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TODAY'S THEME
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General (Prophet) Mormon, Ready for Battle and is Presently Inscribing Sacred Records -by Tom Lovell |
The Prophet, Mormon, according to the part of his record we read in my just previous post (37b), and according to what we will again read about him in this post, lived in the most challenging period of Nephite history. Their unrighteousness ultimately led to the demise of the Nephites as a nation. The Nephite remnant became Lamanites.
In about A.D. 327-328 Mormon tells us that when he was yet a boy (according to our U.S.A. way of looking at age), he was considered a man by his people:
Mormon 2: 1 AND it came to pass in that same year there began to be a war again between the Nephites and the Lamanites. And notwithstanding I being young, was large in stature; therefore the people of Nephi appointed me that I should be their leader, or the leader of their armies.
2 Therefore it came to pass that in my sixteenth year I did go forth at the head of an army of the Nephites, against the Lamanites; therefore three hundred and twenty and six years had passed away. (since the visits of the Resurrected Jesus Christ with the Nephites)
3 And it came to pass that in the three hundred and twenty and seventh year the Lamanites did come upon us with exceedingly great power, insomuch that they did frighten my armies; therefore they would not fight, and they began to retreat towards the north countries. (emphasis and clarification added)
In this post, I'm first giving you information about Mormon's life so that you can see how challenging were his life circumstances. It is apparent that he was raised by righteous parents. His father
(whose name was also Mormon) and his mother whose name isn't mentioned by Mormon (Possibly that is a cultural matter possibly shared with other Israelites ) must have taught him to have a very different view than most all of the other Nephites had about what was going on in their nation.
Before I end this post (37c), you will read one of Mormon's own personal inspired comments which is from among a good number of them which he interspersed throughout the record that he eventually was assigned by God to write.
That which was to become our Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ is clear evidence that from the exceedingly difficult circumstances Mormon had been living in throughout all of his life, he had gained great wisdom about the importance of living righteously.
Remember from what you read in post 37b, that the prophet Amaron had chosen Mormon, son of Mormon when he was only ten years of age to eventually write a record of, (in which Amaron surely and prophetically knew would contain), the horrid details of what was happening among his (Amaron's and Mormon's) people because the greater part of them had forsaken that which the Lord, Jesus Christ had personally taught them soon after His resurrection, and after having lived, as a united righteous people, on a very high spiritual and temporal level; and in every way, for over 200 years!
Evidently things had become so horrid and evil that Amaron told ten year old Mormon that the task he was asking him to take upon himself at age twenty-four, was the writing of the history of that which would be taking place during his (Mormon's) life and was to be written by him (Mormon) on the Plates of Nephi. Perhaps little did young Mormon know what horrid and evil events he would be recording on the Plates of Nephi. The Golden Plates upon which the Book of Mormon was to be eventually written was to be, in our day, The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, were not apparently mentioned at that time.
In other words, the readers of the Book of Mormon (you and I and many many countless others since 1830 when it was first published) were to be spared the greater part of the terribly evil details of that which would happen during Mormon's and his son, Moroni's lifetimes.
In searching for the most evil actions reported by Mormon, I found this which Mormon wrote in a letter to his son Moroni:
Moroni 9:7 And now I write somewhat concerning the sufferings of this people. For according to the knowledge which I have received from Amoron, behold, the Lamanites have many prisoners, which they took from the tower of Sherrizah; and there were men, women, and children.
8 And the husbands and fathers of those women and children they have slain; and they feed the women upon the flesh of their husbands, and the children upon the flesh of their fathers; and no water, save a little, do they give unto them.
9 And notwithstanding this great abomination of the Lamanites, it doth not exceed that of our people in Moriantum. For behold, many of the daughters of the Lamanites have they taken prisoners; and after depriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity and virtue—
10 And after they had done this thing, they did murder them in a most cruel manner, torturing their bodies even unto death; and after they have done this, they devour their flesh like unto wild beasts, because of the hardness of their hearts; and they do it for a token of bravery.
11 O my beloved son, how can a people like this, that are without civilization—
12 (And only a few years have passed away, and they were a civil and a delightsome people)
13 But O my son, how can a people like this, whose delight is in so much abomination—
14 How can we expect that God will stay his hand in judgment against us?
15 Behold, my heart cries: Wo unto this people. Come out in judgment, O God, and hide their sins, and wickedness, and abominations from before thy face! (emphasis added)
Dear Esteemed Prophet Mormon, (Whom we expect to meet sometime in the afterlife where you have gone already.)
We, Neil Birch, author of this blog, along with the Readers of this blog, recognize that the above 15 verses from chapter 9 of your son, Moroni's book, contained descriptions of extremely gross iniquities committed by both the Nephites and the Lamanites.
We recognize that those descriptions of great evils committed were written by you in a letter to your son which he only afterwards, most likely after you had died, inscribed them onto the golden plates which you had earlier turned over to him.
We surmise that the record which you began writing at age twenty-four on the plates of Nephi (which had been passed on from the original Nephi, son of Lehi who had fled Jerusalem) contained many such reports and some of even more ghastly exceedingly evil actions perpetuated by both sides of your conflict, both by the Lamanites and the Nephites!
I'm grateful we don't have the record which is contained on the Plates of Nephi! We, (and I'm speaking for my blog readers too), never wanted to read about all the atrocities most likely described on those plates which were no doubt even more more wicked and gruesome than that which is described in the scripture just above. We have to ask, "How could that even be possible?"
We can see, however, that the records contained on the Plates of Nephi could be made available to the apostles who will assist the Lord on that great Judgement Day. We all will be judged by that which has been written! (See 3Nephi 27:26)
Mormon 3:18 -Yea, behold, I write unto all the ends of the earth; yea, unto you, twelve tribes of Israel, who shall be judged according to your works by the twelve whom Jesus chose to be his disciples in the land of Jerusalem.
19 And I write also unto the remnant of this people, who shall also be judged by the twelve whom Jesus chose in this land; and they shall be judged by the other twelve whom Jesus chose in the land of Jerusalem.
We know that we, all of our Heavenly Father's children who have lived on Earth, must eventually face the Lord's Holy judgment. Therefore we should realize that:
3Nephi 27:26 And behold, all things are written by the Father; therefore out of the books which shall be written shall the world be judged.
Blog Readers: You will soon have the opportunity to read Helaman, Chapter 11 (which Mormon wrote later in his life upon the Gold Plates) in order to prepare you and me and all mankind to try to understand that Mormon could see in the actions of Nephites who lived long before his own time on earth, many of the same patterns of living that people during his lifetime had gone back to, even though Mormon's and his peoples' ancestors several generations before
had actually been taught, converted and greatly blessed personally by the Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, Himself!
As you will before long learn from this series of posts, Mormon was also very concerned that we, in our day, will have to face similar challenges as did his ancestors and his people during his lifetime!
Dear Readers, please keep in mind that that which you will be reading next,
occurred many years prior to Mormon's lifetime, nonetheless as I've been saying, many of the patterns that occurred during his lifetime were very similar.
(but perhaps much more inexcusable because those Nephites who were involved in the events told about in Helaman Chapter 11 had not had the sublime experience of having been taught on continuing occasions by their resurrected Lord and Savior as did Mormon's people's ancestors a few generations back who certainly had passed on to their posterity accounts of those sacred occasions and had been raising their children so that they could follow in the "Master's footsteps.")
Helaman 11:1-38
You have just read about the
up and down things that were going on among the Nephites and Lamanites in about B.C. 20 - 6, I now want to expose you to Mormon's wise commentary below which I feel was a response to the events described
in Helaman, Chapter 11 to which you have just read and listened
.
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However, I am very positive that this commentary of Mormon's was particularly intended for
us in our day. After telling us about the Nephites' wickedness he described in Helaman 11, Mormon surely,
by the prophetic power of the Spirit of God that he possessed, knew that
we, in our day would sorely need to know these truths upon which Mormon bases his inspired advice.
Are you fully convinced that Mormon was directing the above words to us? There is no doubt in in my mind that that was his intention. The entire Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ was written for our benefit, to help prepare a people who will be ready for
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ! I am very positive that Mormon wrote the following for our benefit:
Helaman, CHAPTER 12 (Chapter Heading) Men are unstable and foolish and quick to do evil—The Lord chastens his people—The nothingness of men compared with the power of God—In the day of judgment men shall gain everlasting life or everlasting damnation. (About 6 B.C.)
1 AND thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.
2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—(The Lord Jesus Christ) yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.
3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.
4 O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world!
5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom's paths!
6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.
7 O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth.
8 For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God.
9 Yea, behold at his voice do the hills and the mountains tremble and quake.
10 And by the power of his voice they are broken up, and become smooth, yea, even like unto a valley.
11 Yea, by the power of his voice doth the whole earth shake;
12 Yea, by the power of his voice, do the foundations rock, even to the very center.
13 Yea, and if he say unto the earth—Move—it is moved.
14 Yea, if he say unto the earth—Thou shalt go back, that it lengthen out the day for many hours—it is done;
15 And thus, according to his word the earth goeth back, and it appeareth unto man that the sun standeth still; yea, and behold, this is so; for surely it is the earth that moveth and not the sun.
16 And behold, also, if he say unto the waters of the great deep—Be thou dried up—it is done.
17 Behold, if he say unto this mountain—Be thou raised up, and come over and fall upon that city, that it be buried up—behold it is done.
18 And behold, if a man hide up a treasure in the earth, and the Lord shall say—Let it be accursed, because of the iniquity of him who hath hid it up—behold, it shall be accursed.
19 And if the Lord shall say—Be thou accursed, that no man shall find thee from this time henceforth and forever—behold, no man getteth it henceforth and forever.
20 And behold, if the Lord shall say unto a man—Because of thine iniquities, thou shalt be accursed forever—it shall be done.
21 And if the Lord shall say—Because of thine iniquities thou shalt be cut off from my presence—he will cause that it shall be so.
22 And wo unto him to whom he shall say this, for it shall be unto him that will do iniquity, and he cannot be saved; therefore, for this cause, that men might be saved, hath repentance been declared.
23 Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are they that shall be saved.
24 And may God grant, in his great fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace for grace, according to their works.
25 And I would that all men might be saved. But we read that in the great and last day there are some who shall be cast out, yea, who shall be cast off from the presence of the Lord;
26 Yea, who shall be consigned to a state of endless misery, fulfilling the words which say: They that have done good shall have everlasting life; and they that have done evil shall have everlasting damnation. And thus it is. Amen. (emphasis and clarification added)
As I may have said before, the people of Mormon's time never saw nor did they read The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. By the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation, Mormon knew we would need to read, believe in and trust in his words (Chapter 12 of Helaman) above, for the rewards are great, and on the other hand when we forsake what he taught us, the punishment will be worse than we could ever imagine!
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I want you blog readers to know that I really put a lot of thought into what picture/s I could show you in this post which could effectively demonstrate that faithful members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints take very seriously Mormon's
poignant words found in Helaman Chapter 12. At first, I didn't know what pictures, if any, I would show.
Then the following just happened:
My dear wife, Melva suggested at about 4:00 p.m. today, the Fourth of July, 2009, the Independence Day Holiday
(for those who live in the U.S.A.) that we ought to get into our 2005 Dodge Stratus car and after heading over to the "Artic Circle" (Drive - Through Restaurant) for some "Huckleberry" milkshakes, as a simple and inexpensive way of celebrating this important holiday, instead of going to a fireworks demonstration which we usually have done on this holiday, but instead drive over to see one of the four LDS temples that are now in this Salt Lake Valley. Until very recently there were only two. One of the newer ones, the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple, is not yet dedicated, but will be next month.
Official LDS Temple Photo 
Draper Utah Temple
I suggested to Melva that we drive down about twenty miles to first view the Draper Temple which was just recently dedicated as a House of the Lord. It has been functioning as that for just several months. Because it is a holiday here today the temple was closed, but we enjoyed its beauty and both of us reminisced about its and all LDS temples' purposes.
I personally thought: "right here in this sacred building, a House of the Lord, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are living worthily (righteously would probably be the way the prophet, Mormon would put it if he spoke english) come as often as possible to renew their covenants made with the Lord, in a temple, to live righteously."
"Dear Prophet Mormon, we love you for the great gift of the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, about which, as our first prophet in our time, Joseph Smith, taught: "the Book of Mormon is the Keystone of our Religion." Of course, you Mormon, surely have met him and embraced one another in the Spirit World by now.
I lived in Draper briefly sometime ago before the temple was built there. Because I came to appreciate that once "little city" before, I really enjoy viewing this marvelous temple located there whenever I can. We drove all around it and noticed the beautiful landscaping and the sheer beauty of this
"House of the Lord." Of course,
Our "Lord" being the Resurrected Jesus Christ who is before too long, scheduled to return to earth
when His people are prepared for Him to do so.
Official LDS Temple Photo 
Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
As Melva and I finished viewing the Draper Temple, I suggested that we drive Northwest to view the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple which will be dedicated next month. We attended the open house there recently. And again, because of the National Holiday, it was easier viewing this temple too, because there was no traffic, only us.
Official Temple Photo 
The Jordan River Utah Temple
Before our mission to Finland several years ago, both Melva and I served in The Jordan River Utah Temple as
temple workers. The landscaping of all LDS Temples is superior, but to me it seems particularly beautiful at this temple.
We didn't plan together to view all four of the temples that are located in the Salt Lake Valley today. The plan just materialized. After driving around this temple, I reminded Melva that each of us were sealed to our own parents in the Salt Lake Temple, in her case when she was an adult living in Wasatch County, Utah. In my case it was when I was a baby living with my parents in Roseville, California.
Official Temple Photo 
The Salt Lake Temple
Such a grand edifice! It took forty years to build! This temple means so much to both of us for many reasons, and our sealings to our parents is not the least important!
A Final Comment to the Great Prophet Mormon in the World of Spirits:
"We deeply appreciate your counsel given us in
Helaman, Chapter 12. We continue to need it and will keep on heeding it. Even in Utah, the news we learn every day from various news media, tells us of
all kinds of wickedness that is taking place right here, in the United States of America and even right here in Utah, it is taking place constantly!
"At the same time, in Utah and throughout the United States and in many many countries of the World, the Lord Jesus Christ
has a people preparing for His Second Coming which you, Dear Mormon advised us to do through the Book of Mormon and also through the teachings of living prophets of our day. Many things the Lord has commanded us to do through His Latter-day prophets, many of us are striving valiantly to do."
"Our happy drive from temple to temple today reminded both of us, Melva and me, of how much spiritual strength comes from having made temple covenants which we strive mightily to keep, and from having a sealing link to our children and to our parents and with ancestors back along the line."
"We will continue to remember your counsel given us in
Helaman Chapter 12 and will follow the guidance of our Church prophet and all the other assigned spiritual leaders.
We also will continue to make the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, our personal guidebook."
It was a Happy Fourth of July, celebrated in a different way than usual by Melva and I. We did hear the fireworks from nearby Murray Park from within the house and outside in our backyard too after returning home just before dark.
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The following link, when clicked upon, will allow you to view a Mormon Messages Video. You will find it very well done and hopefully applicable to you and to your particular needs.
Mormon Message
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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 37c (Mormon's Role #2). 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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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
