45e I Intend this Blog Post of Mine to Stand as an Introduction to the Book of Mormon, Something Each of You Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Can Share With Your Non-LDS Friends and Relatives, and Something Which Those of You Who are Not (Yet) Members of that Church Can View With Interest. The Mormon Messages Video Presented Herein Featuring Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Followed by Paintings with Explanations of Them, Will Hopefully Help You in Your Efforts to Learn About and/or Share the Book of Mormon.

To Access This Blog's Index, Please Scroll Down To the Fifth Paragraph From the End of This Post! For Those of You Who May Be In a Hurry to Access it, Here it is now: Neil Birch's Blog Index.

Dear Readers of this Blog, please note that Google advertisements may appear in this blog post. They were not solicited by me and I do not profit from them. I did request particularly that Google not place them within scriptures which I often use in my blog posts. It appears they have honored that request of mine. Thank you Google!

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TODAY'S THEME

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland 

I, J. Neil Birch, author of this blog post now invite you to view and listen to this message addressed to each of you by the above Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ in our world today!

A VIDEO: An Introduction to the Book of Mormon

Now after your having listened to Elder Holland's engaging remarks, I follow up by Inviting  you to View professional  paintings of  a Number of  Key Individuals and events which are Featured in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ or had something significant to do with its being published in the State of New York in the year 1830. Along with each of those paintings I will briefly explain the key roles the individuals shown in them have regarding this additional scripture which was given us by God our Heavenly Father to bear Witness in our day on earth of the Truthfulness of the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ!

Liahona  -by Arnold Friberg

The first individuals featured in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ which I intend to portray through professionally done paintings are Lehi and his third eldest son, Nephi. After being called of God to Leave Jerusalem, their ancestral home and to be led to an unknown land to which Heavenly Father Intends to Lead them Father Lehi (with the red turbine) holding something they called "Liahona" which would serve as a compass or guide for them in their journey to their promised land to which God, our Heavenly Father intended to lead them. Nephi  is standing to the right of his father, Lehi and has placed his left hand on his father's back.

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

We have been told by Joseph Smith who translated the Book of Mormon into the English language by the power of God that after a very long journey both by land and by sea beginning in about 600 B.C. that the land Lehi and his family accepted as their promised land to which they had been led was in the Western part of the Americas.

Various specific sites in the Americas have been suggested by a number of professional persons as the actual site where Lehi and his family and relatives and at least one friend actually landed after a long and arduous journey from Jerusalem in Palestine. Of those various sites suggested I am personally convinced that Lehi's group (and actually two other groups who were led by God, one, centuries before Father Lehi's time, and the other not long after Lehi and his group arrived there); landed in an area which now makes up two states of the present-day Country of Mexico, which area has a Mediterranean Climate very similar to that in Palestine from whence that people, (we call them Nephites), came. This very similar climate to that in Palestine made it possible for the seeds they had brought with them to easily germinate and bountifully produce the food that was so essential for their survival in that new land.

A very large number of specifically detailed geographical statements made within the pages of the Book of Mormon agree exactly with what is known regarding the Baja California portion of the present day country of Mexico, including its very prolific agriculture productivity. Thus I can ask again here as I always do through the Title of my Blog: Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?

Of  those of us who advocate that location, members of the Lynn A. Rosenvall Family of Calgary, Alberta, Canada and Utah, were the first to come to that conclusion. He and his son, David indicate that eventually during the times described within the Book of Mormon, some descendants of Father Lehi and his sons moved from what we know as Baja California further North into what is now known as San Diego, California (U.S.A.) and perhaps even further Northward into what we know as the Los Angeles, California (U.S.A.) area with their equally similar Mediterranean climate.*

The surely most significant history found within the pages of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ was of His sacred visit among them after His resurrection and ascension into Heaven.

The Resurrected Jesus Christ Descends from the Sky to Visit and Bless the Nephite-Lamanite people in Ancient America.  - by Arnold Friberg

Recorded within the sacred pages of the Book of Third Nephi in the Book of Mormon are detailed accounts of His visit among the Nephite people (which the Lord Jesus Christ had foretold his apostles in Palestine during His lifetime.) 

John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Jesus Christ Visits The Americas. -by John Scott

Within the sacred pages of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ in the Book of 3Nephi are recorded the sacred words of our Savior Jesus Christ to His Israelite people (they called themselves  Nephites) who had migrated originally from Jerusalem (in 600 B.C.) to the Americas.

Abinadi Appearing Before King Noah -by Arnold Friberg

As is true in the Holy Bible, in the pages of the Book of Mormon are recorded accounts of people whose leaders have led them into wickedness causing God to send His holy prophets to reprimand them and to attempt to lead them back to the truth of the Holy Gospel of  His Son, Jesus Christ. In the King's court depicted above, the prophet Abinadi clearly and effectively prophesied of the future coming of Jesus Christ, the Savior of Mankind to redeem those who believe in Him and to bring about the eventual resurrection of all of us.

As pictured above, in a section of a certain Nephite King's court, (to the king's left in the scene above) are seated his priests who were as wicked as their king. However, one of them named Alma, believed in the teachings of Abinadi and recorded that prophet's teachings. Alma soon repented and escaped from the kingdom along with other believers in the coming of Jesus Christ about whom the great and good prophet, Abinadi had taught.

King Noah put Abinadi to death by fire! And as Abinadi had prophesied, the King also eventually suffered death by fire!

It is evident that the descendants of Father Lehi and his sons eventually, centuries after the coming of the Resurrected Jesus Christ to teach and bless them, and after they had totally apostatised  from His Gospel, migrated out of their original land in the Americas and settled in what is now a a part of the rest of the Nation of Mexico and countries South of there, and most likely extending eventually into South America and to the North into what are now western states of the United States of America.

Mormon Abridging The Plates -by Tom Lovell

The Book of Mormon was named after a Prophet of God who lived in the Americas from about 322 A.D. to about, Perhaps, A.D. 384. He was commanded by God to abridge the records who had been written and kept among his people since the days of Father Lehi and his righteous son, Nephi.

Mormon, a general in his nation's army was killed in the line of duty and the records given him by God on which he put together the key parts of the history of their people was turned over to his righteous son, Moroni. Moroni evidently eventually during the surely very lonely last part of his life, transported those sacred records to what is now known as the State of New York (U.S.A.) and buried them in the earth.

Moroni Burying the Plates. -by Tom Lovell

Many centuries later in the early 1800s Moroni who had died and had been resurrected through the power of the resurrection brought about by our Savior Jesus Christ, appeared to a young American man by the name of Joseph Smith who lived in Palmyra, New York

The Angel Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith. -by Tom Lovell

Joseph Smith Receives the Golden Plates from  Moroni,  who had been resurrected  and was an Angel of God.

Joseph Smith Translating the Book of Mormon -by Del Parson

I, J. Neil Birch invite each of you who do not yet have one, obtain your own personal copy of the Book of  Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ; in whatever language you prefer, and read it from cover to cover. You will never regret having done so! If you sincerely ask Heavenly Father to know of its truthfulness, He will reveal that to you!


You may want to go back up to the link to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk which is basically an invitation to each of you obtain your own copy of the Book of Mormon and read it prayerfully. I invite you to experience that video once again. If you do so you perhaps after having read part or all of  that book will be motivated to ask your Heavenly Father to help you know for yourself of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ's truthfulness! 


* In case you would like to investigate personally the matter of Book of Mormon Geography presented briefly in the first part of this blog post, I refer you to that which the Lynn A.Rosenvall family has presented:  A Choice Land


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


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TO OPEN NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This BlogPost, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other BlogPost You Desire To Access): After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up and Click on The Following: (This) Book of Mormon Focused Blog Post is One You May Want to e-mail Your friends and Relatives Who are Not Yet Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A Video Featuring Elder Jeffrey R. Holland is Included -Post 45e. When The Picture of Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down To Your Target Item.


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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