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TODAY'S THEME
Painting: Intellectual Reserve
III Nephi 26: 14 And it came to pass that he did teach and minister unto the children of the multitude of whom hath been spoken, and he did loose their tongues, and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even greater than he had revealed unto the people; and he loosed their tongues that they could utter. (emphasis added)
Several posts ago you read the account described in that verse which is TODAY'S THEME. In an earlier chapter of III Nephi you were told of another event in which the Savior involved the Nephite children in a spiritual experience involving angels descending from Heaven and encircling and blessing them.
III Nephi 17: 20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.
21 And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.
22 And when he had done this he wept again;
23 And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.
24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.
25 And the multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children.Imagine how these experiences with their Savior were impacting the minds and hearts of these children and of their parents. Great results in the way they were to live the rest of their lives were to come!
These following words of The Savior show us that He knew of these Nephite's long-lasting righteousness and also of the eventual apostasy that would come about in time.
Jesus spoke these words to His twelve Nephite disciples:
III Nephi 27: 27 And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.
28 And now I go unto the Father. And verily I say unto you, whatsoever things ye shall ask the Father in my name shall be given unto you.
29 Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
30 And now, behold, my joy is great, even unto fulness, because of you, and also this generation; yea, and even the Father rejoiceth, and also all the holy angels, because of you and this generation; for none of them are lost.
31 Behold, I would that ye should understand; for I mean them who are now alive of this generation; and none of them are lost; and in them I have fulness of joy.
32 But behold, it sorroweth me because of the fourth generation from this generation, for they are led away captive by him even as was the son of perdition; (Judas Iscariot) for they will sell me for silver and for gold, and for that which moth doth corrupt and which thieves can break through and steal. And in that day will I visit them, even in turning their works upon their own heads. (emphasis and clarification added)It's time to invite you to read the book of IV Nephi. It was also written by the Prophet, Mormon. You will most likely choose to listen to this scripture also.
IV Nephi 1-49
In this final section of this post I will demonstrate how crucially important to the Lord Jesus Christ's Work during the time just preceding His Second Coming, is the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
The Second Coming could possibly be in the day of our children's maturity or in the time of their children. It could be sooner. We just don't know when He will return: Note what the Apostle, Mathew wrote:
St. Mathew 24: 36 ¶ But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.As I have informed you often in this blog, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His latter-day Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was established through the young prophet, Joseph Smith in 1830.
It has been established throughout most of the earth now with a present membership of over thirteen million members. It continues to grow rapidly in numbers of members and in the many good things that it has contributed to the world such as much relief provided by the Lord Jesus Christ's only authorized Church, to many nations of the world, including the United States of America, when natural disasters strike.
Please view my Post 20 in which the Presiding Bishop, David H. Burton, of the LDS Church gives a detailed report during the April 2008 Conference of the Church on disaster relief given by this church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) during the year 2007.
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Presiding Bishop H. David Burton |
I am convinced that the Book of Mormon played a very essential role in the founding of this church. It's impact was essential!
The Lord told the prophet Joseph Smith that this, Jesus' church, will continue to grow and develop up unto the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and then continue thereafter. Through this church a righteous people are being prepared for the Lord's Second Coming.
Now, here is my final point: Without the Book of Mormon and all of its records preserved by the faithful prophets over the generations of time covered by that book, and the accounts recorded in it of members of the Nephite nation being taught and blessed by the resurrected Lord, as recorded in the book of III Nephi, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints never could have been established. We owe them all a great debt of gratitude! Perhaps a special thanks is owed to those children pictured in the paintings used today (and their dear parents). They were, everyone, saved and endured to the end!
I would have liked to have had the space to list the names of all the prophets of that sacred book along with listing for you, one by one, each of the events recorded in III Nephi during the Savior's visit with His people, the Nephites. HOW GRATEFUL WE OUGHT TO BE FOR THEIR RECORD AND FOR THEIR FAITH AND GOOD EXAMPLES AND THE TEACHINGS OF TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS THEY PASSED ON TO EACH OF US.
However, our deepest gratitude goes to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who inspires and guides all precious blessings that come our way. Let us always remember His words:
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.______________
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This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.
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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or An Item Which Refers To Any Other Blog Post You May Desire To Access): After Reading All of This Paragraph Please Click on the Following: Jesus Christ's Nephite Ministry - Its Lasting Effects - Post 34a. 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.)
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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you will find very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.
If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.
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Neil Birch
