiero saying above that caused me to entitle this blog, Have You Really Read The Book of Mormon? If you have been regularly reading this blog for any amount of time you must have come to the conclusion that Professor Caldiero has never ever read anything in the Book of Mormon.

Right from the beginning of that sacred book there are many complexities that wouldn't be there if it had been made up by a young, unschooled Nineteenth Century American farm boy. Facts presented in the Book of Mormon are woven together intrinsically, because it contains true history. Chapter Five of Jacob which you just read and listened to is a prime example.

Professor Alex Caldiero, Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah, (U.S.A.)

"I hear Joseph Smith's voice every time I read it (The Book of Mormon). 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 Orem, Utah) (clarification and emphasis added)

Dr. Dan Peterson of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute at Brigham Young University has shown conclusively that all of the evidence shows that it would have been impossible for Joseph Smith to have used any documents as a source for the Book of Mormon. There were many people around Joseph Smith and his scribe when the translating took place and none of them suggest there were documents in the house from which Joseph or his scribe could have copied. They all agree: Joseph translated The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ by the power of God.

Many people who reject the Book of Mormon have tried since the mid-1800s to find such a document that Joseph Smith could have copied to bring about the Book of Mormon, have failed over and over again.

You can view - Dr. Peterson's Lecture Video about this matter.  It is long, but you can select what you read!



I wrote what I did above about "The Mormons" video because I wanted to show that the enemies of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ desire to have the world believe that the sacred Book of Mormon is a farce and was put together by the Mormons to deceive the world for some devious purpose.

While they do that, there are those of us (which may include some of you readers) who have received a divine witness that the Book of Mormon, along with the Holy Bible, and certain other revealed scriptures, were given us by our Heavenly Father to help prepare His children to be able to live with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, eternally.

Please return to this blog in three to four days to allow me to help you better understand how the very inspired Chapter Five of Jacob from the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ applies to each of us.

____________



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





TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or An Item Which Refers To Any Other Blog Post You May Desire To Access): After Reading All of This Paragraph Please Click on the Following: (The) Book of Mormon Prophet, Nephi, Son of Lehi, Saw Far Into . . . - Post 36e. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy, Please, Scroll Down To Your Target Item Or Use The Alphabetic Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)

________________


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

_____________



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

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

Neil Birch