38t - The Use of an Ancient Hebrew Literary Style in the Book of Mormon Indicates it was Written Anciently by People of Hebrew Ancestry!

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



King Benjamin Addresses His People from the Temple Wall -by Gary Kapp

This painting depicts a hugely significant event in the lives of the people of Zarahemla in ancient America. Their king, Benjamin, had called them together to prepare them for his turning the kingdom over to his son, Mosiah, by teaching them principles of righteousness.

Please read (along with listening to) Chapter 2 of the Book of Mosiah which contains part of King Benjamin's remarks. After you have read those words I will copy for you some particular verses which will assist me in addressing TODAY'S THEME.

Mosiah 2: 1-41

King Mosiah taught things that were very vital in helping his people to resolve to live righteously. It is important that you read and listened to them for you now know it was crucial that his people know his words and also, to remember them! I had a key purpose in highlighting those two words.

As I promised above I will excerpt two verses, the reading of which will lead you to begin to understand TODAY'S THEME.

Mosiah 2:
7 For the multitude being so great that king Benjamin could not teach them all within the walls of the temple, therefore he caused a tower to be erected, that thereby his people might hear the words which he should speak unto them.

8 And it came to pass that he began to speak to his people from the tower; and they could not all hear his words because of the greatness of the multitude; therefore he caused that the words which he spake should be written and sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice, that they might also receive his words. (emphasis added)

Now if King Benjamin's speech were given today, with all our electronic means, the good king wouldn't be confronted with the challenge of getting his very vital speech into the minds and hearts of all of his people. But, that was a much different time than ours.

However, their culture had, over the many centuries, brought and passed on from generation to generation, a style of speech which we know as chiasmus, which was silently but quite effectively helping, at least the older children and all of the adults to remember that which was said.

Please note that the good king had his speech written and delivered, not to all of those who present, but only to those who could not hear his voice. Nonetheless, this effective tool, chiasmus, was present in both the spoken and written word to help people remember those crucial words which the king spoke.

Here is an example of a chiastic pair of verses that illustrates that which I have just told you about the effective power of chiasms in helping readers and listeners alike, to remember well that which had been spoken.

Dear Blog readers, please notice the huge significance of these two verses! Chiasums apparently were used especially when the subject to be remembered was very important!

This scripture illustrates a unique style of writing which is found throughout the Book of Mormon and also in the Bible. That style of writing used, in this example, by King Benjamin is definitely something used very regularly in ancient Hebrew literature.

Mosiah 3:18 For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

You may ask, did King Benjamin speak Hebrew? Well, you can answer that question yourself after I remind you that His words which are written above, were written in about 124 B.C. His not too distant ancestor, Lehi and his family and some friends left Jerusalem in 600 B.C. They all spoke the Hebrew of that day and continued speaking it when they arrived in their Promised Land located in the Western Hemisphere, most likely in what is now called Central America.

Certainly Benjamin's Hebrew Language had been modified some from that of Father Lehi's Hebrew, as happens with all spoken languages over time, but it was certainly still Hebrew, with probably some difference in dialect from what was being spoken In Jerusalem in 124 B.C.

Now, I'd like to help you realize that a people's culture strongly influences their modes of speech and writing. Please read the following written by:

John W. Welch (BYU School of Law)

"I read this book and could not put it down. On page 6, Gaechter introduced the idea of parallelism and argued that it was especially important to the Hebrews because in their culture oral transmission was important and parallelism (of which, chiasmus is an example)helps people memorize." (clarification added)

You have just read a quote from an article written by John W. Welch, who, besides being a professor of law at Brigham Young University-Provo, was the founder of the "Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS),which is now a part of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute at the Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I have given you a direct link to his complete article at the end of this post. It is just under the blue line there.

In each culture in the world, unique needs may be expressed by certain styles they have included in their writing. As John Welch states above, the use of parallelism in Hebrew was important to the ancient Jews because in their culture they emphasized the importance of oral communication and the need to memorize.

Parallelism ( repeating things written in the the first half of a statement, in the last half of that statement, in a regular rotating scheme) helps people who have to, out of necessity, emphasize oral communication.

We can assume that this emphasis allows them to memorize more easily that which they have read; for instance, the Nephites' scriptures or the religious history that was being constantly written and used by them in their personal lives and in their teaching of others.

Chiasmus is not used as far as I know, in the English language because English speakers of our day do not depend as heavily on oral communications as did the ancient Hebrews. I just checked our Birch family Webster's "New Collegiate Dictionary (1953)" and the word, chiasmus wasn't even in it! Neither is it in the Spanish/English dictionary I use.

In our day everything is recorded by various means, from old-fashioned carbon copies to what computers do for us and by all of the electronic gadgets we use today. We don't need a literary tool like Chiasmus to help us remember what was spoken.

Just my personal suposition: If the scriptures you owned were inscribed on metal plates or hand-written on paper of some kind as evidently was the practice of the Nephites, it would seem to be much more practical for you to memorize key things in those scriptures with the help of an easily memorized chiasm than to lug (carry) those heavy plates or hand-written script on sheets of paper with you as you walked over the rough terrain where you happened to live.

As you read Book of Mormon passages such as the statements of Alma the Younger who taught the Gospel much in his life, you can realize that the parallelisms in the chiasms he used in his writings, helped him remember what he had read so he could more easily use those teachings in his preaching which, the Book of Mormon shows, he did very much of. Using the word, gimmick - might help some of you understand how it is used.

Similarly, Alma must have used chiasms in order that the important points he was making in his teaching would better stick in the minds and hearts of those he was teaching.

Here is a Chiastic Pattern of the Chiasm used by King Benjamin in verses 18 and 19 of Mosiah Chapter 3, quoted above: (Brother John Welch didn't put together this, I did. His version surely would have been better, but I think I'm close to getting it right.)

After you have read through my Chiastic Pattern several times by going from (a) to (a') and then from (b) to (b') and then from (c) to (c') and then from (d) to (d'), and comparing the two statements of the same basic letter each time, and seeing how they all fit together, you will clearly see the parallelisms that King Benjamin has used.

(a) but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children.

(b) and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

(c) For the natural man is an enemy to God,

(d) Unless the the natural man yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit.

(d') and putteth off the natural man through the atonement of Christ.

(c') and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man.

(b') and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord.

(a')willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

You can now, after thinking that through some, see that this chiastic tool could help Benjamin's people recall what he taught them because of the systematic parallel points which they could more easily remember.

Again, his people were used to this kind of a system being used ensuring that they would more easily remember what was taught or what to teach! You will notice that the central point of this (and of all chiasms is the center point; in my example, the d and the d'.

You may say, "Well, a chiasm wouldn't help me if I had been there in front of the temple listening to King Benjamin." Well, I must remind you that you aren't a person who needs such help because you, in our day, would have easy access to any such report of what was said, over the Internet, or over the TV or perhaps by reading a written report that would have been handed out, fresh off the press at the handy printer which could be easily arranged for in our day, after the king finished his appeal to you, or even in the next morning's newspaper.

Remember how catchy phrases have a way of sticking in your mind, especially if they were lined up in the parallel way they are in King Benjamin's chiasm.

Now there is a very important point I desire to make from this TODAY'S THEME. That which I've been sharing with you today, thanks to John W. Welch and the Lord who guided him as a young missionary to discover chiasms in the Book of Mormon, is undeniable evidence that the Book of Mormon could not have been made up and written by an uneducated farm boy, Joseph Smith, or anybody else in his generation, simply because nobody in the United States knew about chiasmus in the USA then (or not very often, now. Did you know about it before reading this post?) A few astute persons among the many of you now reading this will have, of course, nodded their heads after reading that question.

Even the Jewish people over time and in Lehi's time may not have identified it as a system. They probably were just used to using it all the time and didn't even have a name for it because they were so used to having it help them so they wouldn't forget what was said. People in all the history of the world would , most likely, take such a system for granted. Probably, only scholars pay attention to such as being a system of speech.

Now please try to give me mercy and don't become impatient with me for giving you an assignment of creating a Chiastic Pattern, similar to that which I just did above (colored in red). Of course, you don't have to do it, but it may surprise you how much you may enjoy doing what I am asking you to do.

There are Chiasms all over the Book of Mormon. I discuss in detail one given by the Book of Mormon Prophet, Alma the Younger in my Post 18 back on August 10, 2008. You could scroll down, patiently, to that post and read one of Alma's chiasms or you could totally skip reading that and instead tackle this assignment! Using the Chiastic Pattern I gave you above, that I just now created by myself and/or the one I borrowed from someone else that you could study down in Post 18, I request that you consider tackling the challenge.

You may be surprised how easily you can handle making a chiastic pattern of another of King Benjamin's speeches that I haven't, until now, asked you to read.

Remember, I just did the one above in this post and it was the first I have ever tried to do by myself. Somebody else might have done it a little differently, but I think I did OK. Of course I have seen at least one that someone else has composed which I typed into my Post 18. But, so have you, you've seen the one I just did, now you get to do what I just did for the first time ever!

OK. Here is a King Benjamin passage for you It's just one verse longer than the one I just did for you, but not as long as Alma's chiasm in Post 18 which comprised one entire chapter (Alma 36).

Mosiah 5:10 And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called by some other name; therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God.

11 And I would that ye should remember also, that this is the name that I said I should give unto you that never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression; therefore, take
heed that ye do not transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts.

12 I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.

I suggest you prepare to compose your own version of a Chiasm Detail, by methodically figuring it out in the scripture above. You probably would want to consider highlighting the scripture above and printing it, doing your typing under the scripture which is your guide and using a Microsoft Word screen or whatever program you use.

I just laughed out-loud (politely) after typing the previous paragraph. I laughed because I wonder if any of you who are reading this will take on this "opportunity" to learn, firsthand about the ancient Chiastic style. You may surprise yourself and enjoy doing it! You may well do better than I did with the scripture I assigned myself and finished (above in red).

Move over, King Benjamin, Alma and other Book of Mormon Nephite prophets, here come some of the readers of this blog who want to learn first-hand that which you understood so naturally! (You are welcome to copy your final result into an e-mail to me. My e-mail address is below if you want to copy it into any e-mail you decide to do. If I do receive any such e-mails, I would share them in a future post only if you tell me you want yours shared.


Please now access the John W. Welch article on how he discovered Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon:

Here is the latest Mormon Messages Video. You will find it very well done and hopefully will be very applicable to you and to your particular needs.

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 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: Chiasmus - An Overlooked (By Many) Literary Device, Used Both in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It is an Evidence of the Hebrew Origins of the Book of Mormon Writers. - Post 38t. 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).

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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

38s - A Stone Cut Out of the Mountain Without Hands -The Prophet Daniel Sees the Restoration of Christ's Church 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



Daniel Interprets King Nebuchadnezzar's Dream -by Grant Romney Clawson

A Stone Cut out of the Mountain Without Hands

The title under the title of the painting above is a key phrase in an interpretation of a dream by the young Jewish prophet, Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (in about 590 B.C.) had forgotten a dream which was very troubling to him. None of the wisemen in his kingdom could tell him the details of his dream, except the young Jew, Daniel, who had turned to his God for help in doing that. The king had threatened to kill all of the wisemen, including Daniel, if they couldn't help him.

In the painting above you will see the stone as it is rolling rapidly down from the mountain (in the background) and is about to strike the image (statue of an ancient warrior - perhaps a warrior king) that Daniel has described in great detail to the king.

The man in white clothing is Daniel, who, not long before, had been taken captive into Babylon, along with many other Jews, just a few years after Father Lehi and his family and friends had left Jerusalem and were being led by the Lord to Central America (or were possibly there already).

The Lord had told Lehi and his fourth oldest son, Nephi that Jerusalem was soon to be destroyed and that some of their people, the Jews, would be taken into captivity. They most likely had never known Daniel, but surely they knew many who had been destroyed by the Babylonians and some who, like Daniel, were eventually taken captive into Babylonia.

Daniel told the king that God had revealed the dream and its meaning to him, (Daniel), in a night vision.

In this painting young Daniel by the spirit of prophecy and revelation is depicted interpreting the dream that greatly troubled Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. By that same gift of God, Daniel had given the king each of the intricate details of his dream. The king had forgotten those details but he evidently was sure that the dream meant something he must come to understand.

Nebuchadnezzar was very pleased that Daniel's God helped him remember and understand the dream that had troubled him so much. Because of this, Nebuchadnezzar elevated Daniel to a high position in his government.

Please read the scripture you are referred to at the end of the next paragraph that will help you understand Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream directly from the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament.

44. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

45. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made it known to the king what shall come to pass here-after: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. (emphasis added)

You will now have the opportunity of reading and listening to the personal account of the individual who was chosen by God to begin the establishment of His latter-day kingdom that was foretold anciently in the prophet Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream.

Please note the great care the Heavenly Messenger takes in preparing this young man who is almost 18 years of age for the huge task ahead of him.

As you begin accessing the following scripture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I advise that you click on the word, "Listen" on the upper left side of the page. It will make your experience more interesting. 

 jstestimony

You have just learned about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, about which in his later years, Joseph Smith said: "The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our Religion."

Here are three paintings and a photo that depict important events you have just read about and hopefully, heard also.

Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith -by Tom Lovell

The Hill Cumorah in New York State, U.S.A.

A Replica of the Golden Plates

Joseph Smith Holds the Golden Plates as Moroni Instructs him, -by Kenneth Riley

When you have time you may want to review my blog post 20, in which the present Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, H. David Burton in an LDS General Conference talk, reviews the many humanitarian projects this church accomplished during the year, 2007, through the voluntary efforts of a goodly portion of the over thirteen million members of the Church.

I now give you the opportunity of reading a quote from a member of the First Presidency of this church, President Henry B. Eyring. It is from his speech given at the same general priesthood session of the Church's April conference in April 2008 where Bishop Burton gave the speech referred to above in which he reported the Church's Humanitarian efforts during the year, 2007.

President Henry E. Eyring

"I have seen the miracle of that growth in charity in the hearts of priesthood holders, So have many of you. And so have many outside the Church. I was in the office of President Gordon B. Hinckley when he was asked to take a phone call.

He spoke briefly on the phone and then returned to our conversation. But he took a moment to explain. He said that the call was from the president of the United States, who was flying over Utah in Air Force One on his way to Washington. The president of the United States had called to thank President Hinckley for what priesthood holders had done in the aftermath of a hurricane. The president of the United States had said that it was a miracle that we were able to get so many people, so quickly, working together so well. He praised our people by saying that we knew how to do things."

In ending this blogpost, I take the liberty of saying: That which was accomplished in humanitarian services in 2007 and for many years before that and in 2008 and now in 2009 and into the future, is what we should expect from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with its population growing from thirteen million members to a much larger number in years to come.

Of course, this is the Lord's latter-day kingdom, or the Stone Cut out of the Mountain without Hands which Nebuchadnezzar saw and was helped by Daniel to understand by the power of the gift of prophecy and revelation which he, the Prophet Daniel, used in interprepting the king's dream.

This church, under the direction of a living prophet, is striving to do all of those things our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ would have us do in preparation for His Second Coming.



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

This church regularly accomplishes much more than that which I have been able to describe here. Through the gift of Prophecy and Revelation which ordinary worthy members of the this church can possess, the young, the elderly, both male and female, from every race, are led to Heavenly Peace and Security in this world of rapidly increasing turmoil, temptation and disasters.

Family Prayer - and - Serving Others -photos by lds.org 

 I have entitled this post, a part of the series: Book of Mormon (and; Bible) Prophecies are Fulfilled in Our Day, The Prophet Daniel Interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's Dream. I added the ( Bible) part for this post. After all, the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon are one in the hand of our Lord. His holy gift of Prophecy and Revelation was used by the Lord's servants (prophets) in both books to present His word.



The Bible and the Book of Mormon Stand Side by Side in testfying of the Lord Jesus Christ -by Greg K. Olsen



You can expect my next blogpost in about three to four days from the date given at the beginning of this post. I'll look forward to sharing things again with you at that time.

You regular readers of my blog may have noticed that about one week elapsed from the last post you would have read until this one. It was necessary for me to spend more time than usual with the Spanish version of my blog (See the URL for that below).

I assisted an LDS Argentine couple who are living now in France, in becoming experienced in translating my blog posts. You may view the post they translated by clicking on my Spanish Blog's URL. (it is given below)

If you do not have sufficient time right now to view the thirty five minute long LDS General Conference talk about the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, at this time, please come back later in the day when you have time or even on the following day to view this video.

The message of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, puts the Book of Mormon in its proper perspective! To view it please click on the link below. (Please note that when the first half of his talk ends you will see a link which will allow you to view the second half of his talk. Please don't miss this opportunity.

Jeffrey R Holland Book of Mormon LDS Conference Talk Oct 2009 179 HD (1/2)

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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 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: Daniel, the Prophet's Interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's Dream Shows the Huge Role of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Latter-days. -Post 38t. 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).


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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

38r - A Review of Post 16, 07/29/08 - Joseph Smith - He was being Prepared Since His Childhood.

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

As with my personal adversity at a young age which I described in Post 38n (Sept. 30, 2009), and perhaps in the adversities you may have personally faced sometime in your lives, seven year old Joseph Smith had a very adverse circumstance come into his life. Here is a painting of him made after the Lord called him as a prophet. I believe that the Lord often allows



Joseph Smith -by David Lindsley



his children here on earth to suffer adversity to allow them to grow in character. I believe such was the case with Joseph Smith, Jr.

Being exposed to a Typhus fever epidemic which raged throughout that part of New Hampshire where his parents' family was living when Joseph, Jr. was seven, Joseph suffered a severe case of osteomylites.

The usual procedure for that medical problem at that time in New England where he and his family were living, was amputation.

Had it not been for the fact that one of the early medical geniuses of this country (U.S.A.) was located at Dartmouth University, a relatively short horseback ride away from Joseph Smith's parents' home, surely Joseph Smith, Jr. would have become an amputee.

It is very doubtful that Joseph Smith, Jr., with one leg amputated, could have ever met the heavy demands that were to be made on him during his lifetime as a prophet of the Lord, or could even have knelt in the grove of trees located not far from their future home in the State of New York where he would seek to ask the Lord which church was true.

It is well documented history that Dr. Nathan Smith, who often extended himself to help those in need of his medical expertise, rode to the Joseph Smith, Sr. home to treat Joseph Smith, Jr. with ten medical students coming along to learn from and to assist the respected doctor and medical school instructor.

Dr. Nathan Smith (On a Cover of a Book About Him)

At that time Dr. N. Smith was the only doctor in the United States or perhaps anywhere in the world who had developed a procedure for Joseph's kind of case, which could eliminate the need for an amputation.

Dr. Smith's procedure consisted of breaking off the most infected pieces of a patient's infected limb, which in Joseph's case was his left leg, which action allowed replacement growth.

Joseph Smith, Jr., in his history, mentioned that his left leg was weaker than his right leg, but he actually was quite athletic thanks to the remarkable coincidence of the doctor who invented this technique, being located nearby and being willing to help.

I shouldn't have called that a coincidence, I must call it divine intervention. The Lord allows adversity to come into our lives, including the lives of His faithful saints that lived in ancient America and ancient Israel as recorded in the Book of Mormon and in the Holy Bible. When His intervention is needed, as it was in the case of His future prophet, The Lord does amply provide.

It was not only from Joseph's history but also from his mother, Lucy Mack Smith's very accurate history that we have such a detailed record of what happened to young Joseph through the involvement of Dr. Nathan Smith.

It is my personal opinion, perhaps based on my own experience with my TB of the left knee (as explained in my Post 38n), that experiencing such adversity can actually strengthen a person's will to overcome the effects of challenging situations.

Even in the case of his eventual successful surgery at the hands of the great Dr. Nathan Smith, young Joseph faced very challenging conditions during that surgery which surely was a character strengthening factor he needed. Without Joseph realizing it then, perhaps this experience helped him to begin preparing himself to face the exceedingly great challenges he would face in serving as the Lord's true and authorized representative in restoring His true Gospel and Church to the earth.

I will now briefly describe the great challenge seven year old Joseph had to endure during that surgery. In that day there were no anasthetics. Perhaps it was Dr. Smith, who suggested that Joseph use alcohol to lessen the effects of the pain, but young Joseph refused. He only wanted his dear father to hold him to prevent him from twisting violently in the extreme agony he was to experience while Dr. Smith chipped pieces of infected bone from his leg.

Thank God for the great Doctor Nathan Smith who not only had rare skills but also cared much for the welfare of his patients!

I want each of you readers of this blog post to know that by the gift of the Holy Ghost which I have received as a baptized, worthy member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I came to know beyond any shadow of a doubt that Joseph Smith became the Lord's prophet through whom He restored His true Church and that it is the only church that our Savior, Jesus Christ acknowledges as his.

I also know that the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, is a true book. I promise you that your Heavenly Father will tell you personally of the truthfulness of all that which I just told you that He told me, if you will ask him in faith.

Credit is given to the Larry H. Miller Organization for the information regarding the medical assistance given young Joseph Smith Jr. This was provided on the Television program: The Joseph Smith Papers, on a Sunday evening beginning at 8:00 p.m. sometime during July 2008 on KJZZ Television, Channel 14 in Salt Lake City, UT.

Now in this post you will have the opportunity of learning through a video how Joseph Smith was led by the Lord to become the prophet of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how he was prepared to translate, by the gift of God, the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

You will also learn that Joseph was led by the Lord to organize the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 1830.

It might help to view this in a well lighted room because of the relatively small image.



You can order a free copy of a DVD on which is the same video you have just viewed, however it has a larger and therefore, a clearer image. Click here to order the DVD.

I have added these photos/paintings below to allow you to see some of the things referred to in the video you have just seen. You can print each of them by right clicking on the picture. Click on print picture after having your printer turned on.

The Sacred Grove

Joseph's Prayer Was Answered In the Sacred Grove

The Smith Family's Log House in Palmyra, New York

The Angel Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith

The Hill Cumorah

The Golden Plates

Joseph Receives the Golden Plates from Moroni

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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: Joseph Smith - He Was Being Prepared Since His Childhood. -Post 38r. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).


____________

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

____________

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

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


Neil Birch

38p - A Revision of My Previous Post 9 Published June 9, 2008 -The Four Sons of King Mosiah

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

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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TODAY'S THEME
Painting: Arnold Friberg

At the top, you are viewing a painting which depicts Ammon, one of the four sons of King Mosiah, as he keeps the Lamanite King's sheep from being stolen by Lamanite robbers.
In a previous blog post I mentioned that after their conversions, these four sons of the king worked long and hard to gain their father's permission to serve as missionaries to the Lamanites.





(To the right is a small copy of the first painting found in my recent post, 38n that depicts these four sons of King Mosiah along with Alma the Younger as the Angel of the Lord rebukes all five of them for their wickedness thus bringing about their conversion to Jesus Christ and his work)
The second painting above, by LDS painter, Del Parson, depicts Lamanites, converted to the Lord Jesus Christ through the efforts of the four sons of Mosiah and their companions, preparing to bury their weapons of war in the earth as an army of hostile Lamanites advances to kill them. You will learn why this was happening later in this blog post.
It is recorded in the Book of Mormon that Ammon, his three brothers and some of the others they had chosen as missionary companions, worked hard to prepare themselves spiritually for this exceedingly difficult mission. It is in Alma 17, that we are told of the incident, depicted in the first painting at the top of this post, when Ammon protected the Lamanite King's sheep with his sword, being strengthened by his special spiritual preparations. Ammon was doing that which would achieve acceptance from the potentially hostile Lamanite king. This is told in Alma 17. Click here to read of this:
It might help you focus better on these chapter long scriptures, like this one and others to come, to listen to them while reading them. After clicking on the scriptural link, scroll up the scripture until you see the word, Listen, on the left side. Click on that. Then click on the (-) sign on the window that comes up so that it will close and not be a distraction to you as you read and listen. When you have finished that scripture please double click on the white arrow in the blue background you will see in the upper left hand corner. That will return you to the post.
Alma 17:1-39.
By reading this scripture, you will have gained the insight that because of the great results he Ammon had, the Lord was with him in all he did among the Lamanites .
Now if you were to read chapters 18-23 of Alma you would read of the great success that all of the other sons of Mosiah, along with their missionary companions, had in turning the hearts and souls of a great number of Lamanites to God. You will also read of the great tribulations they each went through in accomplishing this. I will link each of these chapters here for you. Remember to click on "Listen" on each, as instructed above.
Alma 18:1-43 Ammon teaches the Lamanite king, Lamoni.
Alma 19:1-36 King Lamoni and his queen are both converted to Jesus Christ.
Alma 20:1-30 Ammon and King Lamoni win over Lamoni's father.
Alma 21:1-23 Aaron teaches the Amalekites about Jesus Christ.
Alma 22:1-35 Lamoni's father and all his household are converted.
Alma 23:1-18 The Lamanites in seven lands and cities are converted.
I have also provided a link to Alma, Chapter 24 which will explain the meaning of the picture painted by LDS artist Del Parsons, inserted just after the painting of Ammon wielding a sword to secure the King's sheep.
Alma 24:1-30 The Anti-Nephi-Lehites rejoice in in Christ. They choose to suffer death rather than to defend themselves. More Lamanites are converted.
From that great account we learn more about the power that comes to people after true conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Refer to the second painting at the beginning of this post!
Now, please read these words regarding Alma the Younger: [From about 91 to 77 B.C.] You have read and listened to this scripture earlier in this post, but I have excerpted this part of it here to emphasize the importance of the fourteen (14) year mission of the four sons of King Mosiah and their missionary companions which, along with the accomplishments of Alma, were the results of the conversions of these five Nephite men to the Gospel of Jesus Christ at the time of the appearance of the Angel of the Lord!

Alma 17:
1 AND now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla.
2 Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.
3 But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.
4 And they had been teaching the word of God for the space of fourteen years among the Lamanites, having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of their words many were brought before the altar of God, to call on his name and confess their sins before him.
5 Now these are the circumstances which attended them in their journeyings, for they had many afflictions; they did suffer much, both in body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit.

Come Unto Me (Ye Blessed)

Among the blessed will surely be: Alma, the Younger, the Four Sons of Mosiah, and those who they as instruments in the hands of the Lord, helped bring to salvation: King Lamoni and his Queen; and Lamoni's father; and the brave People of Anti-Nephi-Lehi and millions of unamed others:

You could be listed among them! E-mail me at jneilmelva@gmail.com and I could suggest steps you could take to make that possible!
The following link, when clicked upon, will allow you to view the latest Mormon Messages Video. You will find it interesting and very well done. Hopefully it will meet needs that perhaps you didn't realize you had.
Mormon Messages

__________________

"Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
____________________
I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.

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

Neil Birch

38o - Thomas S. Monson, Prophet, Seer and Revelator!

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

Beginning with the third paragraph below the photograph of Thomas S. Monson, the present Prophet, Seer and Revelator of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I will share with you a reminiscence of several related experiences I, Neil Birch, was privileged to share with him when he was still serving as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the church.

Doctrine and Covenants, section 107: 91 And again, the duty of the President of the office of the High Priesthood is to preside over the whole church, and to be like unto Moses—

92 Behold, here is wisdom; yea, to be a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet, having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head of the church.

President Thomas S. Monson

In the Opening session of the 179th Semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (October 3, 2009), once again, Thomas S. Monson was sustained by the Church as Prophet, Seer and Revelator.

Much evidence of his key role was shown throughout this general conference which concluded October 4, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. (USA, Mountain Time)

In one of the early months of 1984 not long after being assigned as the adoption worker for the Midvale, UT Office (soon to become the Sandy, UT Agency), of LDS Family Services, I was assigned to help bring about an adoption with a certain LDS Family who lived in the Salt Lake Valley (Utah, U.S.A.).

The wife and mother of that family served professionally as a secretary for Elder Thomas S. Monson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

At the LDS Family Services office where I worked on the scheduled day and time for the adoption I was told by the adoptive parents that the adoptive placement should not start until her employer, had arrived. I had learned from the Church News that Elder Monson had been heavily involved in negotiations with the Communist East Germany to secure authorization to build a temple in Freiberg there. I told them I'd be happy to wait to start the placement meeting until he arrived.

I assumed that with all the usual heavy work-load he must already have had, his having the responsibility of being personally involved in seeking the authorization for the building of the proposed East German Temple made his work-load even heavier and perhaps was part of the reason he had to be late for this event. * (That temple authorization was soon granted!)

Freiberg Germany Temple (Dedicated: 29 June 1985, Re-dedicated: 07 September 2002)

While waiting for him to arrive I realized that being at that adoption had to be a high priority for Elder Monson. With all that he had to do in his assignment as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve; he came as he had promised the adoptive parents previously.

One of the things I remember him saying to me and the birth-mother worker soon after he arrived, was, after calling each of us by name (reading from the name badges we wore) "This is the time when you receive your real salaries by participating in such a special event!"

The adoption went very well. I noticed that Elder Monson clearly enjoyed every minute of that adoption. The adoptive family later told us that he had been present at the adoption of their first child too. It became very obvious to me that here was an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ who valued families very highly. That wasn't surprising to me, but it allowed me to see, first hand, that such surely was the case with this apostle.

After several routine visits to the adoptive family's home I was able to report for the record that the adoption was doing very well.

But then, one evening, the adoptive father telephoned and gave me the very sad news that their two month old adoptive daughter had just been pronounced dead by her doctor. She had died of Sids the much feared (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) malady which wasn't yet fully understood, if it even is today!

They had already made arrangements for the viewing at a mortuary in their part of the Salt Lake Valley. The adoptive father invited me to attend. He told me that Elder Monson had been notified and would be the speaker at the viewing. The viewing arrangements were being made by them with the assistance of their LDS Ward bishop.

Several days before the viewing, the birth parent worker told our office manager and me that she felt that the baby's birth mother should be invited to attend the viewing. I think the birth parent worker had already told the birth mother about the baby's death. Involving the birth mother in the viewing would cause us to do something that was not at that time done under any circumstances: having the adoptive parents and the birth mother, meet.

After clearing the matter through channels, our office manager gave us official permission to go ahead with having the birth mother attend the viewing, thus allowing her to meet the adoptive parents. The birth mother worker was given the responsibility of inviting that birth mother to the viewing. I don't remember if it was I or she who informed the adoptive parents of this.

With heartfelt sorrow I arrived at the mortuary and went through the line that had been formed that ran in front of the dear baby's casket. I hugged the adoptive parents. There were many tears. The birth mother had already met the adoptive parents by the time I arrived. She wasn't in the line with them, but it appeared she was talking to family and/or friends of her own.

The Mortuary chapel was filled with many relatives and friends of the adoptive family. Their bishop, whom I had come to know because I had contacted him prior to the adoption to clear the adoptive family for adopting through our Church Agency, conducted the services in a very caring and capable manner. Elder Monson and his wife arrived just as the services were about to begin. He was the only speaker. I wrote in my personal journal that evening:

Elder Monson spoke about the situation and wove in beautifully the truths of the Savior's love and the resurrection and announced that he had received written permission from President Gordon B. Hinckley to seal the baby, vicariously, to her adoptive parents the coming Tuesday.

I was touched by his talk. However, as the services were drawing to an end I began to feel strongly that the birth mother would greatly benefit from some special individual attention from Elder Monson.

I had a plan! There wasn't sufficient time to consult with my co-workers. A silent prayer sufficed.

Quickly, as soon as the closing prayer was said and those in attendance had begun gathering around the adoptive family and the birth family members, to console them, I walked up to where Elder Monson was still by himself at the front of the chapel. I asked him if he would be willing to speak with the birth mother if I were to bring her up to speak with him. I made it clear there would just be the three of us. Elder Monson quickly agreed to my request.

Again, quickly, I went to the birth mother and introduced myself as the adoptive family's caseworker and asked her if she would like to speak personally with Elder Monson. I explained to her that I would remain with her during that time. The adoptive parents were still very occupied while being consoled by friends and family. With tears in her eyes that were flowing down her cheeks, the dear birth mother nodded in the affirmative.

I led her over to the left to the part of the chapel where Elder Monson was still by himself waiting for us.

After being introduced, he hugged the birth mother and began to speak from his heart. He began by telling her:

You have a very bright future and you are a wonderful young lady!

I felt such strong emotions during this very tender time and felt the presence of the Spirit of the Lord in a very special way.

The birth mother listened intently to what this Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ was telling her. I was so overwhelmed by the spirituality of what was being said that afterwards I couldn't remember any more of the specifics of that which was actually said.

However, whenever I tell others about that (well-remembered by me) incident, I always tell them, that instead of just hearing the words of Elder Thomas S. Monson, I knew I was hearing the words and even the voice of our Savior Jesus Christ whom Elder Monson represents.

I never deviate from that observation during those appropriate occasions when I share that experience. In so doing I never divulge the names of the birth mother nor of the adoptive parents and not even the date of the viewing. I tell others, such as our Ward High Priest Group members when teaching a group lesson where that account fits in properly, in words such as these:

I heard our Savior Jesus Christ, or rather, one of His personal representatives, an apostle, speaking to that broken hearted beautiful young lady who was filled with grief because of the death of the dear baby to whom she had given life and whom she had willingly placed for adoption.

The Salt Lake Temple

As promised by Elder Thomas S. Monson the adoptive parent's deceased baby was vicariously sealed to them by him in the Salt Lake Temple that following Tuesday.

I was told sometime later by the adoptive parents that the birth mother's life was, at that time, going forward very well and that her speaking with Elder Monson had been a very positive experience for her. That experience she had with a personal representative of our Lord was surely something that gave her the needed strength to press forward at that time in her life, courageously! For that I am so grateful!

On a later more joyous occasion, I was present at another adoption with that same family. Elder Monson, once again, was a enthusiastic participant. Not long before, he had invited the birth mother worker and me to meet with him in his office at Church Headquarters. There he gave it as his opinion that the adoptive family was emotionally ready for another adoption.

He mentioned that he respected the fact that our LDS Family Services Office had the responsibility of determining if the adoptive parents were still meeting our official requirements. He explained to the two of us that he just felt he wanted to share his personal and intimate observations of the adoptive family's readiness to adopt again. He was showing great respect for our responsibilities. I greatly appreciated him for that. After studying the matter professionally and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I suggested to our Agency Director a particular baby whose mother was placing for adoption, through us, who I was spiritually impressed was a good "fit" in that same family whose previously placed baby daughter who several months before had died of Sids.

Over the years in my responsibility as an Agency worker, both as an adoption worker and then later, as a birth mother worker, I continued to have great respect for Elder Thomas S. Monson, this true servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. He appeared to me to be a man who didn't make hasty decisions, he just waited until he knew what was the right thing to be done under the circumstances! I am convinced that people in general and their families, are very important to him!

It was a privilege this morning while in our living room with my dear wife, Melva, watching General Conference on our Television Set, to raise my hand to the square, once again, to sustain Thomas Spencer Monson as the President and Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

I now provide you the opportunity to view a video. It was produced soon after this most recent General Conference. The speaker is: President Thomas S. Monson.

What Matters Most

I'm sure that you readers of this particular blog post of mine will have realized, after viewing that video, that President Monson shows us by the way he lives that he knows that "most often the people around us should matter the most to us!"

If you would like to read the conference talks given by President Monson, I encourage each of you readers of this blog post, wherever you may live in the world and whatever language you may prefer, to log into The LDS Church

You will need then to click on the Classic LDS.org

Under the topic of Gospel Library, you may choose the column to the right under the topic of: General Conference. If you so choose please scroll down to the October Conference of 2009 or if you have been reading the post after that date, please feel free to view whichever General Conference you choose to view.

After scrolling down just a little bit you will be given a wide variety of languages from which to choose. You most likely already understand English to some extent to be reading this blog post, but nonetheless you may prefer to read or even listen in the language you most often use, whichever of President Thomas S. Monson's Conference addresses you choose to learn from. The various languages are easy to locate. There may be other General Authorities' addresses which may interest you too.

_____________

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: Thomas S. Monson, Prophet, Seer and Revelator -Post 38o. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).

__________________



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


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

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

Neil Birch